1924: Lloyd George–alias Ken Martin–was born in Haleyville, AL. A sideman for Eddy Arnold, he’s the first to play “Lonzo” in the Grand Ole Opry comedy act Lonzo & Oscar, best-known for the twisted in-bred bit, “I’m My Own Grandpa.”
1925: Songwriter Doc Pomus was born in New York. Pomus specialized in pop/rock/R&B songs, but several of them became country records, including “Little Sister,” by Dwight Yoakam; and “Save The Last Dance For Me,” by Emmylou Harris.
1933: Victor released country music’s first picture disk, showing Jimmie Rodgers in a wicker chair with a replica of his autograph. The double-sided release includes “Cowhand’s Last Ride” and “Blue Yodel No. 12 (Barefoot Blues).”
1948: Songwriter Paul Kennerley was born in England. He authored Emmylou Harris’ “Born To Run,” Marty Stuart’s “Hillbilly Rock,” Tanya Tucker’s “Walking Shoes” and The Judds’ “Cry Myself To Sleep.”
1949: Merry Christmas, six months early: Gene Autry recorded the holiday classic “Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer” in Los Angeles.
1959: Lorrie Morgan was born, a day before father George Morgan’s 35th birthday, in Nashville. She followed her father into the Grand Ole Opry in 1984, preceding a run of 1990s hits, including “Something In Red,” “Five Minutes” and “What Part Of No.”
1962: Hank Snow recorded “I’ve Been Everywhere” at RCA Studio B in Nashville.
1965: Johnny Cash set off a fire at Los Padres National Forest in CA, blamed on a faulty exhaust on the singer’s camper. The blaze consumed nearly 585 acres of condor habitat and required 450 firefighters to extinguish.
1967: Tammy Wynette records “I Don’t Wanna Play House.”
1968: Elvis Presley started taping his first television special, “Elvis,” for NBC at the network’s studio in Burbank, CA.
1972: Bob Luman recorded “Lonely Women Make Good Lovers.”
1977: Dave & Sugar recorded “I’m Knee Deep In Loving You” during the afternoon at Sound Masters in Nashville.
1983: The Statler Brothers recorded “Atlanta Blue” during an evening session at the Sound Stage in Nashville.
1984: George Strait recorded “The Fireman” at Sound Stage in Nashville.
1986: Keith Whitley recorded “Hard Livin’” and “Homecoming ’63” in Nashville.
1989: Alan Jackson recorded “Here In The Real World.”
1993: Lyle Lovett married Julia Roberts at the St. James Lutheran Church in Marion, IN, after a whirlwind romance that began during filming of the movie “The Player.” They postponed a honeymoon while she filmed “The Pelican Brief.”
1995: Colter Wall was born in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. He released his somewhat autobiographical debut album “Colter Wall” in 2017.
2005: Songwriter Robert Byrne was found dead in his Nashville home. Among his hits: Shenandoah’s “Two Dozen Roses,” The Forester Sisters’ “Men” and Earl Thomas Conley’s “What I’d Say.” The loss inspired Phil Vassar to write “Last Day Of My Life.”
