Way back when a sizable chunk of the country music audience really did live on farms and in the hills, comedians shared billings with musical acts and helped rural America poke fun at itself.
Here are some of the events that happened on this day in Country music history:
1961: Patsy Cline suffered serious head injuries and a fractured hip in a car accident in Madison, Tennessee.
1977: the "Ol' Waylon" album by Waylon Jennings was certified Gold.
1980: Alabama's first hit, "My Home's In Alabama," made its chart debut.