Ray Turner’s Day in Country Music History
July 5th: On this day
1969
Special guests on this week’s Johnny Cash ABC television music variety show included, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Doug McClure and The Cowsills. Johnny performed a version of “Custer Don’t Ride Very Good Any” with Buffy Sainte-Marie.
1970
Tammy Wynette was at #1 on the Country singles chart with “He Loves Me All the Way.” Written by Billy Sherrill, Norro Wilson, and Carmol Taylor, it became Tammy Wynette’s seventh #1 solo hit on the country charts.
1980
George Jones He Stopped Loving Her Today’ classic track, “He Stopped Loving Her Today” was at #1 on theBillboard Hot Country Singles charts. The melancholy song, written by Bobby Braddock and Curly Putman has been named in several surveys as the greatest country song of all time.
1982
Born on this day in Augusta, Georgia, Dave Haywood, country music singer-songwriter with , who scored the 2009 US #1 Country hit “I Run To You.” The group won five awards at the 2011 Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year for “Need You Now”. Lady Antebellum was also awarded the “Best Country Album” award at the 54th Grammy Awards.
2003
Johnny Cash made his last ever live performance when he appeared at the Carter Ranch. Before singing “Ring of Fire”, Cash read a statement about his late wife that he had written shortly before taking the stage: “The spirit of June Carter overshadows me tonight with the love she had for me and the love I have for her. We connect somewhere between here and heaven. She came down for a short visit, I guess, from heaven to visit with me tonight to give me courage and inspiration like she always has.” Cash died on Sept 12th of this year.
2009
Mickey Gilley was seriously injured in a fall in Branson, Missouri. The 73 year-old was helping a neighbor move some furniture when he fell, with the ‘love seat’ falling on top of him, crushing four vertebrae. The incident left him temporarily paralyzed from the neck down . After intense physical therapy he was able to walk again and returned to the stage a year later. However, he still lacks the hand coordination necessary to play the piano.