October 4th: On this day

1929
Born on this day in Mora, Missouri, was Leroy Frank Van Dyke, the American country music singer. He has recorded more than 500 songs, his best known hits, are "The Auctioneer" (which sold over 2.5 million copies), from 1956 and "Walk On By" from 1961, (which was named by Billboard in 1994 as the biggest country single of all time, based on sales, plays and weeks in the charts).

1956
George Jones released "Just One More" which peaked at #3 on the Country charts giving the singer his biggest hit to date. "Just One More" is one of the earliest examples of the "hard" drinking songs for which Jones would become famous. The song describes a lonely, self-pitying man who is drinking to forget his worries.

1970
Born on this day in Healdsburg, California, was country music artist Heidi Newfield. She was lead singer, rhythm guitarist and harmonica player for Trick Pony, from 1996 until 2006, when she left in pursuit of a solo career. She made her solo chart debut in 2008 with the single, "Johnny & June" which peaked at #11 on the Hot Country Songs charts.

1971
Dolly Parton released her eighth solo studio album Coat of Many Colors. The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 1972 CMA Awards and Parton has cited the title track on numerous occasions as her personal favorite of all the songs she has written.

1976
Loretta Lynn released her twenty-eighth solo studio album Somebody Somewhere which went on to peak at #1 on the Top Country Albums chart, Lynn's sixth solo album to top the chart. The album's single, "Somebody Somewhere (Don't Know What He's Missin' Tonight)" peaked at #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart, Lynn's ninth solo single to top the chart.

1978
One of Nashville's most mysterious crimes was reported which involved the abduction of singer, Tammy Wynette. Media reports said that Wynette had been abducted by a masked man at a shopping center. No suspects were ever found or arrested. While Wynette insisted the story was true, her daughter raised doubts, claiming the incident was fabricated.

1987
The second episode of the TV series Dolly hosted by Dolly Parton was aired featuring guest stars Burt Reynolds, Alabama, and Whoopi Goldberg.

1996
Singer songwriter Roger Miller was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

1997
The Farm Aid 97' benefit concert took place at the Tweeter Center, Tinley Park, Illinois. Held to raise money for family farmers in the US, the concerts were organized by Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young. Artists who appeared included: Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Fogerty, Beck, Dave Matthews Band and The Allman Brothers Band.

1999
Tim McGraw released "My Best Friend" the third single from his album A Place In The Sun which went on to reach the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

1999
Alan Jackson won the prestigious Entertainer of the Year award at the annual Country Music Association award ceremony. Alison Krauss sweeps Top Female Vocalist. Vince Gill wins Top Male Vocalist.

1999
15-year-old country music singer Jessica Andrews was honoured in her native Carroll County, Tennessee, where she received the first-ever Youth Achievement Award.

2008
Darius Rucker former frontman for the '90s pop band Hootie & the Blowfish, went to #1 on the Country chart with his first country single, "Don't Think I Don't Think About It," making him the first African American singer to top that tally since 1985, when Ray Charles hit the top with "Seven Spanish Angels," a duet with Willie Nelson.

2009
The Farm Aid 2008, benefit concert took place at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Maryland Heights, Missouri. Held to raise money for family farmers in the US, the concerts were organized by Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young. Artists who appeared included: Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds with Jamey Johnson, Jason Mraz, Phosphorescent, and Wilco.

2022
Morgan Wallen was at No.1 on the County Music chart with Dangerous: The Double Album. The album also spent a total of ten weeks at No.1 on the Billboard 200 and ended up becoming the best-selling album for the first half of 2021.