Your daily look at this day in country history, from classic Opry nights to the newest No. 1 hits.
On January 23, 1978, Josh Thompson was born in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. In 2015, Jason Aldean's sixth studio album, "Old Boots, New Dirt," was No. 1 on the country albums chart. Josh Thompson and Johnny Russell share this birthday.
Josh Thompson was born in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. His first single, "Beer on the Table," came out in 2009. He has also written songs cut by Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Brad Paisley and Morgan Wallen.
Johnny Russell was born in Moorhead, Mississippi. The singer, songwriter and funny man wrote "Act Naturally," a hit for Buck Owens in 1963 that The Beatles recorded two years later. He died in 2001.
Songwriter Harley Allen was born in Dayton, Ohio. He wrote Alan Jackson's "Between the Devil and Me" and John Michael Montgomery's "The Little Girl." Allen died in 2011 at 55.
"The Ballad of Jed Clampett," the theme from "The Beverly Hillbillies," was the No. 1 country song. Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs picked it, with Jerry Scoggins singing.
C.W. McCall's trucker tale "Convoy" was the No. 1 country song. It helped set off a CB radio craze all across America.
Taylor Swift's "Fearless" was the No. 1 country album. About a week later it won Grammys for Album of the Year and Best Country Album. At 20, she became the youngest Album of the Year winner.
Jason Aldean's sixth studio album, "Old Boots, New Dirt," was No. 1 on the country albums chart. Its lead single, "Burnin' It Down," also went to No. 1.
Alabama released "Old Flame." It went on to become the band's third No. 1 on Billboard's country singles chart.
Three solo women sat in the country radio Top 10 at once on Mediabase: Gabby Barrett at No. 4 with "Pick Me Up," Lainey Wilson at No. 8 with "Heart Like a Truck" and Carly Pearce at No. 10 with "What He Didn't Do." It hadn't happened since 2020.
Lari White died at 52 after fighting cancer. She reached the country Top 10 with "Now I Know," "That's My Baby" and "That's How You Know (When You're in Love)." Movie fans saw her alongside Tom Hanks in "Cast Away."
Margo Smith, the Tennessee Yodeler, died at 84 in Franklin, Tennessee. She took "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You" and "It Only Hurts for a Little While" to No. 1 in 1978.
Johnny Russell (1940) and Josh Thompson (1978) were all born on this date.
It depends on the year. In 1963, "The Ballad of Jed Clampett," the theme from "The Beverly Hillbillies," was the No. 1 country song. In 2015, Jason Aldean's sixth studio album, "Old Boots, New Dirt," was No. 1 on the country albums 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.