Ray Turner’s Day in Country Music History

October 11th: On this day

1932
Born on this day near McMinnville, Tennessee, was Dottie West, country music singer and songwriter. Along with Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, West is considered one of the genre’s most influential and groundbreaking female artists. Her career started in the early 1960s, with her Top 10 hit, “Here Comes My Baby Back Again,” which won her a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 1965. She died in hospital on September 4, 1991 after being involved in a car crash a few days earlier when she was on her way to perform at the Grand Ole Opry.

1943
Born on this day, was Gene Watson, country singer, best known for his signature song “Farewell Party” and the 1975 hit “Love in the Hot Afternoon,” and his 1982 hit “Fourteen Carat Mind.” Watson has scored six Country #1’s, 23 top tens and over 75 charted singles.

1952
Born on this day in Northfield, Minnesota, was Paulette Carlson, country singer-songwriter who rose to fame in the 1980s as the founder and lead vocalist for the country band Highway 101. With Highway 101, she charted four #1 hit singles, and seven Top 10 hits.

1955
Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash kicked off an eleven date tour of the Southern US states in Abilene, Texas.

1957
Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar was released in the US. The singer’s debut album contained four of his hit singles: “I Walk the Line,” “Cry! Cry! Cry!,” “So Doggone Lonesome,” and “Folsom Prison Blues.” This was the first LP ever issued on Sam Phillips’ Sun Records label.

1974
Born on this day was Josh Kear American songwriter. His credits include Lady Antebellum’s #1 “Need You Now”, for which Kear won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year and Best Country Song at the 53rd Grammy Awards and Carrie Underwood’s #1 “Before He Cheats.” Kear was award “Songwriter of the Year” at the 2013 ASCAPCountry Music Awards, where he was also awarded “Song of the Year”, along with Chris Tompkins, for Luke Bryan’s “Drunk on You”.

1985
American Western swing musician Tex Williams died. Williams is best known for his talking blues style and had the 1947 novelty hit with “Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)” which he co-wrote with Merle Travis.

2003
Benjamin David Hodges was freed on $5,000 bond after police in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, arrested him for shooting out the window of a tour bus used by Pat Green’s band. He was charged with shooting a gun into an occupied vehicle, while the bus was parked on the street which shattered the driver’s side window.

2012
Billboard changed its Hot Country Songs from an airplay-only chart to one that reflected both airplay and music downloads. As a result of the new methodology, Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” – which had previously peaked at #13 – rebounded back up the chart and became the first #1 single under the new methodology. In the process, the song became the first to top both the country and Billboard Hot 100 charts since “Amazed” by Lonestar in March 2000 and – with nine weeks at #1 – was the longest running chart-topper on the country chart since “Almost Persuaded” by David Houston in 1966.