Dates of Note in Country Music, July 16-31

Category: News

July 16:

Ronny Robbins born in Phoenix, Arizona, 1949 (now 59)

July 17:

Red Sovine born in Charleston, West Virginia, 1918 (died 1980)
Harry Choates died (results of head injury), 1951 (was 29)
Dizzy Dean died (heart attack), 1974 (was 63). Dizzy was credited with giving Roy Acuff the nickname "King of Country Music."
Don Rich died (motorcycle accident), 1974 (was 32)
Wynn Stewart died (heart attack), 1985 (was 51)

July 18:

Ricky Skaggs born in Cordell, Kentucky, 1954 (now 54)

July 19:

George Hamilton IV born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 1937 (now 71)
Sue Thompson born in Nevada, Missouri, 1926 (now 82)
Lefty Frizzell died (stroke), 1975 (was 47)

July 20:

Radney Foster born in Del Rio, Texas, 1959 (now 49)
Sleepy LaBeef born in Smackover, Arkansas, 1935 (now 73)
T.G. Sheppard born in Humbolt, Tennessee, 1942 (now 66)

July 22:

Margaret Whiting born in Detroit, Michigan, 1924 (now 84). Although primarily a pop singer, Whiting had a series of duets with Jimmy Wakely in the 40s and 50s.
Don Henley of the Eagles born in Linden, Texas, 1947 (now 61). In addition to the Eagles, Henley was in a band, Shiloh, in the late 60s with Richard Bowden (later of Pinkard and Bowden) and Jim Ed Norman.
Bob Ferguson died (cancer), 2001 (was 73)

July 23:

Johnny Darrell born in Hopewell, Alabama, 1940 (now 68)
Alison Krauss born in Decatur, Illinois, 1971 (now 37)

July 25:

Roy Acuff Jr. born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1943 (now 65)
Steve Goodman born in Chicago, Illinois, 1948 (died 1984)
Charlie Rich died (blood clot in lung), 1995 (was 62)

July 27:

Bill Engvall born in Galveston, Texas, 1957 (now 51)
Bobbie Gentry born in Chickasaw, Mississippi, 1944 (now 64)
Henry "Homer" Haynes born in Knoxville, Tennessee, 1920 (died 1971)

July 28:

Frank Loesser died (lung cancer), 1969 (was 59). The composer was the "victim" of one of Homer and Jethro's earliest hits, "Baby, It's Cold Outside," in 1949 (which featured a young June Carter singing the female part). It was reported that Loesser had no objection to the parody (from an EP titled Homer and Jethro Fracture Frank Loesser), and only asked that the songwriter credit read, "With apologies to Frank Loesser" (which is on every copy of the song I have ever seen).

July 29:

Pete Drake died (lung disease), 1988 (was 55)

July 30:

Sam Phillips died (respiratory failure), 2003 (was 80)

July 31:

Jim Reeves died (plane crash), 1964 (was 40)