Your daily look at this day in country history, from classic Opry nights to the newest No. 1 hits.
On October 16, 1972, Glen Campbell hosted the sixth CMA Awards at the Ryman Auditorium. In 2012, Darius Rucker became a member of the Grand Ole Opry, two weeks after Brad Paisley surprised him with the invitation. Jim Ed Norman and Stoney Cooper share this birthday.
Glen Campbell hosted the sixth CMA Awards at the Ryman Auditorium. Loretta Lynn was the big winner, taking Entertainer and Female Vocalist of the Year and Vocal Duo with Conway Twitty. Charley Pride won Male Vocalist.
Stoney Cooper was born in Harman, West Virginia. A fine fiddle player, he and his wife performed as Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper and joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1954.
Jim Ed Norman was born in Fort Myers, Florida. He wrote string parts for the Eagles and later ran Warner Bros. Nashville from 1984 to 2004, home to Randy Travis, Faith Hill and Dwight Yoakam.
Hank Snow was sitting at No. 1 on the country chart with "I'm Moving On." The song held the top spot for 21 weeks. It was the first of seven Billboard country No. 1s for Snow.
Source: americansongwriter.comTammy Wynette reached No. 1 on the country chart with "You and Me." It held the top spot for two weeks and was the last of her 16 solo No. 1 hits.
Source: americansongwriter.comRandy Travis was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and surprised the crowd by singing "Amazing Grace." It was a moving moment, three years after the health crisis that took much of his voice.
Source: savingcountrymusic.comDarius Rucker became a member of the Grand Ole Opry, two weeks after Brad Paisley surprised him with the invitation. In 2009 he was the first Black artist to win the CMA New Artist award.
Source: live5news.comDecca released Patsy Cline's "Crazy," a ballad written by a young Willie Nelson. It climbed to No. 2 on the country chart and No. 9 on the pop chart, and it became one of her best-loved songs.
Lefty Frizzell recorded "Saginaw, Michigan." Released that November, it became his sixth and last No. 1 country hit and earned him a Grammy nomination.
Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash sang "It Ain't Me, Babe" at Bob Dylan's 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration at Madison Square Garden. Their duet later appeared on the live double album from that night.
Guitarist and producer John Jennings died at 61 in Rockville, Maryland, after a battle with cancer. He produced eight albums for Mary Chapin Carpenter and also worked with Iris DeMent and George Jones.
Source: musicrow.comJohnny Bush, the Texas singer known as the "Country Caruso," died at 85 in San Antonio. He wrote "Whiskey River," which became Willie Nelson's signature song.
Stoney Cooper (1918) and Jim Ed Norman (1948) were all born on this date.
It depends on the year. In 1950, Hank Snow was sitting at No. 1 on the country chart with "I'm Moving On." In 1976, Tammy Wynette reached No. 1 on the country chart with "You and Me."
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.