Country GOLD NEWS

1944
Born on this day was American country music singer and songwriter Kenny O'Dell. He was best known for writing the #1 country hits "Behind Closed Doors" (recorded by Charlie Rich, 1973) and "Mama He's Crazy" (The Judds, 1984). O'Dell who was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame died on March 27, 2018 age 73.

1948
Born on this day in Aiken, South Carolina, was Leon Everette country music artist. Everette reached top 10 on the Hot Country Songs charts with the singles "Over", "Giving Up Easy", "Hurricane", "Midnight Rodeo", "Just Give Me What You Think Is Fair", "Soul Searchin'", "My Lady Loves Me (Just as I Am)" and "I Could'a Had You".

1955
Sun Records released Johnny Cash And The Tennessee Two’s first single, “Cry! Cry! Cry!” backed with “Hey Porter.” The early success of the song led to a featured spot on the Louisiana Hayride Tour and kicked off the career of Johnny Cash in the process. The song sold over 100,000 copies in the southern states alone. Cash then began to tour with Elvis Presley soon after its release.

1959
Born on this day in South Charleston, West Virginia, was Kathy Mattea, singer, songwriter, who has recorded seventeen albums and has charted more than thirty singles on the Billboard Hot Country charts. This total includes the #1 hits "Goin' Gone", "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses", "Come From the Heart" and "Burnin' Old Memories."

1969
Special guests on this week's Johnny Cash ABC television music variety show included, Eddie Albert, Jerry Reed and Linda Ronstadt.

1970
Conway Twitty held the #1 position on the country charts with "Hello Darlin'". Twitty's fourth #1 song was named the #1 song of 1970 and aside from being Twitty's standard concert opener, the song became a country standard as well as his signature song.

1976
Reba McEntire married Charlie Battles at the First Baptist Church in Stringtown, Oklahoma. They had their honeymoon in Texas, where they promoted her latest single to local radio stations.

1989
At the American Cancer Society Jail-A-Thon held in Hendersonville, Johnny Cash was arrested by Sgt. John Graves. Cash called his friend Willie Nelson, who pledged $1,000 for his release. At the end of the day the event had raised over $20,000 for charity.

1991
Born on this day in Lawrence County, Kentucky was singer and songwriter Tyler Childers. His third album Country Squire reached #1 on the Country chart in 2019.

2003
Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett began a two-day shoot for the video of “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” in Jupiter, FL. The video features Jackson performing on a yacht (which he actually owns) called Hullbilly, and later performing at the bar amidst several patrons. When Buffett's chorus comes in, Jackson joins Buffett on stage at a large concert, which was filmed at Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana.