Your daily look at this day in country history, from classic Opry nights to the newest No. 1 hits.
On May 15, 2007, Reba McEntire hosted the 42nd ACM Awards in Las Vegas. In 1963, Burl Ives won Best Country & Western Recording for "Funny Way of Laughin'" at the 5th Annual Grammy Awards, held in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. Eddy Arnold and Ashley Gearing share this birthday.
Reba McEntire hosted the 42nd ACM Awards in Las Vegas. Carrie Underwood took Top Female Vocalist and Album of the Year for Some Hearts. Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Brooks & Dunn and newcomer Miranda Lambert also went home winners.
Eddy Arnold was born on a farm near Henderson, Tennessee. The smooth-voiced star put 147 songs on Billboard's country charts and sold more than 85 million records. He died in 2008, one week short of his 90th birthday.
K.T. Oslin was born in Crossett, Arkansas. She found fame in her 40s and scored four No. 1 country hits, including "Come Next Monday" in 1990. She died in 2020 at 78.
Kylie Rae Harris was born in Wylie, Texas. The singer-songwriter put out her first album, All the Right Reasons, in 2010. She died in 2019 at 30.
Ashley Gearing was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 2003, at age 12, her song "Can You Hear Me When I Talk to You?" made her the youngest female artist ever on the country singles chart, topping a record Brenda Lee set in 1957.
Burl Ives won Best Country & Western Recording for "Funny Way of Laughin'" at the 5th Annual Grammy Awards, held in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.
Lyle Lovett received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Houston during its spring graduation. His mother, a UH graduate herself, was there to see it.
Alan Jackson released "I Don't Even Know Your Name," the fifth and last single from his album Who I Am. The playful tune went all the way to No. 1 on the country chart.
Reba McEntire was named a new coach on NBC's The Voice, stepping into the chair left open by Blake Shelton. Her first season, Season 24, premiered that September.
Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts married Allison Alderson, who had been crowned Miss Tennessee 1999 and Miss Tennessee USA 2002. The two first met on the video shoot for the band's song "These Days."
Shania Twain and her producer husband, Robert John "Mutt" Lange, announced they had separated. The pair met at Fan Fair in Nashville in 1993 and wed that December.
June Carter Cash died in Nashville at 73 after problems following heart surgery. She helped write "Ring of Fire," and her duet "Jackson" with husband Johnny Cash won a Grammy.
Songwriter and singer Wayne Perry died in Monroe, Ohio, at 55 after a battle with throat cancer. He penned Tim McGraw's "Not a Moment Too Soon" and Toby Keith's 1996 song "A Woman's Touch."
Eddy Arnold (1918), K.T. Oslin (1942), Kylie Rae Harris (1989) and Ashley Gearing (1991) were all born on this date.
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.