October 12th:
1953
Born on this day in Lexington, North Carolina, was Terry McMillan, country musician who played harmonica and percussion. He became a very in-demand session musician working with, Ray Charles, Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, George Jones, Merle Haggard, Reba McEntire, Randy Travis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Kenny Chesney, Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, Trisha Yearwood, and Dixie Chicks. He died at the age of 53 on 2 Feb 2007.
1955
The Chrysler Corporation introduced high fidelity record players for their 1956 line-up of cars. The unit measured about four inches high and less than a foot wide and mounted under the instrument panel. The seven-inch discs spun at 16 2/3 rpm and required almost three times the number of grooves per inch as an LP. A set of 35 classical recordings were available that provided between 45 and 60 minutes of uninterrupted music. The players would be discontinued in 1961.
1969
Born on this day in York, Pennsylvania, was Martie Maguire, singer-songwriter, violin and gutar with the Dixie Chicks and Court Yard Hounds. Of the Dixie Chicks’ twenty-five singles, six have reached #1 on the Billboard country singles chart: “There’s Your Trouble”, “Wide Open Spaces”, “You Were Mine”, “Cowboy Take Me Away”, “Without You”, and “Travelin’ Soldier”.
1974
Born on this day in Mineral Wells, Texas, was Shane McAnally singer, songwriter and producer. McAnally has written a string of American Country Music hits including Kenny Chesney’s singles “Somewhere with You” and “Come Over”, Jake Owen’s 2011 single “Alone with You”, Luke Bryan’s single “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye”, The Band Perry’s single “Better Dig Two”, Lady Antebellum’s single “Downtown” and Miranda Lambert’s single “Mama’s Broken Heart”.
1981
Alabama was named instrumental group and vocal group of the year, at the 15th Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Entertainer of the Year (for that year), Barbara Mandrell.
1992
Capital Nashville released “Somewhere Other Than the Night”, by Garth Brooks which became a US #1 hit. It was the second single released from his album, The Chase and his fifteenth overall.
1993
Faith Hill released her debut album, Take Me as I Am. Four singles were released from the album. The first two, “Wild One” and “Piece of My Heart” (a cover of the 1967 song by Erma Franklin), reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
1996
The Farm Aid 96′ benefit concert took place at the Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, South Carolina. 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: Hootie and the Blowfish, Marshall Chapman, Beach Boys, Son Volt, Robert Earl Keen, Martina McBride, John Conlee, Jewel, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young.
1997
John Denver was killed at the age of 53 when his experimental Rutan Long-EZ plane, crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Pacific Grove, California. The crash badly disfigured Denver’s head and body, making identification by dental records impossible, records of his fingerprints were used to confirm that the pilot was indeed the singer. He was one of the most popular acoustic artists of the 1970s earning twelve gold and four platinum albums with his signature songs “Take Me Home, Country Roads”, “Annie’s Song”, “Rocky Mountain High”, and “Sunshine on My Shoulders”.
