Your daily look at this day in country history, from classic Opry nights to the newest No. 1 hits.
On December 6, 1988, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band started recording Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two. In 2013, Darius Rucker earned a Grammy nomination for his take on "Wagon Wheel." It’s also Helen Cornelius’ birthday.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band started recording Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two. Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, John Denver, Earl Scruggs, Ricky Skaggs and Chris Hillman were among the friends who joined in.
Helen Cornelius was born in Missouri. She is best known for her duets with Jim Ed Brown, led by the 1976 No. 1 hit "I Don't Want to Have to Marry You." She died in 2025 at 83.
Cameron Duddy, bass player for the country band Midland, was born. Before Midland, he made his name directing music videos, including the hit "Uptown Funk" video for Bruno Mars.
Ferlin Husky held the No. 1 spot on the country chart with "Wings of a Dove," written by Bob Ferguson. It was his third and last chart-topper and stayed on top for 10 weeks.
Willie Nelson's gospel album The Troublemaker sat at No. 1 on the country albums chart. He made it in 1973, but Atlantic shelved it, and Columbia finally put it out in 1976.
George Strait topped the Billboard country chart with "It Ain't Cool to Be Crazy About You."
Rascal Flatts were at No. 1 on the country chart with "These Days" from their album Melt. It was the trio's first trip to the top.
Darius Rucker earned a Grammy nomination for his take on "Wagon Wheel." He went on to win Best Country Solo Performance at the ceremony on January 26, 2014.
Taylor Swift was named Time magazine's Person of the Year for 2023. The magazine pointed to her record-setting Eras Tour and the wide reach of her music.
Source: abc7ny.comWaylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson cut "Highwayman" together at Moman Studios in Nashville. The Jimmy Webb song launched the group known as The Highwaymen.
Songwriter Don Chapel died at 84. His biggest hit was "When the Grass Grows Over Me," recorded by George Jones. He was once married to Tammy Wynette, who also cut his songs.
Source: rollingstone.comHelen Cornelius (1941) was born on this date.
It depends on the year. In 1976, Willie Nelson's gospel album The Troublemaker sat at No. 1 on the country albums chart. In 1986, George Strait topped the Billboard country chart with "It Ain't Cool to Be Crazy About You."
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.