July 25, 1995

St. Francis County native gospel, blues, and country singer Charlie Rich died. Rich was probably the most musically gifted of the first generation of rockabilly stars. Sustained success eluded him until 1973, when two blockbuster hits, “Behind Closed Doors” (No. 1 on the country charts) and “The Most Beautiful Girl” (No. 1 on both the pop and country charts), earned him a Grammy award and the Country Music Association’s Male Vocalist of the Year award.