Your daily look at this day in country history, from classic Opry nights to the newest No. 1 hits.
On April 21, 2011, John Denver was named the very first member of the Colorado Music Hall of Fame. In 2012, Keith Urban became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Ira Louvin and Hillous Butrum share this birthday.
John Denver was named the very first member of the Colorado Music Hall of Fame. Olivia Newton-John hosted a benefit show at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Lee Ann Womack and John Oates on the bill.
Ira Louvin was born in Section, Alabama. He sang and played mandolin with his brother Charlie as The Louvin Brothers, who entered the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001. Ira died in 1965.
Hillous Butrum was born in Lafayette, Tennessee. He played bass in Hank Williams' Drifting Cowboys and later worked many Marty Robbins sessions. He died in 2002.
Carl Belew was born in Salina, Oklahoma. He had 11 country chart singles and wrote hits for others, including "Stop the World (And Let Me Off)" for Johnnie & Jack. He died in 1990.
Songwriter Jim Owen was born in Robards, Kentucky. His best-known song is "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man" for Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn. Mel Tillis, Porter Wagoner and Jim Ed Brown also cut his songs.
Paul Davis was born in Meridian, Mississippi. Known for pop hits like "I Go Crazy," he also sang on two country No. 1s, with Marie Osmond in 1986 and with Tanya Tucker and Paul Overstreet in 1988.
Keith Urban became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Vince Gill had invited him to join earlier that month. Urban has 18 No. 1 hits on the country singles chart.
Hank Williams cut "Move It On Over" at Castle Studio in Nashville during his first MGM session. It became his first big hit, reaching No. 4 on Billboard's country jukebox chart.
Randy Travis put out "On the Other Hand" a second time. It had stalled at No. 67 in 1985, but this time it climbed to No. 1. Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz wrote it.
Faith Hill put out Faith, her third studio album. It carried "This Kiss" and her duet with husband Tim McGraw, "Just to Hear You Say That You Love Me," and went on to sell six million copies.
Alan Jackson sent out "Good Time," the title song and second single from his Good Time album. It climbed all the way to No. 1 that summer, his 24th country chart-topper.
Brad Paisley released Love and War, his 12th studio album, and it opened at No. 1 on the country albums chart. Guests include Bill Anderson, John Fogerty and Mick Jagger, and one song came from a Johnny Cash poem.
Johnny Cash played a concert in Waterloo, Iowa, as part of a spring Midwest tour that went on to Minneapolis and Des Moines.
Source: johnny-cash-infocenter.comTim McGraw and Faith Hill opened their Soul2Soul II Tour at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The husband-and-wife run became the top-grossing country tour of its day and wrapped its 2006 leg in Las Vegas on Sept. 3.
Patsy Cline made a return visit to the Ozark Jubilee TV show. She would appear on the program 16 times in all, singing for a national audience of millions.
Roy Rogers pressed his handprints into the cement at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. His horse, Trigger, left hoofprints too, while Dale Evans held the bridle.
Source: gettyimages.co.jpJohn Denver walked away unhurt when wind gusts spun his 1931 biplane around at Holbrook Municipal Airport in Arizona. He had stopped to refuel on a flight to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The plane was badly damaged.
Ira Louvin (1924), Hillous Butrum (1928), Carl Belew (1931) and Paul Davis (1948) were all born on this date.
Every entry is checked by the Country Thang Daily editors. Spot something we got wrong? Let us know and we’ll fix it and note the change.