Your daily look at this day in country history, from classic Opry nights to the newest No. 1 hits.
On March 14, 2021, the 63rd Grammy Awards were held in Los Angeles. In 1981, Live From the Grand Ole Opry aired for the last time on PBS. Zella Lehr and Michael Martin Murphey share this birthday.
The 63rd Grammy Awards were held in Los Angeles. Vince Gill won Best Country Solo Performance for "When My Amy Prays." The Highwomen's "Crowded Table" won Best Country Song for writers Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby and Lori McKenna.
Michael Martin Murphey was born in Dallas, Texas. Fans know him for "Wildfire" and "A Long Line of Love." His Cowboy Songs album went gold, and he wrote New Mexico's state ballad, "The Land of Enchantment."
Zella Lehr was born in Burbank, California. She scored a hit in 1977 with Dolly Parton's "Two Doors Down" before Dolly put it out as a single. In 1980 she was up for the ACM's Most Promising Female Vocalist.
Kristian Bush was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. He first sang in the duo Billy Pilgrim, then helped form Sugarland with Jennifer Nettles and Kristen Hall.
Farm Aid V came to Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas, to raise money for family farmers. Willie Nelson led the bill with The Highwaymen, Lorrie Morgan, Ricky Van Shelton, Mary Chapin Carpenter and the Kentucky Headhunters.
Live From the Grand Ole Opry aired for the last time on PBS. The broadcast closed with a clip of Marty Robbins singing "El Paso."
California Gov. Ronald Reagan gave Merle Haggard a full pardon. Years earlier, a young Haggard had served time in San Quentin before turning his life around through music.
Source: savingcountrymusic.comJack Greene, the Opry star called the "Jolly Greene Giant," died in Nashville at 83. His 1966 hit "There Goes My Everything" stayed at No. 1 for seven weeks and helped him win Male Vocalist of the Year from the CMA.
Michael Martin Murphey (1945), Zella Lehr (1951) and Kristian Bush (1970) were all born on this date.
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