SEPTEMBER 28

1926: Comedian Jerry Clower was born in Liberty, MS. His southern, small-town tales about the Ledbetter family from Yazoo City, delivered with great exaggeration, gained him membership in the Grand Ole Opry in 1973.

1930: Leonard Sipes was born near Oklahoma City, OK. Under the name Tommy Collins, he netted five hits from 1954-1966. He wrote hits like “Carolyn,” “The Roots Of My Raising” and “If You Ain’t Lovin’ (You Ain’t Livin’).” He was also the inspiration for Merle Haggard’s tune, “Leonard.”

1937: Record producer/songwriter Glenn Sutton was born in Hodge, LA. As a writer, he penned such hits as “What’s Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made A Loser Out Of Me),” “Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad” and “Almost Persuaded,” while most of his production credits are for his wife, Lynn Anderson.

1947: Ronnie Reno was born in Buffalo, SC. He played guitar on several Merle Haggard records, including “If We Make It Through December” and “It’s All In The Movies,” before forming a bluegrass band, The Reno Brothers.

1959: William Schlappi was born in Voorheesville, NY. Under the name Billy Montana, he signed a recording deal in the 1990s, but scored his biggest successes by writing Jo Dee Messina’s “Bring On The Rain” and Sara Evans’ “Suds In The Bucket.”

1968: She really socks it to ’em: Jeannie C. Riley went to #1 on the Billboard country singles chart with “Harper Valley P.T.A.,” written by Tom T. Hall.

1974: Waylon Jennings’ “I’m A Ramblin’ Man” resides at #1 on the Billboard country chart.

1977: Kenny Rogers & Dottie West recorded “Every Time Two Fools Collide” at the Jack Clement Studios in Nashville.

1979: Bobby Bare recorded “Numbers” at the Soundshop in Nashville. He also cut “Some Days Are Diamonds (Some Days Are Stone),” destined to become a hit in 1981 for John Denver.

1982: Alabama records “Dixieland Delight.”

1985: Ronnie Milsap rose to #1 with a single that incorporates a doo-wop classic, “Lost In The Fifties Tonight (In The Still Of The Night).”

1989: Earl Scruggs was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, D.C.

1991: Tennessee Ernie Ford became ill at Washington Dulles Airport following a White House dinner. He was taken to a Virginia hospital, where he died 19 days later.

1992: Liberty released Tanya Tucker’s “You Can’t Run From Yourself” album.

1992: Atlantic released John Michael Montgomery’s debut album, “Life’s A Dance.”

1993: MCA releases George Strait’s “Easy Come, Easy Go” album.

1995: George Strait recorded “I Can Still Make Cheyenne” at Nashville’s Emerald Sound.

1996: George Strait recorded “Round About Way” at Emerald Sound Studios in Nashville.

1997: “Get To The Heart: The Barbara Mandrell Story” aired on CBS-TV, with “Brady Bunch” actress Maureen McCormick playing the singer. Mandrell made an appearance, as did Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, John Doe and Mandrell’s daughter, Jaime Dudney.

1999: Capitol released Garth Brooks’ pop album, “In… The Life Of Chris Gaines.”

2002: Diamond Rio tidied up at #1 in Billboard with their single, “Beautiful Mess.“

2010: A mass of artists performed “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” as the Grand Ole Opry House reopened following May floods. They include Brad Paisley, Josh Turner, Dierks Bentley, Martina McBride, Keith Urban, Jason Aldean and Little Jimmy Dickens.

2021:  Alan Jackson revealed on NBC’s “Today“ that he had been diagnosed with a degenerative nerve disease (Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disorder) 10 years prior. The illness adversely affects his ability to tour and perform.