1937
Born on this day in Huntland, Tennessee, was Lorene Mann, American country music singer and songwriter. She is known for her duets with Justin Tubb and Archie Campbell. Mann was a co-founder of the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI). She appeared in the movies Music City USA and W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings. Mann died aged 76 on May 24, 2013.

1945
Born on this day was JayDee Maness, American pedal steel guitarist who is a veteran session musician in Los Angeles. He is known for his work with Gram Parsons, the Byrds, Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, Ray Stevens, Vince Gill, and the Desert Rose Band. Maness received The Academy of Country Music's "Steel Guitarist of the Year" award 18 times and was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 2003.

1953
The funeral of Hank Williams took place at the Montgomery Auditorium. An estimated 20,000 to 25,000 people passed by the silver coffin, and the auditorium was filled with 2,750 mourners. His funeral was said to have been far larger than any ever held for any other citizen of Alabama. Williams had died in the back of his Cadillac travelling to a concert in Ohio.

1957
Born on this day near Pikeville, Kentucky, was Patty Loveless, country music singer, songwriter who has charted more than forty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including five #1's including the 1988 "Timber, I'm Falling in Love."

1962
George Jones recorded "She Thinks I Still Care" which later became his third Country #1 hit. The song has been recorded by multiple artists, including Connie Francis, Anne Murray, Elvis Presley and Patty Loveless.

1966
Born on this day in Nashville,Tennessee, was Deana Carter country music artist who broke through in 1996 with the release of debut album Did I Shave My Legs for This?, which has seen sales of over five million in the US.

1969
Dolly Parton became a member of The Grand Ole Opry.

1969
In the issue of Billboard dated January 4, Glen Campbell was at #1 with the album Wichita Lineman, the record's sixth week in the top spot. The album remained at #1 through the issue of Billboard dated April 12 and its run of 20 consecutive weeks atop the chart was the longest achieved since the listing was first published in 1964. When the album was finally displaced from the top of the chart it was by another of Campbell's albums, Galveston, which remained at #1 for 12 consecutive weeks, meaning that Campbell had held the top spot without interruption for 32 weeks.

1982
Born on this day in Nashville, Tennessee, was American singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle (son of Steve Earle). He was recognized with an Americana Music Award for Emerging Artist of the Year in 2009 and for Song of the Year in 2011 for "Harlem River Blues". He died on August 20, 2020 age 38 from an accidental overdose of fentanyl-laced cocaine.

1983
Alabama were at #1 on the US Country music album chart with Mountain Music, released in 1982, it is the award-winning third studio album by the country music group.

2006
The house where Johnny Cash lived for 35 years was bought by Bee Gees singer Barry Gibb. The rustic house near Nashville, Tennessee went on the market in June 2005 with an asking price of $2.9m (1.7m). Gibb said he planned to preserve the house to honour the Cash memory. Unfortunately Gibb's ownership of the house was short-lived. In April 2007, the house burned to the ground. Gibb was having the house renovated when a flammable spray sealer caused fire to break out during construction.

2014
Country music mogul Ronnie Gant died at the age of 69. He signed singers like Patty Loveless and Skip Ewing, and songwriting duo Mike Geiger and Woody Mullis, while he famously brought the tune "Elvira" to The Oak Ridge Boys, earning them a massive hit and a Grammy Award in 1981.

This Day in Country Music