December 18th: On this day
1925
Born on this day, was James Carter, an American amateur singer and several times an inmate of the Mississippi prison system. He was paid $20,000, and credited, for a four-decade-old lead-vocalist performance used on the soundtrack to the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? Folk music historian Alan Lomax had recoded the imates (including Carter), in 1959, singing and chopping logs in time to music. Carter died on November 26, 2003 aged 77.
1964
Born on this day was American country music artist Cledus T. Judd. Known primarily for his parodies of popular country music songs, he has been called the “Weird Al” Yankovic of country music. His highest chart peak is the #48 “I Love NASCAR”, a parody of Toby Keith’s 2003 single “I Love This Bar”.
1970
Born on this day Cowboy Troy, American musician who performs country rap (also referred to as “Hick-Hop”). He is a member of the MuzikMafia, an aggregation of country music singer-songwriters whose membership also includes Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson and James Otto. He scored the 2005 Country #2 album Loco Motive.
1975
Born on this day in Lake, Mississippi, was Randy Houser, who reached #1 with “How Country Feels”, the title track to his third album, and with “Runnin’ Outta Moonlight” in 2013. He co-wrote the singles “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” by Trace Adkins, “Back That Thing Up” by Justin Moore, and “My Cowboy” by country-pop artist Jessie James.
1978
Waylon Jennings was at #1 on the US country album chart with I’ve Always Been Crazy. Three singles from the album hit the country charts’ top ten: the title reached #1 and “Don’t You Think This Outlaw Bit’s Done Got Out of Hand” peaked at #5, as did “Girl I Can Tell (You’re Trying to Work It Out)”. “Don’t You Think This Outlaw Bit’s Done Got Out of Hand” was Jennings’ personal statement on the state of the outlaw movement, written after having been detained by the Drug Enforcement Administration in 1977 for possession of cocaine and conspiracy to distribute. Jennings was never convicted of the crime due to critical faults in the legal process against him.
1982
Special guests on this week’s syndicated US music television series The Glen Campbell Music Show included Jerry Reed who performed “East Bound and Down” and “She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft)” and then with Glen Campbell played “Amos Moses”, “A Thing Called Love” and “Mule Skinner Blues”.
2003
Reba McEntire won a Golden Globe nomination for best actress in a musical or comedy series, for her work in the WB’s Reba. Among her competition for the prize was: Will And Grace star Debra Messing and Sex In The City actress Sarah Jessica Parker.
2014
American singer and songwriter Larry Henley died in Nashville, Tennessee at age 77. He was best known for co-writing (with Jeff Silbar) the 1989 hit record “Wind Beneath My Wings.” He co-wrote with Red Lane “‘Til I Get It Right” for Tammy Wynette, later covered by Barbra Streisand and Kenny Rogers. Other #1 country hits were his songs “Is It Still Over?” (Randy Travis), “Lizzie and the Rainman” (Tanya Tucker), and “He’s a Heartache (Looking for a Place to Happen)” (Janie Fricke). Other songs included “Shotgun rider” for Delbert McClinton; “You’re Welcome to Tonight” by Lynn Anderson and Gary Morris; and “The World Needs a Melody” by The Carter Family with Johnny Cash.
2016
Gordie Tapp died aged 94. The Canadian entertainer was best known as a radio and television presenter, comedian and longtime cast member of the television series Hee Haw. Tapp was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1990.
