Your daily look at this day in country history, from classic Opry nights to the newest No. 1 hits.
On February 16, 1971, Lynn Anderson's Rose Garden sat at No. 1 on Billboard's country albums chart, where it stayed 14 weeks. In 1969, George Jones and Tammy Wynette were married in Ringgold, Georgia. Jo Walker-Meador and Jimmy Wakely share this birthday.
Lynn Anderson's Rose Garden sat at No. 1 on Billboard's country albums chart, where it stayed 14 weeks. The title song spent five weeks at No. 1 on the country chart, hit No. 3 on the pop chart, and won her a Grammy.
Jimmy Wakely was born in Howard County, Arkansas. One of the last singing cowboys, he made Western movies and even had his own comic book. His 1949 duet with Margaret Whiting, "Slippin' Around," went to No. 1 on both the country and pop charts. He died in 1982.
Jo Walker-Meador was born in Orlinda, Tennessee. She led the Country Music Association as executive director from 1962 to 1991 and helped build the first Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. She joined the Hall herself in 1995 and died in 2017 at 93.
Producer and guitar player Paul Worley was born in Nashville, Tennessee. He co-produced Lady Antebellum's 2008 debut album and helped produce their Need You Now album. He also helped sign Big & Rich during his time at Warner Bros. Records.
George Jones and Tammy Wynette were married in Ringgold, Georgia. On the road, fans called the pair the "President and First Lady" of country music.
Miranda Lambert surprised fans by sharing that she had married Brendan McLoughlin, a New York City police officer. The couple wed quietly on January 26, 2019, in Davidson County, Tennessee.
Smiley Burnette died of leukemia at 55 in Encino, California. Best known as Gene Autry's funny sidekick in Western films, he wrote more than 400 songs, including "Ridin' Down the Canyon." TV fans also knew him as engineer Charley Pratt on Petticoat Junction.
Jimmy Wakely (1914) and Jo Walker-Meador (1924) were all born on this date.
It depends on the year. In 1971, Lynn Anderson's Rose Garden sat at No. 1 on Billboard's country albums chart, where it stayed 14 weeks.
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.