MAY 13

1914: Johnny Wright was born in Mt. Juliet, TN. The husband of Kitty Wells, registered a #1 single in 1965 with the Tom T. Hall song “Hello Vietnam” and accumulated hits during the ’50s as one-half of Johnnie & Jack.

1950: Mother Maybelle Carter and The Carter Sisters joined the Grand Ole Opry

1955: An Elvis Presley performance caused a riot for the first time in Jacksonville. Mae Boren Axton saw the show, and promises to write him a hit. Six months later, she brought him “Heartbreak Hotel.”

1965: Lari White was born in Dunedin, FL. The soulful vocalist had three hits in the 1990s and acted in the Tom Hanks movie “Cast Away.” She also became the first woman to produce an album by a major male star: Toby Keith’s “White Trash With Money.”

1967: Merle Haggard made his Grand Ole Opry debut

1975: Bob Wills died from heart complications, caused by a stroke. The bandleader was the best-known western-swing performer, with recordings such as “Faded Love” and “San Antonio Rose” landing him in the Country Music Hall of Fame. He was lovingly referred to as the King of Texas.

1988: Trisha Yearwood competed on TNN’s talent search, “You Can Be A Star.” She lost to a cab driver from Atlanta.

1995: The Judds popped up on the cover of TV Guide

2000: Kenny Rogers’ “Buy Me A Rose” sprouts at #1 on the Billboard country chart with vocal assistance from Alison Krauss and Billy Dean.

2014: The Band Perry is inducted into the Junior Achievement Tri-Cities Tennessee/Virginia Business Hall of Fame.