Get out those Christmas albums!
For starters, play “If We Make It Through December” (by Terry Eldridge, The Roys or Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum). Or, how about Jimmy Martin’s “Lord We Sure Need Some Rainbows in December.” There’s also “Colder December” by Blue Moon Rising and “Late December” by Gold Heart.
1
Carter Stanley died, 1966.
Song suggestions: “In Memory of Carter Stanley” by Ralph Stanley, “Carter” from Ralph Stanley II, “Hills of Home” by Ralph Stanley, or “The Light in Carter Stanley’s Eyes” by Peter Rowan.
Daniel Bailey born, 1918 (died 3/22/2004)
Jack Cooke died, 2009
Gary Scruggs died, 2021
Pete Corum died, 2021
2
Ken Orrick born, 1940 (died 1/24/2009)
“Big Al” Weekley born, 1961
3
Saburo (Sab) Watanabe born, 1949 (died 11/21/2019)
Dale Ann Bradley born, 1964
Rabon Delmore born, 1916 (died Dec. 4, 1952).
“Tootie” Williams (Stone Mountain Boys) born, 1933 (died 6/28/2018)
Melissa Monroe died, 1990
Ray Davis died, 2014
4
Don Sowards born, 1930 (died 2018)
Chris Hillman born, 1944
Fred Bartenstein born, 1950
5
Prohibition Ended, 1933
(Play “Yeah, Beer” by Mason Via from his “New Horizons” album)
Molly O’Day died, 1987
Don Lineberger died, 2010
Soundtrack to the movie “O Brother Where Art Thou” was released, 2000
6
367 Coal Miners lost their lives in Monongah, West Virginia, the largest coal-mining disaster in American history, 1907
Douglas Porter born, 1956
John Gillis born, 1966
First sound recording by Thomas Alva Edison, 1877
Jim Eanes born, 1923 (died 11/21/1995)
Jack Cooke born, 1936 (died 12/3/2009)
7
Pearl Harbor Day
Song suggestions: “Between the Devil and the Deep” by Band of Ruhks, “Cowards over Pearl Harbor” by Wilma Lee Cooper, “7th of December” by the Osborne Brothers or by Jesse McReynolds and Bobby Osborne.”
Bobby Osborne born, 1931 (died 6/27/2023)
Song suggestion: “I’ve Seen It All” from Bobby’s “Memories” album.
Chris Jones born, 1959
Jason Burleson born, 1967
Terry Baucom died, 2023
8
The Original Bluegrass Band (Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, Chubby Wise and Cedric Rainwater) perform for the first time on the Grand Ole Opry, 1945
Flatt & Scruggs play Carnegie Hall (and record an album there), 1962
Song suggestion: “The Night Flatt and Scruggs Played Carnegie Hall” by Jerry Salley from his “Front Porch Philosophy” album.
Roy Acuff is honored at the Kennedy Center for the Arts, with President George W. Bush in attendance, 1991.
John Lennon fatally shot by Mark David Chapman, 1980
10
Vern Williams born, 1930 (died 6/6/2006)
Mike O’Reilly born, 1944 (died 6/1/2021)
Lachlan Davidson born, 1984
Dempsey Young died, 2006
John Duffey died, 1996
Song suggestion: “Tribute to John Duffey” by the Gentlemen of Bluegrass from their album “Carolina Memories.”
Lamar Grier died, 2019
11
Savannah and Sarah Church born, 1995
Charles Whitstein born, 1945
Butch Baldassari born, 1952 (died 1/10/2009)
Ronnie Stewart born, 1968
Flatt and Scruggs record “Foggy Mountain Breakdown”, 1949
Fiddlin’ John Carson died, 1949
12
Johnny Whisnant born, 1921
13
Song suggestion: “December 13” by the Boxcars.
Buck White born, 1930
Dale Vanderpool born, 1953 (died 8/19/2012)
Shannon Slaughter born, 1968
14
Ray Hesson born, 1941 (died 5/24/2016)
Keith Little born, 1955
Rick Abrams died, 1997
Joe Carr died, 2014
15
Red Rector born, 1929 (died May 31, 1990).
A.P. Carter born, 1891 (died Nov. 7, 1960).
Song suggestions: “The A.P. Carter Family Fold” by Jack Tottle or “Follow Me Back to the Fold” by Mark Newton.
Mike Anglin born, 1969
Bea Lilly born, 1921 (died 9/18/2005)
Frank Necessary died, 2011.
Jimmy Maynard died, 2015
17
Sharon White (Skaggs) born, 1953
Bill Napier born, 1935 (died 5/3/2000)
Roy Huskey, Jr. born, 1956 (died 9/6/1997)
Dan Fogelburg died, 2007
Lance LeRoy died, 2015
18
Raymond W. McLain born, 1953
Jim Mills born, 1966 (died 5/3/2024)
19
First performance by Uncle Dave Macon on Grand Ole Opry, 1925
“Jumpin” Bill Carlisle born, 1908
John McEuen born, 1945
Kyle Wood died, 2021
20
Courtney Johnson born, 1939 (died 6/6/1996)
Frank Necessary born, 1935 (died 12/15/2011)
Bill Keith born, 1939 (died 10/23/2015)
Chubby Anthony born, 1935 (died 2/5/1980)
Sally Ann Forrester born, 1922 (died 11/17/1999)
21
First Day of Winter
(For song suggestions, click here.)
Russell Moore born, 1963
David Crow born, 1979
Danny Barnes born, 1961
Johnny Bailes died, 1989
Harold Morrison died, 1993
22
Greg Cahill born, 1946
23
Pat Cloud born, 1950
Benny Sims died, 1995
24
Frank Ray born, 1946
Lulu Belle (Myrtle Eleanor Cooper) born, 1913 (died 2/8/1999)
Charlie Moore died, 1979
Charles Johnson (Jody Rainwater) died, 2011
Takeharu Kunimoto died, 2015
J. D. Crowe died, 2021
25
Christmas Day
(For song suggestions, click here)
First Day of Hanukkah (8 Days)
(Song suggestion: “In the Window” by Claire Lynch from her “Holiday” album.)
Curly Seckler born, 1919 (died 12/27/2017)
Alton Delmore born, 1908
Fletcher Bright died, 2017
“Rocky Top” by the Osborne Brothers released, 1967.
Tony Rice died, 2020
26
Alan O’Bryant born, 1955
Dwight Moody born, 1929
Bashful Brother Oswald (Kirby) born, 1911 (Died 10/17/2002)
Travis Lewis born, 1958
Jimmy Arnold died, 1992
John Palmer died, 1993
Jon Benet Ramsey murdered, 1997
Song suggestion: “The Mystery That Won’t Go Away” by Rice, Rice, Hillman and Pederson on their “Running Wild” album.
Miggie Lewis died, 2017
Stanley Brothers begin performing at WCYB in Bristol, Tennessee for the “Farm and Fun Time” Radio show, 1946.
27
Song suggestion: “Late December” by Gold Heart from their album “Places I’ve Been” (Mountain Fever)
Darrin Vincent born, 1969
Curly Seckler died, 2017
Seldom Scene record “Live at the Cellar Door”, 1974
28
Joe Diffie born, 1958 (died 5/29/2020)
Leslie Keith died, 1977
Bessie Lee Mauldin born, 1920 (died 2/8/1983)
29
Trevor Noble born, 1982
Harley Gabbard died, 2003
Mike Auldridge died, 2012
30
Mike Auldridge born, 1938 (died 12/29/2012)
John Hartford born, 1937 (died 6/4/2001)
Song suggestion: Play “Radio John” by Sam Bush, “Song for John Hartford” by Chatham County Line or “Hartford’s Bend” by Thomm Jutz.
Melvin Goins born, 1933 (died 7/29/2016)
Dailey & Vincent join the Grand Ole Opry, 2016
Doyle Lawson retires from active touring, 2021. His last show was at the New Years Bluegrass Festival at Jekyll Island, Georgia.
31
New Year’s Eve
(For song suggestions, click here)
Ronnie Simpkins born, 1958
Van Stoneman born, 1940 (died 6/3/1995)
Joe Meadows born, 1934 (died 2/8/2003)
Monroe Fields born, 1928 (died 2/21/2015)
Harley Gabbard born, 1935 (died 12/29/2003)
Jim McReynolds died, 2002
Eddie Shelton died, 1999
Hairl Hensley born, 1936; died on his birthday, 2017
Nickel Creek releases first album “Little Cowpoke,” 1993. It was first played on the radio by Wayne Rice on KSON, San Diego.
Blue Highway was born on this date, 1994.