April 12th: On this day
1925
Born on this day in Rains, Carbon County, Utah, was Ned Miller, known for his hit single, “From a Jack to a King”, a crossover hit in 1962 which reached the Top 10 on the country music chart. Ricky Van Shelton later had a #1 hit with his version of the song.
1957
Born on this day in Norman, Oklahoma, was Vince Gill, country singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Gill was a member of country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s, and then went solo in 1983. Gill has recorded more than twenty studio albums, charted over forty singles on the Billboard charts and has sold more over 22 million albums. He has been honored by the Country Music Association with 18 CMA Awards, including two Entertainer of the Year awards and five Male Vocalist Awards. Gill has also been awarded 27 Grammy Awards.
1971
RCA Records released “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver, from his 1971 breakout album Poems, Prayers and Promises. The single went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of John Denver’s most popular and world-wide beloved songs.
1978
Winners at the 13th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards hosted by Donna Fargo, Kenny Rogers and Barbara Mandrell at The Shrine Auditorium, Hollywood included: Top Female Vocalist of the Year – Crystal Gayle, Top Male Vocalist of the Year – Kenny Rogers, Top Vocal Group – Statler Brothers, Top New Female Vocalist of the Year – Debby Boone, Top New Male Vocalist of the Year – Eddie Rabbitt and Song of the Year went to Kenny Rogers for “Lucille”.
1982
Born on this day was Easton Corbin country music singer, songwriter who released his self-titled debut album in March 2010, featuring the two #1 hits “A Little More Country Than That” and “Roll With It”, as well as the top 15 hit “I Can’t Love You Back”.
1989
Garth Brooks released his self-titled debut album which was both a critical and chart success, peaking at #13 on the Billboard 200 and #2 on the Top Country Albums. This album contains Brooks earliest hits, including his first ever single, “Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)”, which peaked at #3 on the Country Billboard Charts in 1989, and his first #1, “If Tomorrow Never Comes” and the Academy of Country Music’s 1990 Song of the Year and Video of the Year, “The Dance”.
1994
The premiere issue of Country Weekly magazine was published in the US. Garth Brooks graced the cover of the first issue.
2010
The Pulitzer Prize Board awarded Hank Williams a posthumous special citation that paid tribute to his “craftsmanship as a songwriter who expressed universal feelings with poignant simplicity and played a pivotal role in transforming country music into a major musical and cultural force in American life.”
