This Day in Country History: March 3

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1972: At the young age of 13, Tanya Tucker signed her first recording deal with Columbia Records. The deal was made in Nashville, Tennessee, and she recorded her first single, "Delta Dawn," two weeks later.
• 1990: "No Matter How High" by the Oak Ridge Boys rose to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, marking their 17th hit song to top the chart. The band was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015.
• 2018: Rascal Flatts played the newly opened Xcite Center at the Parx Casino in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. This sold-out show was part of Rascal Flatts A Night To Shine Concert Tour.
• 2023: The Big Loud music label released Morgan Wallace's hit album One Thing At a Time. This song spent 16 nonconsecutive weeks on the Billboard 200 chart and was the week's biggest in equivalent album units across all genres in 2023.
• 2025: Triple Tigers record label released Russell Dickerson's song "Happen to Me" to country radio. This track is from Dickerson's Famous Back Home album. "Happen to Me" climbed to No. 5 on the Country Airplay chart.

Cultural Milestones

• 1979: The Public Broadcasting Service broadcast a live Saturday night episode from the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee — only the second time a Grand Ole Opry performance was broadcast nationwide. Because of its popularity, the show became part of PBS's fundraising campaign for the month.
• 2012: Robert Earl Keen, Lyle Lovett, and Townes Van Zandt were inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriters' Hall of Fame.
• 2017: Chase Rice headlined a show at a new House of Blues location in Anaheim, California.
• 2025: Dolly Parton's husband Carl Dean died. The couple met when Dolly Parton first moved to Nashville, and they were married for nearly 60 years. Many of Dolly's heartfelt songs were inspired by her husband, including "From Here to the Moon and Back."

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 2002: Breaking the Astrodome's attendance record, George Strait played the final performance of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. More than 68,000 people witnessed the concert live at the venue.
• 2005: Blake Shelton's "Goodbye Time" music video premiered on Country Music Television. Shelton became well known in 2001 for his debut single "Austin," which spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
• 2016: Willie Nelson's album, The Essential Willie Nelson, received a Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Alabama's Essential Alabama received a Gold certification, and Johnny Cash's The Essential Johnny Cash received a 3x Platinum certification on this date.

Industry Changes and Challenges

• 1966: Paving the way for country-rock and folk-rock bands, Neil Young, Stephen Stills, and Richie Furay created their first band, Buffalo Springfield, in Los Angeles.
• 2002: Harlan Howard, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame, died suddenly at the age of 74. With over 40 years of experience and over 100 hits to his credit, Howard was well respected and influential in the country music industry.
• 2008: Glen Campbell and Travis Tritt cancelled their performances at the Strawberry Festival in Plant City, Florida. Ronnie Milsap replaced Campbell and Marty Stuart and Connie Smith replaced Tritt.
• 2009: Ruby Lee McDill died at the age of 93. She was the mother of Country Music Hall of Famer and songwriter Bob McDill who penned songs like "All the Good Ones Are Gone" recorded by Pam Tillis.
• 2020: Eric Paslay's home took a direct hit from a tornado that slammed through Nashville. Paslay's family were able to ride out the tornado in their storm shelter, and no one in his family was hurt. However, 24 people were killed statewide.