SEPTEMBER 9
1894: C.F. Martin III was born. He led Martin Guitars from 1945 until his death in 1986.
1947: Freddy Weller was born in Atlanta, GA. A member of Paul Revere & The Raiders from 1967-1971, he netted six solo country hits from 1969-1973 and wrote the Bob Luman/Steve Wariner hit “Lonely Women Make Good Lovers.”
1951: “Dukes Of Hazzard” star Tom Wopat was born in Lodi, WI. He wrote Earl Thomas Conley’s “Shadow Of A Doubt,” became a temporary host of TNN’s “Prime Time Country,” and co-starred opposite Reba McEntire when she appeared in Broadway’s “Annie Get Your Gun.”
1956: Elvis Presley made his first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” He sang four songs, including “Love Me Tender” and “Don’t Be Cruel,” shot only from the waist up. Charles Laughton hosts in place of Sullivan, recuperating from an auto accident
1957: Jerry Lee Lewis took “Whole Lot Of Shakin’ Going On” to the top of the Billboard country singles chart.
1966: Tammy Wynette recorded her first single, “Apartment #9,” at the Columbia Recording Studio in Nashville.
1968: Buck Owens performed for president Lyndon Johnson at the White House. His set list included “Act Naturally,” “Together Again,” “Gentle On My Mind,” “Orange Blossom Special” and “I’ve Got A Tiger By The Tail.”
1970: Elvis Presley began his first concert tour since the 1950s at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix. The concert was the subject of a bomb threat
1975: Tom T. Hall shot a pilot for a talk show, though the program never made it on air.
1975: Emmylou Harris recorded “One Of These Days” in Los Angeles.
1975: After a recording session, Emmylou Harris got together with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt for the very first time in a Beverly Hills hotel room.
1975: Joey Martin was born in Alexandria, IN. She joined husband Rory Lee Feek in Joey+Rory, named Top New Vocal Duo by the Academy of Country Music in 2010.
1978: Waylon Jennings’ “I’ve Always Been Crazy” started a three-week run at #1 in Billboard.
1981: Alabama recorded “Mountain Music.”
1981: George Strait recorded “Fool Hearted Memory” in a midday session at Music City Music Hall in Nashville.
1982: Johnny Paycheck filed for bankruptcy 32 minutes before an IRS auction, designed to collect $103,000 in personal income taxes.
1989: The late Keith Whitley was featured at #1 on the Billboard country chart with “I Wonder Do You Think Of Me.”
1995: Bryan White collected a #1 single in Billboard with “Someone Else’s Star.”
1996: Bill Monroe died at the Northcrest Medical Center in Springfield, TN, five months after suffering a stroke. Acknowledged as the “Father of Bluegrass,” he joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1939 and entered the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1970.
2003: Dualtone releases June Carter Cash’s final album, “Wildwood Flower.”
2003: MCA released “Remembering Patsy Cline.” The tribute album features remakes by Terri Clark, Martina McBride, Norah Jones, Natalie Cole, Lee Ann Womack, Amy Grant, Michelle Branch, Jessi Alexander and Rebecca Lynn Howard, among others.
2008: Saguaro Road released the Patty Loveless album of remakes, “Sleepless Nights.”
