Country GOLD NEWS

1914
Born on this day in Overton County, Tennessee, was Lester Flatt, bluegrass musician best known for his work in the Bluegrass duo The Foggy Mountain Boys. He was also known as "Flatt and Scruggs," with banjo picker Earl Scruggs who performed "The Ballad of Jed Clampett", which was used as the theme for the television show The Beverly Hillbillies. He also released many solo and collaboration works and hed been a member of Bill Monroe's band during the 1940s. He died on May 11th 1979.

1926
American country music and blues star Deford Bailey was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. He was one of the first performers to be introduced on Nashville radio station WSM's Grand Ole Opry, the first African-American performer to appear on the show, and the first performer to record his music in Nashville.

1952
Born on this day was American country music singer Bobby Borchers. He charted nine times within the Top 40 of the Hot Country Songs charts, including the #7 "Cheap Perfume and Candlelight" in 1977.

1954
"I Don't Hurt Anymore" by Hank Snow began a 20 week run at #1 on the Country Best Seller list. Also on the chart, "One by One" by Red Foley and Kitty Wells began a 21 week run at #2 on same chart, managing a single week at #1 later in the year.

1956
Born on this day, in Newnan, Georgia, was Doug Stone, country music artist who had the 1991 US #1 Country hit "In A Different Light." Stone made his acting debut in the film Gordy.

1956
Born on this day in Nacogdoches, Texas, was Jim Collins, country music singer-songwriter. Between 1985 and 1998, Collins released three studio albums. As a songwriter, Collins has had more than fifty of his songs cut, including singles by Kenny Chesney ("She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy", "The Good Stuff", "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven"), Chad Brock ("Yes!"), Jason Aldean ("Big Green Tractor"), and Gretchen Wilson ("I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today"). "The Good Stuff" was Billboard's #1 country single of 2002.

1976
Marty Robbins reached #1 on the Country charts with “El Paso City.” Robbins wrote the song while flying over El Paso, Texas and becamehis 15th #1 on the country singles chart and his first since "My Woman, My Woman, My Wife" six years earlier.

1980
Boxcar Willie made his Grand Ole Opry debut. "Boxcar Willie" was originally a character in a ballad he wrote, but he later adopted it as his own stage name.

1997
American country music singer Bobby Helms died of emphysema at his home in Martinsville, Indiana, he was 63. He was best known for his 1957 hit, "Jingle Bell Rock" along with his first #1 single in 1957, titled "Fraulein", and later that same year, he released "My Special Angel", which also hit #1.

Loretta Lynn joined the Songwriters Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. Anne Murray also received the Hitmaker Award.