August 14th:
1941
Born on this day in Elkhart, Indiana was Connie Smith the country music artist. She began her career in 1963 after winning a local talent contest near Columbus, Ohio, which attracted the attention of country songwriter Bill Anderson. Her first #1 hit was with her debut single “Once A Day” released in 1964. Smith won Billboards Most Promising Female Country Artist in 1964.
1966
“Almost Persuaded” by David Houston was at #1 on the Country chart. The song spent nine weeks at #1 and has since gone on to become a country standard. For 46 years and two months, no #1 song matched the chart-topping longevity of “Almost Persuaded,” until Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” notched its ninth week atop the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart the week of December 15, 2012.
1976
Waylon Jennings was at #1 on the US country album chart with Are You Ready for the Country. Its title track is a song from Neil Young’s seminal 1972 album Harvest.Despite the title, this outlaw country album featured covers of rock songs, including “Can’t You See” by the Marshall Tucker Band. MacArthur Park (Revisited)” and won Waylon his first Grammy Award in 1969.
1995
Garth Brooks’ The Hits became the first best-of album by a country-based artist certified for shipments of 7 million units. In June 1995, the master copy of the album was buried under Garth’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
2001
Alison Krauss & Union Station released the album New Favorite which went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album and the single “The Lucky One” won the Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or group.
2003
Toby Keith and Scotty Emerick performed for 25,000 troops and president George W. Bush at Miramar Marine Air Corps Station near San Diego.
