Your daily look at this day in country history, from classic Opry nights to the newest No. 1 hits.
On August 7, 2023, Jason Aldean's "Try That in a Small Town" sat at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. In 1948, Hank Williams first stepped onto the Louisiana Hayride stage in Shreveport, Louisiana. Kerry Chater and Rodney Crowell share this birthday.
Jason Aldean's "Try That in a Small Town" sat at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. It was also his first song to reach No. 1 on the all-genre Hot 100.
Felice Bryant was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. With her husband Boudleaux, she wrote Everly Brothers classics like "Bye Bye Love," "Wake Up Little Susie" and "All I Have to Do Is Dream," plus the bluegrass favorite "Rocky Top."
B.J. Thomas was born in Hugo, Oklahoma. He topped the pop chart with "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," and in 1975 his "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" went to No. 1 on both the country and pop charts.
Kerry Chater was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. After playing in Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, he became a Nashville songwriter with three country No. 1s, including Reba McEntire's "You're the First Time I've Thought About Leaving" and George Strait's "You Look So Good in Love."
Rodney Crowell was born in Houston, Texas. He spent about three years in Emmylou Harris's Hot Band and later had a big run of his own, as his 1988 album Diamonds & Dirt sent five straight singles to No. 1.
Michael Peterson was born in Tucson, Arizona. His 1997 self-titled album gave him five Top 40 country hits, led by the No. 1 "From Here to Eternity."
Alison Brown was born in Hartford, Connecticut. The banjo and guitar player played in Alison Krauss's Union Station and won a Grammy with Béla Fleck for "Leaving Cottondale."
Raul Malo was born in Miami, Florida. He sang lead and wrote songs for The Mavericks, the band he helped start in 1989. Malo died of colon cancer in December 2025 at 60.
Hank Williams first stepped onto the Louisiana Hayride stage in Shreveport, Louisiana. The KWKH radio show gave him a new home after the Opry passed on him, and his "Lovesick Blues" there soon caught Nashville's ear.
Source: kpel965.comJohnny Cash and Vivian Liberto were married at St. Ann's Catholic Church in San Antonio, Texas. The couple had four daughters, including Rosanne Cash. Vivian later told their story in her 2007 book I Walked the Line.
Marshall Grant, bass player in Johnny Cash's Tennessee Two, died at 83 in Jonesboro, Arkansas. He was there for a festival to help restore Cash's boyhood home. Grant also served as road manager for Cash's touring show.
Felice Bryant (1925), B.J. Thomas (1942), Kerry Chater (1945), Rodney Crowell (1950), Michael Peterson (1959) and Alison Brown (1962) were all born on this date.
It depends on the year. In 2023, Jason Aldean's "Try That in a Small Town" sat at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart.
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