Your daily look at this day in country history, from classic Opry nights to the newest No. 1 hits.
On June 17, 1978, Emmylou Harris was No. 1 on the country singles chart with "Two More Bottles of Wine," a song written by Delbert McClinton. In 1965, the Beatles recorded Buck Owens' hit "Act Naturally" with Ringo Starr singing lead. Mickey Guyton and Red Foley share this birthday.
Emmylou Harris was No. 1 on the country singles chart with "Two More Bottles of Wine," a song written by Delbert McClinton.
Red Foley was born in Blue Lick, Kentucky. He sold more than 25 million records and hosted "Ozark Jubilee," one of the first hit country shows on network TV.
Russell Smith, lead singer of the Amazing Rhythm Aces, was born in Nashville. He wrote No. 1 hits for Randy Travis, Don Williams and Ricky Van Shelton. He died in 2019 at 70.
Songwriter Rivers Rutherford was born in Germantown, Tennessee. He co-wrote No. 1 hits like "Ain't Nothing 'bout You" for Brooks & Dunn and "When I Get Where I'm Going" for Brad Paisley and Dolly Parton.
Mickey Guyton was born in Arlington, Texas. Her 2020 song "Black Like Me" earned a Grammy nomination for Best Country Solo Performance, the first ever for a Black woman in that category.
Billy Ray Cyrus held the No. 1 spot on the country singles chart with "Achy Breaky Heart." Written by Don Von Tress, it spent five weeks on top and became the first country single certified platinum since "Islands in the Stream."
"The Bones" by Maren Morris was No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. The song from her album Girl stayed on top for 19 weeks and ranked No. 2 among country songs for all of 2020.
The Beatles recorded Buck Owens' hit "Act Naturally" with Ringo Starr singing lead. It came out on Help! in Britain and as the B-side of "Yesterday" in America.
Martie Erwin of the Dixie Chicks married Ted Seidel, a pharmaceutical sales rep. Fans know her today as Martie Maguire.
Red Foley (1910) and Mickey Guyton (1983) were all born on this date.
It depends on the year. In 1978, Emmylou Harris was No. 1 on the country singles chart with "Two More Bottles of Wine," a song written by Delbert McClinton. In 1992, Billy Ray Cyrus held the No. 1 spot on the country singles chart with "Achy Breaky Heart."
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.