Your daily look at this day in country history, from classic Opry nights to the newest No. 1 hits.
On February 26, 1985, Emmylou Harris won a Grammy for "In My Dreams" at the 27th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. In 1997, At the Grammys in New York, young LeAnn Rimes took home Best New Artist plus a country vocal award for "Blue." It’s also Johnny Cash’s birthday.
Emmylou Harris won a Grammy for "In My Dreams" at the 27th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Merle Haggard won for "That's the Way Love Goes," and The Judds won for "Mama He's Crazy." Steve Goodman's "City of New Orleans," sung by Willie Nelson, was best country song.
Johnny Cash was born in Kingsland, Arkansas. The Man in Black reached far past country, and he is in the Country Music, Rock and Roll and Gospel Music halls of fame. He died in Nashville in 2003 at 71.
Songwriter Jan Crutchfield was born in Paducah, Kentucky. His best-known song, "Statue of a Fool," was a No. 1 hit for Jack Greene in 1969. Brian Collins and Ricky Van Shelton both took it to the Top 10 later.
Songwriter Kenny Beard was born on this day. His songs were cut by Trace Adkins, Tracy Lawrence and Aaron Tippin, and his first hit was "Doghouse" for John Conlee. He died in 2017 at 58.
Hit songwriter and producer Jordan Schmidt was born in Duluth, Minnesota. His first No. 1 came with Jason Aldean's "Lights Come On," and Lainey Wilson's "Watermelon Moonshine" gave him his seventh chart-topper in 2023.
Linda Ronstadt held the No. 1 spot on the country album chart with Heart Like a Wheel. The album included her hit "You're No Good" and stayed on the main Billboard album chart for 51 weeks.
Mike Reid was at No. 1 on the country chart with "Walk on Faith," the first single off Turning for Home. It stayed on top for two weeks.
Dick Clark hosted the 8th Academy of Country Music Awards. Donna Fargo and Merle Haggard won top vocalist honors, and Fargo's "The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A." was named Song of the Year. Tanya Tucker and Johnny Rodriguez were the most promising newcomers.
At the Grammys in New York, young LeAnn Rimes took home Best New Artist plus a country vocal award for "Blue." Vince Gill won for "Worlds Apart," Brooks & Dunn won for "My Maria" and Lyle Lovett's The Road to Ensenada was named Best Country Album.
The Louvin Brothers joined the Grand Ole Opry. Ira and Charlie were known for their close brother harmony, and Rolling Stone later ranked them No. 4 among the greatest duos of all time.
Loretta Lynn released the album Entertainer of the Year. She named it for the CMA award she won a few months before, when she became the first woman to take that honor. The album reached No. 1 on the country chart.
Source: americansongwriter.comRonnie Milsap was a guest on The Glen Campbell Music Show. He sang "Inside" and joined Glen on "(There's) No Gettin' Over Me."
Comedian and country funnyman Tim Wilson died of a heart attack in Columbus, Georgia, at 52. He made more than a dozen comedy albums and helped write Jeff Foxworthy's "Redneck 12 Days of Christmas."
Johnny Cash (1932) was born on this date.
It depends on the year. In 1975, Linda Ronstadt held the No. 1 spot on the country album chart with Heart Like a Wheel. In 1991, Mike Reid was at No. 1 on the country chart with "Walk on Faith," the first single off Turning for Home.
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.