1928
Born on this day in Shelby, North Carolina, was Don Gibson, songwriter and country musician who was nicknamed ‘The Sad Poet’ because he frequently wrote songs that told of loneliness and lost love. Gibson, who made his first recodings in 1948, penned such country standards as “Sweet Dreams”, “Oh Lonesome Me” and “I Can’t Stop Loving You”, (which has been recorded by over 700 artists, most notably by Ray Charles in 1962) Gibson enjoyed a string of country hits from 1957 into the early 1970s. He died from natural causes on November 17, 2003.
1942
Born on this day in in Valdosta, Georgia was pop and country singer Billy Joe Royal. His most successful record was “Down in the Boondocks” in 1965. His first hit on the country music chart was in 1984 with “Burned Like a Rocket.”
1971Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty were at #1 on the US country singles chart with “After the Fire Is Gone”. The duet written by L.E. White was the only single released from the LP, We Only Make Believe. “After the Fire Is Gone” was the first chart topper for Lynn and Twitty as a duo.
1981
Hank Williams Jr. was at #1 on the US country singles chart with “Texas Women”, his third #1 on the country chart.
1991
Clint Black was at #1 on the US country singles chart with “Loving Blind” the second single from his album Put Yourself in My Shoes. It was his seventh single overall and became his fifth single to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
2005
Miranda Lambert was at #1 on the US country chart with Kerosene, her first studio album. After placing third in the television competition, Nashville Star in 2003, Lambert signed with Epic Nashville in 2004. The album spawned four Top 40 Billboard Country Chart singles, however only the title track was a major hit, peaking at #15.
