1935 Born on this day in St. Louis, Missouri, was Royce Kendall, singer from the duo, The Kendalls who released 16 albums including the #1 hits “Heaven’s Just a Sin Away,” “Sweet Desire” and “Thank God for the Radio”. She died on May 22, 1998.
2012 Loretta Lynn marked her 50th anniversary as a Grand Ole Opry member. The only other women to reach this milestone have been Jean Shepard, Minnie Pearl and Wilma Lee Cooper. Lynn was honored with a tribute show that was broadcast on GAC-TV.
2015 Don Henley released his fifth solo studio album Cass County which later debuted at #1 on the Top Country Albums chart. Recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, the album features Miranda Lambert, Merle Haggard, Vice Gill, Martina McBride, Dolly Parton, Trisha Yearwood and others.
2016 Jean Shepard died aged 82. The honky tonk singer, songwriter, scored the hits “Second Fiddle (To An Old Guitar),” “A Satisfied Mind” and a Ferlin Husky duet, “A Dear John Letter.” In 2005, Shepard celebrated 50 years as a member of the Opry and is the longest-living female member of the Opry to date.
Ian Tyson, singer/recording artist/TV host, born Victoria, British Columbia 1933.
Little Jimmy Dickens joined the Grand Ole Opry 1948.
The Statler Brothers debuted on the charts with “Flowers On The Wall” 1965
John Anderson’s “Wild and Blue,” hit the charts and became his first #1 in 1982.
1943 Born on this day in Rochester, Minnesota, was singer-songwriter Joe Sun. He charted fourteen singles on the Hot Country Songs charts. His highest was his 1978 debut single, the #14 “Old Flames Can’t Hold a Candle to You.” He died on October 25, 2019 age 76.
1930 Born on this day, was Shel Silverstein, American poet, singer-songwriter, cartoonist, screenwriter, and author of children’s books. He wrote Tompall Glaser’s highest-charting solo single “Put Another Log on the Fire”, “One’s on the Way” (a hit for Loretta Lynn), and wrote one of Johnny Cash’s best known whimsical hits, “A Boy Named Sue.” Other songs co-written by Silverstein include “The Taker” by Waylon Jennings and hits for Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show.
