Dates of Note in Country Music, April 16-30

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[s] enshrined.  CM=Country Music; BG=Bluegrass; NS=Nashville Songwriter; SG=Southern Gospel; StG=Steel Guitar; LAG=Lifetime Achievement Grammy; RR=country act also inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

April 16:

Dusty Springfield born in London, England, 1939 (died 1999). The legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer hit the country charts in 1962 as part of the Springfields with "Silver Threads and Golden Needles."

April 17:

Craig Anderson of Heartland born in Huntsville, Alabama, 1973 (now 47)

Eddie Cochran died in Bath, England (injuries from an April 16 car wreck), 1960 (was 21). The rockabilly pioneer co-wrote "Summertime Blues," which Alan Jackson covered in country.

Dorsey Dixon died in Plant City, Florida (heart attack), 1968 (was 70)

Hank Penny died in Camarillo, California (heart failure), 1992 (was 73)

Linda McCartney died in Tuscon, Arizona (breast cancer), 1998 (was 56). Linda and husband Sir Paul McCartney's band, Wings, hit the country charts in 1974 with "Sally G."

Glenn Sutton (NS 99) died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 2007 (was 69)
Randy Scruggs died in Nashville, Tennessee (short illness), 2018 (was 64)

April 18:

Walt Richmond of the Tractors born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1947 (now 73)

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown born in Vinton, Louisiana, 1924 (died 2005)
Curtis Potter born in Cross Plains, Texas, 1940 (died 2016)

Your blogger born in Louisville, Kentucky, 19(?!!??!) (doesn't need a rocking chair)

Milton Brown died in Fort Worth, Texas (pneumonia resulting from injuries in an April 13 car wreck), 1936 (was 32)

April 19:

Jody Carver (StG 04) born in Brooklyn, New York, 1929 (now 91)
Bill Rice (NS 94) born in Datto, Arkansas, 1939 (now 81)

Gary Brewer born in Louisville, Kentucky, 1965 (now 55)

Bobby Russell (NS 94) born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1941 (died 1992)

Earl Bolick of the Blue Sky Boys died in Tucker, Georgia (unknown cause), 1998 (was 78)
Levon Helm died in New York, NY (throat cancer), 2012 (was 71)
The "National Barn Dance" debuted on WLS, Chicago, 1924

April 20:

Johnny Tillitson born in Jacksonville, Florida, 1939 (now 81)

Doyle Lawson (BG 12) born in Ford Town, Tennessee, 1944 (now 76)

Wade Hayes born in Bethel Acres, Oklahoma, 1969 (now 51)

Frank "Hylo" Brown born in River, Kentucky, 1922 (died 2003)

Benny Hill found dead in his London flat (coronary thrombosis), 1992 (was 68). The British comedian's Benny Hill Show featured Boots Randolph's "Yakety Sax" as its theme song.

April 21:

Wade Mainer born in Buncombe, North Carolina, 1907 (died 2011)

Ira Louvin (CM 01, NS 79) born in Section, Alabama, 1924 (died 1965)

Carl Belew born in Salina, Oklahoma, 1931 (died 1990)
Paul Davis (NS 10) born in Meridian, Mississippi, 1948 (died 2008)
Neal Matthews Jr. (CM 01) died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 2000 (was 70)

April 22:

Pat Enright of the Nashville Bluegrass Band born in Huntington, Indiana, 1945 (now 75)

Cleve Francis born in Jennings, Louisiana, 1945 (now 75)

Larry Groce born in Dallas, Texas, 1948 (now 72). The Mountain Stage host had one charted record, 1977's "Junk Food Junkie," which was a minor country hit.

Reuben Gosfield of Asleep at the Wheel born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1951 (now 69)

Heath Wright of Ricochet born in Vian, Oklahoma, 1967 (now 53)
Glen Campbell (CM 05, LAG 12) born in Delight, Arkansas, 1936 (died 2017)
Ray Griff born in Vancouver, British Columbia, 1940 (died 2016)

Steve Sholes (CM 67) died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1968 (was 57)

Felice Bryant (CM 91, NS 72) died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 2003 (was 77)

Paul Davis (NS 10) died in Meridian, Mississippi (heart attack), 2008 (was 60)

Richard Nixon died in New York, New York (stroke), 1994 (was 81). The former president's political troubles were chronicled in Tom T. Hall's song "Watergate Blues." Nixon also appeared on the Grand Ole Opry during its first night at the Opry House in 1974.
Hazel Dickens (BG 17) died in Washington, DC (pneumonia), 2011 (was 85)

April 23:

Roland White of the Nashville Bluegrass Band born in Madawaska, Maine, 1938 (now 82)

Roy Orbison (NS 87, LAG 98) born in Vernon, Texas, 1936 (died 1988)
Kent Robbins (NS 98) born in Mayfield, Kentucky, 1947 (died 1997)

April 24:

Rebecca Lynn Howard born in Salyersville, Kentucky, 1979 (now 41)
Shirley Boone born in Chicago, Illinois, 1934 (died 2019). Pat Boone's wife was also the daughter of Red Foley.

Harry McClintock died in San Francisco, California (unknown cause), 1957 (was 74). His greatest success would come decades after his death when his recording of "Big Rock Candy Mountain" began the film O Brother, Where Art Thou.
Bobby Garrett (StG 95) died in Tyler, Texas (cancer), 1999 (was 64)

Bonnie Owens died in Bakersfield, California (Alzheimer's disease), 2006 (was 73)
Harold Reid (CM 08) died in Staunton, Virginia (kidney failure), 2020 (was 80)

April 25:

Larry Robbins of the Johnson Mountain Boys born in Dickerson, Maryland, 1945 (now 75)

Karl Farr (CM 80) born in Rochelle, Texas, 1909 (died 1961)

Cliff Bruner born in Texas City, Texas, 1915 (died 2000)

Vassar Clements born in Kinard, South Carolina, 1928 (died 2005)

O.B. McClinton born in Senatobia, Mississippi, 1940 (died 1987)

The musical Big River opened on Broadway, 1985. It won a "Best Musical" Tony for songwriter Roger Miller, making him, to date, the only country performer to ever win a Tony Award.

April 26:

Duane Eddy born in Corning, New York, 1938 (now 82)

Fiddlin' Doc Roberts born in Richmond, Kentucky, 1897 (died 1978)

Cecil Null born in East War, West Virginia, 1927 (died 2001)
Johnny Mosby born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, 1933 (died 2018)

Tim Spencer (CM 80) died in Apple Valley, California (long illness), 1974 (was 65)

Wesley Rose (CM 86) died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 1990 (was 72)
George Jones (CM 92, LAG 12) died in Nashville, Tennessee (respiratory failure), 2013 (was 81)

April 27:

Herb Pedersen of the Dillards and Desert Rose Band born in Berkley, California, 1944 (now 76)

Sydney Nathan (BG 06; RR 97) born in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1904 (died 1968)
Maxine Brown of the Browns (CM 15) born in Campti, Louisiana, 1931 (died 2019)

Jimmie Skinner born in Blue Lick, Kentucky, 1909 (died 1979)

April 28:

Dale Potter born in Puxico, Missouri, 1929 (died 1996)

Tommy Caldwell of the Marshall Tucker Band died in Spartanburg, South Carolina (injuries from an April 21 car wreck), 1980 (was 30)

Ken Curtis died in Clovis, California (heart attack), 1991 (was 74). The Gunsmoke star was also a one-time member of the Sons of the Pioneers.

April 29:

Willie Nelson (CM 93, NS 73, LAG 00) born in Abbott, Texas, 1933 (now 87)
Duane Allen of the Oak Ridge Boys (CM 15) born in Taylortown, Texas, 1943 (now 76)

Karen Brooks born in Dallas, Texas, 1954 (now 65)

Billy Mize born in Arkansas City, Kansas, 1929 (died 2017)

Eddie Noack born in Houston, Texas, 1930 (died 1978)
Wayne Secrest of Confederate Railroad born in Alton, Illinois, 1950 (died 2018)

Vern Gosdin died in Nashville, Tennessee (stroke), 2009 (was 74)
Kenny Roberts died in Alton, Massachusetts (natural causes), 2012 (was 85)

April 30:

Fuzzy Owen born in Conway, Arkansas, 1929 (now 91)

Darrell McCall born in New Jasper, Ohio, 1940 (now 80)

Johnny Farina (StG 02) born in Brooklyn, New York, 1941 (now 79)

Robert Earl Reynolds of the Mavericks born in Kansas City, Missouri, 1962 (now 58)

Johnny Horton born in Los Angeles, California, 1930 (died 1960)

Curly Chalker (StG 85) died in Hendersonville, Tennessee (brain cancer), 1998 (was 66)

WLS airs the final broadcast of the National Barn Dance, 1960, after 36 years on the air.  On May 1 the radio station switched to an all rock and roll format, becoming the first major radio station in the Midwest to do so.