Today In Country Music History
Every week in the first hour of the show, Ben brings you the feature ‘This Week in Country Music’. On this page you can discover important events from country music history for each day of the year. Be sure to check back regularly to update your country trivia!
Wednesday 20th February 2019
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Anita Cochran undergoes a double mastectomy and has a lymph node removed six months after she was diagnosed with cancer
Lorianne Crook and Charlie Chase are surprised with the Bob Kingsley Living Legend Award at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. The night's participants include Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Trace Adkins and Montgomery Gentry
Darryl Worley and "Me And My Gang" songwriter Jon Stone ride out tropical cyclone Winston, a category 5 storm in Fiji
Taylor Swift is the maid of honor when her friend Britany Maack marries Benjamin LaManna in Pennsylvania
Contestant Nicolle Galyon lands on Adam Levine's team on NBC's "The Voice" after a performance of "You Save Me." The judges, including Blake Shelton, pick three additional competitors who auditioned with country songs: "Chicken Fried," "If I Die Young" and "Folsom Prison Blues"
Brad Paisley sings "Water" and Dierks Bentley adds "Sideways" before the Daytona 500 at the Daytona Motor Speedway. National-anthem singer Martina McBride and Randy Montana are also on hand. Trevor Bayne wins the race
Paul Brandt sings "O, Canada" and Thompson Square delivers "The Star-Spangled Banner" before an outdoor hockey game at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alberta. The hometown Flames shutout the Montreal Canadiens, 4-0
Guitarist Terry Clements dies in Toronto. A longtime member of Gordon Lightfoot's band, he played on Lightfoot's lone country hit, "Sundown"
Songwriter Larry Kingston dies in a Nashville hospital, three days after a heart attack. His credits include The Kendalls' "Pittsburgh Stealers," Jerry Lee Lewis' "He Can't Fill My Shoes" and Roy Clark's "Thank God And Greyhound"
Former Country Music Association awards nominee Sheryl Crow is diagnosed with breast cancer in Los Angeles
Darius Rucker sings "The Big Rock Candy Mountain" in the debut of a Burger King TV commercial during the Daytona 500
Country Music Stars Week continues on "Wheel Of Fortune," with Ricky Skaggs, Brenda Lee and Joe Nichols picking vowels and consonants for charity. Nichols comes up a winner, accruing $11,100
John Schneider has a guest role on the CBS-TV series "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman"
Alan Jackson sets off on the first major concert tour of his career, opening for Clint Black in Belton, Texas
MCA releases Steve Wariner's single "The Domino Theory"
Alabama drummer Mark Herndon and his wife, Karen, have a baby, Katy Michelle Herndon, in Fort Payne, Alabama
Tennessee Ernie Ford becomes the first country artist to receive a gold album from the Recording Industry Association of America, for his "Hymns" release
Eddy Arnold is a special guest on NBC-TV's "The Spike Jones Show"
Bluegrass performer Claire Lynch is born in Poughkeepsie, New York. The plaintive singer begins her career with The Front Porch String Band, earning Grammy nominations with two solo albums, "Moonlighter" and "Silver And Gold"
Webb Pierce rises to #1 on the Billboard country singles chart for the first of 17 straight weeks with "Slowly"
This ‘Today in Country Music’ feature is presented with thanks to Roland Note.
