This Day in Country History: February 13
Feb. 13 was big for country artists taking home GRAMMY Awards in both 2005 and 2011. This day also saw the release of Dolly Parton’s first solo album, and Blake…
Feb. 13 was big for country artists taking home GRAMMY Awards in both 2005 and 2011. This day also saw the release of Dolly Parton's first solo album, and Blake Shelton received a high honor for his philanthropic work. The country music industry lost two industry icons on Feb. 13, and Mickey Guyton sang the national anthem on this day in 2022.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
There were impressive wins at the GRAMMYs, including Taylor Swift's two awards in 2011.
- 1971: Sammi Smith hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts for her hit song “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” and spent three weeks there. That song won her a CMA Award for Single of the Year, as well as a GRAMMY for Best New Country Song.
- 1989: Alabama released their single, “If I Had You,” a song that would spend one week at No. 1 and 13 weeks on the country charts.
- 2005: At the 48th Annual GRAMMY Awards, Emmylou Harris won Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "The Connection." Best Male Country Vocal Performance went to Keith Urban for "You'll Think of Me," Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals went to Alison Krauss and Union Station for "Restless," and Best Country Collaboration with Vocals went to Faith Hill and Tim McGraw for "Like We Never Loved at All."
- 2011: Taylor Swift won Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song for "Mean" at the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards. The Civil Wars' "Barton Hollow" took home Best Country Duo/Group Performance, and Own the Night by Lady Antebellum (now known as Lady A) won Best Country Album.
Cultural Milestones
Blake Shelton received a well-deserved honor on Feb. 13, and fans of Dolly Parton were treated to her debut solo album on this day.
- 1919: Tennesseean Ernie Ford was born. He went on to release the song “Sixteen Tons” in 1955, which sold four million copies.
- 1967: Dolly Parton released her 1st solo album, Hello, I'm Dolly, through Monument Records. Parton had previously recorded a tribute album for Kitty Wells and Patsy Cline. Hello, I'm Dolly was her first she could call her own. Today, Parton is one of the most prolific country music stars of all time.
- 2002: Singer and songwriter Waylon Jennings died after a battle with diabetes. He released a number of duets with Willie Nelson and as also a member of The Highwaymen with Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash.
- 2011: President Barack Obama awarded the National Medal of Art to singer/songwriter Mel Tillis in an East Room ceremony at the White House.
- 2019: Blake Shelton received the 2019 Artist Humanitarian Award from the 50th Country Radio Seminar. This award was given to Shelton for his help in raising funds to help victims of floods and tornadoes in Oklahoma, his donations to local children's hospitals, and other causes. Dierks Bentley presented the award to Shelton.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Kenny Chesney had numerous album certifications on this day, including:
- 2014: Kenny Chesney received several certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His albums The Big Revival and Life on a Rock both received Gold certifications. Chesney's Lucky Old Sun and Living In a Fishbowl albums received Platinum certifications.
- 2022: The "All American" singer Mickey Guyton sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Guyton has four GRAMMY nominations, including Best Country Solo Performance for "Remember Her Name."
Industry Changes and Challenges
It's always sad to lose legends of the country music industry, as we saw with the loss of Buddy Lee and Waylon Jennings on Feb. 13.
- 1998: Superstar booking agent Buddy Lee died on this day at the age of 65. Lee worked with legends like Hank Williams Jr., Garth Brooks, and Willie Nelson.
- 2002: Singer and songwriter Waylon Jennings died after a battle with diabetes. He released a number of duets with Willie Nelson and was also a member of The Highwaymen with Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash.
There were so many milestones on Feb. 13, from significant GRAMMY wins to the privilege for Micky Guyton singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" and fans hearing her, that this day is one to be remembered.
