Gold Country NEWS

1942
Born on this day in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, was Billy Swan, singer, songwriter best known for his 1974 US Country #1 and crossover hit single, "I Can Help". Swan also penned country songs for numerous artists, including Conway Twitty, Waylon Jennings, and Mel Tillis.

1955
Born on this day, was Kix Brooks III, country music artist, best known for being one half of the duo Brooks & Dunn who have won more Country Music Association awards and Academy of Country Music awards than any act in the history of country music.

1960
Johnny Cash guest starred with comics Homer & Jethro on the NBC TV The Ford Show, presented by Tennessee Ernie Ford.

1964
Connie Francis and Hank Williams Jr, recorded "Singing The Blues", "Wabash Cannonball", "Blue Blue Day" and "If You've Got The Money" at Columbia Recording Studio, Nashville, Tennessee.

1977
Chet Atkins holds the first of three sessions for the album "Me And My Guitar" at Nashville's Sound Masters. The album earns a Grammy nomination.

1978
Dolly Parton had the country #1 single with "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right". Originally appearing on Parton's Here You Come Again album, "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right" became Dolly Parton's seventh #1 country single as a solo artist.

1981
Born on this day in Nashville, Tennessee, was Holly Williams, singer-songwriter, and the granddaughter of Hank Williams, Sr., the daughter of Hank Williams, Jr. and half-sister of country singer Hank Williams III.

1988
During a UK tour, Johnny Cash appeared at The Royal Albert Hall in London, England. Glen Campbell joined Cash on stage where they played a selection of each other's hits.

2014
The Pizza Hut chain of restaurants introduced the new Blake Shelton signature product, Blake's Smokehouse BBQ Pizza.

2019
Nashville songwriter Glenn Martin died age 86. Martin was one of the first members of the Nashville Songwriters Association International and penned country classics including Merle Haggard's "It's Not Love (But It's Not Bad)" and Tammy Wynette's "Fairy Tales." Martin’s first songwriting successes occurred in 1969 when Ray Price recorded “April’s Fool” and Bobby Bare released “Which One Will It Be.” Both songs became top-20 country hits.

2021
A Mississippi Country Music Trail marker is installed in Starkville to commemorate Johnny Cash's 1965 arrest and overnight stay in the Starkville jail.

2023
Blake Shelton received a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As of December 2020, Shelton had charted 40 singles, including 28 No.1's The 11th No. 1 ("Doin' What She Likes") broke "the record for the most consecutive No. 1 singles in the Country Airplay chart's. Throughout his career, he has received nine Grammy Award nominations, including two for Best Country Album.