Your daily look at this day in country history, from classic Opry nights to the newest No. 1 hits.
On March 19, 2025, NBC aired Opry 100: A Live Celebration, a three-hour special hosted by Blake Shelton for the Opry's 100th year. In 1961, Marty Robbins was No. 1 on the country chart with "Don't Worry," his seventh chart-topper. Martha Carson and Bob Kingsley share this birthday.
NBC aired Opry 100: A Live Celebration, a three-hour special hosted by Blake Shelton for the Opry's 100th year. Reba McEntire honored Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, and Carrie Underwood sang for Randy Travis.
Martha Carson was born in Neon, Kentucky. The gospel-country singer wrote and recorded "Satisfied" in 1951 with Chet Atkins helping out. She died in 2004 at 83.
Bob Kingsley was born in San Francisco, California. He hosted American Country Countdown and later Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40. He died in 2019 at 80.
Richard Dobson, a Texas songwriter who ran with Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark in the 1970s, was born in Tyler, Texas. Guy Clark later recorded songs they wrote together. Dobson died in 2017 at 75.
Marty Robbins was No. 1 on the country chart with "Don't Worry," his seventh chart-topper. It held the spot for 10 weeks. A broken channel on the mixing board gave Grady Martin's guitar a fuzzy tone that helped inspire one of the first fuzz pedals.
Freddie Hart had the top country song in America with "My Hang-Up Is You." It was his second No. 1, and it held on for six weeks that spring.
The Dixie Chicks album Fly sat at No. 1 on the country albums chart. It had won the Grammy for Best Country Album a few weeks before, and it went on to sell more than 10 million copies.
Josh Turner was No. 1 on the country singles chart with "Why Don't We Just Dance," the first single from his album Haywire. It was the third No. 1 of his career.
Luke Combs had the No. 1 country album with What You See Is What You Get, his second studio album. Seven of its singles went to No. 1 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart.
David Allan Coe was hurt when a tractor-trailer hit his SUV at an intersection in Ocala, Florida. Police said nobody was badly injured, but he called off two shows while he healed.
Source: wuft.orgWord broke that Richie McDonald would leave Lonestar at the end of the year to try a solo career. The band was also moving on from its record label. Cody Collins later stepped in as lead singer.
Source: countrystandardtime.comSpeck Rhodes, the funny man and bass fiddle player fans knew from The Porter Wagoner Show, died at 84 at his home in Nashville. He worked alongside his fellow West Plains, Missouri, native Porter for more than 20 years.
Martha Carson (1921) and Bob Kingsley (1939) were all born on this date.
It depends on the year. In 1961, Marty Robbins was No. 1 on the country chart with "Don't Worry," his seventh chart-topper. In 2010, Josh Turner was No. 1 on the country singles chart with "Why Don't We Just Dance," the first single from his album Haywire.
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.