Dates of Note in Country Music, November 1-15

 Category: Almanac

(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 Award; RR=country performer also in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

November 1:

Bill Anderson (CM 01, NS 75) born in Columbia, South Carolina, 1937 (now 85)
Keith Stegall born in Wichita Falls, Texas, 1954 (now 68)
Lyle Lovett born in Klein, Texas, 1957 (now 65)
Lew Childre born in Opp, Alabama, 1901 (died 1961)
Buddy Killen died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 2006 (was 73)
Jack Reno died in Florence, Kentucky (brain cancer), 2008 (was 72)
Jan Crutchfield died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 2012 (was 74)
Dave Rowland of Dave & Sugar died in Nashville, Tennessee (stroke), 2018 (was 74)

November 2:

John David Souther born in Detroit, Michigan, 1945 (now 77)
Earl Yager of the Johnson Mountain Boys (BG 20) born in Gordonsville, Virginia, 1953 (now 69)
k.d. lang born in Consort, Alberta, 1961 (now 61)
Charlie Walker born in Copeville, Texas, 1926 (died 2008)
Elaine Tubb, former wife of Ernest Tubb and subject of the song "Blue-Eyed Elaine," died in Nashville, Tennessee, 2001 (was 85)
Tommy Overstreet died in Hillsboro, Oregon (heart disease/lung disease), 2015 (was 78)

November 3:

Fabor Robison born in Beebe, Arkansas, 1911 (died 1986)
Leon Huff born in Whitesboro, Texas, 1912 (died 1952)
John Maddox of the Maddox Brothers & Rose born in Boaz, Alabama, 1915 (died 1968)

Ray Edenton born in Mineral, Virginia, 1926 (died 2022)

Kay Starr died in Beverly Hills, California (Alzheimer's disease), 2016 (was 94)
The first inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame -- Jimmie Rodgers, Fred Rose, and Hank Williams -- announced, 1961
Merle Haggard paroled from San Quentin prison, 1960

November 4:

Kim Forrester born in Oglethorpe, Georgia, 1960 (now 62)
Will Rogers born near Oologah, Oklahoma, 1879 (died 1935)
Audrey Williams died in Nashville, Tennessee (illness), 1975 (was 52)
Dale Noe died in Phoenix, Arizona (unknown cause), 2004 (was 76)

November 5:

Lowell Blanchard born in Palmer, Illinois, 1910 (died 1968). Blanchard was the program director at WNOX in the 1930's and began the Midday Merry-Go-Round.
Roy Rogers (ne Leonard Slye) (CM 80 and 88) born in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1911 (died 1998)
Roy Horton (CM 82) born in Broad Top, Pennsylvania, 1914 (died 2003)
Billy Sherrill (CM 10, NS 84) born in Phil Campbell, Alabama, 1936 (died 2015)
Gram Parsons born in Winter Haven, Florida, 1946 (died 1973)
Johnny Horton died in Milano, Texas (car wreck), 1960 (was 35)
Jimmie Davis (CM 72, NS 71) died in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (natural causes), 2000 (was 101)
Dorothy Southworth Ritter died in Woodland Hills, California (natural causes), 2003 (was 88)
Author/biographer Patsi Bale-Cox died in Nashville, Tennessee (emphysema), 2011 (was 66)
Roy Acuff Jr. died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 2015 (was 72)

November 6:

Stonewall Jackson born in Emerson, North Carolina, 1932 (died 2021)
Guy Clark (NS 04) born in Monahan, Texas, 1941 (died 2016)
Doug Sahm born in San Antonio, Texas, 1941 (died 1999)
Glenn Frey of the Eagles born in Detroit, Michigan, 1948 (died 2016)
Hank Thompson (CM 89, NS 97) died in Fort Worth, Texas (lung cancer), 2007 (was 82)
Elvis Presley became a member of Louisiana Hayride, 1954

November 7:

Robin Lee born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1953 (now 69)
Red Ingle born in Toledo, Ohio, 1906 (died 1965)
Archie Campbell born in Bull's Gap, Tennessee, 1914 (died 1987)
Howard "Happy" Goodman (SG 98) born in northeast Alabama, 1921 (died 2002)
A.P. Carter (CM 70, NS 70) died in Kingsport, Tennessee (heart ailment), 1960 (was 68)
Gene Wooten died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 2001 (was 49)

Jeff Cook of Alabama (CM 06) died in Destin, Florida (Parkinson’s disease), 2022 (was 73)
Red Foley's daughter, Shirley, married Pat Boone, 1953
Marty Robbins participated in his final NASCAR race, 1982

November 8:

Patti Page (Clara Fowler) born in Claremore, Oklahoma, 1927 (died 2013)
Scotty Wiseman (NS 71) born in Ingalls, North Carolina, 1909 (died 1981)
Ivory Joe Hunter died in Memphis, Tennessee (lung cancer), 1974 (was 60). A number of the R&B singer/songwriter's songs were turned into country hits by Sonny James, including "Since I Met You, Baby" and "Empty Arms."
Bobby Caldwell (StG 10) died in St. Louis, Missouri (cancer), 2009 (was 68)
Charlie Dick died in Nashville, Tennessee (natural causes), 2015 (was 81)

November 9:

George D. Hay (CM 66) born in Attica, Indiana, 1895 (died 1968)
Curly Fox born in Graysville, Tennessee, 1910 (died 1995)
James "Spider" Rich, co-writer of "Yakety Sax," died (unknown cause), 2003 (was 80)

November 10:

Donna Fargo (Yvonne Vaughn) born in Mount Airy, North Carolina, 1940 (now 82)
Pat Severs of Pirates of the Mississippi born in Elmira, New York, 1952 (now 70)
Paul Cohen (CM 76) born in Chicago, Illinois, 1908 (died 1970)
Buford Abner of the Swanee River Boys (SG 02) born in Lineville, Alabama, 1917 (died 2011)
Onie Wheeler born in Senath, Missouri, 1921 (died 1984)
Dave "Stringbean" Akeman died in Ridgetop, Tennessee (murdered), 1973 (was 58)
Arnim "Curly" Fox died in Graysville, Tennessee (natural causes), 1995 (was 85)
The Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior, killing all 29 aboard, 1975. The shipwreck inspired Gordon Lightfoot's 1976 pop/country/folk hit "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald."

November 11:

Narvel Felts born near Keiser, Arkansas, 1938 (now 84)
Hank "Sugarfoot" Garland born in Cow Pens, South Carolina, 1930 (died 2004)
Don Stover (BG 02) died in Brandywine, Maryland (cancer), 1996 (was 68)
Wade Ray died in Sparta, Illinois (illness), 1998 (was 85)
Mary Reeves Davis, widow of Jim Reeves and manager of Jim Reeves Enterprises and the Jim Reeves Museum, died in Nashville, Tennessee (Alzheimer's disease), 1999 (was 70)

November 12:

Barbara Fairchild born in Lafe, Arkansas, 1950 (now 72)
Jerry Kilgore born in Tillamook, Oregon, 1964 (now 58)
Jo Stafford born in Coalinga, California, 1917 (died 2008). The pop singer was the girl singer on Red Ingle & Natural Seven's hit "Tem-Tay-Shun."
John Lair, Renfro Valley Barn Dance founder, died in Mount Vernon, Kentucky (natural causes), 1985 (was 91)
Homer and Jethro's legendary live album At the Country Club recorded in Nashville, 1959
Groundbreaking ceremonies held for construction of the Grand Ole Opry House (current home of the Opry), 1971
The IRS confiscated Willie Nelson's belongings as payment for his tax bill, 1990

November 13:

Ray Wylie Hubbard born in Soper, Oklahoma, 1946 (now 76)
Jack Guthrie born in Olive, Oklahoma, 1915 (died 1948)
Buddy Killen born in Florence, South Carolina, 1932 (died 2006)
Jerry Lee Lewis Jr. died near Hernando, Mississippi (car wreck), 1973 (was 20)
Steve Nelson (NS 73) died (unknown cause), 1981 (was 73)
Alvin "Junior" Samples died in Cumming, Georgia (heart attack), 1983 (was 57)

Doug Supernaw died in Texas (bladder and lung cancer), 2020 (was 60)

November 14:

Gretchen Peters (NS 14) born in Bronxville, New York, 1957 (now 65)
Ken Carson born in Coalgate, Oklahoma, 1914 (died 1994)
Noel Boggs (StG 81) born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1917 (died 1974)
Robert Whitstein died in Colfax, Louisiana (heart attack), 2001 (was 57)

November 15:

Jack Ingram born in Houston, Texas, 1970 (now 51)

C.W. McCall (ne William Fries) born in Audubon, Iowa, 1928 (died 2022)

Albert E. Brumley (NS 70, SG 97) died in Powell, Missouri (unknown cause), 1977 (was 72)
Speedy West (StG 81) died in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (unknown cause), 2003 (was 79)
Holly Dunn died in Albuquerque, New Mexico (ovarian cancer), 2016 (was 59)
Roy Clark (CM 09) died in Tulsa, Oklahoma (pneumonia), 2018 (was 85)

Whose Barn? What Barn? My Barn!

Category: News/Obituary 

The Killer has died.

Jerry Lee Lewis, one of the “Mount Rushmore of Rock and Roll” members, died today (10/28) at his ranch in Nesbit, Mississippi.  His passing came twelve days after his formal induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. 

Hailing from Louisiana, Lewis was raised in a Pentecostal home.  He was kicked out of a church-related school after he performed a “My God Is Real” in a “boogie-woogie” style.  That incident seemed to set his feet on the path that his life took: a man deeply rooted in his faith, yet playing what even he himself described as “the devil’s music.” 

Lewis had so many controversies in his career that he would have destroyed Twitter (not just “melted” or “broke” it) had it been around in the 50s.  Far wilder than Elvis or any of the other rockabilly acts, his wild piano playing and delivery of songs like “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lot of Shakin’ Going On” (and that memorable shout of “whose barn? What barn? My barn!”)  earned him popularity among the teenagers and caused concern among the parents.  When he married his 13-year-old cousin once removed in 1957, the outrage all but destroyed his career.  Add to that seven marriages, an IRS tax problem, and even being arrested at Graceland and it’s obvious that he was rock’s original bad boy.

However, Lewis came back eventually…in country music.  He had a slew of country hits (if you tally his top 40 pop versus top 40 country chart successes you’ll see he had far more country hits than rock hits, 45 country versus just six rock), earning him a new generation of fans. 

Lewis was part of the original Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction class in 1986.  Despite his overwhelming success in country music, he wasn’t inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame until this year.  While he was able to make the announcement ceremony in May, he wrote that he was bedridden with the flu and was too ill to attend the medallion ceremony on October 16.  Longtime friend and fellow Hall of Famer Kris Kristofferson accepted the medallion on Lewis’s behalf.  Lewis later posted a photo of Kristofferson presenting the award to Lewis at home. 

Lewis’s cousin, Mickey Gilley, died earlier this year. 

Farewell to “The Killer,” who had just turned 87 on September 29.

 

Dates of Note in Country Music, October 16-31

Category: Almanac

(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 inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

October 16:

Jim Ed Norman born in Ft. Myers, Florida, 1948 (now 74)
Stoney Cooper born in Harman, West Virginia, 1918 (died 1977)
Doyle Wilburn died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 1982 (was 52)
Don Reno (BG 92) died in Charlottesville, Virginia (post-operative complications), 1984 (was 58)
Danny Dill (NS 75) died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 2008 (was 84)

Johnny Bush died in San Antonio, Texas (pneumonia), 2020 (was 85)
Naomi Judd retired from touring because of health issues, 1990
Ralph Stanley Museum opened, 2004

October 17:

Alan Jackson (CM 17, NS 11) born in Newman, Georgia, 1958 (now 64)
Earl Thomas Conley born in Portsmouth, Ohio, 1941 (died 2019)
Tennessee Ernie Ford (CM 90) died in Reston, Virginia (liver disease), 1991 (was 72)
Jay Livingston died in Los Angeles, California (pneumonia), 2001 (was 86). Among the songwriter's many credits were "Bonanza!," which Johnny Cash recorded, and "The Hanging Tree," which Marty Robbins recorded.
Bashful Brother Oswald (Beecher Ray Kirby) died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 2002 (was 90)

Bob Kingsley (DJ 98) died in Weatherford, Texas (bladder cancer), 2019 (was 80)

October 18:

Keith Knudsen of Southern Pacific born in Ames, Iowa, 1952 (now 70)
Chuck Berry (NS 82, RR 86; GLA 84) born in San Jose, California, 1926 (died 2017)
Harty Taylor of Karl & Harty died (stroke), 1963 (was 58)
Don Hecht died in Miami, Florida (heart attack), 2002 (was 72)
Paul Craft (NS 14) died in Nashville, Tennessee (illness), 2014 (was 76)
Hank Williams married Billie Jean Jones in Minden, Louisiana, 1952. After Williams' death, she would marry Johnny Horton.

October 19:

Jeannie C. Riley born in Anson, Texas, 1945 (now 77)
Charlie Chase born in Rogersville, Tennessee, 1952 (now 70)
Arthur E. "Uncle Art" Satherley (CM 71) born in Bristol, England, 1889 (died 1986)
Don Parmley of the Bluegrass Cardinals born in Oliver Springs, Tennessee, 1933 (died 2016)
Grant Turner (CM 81) died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart failure), 1991 (was 79)
The first CMA Awards were held in Nashville, 1967. The awards show was not televised.

October 20:

Wanda Jackson born in Maud, Oklahoma, 1937 (now 85)
Stuart Hamblin (NS 70) born in Kellyville, Texas, 1908 (died 1989)
Louis "Grandpa" Jones (CM 78) born in Niagara, Kentucky, 1913 (died 1998)
Kenny Seratt born in Manilla, Arkansas, 1934 (died 2015)
Merle Travis (CM 77, NS 70) died in Tahlequah, Oklahoma (heart attack), 1983 (was 65)
Leon Ashley died in Hendersonville, Tennessee (illness), 2013 (was 77)
Rounder Records founded by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin, and Marian Leighton, 1970. Mr. Nowlin says this "birth" of Rounder is based on the date of their first invoice.

October 21:

Steve Cropper (NS 10) born in Willow Springs, Missouri, 1941 (now 81)
Owen Bradley (CM 74) born in Westmoreland, Tennessee, 1915 (died 1998)
Bill Black died in Memphis, Tennessee (brain tumor), 1965 (was 39)
Mel Street born in Grundy, Virginia, 1933 (died 1978)
Mel Street died in Hendersonville, Tennessee (suicide), 1978 (45th birthday)
Sonny Burns died in Nacogdoches, Texas (unknown cause), 1992 (was 62)
Leona Johnson Atkins, member of WLW's Johnson Twins and widow of Chet Atkins, died in Nashville, Tennessee (illness), 2009 (was 85)

October 22:

Shelby Lynn born in Quantico, Virginia, 1968 (now 52)
Curly Chalker (StG 85) born in Enterprise, Alabama, 1931 (died 1998)
Leon Chappelear died in Gladewater, Texas (suicide), 1962 (was 53)
Dorothy Shay, the "Park Avenue Hillbillie," died in Santa Monica, California (heart attack), 1978 (was 57)

Margie Bowes died in Brentwood, Tennessee (long illness), 2020 (was 81)

October 23:

Dwight Yoakam (NS 19) born in Pikeville, Kentucky, 1956 (now 66)
Junior Bryant of Ricochet born in Pecos, Texas, 1968 (now 54)
Eric Gibson of the Gibson brothers born in Clinton, New York, 1970 (now 52)
Mother Maybelle Carter (CM 70, BG 01) died in Nashville, Tennessee (respiratory arrest), 1978 (was 69)
Merle Watson died in Caldwell County, North Carolina (tractor accident), 1985 (was 36). His father Doc's long-lasting tribute to his late son is the annual bluegrass and roots music event known as "MerleFest."
Rusty Kershaw died in New Orleans, Louisiana (heart attack), 2001 (was 63)
Jeanne Black died in Orem, Utah (Alzheimer's disease), 2014 (was 77)

Jerry Jeff Walker died in Austin, Texas (throat cancer), 2020 (was 78)

October 24:

John Bettis (NS 11) born in Long Beach, California, 1946 (now 76)
Jiles Perry "The Big Bopper" Richardson born in Sabine Pass, Texas, 1930 (died 1959). Among his songwriter credits are "White Lightnin'" by friend George Jones and Hank Snow's "Beggar to a King."
Sanger D. Shafer (NS 89) born in Whitney, Texas, 1934 (died 2019)
Mark Gray of Exile born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, 1952 (died 2016)
Kirk McGee died in Nashville, Tennessee (natural causes), 1983 (was 83)
Gene Sullivan (NS 71) died in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (unknown cause), 1984 (was 70)
Rosey Nix Adams, daughter of June Carter Cash, died in Montgomery County, Tennessee (carbon monoxide poisoning), 2003 (was 45)

Sonny Osborne (BG 94) died in Nashville, Tennessee (complications of a stroke), 2021 (was 83)

October 25:

Mark Miller of Sawyer Brown born in Dayton, Ohio, 1958 (now 64)
Cousin Minnie Pearl (Sarah Ophelia Colley Canon) (CM 75) born in Grinders Switch (actually, Centerville), Tennessee, 1912 (died 1996)
Jeanne Black born in Pomona, California, 1937 (died 2014)
Johnnie Lee Willis died (heart ailment), 1984 (was 72)
Roger Miller (CM 95, NS 73) died in Los Angeles, California (throat cancer), 1992 (was 56)
Earl "Joaquin" Murphey (StG 80) died in Los Angeles, California (cancer), 1999 (was 75)
Johnny Cash's last concert performance, Flint Michigan, 1997

October 26:

Neal Matthews Jr. (CM 01) born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1929 (died 2000)
Hoyt Axton died in Victor, Montana (heart attack), 1999 (was 62)

Rose Lee Maphis died in Nashville, Tennessee (natural causes), 2021 (was 98)
Statler Brothers' final concert in their hometown of Salem, Virginia, 2002

October 27:

Lee Greenwood born in Southgate, California, 1942 (now 80)

John Mullins born in Xenia, Ohio, 1965 (now 57)
Snuffy Jenkins born in Harris, North Carolina, 1908 (died 1990)
Floyd Cramer (CM 03) born in Campti, Louisiana, 1933 (died 1997)

Dallas Frazier (NS 76) born in Spiro, Oklahoma, 1939 (died 2022)

Ruby Wright born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1939 (died 2009)
Allan "Rocky" Lane died in Woodland Hills, California (cancer), 1973 (was 72). He is mentioned in the Statler Brothers' "Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott."
Hoyt Hawkins (CM 01) died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1982 (was 55)
Freddie Hart (NS 04) died in Burbank, California (pneumonia), 2018 (was 91)
Grand Ole Opry moved to the Hillsboro Theater, 1934
The Anaheim Angels won game seven of the World Series and their first (and to date, only) World Series title, 2002.  The Angels were owned by Gene Autry until his death, and the team dedicated the championship to his memory.

October 28:

Mitchell Torok born in Houston, Texas, 1929 (now 93)
Brad Paisley born in Glen Dale, West Virginia, 1972 (now 50)
Bill Bolick of the Blue Sky Boys born in Hickory, North Carolina, 1917 (died 2008)

Charlie Daniels (CM 16) born in Wilmington, North Carolina, 1936 (died 2020)
Jimmy Skinner died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1979 (was 70)
Mel Foree died (cancer), 1990 (age unknown)
Marijohn Wilkin (NS 75) died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart disease), 2006 (was 86)
Porter Wagoner (CM 02) died in Nashville, Tennessee (lung cancer), 2007 (was 80)

Billy Joe Shaver died in Waco, Texas (stroke), 2020 (was 81)

Jerry Lee Lewis (CM 22, RR 86, GLA 05) died in Nesbit, Mississippi (pneumonia), 2022 (was 87).  Lewis’s death came 12 days after his formal induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

October 29:

Charlie Monk born in Noma, Florida, 1938 (now 84)
Albert E. Brumley (NS 70) born in Spiro, Oklahoma, 1905 (died 1977)
Ramblin' Jimmie Dolan born in Gardena, California, 1916 (died 1994)

Sonny Osborne (BG 94) born in Roark, Kentucky, 1937 (died 2021)

Fred Maddox died in Fresno, California (heart disease), 1992 (was 73)

October 30:

Timothy B. Schmit of Poco and the Eagles born in Sacramento, California, 1947 (now 75)
T. Graham Brown born in Atlanta, Georgia, 1954 (now 68)
Patsy Montana (nee Ruby Rose Blevins) (CM 96) born in Hope, Arkansas, 1908 (died 1996)
Billy Bowman (StG 89) born in Johnson City, Tennessee, 1928 (died 1989)
Clifton Clowers born in Wolverton Mountain, Conway County, Arkansas, 1891 (died 1994)
Ron Davies died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 2003 (was 57)
Curly Putman (NS 76) died in Lebanon, Tennessee (long illness), 2016 (was 85)
Kitty Wells and Johnnie Wright wed, 1937 

October 31:

Richard "Kinky" Friedman born in Chicago, Illinois, 1944 (now 78)
Dale Evans born in Uvalde, Texas, 1912 (died 2001)
Tom Morrell (Steel Guitar 01) born in Dallas, Texas, 1938 (died 2007)
Carl Belew (NS 76) died in Salina, Oklahoma (cancer), 1990 (was 59)

Bob Atcher died in Prospect, Kentucky (unknown causes), 1993 (was 79) 

Loretta

Category: News/Obituary 

There are simply no words. 

Loretta Lynn has died.  

The family released a statement today (10/4) saying that Lynn died in her sleep at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee today.  They have asked for donations, in lieu of flowers, to the Loretta Lynn Foundation, which is an organization she founded in 2006 to promote country music.

What is there to say?  She was the squaw-on-the-warpath, fist-city swinging, don’t-come-home-a-drinkin’ warning, pill-taking coal miner’s daughter who came along at the perfect time in country music history, knocking down doors for women singers and women songwriters.  Her songs of tough love for a cheating husband were based in reality.

You know the story: how the daughter of a coal miner near Van Lear, Kentucky went through the hard times, becoming a singer and songwriter and going to worldwide fame.  The biopic based on her life won Sissy Spacek an Oscar.  

Along the way Loretta herself picked up inductions into the Country Music and Nashville Songwriters Halls of Fame, as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement, a Kennedy Center Honors, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  

There are simply no words, except….

Thank you, Loretta. 

She was 90.

Dates of Note in Country Music, October 1-15

 Category: Almanac

(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 award; RR=country performer also in Rock & Roll Hall of Fame)

October 1:

Kelly Willis born in Lawton, Oklahoma, 1968 (now 54)
Skeets McDonald born in Greenway, Arkansas, 1915 (died 1968)
Bonnie Owens (WS 87) born in Blanchard, Oklahoma, 1932 (died 2006)
Shooter kills 61 and wounds over 500 other concertgoers at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas, 2017

October 2:

Jo-El Sonnier born in Rayne, Louisiana, 1946 (now 76)
Gillian Welch born in Manhattan, New York, 1967 (now 55)
Chubby Wise (BG 98) born in Lake City, Florida, 1915 (died 1996)
Leon Rausch (WS 87) born in Billings, Missouri, 1927 (died 2019)
Chris LeDoux born in Biloxi, Mississippi, 1948 (died 2005)
Tammy Sullivan born in Wagarville, Alabama, 1964 (died 2017)
Gene Autry (CM 69, WS 89, GLA 89) died in Studio City, California (lymphoma), 1998 (was 91). The "Singing Cowboy" also owned the California/Anaheim Angels, who dedicated their 2002 World Series victory to his memory.
Elvis Presley played the Grand Ole Opry, 1954. Opry manager Jim Denny critiqued his performance by telling him that he was going nowhere and to "go back to driving trucks."

October 3:

Joe Allison (NS 78; DJ 76) born in McKinney, Texas, 1924 (died 2002)
Woody Guthrie (NS 77) died in Queens, New York (Huntington's disease), 1967 (was 55)
Del Wood died in Nashville, Tennessee (stroke), 1989 (was 69)

October 4:

Leroy Van Dyke born in Spring Fork, Missouri, 1929 (now 93)
Lloyd Green (StG 88) born in Leaf, Mississippi, 1937 (now 85)
Larry Collins of the Collins Kids born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1944 (now 78)
Greg Hubbard of Sawyer Brown born in Orlando, Florida, 1960 (now 62)
Jerry Rivers died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 1996 (was 69)
A.L. "Doodle" Owens (NS 99) died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1999 (was 69)

Loretta Lynn (CM 88, NS 83, GLA 10, PMF 13) died in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee (natural causes), 2022 (was 90)
Tammy Wynette's kidnapped ordeal began, 1978

October 5:

Radio station WSM born in Nashville at 650 on the AM dial, 1925 (now 97)
Margie Singleton born in Coushatta, Louisiana, 1935 (now 87)
Johnny Duncan born in Dublin, Texas, 1938 (died 2006)
Johnny Vincent, founder of the Sally Mountain Bluegrass Festival and father of Darrin and Rhonda Vincent, died in Queen City, Missouri (long illness), 2014 (was 73)

October 6:

Tim Rushlow of Little Texas born in Arlington, Texas, 1966 (now 56)
Kendall Hayes born in Perryville, Kentucky, 1935 (died 1995)
Ted Daffan (NS 70, WS 94) died in Houston, Texas (cancer), 1996 (was 84)
Billy Joe Royal died in Morehead City, North Carolina (unknown cause), 2015 (was 73)

Jody Miller died in Blanchard, Oklahoma (Parkinson’s disease), 2022 (was 80)

October 7:

Jim Halsey born in Independence, Kansas, 1930 (now 92)
Kieran Kane born in Queens, New York, 1949 (now 73)
Dale Watson born in Birmingham, Alabama, 1962 (now 60)
Uncle Dave Macon (CM 66) born in Warren County, Tennessee, 1870 (died 1952)
Gordon Terry born in Decatur, Alabama, 1931 (died 2006)
Hugh Cherry born in Louisville, Kentucky, 1922 (died 1998)
Buddy Lee born in Brooklyn, New York, 1932 (died 1998)
Johnny Darrell died in Kennesaw, Georgia (diabetes complications), 1997 (was 57)
Jimmie Logsdon died in Louisville, Kentucky (unknown cause), 2001 (was 79)
Shelby Singleton died in Nashville, Tennessee (brain cancer), 2009 (was 77)

Ray Pennington died in Hendersonville, Tennessee (house fire), 2020 (was 86)
Jimmie Rodgers' first recording, "The Soldier's Sweetheart" / "Sleep Baby Sleep," released, 1927

October 8:

Susan Raye Wiggins born in Eugene, Oregon, 1944 (now 78)
Lynn Morris born in Lamesa, Texas, 1948 (now 74)
Jackie Frantz of Dave & Sugar born in Sidney, Ohio, 1950 (now 72)
Truitt Cunningham (WS 82) born in San Angelo, Texas, 1930 (died 2014)
Pete Drake (CM 22, StG 87) born in Atlanta, Georgia, 1932 (died 1988).  Drake is one of the “class of 2021” inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

October 9:

Goebel Reeves born in Sherman, Texas, 1899 (died 1969)

Curtis McPeake born in Scotts Hill, Tennessee, 1927 (died 2021)
The Renfro Valley Barn Dance debuted on WLW, 1937

October 10:

Tony Arata (NS 12) born in Savannah, Georgia, 1957 (now 65)
Tanya Tucker born in Seminole, Texas, 1958 (now 64)
Don Pierce, founder of Starday Records, born in Ballard, Washington, 1915 (died 2005)
Vernon Baughman (WS 82) born in Granite, Oklahoma, 1926 (died 2010)

John Prine (NS 03) born in Maywood, Illinois, 1946 (died 2020)
Cal Smith died in Branson, Missouri (unknown cause), 2013 (was 81)

Anita Kerr died in Geneva, Switzerland (natural causes), 2022 (was 94)

October 11:

Gene Watson born in Palestine, Texas, 1943 (now 79)
Paulette Carlson of Highway 101 born in Northfield, Minnesota, 1952 (now 70)
Leigh Gibson of the Gibson Brothers born in Clinton, New York, 1971 (now 51)
Dottie West (CM 18) born in McMinnville, Tennessee, 1932 (died 1991)
Rex Griffin (NS 70) died in New Orleans, Louisiana (tuberculosis), 1958 (was 46)
Jack Rhodes (NS 72) died in Mineola, Texas (heart attack), 1968 (was 61)
Tex Williams (WS 85) died in Newhall, California (pancreatic cancer), 1985 (was 68)
T. Tommy Cutrer (DJ 80) died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1998 (was 74)

October 12:

Shane McAnally born in Mineral Wells, Texas, 1974 (now 48)

Red Gillean (WS 82) born in Memphis, Texas, 1925 died 2020)
John Denver died in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Pacific Grove, California (plane crash), 1997 (was 53)

October 13:

Lacy J. Dalton born in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, 1946 (now 76)
John Wiggins born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1962 (now 60)
Rhett Akins born in Valdosta, Georgia, 1969 (now 53)
Skeeter Elkin (WS 82) born in Denison, Texas, 1922 (died 2015)

Anita Kerr born in Memphis, Tennessee, 1927 (died 2022)

Hoarce Lee Logan died in Victoria, Texas (respiratory disease), 2002. The founder of the Louisiana Hayride also coined one of the most oft-repeated phrases in American popular culture: trying to calm down an audience after one Louisiana Hayride performer wowed the crowd, Logan announced, "Elvis has left the building."

Raymond Fairchild died in Maggie Valley, North Carolina (heart attack), 2019 (was 80)
Acuff-Rose Publishing Company founded, 1942
While presenting the CMA "Entertainer of the Year" award Charlie Rich set fire to the envelope after announcing that John Denver had won the award, 1975

October 14:

Melba Montgomery born in Iron City, Tennessee, 1938 (now 84)
Kenny Roberts born in Lenoir City, Tennessee, 1926 (died 2012)
Bing Crosby died in Madrid, Spain (heart attack), 1977. The legendary pop crooner has the distinction of being the first artist to have a #1 single on Billboard magazine's Country and Western charts, with his rendition of Al Dexter's "Pistol Packin' Mama," January 8, 1944.
Little Jimmy Sizemore died in Appleton, Wisconsin (natural causes), 2014 (was 87)

October 15:

Dean Miller born in Los Angeles, California, 1965 (now 57)

Dates of Note in Country Music, September 16-30

 Category: Almanac

(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; NS=Nashville Songwriter; SG=Southern Gospel; StG=Steel Guitar; GLA=Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient; RR=country performer also in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

September 16:

David Bellamy of the Bellamy Brothers born in Darby, Florida, 1950 (now 72)

Bobby Randall of Sawyer Brown born in Midland, Michigan, 1952 (now 70)
Terry McBride of McBride & the Ride born in Austin, Texas, 1958 (now 64)

Ralph Mooney (StG 83) born in Duncan, Oklahoma, 1928 (died 2011)

Sheb Wooley died in Nashville, Tennessee (leukemia), 2003 (was 82)

September 17:

Hank Williams (CM 61, NS 70, RR 87; GLA 87) born in Mount Olive, Alabama, 1923 (died 1953)

Jimmie Crawford (StG00) born in Obetz, Ohio, 1935 (died 2005)

John Ritter, son of Tex Ritter, born in Burbank, California, 1948 (died 2003)

Steve Sanders (William Lee Golden's one-time replacement in the Oak Ridge Boys) born in Richland, Georgia, 1952 (died 1998)

Bill Black born in Memphis, Tennessee, 1926 (died 1965)

RCA's 33 1/3 RPM "long-playing" (LP) record first appeared, 1931

September 18:

Carl Jackson born in Louisville, Mississippi, 1953 (now 69)

Lydia Rogers of the Secret Sisters born in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, 1988 (now 34)

Ervin T. Rouse born in Craven County, North Carolina, 1917 (died 1981)
Priscilla Mitchell born in Marietta, Georgia, 1941 (died 2014)

Michael "Bea" Lilly (BG 02) died in Plymouth, Massachusetts (Alzheimer's disease), 2005 (was 83)

September 19:

Trisha Yearwood born in Monticello, Georgia, 1964 (now 58)

Clyde Moody born in Cherokee, North Carolina, 1915 (died 1989)
Danny Dill (NS 75) born in Carroll County, Tennessee, 1924 (died 2008)

Carlton Haney (BG 98) born in Rockingham County, North Carolina, 1928 (died 2011)

Clyde "Sonny" Burns born in Lufkin, Texas, 1930 (died 1992)

Red Foley (CM 67) died in Fort Wayne, Indiana (heart attack), 1968 (was 58)

Gram Parsons died in Joshua Tree, California (drug overdose), 1973 (was 26)

Skeeter Davis died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 2004 (was 72)

Slim Dusty (ne David Kirkpatrick, the "Australian King of Country Music") died in St. Ives, New South Wales (cancer), 2003 (was 76)
Carl Smith married Goldie Hill, 1957

September 20:

Bob Miller (NS 70) born in Memphis, Tennessee, 1895 (died 1955)

Pearl Butler born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1927 (died 1988)

Karl Farr (CM 80) died in West Springfield, Massachusetts (heart attack), 1961 (was 52)
Jim Croce died in Natchitoches, Louisiana (plane crash), 1973 (was 30). The folk singer/songwriter's pop hit "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song" made the country charts a year after his death.

Steve Goodman died in Seattle, Washington (liver and kidney failure/leukemia), 1984 (was 36)
Hank Williams re-joined the Louisiana Hayride after being fired from the Grand Ole Opry, 1952

September 21:

Dickey Lee (NS 95) born in Memphis, Tennessee, 1936 (now 86)

Don Felder, former guitarist/steel guitarist for the Eagles, born in Gainesville, Florida, 1947 (now 75)
Kenny Starr born in Topeka, Kansas, 1952 (now 70)

Daryl Mosley of New Tradition born in Waverly, Tennessee, 1964 (now 58)

Ronna Reeves born in Big Spring, Texas, 1966 (now 56)

Ted Daffan (NS 70) born in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana, 1912 (died 1996)

Walter Brennan died in Oxnard, California (emphysema), 1974 (was 80). Among the actor's charted hits were "Old Rivers" and a version of Bill Anderson's "Mama Sang a Song."
John D. Loudermilk (NS 76) died in Nashville, Tennessee (bone cancer), 2016 (was 82)

Roy Head died in Porter, Texas (heart attack), 2020 (was 79)

September 22:

June Forester of the Forester Sisters born in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, 1952 (now 70)
Debby Boone born in Hackensack, New Jersey, 1956 (now 65). The "You Light Up My Life" singer is Red Foley's granddaughter.
James Roy "Pop" Lewis Sr. of the Lewis Family (BG 06) born in Pickens, South Carolina, 1905 (died 2004)

Bob Moore died in Nashville, Tennessee (illness), 2021 (was 88)

September 23:

Pat Alger (NS 10) born in Long Island City, New York, 1947 (now 75)

Don Herron Jr. of BR5-49 born in Steubenville, Ohio, 1962 (now 60)

Ray Charles (CM21, RR 86) born in Albany, Georgia, 1930 (died 2004)
Roy Drusky died in Nashville, Tennessee (emphysema), 2004 (was 74)

Bradley Kincaid (NS 71) died in Springfield, Ohio (natural causes), 1989 (was 94)

O.B. McClinton died in Nashville, Tennessee (abdominal cancer), 1987 (was 45)

Jimmy Wakely (NS 71) died in Mission Hills, California (emphysema), 1982 (was 68)
Roy Horton (CM 82) died in Nashville, Tennessee (diabetes/congestive heart failure), 2003 (was 88)

First recording session for Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, 1935

September 24:

Rosalie Allen died in Palmdale, California (congestive heart failure), 2003 (was 79)
Priscilla Mitchell died in Nashville, Tennessee (illness), 2014 (was 73)
Jim Denny fired as Opry manager, 1956

September 25:

Ian Tyson born in Victoria, British Columbia, 1933 (now 89)

Larry Sparks (BG 15) born in Lebanon, Ohio, 1947 (now 75)

Shel Silverstein (NS 02) born in Chicago, Illinois, 1930 (died 1999)

Royce Kendall born in St. Louis, Missouri, 1934 (died 1998)
Jean Shepard (CM 11) died in Nashville, Tennessee (Parkinson's disease), 2016 (was 82)
Little Jimmy Dickens became a member of the Grand Ole Opry, 1948

September 26:

David Frizzell born in El Dorado, Arkansas, 1941 (now 81)

Carlene Carter born in Madison, Tennessee, 1955 (now 67)

Marty Robbins (CM 82, NS 75) born in Glendale, Arizona, 1925 (died 1982)

Lynn Anderson born in Grand Forks, North Dakota, 1947 (died 2015)

Doug Supernaw born in Bryan, Texas, 1960 (died 2020)

The Beverly Hillbillies debuted on CBS, 1962. The program featured appearances by Roy Clark as Cousin Roy and Flatt and Scruggs as friends of the Clampetts, and the show was frequently sponsored by Kellogg's Corn Flakes with ads featuring Homer and Jethro.

September 27:

Beasley Smith (NS 83) born in McEwen, Tennessee, 1902 (died 1968)

Uncle Josh Graves (BG 97) born in Tellico Plains, Tennessee, 1928 (died 2006)

Charlie Monroe died in Reidsville, North Carolina (cancer), 1975 (was 72)

Johnnie Wright died in Madison, Tennessee (natural causes), 2011 (was 97)

Johnny Mathis died in Cornersville, Tennessee (pneumonia), 2011 (was 80)

September 28:

Ronnie Reno born in Buffalo, South Carolina, 1947 (now 75)

Laurie Lewis born in Long Beach, California, 1950 (now 72)

Mandy Barnett born in Crossville, Tennessee, 1975 (now 47)

Joseph Falcon born in Rayne, Louisiana, 1900 (died 1965). Falcon is credited with the first Cajun recording, "Allons a Lafayette," in 1928.

Jim Boyd (of Bill Boyd and the Cowboy Ramblers) born in Fannin County, Texas, 1914 (died 1993)

Jerry Clower born in Liberty, Mississippi, 1926 (died 1998)

Tommy Collins (ne Leonard Sipes) (NS 99) born in Bethany, Oklahoma, 1930 (died 2000)

Johnny Mathis born in Maud, Texas, 1930 (died 2011). Because of the rise of a pop singer by the same name in the mid 1950's, Mathis became known as "Country Johnny Mathis."

Glenn Sutton (NS 99) born in Hodge, Louisiana, 1937 (died 2007)

Johnny Horton married Billie Jean Williams (widow of Hank Williams), 1953

September 29:

Jerry Lee Lewis (CM 22, RR 86) born in Ferriday, Louisiana, 1935 (now 87).  Lewis is part of the Country Music Hall of Fame class of 2022.

Gene Autry (CM 69, NS 70) born in Tioga Springs, Texas, 1907 (died 1998)

Bill Boyd born in Fannin County, Texas, 1910 (died 1977)

Tillman Franks born in Stamps, Arkansas, 1920 (died 2006)

Wesley Tuttle died in San Fernando, California (natural causes), 2003 (was 85)

Mickey Newbury (NS 80) died in Springfield, Oregon (emphysema), 2002 (was 62)

Mac Davis (NS 00) died in Nashville, Tennessee (complications of heart surgery), 2020 (was 78)

September 30:

Richard Bowden born in Linden, Texas, 1945 (now 77)

Johnny Burns born in Knoxville, Tennessee, 1948 (now 74).  The son of Jethro Burns is a singer/songwriter/guitarist on his own, and worked for many years with country-folk icon John Prine.

Deborah Allen born in Memphis, Tennessee, 1953 (now 69)

Marty Stuart (CM 20) born in Philadelphia, Mississippi, 1958 (now 64)

Mary Ford died in Arcadia, California (diabetes complications), 1977 (was 53)

Uncle Josh Graves (BG 97) died in Nashville, Tennessee (lengthy illness), 2006 (was 81)

Ruby Wright died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart disease), 2009 (was 69)

Betty Amos died in Hendersonville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 2021 (was 87)

Billboard magazine changed the name of the "Hillbilly and Western" chart to the "Folk Country and Western" chart, 1950. Ernest Tubb is considered by many to be one of the people responsible for this, as he claimed that "hillbilly" was a derogatory term.

Dates of Note in Country Music, September 1-15

Category: Almanac

(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; NS=Nashville Songwriter; GLA=Grammy Lifetime Achievement award; SG=Southern Gospel; StG=Steel Guitar)

September 1

Steve Goetzman of Exile born in Louisville, Kentucky, 1950 (now 72)
Maggie Cavender (NS 89) born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1918 (died 1996)
Boxcar Willie (ne Lecil Travis Martin) born in Sterratt, Texas, 1931 (died 1999)
Johnny Mack Brown born in Dothan, Alabama, 1904 (died 1974). The western actor was the namesake of Lester "Roadhog" Moran and the Cadillac Cowboy's Live at the Johnny Mack Brown High School album.
Conway Twitty (CM 99, NS 93) born in Friars Point, Mississippi, 1933 (died 1993)
George Riddle born in Marion, Indiana, 1935 (died 2014)
Delia "Mom" Upchurch, the "Den Mother to the Stars," died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 1967 (was 85)
Jerry Reed (CM 17, NS 05) died in Nashville, Tennessee (emphysema), 2008 (was 71)
Hal David (NS 84) died in Los Angeles, California (stroke), 2012 (was 91)
Doug Bounsall died in Las Vegas, Nevada (car wreck), 2012 (was 61)
Kacey Jones died in Nashville, Tennessee (colon cancer), 2016 (was 66)

September 2

Paul Wylie Deakin of the Mavericks born in Miami, Florida, 1959 (now 63)
Johnny Lee Wills born in Jewell, Texas, 1912 (died 1984)
Charline Authur born in Henrietta, Texas, 1929 (died 1987)
Grady Nutt born in Amarillo, Texas, 1934 (died 1982)
Fabor Robinson, founder of Fabor Records, died in Minden, Louisiana (unknown cause), 1986 (was 74)

September 3

Jimmy Riddle born in Dyersburg, Tennessee, 1918 (died 1981)
Hank Thompson (CM 89, NS 97) born in Waco, Texas, 1925 (died 2007)
Tompall Glaser born in Spalding, Nebraska, 1933 (died 2013)

Bill Pursell died in Nashville, Tennessee (pneumonia/COVID-19), 2020 (was 94)

Lucille Starr died in Las Vegas, Nevada (long illness), 2020 (was 82)

September 4

Kathy Louvin born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1957 (now 65)

Harold "Shot" Jackson (StG 86) born in Wilmington, North Carolina, 1920 (died 1991)
Dottie West (CM 18) died in Nashville, Tennessee (injuries from a car wreck), 1991 (was 58)
Carl Butler died in Franklin, Tennessee (heart attack), 1992 (was 65)
Bud Isaacs (StG 84) died in Yuma, Arizona (natural causes), 2016 (was 88)

September 5

Chuck Seitz born in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1918 (died 2012).  In addition to serving as a Grammy-nominated recording engineer at King and RCA Seitz co-wrote the classic "Before I Met You."
Curley Williams died in Montgomery, Alabama (unknown cause), 1970 (was 66)
Joe South (NS 79) died in Atlanta, Georgia (heart failure), 2012 (was 72)
The Country Music Association was founded, 1958
The Lewis Family's final concert, 2009. The bluegrass and gospel band began performing in 1951.

September 6

David Allan Coe born in Akron, Ohio, 1939 (now 83)
Buddy Miller born in Fairborn, Ohio, 1952 (now 70)
Jeff Foxworthy born in Atlanta, Georgia, 1958 (now 64)
Mark Chesnutt born in Beaumont, Texas, 1963 (now 59)
Zeke Clements (NS 71) born near Empire, Alabama, 1911 (died 1994)
Paul Yandell, C.G.P. born in Mayfield, Kentucky, 1935 (died 2011)
Mel McDaniel born in Checotah, Oklahoma, 1942 (died 2011)
Ernest Tubb (CM 64, NS 70) died in Nashville, Tennessee (complications from emphysema), 1984 (was 70)
Autry Inman died (unknown cause), 1988 (was 59)
Roy Huskey Jr. died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 1997 (was 41)

September 7

Ronnie Dove born in Herndon, Virginia, 1940 (now 81)
Mark D. Sanders (NS 09) born in Los Angeles, California, 1950 (now 71)
Buddy Holly (NS 94, RR 86, GLA 97) born in Lubbock, Texas, 1936 (died 1959)
Hubert Long (CM 79) died in Nashville, Tennessee (brain tumor), 1972 (was 48)
Oscar Sullivan died in Nashville, Tennessee (leukemia), 2012 (was 93)

September 8

Jimmie Rodgers (CM 61, NS 70, RR 86, GLA 17) born in Meridian, Mississippi, 1897 (died 1933)
Milton Brown born in Stephenville, Texas, 1903 (died 1936)
Patsy Cline (CM 73; GLA 95) born in Winchester, Virginia, 1932 (died 1963)
Harlan Howard (CM 97, NS 73) born in Detroit, Michigan, 1929 (died 2002)
Don Williams (CM 10) died in Mobile, Alabama (emphysema), 2017 (was 78)

September 9

Freddy Weller born in Atlanta, Georgia, 1947 (now 75)
Rodger Dale Tubb died in Fredericksburg, Texas (car wreck), 1938 (was 7 weeks old)
Tex Owens (NS 71) died in New Baden, Texas (unknown cause), 1962 (was 70)
Bill Monroe (CM 70, BG 91, NS 71, RR 97, GLA 93) died in Nashville, Tennessee (stroke), 1996 (was 84)

September 10

Rosie Flores born in San Antonio, Texas, 1956 (now 66)
Luke Wills born in Memphis, Texas, 1920 (died 2000)
Tommy Overstreet born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1937 (died 2015)
Joe (ne Walter) Callahan of the Callahan Brothers died in Asheville, North Carolina (cancer), 1971 (was 61)

September 11

Jimmie Davis (CM 72, NS 71) born in Beech Springs, Louisiana, 1899 (died 2000)
Randy Hughes born in Gum, Tennessee, 1928 (died 1963)
Lorne Greene died in Santa Monica, California (pneumonia), 1987 (was 72). The actor's recitation "Ringo" was a top 25 country hit in 1964.
Leon Payne (NS 70) died in San Antonio, Texas (heart attack), 1969 (was 52)
Bill (ne Homer) Callahan of the Callahan Brothers died in Dallas, Texas (congestive heart failure), 2002 (was 90)
Terrorists crash planes into the World Trade Center's twin towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington DC, 2001.  The attack spawned several country songs including Alan Jackson's "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" and Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)."

September 12

Lois Johnson Burns born in Jackson Township, Ohio, 1924 (died 1989). One of WLW's "Johnson Twins," she married Jethro Burns of Homer & Jethro in 1946.
Leona Johnson Atkins born in Jackson Township, Ohio, 1924 (died 2009). One of WLW's "Johnson Twins," she married Chet Atkins in 1946.
Helen Carter born in Maces Springs, Virginia, 1927 (died 1998)
George Jones (CM 92, GLA 12) born in Saratoga, Texas, 1931 (died 2013)
Rod Brasfield (CM 87) died in Martin, Tennessee (heart failure), 1958 (was 48)
Johnny Cash (CM 80, NS 77, RR 92, GLA 99) died in Nashville, Tennessee (Shy-Drager syndrome complications, diabetes, lung disease), 2003 (was 71)
John Ritter died in Los Angeles, California (heart ailment), 2003 (was 54). The actor was the son of Western legend Tex Ritter.
Charlie Walker died in Nashville, Tennessee (colon cancer), 2008 (was 81)
Don Wayne (NS 78) died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 2011 (was 78)
Wade Mainer died in Flint, Michigan (congestive heart failure), 2011 (was 104)

Don Maddox died (natural causes), 2021 (was 98)

September 13

Bobbie Cryner born in Woodland, California, 1961 (now 61)
Bill Monroe (CM 70, BG 91, NS 71, RR 97, GLA 93) born in Rosine, Kentucky, 1911 (died 1996)
Wilma Lee Cooper died in Nashville, Tennessee (natural causes), 2011 (was 90)
Roy Acuff postage stamp issued by the U.S. Postal Service, 2003

September 14

John Berry born in Aiken, South Carolina, 1959 (now 63)
Mae Boren Axton born in Bardwell, Texas, 1914 (died 1997)
Don Walser born in Brownfield, Texas, 1934 (died 2006)
Vernon Dalhart (CM 81, NS 70) died in Bridgeport, Connecticut (heart attack), 1948 (was 65)
Beasley Smith (NS 83) died in Nashville, Tennessee (cerebral hemorrhage), 1968 (was 66)
Hank Williams arrived in Nashville and met with Fred Rose to discuss a record or publishing deal, 1946

September 15

Roy Acuff (CM 62, GLA 87) born in Maynardsville, Tennesssee, 1903 (died 1992)
Patsy Cline married Charlie Dick, 1957