December 19th, 1952

Hank Williams gave his final performance, at the Skyline Club in Austin, Texas.

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Williams was scheduled to perform at the Municipal Auditorium in Charleston, West Virginia on Wednesday December 31, 1952. That day, because of an ice storm in the Nashville area, Williams could not fly, so he hired a college student to drive him to the concerts. The Student, Charles Carr called the Charleston auditorium from Knoxville to say that Williams would not arrive on time owing to the ice storm and was ordered to drive Williams to Canton, Ohio, for the New Year's Day concert there.

They arrived at the Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville, Tennessee, where Carr requested a doctor for Williams, as he was feeling the combination of the chloral hydrate and alcohol he had drunk on the way from Montgomery to Knoxville. Dr. P.H. Cardwell injected Williams with two shots of vitamin B12 that also contained a quarter-grain of morphine. Carr and Williams checked out of the hotel, the porters had to carry Williams to the car, as he was coughing and hiccuping.

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At around midnight on Thursday January 1, 1953, when they crossed the Tennessee state line and arrived in Bristol, Virginia, Carr stopped at a small all-night restaurant and asked Williams if he wanted to eat. Williams said he did not, and those are believed to be his last words. Carr later drove on until he stopped for fuel at a gas station in Oak Hill, West Virginia, where he realized that Williams was dead. The filling station's owner called the chief of the local police. In Williams' Cadillac the police found some empty beer cans and unfinished handwritten lyrics.

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    2005

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    1991

    Reba McEntire’s album It’s Your Call was certified triple platinum. It included the title track (#5), “Take It Back” (#5) and “The Heart Won’t Lie” (#1), a duet with Vince Gill.

     

    Garth Brooks’ album Ropin’ The Wind was certified multi-platinum for sales of 5 million copies. It featured the singles “Papa Loved Mama” (#3), “The River” (#1) “Shameless” (#1), “Rodeo” (#3) and “What She’s Doin’ Now” (#1).

    The album has since been certified multi-platinum for sales of over 17 million copies.

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    1988

    Johnny Cash has open heart surgery at Nashville's Baptist Hospital, one week after Waylon Jennings had similar surgery at the same location

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    1985

    Singer Johnny Paycheck shoots Larry Wise at the North High Lounge in Hillsboro, Ohio, after Wise asked if he'd ever eaten turtle meat. Paycheck was sentenced to two years in jail for the incident.

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    #1 On This Date

    SINGLES

    2010 – Rascal Flatts – “Why Wait

    2004 – Tim McGraw – “Back When

    1999 – Clint Black & Lisa Hartman-Black – “When I Say I Do

    1993 – Doug Supernaw – “I Don’t Call Him Daddy

    1982 – Earl Thomas Conley – “Somewhere Between Right And Wrong

    1976 – Johnny Duncan – “Thinkin’ Of A Rondevous

    1971 – Charley Pride – “Kiss An Angel Good Morning

    1965 – Eddy Arnold – “Make The World Go Away

    1961 – Leroy Van Dyke – “Walk On By

    1954 – Webb Pierce – “More And More

    1948 – Jimmy Wakely – “One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)

     

     

    ALBUMS

    2009 – Taylor Swift – Fearless

    1998 – Garth Brooks – Double Live

    1992 – Garth Brooks – The Chase

    1987 – Randy Travis – Always & Forever

    1981 – Willie Nelson – Greatest Hits (And Some That Will Be)

    1970 – Johnny Cash – The Johnny Cash Show

    1964 – Buck Owens – Together Again

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    Birthdays

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