Your daily look at this day in country history, from classic Opry nights to the newest No. 1 hits.
On December 17, 1956, Upright bass player Roy Huskey Jr. was born in Nashville. In 2007, Carrie Underwood released "All-American Girl," the second single from her album Carnival Ride. Spade Cooley and Nat Stuckey share this birthday.
Upright bass player Roy Huskey Jr. was born in Nashville. He backed stars like Chet Atkins, Johnny Cash, George Jones and Emmylou Harris. He died of lung cancer in 1997 at 40.
Spade Cooley was born in Grand, Oklahoma. The bandleader billed himself as the King of Western Swing and topped the country chart with "Shame on You." He also hosted a popular TV variety show in Los Angeles.
Nat Stuckey was born in Cass County, Texas. He reached the country Top 10 with songs like "Sweet Thang," "Plastic Saddle" and "Take Time to Love Her." He died in 1988 at 54.
Sharon White of the family group The Whites was born in 1953. The Whites joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1984 and sang "Keep on the Sunny Side" on the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack. She married Ricky Skaggs in 1981.
Tracy Byrd was born in Beaumont, Texas. He went to No. 1 in 1993 with "Holdin' Heaven" and got back to the top in 2002 with "Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo."
Joe Diffie reached No. 1 on the Billboard country singles chart with "Pickup Man." It stayed on top four weeks, his longest run at No. 1.
Carrie Underwood released "All-American Girl," the second single from her album Carnival Ride. She co-wrote the song, and it spent two weeks at No. 1 on Hot Country Songs.
Spade Cooley (1910), Nat Stuckey (1933) and Tracy Byrd (1966) were all born on this date.
It depends on the year. In 1994, Joe Diffie reached No. 1 on the Billboard country singles chart with "Pickup Man."
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.