December 1 – This Day in Country Music History

Winston Lee Moore, known as Slim Willet, was born in Victor, Texas. The broadcaster and songwriter wrote and recorded Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes.

Source: Texas State Historical Association.

Country singer and radio personality Jim Nesbitt was born in Bishopville, South Carolina. His novelty records included Please Mr. Kennedy and Lookin’ for More in ’64.

Source: Hillbilly-Music.com.

Singer and songwriter Kim Richey was born in Zanesville, Ohio. She co-wrote Radney Foster’s Nobody Wins and Trisha Yearwood’s Believe Me Baby (I Lied).

Source: AllMusic.

Fred Rose died in Nashville. He co-founded Acuff-Rose Publications and worked with Hank Williams as a producer and mentor.

Source: Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Carter Stanley, the guitarist, singer, and songwriter who performed with his brother Ralph as the Stanley Brothers, died in Bristol, Tennessee.

Source: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Songwriter Irving Gordon died in Los Angeles. Best known for Unforgettable, he also wrote The Kentuckian Song, recorded by Eddy Arnold.

Source: The Washington Post obituary.

RCA released That’s the Way It Is, the companion album to MGM’s documentary about Elvis Presley’s Las Vegas engagement.

Source: Elvis Presley official discography.

Asylum released Linda Ronstadt’s first Greatest Hits collection, which includes When Will I Be Loved and Love Is a Rose.

Source: Rhino/Elektra catalog on Qobuz.

The RIAA certified Elvis Presley’s Elvis Country (I’m 10,000 Years Old) gold.

Source: RIAA Gold & Platinum.

The RIAA certified Elvis Presley’s Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas platinum.

Source: RIAA Gold & Platinum.

The RIAA certified John Denver’s I Want to Live gold.

Source: RIAA Gold & Platinum.

The RIAA certified George Strait’s Ocean Front Property platinum.

Source: RIAA Gold & Platinum.

The RIAA certified Alan Jackson’s A Lot About Livin’ (And a Little ’Bout Love) gold.

Source: RIAA Gold & Platinum.

The RIAA certified Brooks & Dunn’s debut album Brand New Man double platinum.

Source: RIAA Gold & Platinum.

The RIAA certified Alan Jackson’s A Lot About Livin’ (And a Little ’Bout Love) triple platinum.

Source: RIAA Gold & Platinum.

The RIAA certified George Strait’s Easy Come, Easy Go gold and platinum.

Source: RIAA Gold & Platinum.

The RIAA certified Little Texas’s Big Time gold.

Source: RIAA Gold & Platinum.

The RIAA certified Reba McEntire’s Greatest Hits Volume II gold and platinum on the same day.

Source: RIAA Gold & Platinum.

The RIAA certified Brooks & Dunn’s Waitin’ on Sundown gold and platinum.

Source: RIAA Gold & Platinum.

The RIAA certified David Lee Murphy’s debut album Out with a Bang gold.

Source: RIAA Gold & Platinum.

The RIAA certified Clint Black’s The Greatest Hits gold and platinum.

Source: RIAA Gold & Platinum.

The RIAA certified Alan Jackson’s Under the Influence gold and platinum.

Source: RIAA Gold & Platinum.

The RIAA certified Lonestar’s Lonely Grill triple platinum.

Source: RIAA Gold & Platinum.

The RIAA certified Shania Twain’s The Woman in Me 12 times platinum.

Source: RIAA Gold & Platinum.

The RIAA certified Shania Twain’s Come On Over 18 times platinum.

Source: RIAA Gold & Platinum.

The RIAA certified Toby Keith’s Greatest Hits, Volume 1 platinum.

Source: BestSellingAlbums — RIAA certification history.

The RIAA certified Alan Jackson’s Chattahoochee gold as a single.

Source: RIAA Gold & Platinum.

The RIAA certified Faith Hill’s This Kiss platinum as a single.

Source: RIAA Gold & Platinum.

Bluebird issued Jimmie Rodgers’ The One Rose on record 7280. Rodgers had recorded it in Los Angeles in 1930.

Source: Jimmie Rodgers discography.

Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers recorded Blue Shadows on the Trail and (There’ll Never Be Another) Pecos Bill at RCA Victor’s Hollywood studio.

Source: 45cat — RCA Victor session discography.

Eddy Arnold recorded You Don’t Know Me at Webster Hall in New York City. Cindy Walker wrote the song from an idea Arnold gave her.

Source: MusicBrainz — recording discography.

Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys recorded Gotta Travel On at Bradley Film & Recording Studio in Nashville, with Owen Bradley producing.

Source: Bluegrass Discography — Bill Monroe sessions.

Buck Owens and His Buckaroos recorded I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail and Cryin’ Time at Capitol Recording Studios in Hollywood.

Source: Praguefrank’s Country Discography.

Cover photo: Warner Bros. Records publicity photograph, 1977, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and color-toned.

Merle Haggard and the Strangers recorded Swinging Doors at Capitol Recording Studios in Hollywood.

Source: Praguefrank’s Country Discography.

Anne Murray’s Broken Hearted Me rose from No. 2 to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart.

Source: Billboard, December 1, 1979.

Janie Fricke’s Your Heart’s Not in It reached No. 1 for the first time on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart.

Source: Billboard, December 1, 1984.

Gene Autry made his WLS radio debut in Chicago as the Oklahoma Yodeler, singing on the Conqueror Records Time segment of Tower Topics.

Source: International Western Music Association — The Western Way.

Bobby Helms performed My Special Angel on the CBS variety show. The same episode featured Buddy Holly and the Crickets and Sam Cooke.

Source: TheTVDB — The Ed Sullivan Show episode guide.

NBC premiered Bret Maverick, starring James Garner and featuring country singer Ed Bruce as Tom Guthrie.

Source: Bret Maverick pilot broadcast record.

Marty Robbins played his final concert, a private performance for the American Bus Association in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Source: Diane Diekman — Twentieth Century Drifter.

Nashville’s Country Music Cares concert raised money for Nashville CARES. K.T. Oslin hosted, with performances by Kathy Mattea, Diamond Rio, Tracy Lawrence, and others.

Source: Country Music Association — CMA Close Up.

Daryle Singletary performed on the Grand Ole Opry for the first time.

Source: Hometown Country Music.

NASA played Willie Nelson’s recording of Stardust as a wake-up call for the STS-97 crew aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour. It was selected for Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau.

Source: NASA — Space Shuttle wake-up calls.