Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe TODAY IN COUNTRY MUSIC HISTORY (Friday, Feb. 28) Advertisement Joe South born in Atlanta, 1940. Tennessee Ernie Ford releases his first single, "Tennessee Border #1," 1949. Kitty Wells records Top 10 singles "Three Ways (to Love You)" and "She's No Angel," 1958. Dottie West's "Are You Happy Baby?" tops Billboard country chart, 1981. Eddie Rabbitt's "I Love a Rainy Night" reaches top of Billboard Hot 100, 1981. Barbara Mandrell performs her first show after car crash, 1986. (Saturday, March 1) Buck Owens signs with Capitol Records, 1957. Johnny Cash and June Carter record Top 10 single "Long-Legged Guitar Pickin' Man," 1967. Johnny Cash marries June Carter in Franklin, Ky., 1968. Barbara Mandrell signs her first major label contract with Columbia, 1969. Advertisement Merle Haggard is granted a full pardon by California Gov. Ronald Reagan, 1972. "The Real Patsy Cline" long-form video is certified gold, 1991. Reba McEntire's "Greatest Hits" album goes multi-platinum, 1994. Garth Brooks' "The Beaches of Cheyenne" tops Radio & Records' country chart, 1996. (Sunday, March 2) Doc Watson born in Deep Gap, Va., 1923. Larry Stewart born in Paducah, Ky., 1959. Gary Morris' single "Baby Bye Bye" reaches No. 1, 1985. Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt release "Trio" album, 1987. Martina McBride scores her first No. 1 hit as "Wild Angels" tops Billboard country chart, 1996. MUSIC AND MORE SHELTON SINGLE HOLDS NO. 1 Blake Shelton's "The Baby" held onto No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart, while the Dixie Chicks' "Travelin' Soldier" rose from No. 6 to No. 2. Gary Allan's "Man to Man" went up a notch to No. 3, "19 Somethin'" by Mark Wills dropped from second to No. 4 and Terri Clark's "I Just Wamnna Be Mad" fell from No. 3 to fifth. Advertisement "She's My Kind Of Rain" by Tim McGraw jumped from No. 22 to No. 13 and Martina McBride's "Concrete Angel" rose from No. 21 to No. 16. JEANNIE KENDALL ALBUM OUT Twenty-five years ago few country music fans knew much about The Kendalls, a father and daughter whose "Heaven's Just a Sin Away" took a CMA award for single of the year and helped them win a Grammy for best country duo. Royce and Jeannie Kendall put out a string of Top 10 songs and toured extensively, and had just signed with Rounder Records when Royce died in 1996. "There was a lag period when I didn't know what to do," Kendall says in an interview posted on the label's Web site, rounder.com. "I'd say it was at least a couple of years before I decided where I was at and what I was doing." This week Rounder released "Jeannie Kendall," an album that she and her father had been working on. She decided to finish it with the harmonizing help of Alan Jackson, Alison Krauss, Rhonda Vincent, Allison Moorer and Steve Gulley of Mountain Heart. DOLLY TO RECEIVE GOVERNOR'S ARTS AWARD Advertisement Next month Dolly Parton will be honored for her achievements as an entertainer and her contributions to the cultural heritage of Tennessee. Parton, a native of Sevier County, Tenn., will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award during the Salute to Excellence on March 11 at the 2003 Governor's Awards in the Arts. "Dolly is an American icon, and a Tennessee treasure," Rich Boyd, executive director of the Tennessee Arts Commission, said in a news release. "Her accomplishments in music are staggering, and her contributions to our state are immeasurable."
