March 11th:
1911
Born on this day in Comanche County, Texas, was Cowboy Slim Rinehart. He was among the first of the “Singing cowboys” of the 1930s and 40s (whose ranks included Jimmie Rodgers, Gene Autry, and Roy Rogers among others). He died on October 28, 1948 in Michigan in a car accident. Rinehart was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in October 1996, in recognition of his being a pioneer of the Texas music scene.
1955
Born on this day, was Jimmy Fortune, Country singer, songwriter with The Statler Brothers who had the 80’s US Country #1 hits ‘Elizabeth’ and “Do You Know You Are My Sunshine”.
1970
Country music winners at the 12th annual Grammy awards included; Best Country Vocal Performance “A Boy Named Sue” Johnny Cash, Best Albums Notes went to Johnny Cash (for Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline) and Best Country Vocal Performance, Female went to Tammy Wynette for “Stand By Your Man.”
1980
Willie Nelson was at #1 on the Country music charts with “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys” which was featured on the soundtrack to the 1979 film The Electric Horseman. The song gave Nelson his fifth #1 on the country chart.
1990
Ricky Van Shelton was at #1 on the US Country music album chart with RVS III. Hit singles released from the album were “Statue of a Fool” (#2), “I’ve Cried My Last Tear for You”(#1), “I Meant Every Word He Said” (#2), and “Life’s Little Ups and Downs” (#4).
2015
Emmylou Harris was named as one of the two 2015 Laureates to receive Sweden’s prestigious Polar Music Prize. The Polar Music Prize, often referred to as the “Nobel Prize for music,” each year recognizes one Laureate from contemporary music and one from the classical world.
