1958
George Jones released “Color of the Blues” which reached #7 on the country singles chart. The song written by Jones and Lawton Williams became his sixth Top 10 Country chart hit.
1969
Elvis Presley recorded the Mac Davis-penned “Don’t Cry Daddy” at the American Studios in Memphis. In 1997 Lisa Marie Presley made a video of “Don’t Cry Daddy” where she sings it as a duet with her dad. This video was presented on August 16, 1997, at the tribute concert that marked the 20th anniversary of Elvis’ death.
1977Emmylou Harris was at #1 on the US Country chart with her version of the Don Gibson song, “Sweet Dreams.” Gibson originally recorded the song in 1956 with his version hitting the top ten of Billboard’s country chart, but was eclipsed by the success of a competing version by Faron Young. The song which has become a country standard was also recorded by Patsy Cline.
1992
Garth Brooks’ No Fences and Ropin’ The Wind became the first country albums certified for shipments of 6 million, while his self-titled set went triple-platinum.
2002
Alan Jackson released his tenth studio album Drive which became his sixth US Country album. It produced Jackson’s highest-debuting single on the Hot Country Songs charts in the #1 hit, “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)”, a ballad written in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
2010
Charlie Daniels was rushed to hospital after suffering a stroke while snowmobiling in Colorado. He recovered and was released two days later.
2010
Sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robison from Dixie Chicks announced that their new side project would be known as Court Yard Hounds. Their debut album released in May of this year debuted at #7 on the Billboard 200 chart.
2014
Carrie Underwood topped a list by Forbes for the top Country music earners. During 2013 the singer brought in $31 million, which included earnings from endorsements of Olay and Vitamin Water, and her Blown Away album and tour. Kelly Clarkson, was at #2 on the list with $7 million, Scotty McCreery was #6 with $3 million and Kellie Pickler was #8 with $1.5 million.
