Your daily look at this day in country history, from classic Opry nights to the newest No. 1 hits.
On September 4, 2025, Robby Turner, the pedal steel player best known for his years with Waylon Jennings, died at 62. In 1981, Ronnie Milsap was sitting at No. 1 on the country chart with "(There's) No Gettin' Over Me."
Robby Turner, the pedal steel player best known for his years with Waylon Jennings, died at 62. He also played behind George Jones, Chet Atkins, Loretta Lynn and Chris Stapleton.
Singing cowboy Dick Thomas was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His 1945 record "Sioux City Sue" went to No. 1 on the country chart and reached No. 16 on the pop side.
Shot Jackson, a top Dobro and steel guitar man, was born Harold Bradley Jackson in Wilmington, North Carolina. He backed stars like Webb Pierce, Kitty Wells and Roy Acuff. He is also credited with steering Willie Nelson to his beloved guitar, Trigger.
Noel Haggard, son of the great Merle Haggard, was born in Bakersfield, California. He followed his daddy into country music and put out his first album, One Lifetime, in 1997.
Donna Fargo held the top spot on Billboard's country albums chart with The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A. It was her first album, produced by Stan Silver, and the title song became her breakout hit on both country and pop radio.
Ronnie Milsap was sitting at No. 1 on the country chart with "(There's) No Gettin' Over Me." Funny thing is, the title never shows up in the words of the song. It became one of his biggest hits on country and pop radio.
Lonestar's love song "Amazed" logged its eighth straight week at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. That was the longest run at the top since Billboard began tracking radio airplay electronically in 1990.
Dottie West died in Nashville at 58, days after a car accident on her way to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. She was a trailblazer for women in country music and won a Grammy for "Here Comes My Baby."
Hal Willis, the Canadian country singer folks called "Mr. Lumberjack," died in Nashville at 82. His song "The Lumberjack" climbed to No. 5 on the Billboard country chart.
Kylie Rae Harris, a country singer and songwriter from Wylie, Texas, died at 30 in a car crash near Taos, New Mexico.
It depends on the year. In 1972, Donna Fargo held the top spot on Billboard's country albums chart with The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A. It was her first album, produced by Stan Silver, and the title song became her breakout hit on both country and pop radio. In 1981, Ronnie Milsap was sitting at No. 1 on the country chart with "(There's) No Gettin' Over 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.