September 17th:
1923
Born on this day in Mount Olive, Alabama, was Hank Williams (born Hiram King Williams). The American singer-songwriter and musician is regarded as one of the most important country music artists of all time. Williams recorded 35 singles (five released posthumously) that would place in the Top 10 of the Billboard Country & Western Best Sellers chart, including 11 that ranked #1. During his last years Williams’s consumption of alcohol, morphine and painkillers severely compromised his professional life. Williams died aged 29 on January 1, 1953.
1952
Born on this day was American musician, singer and songwriter Steve Sanders. He was best known as being the replacement for William Lee Golden, the baritone in The Oak Ridge Boys. He died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head on June 10th 1998.
1959
Johnny Cash made his first appearance on UK television when he appeared on Boy Meets Girl. Cash appeared solo, as his backing group the Tennessee Two who, under UK Musicicans Union rules, were not allowed to accompany Cash.
1971
Lynn Anderson was at #1 on the country music album chart with You’re My Man,Anderson’s fourth studio album. The record was a #1 hit on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart for seven weeks, Anderson’s third (and to date, last) #1 on the chart. Produced by Anderson’s husband Glenn Sutton, the title song was Anderson’s second #1 record.
1972
Faron Young who has international success with “It’s Four in the Morning” – was charged with assault for spanking a girl in the audience at a concert in Clarksburg, West Virginia after claiming she spat on him. Young appeared before a Wood County, West Virginia justice of the peace and was fined $24, plus $11 in court costs. It was the first in a string of incidents involving Young, whose increasingly bizarre behavior would begin overshadowing his success.
1977
Reba McEntire made her Grand Ole Opry debut. She almost did not make it in the door after a guard at the Opry gate missed her name on the night’s list of performers. Her parents and older sister, Alice, drove 1,400 miles round trip from their Oklahoma home to see what turned out to be Reba’s three-minute performance that night.
1979
Born on this day, was Stephen Cochran American Country music singer and songwriter. In 2009 Stephen was named as a spokesman for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Research and Development. The VA and Cochran collaborated to produce a music video for Veterans who need help.
2000
The Farm Aid 2000 benefit concert took place at the Nissan Pavilion, Nissan Pavilion. Held to raise money for family farmers in the US, the concerts were organized by Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young. Artists who appeared included: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Arlo Guthrie, Sawyer Brown, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, Barenaked Ladies, Tipper Gore and Willie Nelson.
2013
Marvin Rainwater died aged 88. The American country and rockabilly singer and songwriter had several hits during the late 1950s, including “Gonna Find Me a Bluebird.”
2014
Country music star George Hamilton IV died in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 77. The singer and guitarist, who began performing as a teenager in the 1950s, had suffered a major heart attack a few days earlier. After an early foray into pop, Hamilton became a country stalwart, scoring 40 hits in the 1960s and 70s. He was inducted into Nashville’s Grand Old Opry in 1960 and continued to work until shortly before he was taken ill.
