Your daily look at this day in country history, from classic Opry nights to the newest No. 1 hits.
On December 11, 1946, Record producer and piano man Tony Brown was born. In 2023, Morgan Wallen's One Thing at a Time was the No. 1 country album in America. It’s also Brenda Lee’s birthday.
Record producer and piano man Tony Brown was born. He sang gospel with the Stamps Quartet and played in Emmylou Harris' band before producing hits for Reba McEntire, Vince Gill and George Strait.
Steel guitar player Tom Brumley was born in Stella, Missouri. He helped shape the Bakersfield sound with Buck Owens and the Buckaroos in the 1960s, then spent about 10 years with Rick Nelson. He died in 2009.
Brenda Lee was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Her 1957 song "Dynamite" earned her the nickname "Little Miss Dynamite," and she joined the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1997.
Morgan Wallen's One Thing at a Time was the No. 1 country album in America. It also spent 19 weeks at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200, the longest run ever for a country album there.
Hank Williams stepped into the studio for his first session with Sterling Records. He cut four songs that day, including "Wealth Won't Save Your Soul" and "When God Comes and Gathers His Jewels."
Dolly Parton began recording Just Because I'm a Woman, her second solo album, at RCA Studio B in Nashville. Bob Ferguson produced it, and RCA Victor put it out in April 1968.
Garth Brooks put out "The Beaches of Cheyenne," the third single from Fresh Horses. It became his 15th No. 1 and spent one week on top in March 1996.
Fiddlin' John Carson, one of the first country musicians ever recorded, died in Atlanta at 81. The Georgia fiddler wrote more than 150 songs.
Singer Dawn Sears died in Gallatin, Tennessee, at 53. She sang with The Time Jumpers and in Vince Gill's band, and she added harmony to his 1992 album I Still Believe in You.
Brenda Lee (1944) was born on this date.
It depends on the year. In 2023, Morgan Wallen's One Thing at a Time was the No. 1 country album in America.
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.