Grand Ole Opry Members
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Roy Acuff was born on 15 September 1903 in Maynardville, Tennessee, USA. He was an actor, known for Night Train to Memphis (1946), Home in San Antone (1949) and Smoky Mountain Melody (1948). He was married to Mildred Louise Douglas. He died on 23 November 1992 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Producer
Trace Adkins' trademark baritone has powered countless hits to the top of the charts and turned albums into Platinum plaques, selling over 10 million albums, cumulatively. The Grammy-nominated member of the Grand Ole Opry is a television personality, actor, author, spokesman for the Wounded Warrior Program, the American Red Cross and has performed seven USO Tours.
Adkins was born in Louisiana, to Peggy (Carraway) and Aaron Doyle Adkins, a mill worker. In his 2007 autobiography, A Personal Stand: Observations and Opinions from a Freethinking Roughneck, the 6'6" oil-rigger recounted his rise to fame, brushes with death, and battles with personal demons. He also explains just how the world's biggest alpha-male handles fatherhood with five daughters. In 2008, Trace's integrity and wry humor served him well as a finalist on NBC's The Celebrity Apprentice and prepared him for his return - on behalf of the American Red Cross - to NBC's All-Star Celebrity Apprentice (Sunday nights, 9PM EST/PT).
Trace has played a tough as nails biker in The Lincoln Lawyer (starring Matthew McConaughey), he developed and hosted GAC's "Great American Heroes" series to pay tribute to every-day Americans doing great things and he has hosted the American Country Awards on FOX for three consecutive years.
In 2011, Trace last album, Proud To Be Here debuted atop the Billboard Country Chart powered by the Top Ten hit, "Just Fishin'," and his eleventh studio album, Love Will... is planned for release in the Spring of 2013 on Show Dog-Universal Music.- David Akeman, the country musician known as "Stringbean," was a legend at the Grand Ole Opry and one of the stars of television's Hee Haw (1969). Along with his long-time partner and Hee Haw (1969) co-star Grandpa Jones, he was one of the premier traditional-style banjo players in country music. Though Stringbean primarily performed as either a sideman or as part of a comedy duet, he began recording his own records in the 1960s and had achieved superstar status by the time the decade of the '60s closed.
Born on June 17, 1915, to a farm family in Annville in Kentucky's Jackson County, it was natural for Akeman to become a musical prodigy as his family loved and lived music. His father was a banjoist who played at local dances, but more importantly, Annville was full of talented musicians possessed of considerable skill, all of whom, including his father, helped the young David him master the instrument. When he was seven years old, David Akeman reputedly crafted his first banjo out of a shoe box strung with thread. Five years later, he bartered a pair of chickens for a real banjo, with which he began playing gigs at local dances, earning himself a reputation as a virtuoso on the instrument, which was an adaptation of a gourd-based string instrument introduced to America in pre-colonial times by African slaves. The banjo, as adapted and played by white folk, became one of the central instruments of country music before the 20th century.
During the Depression, when money was scarce and jobs were hard to come by, Akeman joined the Civilian Conservation Corps, where he was engaged in road-building and tree-planting. As a musician, he was discovered by country singer-guitarist Asa Martin, who was the judge at a talent contest Akeman had entered. Martin awarded the contest to Akeman, who thereupon joined Martin's band. It was Martin who gave Akeman his moniker, when during one performance, he forgot the banjoist's name and introduced him as "String Beans," a reference to his lanky, 6'5" physique. The name stuck.
Akeman went from a sideman who only played banjo to a leading performer, doubling as a singer and engaging in comic repartee. His comedic shtick became popular and he began dividing his time between musicianship and comedy. He also played some semi-pro baseball player in sandlots throughout the South, which he toured with various bands throughout 1930s. Akeman also was broadcast over the radio. "Stringbeans" and his future partner Grandpa Jones were two of the relatively few banjo players in mainstream country music during the '30s, as the instrument by that time had virtually disappeared from the repertoire.
It was Stringbean's association with country legend Bill Monroe that made his reputation. Monroe, who fielded his own semi-pro baseball team, discovered Stringbean on the playing field, and the banjo player became a member of Monroe's band in 1943. Stringbean stayed with the band for two years as Monroe's first banjo player, playing in the traditional claw-hammer style, as well as engaging in two-finger picking. It was with Bill Monroe who he first appeared on records. In this period, Akeman had additional gigs, teaming up with Willie Egbert Westbrook as "String Beans and Cousin Wilbur," a comedy duo that worked on the same bills with Monroe's band. He also played on one recording session as a Blue Grass Boy, laying down eight tracks in February 1945.
Stringbeans left Monroe's band in the fall and was replaced by another legendary banjo player, the great Earl Scruggs, who had a radically different technique than the old-style favored by Akeman and Grandpa Jones. Stringbean, who married Estelle Stanfill in 1945, first began working with Grandpa Jones, another comic-banjo player, in 1946. He later teamed up with Lew Childre to create a comedy-musical duo act in the late 1940s, and they became regulars at the Grand Old Opry. At the Opry, Akeman became a protégé of Uncle Dave Macon, a fellow banjo-player/comic who was well-loved by Opry audiences. After Macon's death in 1952, Stringbean as he now was known, became one of the Opry's biggest stars.
By the early 1960s, Earl Scruggs had become the most influential and popular banjo player in country music, and it was at this time that Stringbean first decided to record on his own, signing with the Starday label. There was still an audience for his traditional style of banjo playing and his admixture of comedy and song, best exemplified by the title of his first album: "Old Time Pickin' and Grinnin' with Stringbean," which was released in 1961. The album featured folk songs, particularly humorous ditties about animals, and jokes and tall tales. He would release a total of seven albums all together from the early 60s through 1972, and had country hits with "Chewing Gum" and "I Wonder Where Wanda Went."
In 1969, Stringbean and Grandpa Jones became part of the original cast of the country-flavored TV show _"Hee Haw" (1979)_ which made him famous outside of the country music niche. Just like at the Grand Old Opry, Stringbean became one of the most beloved of the show's stars.
Dave Akeman lived an extremely modest, simple life. Remembering the hard times of the Depression, Stringbean and his wife lived in a tiny cabin near Ridgetop, Tennessee, approximately 20 miles outside of Nashville, near his friend Grandpa Jones. Their only luxury was a Cadillac.
Stringbean did not trust banks due to the multiple bank failures of the Hoover years, and he kept thousands of dollars on his person, which he was known to flash around. It was rumored in nearby Nashville that Stringbean had a fortune in cash stashed at his house. It was these rumors that led two cousins, John and Marvin Brown, on the night of November 10, 1973, to break into the Akemans' cabin.
Returning from a performance at the Grand Old Opry, the burglars shot Stringbean dead after he entered his house, then ran down and killed Estelle. By immediately murdering Stringbean, they had no chance to question him on the whereabouts of any hidden monies, which they were unable to find. They managed to steal some firearms and a chainsaw, all at the cost of two lives. Stringbean and Estelle's neighbor Grandpa Jones discovered his slain friends the next morning, a Sunday.
The murders of the beloved Stringbean and his wife shocked the Nashville music community. Some of the less ethical members of the press tried to implicate Grandpa Jones in the slayings, intimating that he had been having an affair with Estelle. The charges were preposterous and hurtful towards Jones, who had lost his dear friends, but they helped sell papers.
Police work finally led to the capture of John and Marvin Brown. During the trial, Grandpa Jones identified one of the firearms the cousins had stolen from the Akeman cabin as one he had given Stringbean as a gift. The cousins, it was revealed, had ransacked the cabin and ambushed Stringbean and Estelle when they returned home. They were convicted of the double homicide and burglary and sentenced to life-in prison. (Ironically, a decomposed wad of about $20,000 in cash was discovered behind a brick in the cabin's chimney nearly a quarter century later, in 1996.)
David "Stringbean" Akeman and his wife Estelle were buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. The Stringbean Memorial Bluegrass Festival is held annually in Jackson County, Kentucky. The festival raises funds for Stringbean Memorial, Inc., a non-profit corporation that organizes, plans and hosts traditional music and heritage festivals in Jackson County to honor the memory of Stringbean and to preserve and promote traditional bluegrass and mountain music as well as support musical education and opportunities for area youth. - Actor
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Bill Anderson was born on 1 November 1937 in Columbia, South Carolina, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Missing (1982), Almost Blue (1996) and The Year My Voice Broke (1987).- Soundtrack
Jack Anglin was born on 13 May 1916 in Columbia, Tennessee, USA. Jack was married to Louise Anglin. Jack died on 8 March 1963 in Madison, Wisconsin, USA.- Actor
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Eddy Arnold was born on 15 May 1918 in Henderson, Tennessee, USA. He was an actor, known for Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008), Groundhog Day (1993) and The Brave One (2007). He was married to Sally Gayhart. He died on 8 May 2008 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.- Actor
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Ernest Ashworth was born on 15 December 1928 in Huntsville, Alabama, USA. He was an actor, known for Valley of Blood (1973), Opry Video Classics: Songs That Topped the Charts (2007) and The Farmer's Other Daughter (1965). He was married to Elizabeth Bettye Rose. He died on 2 March 2009 in Hartsville, Tennessee, USA.- Actor
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Chet Atkins was an A&R (artist and repertoire) executive for RCA Victor Records from 1958 until 1974, producing recordings for such artists as Elvis Presley, Bobby Bare, Eddy Arnold, Jim Reeves, Skeeter Davis, Waylon Jennings, Duane Eddy, The Browns, Charley Pride, Hank Snow and The Everly Brothers, to name just a few. In the early 1960s, at the peak of his production activity, he supervised as many as 300 recording sessions a year - each session lasting at most three hours and yielding three or four arranged and completed tracks. At his disposal were the cream of Nashville session musicians, the so-called "A-list", including pianists Floyd Cramer and Hargus Robbins, saxophonist Boots Randolph, guitarists Grady Martin, Harold Bradley and Hank Garland, legendary bassist Bob Moore, drummer Buddy Harman and renowned harmonica artist Charlie McCoy, backed up by superb vocalists such as Anita Kerr, Millie Kirkham and The Jordanaires. A superb talent with an amazing sense of musical creativity, Chet Atkins wrote the "book" for much of what we consider good popular music today.- Born in Tennessee in 1899, harmonica player DeFord Bailey was the first black musician to appear on the Nashville-based WSM radio program "The Grand Ole Opry". He appeared regularly on the show from 1925-41. He played what was termed "black country music" or "string-band music" (although he called it it "black hillbilly music"), and often played blues or blues-flavored music. His signature song was "Pan-American Blues", a novelty number based on the sounds the famous freight train would make--and which Bailey imitated remarkably on his harp. He also recorded some blues tracks for RCA Victor in 1928.
Bailey left the Grand Ole Opry during World War II. He died in Nashville, TN, in 1982. - Actor
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Bobby Bare was born on 7 April 1935 in Ironton, Ohio, USA. He is an actor, known for Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), Cruel Intentions (1999) and Tremors (1990). He has been married to Jean Sterling since 1964. They have two children.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
Dierks Bentley was born on 20 November 1975 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Only the Brave (2017), Dierks Bentley: Drunk on a Plane (2014) and The Wire (2002). He has been married to Cassidy Black since 17 December 2005. They have three children.- Music Artist
- Producer
- Actor
Clint Black was born on 4 February 1962 in Long Branch, New Jersey, USA. He is a music artist and producer, known for Maverick (1994), Anger Management (2003) and Nowhere to Run (1993). He has been married to Lisa Hartman since 20 October 1991. They have one child.- Actress
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Margie Bowes was born on 18 March 1941 in Roxboro, North Carolina, USA. She was an actress, known for The Gold Guitar (1966), Cottonpickin' Chickenpickers (1967) and The Jimmy Dean Show (1963). She was married to Doyle Wilburn. She died on 22 October 2020 in Brentwood, Tennessee, USA.- Rod Brasfield was born on 22 August 1910 in Smithville, Mississippi, USA. He was an actor, known for A Face in the Crowd (1957), Country Music Holiday (1958) and Country Style, U.S.A. (1957). He died on 12 September 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
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Troyal Garth Brooks is an American country music singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him popularity, particularly in the United States with success on the country music single and album charts, multi-platinum recordings and record-breaking live performances, while also crossing over into the mainstream pop arena.- Actor
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Jim Ed Brown was born on 1 April 1934 in Sparkman, Arkansas, USA. He was an actor, known for I Believe in Unicorns (2014), Temple Grandin (2010) and Opry Video Classics: Duets (2007). He was married to Becky Sue Perry. He died on 11 June 2015 in Franklin, Tennessee, USA.- Actor
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The Browns is known for The Devil All the Time (2020), The Sopranos (1999) and When Pigs Fly (1993).- Soundtrack
Carl Butler was born on 2 June 1927 in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. He was married to Pearl Butler. He died on 4 September 1992 in Franklin, Tennessee, USA.- Pearl Butler was born on 20 September 1927 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. She was married to Carl Butler. She died on 1 March 1988 in Franklin, Tennessee, USA.
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Archie Campbell was born on 7 November 1914 in Bulls Gap, Tennessee, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for The Drifter (1965), Nashville Rebel (1966) and Smokey and the Good Time Outlaws (1978). He was married to Mary ?. He died on 29 August 1987 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.- Actor
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Bill Carlisle was born on 19 December 1908 in Wakefield, Kentucky, USA. He was an actor, known for The Marty Stuart Show (2008), The Gold Guitar (1966) and The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show (1956). He died on 17 March 2003 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.- Actress
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Martha Carson was born on 19 March 1921 in Neon, Kentucky, USA. She was an actress, known for Sing Boy Sing (1958), Rock 'N' Roll Revue (1957) and Grand Ole Opry (1953). She was married to Xavier Cosse and James Carson. She died on 16 December 2004 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.- Actress
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Maybelle married Ezra Carter when she was 16. The following year, in 1927, her brother-in-law, A.P. Carter, convinced his wife Sara and Maybelle (pregnant at the time) to make the journey from Virginia to Tennessee to audition for record producer Ralph Peer, who was seeking talent for the new recording industry. The Carter Family is believed to be the first commercial rural country music group. Maybelle played the guitar, autoharp and banjo, and created a unique sound for the group. She was widely respected and loved by the Grand Ole Opry community of the early 1950s, and was popularly known as "Mother Maybelle."
In 1993, her image appeared on a U.S. postage stamp honoring the Carter Family. In 2001 she was initiated into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor.
The Carter Family was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1970 and they were given the nickname "The First Family of Country Music." In 1988, the Carter Family was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and received an award for the song "Will the Circle Be Unbroken".- Music Artist
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Johnny Cash was born February 26, 1932, in Kingsland, Arkansas, to Carrie Cash (Rivers) and Raymond Cash. He made his first single, "Hey Porter", for Sun Records in 1955. In 1958 he moved to Columbia Records. He had long periods of drug abuse during the 1960s, but later that decade he successfully fought his addiction with the help of singer June Carter Cash, whom he married in 1968. In 1971 he appeared in the western A Gunfight (1971) with 'Kirk Douglas (I)'. Cash made only a few films, but quite a few appearances on television, both in series and made-for-TV films, and was especially effective as a rural Southern sheriff in the 1930s determined to bring to justice a wealthy landowner who committed murder because he believed he was above the law in Murder in Coweta County (1983), a drama based on a true story. In 1975 Cash wrote his autobiography, "Man In Black", which is now out of print. In the late 1980s he moved from Columbia Records to Mercury, then in the next decade moved again to American Recordings. Amongst his biggest hit records were "I Walk the Line", "Ring of Fire" and "A Boy Named Sue". After several years of ill health, he died of complications from diabetes on 12 September 2003, only a few months after the death of his beloved wife.- Actress
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June Carter Cash was born on 23 June 1929 in Maces Springs, Scott County, Virginia, USA. She was an actress and producer, known for The Johnny Cash Show (1969), The Apostle (1997) and Man of Steel (2013). She was married to Johnny Cash, Edwin Lee (Rip) Nix and Carl Smith. She died on 15 May 2003 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.- Actor
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Roy Clark was born on 15 April 1933 in Meherrin, Virginia, USA. He was an actor, known for Hee Haw (1969), Uphill All the Way (1986) and The Kallikaks (1977). He was married to Barbara Joyce Rupard. He died on 15 November 2018 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.- Actress
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Terri Clark was born on 5 August 1968 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She is an actress, known for Terri Clark: Better Things to Do (1995), Terri Clark: When Boy Meets Girl (1995) and Terri Clark: Poor Poor Pitiful Me (1996). She was previously married to Greg Kaczor and Ted Stevenson.- Actor
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Zeke Clements was born on 6 September 1911 in Empire, Alabama, USA. He was an actor, known for Two-Fisted Stranger (1946), Norwood (1970) and Hoedown (1950). He died on 4 June 1994 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.- Music Artist
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Patsy Cline was born Virginia Patterson Hensley on September 8, 1932 in Winchester, Virginia. Her brush with show business came at age four when she won a prize in an amateur tap dancing contest. By the time she entered grade school, her family was fully aware of her musical talent. On her eighth birthday, her mother presented her with a piano, on which Patsy learned more music patterns. On Sundays, she sang with the local church choir, and at age 14, was singing regularly on local radio station WINC (she got the job by walking fearlessly into the station and asking for an audition). When Patsy was 15, her parents divorced, reportedly due to her father's heavy drinking. Without her father around to pay the bills, Patsy helped her mother earn money by singing in local clubs in the evenings, and by day, was working at the local drug store, which led to her dropping out of high school a year later. In 1948, Patsy maneuvered herself backstage when 'Wally Fowler' brought his music show to her hometown. Patsy impressed Fowler with her singing, and he gave her the opportunity to audition to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. However, to her disappointment, the Opry reps said that she would not be ready for big-time country radio.
Patsy returned to Winchester and continued to sing in local clubs. She met and married Gerald Cline in 1952. That same year, she was featured in Bill Peer's Melody Playboys of Brunswick, Maryland. Peer got Patsy her first recording contract with Four Star Records in 1954. In late 1955, Patsy became a regular on the radio show "Town and Country Jamboree", a country-western program that broadcast in Washington, D.C. In 1957, Patsy finally got her big break when she appeared as a contestant on the television variety show Talent Scouts (1948), hosted by Arthur Godfrey. For her first television appearance, she selected a torch song she sang a year earlier, "Walkin' After Midnight". She won first place and became a regular on the show for the next two weeks. "Walkin' After Midnight" was released as a single and put Patsy on the top ten charts of country and pop music. However, her determined drive and ambition put a large strain her marriage and kept her away from her husband; as a result, Patsy and Gerald divorced soon after her television debut. In the late 1950s, Patsy put a hold on her career and married a second time, to Charlie Dick, and together they had two children. However, when she returned to singing, the long hours that kept her away put another strain on the marriage.
In 1960, Patsy was finally invited to join the Grand Old Opry and the following year she scored with her second single, "I Fall to Pieces". Producer Owen Bradley took advantage of Patsy's rich voice and backed her with lush string arrangements rather than the twangy sound of steel guitar, which was typical for country-western singers at the time. Anxious to be true to her roots, Patsy often expressed a desire to yodel and growl on her records, but she understood that this smoother sound was giving her career a major boost and used it during the next two years of album recordings. In March 1963, Patsy traveled from Nashville to Kansas City, where on March 5, 1963, she appeared at a benefit concert for the family of disc jockey Jack McCall, who had been killed in a traffic accident earlier that year. Immediately after her performance, she boarded a small plane back to Nashville along with country-western performers Cowboy Copas, Harold Hawkshaw Hawkins and pilot Randy Hughes. Approximately 85 miles west of Nashville, the plane ran into turbulence and crashed. There were no survivors. Shortly before her death, Patsy recorded the single "Sweet Dreams", which became #5 on the country charts after her untimely death at age 30 (her best-known song, "Crazy", was written by future country-western legend Willie Nelson). Ten years after her death, Patsy Cline was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the first female soloist chosen for the honor.- Jerry Clower was born on 28 September 1926 in Liberty, Mississippi, USA. He was married to Homerlene Wells. He died on 24 August 1998 in Jackson, Mississippi, USA.
- John Conlee was born on 11 August 1946 in Versailles, Kentucky, USA.
- Stoney Cooper was born on 16 October 1918 in Harmon, West Virginia, USA. He was married to Wilma Lee Cooper. He died on 22 March 1977 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
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Wilma Lee Cooper was born on 7 February 1921 in Valley Head, West Virginia, USA. She was married to Stoney Cooper. She died on 13 September 2011 in Sweetwater, Tennessee, USA.- Actor
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Cowboy Copas was born on 15 July 1913 in Blue Creek, Adams County, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for Square Dance Jubilee (1949), Deuce and a Quarter (2012) and Opry Video Classics: Songs That Topped the Charts (2007). He was married to Edna Lucille Markins. He died on 5 March 1963 in Camden, Tennessee, USA.- Actor
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Charlie Daniels was born on 28 October 1936 in Wilmington, North Carolina, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Coyote Ugly (2000), The Heartbreak Kid (2007) and The Waterboy (1998). He was married to Hazel Juanita Alexander. He died on 6 July 2020 in Hermitage, Tennessee, USA.- Actress
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Skeeter Davis was one of the first female vocalists to become a top level star in the country music field. Born Mary Frances Penick on December 30, 1931, Davis began performing in her native Kentucky as part of a duet with high school friend Betty Jack Davis in 1949. The teenagers, dubbed The Davis Sisters, quickly became a popular regional act and frequently performed on local radio. Their fan base began to grow outside the state and the girls were signed to RCA Records in 1952. They were on tour just as their first record was being released when tragedy struck and they were in a car accident in which Betty Jack was killed and Skeeter seriously injured. After she recovered Skeeter briefly attempted to revived The Davis Sisters' act with Betty's sister Georgia but ended up quitting the business in 1957. Skeeter later had second thoughts and returned to the music industry in 1958 as a solo singer. RCA again signed her and Skeeter became an immediate success with her first solo single, "Lost To A Geisha Girl" which was a top 15 record and the first of many hits for her over the next eighteen years.
Skeeter Davis quickly became one of country music's biggest female stars, a major rival to Kitty Wells and Patsy Cline. Like Cline, Davis' records crossed over frequently to the pop music charts. Skeeter's 1963 release "The End of the World" was a multi-chart number one international smash for her and remains one of the best remembered pop songs of the era. Davis' major hits began to become less frequent by the early 1970's but she remained a regular chart presence up to 1976. During the 1980's and 1990's she widely toured internationally as her records continued to sell in many foreign markets. Davis had been a Grand Ole Opry member for 45 years when she passed away in 2004.- Composer
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Dezurik Sisters is known for What I Love About Concrete (2013) and Great Ambition (2008).- Diamond Rio is known for Diamond Rio: How Your Love Makes Me Feel (1997), Edie & Pen (1996) and Jed Zeppelin: Workin' Man Blues (1994).
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Little Jimmy Dickens was born on 19 December 1920 in Bolt, West Virginia, USA. He was an actor, known for Northern Exposure (1990), More American Graffiti (1979) and Last Night's Party (2014). He was married to Mona Evans, Anne Ernestine Jones and Dorothy (Connie) Chapman. He died on 2 January 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.- Actor
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Joe Diffie was born on 28 December 1958 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Twister (1996), All My Friends Are Cowboys (1998) and The Beverly Hillbillies (1993). He was married to Tara Terpening Diffie, Theresa Crump, Debbie Jones and Janise Parker. He died on 29 March 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.- Actor
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Danny Dill is known for Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), Logan Lucky (2017) and Another Girl Another Planet (1992).- Actor
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Jimmie Driftwood was born on 20 June 1907 in West Richwoods, Arkansas, USA. He was an actor, known for Dead Poets Society (1989), Jackie Brown (1997) and A Town Called Hell (1971). He was married to Cleda Azalea Johnson. He died on 12 July 1998 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA.- Actor
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Roy Drusky was born on 22 June 1930 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He was an actor, known for The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996), Lean on Pete (2017) and The Gold Guitar (1966). He died on 23 September 2004 in Portland, Tennessee, USA.- Duke of Paducah was born on 12 May 1901 in DeSoto, Missouri, USA. He was an actor, known for Country Music Caravan (1964), Las Vegas Hillbillys (1966) and Country Fair (1941). He died on 20 June 1986 in Brentwood, Tennessee, USA.
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Holly Dunn was a female country vocalist and mainstay at country radio for several years in the mid-to-late 1980s and early 1990s.
Her rise came on the back of the song "Daddy's Hands," a tribute to her father, a Church of Christ preacher, presenting him as a loving man who worked hard to provide for the family and guide his children. "Daddy's Hands" went on to earn Dunn two Grammy nominations and become a perennial Father's Day favorite. She had signed with MTM Records in 1985 and after a few minor hits broke through with "Daddy's Hands." Other hits followed, including her duet hit with Micahel Martin Murphey on "A Face in the Crowd," and her first solo top 5 hit "Love Someone Like Me," both in 1987.
When MTM Records closed in late 1988, Dunn's contract was bought by Warner Bros. Records, where she went on to co-write songs with her brother, Chris Waters Dunn, and scored two No. 1 hits: "Are You Ever Gonna Love Me" (1989) and "You Really Had Me Going" (1990). However, with the rise of pop-influenced country in the early 1990s, Dunn's hits became fewer and farther between, and after recording a gospel album in 2003, Dunn left music and turned to painting.
Dunn announced in early 2016 that she had ovarian cancer. On Nov. 14, 2016, she died in hospice care in Albuquerque, N.M.- Music Artist
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The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 - August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 1939 - January 3, 2014), the duo combined elements of rock and roll, country, and pop, becoming pioneers of country rock.
The duo was raised in a musical family, first appearing on radio singing along with their father Ike Everly and mother Margaret Everly as "The Everly Family" in the 1940s. When the brothers were still in high school, they gained the attention of prominent Nashville musicians like Chet Atkins, who began to promote them for national attention.- Music Department
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Lester Flatt was born on 19 June 1914 in Overton County, Tennessee, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for A Prairie Home Companion (2006), Dutch (1991) and Finding North (1998). He was married to Gladys Flatt. He died on 11 May 1979 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.- Actor
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Red Foley made his professional debut as a singer in Chicago. He was later discovered by a talent scout at Kentucky's Georgetown College. His mother and father operated a little store at the crossroads in Blue Lick, Kentucky. His father took an old guitar as part payment on an account and gave it to Red. By the time he was seven he was playing with the best of them. Later his family moved Berea, Kentucky while Red continued his "musical education'. In high school he played basketball and ran track. At this time he entered an Atwater-Kent amateur contest and reached the state finals in Louisville. Red was on his way. In the 1930's Red shared the stage on "National Barndance", with Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, and a pint-size yodeling cowboy named George Goebel. He left there in 1937 and moved to Cincinnati, and joined the cast of a cross-the-board network show on which he starred with Red Skelton and singer Jeannette Davis. Red signed with Decca records in 1939 and had only ordinary success for several years. Red thought he needed greater exposure and in 1944, he headline R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company's Saturday night portion n Nashville "Grand Ole Opry. " From that time he was one of America's best loved country singers. Some of his all-time great hits included "Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy", "Peace In The Valley", "Just A Closer Walk With Thee", and "Steal Away". After the death of his first wife, Eva, in 1952, he departed the "Grand Ole Opry", to care for his remaining three unmarried daughters. He remained in virtual retirement until 1954 when Razorback Productions of Springfield, Mo., then the nation's largest producers of country music shows, persuaded Red to star in a new quarter hour series. Sparking Red's interest, he wanted to produce an "Opry" type show. The result was "The Ozark Jubilee", which opened in Springfield's Jewell Theater on July 17, 1954. Only three weeks after the show debuted, the ABC radio network began carrying a 25 minute portion every Saturday night. It's immediate popularity led to the new ABC TV show "Ozark Jubilee". Red remarried to Sally Sweet and made his home in Springfield, Mo. Red sang in the Inaugural Ball for President Truman in 1949 and also in a federal court(as a witness to the ownership rights to "Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy".- Curly Fox was born on 10 November 1910 in Graysville, Tennessee, USA. He died on 10 November 1995 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
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Lefty Frizzell was born on 31 March 1928 in Corsicana, Texas, USA. He was married to Alice Harper. He died on 19 July 1975 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.- Actor
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Larry Gatlin was born on 2 May 1948 in Odessa, Texas, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Next of Kin (1989), Stroker Ace (1983) and Big Bad John (1990). He has been married to Janis Ross since 9 August 1969. They have three children.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Don Gibson was born on 3 April 1928 in Shelby, North Carolina, USA. He was an actor, known for Blood Simple (1984), The Departed (2006) and Casino (1995). He was married to Bobbi Patterson. He died on 17 November 2003 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Music Department
Vince Gill was born on 12 April 1957 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Maverick (1994), For Love of the Game (1999) and Borat (2006). He has been married to Amy Grant since 10 March 2000. They have one child. He was previously married to Janis Oliver.- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Billy Grammer was born on 28 August 1925 in Benton, Illinois, USA. He is known for Dust to Dust (1994), Bandstand (1958) and Sing a Song for Heaven's Sake (1966). He was married to Ruth Burzynski. He died on 10 August 2011 in Benton, Illinois, USA.- Jack Greene was born on 7 January 1930 in Maryville, Tennessee, USA. He died on 14 March 2013 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
- Music Department
- Actor
- Composer
Tom T. Hall was born on 25 May 1936 in Olive Hill, Kentucky, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Keeping Up with the Joneses (2016), Full Metal Jacket (1987) and Scary Movie 3 (2003). He was married to Dixie Hall and Opal Inez McKinney. He died on 20 August 2021 in Franklin, Tennessee, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
George Hamilton IV was born on 19 July 1937 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA. He was an actor, known for A Perfect World (1993), The Neon Palace (1971) and Praise Band: The Movie (2008). He was married to Adelaide (Tinky) Watson Peyton. He died on 17 September 2014 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.- Music Artist
- Actress
- Writer
Emmylou Harris was born on 2 April 1947 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. She is a music artist and actress, known for Brokeback Mountain (2005), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) and Lawless (2012). She was previously married to Paul Kennerley, Brian Ahern and Tom Slocum.- Harold Hawkshaw Hawkins was born on 22 December 1921 in Huntington, West Virginia, USA. He was married to Jean Shepard and Reva Mason Barbour. He died on 5 March 1963 in Camden, Tennessee, USA.
- George D. Hay was born on 9 November 1895 in Attica, Indiana, USA. He was an actor, known for Hoosier Holiday (1943) and Grand Ole Opry (1940). He died on 8 May 1968 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA.
- Music Department
Hoot Hester was born on 13 August 1951 in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. He is known for Bloodworth (2010) and The Last Ride (2011). He died on 30 August 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Goldie Hill was born on 11 January 1933 in Karnes City, Texas, USA. She was an actress, known for Opry Video Classics: Duets (2007), Country Music Caravan (1964) and Grand Ole Opry (1953). She was married to Carl Smith. She died on 24 February 2005 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
David Houston was born on 9 December 1938 in Bossier City, Louisiana, USA. He was an actor, known for Carnival Rock (1957), Teenage Thunder (1957) and Cottonpickin' Chickenpickers (1967). He died on 30 November 1993 in Bossier City, Louisiana, USA.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Jan Howard was born on 13 March 1929 in West Plains, Missouri, USA. She was an actress, known for The Devil All the Time (2020), The Tale (2018) and Changing Hearts (2002). She was married to Maurice Acree Jr, Harlan Howard, Lowell Smith and Mearle Wood. She died on 28 March 2020 in Gallatin, Tennessee, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Ferlin Husky was born on 3 December 1925 in Cantwell, Missouri, USA. He was an actor, known for Hillbillys in a Haunted House (1967), The Devil All the Time (2020) and Las Vegas Hillbillys (1966). He died on 17 March 2011 in Westmoreland, Tennessee, USA.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
Alan Jackson was born on 17 October 1958 in Newnan, Georgia, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for I Am Number Four (2011), Unstoppable (2010) and National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007). He has been married to Denise Jackson since 15 December 1979. They have three children.- Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Stonewall Jackson was born on 6 November 1932 in Tabor City, North Carolina, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Love and a .45 (1994), A West Texas Children's Story (2007) and Breaking Bad (2008). He was married to Juanita Wair Jackson. He died on 4 December 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Sonny James was born on 1 May 1928 in Hackleburg, Alabama, USA. He was an actor, known for The Devil All the Time (2020), Kleptomania (1993) and Young Ones (2014). He was married to Doris Shrode. He died on 22 February 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Soundtrack
George Jones was born on 12 September 1931 in Saratoga, Texas, USA. He was a music artist and actor, known for Ad Astra (2019), Only the Brave (2017) and Crazy Heart (2009). He was married to Nancy Sepulveda, Tammy Wynette, Shirley Ann Corley and Dorothy Bonvillion. He died on 26 April 2013 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.- Music Department
- Actor
- Additional Crew
The Jordanaires is known for Country Style, U.S.A. (1957), Frankie and Johnny (1966) and Spinout (1966).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Doug Kershaw was born on 24 January 1936 in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, USA. He is an actor, known for Days of Heaven (1978), Night of the Comet (1984) and Survive the Game (2021). He has been married to Pam since 21 June 1975. They have five children.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Hal Ketchum was born on 9 April 1953 in Greenwich, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Maverick (1994), Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016) and Something to Talk About (1995). He was married to Andrea and Terrell Tye. He died on 23 November 2020 in Fischer, Texas, USA.- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Pee Wee King was born on 18 February 1914 in Abrams, Wisconsin, USA. He was an actor, known for Planet Terror (2007), Gangster Squad (2013) and Natural Born Killers (1994). He was married to Lydia Frank. He died on 7 March 2000 in Louisville, Kentucky, USA.- Music Artist
- Actress
- Music Department
Alison Krauss is a bluegrass virtuoso who effortlessly bridges the gap between roots music and country, rock and pop. A highly sought after collaborator, Krauss has worked with some of the biggest names in popular music, including James Taylor, Phish, Dolly Parton, Yo-Yo Ma and Bonnie Raitt. Since signing with Rounder Records at the age of 14, Krauss has sold over 12 million albums and won 27 Grammy Awards, the most for any female and the second most of any recording artist in Grammy history. Her work on such films as Cold Mountain (2003) and O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) has contributed immeasurably to a renaissance in American roots music. Her latest album - recorded with her longstanding bandmates, Union Station - is the endlessly impressive Paper Airplane, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Country, Bluegrass and Folk Album charts upon its release.- Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Little Big Town is known for Gifted (2017), Little Big Town: Tornado (2012) and Forever My Girl (2018).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Hank Locklin was born on 15 February 1918 in McLellan, Florida, USA. He was an actor, known for Vice (2018), A Perfect World (1993) and Young Ones (2014). He was married to Anita Crooks and Willa Jean Murphy. He died on 8 March 2009 in Brewton, Alabama, USA.- Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Lonzo and Oscar is known for Predestination (2014), Country Music Holiday (1958) and Country Boy (1966).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Bobby Lord was born on 6 January 1934 in Sanford, Florida, USA. He was an actor, known for Opry Video Classics: Duets (2007), Ozark Jubilee (1955) and The Porter Wagoner Show (1961). He was married to Mozelle. He died on 16 February 2008 in Stuart, Florida, USA.- Composer
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Charlie Louvin was born on 7 July 1927 in Section, Alabama, USA. He was a composer and actor, known for Jesus' Son (1999), Goodbye Charlie Bright (2001) and The Slaughter Rule (2002). He was married to Betty Harrison. He died on 26 January 2011 in Wartrace, Tennessee, USA.- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Ira Louvin was born on 21 April 1924 in Rainesville, Alabama, USA. He was a composer, known for The Marty Stuart Show (2008), Jesus' Son (1999) and Goodbye Charlie Bright (2001). He died on 20 June 1965 in Jefferson City, Missouri, USA.- Actress
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Patty Loveless was born on 4 January 1957 in Pikeville, Kentucky, USA. She is an actress and composer, known for A Few Good Men (1992), Tin Cup (1996) and Patty Loveless: How Can I Help You Say Goodbye (1994). She has been married to Emory Gordy Jr. since 6 February 1989. She was previously married to Terry Lovelace.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Bob Luman was born on 15 April 1937 in Nacogdoches, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Rain Man (1988), Carnival Rock (1957) and Changing Hearts (2002). He died on 27 December 1978.- Music Artist
- Actress
- Writer
Loretta Lynn was born on 14 April 1932 in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky, USA. She was a music artist and actress, known for The New Mutants (2020), High Crimes (2002) and Logan Lucky (2017). She was married to Oliver Lynn. She died on 4 October 2022 in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Uncle Dave Macon was born on 7 October 1870 in Smartt, Tennessee, USA. He was an actor, known for The Marty Stuart Show (2008), Grand Ole Opry (1940) and All You Need Is Love (1977). He was married to Matilda Richardson. He died on 22 March 1952 in Readyville, Tennessee, USA.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Rose Maddox was born on 15 August 1925 in Boaz, Alabama, USA. She was an actress, known for The Hi-Lo Country (1998), The Maestro Rides Again! (2005) and Woody Guthrie: Hard Travelin' (1984). She was married to E.B. Hale and Jim Brogdon. She died on 15 April 1998 in Ashland, Oregon, USA.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Barbara Mandrell was born on 25 December 1948 in Houston, Texas, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for The Rockford Files (1974), Touched by an Angel (1994) and Baywatch (1989). She has been married to Ken Dudney since 28 May 1967. They have three children.- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Kerry Marx is known for Fallout 4 (2015), The Soul of Nashville (2015) and Lionel Richie and Friends (2012).- Music Artist
- Actress
- Composer
Martina McBride was born on 29 July 1966 in Sharon, Kansas, USA. She is a music artist and actress, known for Runaway Bride (1999), Where the Heart Is (2000) and Four Christmases (2008). She has been married to John McBride since 15 May 1988. They have three children.- Soundtrack
Country singer Mel McDaniel was born on September 6, 1942 in Checotah, Oklahoma. His father was a truck driver. McDaniel grew up in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. Mel was inspired to play music after he saw Elvis Presley on television. McDaniel learned how to play the trumpet in fourth grade and subsequently learned how to play the guitar. At age fourteen Mel taught himself the guitar chords to "Frankie and Johnny" and performed in a high school talent contest. He made his professional debut at age fifteen performing in a talent contest at Okmulgee High School. Moreover, McDaniel played in several local bands while in high school and began working as a musician at clubs in Tulsa, Oklahoma following graduation from high school. While in Tulsa Mel recorded several singles as well.
McDaniel began performing in Tulsa clubs after marrying his high school sweetheart. He then made an unsuccessful trip to Nashville, Tennessee and had a brief stint performing in the oil fields in Anchorage, Alaska. He eventually returned to Nashville and secured himself a job as a demo singer and songwriter for Combine Music. In 1976 he signed up with the label Capitol Records and released his first single "Have a Dream on Me." Mel's career really took off in 1981 with the rousing hit song "Louisiana Saturday Night." He had his only #1 country hit with the catchy "Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On" in 1985. McDaniel's other notable country hits from the 1980's are "Right in the Palm of Your Hand," "Take Me to the Country," "Big Ole Brew," "I Call It Love," "Stand on It," and "Real Good Feel Good Song."
A member of the Grand Ole Opry since January 11, 1986, McDaniel made frequent appearances on the show. Mel was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2006. Diagnosed with lung cancer in February, 2011, he died at his home from the disease at age 68 on March 31, 2011.- Music Artist
- Actress
- Producer
Reba Nell McEntire was born on Monday, March 28th, 1955, in McAlester, Oklahoma. The reigning queen of country music has pursued a musical career since she was 5. In Junior High school, she performed with her musical siblings, aka the Singing McEntires. A fine athlete, Reba McEntire followed in the footsteps of her rodeo champion father in competitive barrel racing. Her performance of the "Star Spangled Banner" at the 1974 National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City caught the attention of songwriter Red Steagall, who suggested she consider a career in country music. She has since earned 7 gold and 5 platinum albums and 2 Grammy Awards. She has also explored other avenues of entertainment, serving as a guest-host on Good Morning America (1975) & earning generally favorable reviews for her acting in the movie titled "Tremors" & TV mini-series, Buffalo Girls (1995). In 1988, she formed Starstruck Entertainment to oversee the very numerous aspects of her musical & acting careers.
She is extremely fortunate, that she was not along with her eight band members (seven band members & her touring manager), when tragedy the airplane they were in, on Saturday, March 16th, 1991. There were eight lives lost that tragic Saturday.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Jesse McReynolds was born on 9 July 1929 in Carfax, Virginia, USA. He was an actor, known for My Fool Heart, Nashville (2012) and The Porter Wagoner Show (1961). He was married to Joy Tipton and Darlene McCoy. He died on 23 June 2023 in Gallatin, Tennessee, USA.- Actor
- Music Department
- Producer
Ronnie Milsap was born on 16 January 1943 in Robbinsville, North Carolina, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Promised Land (2012), Bronco Billy (1980) and J.J. Starbuck (1987). He was previously married to Frances Joyce Reeves.- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Born in Rosine Kentucky, he was the youngest of eight children. Orphaned at age 11 he was raised by his uncle, fiddler Pendleton Vandiver. Learning the fiddle from his mother and taught further by his uncle, at an early age he began playing dances with uncle and brothers. Besides his uncle (whom he immortalized in the song "Unlce Pen") his musical inspiration was Arnold Schultz, a black guitarist from whom he learned the blues. By the early 1930s he and his brother Charlie had a successful duo, cutting their first record in 1936, but in 1938 they broke up. In the late 1930s, the first person to make the mandolin a lead instrument in country music, he developed the style that became bluegrass. In has debut at the Grand Old Opry in 1939 he performed a version of 'Rodgers, Jimmy (II)' tune "Muleskinner Blues" - this is generally considered the first true bluegrass tune. In the classic band The Bluegrass Boys in the late 1940s he set an instrumental standard for bluegrass that still stands. In later years, with the explosion of interest in bluegrass on college campuses, he began an expanded career with festival appearances. In 1981, battling colon cancer, he wrote and recorded "My Last Days on Earth" - those last days lasted another 15 years.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Montgomery Gentry is known for The Dukes of Hazzard (2005), Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (2016) and Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector (2006).- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Craig Morgan was born on 17 July 1965 in Kingston Springs, Tennessee, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Rizzoli & Isles (2010), CMT Hot 20 Countdown (2001) and West Rosencrantz (2019). He has been married to Karen Greer since 29 July 1989. They have four children.- Soundtrack
George Morgan was born on 28 May 1924 in Waverly, Tennessee, USA. He died on 7 July 1975 in the USA.- Actress
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Lorrie Morgan was born on 27 June 1959 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. She is an actress and composer, known for Lorrie Morgan: Dear Me (1989), The Beverly Hillbillies (1993) and Trial and Error (1996). She has been married to Randy White since 15 September 2010. She was previously married to Sammy Kershaw, Jon Randall, Brad Thompson, Keith Whitley and Ron Gaddis.