Country Music News

TODAY IN COUNTRY MUSIC HISTORY

(Fri., April 26)

Cecil Null was born in 1927.

Johnny Mosby was born in 1933.

Duane Eddy was born in 1938.

Roy Acuff returned to the Grand Ole Opry as host of the Royal Crown Cola Show in 1947.

Martha Carson joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1952.

Tim Spencer, a founding member of the Sons of the Pioneers, died at age 65 in 1974.

Dottie West had her first solo No.1 single with "A Lesson in Leavin'" in 1980.

Randy Travis swept the first TNN Viewer's Choice Awards, winning in five categories in 1988.

Wesley Rose, music executive and a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, died at age 72 in 1990.

MORE COUNTRY MUSIC HISTORY FOR THIS WEEKEND

(Sat., April 27)

Jimmie Skinner was born in 1909.

Maxine Brown born in 1931.

Herb Pederson, producer and bluegrass musician, was born in 1944.

The Opryland theme park opened in Nashville in 1973.

Hank Snow's single "Hello Love" topped the charts in 1974.

Waylon Jennings' first No.1 single, "This Time," made its chart debut, also in 1974.

Grammy-winning gospel artist Steven Curtis Chapman swept the 36th Annual Dove Awards in Nashville, taking home six awards in 1995.

(Sun., April 28)

Fiddler Dale Potter was born in 1929.

Gene Autry's Top 10 single "I'll Be Back" and his No.1 single "At Mail Call Today" made their chart debuts in 1945.

Charlie Rich's single "Behind Closed Doors" topped the charts in 1973.

Billie Jo Spears' "Blanket On The Ground" rose to No.1 in 1975.

Marshall Tucker Band bassist Tommy Caldwell died of head injuries following a car accident near his hometown of Spartanburg, S.C., in 1980. He was 30.

What would be the Judds' first No.1 hit, "Mama He's Crazy," entered the music charts in 1984.

Garth Brooks' NBC network special "This Is Garth Brooks" aired in 1991.

Ken Curtis of the Sons Of The Pioneers died at age 74 in 1991.

John Michael Montgomery's "Life's a Dance" album was certified gold in 1993.

Lorrie Morgan's No.1 single "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" debuted on the chart in 1995.

Faith Hill and Tim McGraw released their first duet "It's Your Love" in 1997.

MUSIC AND MORE

SINGING FOR SAILORS

Clint Black and Lonestar will join Celine Dion and Jessica Simpson in a concert May 2 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Billboard.com reports the show -- which will kick off National Military Appreciation Month -- will be taped by CBS for airing May 25.

Two days after the aircraft carrier performance, Black will head to Texas to take part in the Ten-Man Guitar Jam at the Houston Arena Theater. The second annual show (sponsored by local radio outlet KIKK) will also feature Pat Green, Chris LeDoux, Charlie Robison, Trace Adkins, Roger Creager, Daryle Singletary, Cory Morrow, Shannon Lawson, and Deryl Dodd.

SECOND MAJOR MEMOIR FOR LORETTA LYNN

The singer known as "The Coal Miner's Daughter," Loretta Lynn, has just released her second major memoir. Called "Still Woman Enough," it's published by Hyperion Press. The book, co-written with author Patsi Bale Cox, looks at the 36 years since her initial rise to fame and concentrates on her 48-year marriage with husband Doolittle "Doo" Lynn.

The book is written in the same "folksy" style as her original "Coal Miner's Daughter," released decades ago.

Lynn has recently been making the rounds of major book signings and taking part in radio and media interviews. She was recently inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame, but missed the event because of a bad bout with bacterial pneumonia.

CHESNEY'S NEW CD LEADING COUNTRY PACK

The latest CD by rising young singer Kenny Chesney is the hottest-selling new album on the country charts. According to country.com, Chesney's "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems" is the seventh major release for the singer. His catalog now contains five studio albums and a "greatest hits" compilation.

By the way, the big single from the album, "Young," is now No. 2 on the national charts.

Two songs on the album are Chesney's personal creations. One is a cover of a Bruce Springsteen song, "One Step Up."

(The above two items thanks to UPI's Dennis Daily)