On This Day in 1985, Ronnie Milsap Notched His 27th Career No. 1—a Medley Birthed in a Church Basement

Two years ago, Ronnie Milsap capped off his career with a final, star-studded performance at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena that included Kelly Clarkson, Scotty McCreery, Parker McCollum, Little Big Town, and more. It was a fitting end to an incredible career that saw massive success on both the pop and country charts as Milsap sprinkled elements of pop, R&B, and rock-and-roll into his work. On this day in 1985, he landed his 27th No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles and Tracks chart with “Lost in the Fifties Tonight (In the Still of the Night.)”

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Ronnie Milsap Enjoyed Another Crossover Hit

Released in July 1985, the song was the lead single and title track off Ronnie Milsap’s 17th studio album Lost in the Fifties Tonight. It was the first of four singles off the 1986 record, all of which would claim the top spot on the Billboard country singles chart. In fact, the album itself also reached No. 1 on country charts.

“Lost in the Fifties Tonight (In the Still of the Night)” is a medley of “Lost in the Fifties Tonight” written by Mike Reid and Troy Seals and “In the Still of the Night,” a 1956 hit from doo-wop group The Five Satins. Lead singer Fred Parris wrote the latter song after seeing a pretty woman walk past him while he was working guard duty in the U.S. Army. He and his bandmates recorded “In the Still of the Night” in a church basement in New Haven, Connecticut.

[RELATED: On This Day in 2009, Ronnie Milsap and a Group of First Responders Protested a Major Nashville Label to Save a Charity Single]

1985 was a banner year for country music, with 51 songs taking turns atop the 52-week Hot Country Single chart. Of those 51, “Lost in the Fifties Tonight (In the Still of the Night)” was one of just two to spend more than one week at No. 1. Ronnie Milsap also snagged his fourth Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance, along with the Song of the Year trophy at the 1986 Academy of Country Music Awards.

Joining the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2014, Ronnie Milsap collected 35 No. 1 country hits, fourth behind George Strait, Conway Twitty, and Merle Haggard. Despite retiring from the road in 2023, the six-time Grammy winner continues to record new music.

Featured image by Mark Junge/Getty Images)