Your daily look at this day in country history, from classic Opry nights to the newest No. 1 hits.
On July 29, 2020, Garth Brooks took his name out of the running for CMA Entertainer of the Year. In 1965, Buck Owens held the No. 1 spot on the country chart with "Before You Go." Ashley McBryde and Martina McBride share this birthday.
Garth Brooks took his name out of the running for CMA Entertainer of the Year. He had won the award seven times and said it was time for someone else to hold it.
Martina McBride was born in Sharon, Kansas. Known for her big voice and powerful ballads, she earned her first No. 1 country hit in 1996 with "Wild Angels."
James Otto was born at Fort Lewis Army Base in Washington state. A member of the MuzikMafia, he scored his first No. 1 country hit in 2008 with "Just Got Started Lovin' You."
Ashley McBryde was born in Waldron, Arkansas. Her album "Girl Going Nowhere" earned a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album. Garth Brooks invited her to join the Grand Ole Opry, and Terri Clark inducted her on Dec. 10, 2022.
Drew Baldridge was born in Patoka, Illinois. He put out "She's Somebody's Daughter" on his own label, Lyric Ridge Records, and the song climbed all the way to No. 1 on the Country Aircheck chart.
Source: opry.comBuck Owens held the No. 1 spot on the country chart with "Before You Go." It was his seventh No. 1 single and stayed on top for six weeks.
Johnny Cash was No. 1 on the country chart with "Folsom Prison Blues." The song held the top spot for four weeks that summer.
Reba McEntire hit No. 1 on the Billboard country singles chart with "Cathy's Clown." She gave the old Everly Brothers song her own spin, and it was the lead single from her album Sweet Sixteen.
Shania Twain held the top spot on the Billboard country albums chart with The Woman in Me, her second studio album. It was her first No. 1 album, and it stayed on top for many weeks that summer and fall.
Blake Shelton's If I'm Honest, his 10th studio album, was No. 1 on the Billboard country albums chart. It sold more than 522,000 copies in the U.S. that year, ranking 11th among all albums sold in 2016.
Patsy Cline played a show at the Cimarron Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The concert was taped, and in 1997 it came out as the album "Live at the Cimarron Ballroom."
Randy Travis released his first single, "On the Other Hand," written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz. It stalled at No. 67 at first. It was put out again in 1986 and became his first No. 1.
Source: americansongwriter.comMorgan Wallen released "Chasin' You" as a single. It became his third straight No. 1 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart, and in December 2020 it was named the top song of the year on that chart.
Pete Drake, a pedal steel player and producer, died at 55 in Nashville. He played on Tammy Wynette's "Stand by Your Man," Lynn Anderson's "Rose Garden" and Charlie Rich's "Behind Closed Doors."
Martina McBride (1966), James Otto (1973), Ashley McBryde (1983) and Drew Baldridge (1991) were all born on this date.
It depends on the year. In 1965, Buck Owens held the No. 1 spot on the country chart with "Before You Go." In 1968, Johnny Cash was No. 1 on the country chart with "Folsom Prison Blues."
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.