This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1934.
Events
* August –
Decca Records, Inc. established in New York City
* July –
Columbia Phonograph Company purchased by the
American Record Corporation
American Record Corporation (ARC), also referred to as American Record Company, American Recording Corporation, or ARC Records, was an American record company.
Overview
ARC was created in January 1929 by Louis G. Sylvester, president of Scran ...
(ARC)
Top Hillbilly (Country) Recordings
The Great Depression continued to wreak havoc on the American record industry in 1934.
The Grigsby-Grunow Company, owner of
Columbia Phonograph Company, failed, and Columbia was put up for sale. Columbia operations, catalogue and trademarks, as well as Okeh Records, were purchased by the
American Record Corporation
American Record Corporation (ARC), also referred to as American Record Company, American Recording Corporation, or ARC Records, was an American record company.
Overview
ARC was created in January 1929 by Louis G. Sylvester, president of Scran ...
(ARC) for $70,000 in July 1934. Columbia's pressing and warehouse facilities, along with equipment and machines, were absorbed by ARC, but for the next four years, both labels were dormant. Decca Records, Ltd., London, UK, formed
Decca Records, Inc. in the United States, and began operations in August 1934. Three former
Brunswick managers, including
Jack Kapp, were hired.
The following songs were extracted from records included in
Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954,
record sales reported on the "
Discography of American Historical Recordings
The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...
" website, and other sources as specified. Numerical rankings are approximate, they are only used as a frame of reference.
Births
* March 18 –
Charley Pride, singer and songwriter, country music's first African-American star (d.
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
)
* March 31 –
John D. Loudermilk
John Dee Loudermilk Jr. (March 31, 1934 – September 21, 2016) was an American singer and songwriter. Although he had his own recording career during the 1950s and 1960s, he was primarily known as a songwriter.
His best-known songs include "I ...
, singer and songwriter (died
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
).
* April 1 –
Jim Ed Brown, pop-styled singer who enjoyed success as part of a family group (
The Browns), as a solo artist and as part of a duet (with
Helen Cornelius), spanning the 1950s through early 1980s (died
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
).
* August 5 –
Vern Gosdin
Vernon Gosdin (August 5, 1934 – April 28, 2009) was an American country music singer. He had 19 top-10 solo hits on the country music charts from 1977 through 1990. Three of these hits went to Number One: " I Can Tell By the Way You Dance (You ...
, "The Voice" of many honky tonk-styled hits from the 1970s through early 1990s (died
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
).
* August 27 –
Frances Preston, music executive (died
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
).
* October 24 –
Sanger D. Shafer
Sanger D. Shafer (October 24, 1934 – January 12, 2019),
- at 2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
).
'All my Ex's live in Texas' songwriter dies at 84
/ref>
Deaths
Further reading
* Kingsbury, Paul, "Vinyl Hayride: Country Music Album Covers 1947–1989," Country Music Foundation, 2003 ()
* Millard, Bob, "Country Music: 70 Years of America's Favorite Music," HarperCollins, New York, 1993 ()
* Whitburn, Joel. "Top Country Songs 1944–2005 – 6th Edition." 2005.
References
{{Reflist
Country
Country music by year