Today In History

The Davy Crockett television show aired in 1954-1955 and starred Fess Parker. It is considered the first miniseries of all time running only for five episodes as segments of the Disneyland television show. It captured the hearts of both young and old, and became an instant pop sensation. The theme song “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” soon was a number one single, selling in the millions. In addition, a huge Davy Crockett merchandising craze swept the nation featuring Davy Crockett lunch boxes, thermoses, board games, moccasins, playsuits, trading cards, Davy Crockett comic books and Little Golden Books. Every kid had to have a coonskin cap, and over 100 million dollars was raised from these merchandise sales helping to fund the construction of Disneyland.

James Vernon Taylor born March 12, 1948 is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best selling artists of all time, having sold more than 100 million records worldwide. Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the No. 3 single "Fire and Rain" and had his first No. 1 hit the following year with "You've Got a Friend", a recording of Carole King's classic song. His 1976 Greatest Hits album was certified Diamond and has sold 12 million US copies. Following his 1977 album, JT, he has retained a large audience over the decades. Every album that he released from 1977 to 2007 sold over a million copies. His chart performance had a resurgence during the late 1990s and 2000s, when he recorded some of his most-awarded work including Hourglass, October Road, and Covers. He achieved his first number one album in the US in 2015 with his recording Before This World.