Your daily look at this day in country history, from classic Opry nights to the newest No. 1 hits.
On December 30, 1944, Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys played the Grand Ole Opry for the first time. In 2022, Billboard reported that Morgan Wallen's "You Proof" had reached 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart. Skeeter Davis and Bob Ferguson share this birthday.
Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys played the Grand Ole Opry for the first time. Drums were not allowed on the Opry stage then, but Wills had his drummer's kit moved out front at the last minute.
Wesley Tuttle was born in Lamar, Colorado. After losing most of the fingers on his left hand, he learned guitar all over again. He did the yodeling in Disney's Snow White and later played behind Tex Ritter.
Bob Ferguson was born in Willow Springs, Missouri. He wrote "On the Wings of a Dove" and "The Carroll County Accident," and as an RCA producer he made records with Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton.
Skeeter Davis was born in Kentucky. Best known for "The End of the World," she was one of the first women to become a solo country star, and Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette both named her as an influence.
John Hartford was born in New York City. The fiddle and banjo man wrote "Gentle on My Mind," and he liked to dance on an amplified sheet of plywood while he played.
Suzy Bogguss was born in Aledo, Illinois. She scored six Top 10 country hits in the 1990s and won the CMA Horizon Award in 1992, after being named the ACM's Top New Female Vocalist.
Charlie Rich held the No. 1 spot on Billboard's country albums chart with Behind Closed Doors. The album also brought him three CMA awards, including Album of the Year and Male Vocalist, plus Single of the Year for the title song.
Billboard reported that Morgan Wallen's "You Proof" had reached 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart. That set a new record for the longest run at the top in the chart's history.
Alan Jackson released "Dallas," which became his fourth No. 1 in a row on Billboard's country chart. He wrote it after playing Billy Bob's in Fort Worth, Texas, when he joked that he wished Dallas was in Tennessee.
Brenda Lee suffered minor injuries when she tried to save her little dog from a fire at her Nashville home. Sadly, the dog did not survive.
Source: tmz.comHank Williams set out from Montgomery, Alabama, with young driver Charles Carr at the wheel of his Cadillac. They were headed for New Year's shows up north and spent that night at the Redmont Hotel in Birmingham.
Source: bhamnow.comElsie McWilliams died at 89. The sister-in-law of Jimmie Rodgers, she helped write many of his songs, including "Blue Yodel No. 7" and "Waitin' for a Train." She is honored as the first woman to build a career writing country songs.
Nashville session bass player Henry Strzelecki died at 75, a week after a traffic accident. He played on records for Chet Atkins, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson and many more. He also wrote "Long Tall Texan."
Wesley Tuttle (1917), Bob Ferguson (1927), Skeeter Davis (1931), John Hartford (1937) and Suzy Bogguss (1956) were all born on this date.
It depends on the year. In 1973, Charlie Rich held the No. 1 spot on Billboard's country albums chart with Behind Closed Doors. In 2022, Billboard reported that Morgan Wallen's "You Proof" had reached 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Country Airplay 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.