THE BIG MOMENT2019
Luke Combs became a member of the Grand Ole Opry
Luke Combs became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He went on to win the CMA's top prize, Entertainer of the Year, in 2021 and 2022.
On This Day in Country Music: July 16
Your daily look at this day in country history, from classic Opry nights to the newest No. 1 hits.
What happened on July 16 in country music history?
On July 16, 2019, Luke Combs became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. In 1990, Garth Brooks had the No. 1 country song with "The Dance." It’s also Comedian Speck Rhodes’ birthday.
Country Stars Born on July 16
1915
Speck Rhodes
Comedian Speck Rhodes was born on this day. Fans knew him best as the funny man on The Porter Wagoner Show, a job he held for more than 20 years. He died in 2000 at 84.
No. 1 Songs on This Date
1990
Garth Brooks had the No. 1 country song with "The Dance." Tony Arata wrote it, and many fans call it Garth's signature song.
New Music on This Date
1930
Jimmie Rodgers cut "Blue Yodel No. 9" in Los Angeles with Louis Armstrong on trumpet and Lil Hardin Armstrong on piano. Neither got credit on the record. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame later named it one of the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
1964
Connie Smith recorded her first single, "Once a Day," at RCA Studio B in Nashville. It spent eight weeks at No. 1 and made her the first woman to top Billboard's country chart with a debut single.
1984
Alabama put out "If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)." The song reached No. 1 that October, the band's 14th No. 1 in a row.
Concerts and Shows
2006
Kenny Chesney played Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, for about 56,000 fans. Ticket sales came close to $4.2 million, believed to be the biggest gross ever for a country show. Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley, Big & Rich and Gretchen Wilson also played.
Source: worldradiohistory.comOn TV and the Big Screen
1982
Six Pack, a comedy-drama starring Kenny Rogers, opened in theaters. Rogers played Brewster Baker, a race car driver. The Daniel Petrie film went on to earn more than $20 million.
Remembering the Ones We Lost
2012
Kitty Wells died at 92 in Madison, Tennessee, after a stroke. Her 1952 hit "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" made her the first solo woman to reach No. 1 on the country chart.
2016
Bonnie Brown of The Browns died at 77 in Little Rock, Arkansas. The family trio signed with RCA Victor in 1956, hit No. 1 with "The Three Bells" and joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1963.
2020
Drummer Jamie Oldaker died at 68 in his hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. He played behind Eric Clapton and Bob Seger, and on the country side he worked with the Bellamy Brothers, Asleep at the Wheel and Vince Gill.
Quick Answers
Which country singers were born on July 16?
Comedian Speck Rhodes (1915) was born on this date.
What was the No. 1 country song on this date?
It depends on the year. In 1990, Garth Brooks had the No. 1 country song with "The Dance."
This Week in Country Music History
July 132022: Harmonica great Charlie McCoy was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry by Larry Gatlin.July 141990: Garth Brooks reached No. 1 on Billboard's country singles chart with "The Dance."July 152010: Hank Cochran died in Nashville at 74.July 171958: Johnny Cash cut his last songs for Sun Records: "Down the Street to 301" and "I Forgot…July 181966: Buck Owens held No. 1 on the country chart with "Think of Me."July 191975: Lefty Frizzell died in Nashville at 47 after a stroke.
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