June 30th: On this day
1936
Born on this day, was Doyle Holly, American musician best known as the bass guitar player of the country music band Buck Owens and the Buckaroos and for his solo hit songs “Queen Of The Silver Dollar” and “Lila”. The Buckaroos had more than 30 Top 40 singles on the country music charts in the 1960s and early 1970s, with 21 #1 hits such as “I’ve Got a Tiger By the Tail,” “Love’s Gonna Live Here, “and “Act Naturally.” Their sound influenced later artists such as Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jackson Browne, The Eagles, The Derailers and the Desert Rose Band. Holly died on January 13, 2007.
1937
Born on this day was American singer and songwriter Larry Henley. 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. He died in Nashville, Tennessee on 18 Dec 2014 age 77.
1972
Opryland USA Theme Park and Opryland Hotel opened to the public well ahead of the Grand Ole Opry House, which debuted nearly two years later, on March 16, 1974. The opening night, was attended by US President Richard Nixon, who played a few songs on the piano.
1995
Garth Brooks received a star in front of Capitol Records on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The singer also buried the master tapes to his The Hits underneath the star.
2001
Chet Atkins died after a long battle with cancer. An influential guitarist & producer who helped create “The Nashville Sound,” he entered the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1973 and earned a Lifetime Achievement award from the Grammys. A stretch of Interstate 185 in southwest Georgia (between LaGrange and Columbus) is named “Chet Atkins Parkway.” Clint Black’s album Nothin’ but the Taillights includes the song “Ode to Chet”.
2009
Brad Paisley released his seventh studio album American Saturday Night which peaked at #1 on the Country chart. The first single “Then,” taken from the album became his fourteenth #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
