The legendary Hank Snow was born on this date 99 years ago!  From Liverpool, Nova Scotia, the singer, songwriter and guitarist had also worked as a fisherman, insurance salesman and newspaper boy.  Clarence Eugene Snow had performed on many radio shows in Canada before moving to Nashville around 1950, the year he recorded one of most successful songs in country music history, "I'm Movin' On" (covered this year by Terri Clark and Dean Brody).  He has been inducted in several Halls:  the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, the Juno Awards Hall of Fame and the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.  Snow passed away in 1999.  Last year, a dear friend of mine, Al Hubley, and I went to visit another dear friend, retired booking agent Marilynne Caswell.  She had been a close friend of Hank's and has an autographed guitar in her living room.  Al, who grew up near Hank's hometown, was invited to play it and he did a Hank Snow song right in Marilynne's living room.

Honestly, there were overnight shifts and weekends when I'd be working and imagining, daydreaming really, about what it would be like to win a major, national broadcasting award.  I'd see the winners of the CCMA (Canadian Country Music Association) or RPM Big Country awards, broadcasters I admired, and dream of winning one, too, but never really expecting to.  I thought, "Wouldn't it be cool to win one before I turned 30 years old?"  Twenty-five years ago today, when I was working at 96.7 CKGL-FM in Kitchener, Ont., singer/songwriter Jamie Warren and I drove to Toronto in my red Camero (to save money on gas by going together) to attend the RPM Magazine Big Country Awards.  At our tables were simulated ballots we could fill in to keep track of who won the hardware.  When it got to Broadcaster of the Year, I started to write in the name of another broadcaster who was from a larger market and had been a previous winner when I heard my name announced.  I looked up from the sheet and looked over at the other guests at my table (singer Eddie Eastman and singer/songwriter Gilles Goddard, among others) for confirmation.  I couldn't believe it!  I handed my car keys to Jamie and said, "I'm celebrating tonight."  He was kind enough to drive back to Kitchener that night.  Thanks, Jamie.  That was 25 years ago today.  Less than two months after that night, I turned 29.  Dreams can come true.

Honestly, there were overnight shifts and weekends when I'd be working and imagining, daydreaming really, about what it would be like to win a major, national broadcasting award.  I'd see the winners of the CCMA (Canadian Country Music Association) or RPM Big Country awards, broadcasters I admired, and dream of winning one, too, but never really expecting to.  I thought, "Wouldn't it be cool to win one before I turned 30 years old?"  Twenty-five years ago today, when I was working at 96.7 CKGL-FM in Kitchener, Ont., singer/songwriter Jamie Warren and I drove to Toronto in my red Camero (to save money on gas by going together) to attend the RPM Magazine Big Country Awards.  At our tables were simulated ballots we could fill in to keep track of who won the hardware.  When it got to Broadcaster of the Year, I started to write in the name of another broadcaster who was from a larger market and had been a previous winner when I heard my name announced.  I looked up from the sheet and looked over at the other guests at my table (singer Eddie Eastman and singer/songwriter Gilles Goddard, among others) for confirmation.  I couldn't believe it!  I handed my car keys to Jamie and said, "I'm celebrating tonight."  He was kind enough to drive back to Kitchener that night.  Thanks, Jamie.  That was 25 years ago today.  Less than two months after that night, I turned 29.  Dreams can come true.

Fifteen years ago today, singer/songwriter Eddie Rabbitt died in Nashville of lung cancer at the age of 56.  He had 17 #1 hits on the country charts with "I Love a Rainy Night" staying at the top of the pop charts for two weeks in 1980!  Raised in New Jersey, he moved to Nashville and first stayed at a fleabag motel.  While sitting in the bathtub, looking around at his surroundings, he was inspired to write a song called "Working My Way Up to the Bottom."  But it wasn't until Elvis Presley recorded his song "Kentucky Rain," that Eddie finally felt like a real songwriter.

And two years ago today, New Brunswick singer Joey Knight died suddenly at the age of 56.  He had undergone surgery related to a problem with discs in his neck that caused numbness.  Joey began performing as a teenager and had four hits on the Canadian country music charts from 1986-1988.  He was inducted into the New Brunswick Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993.