Your daily look at this day in country history, from classic Opry nights to the newest No. 1 hits.
On August 15, 2015, Sonny James joined the Birmingham Record Collectors Hall of Fame, 51 years to the day after he first teamed up with the Southern Gentlemen. In 2020, Morgan Wallen's first album, If I Know Me, reached No. 1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart. Rose Maddox and Don Rich share this birthday.
Sonny James joined the Birmingham Record Collectors Hall of Fame, 51 years to the day after he first teamed up with the Southern Gentlemen. Gary Robble of the group accepted for him. James once scored 16 straight No. 1 country hits.
Rose Maddox was born in Boaz, Alabama. She sang lead for the Maddox Brothers and Rose before going solo, and Dolly Parton has named her as an early influence. Rose died in 1998.
Bobby Helms was born in Helmsburg, Indiana. Fans know him best for "Jingle Bell Rock," his 1957 holiday classic. He died in 1997 at 63.
Don Rich was born in Olympia, Washington. As the guitar and fiddle man who led Buck Owens' Buckaroos, he helped shape the Bakersfield sound in the early 1960s. He died in 1974 at just 32.
Songwriter Jimmy Webb was born in Elk City, Oklahoma. He wrote "Wichita Lineman" and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" for Glen Campbell, plus "Highwayman," a No. 1 for Waylon, Willie, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson.
Paul Jefferson, a singer and songwriter from Woodside, California, was born. Keith Urban and Buddy Jewell have cut his songs, and he helped write Aaron Tippin's No. 1 "That's as Close as I'll Get to Loving You."
Morgan Wallen's first album, If I Know Me, reached No. 1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart. It took 114 weeks after its 2018 release to get there.
Source: wiov.comReba McEntire's first album, simply titled Reba McEntire, came out on Mercury Records. It held her first single, "I Don't Want to Be a One Night Stand," but the album itself never made the charts.
Bluegrass fiddler Mack Magaha died in Nashville at 74. He played for years with Reno and Smiley and later with Porter Wagoner's Wagonmasters. He co-wrote "I Know You're Married But I Love You Still" with Don Reno.
Rose Maddox (1925), Bobby Helms (1933) and Don Rich (1941) were all born on this date.
It depends on the year. In 2020, Morgan Wallen's first album, If I Know Me, reached No. 1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart.
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.