This Day in Country History: February 26

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1932: Singer-songwriter Johnny Cash was born. Cash was one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, with songs spanning country, rock and roll, blues, folk, and gospel.
• 1938: Singer-songwriter Jan Crutchfield was born. He was best known for writing "Statue of a Fool," which was recorded by Jack Greene in 1969 and reached No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs charts.
• 1959: Songwriter Kenny Beard was born. He wrote songs for Trace Adkins, Tracy Lawrence, and Aaron Tippin and made No. 1 with "Doghouse."
• 1985: Winners at the 28th Annual GRAMMY Awards included "We Are the World" for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. This star-studded album had artists like Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson, among others.
• 1985: At the 28th GRAMMYs, Roseanne Cash's "I Don't Know Why You Don't Want Me" won Best Country Vocal Performance, Female, and Ronnie Milsap's "Lost in the Fifties Tonight (In the Still of the Night) won Best Country Vocal Performance, Male.
• 1988: Mixing engineer, record producer, and songwriter Jordan Schmidt was born. He wrote the 2016 country-rock song "Lights Come On," which was recorded by Jason Aldean and reached No. 1 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart.
• 1994: John Michael Montgomery's "I Swear" spent its fourth and final week at No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
• 1997: At the 39th Annual GRAMMY Awards, LeAnn Rimes won Best New Artist and became one of the youngest to receive this award. Rimes also won Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "Blue," which also won Best Country Song, and Vince Gill took home Best Male Country Vocal Performance for "Worlds Apart."
• 2020: Blake Shelton's album Fully Loaded: God's Country was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
• 2020: Kenny Chesney's "Tip of My Tongue" was certified Gold. It would go on to earn Platinum certification in 2024.
• 2021: Maren Morris received six nominations from the Academy of Country Music (ACM). Chris Stapleton also received six nominations. Miranda Lambert, Thomas Rhett, and Ashley McBryde all received five nominations.
• 2022: Cody Johnson's "'Til You Can't" reached No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
• 2024: Beyoncé's "Texas Hold 'Em" was still at No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart, where it remained for 10 consecutive weeks.

Cultural Milestones

• 1955: Country music duo The Louvin Brothers were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. They helped popularize the close harmony technique in country and country rock.
• 1973: Loretta Lynn released her 22nd solo studio album, Entertainer of the Year, which reached No. 1 on the Hot Country LP's chart. She named the album after she became the first woman to win the award from the Country Music Association.
• 2021: Legacy Recordings released Willie Nelson's 71st solo studio album, That's Life.

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 2017: Tim McGraw's "She's My Kind of Rain" received a Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In addition, the RIAA gave his "Just To See You Smile" a Gold certification, and his "Felt Good on My Lips" a Platinum certification. 
• 2018: The RIAA gave Kelsea Ballerini's "Legends" a Gold certification, Jake Owen's "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" a Platinum certification, and Luke Combs's "Hurricane" a 2x Platinum certification.
• 2020: Thomas Rhett's "Vacation" received a Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
• 2022: Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley performed during the National Hockey League match between the Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning at Nissan Stadium.
• 2025: Kelsea Ballerini performed live on tour at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.

Industry Changes and Challenges

• 2015: Old Dominion signed with RCA Records Nashville. Other artists with this record label include Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, and The Band Perry.
• 2015: James Edward “Spider” Wilson died at the age of 79. Wilson was a long-term member of the Grand Ole Opry's house band, playing guitar, and played with icons like Ray Price and Little Jimmie Dickens.
• 2018: The "In Case You Didn't Know" singer Brett Young got engaged to his girlfriend, Taylor Mills. He proposed at a hotel near Old Miss, where Young went to school.