Why July 3, 2001 Was One of the Darkest Days in Country Music History

For many people across the United States, July 3 is a day to prepare for holiday festivities. With Independence Day right around the corner, it’s a great day to make sure everything is in place for a day of celebration and a night of fireworks. However, July 3, 2001, was a dark day in country music history. The genre lost two legendary artists: Johnny Russell and Roy Nichols.

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Country music fans who aren’t overly interested in the genre’s history may not know those names. However, even those who are entirely uninterested in country’s historical figures outside of the big names like George Jones, Hank Williams, or Kitty Wells, would recognize the contributions of Russell and Nichols.

[RELATED: On This Day in 2001, Johnny Russell, the Songwriter Who Penned Hits for Buck Owens, the Beatles, George Strait, and Many More Died at 61]

Both men helped shape country music in general and the Bakersfield Sound in particular. They left indelible marks on the genre and left behind recorded work that defines an era. They also both died on July 3, 2001.

How Roy Nichols Impacted Country Music History

Let’s start with Roy Nichols. His is the more recognizable of the two names. He also left a bigger mark on the history of country music. Have you ever listened to Merle Haggard? Do you remember the iconic intro of “Mama Tried”? How about the lush Telecaster leads that appeared in many of Hag’s best tunes? That’s Nichols.

Nichols was an incredible guitarist who played in Haggard’s backing band, the Strangers, for more than two decades. He joined the band in 1965 and stepped down when his health forced him to retire in 1987. Before becoming one of the Strangers, he played with highly influential figures, including Johnny Cash (that’s his acoustic guitar on the original recording of “Tennessee Flat Top Box”), Wynn Stewart (one of the originators of The Bakersfield Sound), and the Maddox Brothers and Rose (the first popular country band in California).

He died at the age of 68 while being treated for a bacterial infection at a hospital in Bakersfield, California.

Johnny Russell Wrote a Pivotal Country Hit

Then, there was Johnny Russell. He was a singer/songwriter and part of the Bakersfield Sound scene in the 1960s and ’70s. He had a long list of top 40 country hits. And, in 1973 with “Rednecks, White Socks and Blue Ribbon Beer.” He also wrote George Strait’s No. 1 hit “Let’s Fall to Pieces Together.” However, his biggest claim to fame was the 1963 Buck Owens hit “Act Naturally,” which was later covered by the Beatles.

Russell wrote “Act Naturally” and gave his friend, Voni Morrison, writing credit on the song because she took it to Owens. At the time, Morrison was a member of his backing band, the Buckaroos. It became the country legend’s first No. 1 hit and kicked off a string of 14 consecutive chart-toppers.

He died of diabetes-related complications in a hospital near Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 61.

While many country fans may not recognize the names Roy Nichols and Johnny Russell, country music wouldn’t be the same without their history-making contributions.

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