Your daily look at this day in country history, from classic Opry nights to the newest No. 1 hits.
On July 17, 1958, Johnny Cash cut his last songs for Sun Records: "Down the Street to 301" and "I Forgot to Remember to Forget." In 2000, Tim McGraw released "My Next Thirty Years," the fifth and final single from his album A Place in the Sun. Luke Bryan and Craig Morgan share this birthday.
Johnny Cash cut his last songs for Sun Records: "Down the Street to 301" and "I Forgot to Remember to Forget." He soon moved on to Columbia Records.
Craig Morgan was born in Kingston Springs, Tennessee. The Army veteran put out his first album in 2000, and his 2005 hit "That's What I Love About Sunday" held No. 1 for four weeks.
Luke Bryan was born in Georgia. Before his own hits, he wrote songs for Travis Tritt and Billy Currington. He later topped the chart himself with "Rain Is a Good Thing" and "Someone Else Calling You Baby."
Tim McGraw released "My Next Thirty Years," the fifth and final single from his album A Place in the Sun. The song went on to top Billboard's country singles chart.
Alan Jackson released Angels and Alcohol, his 20th studio album, on Alan's Country Records and EMI Nashville.
The Chicks released Gaslighter, their eighth studio album and their first in 14 years. It was also their first record under the new name, and it opened at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.
Dolly Parton opened her Better Day World Tour at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee. The 49 shows took her across the U.S., Europe and Australia and brought in about $34 million.
A Russian version of Conway Twitty's "Hello Darlin'," called "Privet Radost," was played during the joint U.S. and Soviet Apollo-Soyuz space mission. A University of Oklahoma language professor helped Twitty learn the words.
Don Rich, guitarist, fiddler and bandleader for Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, died at 32 after a motorcycle accident in Morro Bay, California. His guitar helped shape the Bakersfield Sound.
Fred Carter Jr., a guitarist from Winnsboro, Louisiana, died in Nashville at 76. A member of Nashville's famed "A Team" of session players, he played on Simon & Garfunkel's "The Boxer" and recorded with Bob Dylan, Waylon Jennings and Kenny Rogers.
Craig Morgan (1964) and Luke Bryan (1976) were all born on this date.
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.