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On This Day in Country Music: March 21

Your daily look at this day in country history, from classic Opry nights to the newest No. 1 hits.

What happened on March 21 in country music history?

On March 21, 1988, Reba McEntire and Hank Williams Jr. hosted the 23rd Academy of Country Music Awards. In 1977, Glen Campbell went to No. 1 on the country chart with "Southern Nights."

THE BIG MOMENT1988

Reba McEntire and Hank Williams Jr. hosted the 23rd Academy of Country Music Awards

Reba McEntire and Hank Williams Jr. hosted the 23rd Academy of Country Music Awards. Reba and Randy Travis won the top vocalist awards, Roger Miller got the Pioneer Award, and "Forever and Ever, Amen" was Song of the Year.

No. 1 Songs on This Date

1977

Glen Campbell went to No. 1 on the country chart with "Southern Nights." Allen Toussaint wrote it about childhood trips to see kin in the Louisiana backwoods. It was Campbell's fifth and last country No. 1.

1981

Willie Nelson reached No. 1 on the country chart with "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground," from the movie Honeysuckle Rose. It was his seventh solo No. 1.

1993

Billy Ray Cyrus had the No. 1 country album with Some Gave All, the debut that gave us "Achy Breaky Heart." It also spent 17 straight weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the longest run ever for a new artist.

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2007

The Dixie Chicks were back at No. 1 on the country albums chart with Taking the Long Way. A month before, it won five Grammys, including Album of the Year.

2023

Morgan Wallen made history when all 36 songs from One Thing at a Time landed on the Billboard Hot 100 at once. "Last Night" became his first No. 1 on that chart, and the album later spent 19 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

New Music on This Date

2005

Rascal Flatts put out "Fast Cars and Freedom," the third single from Feels Like Today. It climbed all the way to No. 1, their fourth chart-topper on Hot Country Songs.

Love, Family and Life Events

2015

Jason Aldean married Brittany Kerr. The couple first stepped out together at the 2014 CMT Awards and got engaged that September.

Remembering the Ones We Lost

1991

Leo Fender, the man behind the Fender Telecaster, died at 81 in Fullerton, California. His Telecaster was the first mass-produced solid-body electric guitar.

Quick Answers

What was the No. 1 country song on this date?

It depends on the year. In 1977, Glen Campbell went to No. 1 on the country chart with "Southern Nights." In 1981, Willie Nelson reached No. 1 on the country chart with "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground," from the movie Honeysuckle Rose.

This Week in Country Music History

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