Your daily look at this day in country history, from classic Opry nights to the newest No. 1 hits.
On May 8, 1976, Johnny Cash received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from National University in San Diego on May 8, 1976. In 2009, Dolly Parton spoke to graduates at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Keith Harling and Jack Blanchard share this birthday.
Johnny Cash received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from National University in San Diego on May 8, 1976.
Jack Blanchard was born in Buffalo, New York. With his wife, Misty Morgan, he scored a 1970 No. 1 country hit with "Tennessee Bird Walk."
Keith Harling was born in Greenwood, South Carolina. His 1998 debut album on MCA Nashville, Write It in Stone, sent four singles onto the country chart, including "Papa Bear."
Luke Combs held the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart with his debut album, This One's for You. The album went on to log 50 weeks at No. 1.
Dolly Parton spoke to graduates at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. The school also gave her an honorary doctorate in humane and musical letters.
Source: dollyparton.comMonument Records released Dolly Parton's "Something Fishy." It climbed to No. 17, giving her a first top 20 country hit, and it later appeared on her debut album, Hello, I'm Dolly.
Why Not? with Shania Twain first aired on OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network. The six-part reality series followed Shania as she opened up about her life and the hard times she had come through.
Eddy Arnold, the smooth-voiced Tennessee singer, died one week before his 90th birthday. He placed 147 songs on the Billboard country charts, a total topped only by George Jones, and sold more than 85 million records.
Jack Blanchard (1942) and Keith Harling (1963) were all born on this date.
It depends on the year. In 2019, Luke Combs held the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart with his debut album, This One's for You.
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.