February 7th:
1921
Born on this day in Valley Head, West Virginia, was Wilma Lee Cooper American bluegrass-based country music entertainer. Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper had success in the late 1950s and early 1960s scoring seven hit records between 1956 and 1961, with four top ten hits on Billboard charts, notably “Big Midnight Special” and “There’s a Big Wheel.” He died on Sept 13 2011 aged 90.
1962
Born on this day Tulsa, Oklahoma, was Garth Brooks, country singer, who had the 1991 US #1 album Ropin’ The Wind which spent 70 weeks on the US chart, and the 1994 UK #13 single “The Red Strokes.” Brooks is the biggest selling artist of the 90’s with over 60 million sales. According to the RIAA he is the second best-selling solo albums artist in the United States of all time behind Elvis Presley (overall is third to the Beatles and Elvis Presley) with 128 million units sold.
1962
Patsy Cline made her debut on Pet Milk Grand Ole Opry when she performed her 1961 Top 10 hit “Crazy” (written by a little-known songwriter named Willie Nelson), as well as her 1962 hit “She’s Got You.”
1971
Dolly Parton was at #1 on the Country chart with “Joshua” her first single to reach #1 on the US country charts. Parton received her first Grammy nomination in the Best Country Female Vocal category for the song, (losing to Lynn Anderson).
1980
Kenny Rogers was at #1 on the country album charts with Greatest Hits, (the album reached #1 on both the Pop and Country charts in the US), and featured three singles that were not included on any of Rogers’ studio albums: “Lady” (written and produced specifically for Rogers by Lionel Richie), “Love The World Away” (a top five country and top 20 pop hit that was featured on the soundtrack of the box-office smash Urban Cowboy) and “Long Arm of the Law”. This was also Rogers’ third #1 album of the year. (the other two being Kenny and Gideon).
1989
Randy Travis was at #1 on the US country album chart with his third album Old 8 x 10, which featured the three #1 country singles “Honky Tonk Moon”, “Deeper Than the Holler”, “Is It Still Over.” The album earned Travis three American Music Awards for Favorite Country Male Artist, Favorite Country Album, and Favorite Country Single (“Deeper Than the Holler”).
1995
Shania Twain released her second studio album The Woman in Me, which went onto become her biggest-selling recording at the time of its release, selling 4 million copies by the end of the year.
