THE BIG MOMENT2000
Pam Tillis joined the Grand Ole Opry
Pam Tillis joined the Grand Ole Opry. The daughter of Mel Tillis first hit the country charts in 1990 with "Don't Tell Me What to Do."
On This Day in Country Music: August 26
Your daily look at this day in country history, from classic Opry nights to the newest No. 1 hits.
What happened on August 26 in country music history?
On August 26, 2000, Pam Tillis joined the Grand Ole Opry. In 1975, Glen Campbell held the No. 1 spot on the country singles chart with "Rhinestone Cowboy." It’s also Don Bowman’s birthday.
Country Stars Born on August 26
1937
Don Bowman
Don Bowman was born in Lubbock, Texas. The singer and funnyman was the first host of American Country Countdown and won the CMA's Comedian of the Year award in 1967. He wrote "Wildwood Weed," a 1974 hit for Jim Stafford. He died in 2013.
1961
Jimmy Olander
Jimmy Olander, lead guitarist and banjo player for Diamond Rio, was born on this day. The band topped the country chart with "Meet in the Middle," "How Your Love Makes Me Feel" and "One More Day."
1985
Brian Kelley
Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line was born in Ormond Beach, Florida. The duo's 2012 hit "Cruise" spent 24 weeks at No. 1 and became the best-selling country digital song ever.
No. 1 Songs on This Date
1975
Glen Campbell held the No. 1 spot on the country singles chart with "Rhinestone Cowboy." The song also topped the Billboard Hot 100.
1984
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band sat at No. 1 on the country chart with "Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper's Dream)." Rodney Crowell wrote it, and it was the first of the group's three No. 1 hits.
1990
Shenandoah ruled the country singles chart with "Next to You, Next to Me." It stayed on top for three weeks, longer than any of the band's other No. 1 hits.
New Music on This Date
1974
John Denver opened a run of shows at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. Those concerts became the live double album An Evening with John Denver, which includes "Thank God I'm a Country Boy."
Remembering the Ones We Lost
2021
Nashville drummer Kenny Malone died at 83. He played percussion on Dolly Parton's "Jolene" and Crystal Gayle's "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue," and he recorded with Johnny Cash, Don Williams, Emmylou Harris and many more.
Quick Answers
Which country singers were born on August 26?
Don Bowman (1937) was born on this date.
What was the No. 1 country song on this date?
It depends on the year. In 1975, Glen Campbell held the No. 1 spot on the country singles chart with "Rhinestone Cowboy." In 1984, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band sat at No. 1 on the country chart with "Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper's Dream)."
This Week in Country Music History
August 232003: Trace Adkins became a member of the Grand Ole Opry, with Ronnie Milsap doing the honors.August 241992: Larrie Londin died in Nashville at 48.August 251956: George Jones became a member of the Grand Ole Opry.August 271955: George Jones cut "Why Baby Why" at Gold Star Studios in Houston, Texas.August 281937: Joe Osborn was born in Mound, Louisiana.August 292002: Alan Jackson earned 10 nominations for the CMA Awards.
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