Country Timeline: The Last Grand Ole Opry Broadcast At The Ryman

March 9th -- Johnny Cash finds an opening band by showing up late, Leann Rimes has the best selling song on country radio, and Chris LeDoux passes away all today on today's Country Music Timeline...

1959 -- Happy Birthday to Barbie.  She's 52 today.  Funny...she doesn't look a day over 16....still. (Wikipedia)

1964 – Johnny Cash is late for his concert in Canton, OH and The Statler Brothers open the concert for him.  He then adds them to his tour for the next 8 years.  I guess they did well on their interview.

1974 – The Grand Ole Opry holds it’s last performance at the Ryman Auditorium.  The Ryman remains vacant for the most part until Emmylou Harris and The Nash Ramblers play a series of concerts there and renew interest in restoring it.

1991 – Alan Jackson scores his first #1 on the Billboard Charts.  Think you know what song it was?  Click play to find out…

 1993 – Garth Brooks has lots of friends in low places as he’s named favorite musical singer at the 19^th Annual People’s Choice Awards.  Alabama takes home the hardware for favorite musical group.

1998 – Although she’s criticized for being too young to really understand the lyrics of the song, Leann Rimes single “How Do I Live” goes triple platinum.  It was the best selling country song for 12 years until Taylor Swift came along with “Love Story.”

2005 – Chris LeDoux dies from cancer of the bile ducts. (Wikipedia)

2006 – The Rolling Stones name Merle Haggard as their opening act for a show at Alltel Arena in Little Rock, Arkansas.

2007 – Bucky Covington makes his Grand Ol Opry debut and performs “A Different World.”

For more country music history, check out CMT.com.