Your daily look at this day in country history, from classic Opry nights to the newest No. 1 hits.
On June 19, 1926, DeFord Bailey played on Nashville radio station WSM's barn dance show, the program that soon became the Grand Ole Opry. In 1976, Marty Robbins hit No. 1 on the country chart with "El Paso City." Lester Flatt and Doug Stone share this birthday.
DeFord Bailey played on Nashville radio station WSM's barn dance show, the program that soon became the Grand Ole Opry. The harmonica wizard was the Opry's first Black performer.
Lester Flatt was born in Overton County, Tennessee. With Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys, he sang "The Ballad of Jed Clampett," the theme for The Beverly Hillbillies. He died in 1979.
Bobby Borchers was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He had nine Top 40 country hits, led by "Cheap Perfume and Candlelight," which reached No. 7 in 1977.
Doug Stone was born in Marietta, Georgia. "In a Different Light" became his first No. 1 country hit in 1991, and he later made his acting debut in the movie Gordy.
Jim Collins, a singer and songwriter from Nacogdoches, Texas, was born on this day. He wrote hits like Kenny Chesney's "The Good Stuff" and Jason Aldean's "Big Green Tractor."
Marty Robbins hit No. 1 on the country chart with "El Paso City." He wrote it while flying over El Paso, Texas. It was his 15th country No. 1 and his first in six years.
Luke Combs held the top spot on the Top Country Albums chart with his first album, This One's for You. The record gave fans hits like "Hurricane," "When It Rains It Pours" and "One Number Away."
"I Had Some Help" by Post Malone and Morgan Wallen sat at No. 1 on the country chart. It also became the first song since Wallen's "Last Night" to spend five weeks in a row at No. 1 on the Hot 100.
Lonestar released the album I'm Already There. The title song spent six weeks at No. 1, and the album topped the country albums chart.
Taylor Swift released her first single, "Tim McGraw," on Big Machine Records. She wrote it as a teen about a boyfriend leaving for college. It climbed to No. 6 on the country chart.
Brad Paisley put out his album 5th Gear on Arista Nashville. It went on to top the Top Country Albums chart, and singles like "Ticks," "Online," "Letter to Me" and "I'm Still a Guy" each went all the way to No. 1.
Bobby Helms, the voice of "Jingle Bell Rock," died in Martinsville, Indiana, at 63. He also took "Fraulein" and "My Special Angel" to No. 1 on the country chart in 1957.
Slim Whitman, the yodeling country singer born Ottis Dewey Whitman Jr., died in Orange Park, Florida, at 90. His 1955 record "Rose Marie" spent 11 weeks at No. 1 in the UK, a record that stood for 36 years.
Lester Flatt (1914), Bobby Borchers (1952) and Doug Stone (1956) were all born on this date.
It depends on the year. In 1976, Marty Robbins hit No. 1 on the country chart with "El Paso City." In 2017, Luke Combs held the top spot on the Top Country Albums chart with his first album, This One's for You.
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.