This Day in Country Music History, January 16
2016
Scotty McCreery performs “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, where the New England Patriots defeat the Kansas City Chiefs, 27-20, in an NFL playoff game
2007
The Recording Industry Association of America issues a gold album for “Taylor Swift”
2006
The Johnny Cash biopic “Walk The Line” earns three Golden Globes: Best Musical or Comedy plus trophies for Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. The “Brokeback Mountain” piece “A Love That Will Never Grow Old” wins Best Original Song
2004
“Unleashed” becomes the first Toby Keith album certified quadruple-platinum by the RIAA, while his album “Shock’n Y’all” reaches triple-platinum status
1993
Patty Loveless performs on the Grand Ole Opry. It’s her first Opry appearance since undergoing vocal surgery
1984
RCA releases Alabama’s album “Roll On”
1982
Ronnie Milsap sits at #1 on the Billboard country chart with “I Wouldn’t Have Missed It For The World”
1980
Guitarist James Young is born in Dallas, Texas. He provides edgy texture to The Eli Young Band, which nets hits with “Crazy Girl,” “Drunk Last Night” and “Even If It Breaks Your Heart”
1953
Bill Monroe suffers 19 broken bones in a head-on collision on Highway 31 near White House, Tennessee. He still manages to get out of the car and pull another passenger, Bessie Lee Mauldin, out of the other side. Monroe is unable to tour until May
1943
Ronnie Milsap is born in Robbinsville, North Carolina. The blind keyboard player emerges as one of country’s most innovative performers, offsetting traditional fare with pop crossovers, winning six Grammy awards and the CMA’s Entertainer honor in 1977. He enters the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2014
