Tuesday, June 28, 2011

June 30 in Country Music History

In 1936, Doyle Holley, was born in Perkins, Oklahoma. He was a talented singer and instrumentalist who played bass in the Buckaroos in the sixties, in what was considered the finest Buckaroo line-up with Don Rich on lead guitar and fiddle, Willie Cantu on drums, and Tom Brumley on steel guitar, and some guy named Buck Owens on rhythm and a little lead guitar.

In 1962, Claude King went to the top of the charts with "Wolverton Mountain". This song about Clifton Clowers, who lived in the mountains of Arkansas and who was Merle Kilgore's uncle, was his only Number One hit. King is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and ASCAP, being one of very few to be a certified songwriter AND an actor. (Clifton Clowers was visited by King and Kilgore on his 100th birthday.)

In 1973, Charlie Pride was at the top of the charts with "Don't Fight The Feelings Of Love".  

In 1979, Amanda became a Number One for Waylon Jennings. (One of our TakintheCountryBack favorites)

In 1984, Vern Gosdin scored his first Number One hit with "I Can Tell By The Way You Dance (You're Gonna Love Me Tonight)". Vern performed many numbers that didn't get airplay, or even get released as singles. A favorite album of TTCB is "There Is A Season". If you don't have it, get it. It is stone cold country.

In 2001, Mr. Guitar, Chet Atkins, passed away after a long battle with cancer. He was a certified guitar player, a great producer, and from his days as a musician with Mother Maebelle and the Carter Sisters to his last few years as a recording artist, he was considered to be one of the most influential people in the business, whether it be as a guitarist or a producer.