On This Day in Country Music: January 1

Bobbie Nelson

Bobbie Nelson, big sister to Willie Nelson, was born in Abbott, Texas. She played piano in his touring band, The Family, for close to 50 years. She died in 2022 at 91.

Steve Ripley

Steve Ripley was born in Boise, Idaho. He led the Oklahoma country rock group The Tractors, which he formed in 1994. Ripley died of cancer in 2019 at 69.

Charley Pride hit No. 1 on the country albums chart with Charley Pride Sings Heart Songs. It held the top spot for 16 weeks, and Pride's next album kept him there another 16.

John Denver started the new year at No. 1 on the country albums chart with Back Home Again. The album gave fans "Annie's Song" and the title track.

Billboard named George Jones its Most Promising New Country Vocalist. It was an early sign of what was to come from one of the finest singers country music ever had.

Billy Walker, known as The Tall Texan, became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Two years later he scored his only No. 1 country hit, "Charlie's Shoes."

Johnny Cash put on a New Year's Day show at San Quentin State Prison in California. A 20-year-old inmate named Merle Haggard sat in the crowd, and he later said that show pushed him toward a music career.

Lacy J. Dalton was a guest on The Glen Campbell Music Show. She sang her hit "16th Avenue," and the episode also featured Beatles songs like "Let It Be" and "Yesterday."

Shania Twain married Frederic Thiebaud in Rincon, Puerto Rico, on New Year's Day.

Shania Twain carried the Olympic torch through Timmins, Ontario, the town where she grew up. It was part of the relay for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Hank Williams died at 29 in the back seat of a car on the way to a show in Canton, Ohio. His songs like "Your Cheatin' Heart" and "Hey, Good Lookin'" still shape country music today.

Del Reeves died at 74 at his home in Centerville, Tennessee. He topped the chart in 1965 with "Girl on the Billboard" and was a Grand Ole Opry member for about 40 years.

Steel guitar player and producer Walter Haynes died at 80 in Tyler, Texas. He played behind Patsy Cline and Jimmy Dickens and helped write Del Reeves' No. 1 hit "Girl on the Billboard."

Patti Page died at 85 in Encinitas, California. Her 1950 recording of "Tennessee Waltz" became one of the biggest sellers of its time, and the song is now an official state song of Tennessee.

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Singer Pegi Young died of cancer at 66. She began as a backup singer for husband Neil Young and helped start the Bridge School for children with special needs.

Misty Morgan died at 75. With her husband Jack Blanchard, she took "Tennessee Bird Walk" to No. 1 on the country chart in 1970.