Your daily look at this day in country history, from classic Opry nights to the newest No. 1 hits.
On March 3, 1979, PBS aired a full Saturday night Grand Ole Opry show live. In 1973, the 15th Grammy Awards, held in Nashville, were the first shown live on CBS. Bob DiPiero and Johnny Barfield share this birthday.
PBS aired a full Saturday night Grand Ole Opry show live. Barbara Mandrell, Bill Monroe, Hank Snow, Roy Acuff and Minnie Pearl were on the bill, and it became the most watched PBS telecast of the year.
Johnny Barfield was born in Tifton, Georgia. His 1939 Bluebird record "Boogie Woogie" is known as the first country boogie. He died in 1974 at 64.
Bob DiPiero was born in Youngstown, Ohio. The Nashville songwriter has penned 15 No. 1 country hits for stars like George Strait, Reba McEntire, Vince Gill and Tim McGraw.
John Carter Cash, son of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, was born. He grew up to be a producer, working on his mother's album Press On and serving as associate producer on his father's American III and American IV records.
John Michael Montgomery held the No. 1 spot on Billboard's country albums chart with Kickin' It Up. The record gave fans "I Swear" and "Rope the Moon," and it stayed on top for six weeks that winter.
The 15th Grammy Awards, held in Nashville, were the first shown live on CBS. Ben Peters won Best Country Song for Charley Pride's hit "Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'," and Charlie McCoy won the country instrumental award.
Patsy Cline played her final show, a benefit in Kansas City, Kansas, for the family of disc jockey "Cactus" Jack Call. George Jones, Dottie West and Cowboy Copas were also on the bill. Two days later, she died in a plane crash.
George Strait played the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at the Astrodome for a crowd of 68,266. The show was later released as the live album For the Last Time: Live from the Astrodome.
Source: americansongwriter.comJohnny Cash guest-starred on the NBC detective show Columbo in an episode called "Swan Song." He played Tommy Brown, a gospel singing star who becomes the detective's prime suspect.
Harlan Howard, one of Nashville's greatest songwriters, died in Nashville at 74. He and Hank Cochran wrote Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces." He entered the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1997.
Gospel singer Calvin Newton died at 93. As a young man he sang with the Blackwood Brothers, then sang lead for the Oak Ridge Quartet, later the Oak Ridge Boys, from 1953 to 1956. He also helped start the Sons of Song.
Johnny Barfield (1909) and Bob DiPiero (1951) were all born on this date.
It depends on the year. In 1994, John Michael Montgomery held the No. 1 spot on Billboard's country albums chart with Kickin' It Up.
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.