Complex sentence: He began recording songs written by some of the biggest names in the industry; for instance, in March 1973 his rendition of Bill Anderson's "The Lord Knows I'm Drinking" became his first number-one country hit.
Split into simpler sentences: He began recording songs written by some of the biggest names in the industry. His rendition of Bill Anderson's "The Lord Knows I'm Drinking," for instance, was his first number-one country hit.