This Day in Country History: March 7

Zach Bryan performs during the Quittin Time tour at Nissan Stadium

Photo by Keith Griner/Getty Images

Gilley's nightclub, which gets its name from part-owner Mickey Gilley, a notable country singer, opened on March 7, 1971, in Pasadena, Texas. The bar was home to the mechanical bull, and that, combined with its honky-tonk crowd, eventually drew the attention of Hollywood. Gilley's was the inspiration for and filming location of the 1980 movie Urban Cowboy starring John Travolta and Sissy Spacek.

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

You can't go wrong listening to these March 7 breakthrough hits and remembering milestones from this day in country music history:

1973: Eric Weissberg's "Dueling Banjos" hit No.2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, a song that also earned a Grammy in 1974 for Best Country Instrumental Performance. The song was later credited to Arthur Smith as it was based on his "Feudin' Banjos" song from 1955.
2010: Nashville songwriter T. Bone Burnett and his co-writer Ryan Bingham were the winners for Music (Original Song) at the 82nd Academy Awards. They won for the song "The Weary Kind" from the movie Crazy Heart with Jeff Bridges.
2016: The "Run Wild Horses" singer Aaron Watson's album The Underdog debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Country Albums. This is the first time an independent artist with a self-released album reached this status on the chart.
2020: Breaking two records, "Make Me Want To" by Jimmie Allen reached the top of the Billboard Country Airplay chart. It held the record for the longest climb to the top, at 58 weeks, and the longest chart run in history.
2024: During GRAMMY Award-winning Zach Bryan's The Quittin' Time Tour at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, Bryan brought out special guests The Middle East and Levi Turner. The Middle East's hit songs include "Dirty Looks" and "Deep Water," while Levi Turner has hit songs like "Cutting the Grass" and "Eleanor."

Cultural Milestones

If it weren't for these cultural milestones on March 7, country music wouldn't be what it is today:

1983: The Nashville Network launched from Opryland USA, a theme park near Nashville, Tennessee. While the channel featured country music, its main focus was the Southern and country lifestyle.
1983: The Outlaw Country Music star, Willie Nelson, received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award from the Songwriters' Hall of Fame.
1985: "We Are the World" was released as a single. This live song was recorded in one night, featuring multiple artists, including Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, and Kenny Rogers. "We Are the World" raised significant funds for famine relief for USA for Africa.
2014: In West Virginia, a resolution was passed making John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" one of its four official state songs. The other three state songs are "West Virginia Hills," "This Is My West Virginia," and "West Virginia."
2017: The "Old Country Still Rocks" singer Wade Hayes hosted a benefit at the Franklin Theatre in Franklin, Tennessee. At this cancer benefit, Tracy Lawrence joined Hayes to raise money for Country Hits Back, which benefited the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.

Notable Recordings and Performances

These notable country music recordings and performances from March 7 helped shape the country music landscape as we know it:

1973: Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn got together at Bradley's Barn in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, to record "As Soon As I Hang Up the Phone." The musicians had 12 duets that made it onto the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
2013: After becoming the youngest winner on The Voice at age 16, Danielle Bradbery's first video premiered on Country Music Television. "The Heart of Dixie" music video was for her first single, which she recorded soon after her win.
2014: Florida Georgia Line's "Round Here" received a Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In addition, Darius Rucker's "Wagon Wheel" received a 3x Platinum certification on this same date.
2015: Blake Shelton was a surprise guest at Miranda Lambert's show at the INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas, as part of her Certified Platinum Tour. Shelton and Lambert sang a duet together of Shelton's "God Gave Me You."
2025: Southeastern Records released Jason Isbell's new album, Foxes in the Snow.

Industry Changes and Challenges

Your favorite music genre didn't get where it is without facing these changes and challenges on March 7:

1980: Coal Miner's Daughter, a biography about the life of Loretta Lynn, opened in theaters. The movie starred Sissy Spacek, who won an Academy Award for her portrayal of the iconic country singer.
2000: Pee Wee King, born Julius Frank Anthony Kuczynski, died aged 86 in Louisville, Kentucky. He was probably best known for writing the "Tennessee Waltz," but he was also inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and did a 10-year stint performing at the Grand Ole Opry.
2014: Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill in Tucson, Arizona, closed for breach of contract. Over time, all of these franchises closed for various financial reasons.
2020: Jim Owen died at the age of 77. This entertainer performed The Jim Owen Show in Branson, Missouri, for nearly 30 years. Owen was also known for co-writing the hit song "Louisiana Women, Mississippi Man," famously recorded by Conway Twitty.
2020: Merle Haggard's drummer, Biff Adam, died at 83. Adam's worked with Haggard and a band called the Strangers, and he was Merle Haggard's bus driver and sometimes publicist. Music enthusiasts note that Adam developed a type of drumming called double shuffle beat.

Without these memorable March 7 moments, country music wouldn't be the genre you love so much today. Consider what the industry has been through as you hum along to your favorite country hits this spring.

Blake Shelton This Day In History Toby Keith Zach Bryan

Kristina HallWriter