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The First Country Records
Ralph Peer of Okeh records the music of Fiddlin' John Carson in an empty loft in Atlanta. Carson's record becomes a regional hit and convinces Peer that there is an untapped market for "hillbilly" music. -
The Barn Dance Format Launches
The show that will become the Grand Ole Opry radio "barn dance" program begins its run on WSM radio out of Nashville, Tennessee. It will grow to be the most popular and important program of its kind and launch the careers of many of country music's biggest stars -
The Queen of Country Music is Born
Virginia Hensley, who will later be called Patsy Cline, is born in Winchester, VA. She will become the most influential female country artist of all time. -
Rose-Acuff Publishing Company Forms in Nashville
Fred Rose and the singer Roy Acuff form the Nashville-based country music publishing company Acuff-Rose, helping to permanently re-center of the country music business in Nashville, Tennessee. -
Billboard Recognizes "Folk" Music
The year's first issue of Billboard magazine introduces a "folk" chart that mixes country, jazz, and blues. -
Bluegrass Comes into its Own
Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs join Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys, beginning the band's most famous incarnation and marking the coming of age of the bluegrass style Monroe pioneered. -
Cash Records for Sun
Late in 1954, Johnny Cash does his first recording sessions at Sun, singing "Wide Open Road" and "You're My Baby," both self-written. Cash will make a tremendous career in country music by largely following his own muse. -
Country Music Hall of Fame is Established
The Country Music Hall of Fame is established. It's first three inductees are Jimmie Rodgers, Fred Rose, and Hank Williams. -
Dolly Parton Debuts
Dolly Parton releases her first records, "Happy Birthday, Baby" and the tongue-in-cheek "Dumb Blonde." -
Racial Violence Closes the Opry
Several Opry performances are cancelled for fear of racial violence in Nashville after the assassination of Dr. Marin Luther King, Jr.
