Dates of Note in Country Music, December 16-31

Category: News

(Hall of Fame members in bold on birth/death date, followed by hall[s] of fame in which they are enshrined and the year enshrined.  CM=Country Music; BG=Bluegrass; DJ=Country Disc Jockey; NS=Nashville Songwriter; SG=Southern Gospel; StG=Steel Guitar WS=Western Swing; GLA=Grammy Lifetime Achievement recipient; RR=also in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

December 16:

Jeff Carson born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1964 (now 58)
Shelby Singleton born in Waskom, Texas, 1931 (died 2009)
Jim Glaser of the Glaser Brothers born in Spalding, Nebraska, 1937 (died 2019)
Jenny Lou Carson (NS 71) died in Torrance, California (unknown causes), 1978 (was 63)
Martha Carson died in Nashville, Tennessee (natural causes), 2004 (was 83)
Gary Stewart died in Fort Pierce, Florida (suicide [gunshot]), 2003 (was 58)
Dan Fogelberg died in Deer Island, Maine (cancer), 2007 (was 56)
Ray Price (CM 96) died in Mount Pleasant, Texas (pancreatic cancer), 2013 (was 87)

December 17:

Frankie Miller born in Victoria, Texas, 1931 (now 91)
Sharon White Skaggs born in Wichita Falls, Texas, 1953 (now 69) 
Tracy Byrd born in Vidor, Texas, 1966 (now 56)
Karl Davis born in Mount Vernon, Kentucky, 1905 (died 1979)
Spade Cooley born in Grand, Oklahoma, 1910 (died 1969)
Nat Stuckey born in Cass County, Texas, 1933 (died 1988)
Roy Huskey Jr. born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1956 (died 1997)
Rex Allen Sr. died in Tuscon, Arizona (accidentally run over by car), 1999 (was 77)
Lance LeRoy (BG 00) died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 2015 (was 84)
Commercial plane carrying Doug Stone crash-lands in Chicago, 1999. Stone was uninjured.

December 18:

Cledus T. Judd (ne James Poole) born in Crowe Springs, Georgia, 1964 (now 58)
Wilf Carter (Montana Slim) (NS 71) born in Port Hilford, Nova Scotia, 1904 (died 1996)
Gordie Tapp died in Burlington, Ontario (pneumonia), 2016 (was 94)
The Louvin Brothers' first recording session (they recorded "Alabama") at Castle Studios, Nashville, 1947

December 19:

John McEuen of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Bang born in Long Beach, California, 1945 (now 77)
Janie Fricke born in South Whitney, Indiana, 1947 (now 75)
Jumpin' Bill Carlisle (CM 02) born in Wakefield, Kentucky, 1908 (died 2003)
Little Jimmy Dickens (CM 83) born in Bolt, West Virginia, 1920 (died 2015)
Marion Worth died in Madison, Tennessee (emphysema), 1999 (was 69)
Hank Williams' last show, given at the Skyline Club, Austin, Texas, 1952
Johnny Paycheck shot a man outside a bar in Greenfield, Ohio, 1985

December 20:

Skeeter Willis of the Willis Brothers born in Colton, Oklahoma, 1917 (died 1976)
Jack Stapp (CM 89) died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 1980 (was 68)
Don Law (CM 01) died in LaMarque, Texas (unknown cause), 1982 (was 80)
Hank Snow (CM 79, NS 78) died in Nashville, Tennessee (various illnesses), 1999 (was 85)
Chip Young died in Nashville, Tennessee (complications from heart surgery), 2014 (was 76)

December 21:

Lee Roy Parnell born in Abilene, Texas, 1956 (now 66)
Christy Forrester of the Forester Sisters born in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, 1962 (now 60)
Vito Pellettieri born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1889 (died 1977)
Floyd "Lightnin'" Chance born in Como, Mississippi, 1925 (died 2005)
Freddie Hart (NS 04) born in Lockapoke, Alabama, 1926 (died 2018)
Natchee the Indian (ne Lester Vernon Storer) died in Santa Clara, California (unknown cause), 1970 (was 54)
John Bailes of the Bailes brothers died (unknown cause), 1989 (was 71)
Harold Morrison died in Springfield, Missouri (illness), 1993 (was 62)

K.T. Oslin died in Nashville, Tennessee (COVID-19/Parkinson's disease), 2020 (was 78)

December 22:

Red Stegall born in Gainesville, Texas, 1938 (now 84)
Chuck Mead of BR5-49 born in Nevada, Missouri, 1960 (now 62)
Paul Martin of Exile born in Winchester, Kentucky, 1962 (now 60)
Harold "Hawkshaw" Hawkins born in Huntington, West Virginia, 1921 (died 1963)
Dave Dudley died in Danbury, Wisconsin (heart attack), 2003 (was 75)
Dennis Linde (NS 01) died in Nashville, Tennessee (lung disease), 2006 (was 63)
Jimmy Work died in Dukedom, Tennessee (natural causes), 2018 (was 94)

December 23:

Murray "Buddy" Harman born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1928 (died 2008)

December 24:

Lulu Belle Wiseman born in Boone, North Carolina, 1913 (died 1999)
Zane Beck (StG 91) born in Clarksville, Arkansas, 1927 (died 1985)
Jake Hess (SG 97) born in Limestone County, Alabama, 1927 (died 2004)
Stoney Edwards born in Seminole, Oklahoma, 1929 (died 1997)
William J. "Billy" Hill (NS 82) died in Boston, Massachusetts (heart attack), 1940 (was 41)
Charlie Moore died in Maryland (illness), 1979 (was 44)

J.D. Crowe (BG 07) died in Nicholasville, Kentucky (pneumonia), 2021 (was 84)

December 25:

Jimmy Buffett (NS 06) born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, 1946 (now 76)
Barbara Mandrell (CM 09, StG 09) born in Houston, Texas, 1948 (now 74)
Steve Wariner born in Noblesville, Indiana, 1954 (now 68)
Alton Delmore (CM 01, NS 71) born in Elkmont, Alabama, 1908 (died 1964)
J.R. "Curly" Seckler (BG 04) born in China Grove, North Carolina, 1919 (died 2017)

Tony Rice (BG 13) died in Reidsville, North Carolina (unknown cause), 2020 (was 69)
Billy Nelson, Willie Nelson's son, died in Nashville, Tennessee (suicide [hanged self]), 1991 (was 33)
Johnny Cash and family robbed and held at gunpoint in their Jamaica home, 1982

December 26:

Bob Carpenter of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1946 (now 76)
Travis Lewis of the Lewis Family (BG 06) born in Greenwood, South Carolina, 1958 (now 64)
Audrey Wiggins born in Asheville, North Carolina, 1967 (now 55)
Beecher Ray "Pete" "Bashful Brother Oswald" Kirby born in Sevier County, Tennessee, 1911 (died 2002)
Harry Choates born in Rayne, Louisiana, 1911 (died 1951)
Ronnie Prophet born in Calument, Quebec, 1938 (died 2018)
Jimmie Osborne died in Louisville, Kentucky (suicide [gunshot]), 1957 (was 34)
Miggie Lewis of the Lewis Family (BG 06) died in Augusta, Georgia (natural causes), 2017 (was 91)

Sleepy LaBeef died in Siolam Springs, Arkansas (natural causes), 2019 (was 84)
Red Foley and wife Sally injured in a fire in their apartment in Nashhville, 1964

December 27:

Les Taylor of Exile born in Oneida, Kentucky, 1948 (now 74)

Darrin Vincent of Dailey & Vincent born in Kirkville, Missouri, 1969 (now 53)

Leonard T. "LT" Zinn (StG 05) born in Hanover, Pennsylvania, 1924 (died 2022)

Scotty Moore (RR 00) born in Gadsden, Tennessee, 1931 (died 2016)
John Hughey (StG 96) born in Elaine, Arkansas, 1933 (died 2007)
Bob Luman died in Nashville, Tennessee (pneumonia), 1978 (was 41)
Hoagy Carmichael (NS 88) died in Rancho Mirage, California (heart ailment), 1981 (was 82)
Kent Robbins (NS 98) died in Clanton, Alabama (car wreck), 1997 (was 50)
Vestal Goodman (SG 02) died in Celebration, Florida (complications from the flu), 2003 (was 74)
Hank "Sugarfoot" Garland died in Orange Park, Florida (staph infection), 2004 (was 74)
J.R. "Curly" Seckler (BG 04) died in Nashville, Tennessee (natural causes), 2017 (was 98)

December 28:

Mike McGuire of Shenandoah born in Haleyville, Alabama, 1958 (now 64)
Marty Roe of Diamond Rio born in Lebanon, Ohio, 1960 (now 62)
Dorsey Burnette born in Memphis, Tennessee, 1932 (died 1979)

Joe Diffie born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1958 (died 2020)
Mike Auldridge (BG 14) died in Silver Spring, Maryland (cancer), 2012 (was 73)
Hank Williams Jr.'s first recording session at age 14, 1963

December 29:

Rose Lee Maphis born in Baltimore, Maryland, 1922 (died 2021)
Ed Bruce born in Keiser, Arkansas, 1939 (died 2021)

December 30:

Suzy Bogguss born in Aledo, Illinois, 1956 (now 66)
Joaquin Murphey (StG 80) born in Hollywood, California, 1923 (died 1999)
Bob Ferguson born in Willow Spring, Missouri, 1927 (died 2001)
Orville "Red" Rhodes (StG 05) born in Alton, Illinois, 1930 (died 1995)
Skeeter Davis (nee Mary Frances Penick) born in Dry Ridge, Kentucky, 1931 (died 2004)
Melvin Goins (BG 09) born in Bramwell, West Virginia, 1933 (died 2016)
John Hartford (BG 10) born in New York, New York, 1937 (died 2001)
Mike Auldridge (BG 14) born in Washington, DC, 1938 (died 2012)

Michael Nesmith born in Houston, Texas, 1942 (died 2021)
Elsie McWilliams (NS 79) died in Meridian, Mississippi (natural causes), 1985 (was 89)
Henry Strzelecki died in Nashville, Tennessee (hit by car), 2014 (was 75)


December 31:

Talmadge Lewis of the Lewis Family (BG 06) born in Lincolnton, Georgia, 1934 (now 88)
Rex Allen Sr. born in Wilcox, Arizona, 1920 (died 1999)
Dale Noe born in New Boston, Ohio, 1927 (died 2005)
John Denver born in Roswell, New Mexico, 1943 (died 1997)
Rick Nelson died in DeKalb, Texas (plane crash), 1985 (was 45)
Floyd Cramer (CM 03) died in Nashville, Tennessee (lung cancer), 1997 (was 64)
Jim McReynolds of Jim & Jesse (BG 93) died in Gallatin, Tennessee (cancer), 2002 (was 75)
Hairl Hensley (DJ 95) died in Nashville, Tennessee (illness), 2017 (was 82)

Ray Sawyer died in Daytona Beach, Florida (brief illness), 2019 (was 81)
Charlie Louvin injured in car accident near Manchester, Tennessee, 2001
The original Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum building closed, 2000