This Day in Country History: March 5
On March 5, 1963, Patsy Cline, along with Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins, and manager and pilot Randy Hughes, perished in a dense forest near Camden, Tennessee, when their plane crashed. Today, there’s a memorial at the crash site in remembrance of these legendary country musicians. That’s one interesting fact about what happened on March 5 in country music history. Here, you’ll find more interesting trivia about country music from this day in history.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
These breakthrough hits and milestones from March 5 have notably influenced the country music genre:
- 1976: “One Piece at a Time” by Johnny Cash was released as a single. The song is about a man who builds a car by taking one piece at a time from the factory where he works, and it became one of Cash’s most iconic songs.
- 2012: Lionel Richie released his Tuskegee album, which was a compilation of his greatest hits reimagined as country duets. He worked with several popular country artists on the album, and it made it to No. 1 on the country charts within a couple of weeks of its release.
Cultural Milestones
Your favorite country songs wouldn’t be what they are if it weren’t for these cultural milestones that occurred on March 5:
- 1983: Country Music Television, or CMT, was launched, positioning itself as a 24-hour country music video station. It was on air just two days before The Nashville Network, which focused more on the country lifestyle, went live.
- 2016: Hymns That Are Important to Us by Joey + Rory debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Album chart, making it their highest-charting album. It featured songs such as “He Touched Me,” “Softly and Tenderly,” and “How Great Thou Art.”
Notable Recordings and Performances
When country artists took part in these notable recordings and performances on March 5, it had a significant impact on the industry:
- 1986: Steve Earle released one of the strongest debut country albums of the 1980s, Guitar Town. This was also one of the first country albums to get digitally recorded, and Earle made it into the top 10 with the album’s title track.
- 2009: On Season 9, Episode 16 of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Taylor Swift made her television debut. She played the part of Haley Jones, a troubled teen who gets stabbed by her mother.
Industry Changes and Challenges
Without these changes and challenges in the country music industry, you couldn’t enjoy the sounds of the country tunes you love today:
- 1982: Amanda Shires, who began playing the fiddle at age 10, was born. She’s played for the Texas Playboys, The Highwomen, and Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit and has several solo albums to her credit.
- 2021: Lead singer of Lonestar, Richie McDonald, announced he would be leaving the band for the second time since rejoining the group in 2011. He then joined The Frontmen and later put out two independent albums and four solo singles.
From tragedies to breakout TV performances, these important March 5 events and milestones have left their mark on the industry, no matter the type of country music you listen to.
