1980
The film Coal Miner’s Daughter, the biography of Loretta Lynn and starring Sissy Spacek opened. Spacek won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Lynn; Tommy Lee Jones and Beverly D’Angelo also play leading roles in the film, which was a huge success with critics and at the box office.
1991
Dolly Parton released her thirty-first solo studio album Eagle When She Flies which peaked at #1 on the Country charts. Parton’s duet with Shelton, “Rockin’ Years”, from the album also topped the country singles charts.
2013Claude King, died of natural causes aged 90. The singer, songwriter is best known for his million selling 1962 hit “Wolverton Mountain” which was written together with Merle Kilgore and was based on a real character, Clifton Clowers, who lived on the mountain, north of Morrilton, Arkansas. The song spent nine weeks at the top of the Billboard country chart.
2020
American country singer-songwriter Jim Owen died age 78. Several artists had chart hits with his songs. These included “Too Lonely Too Long” and “One More Drink” (both Mel Tillis), “Little Boy’s Prayer” (Porter Wagoner), “Sweet Baby On My Mind” (June Stearns), “Southern Loving” and “Broad Minded Man” (both Jim Ed Brown), “The Telephone” (Jerry Reed) and arguably the best-known of all, “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man” (Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn).
