Fred Thompson was born on 19 August 1942 in Sheffield, Alabama, USA. He was an actor, known for The Hunt for Red October (1990), No Way Out (1987) and Sinister (2012). He was married to Jeri Kehn Thompson and Sarah Elizabeth Lindsey. He died on 1 November 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

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.

Tall, blond haired country & western singer / songwriter from Atlanta Georgia, who usually appears in films portraying good humored Southern type characters. Reed was already writing and singing music in high school, and was signed by Capitol Records to a three-year contract in 1955. However, in 1958, he signed over to NRC Records, and appeared alongside Ray Stevens and Joe South, plus he met his future wife, singer Priscilla Mitchell.

Reed is well known by music fans for his C & W hits including "She Got The Goldmine (I Got The Shaft)", "Lord, Mr. Ford", "When You're Hot, You're Hot" and "East Bound and Down". After striking up a friendship with Burt Reynolds, Reed was cast in small roles in W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings (1975), and Gator (1976). He had a natural on-screen charm, and Reynolds picked him to play trucker "Cledus Snow" in the hugely popular Smokey and the Bandit (1977), plus he returned to the role in Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) and Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983).

More recently, Reed has been seen in Bat*21 (1988) and The Waterboy (1998).

George Lindsey quickly became an icon on television in the 1960's playing the part of 'Goober Pyle" on the The Andy Griffith Show (1960). He replaced Jim Nabors who portrayed "Gomer Pyle" who ran the "fillin station" on "The Andy Griffith Show." As Jim Nabors was tapped for his own show Gomer Pyle: USMC (1964), cousin "Goober" was introduced to become the new mechanic and running the "fillin station" on "The Andy Griffith Show." He fit in perfectly with his country wit, impersonations of Cary Grant, "Judy, Judy, Judy," and playing the a dim-witted bulb often to the consternation of Sheriff Andy Taylor. He always wore his stocking type cap which always looked worn and dirty. Lindsay played this role also in Mayberry R.F.D. (1968) and continued playing basically the same and other characters on Hee Haw (1969) for many years. Although he did not perform in a myriad of shows, he was always recognizable as Goober and did not have a shortage of work. Between "The Andy Griffith show" and "Hee Haw," this provided him with almost 25 years worth of work a busy schedule for anyone. George frequented other country and western TV shows and movies including Gunsmoke (1955), Cannonball Run II (1984), Take This Job and Shove It (1981), and others. But he also found work on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962), The Rifleman (1958), The Twilight Zone (1959), and many others. George provided much comedic relief to millions of viewers for over a generation and will never be forgotten by those who enjoyed him.

American character actor in many Westerns, Sheb Wooley was also a figure in country-western music. Born and raised in Oklahoma, he spent his youth as a cowhand. His musical ability led to radio and subsequently film work. He played minor supporting roles for a dozen years starting in 1950, including one of the Frank Miller gang in High Noon (1952). In 1958 he had a giant hit record with his own song "The Purple People Eater" (years later there was a movie made based on the song, Purple People Eater (1988)) and he followed it with a string of similar humorous country ditties, often recorded under the name Ben Colder. For a number of years he had a regular role as scout Pete Nolan on the hit TV series Rawhide (1959). He worked infrequently as an actor after that, concentrating on the music business.

Tex Ritter was born on 12 January 1905 in Murvaul, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Song of the Gringo (1936), High Noon (1952) and Varsity Blues (1999). He was married to Dorothy Fay. He died on 2 January 1974 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Naomi Judd was born on 11 January 1946 in Ashland, Kentucky, USA. She was an actress and producer, known for Someone Like You (2001), An Evergreen Christmas (2014) and Route 65 Nashville. She was married to Larry Strickland and Michael Charles Ciminella. She died on 30 April 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Lari White was born on 13 May 1965 in Dunedin, Florida, USA. She was an actress, known for Cast Away (2000), No Regrets (2004) and Country Strong (2010). She was married to Chuck Cannon. She died on 23 January 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

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 Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993). She was married to Johnny Cash, Edwin Lee (Rip) Nix and Carl Smith. She died on 15 May 2003 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Glen Campbell was born on 22 April 1936 in Billstown, Arkansas, USA. He was a music artist and actor, known for True Grit (1969), Shindig! (1964) and X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019). He was married to Kim Campbell, Sarah Jan Barg, Billie Jean Nunley and Diane Marie Kirk. He died on 8 August 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Born in Jackson, Mississippi, Lester was brought up on his grandfather's farm, shucking corn, fishing, hunting, and picking cotton. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, majoring in Chemistry. He taught science and biology at a school in Purcell, Oklahoma, before moving to California. He divided his time between Southern California and Laurel, Mississippi. He spoke to youth groups and at religious gatherings about his faith, and shared the stage three times with Billy Graham. Lester died in 2020, aged 81. He was survived by his wife, his brother, two great-nieces, one great-great niece, and one great-great-nephew.

Mac Davis was born on 21 January 1942 in Lubbock, Texas, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for North Dallas Forty (1979), Next (2007) and Passengers (2016). He was married to Lise Gerard, Sarah Jane Barg and Fran Cook. He died on 29 September 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Kyle Jacobs was born on 26 June 1973 in Bloomington, Minnesota, USA. He was a composer, known for Lee Brice: I Drive Your Truck (2012), Nashville (2012) and CMT Hot 20 Countdown (2001). He was married to Kellie Pickler. He died on 17 February 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Comedian, author and composer, educated at Emerson College. He served in the US Infantry during World War II. Later, he was part of the team Dana and Wood on television and in supper clubs. As a single, he appeared on television with Martha Raye and Imogene Coca and was a writer for Steve Allen, and he also appeared in night clubs and on records. Joining ASCAP in 1958, his popular-song compositions include "My Name Jose Jimenez", "All About Love" and "Big Bells and Bongo Drummers".

Charles Watts was born on 30 October 1912 in Clarksville, Tennessee, USA. He was an actor, known for An Affair to Remember (1957), Giant (1956) and Lover Come Back (1961). He died on 13 December 1966 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Tim grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, the son of Dorothy and George Bolton Bess. He married third-grade school teacher Leshia Ann Batson on December 8, 1984 and they continued to make their home in Nashville. They had one son, George William Bess. He worked as a grip, electrician on Nashville Beat (1989), The Exorcist III (1990), Leatherheads (2008) and on the production crew of the TV series Nashville (2015). When Nashville ended its six season run in January 2018, the closing credits acknowledged his death. Tim died on November 7, 2017 at a Nashville hospital. He was cremated and his ashes were given to his wife.

Sarah Colley studied dramatics in Belmont College in Nashville, intending to be a serious actress, but while touring with an Atlanta company, she created the Minnie Pearl character that became her life's work. Her first Grand Old Opry appearance was on the radio show in 1940, followed by 27 years of touring. She was diagnosed with cancer in 1985, and recovered after a double mastectomy. A mild stroke in June 1991 forced her to give up performing.

Tammy once said: "I spent 15 minutes writing ["Stand by Your Man"], and a lifetime defending it". She was born Virginia Wynette Pugh on May 5, 1942, on her grandfather's cotton farm in Itawamba County, Mississippi. Tammy picked cotton as a child, and as a young woman worked as a waitress, a doctor's receptionist, a barmaid and a shoe factory worker. Shortly before graduating high school, Tammy married high school sweetheart Euple Byrd, an itinerant construction worker who was unemployed more often than not. They were finally forced to live in an abandoned, 60-year-old, 3-room log cabin on a Mississippi farm with no indoor plumbing, no stove and only a wood-burning fireplace for cooking and heat. "Not even the poorest sharecropper would have paid to live there," Tammy noted, but it was rent-free. They had 3 daughters, Gwendolyn ("Gwen"), Jacquelyn ("Jackie"), and Tina. The marriage ended in divorce. Tammy still dreamed of becoming a singer. Then, after a short marriage to singer Don Chapel which ended in annulment, Tammy headed to Nashville to pursue a career as a singer in earnest. As a teenager, her fantasy had been to appear on stage with her singing idol, George Jones. In 1968, she married George Jones, creating a union that captured the imaginations of country music fans everywhere. For the next 7 years they lived, sang, wrote, recorded and performed in a romantic, stormy, much-publicized relationship. They had one daughter, Tamala Georgette, born in 1970. Many of Tammy's hits dealt with classic themes of loneliness, divorce and the difficulties of relationships, especially her signature song "Stand by Your Man," which she co-wrote with her producer Billy Sherrill. The beautiful, deeply-moving lyrics of the song go: "Stand by your man / And show the world you love him / Keep giving' all the love you can / Stand by your man". This song has sometimes been misinterpreted, by misinformed people, as meaning a woman should tolerate anything, even abuse, from her man. What it really is, is an affirmation of the vows to love and honor a spouse. Tammy defended the song, in her own words, as "an expression of triumph over adversity". Her recording of "Stand by Your Man" was the biggest selling single in the history of country music. Tammy's releases have made the #1 position in the charts 35 times. Tammy received awards far too numerous to list here, some highlights were being named Country Music Association "Female Vocalist of the Year" for 3 years straight, 1968-1970; (she would be inducted into CMA Hall of Fame in 1998). After her divorce in 1975, Tammy was briefly married to Nashville real estate executive Michael Tomlin. Finally, with singer-songwriter George Richey, she achieved a long-lasting marriage; they were married for 20 years, from 1978 until her death in 1998. "I've had a wonderful life", she said in a 1991 Associated Press interview. "I absolutely feel I've been blessed tremendously. I can't complain at all". In all, she had 5 daughters and one son. Tammy passed away in her sleep on Monday, April 6, 1998, in her beloved Nashville; she was 55. Tammy will be missed greatly by her fans all around the world.

Leon Russell was born on 2 April 1942 in Lawton, Oklahoma, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993), The Kids Are All Right (2010) and Ghost Rider (2007). He was married to Janet Lee Constantine and Mary McCreary. He died on 13 November 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Exceptionally talented singer/songwriter John Prine enjoyed a 40 plus year career that encompassed such diverse music genres as folk, rock, country, and rockabilly. With his wry sense of humor, sharp, incisive songwriting, and endearingly offbeat perspective, John distinguished himself as a true original with a well-deserved loyal cult following.

Prine was born on October 10, 1946 in Maywood, Illinois, the son of Verna Valentine (Hamm) and William Mason Prine, a tool-and-die maker. He was taught by his brother how to play guitar at age fourteen. John worked as a postman for five years and did a two-year stint in the Army prior to beginning his musical career as part of the folk music scene in Chicago. Prine garnered a lot of accolades from critics for his outstanding self-titled 1971 debut album. The follow-up albums, "Diamonds in the Rough" and "Sweet Revenge", were likewise well-received by critics but, alas, none of these albums were big commercial successes.

In the mid '70s, John began to vary his basic melodic folk/country sound: The 1975 album, "Common Sense", leaned more towards tough rock and the 1979 album, "Pink Cadillac", was a straight-up raucous rockabilly outing. He continued to record albums throughout the 80s. His terrific 1991 album, "The Missing Years", won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. His songs have been covered by such artists as The Everly Brothers ("Paradise"), Bette Midler ("Hello in There"), Joan Baez ("Hello in There") and Laura Cantrell ("Sam Stone"). John has sizable co-starring roles in the movies, Falling from Grace (1992) and Daddy and Them (2001). Among the films that feature Prine's songs on the soundtrack are Into the Wild (2007), Grass (1999), Fire Down Below (1997), UFOria (1984) and The Pride of Jesse Hallam (1981). In 1998, John was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the neck, underwent surgery and radiation treatment and, subsequently, made a full recovery in 1999. Prine was the recipient of the Artist of the Year Award at the Americana Music Awards on September 9, 2005. Subsequently, he released critically acclaimed album "Standard Songs for Average People."

In 2005 Fair & Square was his 15th studio album, released on Oh Boy Records. It was released on a standard CD, an Extended Play (EP) CD with four bonus tracks, and a vinyl version with the same four bonus tracks.At the 48th Grammy Awards, Fair & Square won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. In late 2014 Prine was again diagnosed with a cancer, received surgery and treatment and was back out touring on the road in 2015. He died in 2020, of COVID-19.

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.

He is known for many styles of music - pure honky-tonk, rockabilly, gospel, straight-ahead pop, blues and Hawaiian. But fans remember Marty Robbins best for his cowboy songs. Songs like "Big Iron", "Running Gun", "The Hanging Tree" and of course "El Paso" established Robbins as the master of the style of country music.

He and twin sister Mamie were born near Glendale, Ariz. As a child, Robbins (born Martin David Robinson) was fascinated with El Paso, Texas since childhood - both the name and the city itself. Marty's parents divorced when he was 12 and his mother moved the family to Phoenix. Robbins joined the Navy in 1943, where he learned to play guitar and began singing and songwriting during the three-year stint. After his discharge, he returned to Phoenix and held down a series of jobs. Eventually, he began singing in nightclubs, filling in one night as guitarist for a friend's band. Quite often, he performed under the pseudonym Jack Robinson (because his mother objected to his performing in nightclubs and he didn't want her to find out).

By 1950, he was performing regularly on Mesa, Ariz., station KTYL, and starred in the local TV series "Western Caravan" on KPHO in Phoenix. One night, country singer Little Jimmy Dickens appeared on the show and was so impressed with Robbins that he urged his record label, Columbia Records, to sign the young star. Robbins' first song, "Love Me or Leave Me Alone", was recorded in 1951. Although the song failed to chart on any of Billboard magazine's country singles chart (the magazine had separate sales, radio airplay and jukebox to monitor the performance of country songs at the time), Robbins was on his way to country stardom; one of the follow-up singles, "I'll Go On Alone", went No. 1 in early 1953. Robbins became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in February 1953.

A steady string of hits followed, ranging in styles from rockabilly ("That's All Right" and "Singing the Blues"), teenage love songs ("A White Sport Coat (and a Pink Carnation)") and of course, cowboy songs. He had already appeared in several B-westerns and had scored a country hit with "The Hanging Tree" (the title track to the movie starring Gary Cooper) when, in 1959, he began writing and recording songs for his legendary album "Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs"). The all-time classic from the album of songs was "El Paso", the story of a gunfighter who dies after being shot at the end of the song. The song went No. 1 on Billboard magazine's country singles chart in December 1959, where it spent seven weeks; it also became his only No. 1 Hot 100 hit and became the first country song to win a Grammy. At just over 4:40, radio programmers were reluctant to play such a long song (most songs were half as long), but demand won out, and it soon became one of country music's all-time most popular songs on fan surveys. His 1976 No. 1 hit, "El Paso City", revisited the gunfighter's legend.

During the 1960s and 1970s, his career continued, with a second Grammy coming in 1970 with his No. 1 ode to his wife, Marizona, "My Woman, My Woman, My Wife." He also dabbled in television ("Marty Robbins' Spotlight") and stock car racing. He left Columbia Records in 1972 to begin a three-year stint at Decca (later MCA) Records; though he had some success there, he returned to Columbia in late 1975.

During his 31-year recording career, Robbins had 94 songs make Billboard's country charts, with 16 going to No. 1; 31 of his songs also placed on the Hot 100. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1982, just two months before suffering his third heart attack (he had also suffered heart attacks in 1969 and 1981). He underwent a quadruple bypass at St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville, Tenn., but died Dec. 8, 1982. His only posthumous country hit came in 1983, when he scored a No. 10 hit with "Honkytonk Man", the title track to Clint Eastwood's film. While cowboy and western songs were his trademark, it was Robbins' style, grace and dignity, plus his on-stage ability to communicate with his audience and understated sense of humor that made him one of country music's most beloved performers.

It's estimated that Tommy Boyce's solo compositions and collaborative efforts have produced record sales over and above 85 million. Tommy and his partner Bobby Hart wrote the theme to Days of Our Lives (1965) and hits for guys like Andy Williams, Dean Martin, The Animals and Del Shannon in addition to scores and songs for television and films. They were even instrumental in lowering the voting age to 18. And then there's The Monkees.

The career of Tommy Boyce begins as early as the late 1950s. In those days--before there was color TV--Tommy had established himself as one of the brightest young writers to ever come out of the legendary Brill Building days. His first big break came when he wrote "Be My Guest" for Fats Domino. He wrote the song alone but gave writing credit to the artist, as well as the person who helped him get the song to the artist. According to Caroline Boyce, Tommy said he never regretted sharing the writer's income because it got his proverbial foot in the door.

In 1962 Tommy accepted an opportunity to move to New York and write for Ray Peterson and Curtis Lee. His collaboration with Lee resulted in Boyce's second top ten song, "Pretty Little Angel Eyes". They followed this up with the single "Under The Moon Of Love" (both are available on the CD "The Best Of Curtis Lee"). In the spring of 1965 Bobby joined Tommy in California. One of their first writing assignments together was to compose the theme song for "Days of Our Lives", which has been running on the program for over 30 years now. By 1966 Boyce and Hart had created the musical sound for four actors who played musicians in a weekly television sitcom. Breaking records around the world, "The Monkees" became a cult phenomenon second only in popularity perhaps (arguably) to Star Trek (1966). Boyce and Hart wrote a whopping 30 songs for the foursome, some of which they would later record themselves. When Tommy saw the popularity of The Monkees, he approached Bobby and the duo decided to start an act of their own. Fueled by their own growing teen magazine popularity for having been associated with The Monkees, they signed a deal with A&M Records. The two scored many chart successes of their own, including "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight?", "Alice Long", I'm Gonna Blow You A Kiss In The Wind", and "Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows". They also appeared on shows like Bewitched (1964), I Dream of Jeannie (1965) and The Flying Nun (1967).

In 1968 the duo campaigned to support Robert F. Kennedy in his run for the Presidency, and they spearheaded the "Let Us Vote", or "L.U.V." campaign, which ultimately helped to lower the voting age to 18 in the US (it had been 21).

During the 1970s Tommy wrote the book "How To Write A Hit Song And Sell It" (published by Wilshire Books), which has inspired generations of new songwriters. His songwriting collaboration with Melvin Powers resulted in two songs hitting the country charts: "Who Wants A Slightly Used Woman" and "Mr. Songwriter". It's well known that Tommy would later re-team with Bobby in the newly re-formed Monkees revival, "Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart". What is NOT well known is that the group had its origin while going on a special trip to entertain at Vietnamese internment camps in the early 1970s. According to long-time friend and fellow musician Keith Allison, they went down there with people like Susan Sarandon, Beau Bridges and others. Later DJB&H would meet to discuss taking the act out on the road, and "Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart" was born. They recorded two albums for Capitol Records in 1976 and embarked on a highly successful world tour to commemorate the tenth anniversary of The Monkees.

During the late 1970s Tommy moved to England, where he continued his success as a writer/producer. He made a dynamic impact in the UK music world producing such artists as Iggy Pop, Meat Loaf, The Pleasers, The Darts and Showaddywaddy. Tommy once again witnessed his songs hit the charts. In the 1980s he moved back to the United States and eventually settled in Nashville, Tennessee, where he continued to write songs and delight audiences with surprise guest performances in the local clubs. Bobby and Tommy remained friends until Tommy's untimely death in 1994. Bobby and Tommy recorded three albums together: "Test Patterns" "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight" and "It's All Happening On The Inside". All of these titles are available on CD. Tommy recorded two solo albums: "Christopher Cloud - Blown Away", featuring members of the group AIM, and the Australian four-track EP "Tommy Boyce and His Rockin' Sixties Band" (as of 2019, these titles are NOT available on CD). Bobby is still very much involved in the business, composing for many varied projects.

Forty years later, the impact of Boyce and Hart still resonates. Tune into any oldies station, and at least once during the course of any given day you will very likely hear a Boyce and Hart composition.

Earl Scruggs was born on 6 January 1924 in near Shelby, North Carolina, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Bonnie and Clyde (1967), The Love Guru (2008) and Penguins of Madagascar (2014). He was married to Louise Scruggs. He died on 28 March 2012 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

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.