Your daily look at this day in country history, from classic Opry nights to the newest No. 1 hits.
On March 31, 1999, Kenny Chesney sat at No. 1 on the country chart with "How Forever Feels." In 2014, Blake Shelton set a record with "Doin' What She Likes," his 11th No. 1 in a row on Country Airplay. Lefty Frizzell and Anita Carter share this birthday.
Kenny Chesney sat at No. 1 on the country chart with "How Forever Feels." Tim McGraw had cut the song first but chose not to release it, so it nearly never came out.
Fiddler Tommy Jackson was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He became one of Nashville's busiest session players and played on many of Hank Williams' classic records, including "Lovesick Blues." He died in 1979.
Lefty Frizzell was born William Orville Frizzell in Corsicana, Texas. His smooth singing shaped Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson and George Jones. Roy Orbison even called himself "Lefty Wilbury" in his honor. Lefty died in 1975.
Anita Carter was born in Maces Spring, Virginia. She played upright bass with sisters June and Helen and sang hits with Hank Snow and Waylon Jennings, including "I Got You" in 1968. She died in 1999 at 66.
Songwriter John D. Loudermilk was born in Durham, North Carolina. He wrote "Abilene" for George Hamilton IV, plus "Tobacco Road" and "Indian Reservation." He died in 2016 at 82.
Greg Martin, lead guitarist for The Kentucky Headhunters, was born. The band's 1989 album Pickin' on Nashville earned them a Grammy for best country group vocal performance.
Glen Campbell was No. 1 on the country chart with "Southern Nights." Allen Toussaint wrote it about boyhood trips to see family in the Louisiana backwoods, where folks told stories under the stars.
Blake Shelton set a record with "Doin' What She Likes," his 11th No. 1 in a row on Country Airplay. That beat the streak Brad Paisley had set from 2005 to 2009.
RCA put out its very first 45 rpm record, and it was a country song. Eddy Arnold's "Texarkana Baby" was the disc that started it all.
The Johnny Cash Show aired its last episode on ABC. Taped at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, the show ran 58 episodes and brought country and folk music into living rooms across America.
The Country Music Association called off CMA Fest 2020 because of COVID-19. The Nashville festival had been set for June 4 to 7, and fans were told to look ahead to 2021.
Source: musicrow.comLefty Frizzell (1928) and Anita Carter (1933) were all born on this date.
It depends on the year. In 1999, Kenny Chesney sat at No. 1 on the country chart with "How Forever Feels." In 2014, Blake Shelton set a record with "Doin' What She Likes," his 11th No. 1 in a row on Country Airplay.
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