Gold Country NEWS

1921
Born on this day in Dora, Alabama, was Terry Fell who started his record career in 1945 as a member of Billy Hughes band. During his first session for RCA in Hollywood, he recorded a song that would become a hit. Although the A-side, "Don't Drop It", was underplayed, the B-side, "Truck Drivin Man", became a classic, especially in the trucker country music scene. Many artists have covered the song including; Ricky Nelson, Boxcar Willie, Charley Pride, Conway Twitty, Jimmy Martin, The Flying Burrito Brothers, George Hamilton IV, Glen Campbell, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Willie Nelson, David Allan Coe, Leon Russell and Toby Keith.

1950
The Carter Sisters was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. The Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle with Chet Atkins released its first record on February 2, 1949, and the group recorded many singles in the 1950s. After A.P. Carter's death in 1960, Maybelle officially renamed the girls' group "The Carter Family". In 1963 The Carter Family began working as part of the Johnny Cash road show.

1959
Born on this day was Country music songwriter Allen Shamblin. Randy Travis, Bonnie Raitt, Rascal Flatts, Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban and John Michael Montgomery have all recorded his songs. "The House that Built Me", co-written with Tom Douglas, was recorded by Miranda Lambert and she won the Best Female Country Vocal Performance Grammy for the recording.

1965
Born on this day in Dunedin, Florida, was Lari White, country music artist and actress. Three of her singles having reached Top Ten: "That's My Baby" and "That's How You Know (When You're In Love)" and "Now I Know." She died on January 23 20198 age 52 after a battle with peritoneal cancer.

1966
Born on this day in Charleston, South Carolina, was Darius Rucker, lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Hootie & the Blowfish who had the 2008 US Country #1 hit "Don't Think I Don't Think About It." Rucker won the Country Music Association's New Artist of the Year in 2009. Rucker scored two US Country #1's in 2010 with "Come Back Song', and "This".

1975
American Western swing musician Bob Wills died. Wills who was also a member of The Texas Playboys is considered by music authorities as the co-founder of Western swing. He was recording an album with fan Merle Haggard in 1973 when a stroke left him comatose until his death. From the 1970's until his 2002 death, Waylon Jennings performed a song called "Bob Wills is Still the King".

1977
Born on this day was Ilse DeLange, Dutch country and pop rock singer-songwriter. In 1998 while being a member of the group Cash On Delivery, she traveled to Nashville, to record her debut album World of Hurt. She won the Country Music Association Global Country Artist Award of The Year in 2022.

1981
Heartworn Highways the documentary film by James Szalapski was released. The film captured some of the founders of the Outlaw Country movement in Texas and Tennessee and features Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle, David Allan Coe, Rodney Crowell, Gamble Rogers, Steve Young, and The Charlie Daniels Band.

1981
Cajun accordion player Nathan Abshire dies in Mamou, Louisiana. His 1949 recording of "Pine Grove Blues" is heralded in the Country Music Foundation's "Heartaches By The Number" among the 500 greatest country singles in history.

1993
Born on this day, American country music singer and songwriter Morgan Wallen. His second album, Dangerous: The Double Album, released in January 2021, became the only country album in the 64-year history of the Billboard 200 to spend its first seven weeks at No. 1. It went on to spend a total of ten weeks at that spot, the first album to do so since Whitney Houston's Whitney in 1987.