Country

Glen Wallichs becomes President of Capitol Records in Los Angeles, California, USA, following the resignations of former President Johnny Mercer and Chairman Buddy DeSylva.

Hank Williams releases a new single, Rambin' Man, under the pseudonym of Luke The Drifter, on MGM Records, in the USA.

Frankie Laine with Hal McIntyre's Band plays at The Chase Club, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.

Thom Schuyler is born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA. He will find success primarily as a songwriting, composing material for more than 200 artists including 16th Avenue for Lacy J. Dalton, Love Will Turn You Around for Kenny Rogers, and Long Line of Love for Michael Martin Murphey.

The Sons Of The Pioneers perform Hear Dem Bells, Sweet Georgia Brown, Outside Of Heaven and other songs, on their KHJ-Mutual radio series The Lucky-U Ranch, in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Following in the footsteps of Carl Perkins, former Sun Records artist Johnny Cash switches labels and signs a recording contract with Columbia Records.

Connie Francis plays the sixth night of four weeks at the Sahara Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Adam Faith, The John Barry Seven, Johnny Le Roy, Johnny Worth, Chris Carlsen and The Honeys play at the Essoldo, Keighley, UK.

Clay Cole's Christmas Rock'n'Roll Show opens for the first of ten days at The Brooklyn Paramount, New York City, USA, featuring Neil Sedaka, Dion, Bo Diddley, The Drifters, Chubby Checker, Little Anthony, The Skyliners, Johnny Burnette, Bobby Vee and Dante And The Evergreens.

Hank Williams' original Drifting Cowboys play together for the first time in 14 years on the 15th Anniversary of Hank's death.

A package tour scheduled to begin tonight in Pensacola, Florida, USA, is cancelled because all of its major artists have suffered medical emergencies. Brenda Lee has developed cellulitis from a skating injury, Johnny Burnette is recuperating from a tonsillitis operation, Bob Beckham has burst a blood vessel in his throat and Gary Miles has contracted pneumonia.

Dorothy Page, known as The Singing Cowgirl, dies of cancer, aged 57, in LaBelle, Florida, USA.

The Louvin Brothers record The Great Atomic Power for Capitol Records in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Jack Roberts And His Evergreen Drifters play at Heiser's Shadow Lake Ballroom, near Seattle, Washington, USA.

Hank Snow And His Rainbow Ranch Boys, The Louvin Brothers, Bob Luman, Grandpa Jones, Margie Bowes, The Slater Sisters and Billy Thompson And His Melody Ramblers play in Omaha, Nebraska, USA.

Flatt and Scruggs play a live concert in Marvel, Arkansas, USA.

Flatt and Scruggs play a live concert in Roxboro, North Carolina, USA.

Johnny And Jack, Kitty Wells and Jimmy Newman play a concert in Charles City, Iowa, USA.

Sonny Burns releases a new single, Patches On My Heart, on United Artists Records in the USA.

Roy Acuff is playing the second of two nights in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA.

Bob Luman records Louisiana Man, Rocks Of Reno, Red River Rose and Belonging To You in RCA Victor Studio, 1611 Hakwins Street, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Country music recording artist Joe Carson is killed in a car accident, at the age of 27, in the USA. After playing a show in Wichita Falls, Texas, he set out for home but never arrived.

Bill Anderson records Mountain Dew for his Decca Records album Bright Lights And Country Music at Columbia Recording Studio, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

The Animals, Carl Perkins, Gene Vincent, Tommy Tucker and The Nashville Teens play at The Astoria, Finsbury Park, London, UK.

The Squires, featuring Neil Young, play the sixth of nine consecutive nights at the Fourth Dimension, Fort William, Manitoba, Canada.

Connie Smith records I Can Turn Your World Around, More To Love Than This, House Divided and Holdin' On, in RCA Victor Studio, 800 17th Avenue South, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Players on the session include guitarists Jerry Reed, Pete Wade and James Wilkerson, steel guitarist Hal Rugg, bassist Junior Huskey, drummer Kenneth Buttrey, pianist Hargus Robbins and The Anita Kerr Singers.

Joe Neil Thrasher is born in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. He will find success as country music singer and songwriter Neil Thrasher. Between 1995 and 1997, he and Kelly Shiver will become the duo Thrasher Shiver. Thrasher will also compose several singles for other artists, including Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Chesney, Diamond Rio, Reba McEntire and Montgomery Gentry. He will win an ASCAP Songwriter of the Year award in 2004.

Buffalo Springfield play at Arizona State Fairgrounds, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Honey by Bobby Goldsboro reaches No1 in the Australian pop singles chart.

Crystal Gayle receives her first gold sales certifications from the R.I.A.A. in the USA, earning a gold single for Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue and a gold album for We Must Believe In Magic.

Neil Young Day is proclaimed in the state of Wyoming, USA.

Reba McIntyre sets a new record for female singers when her album Sweet 16 remains at the top of the Billboard country chart in the USA for an eleventh week.

Wesley Rose, a powerful music publisher, music industry executive and record producer, dies aged 72, in Edgefield Hospital, Nashville, Tennessee, USA, following a long illness.

Travis Tritt makes his debut on The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Mindy McCready releases the single Ten Thousand Angels on BNA Records in the USA. It is the first single from her debut LP of the same name.

The three-day long jam-orientated Bonnaroo Festival begins in Manchester, Tennessee, USA, with acts including Grateful Dead bassman Phil Lesh, Trey Anastasio, Ben Harper, Jurassic 5, Bela Fleck, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Ween, Norah Jones, Del McCoury, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Disco Biscuits and others. On the same day, Pulp play at Roseisle Forest, Elgin, Scotland, UK.

Jazz, country and rock'n'roll guitarist Hank Garland, who worked with Elvis Presley, The Everly Brothers, Brenda Lee, Roy Orbison, George Shearing, Charlie Parker, Chet Atkins, Patsy Cline and many others, dies of a staph infection, aged 74, in Orange Park, Florida, USA. In a successful solo career, he achieved a million-selling hit in 1949 with Sugarfoot Rag.

Willie Nelson plays at Shepherd's Bush Empire, London, England, UK.

Nanci Griffith plays at Red Butte Garden, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

On her 1989 World Tour, Taylor Swift plays the second of two nights at Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio, USA, supported by Vance Joy.

Sara Evans and REO Speedwagon are the unlikely musical bedfellows partnered in today's edition of CMT Crossroads in the USA.

The Dixie Chicks play at The Toyota Amphitheater, Sacramento, California, USA.

The Dixie Chicks come to the end of a North American tour with a show at The Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Record producer Rick Hall, best-known as the owner and proprietor of FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, USA, dies aged 85, after returning from a stay in a local rehabilitation center for physical therapy as part of his battle against prostate cancer. Hall was influential in recording and promoting country and soul music, and in helping develop the careers of Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Duane Allman, Etta James and others.