THE BIG MOMENT1969
Dolly Parton joined the Grand Ole Opry
Dolly Parton joined the Grand Ole Opry. Tammy Wynette became a member that same day.
On This Day in Country Music: January 4
Your daily look at this day in country history, from classic Opry nights to the newest No. 1 hits.
What happened on January 4 in country music history?
On January 4, 1969, Dolly Parton joined the Grand Ole Opry. In 1962, George Jones cut "She Thinks I Still Care" in Nashville. JayDee Maness and Patty Loveless share this birthday.
Country Stars Born on January 4
1937
Lorene Mann
Lorene Mann was born in Huntland, Tennessee. She sang duets with Justin Tubb and Archie Campbell and helped found the Nashville Songwriters Association International. She died in 2013 at 76.
1945
JayDee Maness
JayDee Maness was born in Loma Linda, California. The pedal steel player backed Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, Gram Parsons and Vince Gill, won the ACM steel guitar award 18 times, and joined the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 2003.
1957
Patty Loveless
Patty Loveless was born in Pikeville, Kentucky. She put 44 singles on the country chart, and five went to No. 1, starting with "Timber, I'm Falling in Love" in 1989.
1966
Deana Carter
Deana Carter was born in Nashville, Tennessee. Her 1996 debut album, Did I Shave My Legs for This?, went on to sell more than five million copies.
1982
Justin Townes Earle
Justin Townes Earle, son of Steve Earle, was born in Nashville, Tennessee. He won Americana Music Awards in 2009 and 2011, the second for "Harlem River Blues." He died in 2020 at 38.
No. 1 Songs on This Date
1969
Glen Campbell's Wichita Lineman marked six weeks as the No. 1 country album. It stayed on top for 20 weeks in a row, and his next album, Galveston, took over for 12 more.
1983
Alabama had the No. 1 country album with Mountain Music, the band's third studio record. It spent 14 weeks on top in 1983.
New Music on This Date
1962
George Jones cut "She Thinks I Still Care" in Nashville. It became a No. 1 country hit, and singers from Anne Murray to Elvis Presley and Patty Loveless later made their own versions.
More Moments to Remember
2020
Fitz hosted his first show as the new full-time voice of Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40. He followed the radio legend, who died in October 2019.
Source: radioinsight.comRemembering the Ones We Lost
1953
Hank Williams was laid to rest after a funeral at the Montgomery Auditorium in Alabama. Thousands of mourners came, and Roy Acuff, Ernest Tubb and Red Foley sang. Hank had died on New Year's Day on his way to a show in Ohio.
2014
Nashville song man Ronnie Gant died at 69. He signed Patty Loveless and Skip Ewing as writers and pitched "Elvira" to The Oak Ridge Boys, who made it one of their biggest hits.
Source: musicrow.comQuick Answers
Which country singers were born on January 4?
Lorene Mann (1937), JayDee Maness (1945), Patty Loveless (1957) and Deana Carter (1966) were all born on this date.
What was the No. 1 country song on this date?
It depends on the year. In 1969, Glen Campbell's Wichita Lineman marked six weeks as the No. 1 country album. In 1983, Alabama had the No. 1 country album with Mountain Music, the band's third studio record.
This Week in Country Music History
January 11955: Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs joined the Grand Ole Opry.January 21954: John Barlow Jarvis was born in Pasadena, California.January 31970: The Best of Charley Pride sat at No. 1 on the country albums chart for a third straight…January 51999: Shania Twain's "You're Still the One" earned Grammy nominations for Record of the Year…January 62010: Shelly Kurland, a Nashville session violinist and arranger, died at 81.January 71950: Hank Snow joined the Grand Ole Opry.
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