This Day in Country History: February 12

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1972: Charley Pride Sings Heart Songs was seven weeks into a 16-week stay at the No. 1 spot on Billboard's U.S. Hot Country Albums chart. Charley Pride was RCA Records's best-selling performer from 1969-75, outselling even Elvis Presley.
• 1989: Randy Travis's Old 8×10 spent its 14th week at No. 1 on the country album chart.
• 1993: Toby Keith released "Should've Been a Cowboy," which reached No. 1 on the country singles chart. It's one of the most played country songs of the 90s.
• 2005: Kenny Chesney's Be as You Are (Songs from an Old Blue Chair) replaced Shania Twain's Greatest Hits album at the No. 1 spot on the country album chart.
• 2005: Rascal Flatts' "Bless The Broken Road" reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts.
• 2008: Tom T. Hall spoke at the Country Music Hall of Fame inductee press conference. He was later formally inducted on June 29, having written 11 No. 1 hit songs.
• 2012: Carrie Underwood won Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song for "Blown Away" at the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards. Best Country Album went to Zac Brown Band for Uncaged, and Best Country Duo/Group Performance went to Little Big Town for "Pontoon."
• 2017: At the 59th Annual GRAMMY Awards, Best Country Solo Performance went to Maren Morris for "My Church." Lori McKenna took home Best Country Song for "Humble and Kind," Sturgill Simpson won Best Country Album for A Sailor's Guide to Earth, and Best Country Duo/Group Performance went to Pentatonix with Dolly Parton singing "Jolene."

Cultural Milestones

• 1944: Moe Bandy was born. He sang the 1979 No. 1 country hit "I Cheated Me Right Out of You."
• 2011: Dolly Parton received a GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement award on this day. This award goes to an artist who has made a significant contribution to the music industry. Parton has 10 GRAMMY Awards with 55 nominations, making her one of the top country music artists to win numerous GRAMMYs.
• 2018: Daryle Singletary passes away. He entered the top 40 of the Hot Country Songs charts as many as five times in the 90s, reaching No. 2 with "Amen Kind of Love" and "I Let Her Lie", and No. 4 with "Too Much Fun."
• 2022: Trisha Yearwood inducts Lauren Alaina as the Opry's first member of 2022. At 27 years old, Alaina became the youngest member of the Opry.

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 2021: Kip Moore played the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Moore played longer than his allotted 60 minutes, and he brought Ashley McBryde as a surprise guest to sing "Janie Blu" with him.
• 2023: American singer-songwriter and guitarist Chris Stapleton sang the national anthem at Super Bowl LVII. 
• 2025: Lauren Alaina, Mark Wills, and Locash perform as part of the NWTF Foundation Conservation Aid at The Opry.

Industry Changes and Challenges

• 2001: Virgin Nashville closed. Artists under this record label's contracts moved to Capitol Nashville. Clay Davidson and Chris Cagle were signed to Virgin Nashville, and with their new home, now share the new label with the likes of Garth Brooks.
• 2005: Sammi Smith, who made the song "Help Me Make It Through the Night" written by Kris Kristofferson, died on this day at the age of 61. Smith had numerous country/pop hits, including “Then You Walk In” and “Today I Started Loving You Again.”