Raizor's Edge

Dates of Note in Country Music, January 16-31

2012-01-14T23:39:00.001-05:00

Category: News

(Country Music Hall of Famers in bold)

January 16:

Ronnie Milsap born in Robbinsville, North Carolina, 1943 (now 69)
Jim Stafford born in Eloise, Florida, 1944 (now 68)
Sandy Pinkard of Pinkard & Bowden born in Abbeville, Louisiana, 1947 (now 65)
Roy Lanham of the Sons of the Pioneers born in Corbin, Kentucky, 1923 (died 1991)
Ruby Falls born in Jackson, Tennessee, 1946 (died 1986)
Dizzy Dean born in Lucas, Arkansas, 1910 (died 1974). The legendary baseball player is credited with dubbing Roy Acuff "King of Country Music."
Carl Smith died in Nashville, Tennessee (stroke), 2010 (was 82)
Bill Monroe seriously injured in a car wreck, 1953. Monroe was away from performing for six months while recovering.
Jimmy Buffett's private plane was shot at by Jamaican authorities, 1996. The Jamaican police mistook Buffett's plane for one belonging to a drug kingpin. No one on board Buffett's plane was injured.

January 17:
Steve Earle born in Fort Monroe, Virginia, 1955 (now 57)
Amanda Wilkinson of the Wilkinsons born in Belleville, Ontario, 1982 (now 30)
Walter Bailes of the Bailes Brothers born in Kanawha County, West Virginia, 1920 (died 2000)
Grady Martin born in Marshall County, Tennessee, 1929 (died 2001)
Cliffie Stone died in his home in Saugus, California (heart attack), 1998 (was 80)
Frank "Hylo" Brown died in Mechanicsburg, Ohio (natural causes), 2003 (was 81)
The street in front of Graceland renamed "Elvis Presley Boulevard," 1972

January 18:

Bobby Edwards born in Aniston, Alabama, 1926 (now 86)
Hargus "Pig" Robbins born in Spring City, Tennessee, 1938 (now 74)
Mark Collie born in Waynesboro, Tennessee, 1956 (now 56)
Linda Parker of the Cumberland Ridge Runners born in Covington, Kentucky, 1912 (died 1935)
Eddie Hill died (long-term illness), 1994 (was 74)

January 19:

Oscar Sullivan born in Edmonton, Kentucky, 1919 (now 93)
Stu Phillips born in Montreal, Quebec, 1933 (now 79)
Phil Everly born in Chicago, Illinois, 1939 (now 73)
Dolly Parton born in Locast Ridge, Tennessee, 1946 (now 66)
Stephanie Davis born in Bridger, Montana, 1958 (now 54)
Dennie Crouch of the Nashville Bluegrass Band born in Strawberry, Arkansas, 1967 (now 45)
Leo Soileau born in Ville Platte, Louisiana, 1904 (died 1980)
Ken Nelson born in Caledonia, Minnesota, 1911 (died 2008)
Ralph Peer died in Los Angeles, California (unknown cause), 1960 (was 67)
Vic McAlpin died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 1980 (was 61)
Carl Perkins died in Jackson, Tennessee (complications of stroke/throat cancer), 1998 (was 65)
James O'Gwynn died in Hattiesburg, Mississippi (long-term illness), 2011 (was 82)
George Jones has his first recording session (for Starday), 1954

January 20:

Slim Whitman born in Tampa, Florida, 1924 (now 88). In 2008 Whitman was incorrectly listed as deceased the day after his birthday.
John Michael Montgomery born in Danville, Kentucky, 1965 (now 47)
George Burns born in New York, New York, 1896 (died 1996). The legendary comedian and actor had a top 20 country song in 1980 with "I Wish I Was Eighteen Again."

January 21:

Mac Davis born in Lubbock, Texas, 1942 (now 70)
Jim Ibbottson of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1947 (now 65)
Huddie "Leadbelly" Leadbetter born in Mooringsport, Louisiana, 1889 (died 1949). The year of Leadbelly's birth is open for debate, as is the actual day, with numerous sources citing January 20, January 21, or January 23, and years of 1888 or 1889.
Cedric Rainwater died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1970 (was 56)
Jim Anglin died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 1987 (was 73)
Colonel Tom Parker died in Las Vegas, Nevada (stroke), 1997 (was 87). In addition to Elvis, Parker managed Eddy Arnold, Hank Snow, and Minnie Pearl early in their careers.
Patsy Cline appeared on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts and won the talent show,1957

January 22:

J.P. Pennington of Exile born in Berea, Kentucky, 1949 (now 63)
Teddy Gentry of Alabama born in Fort Payne, Alabama, 1952 (now 60)
Dickie McBride of Cliff Bruner's Texas Wanderers born in New Baden, Texas, 1914 (died 1971)
Jimmy Day died in Buda, Texas (cancer), 1999 (was 65)
Janette Carter, the last surviving member of the Carter Family, died in Kingsport, Tennessee (Parkinson's disease/illness), 2006 (was 82)

January 23:

Etta May born in Bald Knob, Arkansas, 1962 (now 50)
Johnny Russell born in Sunflower County, Mississippi, 1940 (died 2001)
T. Texas Tyler died in Springfield, Missouri (stomach cancer), 1972 (was 55)
Art Stamper (fiddler in the Clinch Mountain Boys) died in Louisville, Kentucky (throat cancer), 2005 (was 71)
Johnny Carson died in Hollywood, California (emphysema), 2005 (was 79). Carson had a number of country artists on The Tonight Show, including over two dozen appearances by Homer and Jethro, who Carson considered his favorites.
The Winter Dance Party begins in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1959. Three of the headliners, Buddy Holly, J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, and Richie Valens, would die 11 days later.

January 24:

Doug Kershaw born in Tiel Ridge, Louisiana, 1936 (now 76)
Jack Scott born in Windsor, Ontario, 1936 (now 76)
Ray Stevens born in Clarksdale, Georgia, 1939 (now 73)
Becky Hobbs born in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, 1950 (now 62)
Keech Rainwater of Lonestar born in Plano, Texas, 1963 (now 49)
Warren Zevon born in Chicago, Illinois, 1947 (died 2001). The folk-rock singer wrote "Poor Poor Pitiful Me," which was a hit on the country charts by both Linda Ronstadt and Terri Clark. Zevon also had Dwight Yoakam on two albums and appeared in South of Heaven, West of Hell, which Yoakam directed and starred in.
Shot Jackson died in Nashville, Tennessee (complications of stroke), 1991 (was 70)
Justin Tubb died in Nashville, Tennessee (aortic aneurysm), 1998 (was 62)

January 25:

Claude Gray born in Henderson, Texas, 1932 (now 80)
Farrell "Rusty" Draper born in Kirksville, Missouri, 1923 (died 2003)
Speedy West born in Springfield, Missouri, 1924 (died 2003)
Cactus Jack Call died in Kansas City, Missouri (car wreck), 1963 (was 39). A benefit concert for the disc jockey five weeks later would be the final performances by Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins, and Cowboy Copas.
Buddy Charleton died in Austin, Texas (lung cancer), 2011 (was 72)

January 26:

Dave Rowland of Dave & Sugar born in Sanger, California, 1942 (now 70)
Lucinda Williams born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, 1953 (now 59)
James O'Gwynn born in Winchester, Mississippi, 1928 (died 2011)
Clayton McMichen born in Allatoona, Georgia, 1900 (died 1970)
Goebel Reeves died in Long Beach, California (heart attack), 1959 (was 59)
Charlie Louvin died in Wartrace, Tennessee (pancreatic cancer), 2011 (was 83)
Hillary Clinton disparagingly invoked Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man" during an interview, 1992

January 27:

Buddy Emmons born in Mishawaka, Indiana, 1937 (now 75)
Lee Carroll of Exile born in Glasgow, Kentucky, 1953 (now 59)
Cheryl White of the Whites born in Wichita Falls, Texas, 1955 (now 57)
Richard Young of the Kentucky Headhunters born in Glasgow, Kentucky, 1955 (now 57)
Tracy Lawrence born in Atlanta, Texas, 1968 (now 44)
Joe Callahan of the Callahan Brothers born in Madison County, North Carolina, 1910 (died 1971)
Claude Akins died in Altadena, California (cancer), 1994 (was 67). Among the actor's roles was Sonny on the TV series Movin' On, which featured the title song performed by Merle Haggard.

January 28:

Greg Cook of Ricochet born in Vian, Oklahoma, 1965 (now 47)
Bill Phillips born in Canton, North Carolina, 1936 (died 2010)
Skeeter Willis died in Nashville, Tennessee (lymph cancer), 1976 (was 58)
Al Dexter died in Lewisville, Texas (heart attack), 1984 (was 78)
Jimmy Fortune joins the Statler Brothers, 1982

January 29:
Patsy Sledd born in Falcon, Missouri, 1944 (now 68)
Irlene Mandrell of the Mandrell Sisters born in Corpus Christi, Texas, 1957 (now 55)
Lloyd Perryman of the Sons of the Pioneers born in Ruth, Arkansas, 1917 (died 1977)
Little Jimmy Sizemore born in Paintsville, Kentucky, 1928 (died 1985)

January 30:

Jeanne Pruett born in Pell City, Alabama, 1937 (now 75)
Norma Jean ("Pretty Miss Norma Jean") born in Wellston, Oklahoma, 1938 (now 74)
Harold Morrison born in High Lonesome, Missouri, 1931 (died 1993)
Melvin Endsley born in Drasco, Arkansas, 1934 (died 2004)
Ott Devine died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 1994 (was 83)

January 31:

Lynwood Lunsford of Lost & Found born in Roxboro, North Carolina, 1962 (now 50)
Warren Smith died in Longview, Texas (heart attack), 1981 (was 47)
Doc Williams died in Wheeling, West Virginia (natural causes), 2011 (was 96)

Burning Down the House

2012-01-14T13:17:00.000-05:00

Category: Concert Review

Sam Bush and his band knew exactly how to warm up a very cold Indianapolis night when they kicked off their 2012 concert tour at the Palladium in Carmel. Bush and the band gave the crowd a healthy dose of his wonderfully eclectic music.

Bush is a masterful mandolinist, a disciple of both Bill Monroe's pure bluegrass style and Jethro Burns' hot jazz picking. He does not, and has never, made any apologies for not being "true" to one style. In fact, in March 2010 Bush's hometown of Bowling Green, Kentucky held a "Father of Newgrass" day to honor the fusion of different genres that Bush brings to his music. Think the entire Americana format in one person and you will get a hint of a Sam Bush show. "For those of you who've seen us before, you know we do a wide variety of music," Bush told the audience. "And if this is your first time seeing us, we do a wide variety of music."

Bush opened the show with two instrumentals including one he titled "The Mahavishnu Mountain Boys." Bush explained the title came from a comment that a more traditional bluegrass fan had about their "complicated" music: "Who do you think you are, the Mahavishnu Mountain Boys?"

The two hour-plus show contained something for everyone, from the purely bluegrass rendition of Grandpa Jones' "Eight More Miles to Louisville" to "Unconditional Love" from his Newgrass Revival days to an amazing electrified version of "Laps in Seven," the title song from his 2006 album that was inspired by listening to his dog's rhythmic water drinking. One of the show's highlights was "The Ballad of Stringbean and Estelle" from Bush's most recent (2009) album Circles Around Me. The song is the sadly true story of the murder of Dave "Stringbean" Akeman in 1973 by two cousins who were out to rob him of his Opry pay, which he always received in cash because he (as many others from the Depression) didn't trust banks. A very terrible piece of country music history set to music and masterfully delivered.

Before playing the encore, a smoking version of Charlie Monroe's classic "Bringing in the Georgia Mail," Bush remarked how Charlie's brother, Father of Bluegrass Bill, would always criticize Bush's long hair. "Every time I'd walk by him he'd say, 'There goes the mother,'" Sam quipped.

Sam Bush is hardly "strictly bluegrass," and he makes no bones about it. What he definitely is, however, is a gifted performer and musician. A Sam Bush concert is not to be missed.

New Dailey and Vincent

2012-01-03T14:19:00.000-05:00

Category: News

The hottest thing in bluegrass the past five years has been Dailey and Vincent, the team composed of former Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver tenor singer Jamie Dailey and Kentucky Thunder (and brother of Rhonda Vincent) member Darrin Vincent. Their first hit, a cover of Gillian Welch's "By the Mark," set the bluegrass world on its ear. Eleven IBMA awards later, their new album is scheduled for release next week.

As with their Grammy-nominated 2010 album Dailey and Vincent Sing the Statler Brothers, their new gospel-only album, The Gospel Side of Dailey & Vincent, will be released in conjunction with Rounder solely for sale in Cracker Barrel stores nationwide. Prior to the album's release Dailey & Vincent will be guests on the legendary Eddie Stubbs radio program on WSM on January 5 to debut the album. The duo will also make in-store appearances at Cracker Barrels between concerts.

Dailey & Vincent have also been recording an album for release on their parent label, Rounder, later this year.

Cracker Barrel's press release

"I Can Still Draw a Crowd"

2012-01-03T11:43:00.001-05:00

Category: Tribute

On Saturday, January 3, 1998, Grandpa Jones performed as usual on the Grand Ole Opry. He had been on the show since 1946, when he first appeared as a member of Pee Wee King's band. After he finished, he went backstage and collapsed near Porter Wagoner's dressing room. His fellow performers gathered around him, all concerned for the 84-year-old Country Music Hall of Fame member. 'Pa, as he was affectionately known, looked up and quipped, "Well, at least it's good to know that I can still draw a crowd."

Louis Marshall Jones, known since the age of thirty as "Grandpa" for his "old man of the mountains" (per Billboard) sound, had suffered a stroke. Three days later, he would suffer a second, more debilitating, stroke that paralyzed him and, on February 19, 1998, took his life.

People of the Hee Haw generation basically know Grandpa Jones as the clawhammer banjo playing man who told everyone "what's for supper" ("Well I's gonna have beans and I's gonna have corn, and I's gonna have biscuits as sure as you're born, but I left the door open and Rattler 'n the pups snuck in the kitchen and 'et 'em all up"). As usual, when "best-known for" summarizes one's life in the obituary, there was so much more to 'Pa than that. He began on Lum and Abner in 1933, then moved to Boston (yes, that Boston) to work with Bradley Kincaid on the radio. He was able to support himself as "the young singer of old songs" throughout the Depression. After World War II he landed in Cincinnati, the hotbed of country music in the immediate post-War era. He joined WLW and secured a record deal with the first all-hillbilly record label, King. He teamed up with Cowboy Copas and recorded "The Steppin' Out Kind" and "You'll Be Lonesome Too" under the pseudonym the Sheppard Brothers (because their other employer, WLW, would fire any act who made a record), the record that bears the distinction of being King's first release. While on King he recorded songs that ranged from novelty ("Mountain Dew," which featured Jethro Burns playing mandolin on the original recording) to serious ("It's Raining Here This Morning," his first release under his own name). He also teamed up with other local-based talent to create a "supergroup" for the ages. With fellow King Records artists Alton and Rabon Delmore and a rotating bass singer of Merle Travis or Red Foley the Browns Ferry Four (named after Browns Ferry in northern Alabama that inspired the title of the classic Delmore Brothers song "Browns Ferry Blues") recorded nearly four dozen gospel songs that were, and remain, cherished in the world of country, bluegrass, and Southern gospel. The influence of the Browns Ferry Four followed 'Pa for the rest of his life, too: in 1994 he told me that the Hee Haw Quartet (Jones, Buck Owens, Roy Clark, and Kenny Price) was "just an attempt to imitate the Browns Ferry Four." The individuals who comprised the group are all in the Hall of Fame. Grandpa's honor came in 1978.

One of the worst things that ever happened to Grandpa was one of the worst things that could happen to any of us: on Sunday, November 11, 1973, he found the bodies of his dear friends Dave "Stringbean" Akeman and wife Estelle at their home. Stringbean, an avid fisherman (there is an etching of a fishing pole on his grave marker) and 'Pa were going fishing early Sunday morning. Instead, when Stringbean (a gifted clawhammer banjo player himself) returned home from the Opry on Saturday night robbers were waiting for him. Instead of just taking the money they murdered Stringbean then his wife as she tried to escape. Grandpa was the first at the crime scene the next morning. Although it was a targeted crime -- String was well-known to carry large sums of cash because, after suffering through the Depression he didn't trust banks -- 'Pa was scared by the murders. In 1979 he moved away from Nashville to Arkansas in order to feel safer. He kept an apartment in Nashville for his Opry appearances and Hee Haw tapings.

Hee Haw airs regularly on RFD. This week, make an effort to watch it and pay particular attention to the jocularity and musical brilliance that was Louis Jones.

Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?

2012-01-02T13:48:00.000-05:00

Category: News

One of the best-kept secrets of late 2011 was the fact that there was a movie released dealing with the final hours of Hank Williams' life. After watching the trailer, I'm inclined to believe that's not a bad thing.

The film, The Last Ride, was given a limited release in October. A wider release is promised for early 2012. Maybe a better way to put it is, "A wider release is threatened for early 2012." One of the comments about the film at the Hank Williams Journal blog site said, "This trailer appears to allude to a film that would be best served debuting on the Lifetime Channel."

We should never expect fact when dealing with a biopic. I learned that at a very early age after seeing Houdini starring Tony Curtis: the conclusion of the film shows Houdini drowning in an unsuccessful attempt to escape a Chinese water torture chamber, when in reality Houdini died of peritonitis. Peritonitis apparently isn't as cinematic as drowning, so throw reality out the window.

Having said that, when a company claims a movie is "fact-based," they need to either (a) make things factual or (b) clarify with an asterisk that their definition of "fact-based" means that one character in the film actually existed. Based on the trailer (and that is all I have to go on at the moment, I will admit) I think the latter is the case. It has been well-documented that Hank had to be dragged out of his hotel room at the Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville for the trip to Canton, Ohio for a New Year's day show with Homer & Jethro and Hawkshaw Hawkins, leading many to speculate that Williams was already dead before he left Knoxville. (A number of friends of mine, all far more educated in all things Hiram K. Williams than I'll ever be, all dispute this fact.) If he was in various stages of unconsciousness in Knoxville it's a safe bet he wasn't sitting in the back seat, firing guns at pick-up trucks as they passed.

The movie really seems to be more of the story of the driver (Charles Carr) than Hank Williams, and Hank is just part of the backdrop, like the car or the scenery. And let me emphasize story, as in fiction. Reading Charles Carr's account of the real "last ride," there were no guns being shot, no threats of violence, and definitely no time to stop and dance, drink and put in the obligatory sex scenes. The reason Carr was hired in the first place was to get Hank to two shows, one in Charleston, West Virginia and the other in Canton, Ohio. The weather was bad and they were on a strict deadline -- and this was before the advent of the interstate highway system that makes getting from point A to point B a breeze.

So, based on comments and the trailer, I have to say Hank Williams has yet again been dealt a dirty hand by a "biopic." He deserves better. So do the fans.

Dates of Note in Country Music, January 1-15

2012-01-01T20:49:00.001-05:00

Category: News

(Country Music Hall of Famers in bold)

January 1:

Frank Kettering of the Hoosier Hot Shots born in Monmouth, Illinois, 1909 (died 1973)
Hank Williams died in the back seat of a car between Knoxville, Tennessee and Oak Hill, West Virginia (cardiac arrest), 1953 (was 29)
Aubrey "Moon" Mullican died in Beaumont, Texas (heart attack), 1967 (was 57)
Floyd "Salty" Holmes of the Prairie Ramblers died (unknown cause), 1970 (was 60)
Townes Van Zandt died in Mount Juliet, Tennessee (heart attack), 1997 (was 52)
Del Reeves died in Nashville, Tennessee (emphysema), 2007 (was 73)
Cousin Jody (ne James Summey) quit Roy Acuff's Smoky Mountain Boys (along with two other members), 1939. Acuff replaced Cousin Jody with Beecher Ray Kirby, who was later nicknamed "Bashful Brother Oswald."
Johnny Cash played at San Quentin prison, 1959. Among the prisoners in attendance was Merle Haggard.
The first episode of The Porter Wagoner Show aired in syndication, 1961

January 2:

Harold Bradley born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1926 (now 86)
Dick Feller born in Bronaugh, Missouri, 1943 (now 69)
Roger Miller born in Fort Worth, Texas, 1936 (died 1992)
Red Smiley died in Richmond, Virginia (complications from diabetes), 1972 (was 46)
Tex Ritter died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1974 (was 68)
Wayne Walker died (unknown causes), 1979 (was 53)
Louise Scruggs, wife and manager of Earl Scruggs, died in Nashville, Tennessee (respiratory disease), 2006 (was 78)

January 3:

Nikki Nelson of Highway 101 born in San Diego, California, 1969 (now 43)
Leon McAuliffe born in Houston, Texas, 1917 (died 1988)
Felton Jarvis died in Nashville, Tennessee (stroke), 1981 (was 46)
Doye O'Dell died in Northridge, California (complications of a stroke), 2001 (was 88)
Quanah Talmadge Tubb (better known as Billy Talmadge Tubb) died in El Paso, Texas (unknown causes), 2007 (was 81)
Grandpa Jones suffered stroke after performing on the Grand Ole Opry, 1998
Sam Phillips opened Sun Recording Studio, 1950

January 4:

Lorene Mann born in Huntland, Tennessee, 1937 (now 75)
Mike Henderson born in Independence, Missouri, 1955 (now 57)
Kathy Forester of the Forester Sisters born in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, 1955 (now 57)
Patty Loveless born in Pikeville, Kentucky, 1957 (now 55)
Deana Carter born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1966 (now 46)
Clayton McMichen died in Battletown, Kentucky (unknown causes), 1970 (was 69)
Jake Hess died in Opelika, Alabama (complications of heart attack), 2004 (was 76)
First barn dance program in America airs on WBAP, Fort Worth, Texas, 1923

January 5:

Steve Ripley of the Tractors born in Boise, Idaho, 1950 (now 62)
Iris DeMent born in Paragould, Arkansas, 1961 (now 51)
Big Bill Lister born in Kenedy, Texas, 1923 (died 2009)

Sam Phillips (Sun Records owner) born in Florence, Alabama, 1923 (died 2003)
Tug McGraw, former baseball pitcher and father of Tim McGraw, died in his son's home in Nashville, Tennessee (brain cancer), 2004 (was 59)

January 6:

Earl Scruggs born in Flint Hill, North Carolina, 1924 (now 88)
Joey Miskulin ("Joey the Cow Polka King") of Riders in the Sky born in Chicago, Illinois, 1949 (now 63)
Jett Williams born in Montgomery, Alabama, 1953 (now 59)
Harry "Hap" Peebles born in Anthony, Kansas, 1913 (died 1993)
Autry Inman born in Florence, Alabama, 1929 (died 1988)

Bobby Lord born in Sanford, Florida, 1934 (died 2008)

Chubby Wise died in Bowie, Maryland (heart attack), 1996 (was 80)
Bobby Austin died in Camas, Washington (illness), 2002 (was 68)
Sneaky Pete Kleinkow died in Petaluma, California (complications of Alzheimer's disease), 2007 (was 72)
Ken Nelson died in Somis, California (natural causes), 2008 (was 96)

January 7:

Jack Greene born in Maryville, Tennessee, 1930 (now 82)
Leona Williams born in Vienna, Missouri, 1943 (now 69)
Marshall Chapman born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, 1949 (now 63)
David Lee Murphy born in Herrin, Illinois, 1959 (now 53)
John Rich born in Amarillo, Texas, 1974 (now 38)
Bunny Biggs (Jamup of Jamup and Honey) born, 1897 (died 1948)
Owen Bradley died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart ailment/complications of flu), 1998 (was 82)

January 8:

Christy Lane born in Peoria, Illinois, 1940 (now 72)
Holly Tashian born in New York, New York, 1946 (now 66)

Hoke Rice of the Rice Brothers born in Gainesville, Georgia, 1909 (died 1974)
Luther Perkins born in Memphis, Tennessee, 1928 (died 1968)
Elvis Presley born in Tupelo, Mississippi, 1935 (died 1977)
Randall Hylton born in Willis, Virginia, 1946 (died 2001)
Sara Carter died in Kingsport, Tennessee (natural causes), 1979 (was 79)
Maxwell Emmett "Pat" Buttram, sidekick to Gene Autry, died in Los Angeles, California (kidney failure), 1994 (was 78)
The U.S. Postal Service issues a 29c postage stamp featuring Elvis Presley, 1993. The stamp is the Postal Service's best-selling commemorative stamp of all-time, with sales of over 517,000,000.
Billboard magazine publishes first "Hillbilly Records" chart, 1944. The first #1 song was "Pistol Packin' Mama" -- the Bing Crosby & Andrews Sisters' version. Al Dexter's original would be the second #1 song in Billboard chart history.

January 9:

Roy Head born in Three Rivers, Texas, 1943 (now 69)
Crystal Gayle born in Paintsville, Kentucky, 1951 (now 61)
Jimmy Day born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 1934 (died 1999)
Big Al Downing born in Lenapah, Oklahoma, 1940 (died 2005)
Jimmy Boyd ("I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus") born in McComb, Mississippi, 1940 (died 2009)

Richard Nixon born in Yorba Linda, California, 1913 (died 1994). Nixon was the first sitting U.S. president to attend the Grand Ole Opry (1974).
Jon Hager of the Hager Twins died in Nashville, Tennessee (illness), 2009 (was 67)

January 10:

Curly Ray Cline born in Braisden, West Virginia, 1923 (died 1997)
Zeb Turner died (cancer), 1978 (was 62)
Loretta Webb married Oliver "Mooney" Lynn, 1948

January 11:

Naomi Judd born in Ashland, Kentucky, 1946 (now 66)
Robert Earl Keen born in Houston, Texas, 1956 (now 56)
Tommy Duncan born in Hillsboro, Texas, 1911 (died 1967)
Goldie Hill Smith born in Kanes County, Texas, 1933 (died 2005)
Max D. Barnes died in Nashville, Tennesee (pneumonia), 2004 (was 67)
Jimmy Griffin of the Remingtons died in Franklin, Tennessee (cancer), 2005 (was 61)
Margaret Whiting died in Englewood, New Jersey (natural causes), 2011 (was 86)
Stonewall Jackson filed $10 million age discrimination lawsuit against the Grand Ole Opry, 2007

January 12:

Ray Price born in Perryville, Texas, 1926 (now 86)
William Lee Golden of the Oak Ridge Boys born in Brewton, Alabama, 1939 (now 73)
Ricky Van Shelton born in Danville, Virginia, 1952 (now 60)
LaWanda Lindsey born in Tampa, Florida, 1953 (now 59)
Claudia Church Crowell born in Lenoir, North Carolina, 1962 (now 50)
Tex Ritter born in Panola County, Texas, 1905 (died 1974)
Paul Warren died in Nashville, Tennessee (illness), 1978 (was 59)
The film O Brother, Where Art Thou opened nationwide, 2001. The soundtrack won three Grammy awards: Album of the Year, Best Country Collaboration with Vocals (Dan Tyminski, "Man of Constant Sorrow"), and Best Male Country Vocal Performance (Dr. Ralph Stanley, "O Death"). It also sold over eight million copies and sparked a brief resurgence in the popularity of bluegrass and traditional country music.

January 13:

Trace Adkins born in Springhill, Louisiana, 1962 (now 50)
Jenny Lou Carson born in Decatur, Illinois, 1915 (died 1978)
Doyle Holly died in Nashville, Tennessee (prostate cancer), 2007 (was 70)

January 14:

Joseph Henry "T-Bone" Burnett born in St. Louis Missouri, 1948 (now 64). An Americana music performer and producer (of albums by Los Lobos and the BoDeans), he was the producer of the award-winning soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou.
Billie Jo Spears born in Beaumont, Texas, 1937 (died 2011)

January 15:

David Lynn Jones born in Bexar, Arkansas, 1950 (now 62)
Kurt Howell of Southern Pacific born in Winter Haven, Florida, 1958 (now 54)
Billy Walker born in Ralls, Texas, 1929 (died 2006)

Jack Guthrie died in Livermore, California (tuberculosis), 1948 (was 32)
Vic Willis died in Hohenwald, Tennessee (car wreck), 1995 (was 72)

Country Music's Final Notes of 2011

2011-12-29T01:26:00.002-05:00

Category: Tribute

Here is a list of the people in the world of country music for whom the final curtain fell in 2011.

Harley Allen (lung cancer, March 30, age 55): the son of bluegrass great Red Allen was a singer and songwriter on his own, having penned such songs as Dierks Bentley's "My Last Name," John Michael Montgomery's "The Little Girl" and Alan Jackson's "Between the Devil and Me."

Liz Anderson (heart and lung disease, October 28, age 81): Lynn Anderson's mother had a career as a singer ("Mama Spank," "The Game of Triangles") and a songwriter ("(All My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers," her daughter's hit "If I Kiss You (Will You Go Away)," and Homer & Jethro's "I Crept Into the Crypt and Cried").

Kenny Baker (stroke, July 8, age 85): he was Bill Monroe's fiddler for a quarter century, and some would argue that he was the best fiddler bluegrass ever saw.

Carl Bunch (complications of diabetes, March 26, age 71): As a 19-year-old he was on tour as Buddy Holly's drummer and found himself in the hospital suffering from frostbite when Holly lost his life. In the 60s he played drums with Hank Williams Jr. and Roy Orbison before retiring to the ministry.

Patsi Bale Cox (emphysema, November 5, age 66): a gifted writer with a passion for country music, she wrote her own books (The Garth Factor) and collaborated with the likes of Loretta Lynn (Still Woman Enough), Tanya Tucker (Nickel Dreams) and Ralph Emery (50 Years Down a Country Road).

Jack Barlow (long illness, July 29, age 87): a singer/songwriter with hits such as "I Love Country Music" and "Catch the Wind," he also recorded a novelty song, "The Man on Page 602," under the pseudonym Zoot Fenster.

Todd Cerney (cancer, March 14, age 57): Songwriter behind the 2002 hit "Good Morning Beautiful" and "I'll Still Be Loving You."

Buddy Charleton (lung cancer, January 25, age 72): No one needed Ernest Tubb to say, "Ah, Buddy now," when Charleton took a steel guitar break in an Ernest Tubb song because we all knew that distinctive sound that made songs such as "Waltz Across Texas" the classics they are.

Wilma Lee Cooper (natural causes, September 13, age 90): 100% pure country mountain music from start to finish, Wilma Lee started with husband Stoney and continued on the Opry after his death until a 2001 stroke left her unable to perform.

Charlie Craig (lung cancer, July 1, age 73): Songwriter behind "She's Single Again" by Janie Fricke and "Wanted" by Alan Jackson.

Hazel Dickens (pneumonia, April 22, age 75): A recipient of IBMA's Distinguished Achievement award, Hazel was the child of hard times in West Virginia who could articulate those emotions in song, then deliver them, like no one else.

Joel "Taz" DiGregorio (car wreck, October 12, age 67): Charlie Daniel's keyboard player and songwriting partner for nearly 40 years, he wrote the fan favorite "The Devil Went Down to Georgia."

Charlie Douglas (ne Douglas China, unknown cause, November 24, age 78): Charlie invented a new format for radio: the overnight "trucker" show. He was a staple on New Orleans' WWL and Nashville's WSM.

Lamar Fike (non-Hodgken's lymphoma, January 21, age 75): The second-longest tenured member of Elvis' "Memphis Mafia," he co-wrote Elvis and the Memphis Mafia. He also served as Brenda Lee's road manager in the 60s and was a Capitol Records executive under Jimmy Bowen.

Billy Grammer (long illness, August 10, age 85): A guitar designer and well-loved session man, he scored a huge hit in 1959 with "Gotta Travel On."

Marshall Grant (brain aneurysm, August 6, age 83): The final member of Johnny Cash's seminal original backing band the Tennessee Two, he was stricken while preparing to perform at a show in Arkansas to raise money to preserve Cash's boyhood home.

Carlton Haney (stroke, March 16, age 82): The name may not ring a bell, but every bluegrass fan is indebted to Haney. He is credited with organizing bluegrass music's first festival. He was also the booking agent for the likes of Bill Monroe and Reno & Smiley.

Warren Hellman (leukemia, December 18, age 77): San Francisco businessman who founded and helped finance the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, which, with line-ups that included everyone from Elvis Costello to Hazel Dickens and the New Coon Creek Girls, was exactly what the name implied.

Ferlin Husky (colon cancer/congestive heart failure, March 17, age 85): Simon Crum's best friend gave the world two massive crossover hits: 1957's "Gone" and 1960's "Wings of a Dove." He died shortly after it was announced that his "A Dear John Letter" singing partner, Jean Shepard, was being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, an honor Husky received in 2010.

Gene Kurtz (cancer, October 24, age 68): Co-writer of the hit "Treat Her Right," Kurtz spent many years playing in the Austin alt-country scene.

Charlie Louvin (pancreatic cancer, January 26, age 83): The Louvin Brothers didn't invent harmony, they just made it sound that way. After Ira's death in 1965 Charlie continued on a solo career that he once said was more commercially successful than the Louvin Brothers', but it's the unbelievable harmonies he made with Ira that will keep him forever in our hearts.

Wade Mainer (congestive heart failure, September 12, age 104): Jethro Burns said in 1984 that Mainer belonged in the Hall of Fame because he was a true pioneer in the world of country music. He was older than country music and served it faithfully for over 70 years.

Johnny Mathis (pneumonia, September 27, age 80): Before there was a pop singer there was Country Johnny Mathis. His partnership with Johnny Lee Fautheree as Jimmy & Johnny yielded the smash "If You Don't Somebody Else Will." Songs he wrote were recorded by the likes of Ray Price, Johnny Paycheck, and George Jones.

Mel McDaniel (lung cancer, March 31, age 68): Country singer and Opry member who had a string of hits in the 1980s including "Louisiana Saturday Night," "Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On," and "Big Ole Brew."

Huey Meaux (illness, April 23, age 82): In addition to discovering the Sir Douglas Quintet he owned Sugar Hill Studios and introduced the world to "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" by Freddy Fender.

Ralph Mooney (kidney cancer, March 20, age 82): One of country music's greatest steel guitarists, he wrote Ray Price's classic "Crazy Arms" and played with the likes of Wynn Stewart, Buck Owens and Waylon Jennings.

Joe Paul Nichols (Lou Gehrig's Disease, July 27, age 69): One of the die-hard traditional country performers on the Heart of Texas label, he was also a member of the International Country Gospel Music Association.

Roger Nichols (pancreatic cancer, April 9, age 66): Steely Dan listed him as "the immortal" on their albums in the 1970s, but Nichols also worked with country acts including Rosanne Cash and John Denver (with whom he won a Grammy).

James O'Gwynn (pneumonia, January 19, age 82): Known as "the Smiling Irishman of Country Music," his best-known songs were "House of Blue Lovers" and "My Name is Mud."

Bobby Poe (blood clot, January 22, age 77): Rockabilly performer who began his career as a member of Wanda Jackson's band.

Johnny Preston (heart failure, March 4, age 71): His massive 1959 smash "Running Bear" (which was later covered by Sonny James) featured backing vocals and guitar work by George Jones and was written by "Beggar to a King" songwriter J.P. (Big Bopper) Richardson.

Jody Rainwater (ne Charles Johnson; complications of heart attack and other ailments, December 24, age 92): The one-time bass player for Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs was also a longtime and well-loved disc jockey on WSVS in Virginia.

Billie Jo Spears (cancer, December 14, age 74): Gifted singer with hits over three decades such as "Mr. Walker, It's All Over" and "Blanket on the Ground."

Dan "Bee" Spears (exposure after falling outside his home, December 8, age 62): Willie Nelson's bassist for over four decades and the backbone of his band.

Joe Taylor (heart disease, March 24, age 89): A Hoosier native who was content to play his music in Indiana instead of seeking national fame, he nevertheless found it when his song "He's a Cowboy Auctioneer" was recorded by Tex Ritter.

Buster Turner (unknown causes, March 3, age 82): An east Tennessee-based country, bluegrass and gospel performer who gave us the classic song "Beautiful Altar of Prayer."

Don Wayne (illness, September 12, age 78): Songwriter who wrote the classics "Country Bumpkin" and "Saginaw, Michigan."

Margaret Whiting (natural causes, January 11, age 86): Primarily known as a pop singer, she hit the country charts numerous times as Jimmy Wakely's duet partner on hits like "Slippin' Around."

Doc Williams (natural causes, January 31, age 96): A longtime member of the Wheeling Jamboree and influence on countless West Virginia country musicians such as Brad Paisley.

Jim Williamson (COPD, January 24, age 75): Longtime recording engineer who worked on songs like "Coal Miner's Daughter," "Stand By Your Man" and "Rose Garden."

Randy Wood (complications of a fall, April 9, age 94): The man who gave us Dot Records, early home of acts such as Mac Wiseman, Bonnie Guitar, Roy Clark and Barbara Mandrell.

Johnnie Wright (natural causes, September 27, age 97): Mr. Kitty Wells had a long career with duet partner Jack Anglin as Johnnie & Jack as well as a successful solo career.

Paul Yandell (cancer, November 21, age 76): A skinny kid who idolized Chet Atkins joined the Louvin Brothers' band in the 50s and eventually became Chet's right-hand guitarist and the last person to be designated a Certified Guitar Picker.

Farewell, and thank you for the music.

Dates of Note in Country Music, December 16-31

2011-12-15T23:46:00.001-05:00

Category: News

(Country Music Hall of Famers in bold)
December 16:

Jim Glaser of the Glaser Brothers born in Spalding, Nebraska, 1937 (now 74)
Jeff Carson born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1964 (now 47)
Shelby Singleton born in Waskom, Texas, 1931 (died 2009)
Jenny Lou Carson died in Torrance, California (unknown causes), 1978 (was 63)
Martha Carson died in Nashville, Tennessee (natural causes), 2004 (was 83)
Gary Stewart died in Fort Pierce, Florida (suicide [gunshot]), 2003 (was 58)
Dan Fogelberg died in Deer Island, Maine (cancer), 2007 (was 56)

December 17:

Frankie Miller born in Victoria, Texas, 1930 (now 81)
Sharon White Skaggs born in Wichita Falls, Texas, 1953 (now 58)
Tracy Byrd born in Vidor, Texas, 1966 (now 45)
Karl Davis born in Mount Vernon, Kentucky, 1905 (died 1979)
Spade Cooley born in Grand, Oklahoma, 1910 (died 1969)
Nat Stuckey born in Cass County, Texas, 1933 (died 1988)
Roy Huskey Jr. born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1956 (died 1997)
Rex Allen Sr. died in Tuscon, Arizona (accidentally run over by car), 1999 (was 77)
Commercial plane carrying Doug Stone crash-lands in Chicago, 1999. Stone was uninjured.

December 18:

Cledus T. Judd (real name: James Poole) born in Crowe Springs, Georgia, 1964 (now 47)
Wilf Carter (Montana Slim) born in Port Hilford, Nova Scotia, 1904 (died 1996)
The first recording session for the Louvin Brothers (they recorded "Alabama") at Castle Studios, Nashville, 1947

December 19:

Little Jimmy Dickens born in Bolt, West Virginia, 1920 (now 91)
John McEuen of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Bang born in Long Beach, California, 1945 (now 66)
Janie Fricke born in South Whitney, Indiana, 1947 (now 64)
Jumpin' Bill Carlisle born in Wakefield, Kentucky, 1908 (died 2003)
Marion Worth died in Madison, Tennessee (emphysema), 1999 (was 69)
Hank Williams' last show, given at the Skyline Club, Austin, Texas, 1952
Johnny Paycheck shot a man outside a bar in Greenfield, Ohio, 1985

December 20:

Skeeter Willis of the Willis Brothers born in Colton, Oklahoma, 1917 (died 1976)
Jack Stapp died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 1980 (was 68)
Don Law died in LaMarque, Texas (unknown cause), 1982 (was 80)
Hank Snow died in Nashville, Tennessee (various illnesses), 1999 (was 85)

December 21:

Freddie Hart born in Lockapoke, Alabama, 1926 (now 85)
Lee Roy Parnell born in Abilene, Texas, 1956 (now 55)
Christy Forrester of the Forester Sisters born in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, 1962 (now 49)
Vito Pellettieri born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1889 (died 1977)
Floyd "Lightnin'" Chance born in Como, Mississippi, 1925 (died 2005)
Natchee the Indian (ne Lester Vernon Storer) died in Santa Clara, California (unknown cause), 1970 (was 54)
John Bailes of the Bailes brothers died (unknown cause), 1989 (was 71)
Harold Morrison died in Springfield, Missouri (illness), 1993 (was 62)

December 22:

Red Stegall born in Gainesville, Texas, 1937 (now 74)
Chuck Mead of BR5-49 born in Nevada, Missouri, 1960 (now 51)
Paul Martin of Exile born in Winchester, Kentucky, 1962 (now 49)
Harold "Hawkshaw" Hawkins born in Huntington, West Virginia, 1921 (died 1963)
Dave Dudley died in Danbury, Wisconsin (heart attack), 2003 (was 75)

December 23:

Murray "Buddy" Harman born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1928 (died 2008)

December 24:

Lulu Belle Wiseman born in Boone, North Carolina, 1913 (died 1999)
Jake Hess born in Limestone County, Alabama, 1927 (died 2004)
Stoney Edwards born in Seminole, Oklahoma, 1929 (died 1997)
Charlie Moore died in Maryland (illness), 1979 (was 44)

December 25:

J.R. "Curly" Seckler born in China Grove, North Carolina, 1919 (now 92)
Jimmy Buffett born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, 1946 (now 65)
Barbara Mandrell born in Houston, Texas, 1948 (now 63)
Steve Wariner born in Noblesville, Indiana, 1954 (now 57)
Alton Delmore born in Elkmont, Alabama, 1908 (died 1964)
Billy Nelson, Willie Nelson's son, died in Nashville, Tennessee (suicide [hanged self]), 1991 (was 33)
Johnny Cash and family robbed and held at gunpoint in their Jamaica home, 1982

December 26:

Ronnie Prophet born in Calument, Quebec, 1938 (now 73)
Bob Carpenter of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1946 (now 65)
Audrey Wiggins born in Asheville, North Carolina, 1967 (now 44)
Beecher Ray "Pete" "Bashful Brother Oswald" Kirby born in Sevier County, Tennessee, 1911 (died 2002)
Harry Choates born in Rayne, Louisiana, 1911 (died 1951)
Jimmie Osborne died in Louisville, Kentucky (suicide), 1957 (was 34)
Red Foley and wife Sally injured in a fire in their apartment in Nashhville, 1964

December 27:

Scotty Moore born in Gadsden, Tennessee, 1931 (now 80)
Les Taylor of Exile born in Oneida, Kentucky, 1948 (now 63)
Darrin Vincent of Dailey & Vincent born in Kirkville, Missouri, 1969 (now 42)
Bob Luman died in Nashville, Tennessee (pneumonia), 1978 (was 41)
Vestal Goodman died in Celebration, Florida (complications from the flu), 2003 (was 74)
Hank "Sugarfoot" Garland died in Orange Park, Florida (staph infection), 2004 (was 74)

December 28:

Joe Diffie born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1958 (now 53)
Mike McGuire of Shenandoah born in Haleyville, Alabama, 1958 (now 53)
Marty Roe of Diamond Rio born in Lebanon, Ohio, 1960 (now 51)
Dorsey Burnette born in Memphis, Tennessee, 1932 (died 1979)
Hank Williams Jr.'s first recording session at age 14, 1963

December 29:

Rose Lee Maphis born in Baltimore, Maryland, 1922 (now 89)
Ed Bruce born in Keiser, Arkansas, 1940 (now 71)

December 30:

Melvin Goins born in Bramwell, West Virginia, 1933 (now 77)
Mike Auldridge born in Washington, DC, 1938 (now 73)
Suzy Bogguss born in Aledo, Illinois, 1956 (now 54)
Bob Ferguson born in Willow Spring, Missouri, 1927 (died 2001)
Skeeter Davis (nee Mary Frances Penick) born in Dry Ridge, Kentucky, 1931 (died 2004)
John Hartford born in New York, New York, 1937 (died 2001)

December 31:

Rex Allen Sr. born in Wilcox, Arizona, 1920 (died 1999)
Dale Noe born in New Boston, Ohio, 1927 (died 2005)
John Denver born in Roswell, New Mexico, 1943 (died 1997)
Rick Nelson died in DeKalb, Texas (plane crash), 1985 (was 45)
Floyd Cramer died in Nashville, Tennessee (lung cancer), 1997 (was 64)
Jim McReynolds of Jim & Jesse died in Gallatin, Tennessee (cancer), 2002 (was 75)
Charlie Louvin injured in car accident near Manchester, Tennessee, 2001
The old Country Music Hall of Fame closed, 2000

Mr. Walker, It's All Over

2011-12-15T19:44:00.000-05:00

Category: News/Obituary

Your sweetheart in personnel said I should give her written notice like the rest
So I wrote "goodbye" with my brightest lipstick right across her big expensive desk
(From "Mr. Walker, It's All Over")

You just can't beat a song with a line like that. It was one of Billie Jo Spear's early hits, from 1969. She would later become best known for that wonderful slice of "let's act like we're still single" romp "Blanket on the Ground."

Billie Jo Spears died Wednesday (12/14) of cancer at her home in Vidor, Texas.

Although her career began in the 1960s the Academy of Country Music named her 1976's "most promising female vocalist" after the massive success of "Blanket on the Ground." For a time she proved this a good choice, as she had a top 20 hit with a remake of "Misty Blue," which was also enjoying a revival on the pop charts thanks to a different version by one-hit wonder Dorothy Moore.

Spears was active in music until the very end, having toured overseas earlier in 2011.

Billie Jo Spears was 74.

Sick Call: Wade Hayes

2011-12-15T19:20:00.000-05:00

Category: News

Country singer Wade Hayes, 42, has been diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer. The performer underwent surgery on December 8 in Nashville. Reports indicate that the disease had spread to his liver by the time it was discovered in November. He is scheduled to undergo further treatment at Vanderbilt Medical Center.

Hayes is best-known for his 1995 hit "Old Enough to Know Better," which went to #1 on the Billboard charts.

Please keep Wade Hayes in your prayers -- and if you're over 50 or have a family history of colon cancer, please get a colon cancer screen.

Dates of Note in Country Music, December 1-15

2011-11-29T20:49:00.000-05:00

Category: News

(Country Music Hall of Famers in bold)

December 1:

Darryl Ellis born in Norfolk, Virginia, 1964 (now 47)
Silm Willet born in Dublin, Texas, 1919 (died 1966)
Jim Nesbitt born in Bishopville, South Carolina, 1931 (died 2007)
Fred Rose died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart failure), 1954 (was 57)
Carter Stanley died in Bristol, Tennessee (cirrhosis of the liver), 1966 (was 41)

December 2:

John Wesley Ryles born in Bastrop, Louisiana, 1950 (now 61)
Herman Crook born in Scottsboro, Tennessee, 1898 (died 1988)
Marvin Hughes died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 1986 (was 75)
"Tennessee Waltz" recorded by Pee Wee King and Redd Stewart, 1947

December 3:

Paul Gregg of Restless Heart born in New York, New York, 1954 (now 57)
Ferlin Husky born in Flat River, Missouri, 1927 (died 2011)
Rabon Delmore born in Dothan, Alabama, 1916 (died 1952)
Hubert Long born in Poteet, Texas, 1923 (died 1972)
Lew Childre died in Foley, Albama (various health issues), 1961 (was 60)
Grady Martin died (heart attack), 2001 (was 72)
Bob Wills recorded his last song, a Cindy Walker number, "What Makes Bob Holler," 1973

December 4:

Chris Hillman born in Los Angeles, California, 1944 (now 67)
Rabon Delmore died in Athens, Alabama (lung cancer), 1952 (was 36)
Connie B. Gay died in Fairfax, Virginia (cancer), 1989 (was 75)
Eddy Arnold's first record session as a solo artist, 1944

Sun Records' "Million Dollar Quartet" of Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis record together, 1956

Connie B. Gay elected inaugural president of the Country Music Association, 1958

December 5:

Don Robertson born in Peking, China, 1922 (now 89)
Jim Messina of Poco born in Harlingen, Texas, 1947 (now 64)
Ty England born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1963 (now 48)
Molly O'Day died in Huntington, West Virginia (cancer), 1987 (was 64)
Wilf Carter (Montana Slim) died in Scottsdale, Arizona (stomach cancer), 1996 (was 91)
The soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou released, 2000

December 6:

Helen Cornelius born in Hannibal, Missouri, 1941 (now 70)
Bill Lloyd of Foster & Lloyd born in Ft. Hood, Texas, 1955 (now 56)
Hugh Farr born in Llano, Texas, 1903 (died 1980)
Jim Eanes born in Mountain Valley, Virginia, 1923 (died 1995)
Roy Orbison died in Hendersonville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1989 (was 52)

December 7:

Bobby Osborne born in Hyden, Kentucky, 1931 (now 80)
Hugh X. Lewis born in Yeaddiss, Kentucky, 1932 (now 79)
Gary Morris born in Fort Worth, Texas, 1948 (now 63)
Ronnie Sessions born in Henrietta, Oklahoma, 1948 (now 63)
Slim Bryant born in Atlanta, Georgia, 1908 (died 2010)
Darrell Glenn born in Waco, Texas, 1935 (died 1990)
Bill Boyd died in Dallas, Texas (unknown cause), 1977 (was 67)

December 8:

Marty Raybon born in Stanford, Florida, 1959 (now 52)
Jack Stapp born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1912 (died 1980)
Floyd Tillman born in Ryan, Oklahoma, 1914 (died 2003)
Marty Robbins died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1982 (was 57)

December 9:

Billy Edd Wheeler born in Whitesville, Virginia, 1932 (now 79)
David Kersh born in Humble, Texas, 1970 (now 41)
David Houston born in Bossier City, Louisiana, 1938 (died 1993)
Tommy Jackson died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 1979 (was 53)

December 10:

Johnny Rodriguez born in Sabinal, Texas, 1951 (now 60)
Kevin Sharp born in Weiser, Idaho, 1970 (now 41)
Eddie Miller born in Camargo, Oklahoma, 1919 (died 1977)
John Duffey of the Seldom Scene died (heart attack), 1996 (was 62)
Faron Young died in Nashville, Tennessee (suicide [gunshot]), 1996 (was 64)
Jimmy Riddle died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 1982 (was 64)
Before the evening's WSM Barn Dance began, announcer George D. Hay commented, "For the past hour, you've been listening to selections taken from grand opera. Now we present Grand Ole Opry," 1927.

December 11:

Brenda Lee born in Atlanta, Georgia, 1944 (now 67)
Charles Whitstein born in Colfax, Louisiana, 1945 (now 66)
Arthur Q. Smith (ne James Arthur Pritchett) born in Griffin, Georgia, 1909 (died 1963)
Cousin Jody (ne James Summey) born in Sevierville, Tennessee, 1914 (died 1975)
Fiddlin' John Carson died in Atlanta, Georgia (natural causes), 1949 (was 81)
Commercial plane with Tex Ritter aboard as a passenger hijacked to Cuba, 1968

December 12:

LaCosta Tucker born in Seminole, Texas, 1951 (now 60)
Hank Williams III born in Houston, Texas, 1972 (now 39)
Clifton Chenier died in Lafayette, Louisiana (kidney disease related to diabetes), 1987 (was 62)

December 13:

Buck White born in Oklahoma, 1930 (now 81)
Randy Owen of Alabama born in Fort Payne, Alabama, 1949 (now 62)
John Anderson born in Orlando, Florida, 1954 (now 57)
Wesley Tuttle born in Lamar, Colorado, 1917 (died 2003)
Lulu Belle and Scotty Wiseman wed, 1934

December 14:

DeFord Bailey born in Smith County, Tennessee, 1899 (died 1982)
Charlie Rich born in Forest City, Arkansas, 1932 (died 1995)

December 15:

Doug Phelps of Kentucky Headhunters born in Leachville, Arkansas, 1960 (now 51)
Alvin Pleasant Carter born in Maces Spring, Virginia, 1891 (died 1960)
Jerry Wallace born in Guilford, Missouri, 1928 (died 2008)
Ernie Ashworth born in Huntsville, Alabama, 1928 (died 2009)
Nudie Cohn (ne Nuta Kotlyarenko) born in Kiev, Ukraine, 1902 (died 1984)
William Eugene "Red" Rector born in Marshall, North Carolina, 1929 (died 1990)
Hank Williams married Audrey Guy, 1944

Dates of Note in Country Music, November 16-30

2011-11-14T22:24:00.000-05:00

Category: News

(Country Music Hall of Famers in bold)

November 16:

Troy Seals born in Bill Hill, Kentucky, 1938 (now 73)
Larry Cordel born in Cordell, Kentucky, 1949 (now 62)
Will Goleman of the Cactus Brothers born in Shreveport, Louisiana, 1963 (now 48)
Ernest Tubb biographer Ronnie Pugh born in Texas, year unknown
Earl Bolick born in Hickory, North Carolina, 1919 (died 1998)
J.D. Sumner died in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (heart attack), 1998 (was 73)

November 17:

Gordon Lightfoot born in Orilla, Ontario, Canada, 1938 (now 73). The legendary folk singer has written such hits as Marty Robbins' "Ribbon of Darkness" and Bill Anderson's "Did She Mention My Name," and a number of his own recordings have made the country chart.
Eva Foley (Red Foley's wife) died in Nashville, Tennessee (suicide), 1951 (was 33)
Don Gibson died in Nashville, Tennessee (natural causes), 2003 (was 75)

November 18:

John McFee of Southern Pacific born in Santa Cruz, California, 1953 (now 58)
Jessi Alexander born in Jackson, Tennessee, 1976 (now 35)
Doug Sahm died in Taos, New Mexico (heart attack), 1999 (was 58)

November 19:

Jerry Foster born in Tallapoosa, Missouri, 1935 (now 76)
Billy Currington born in Savannah, Georgia, 1973 (now 38)
Joe Falcon died (unknown cause), 1965 (was 65). Falcon is credited with making the first recording of a Cajun song in 1928 with "Allons a Lafayette."
Bobby Russell died in Nicholasville, Kentucky (coronary artery disease), 1992 (was 52)

November 20:

Curly Putman born in Princeton, Alabama, 1930 (now 81)
George Grantham of Poco and Ricky Skaggs' band born in Cordell, Oklahoma, 1947 (now 64)
Dierks Bentley born in Phoenix, Arizona, 1975 (now 36)
Josh Turner born in Hannah, South Carolina, 1977 (now 34)
Judy Canova born in Starke, Florida, 1913 (died 1983)
Eck Robertson born in Madison County, Arkansas, 1897 (died 1975)
RCA buys the contract of Elvis Presley from Sun Records for $35,000, 1955

November 21:

Jean Shepard born in Paul Valley, Oklahoma, 1933 (now 78)
Joe Carson born in Holliday, Texas, 1936 (died 1964)
Jim Eanes died in Martinsville, Virginia (congestive heart failure), 1995 (was 71)
Charlie Daniels pulls out of "Country Freedom Concert" after being told not to perform "This Ain't No Rag, It's a Flag," 2001

November 22:

Wiley Post born in Grand Saline, Texas, 1899 (died 1935)
Doye O'Dell born in Plainview, Texas, 1912 (died 2001)
First Disc Jockey Convention held in Nashville, 1952
Keith Whitley and Lorrie Morgan married, 1986

November 23:

Jerry Sullivan born in Wagarville, Alabama, 1933 (now 78)
Charlie Sizemore born in Richmond, Kentucky, 1960 (now 51)
Spade Cooley died in Oakland, California (heart attack), 1969 (was 58)
Grady Nutt died in Vinemont, Alabama (plane crash), 1982 (was 48)
Roy Acuff died in Nashville, Tennessee (congestive heart failure), 1992 (was 89)
Smokey Rogers died (unknown cause), 1993 (was 76)

November 24:

Johnny Carver born in Jackson, Mississippi, 1940 (now 71)
Stoney Edwards born in Seminole, Oklahoma, 1929 (died 1997)
Teddy Wilburn died in Nashville, Tennessee (congestive heart failure), 2003 (was 71)
Wanted! The Outlaws by Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Tompall Glaser, and Jessi Colter certified platinum, making it the first certified platinum album in country music

November 25:

Amy Grant born in Augusta, Georgia, 1960 (now 51)
Eddie Stubbs born in Gaithersburg, Maryland, 1961 (now 50)
Biff Collie born in Little Rock, Arkansas, 1926 (died 1992)
Ralph Emery debuts on WSM in overnight slot, 1957

November 26:

Joe Nichols born in Rogers, Arkansas, 1976 (now 35)

November 27:

Eddie Rabbitt born in Brooklyn, New York, 1941 (died 1998)
Charlene Arthur died in Idaho (atherosclerosis), 1987 (was 58)

November 28:

WSM Barn Dance (later known as the Grand Ole Opry) born, 1925 (now 86)
Carrie Rodgers, widow of Jimmie Rodgers, died in San Antonio, Texas (cancer), 1961

November 29:

Joel Whitburn born in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, 1938 (now 73)
Jody Miller born in Phoenix, Arizona, 1941 (now 70)
Merle Travis born in Rosewood, Kentucky, 1917 (died 1983)
Jim Nesbitt died in Florence, South Carolina (heart ailment), 2007 (was 75)

November 30:

Bob Moore born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1932 (now 79)
Jeannie Kendall born in St. Louis, Missouri, 1954 (now 57)
Mindy McCready born in Ft. Myers, Florida, 1975 (now 36)
Teddy Wilburn born in Hardy, Arkansas, 1931 (died 2003)
Jack Reno born in Bloomfield, Iowa, 1935 (died 2008)
David Houston died in Bossier City, Louisiana (brain aneurysm), 1993 (was 54)

Singing and Serving

2011-11-10T20:06:00.005-05:00

Category: Tribute

Veterans Day originated as Armistice Day in 1938 to honor the "Great War" (what we now call World War I) veterans on the anniversary of the signing of the armistice ending the first world war. In 1954 the name of the holiday was changed to "Veterans Day" to honor the veterans of both world wars as well as Korea and peacetime veterans.

Many of the greats in country music served in the military before (and in a few cases, during) their career. So on Veterans Day, here is a list of some of the members of the world of country music who served in the armed forces, and the wars in which they fought (if applicable).

Hall of Famers in bold.

Army:

Jules Verne Allen (World War I)
Jack Anglin (World War II)
Bob Atcher (World War II)
Bobby Bare
Jim Ed Brown
Tom Brumley
Horace "Aytchie" Burns (World War II)
Kenneth "Jethro" Burns (World War II)
Tommy Cash
Harold "Curly" Chalker
Hank Cochran
Earl Thomas Conley
Tommy Duncan (World War II)
Bob Ferguson (also served in the Marines)
Jack Greene
Tom T. Hall
Henry "Homer" Haynes (World War II)
Fairley Holden (World War II)
Doyle Holly
Harlan Howard
Stonewall Jackson (primarily served in the Navy; briefly in Army but discharged after it was discovered he lied about his age)
Louis "Grandpa" Jones (World War II)
Doug Kershaw
Rusty Kershaw
Kris Kristofferson
Charlie Louvin (Korea; was in the Army Air Corps during WW II)
Ira Louvin (World War II)
Darrell McCall
Del McCoury
Skeets McDonald
Jesse McReynolds (Korea)
Jim McReynolds (Korea)
Roger Miller
George Morgan
Webb Pierce
Elvis Presley
John Prine
Boots Randolph
Jerry Reed
Don Reno (World War II)
Hal Smith (World War II)
Ralph Stanley (World War II)
George Strait
Nat Stuckey (Korea)
Conway Twitty
T. Texas Tyler (real name: David Myrick) (World War II)
Charlie Walker
Doyle Wilburn (Korea)
Teddy Wilburn (Korea)
Bob Wills (World War II)
Faron Young

Navy:

Hoyt Axton
Archie Campbell (World War II)
Cy Coben (World War II)
Larry Cordle
Roy Drusky
Benjamin "Whitey" Ford (Duke of Paducah) (World War I)
Ferlin Husky (Merchant Marines) (World War II)
Harold "Shot" Jackson
Stonewall Jackson (also briefly served in the Army but was discharged after it was discovered he lied about his age to enlist)
Johnny Lee (Vietnam)
Leon McAuliffe (World War II)
Bill Nettles (World War I)
Dale Noe (World War II)
Johnny Paycheck
Don Pierce (World War II)
Ray Pillow
Claude "Curly" Putman
Marty Robbins (World War II)
Carl Smith
Hank Thompson (World War II)
Slim Whitman (World War II)

Air Force/Army Air Corps:

Randy Atcher (World War II)
Gene Autry (World War II)
Rod Brasfield (World War II)
Johnny Cash
Jimmy Dean
Tennessee Ernie Ford (World War II)
Kendall Hayes
Tommy Jackson (World War II)
Charlie Louvin (World War II, was in the Army in Korea)
O.B. McClinton
Willie Nelson
Mike Nesmith
Del Reeves
Charlie Rich
Carter Stanley (World War II)
Mel Tillis

Marines:

Wendy Bagwell (World War II)
Jack Clement
Tommy Collins
Don Everly
Phil Everly
Freddy Fender
Bob Ferguson (Korea) (also served in the Army)
Josh Garcin
Freddie Hart (World War II)
George Jones
Ray Price (World War II)
Charles Whitstein
Robert Whitstein (Vietnam)

Thank you for your service.

The Battling Bickersons, 2011 Style

2011-11-03T00:48:00.000-04:00

Category: News

Sometimes you have to wonder what good it does you to pay a lawyer to write a will. Nearly 50 years after his death, the rights to the monetary legacy of Jim Reeves will be decided by a Nashville probate court judge.

The Reeves saga takes more twists and turns than the "Tail of the Dragon" in Deals Gap, North Carolina. According to interview tapes that the now-defunct Jim Reeves Museum sold, Mary Reeves claimed that Jim didn't believe in life insurance, stating that one time he pointed to a stack of demo tapes and proclaimed, "There's your insurance." And he was right. According to an article in the Nashville Tennessean, the annual royalties from the sales of Jim Reeves records runs somewhere in the $100,000 - $400,000 range. Yes, that's per year -- for a singer who died in 1964.

And, needless to say, when you're talking about that much money the leeches come out of the woodwork.

In 1969 Mary Reeves remarried, this time to a Baptist minister by the name of Terry Davis. Allegations of abuse have abounded since Mary died of Alzheimer's in November 1999. A handwritten will surfaced years after the original will was filed, giving Davis more of the estate money. Throw in over six million dollars owed the estate by Ed Gregory (he used to sponsor a number of carnival package tours for Opry stars) and it makes the old Battling Bickersons radio show look tame by comparison.

The probate court date is tentatively scheduled for January 23, 2012. It was originally scheduled for last month but was postponed.

Also in the Jim Reeves news department, Larry Jordan's book Jim Reeves: His Untold Story has finally been released. It is available on Amazon (and other places) and presents a far more detailed and balanced look at Reeves' life than the 1997 biography that was harshly criticized by many of Reeves' friends, co-workers and associates.

Dates of Note in Country Music, November 1-15

2011-10-30T01:23:00.002-04:00

Category: News

(Country Music Hall of Famers in bold)

November 1:

Bill Anderson born in Columbia, South Carolina, 1937 (now 74)
Keith Stegall born in Wichita Falls, Texas, 1954 (now 57)
Lyle Lovett born in Klein, Texas, 1957 (now 54)
Lew Childre born in Opp, Alabama, 1901 (died 1961)
Buddy Killen died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 2006 (was 73)
Jack Reno died in Florence, Kentucky (brain cancer), 2008 (was 72)

November 2:

John David Souther born in Detroit, Michigan, 1945 (now 66)
Earl Yager of the Johnson Mountain Boys born in Gordonsville, Virginia, 1953 (now 58)
k.d. lang born in Consort, Alberta, 1961 (now 50)
Charlie Walker born in Copeville, Texas, 1926 (died 2008)
Elaine Tubb, former wife of Ernest Tubb and subject of the song "Blue-Eyed Elaine," died in Nashville, Tennessee, 2001 (was 85)

November 3:

Ray Edenton born in Mineral, Virginia, 1926 (now 85)
Fabor Robison born in Beebe, Arkansas, 1911 (died 1986)
Leon Huff born in Whitesboro, Texas, 1912 (died 1952)
John Maddox of the Maddox Brothers & Rose born in Boaz, Alabama, 1915 (died 1968)
Jimmie Rodgers, Fred Rose, and Hank Williams become the first inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame, 1961
Merle Haggard granted parole from San Quentin prison, 1960

November 4:

Kim Forrester born in Oglethorpe, Georgia, 1960 (now 51)
Will Rogers born near Oologah, Oklahoma, 1879 (died 1935)
Audrey Williams died in Nashville, Tennessee (illness), 1975 (was 52)
Dale Noe died in Phoenix, Arizona (unknown cause), 2004 (was 76)

November 5:

Billy Sherrill born in Phil Campbell, Alabama, 1936 (now 75)
Lowell Blanchard born in Palmer, Illinois, 1910 (died 1968). Blanchard was the program director at WNOX in the 1930s and began the Midday Merry-Go-Round.
Roy Rogers (Leonard Slye) born in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1911 (died 1998)
Roy Horton born in Broad Top, Pennsylvania, 1914 (died 2003)
Gram Parsons born in Winter Haven, Florida, 1946 (died 1973)
Johnny Horton died in Milano, Texas (car wreck), 1960 (was 35)
Jimmie Davis died in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (natural causes), 2000 (was 101)
Dorothy Southworth Ritter died in Woodland Hills, California (natural causes), 2003 (was 88)

November 6:

Stonewall Jackson born in Emerson, North Carolina, 1932 (now 79)
Guy Clark born in Monahan, Texas, 1941 (now 70)
Glenn Frey of the Eagles born in Detroit, Michigan, 1948 (now 63)
Doug Sahm born in San Antonio, Texas, 1941 (died 1999)
Hank Thompson died in Fort Worth, Texas (lung cancer), 2007 (was 82)
Elvis Presley became a member of Louisiana Hayride, 1954

November 7:

Robin Lee born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1953 (now 57)
Red Ingle born in Toledo, Ohio, 1906 (died 1965)
Archie Campbell born in Bull's Gap, Tennessee, 1914 (died 1987)
A.P. Carter died in Kingsport, Tennessee (illness), 1960 (was 68)
Gene Wooten died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 2001 (was 49)
Red Foley's daughter, Shirley, married Pat Boone, 1953
Marty Robbins participated in his final NASCAR race, 1982

November 8:

Patti Page (Clara Fowler) born in Claremore, Oklahoma, 1927 (now 84)
Scotty Wiseman born in Ingalls, North Carolina, 1909 (died 1981)
Ivory Joe Hunter died in Memphis, Tennessee (lung cancer), 1974 (was 60). A number of the R&B singer/songwriter's songs were turned into country hits by Sonny James, including "Since I Met You, Baby" and "Empty Arms."

November 9:

George D. Hay born in Attica, Indiana, 1895 (died 1968)
Curly Fox born in Graysville, Tennessee, 1910 (died 1995)
James "Spider" Rich, co-writer of "Yakety Sax," died (unknown cause), 2003 (was 80)

November 10:

Donna Fargo (Yvonne Vaughn) born in Mount Airy, North Carolina, 1940 (now 71)
Pat Severs of Pirates of the Mississippi born in Elmira, New York, 1952 (now 59)
Paul Cohen born in Chicago, Illinois, 1908 (died 1970)
Onie Wheeler born in Senath, Missouri, 1921 (died 1984)
Dave "Stringbean" Akeman died in Ridgetop, Tennessee (murdered), 1973 (was 58)
Arnim "Curly" Fox died in Graysville, Tennessee (natural causes), 1995 (was 85)
The Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior, killing all 29 aboard, 1975. The accident inspired Gordon Lightfoot's 1976 pop/country/folk hit "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald."

November 11:

Narvel Felts born near Keiser, Arkansas, 1938 (now 73)
Hank "Sugarfoot" Garland born in Cow Pens, South Carolina, 1930 (died 2004)
Wade Ray died in Sparta, Illinois (illness), 1998 (was 85)
Mary Reeves Davis, widow of Jim Reeves and manager of Jim Reeves Enterprises and the Jim Reeves Museum, died in Nashville, Tennessee (Alzheimer's disease), 1999 (was 70)

November 12:

Barbara Fairchild born in Lafe, Arkansas, 1950 (now 61)
Jo Stafford born in Coalinga, California, 1917 (died 2008). The pop singer was the girl singer on Red Ingle & Natural Seven hit "Tem-Tay-Shun."
John Lair, Renfro Valley Barn Dance founder, died in Mount Vernon, Kentucky (natural causes), 1985 (was 91)
Homer and Jethro's legendary live album At the Country Club recorded in Nashville, 1959
Groundbreaking ceremonies held for construction of the Grand Ole Opry House (current home of the Opry), 1971
The IRS confiscated Willie Nelson's belongings as payment for his tax bill, 1990

November 13:

Ray Wylie Hubbard born in Soper, Oklahoma, 1946 (now 65)
Jack Guthrie born in Olive, Oklahoma, 1915 (died 1948)
Buddy Killen born in Florence, South Carolina, 1932 (died 2006)
Jerry Lee Lewis Jr. died near Hernando, Mississippi (car wreck), 1973 (was 20)
Alvin "Junior" Samples died in Cumming, Georgia (heart attack), 1983 (was 57)

November 14:

Ken Carson born in Coalgate, Oklahoma, 1914 (died 1994)
Robert Whitstein died in Colfax, Louisiana (heart attack), 2001 (was 57)

November 15:

William Fries (C.W. McCall) born in Audubon, Iowa, 1928 (now 83)
Jack Ingram born in Houston, Texas, 1970 (now 41)
Albert E. Brumley died in Powell, Missouri (unknown cause), 1977 (was 72)

On the Mend: Loretta Lynn

2011-10-25T00:29:00.000-04:00

Category: News

Loretta Lynn is out of an Ashland, Kentucky hospital and back home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee following what she termed "one scary night" battling pneumonia.

Lynn, 76, was scheduled to perform in the eastern Kentucky town Saturday (10/22); however, the show was canceled after Lynn was admitted to the hospital complaining of shortness of breath. She was diagnosed with pneumonia. Following her release from the hospital she returned home to "take it easy for a couple of weeks."

News reports state that the Hall of Famer plans to resume her tour schedule on November 3 in Knoxville. She assured the media she feels fine, but keep this living legend in your prayers.

Dates of Note in Country Music, October 16-31

2011-10-17T23:38:00.003-04:00

Category: News

(Country Music Hall of Famers in bold)

October 16:

Jim Ed Norman born in Ft. Myers, Florida, 1948 (now 63)
Stoney Cooper born in Harman, West Virginia, 1918 (died 1977)
Doyle Wilburn died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 1982 (was 52)
Don Reno died in Charlottesville, Virginia(post-operative complications), 1984 (was 58)
Danny Dill died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 2008 (was 84)
Naomi Judd retired from touring because of health issues, 1990
Ralph Stanley Museum opened, 2004

October 17:

Earl Thomas Conley born in Portsmouth, Ohio, 1941 (now 70)
Alan Jackson born in Newman, Georgia, 1958 (now 53)
Tennessee Ernie Ford died in Reston, Virginia (liver disease), 1991 (was 72)
Jay Livingston died in Los Angeles, California (pneumonia), 2001 (was 86). Among the songwriter's many credits were "Bonanza!," which Johnny Cash recorded, and "The Hanging Tree," which Marty Robbins recorded.
Bashful Brother Oswald (Beecher Ray Kirby) died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 2002 (was 90)

October 18:

Chuck Berry born in San Jose, California, 1926 (now 85). Among the rock and roll legend's hits that have made it to the country chart are "Memphis" (#10 hit for Fred Knoblock, 1981), "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" (#3 hit for Waylon Jennings, 1970), "The Promised Land" (#3 hit for Freddy Weller, 1970), and "Johnny B. Goode" (#1 hit for Buck Owens, 1969).
Keith Knudsen of Southern Pacific born in Ames, Iowa, 1952 (now 59)
Harty Taylor of Karl & Harty died (stroke), 1963 (was 58)
Don Hecht died in Miami, Florida (heart attack), 2002 (was 72)
Hank Williams married Billie Jean Jones in Minden, Louisiana, 1952. After Williams' death, she would marry Johnny Horton.

October 19:

Don Parmley of the Bluegrass Cardinals born in Oliver Springs, Tennessee, 1933 (now 78)
Ebo Walker (ne Harry Shelor) of Bluegrass Alliance and New Grass Revival born in Louisville, Kentucky, 1941 (now 70)
Jeannie C. Riley born in Anson, Texas, 1945 (now 66)
Charlie Chase born in Rogersville, Tennessee, 1952 (now 59)
Arthur E. "Uncle Art" Satherley born in Bristol, England, 1889 (died 1986)
Grant Turner died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart failure), 1991 (was 79)
The first CMA Awards were held in Nashville, 1967. The awards show was not televised.

October 20:

Wanda Jackson born in Maud, Oklahoma, 1937 (now 74)
Stuart Hamblin born in Kellyville, Texas, 1908 (died 1989)
Grandpa Jones born in Niagara, Kentucky, 1913 (died 1998)
Merle Travis died in Tahlequah, Oklahoma (heart attack), 1983 (was 65)
Rounder Records founded by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin, and Marian Leighton, 1970. Mr. Nowlin says this "birth" of Rounder is based on the date of their first invoice.

October 21:

Owen Bradley born in Westmoreland, Tennessee, 1915 (died 1998)
Bill Black died in Memphis, Tennessee (brain tumor), 1965 (was 39)
Mel Street born in Grundy, Virginia, 1933 (died 1978)
Mel Street died in Hendersonville, Tennessee (suicide), 1978 (45th birthday)
Sonny Burns died in Nacogdoches, Texas (unknown cause), 1992 (was 62)
Leona Johnson Atkins, member of WLW's Johnson Twins and widow of Chet Atkins, died in Nashville, Tennessee (illness), 2009 (was 85)

October 22:

Shelby Lynn born in Quantico, Virginia, 1968 (now 43)
Leon Chappelear died in Gladewater, Texas (suicide), 1962 (was 53)
Dorothy Shay, the "Park Avenue Hillbillie," died in Santa Monica, California (heart attack), 1978 (was 57)

October 23:

Dwight Yoakam born in Pikeville, Kentucky, 1956 (now 55)
Junior Bryant of Ricochet born in Pecos, Texas, 1968 (now 43)
Mother Maybelle Carter died in Nashville, Tennessee (respiratory arrest), 1978 (was 68)
Merle Watson died in Caldwell County, North Carolina (tractor accident), 1985 (was 36). His father Doc's long-lasting tribute to his late son is the annual bluegrass event known as "MerleFest."
Rusty Kershaw died in New Orleans, Louisiana (heart attack), 2001 (was 63)

October 24:

Mark Gray (former member of Exile) born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, 1952 (now 59)
Jiles Perry "The Big Bopper" Richardson born in Sabine Pass, Texas, 1930 (died 1959). Among his songwriter credits are "White Lightnin'" by friend George Jones and Hank Snow's "Beggar to a King."
Kirk McGee died in Nashville, Tennessee (natural causes), 1983 (was 83)
Rosey Nix Adams, daughter of June Carter Cash, died in Montgomery County, Tennessee (carbon monoxide poisoning), 2003 (was 45)

October 25:

Jeanne Black born in Pomona, California, 1937 (now 74)
Mark Miller (Sawyer Brown) born in Dayton, Ohio, 1958 (now 53)
Chely Wright born in Kansas City, Missouri, 1970 (now 41)
Cousin Minnie Pearl (Sarah Ophelia Colley Canon) born in Grinders Switch (actually, Centerville), Tennessee, 1912 (died 1996)
Roger Miller died in Los Angeles, California (throat cancer), 1992 (was 56)
Johnnie Lee Willis died (heart ailment), 1984 (was 72)
Johnny Cash's last concert performance, Flint Michigan, 1997

October 26:

Keith Urban born in Whangarei, New Zeland, 1967 (now 44)
Hoyt Axton died in Victor, Montana (heart attack), 1999 (was 62)
Statler Brothers' final concert in their hometown of Salem, Virginia, 2002

October 27:

Dallas Frazier born in Spiro, Oklahoma, 1939 (now 72)
Lee Greenwood born in Southgate, California, 1942 (now 69)
Snuffy Jenkins born in Harris, North Carolina, 1908 (died 1990)
Floyd Cramer born in Campti, Louisiana, 1933 (died 1997)
Ruby Wright born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1939 (died 2009)
Allan "Rocky" Lane died in Woodland Hills, California (cancer), 1973 (was 72). He is mentioned in the Statler Brothers' "Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott."
Grand Ole Opry moves to the Hillsboro Theater, 1934
The Anaheim Angels won game seven of the World Series and their first (and to date, only) World Series title, 2002. The Angels were owned by Gene Autry, and the team dedicated the championship to his memory.

October 28:

Mitchell Torok born in Houston, Texas, 1929 (now 82)
Charlie Daniels born in Wilmington, North Carolina, 1936 (now 75)
Brad Paisley born in Glen Dale, West Virginia, 1972 (now 39)
Bill Bolick of the Blue Sky Boys born in Hickory, North Carolina, 1917 (died 2008)
Jimmy Skinner died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1979 (was 70)
Mel Foree died (cancer), 1990 (age unknown)
Porter Wagoner died in Nashville, Tennessee (lung cancer), 2007 (was 80)

October 29:

Sonny Osborne born in Hyden, Kentucky, 1937 (now 74)
Charlie Monk born in Noma, Florida, 1938 (now 73)
Albert E. Brumley born in Spiro, Oklahoma, 1905 (died 1977)
Ramblin' Jimmie Dolan born in Gardena, California, 1916 (died 1994)
Fred Maddox died in Fresno, California (heart disease), 1992 (was 73)

October 30:

Timothy B. Schmit of Poco and the Eagles born in Sacramento, California, 1947 (now 64)
T. Graham Brown born in Atlanta, Georgia, 1954 (now 57)
Patsy Montana (nee Ruby Rose Blevins) born in Hope, Arkansas, 1908 (died 1996)
Clifton Clowers born in Wolverton Mountain, Conway County, Arkansas, 1891 (died 1994)
Kitty Wells and Johnnie Wright wed, 1937

October 31:

Anita Kerr born in Memphis, Tennessee, 1927 (now 84)
Richard "Kinky" Friedman born in Chicago, Illinois, 1944 (now 67)
Dale Evans born in Uvalde, Texas, 1912 (died 2001)
Carl Belew died in Salina, Oklahoma (cancer), 1990 (was 59)
Bob Atcher died in Prospect, Kentucky (unknown causes), 1993 (was 79)

What Does the "C" in CMT Stand For, Anyway?

2011-10-06T21:27:00.000-04:00

Category: News/Rant

On Friday (10/7) Country Music Television (CMT) will debut a show called Top Secret Recipe. Apparently the network has high expectations for this program because they are one of the few ads that have managed to air during the baseball division series games on TBS between the annoying Chevy Volt commercial (if you haven't seen it consider yourself lucky) or the MLB "legends are born in October" ads with the equally annoying song by a U2-wanna-be band playing in the background.

So what does this TV show have to do with country music?

While we're at it, what is the connection between 99% of the movies they show and country music?

RFD-TV, which bills itself as a "rural America" network (not a "country music" network), airs old syndicated series The Porter Wagoner Show, The Wilburn Brothers Show, Pop! Goes the Country, and Hee Haw (not to mention its own original Marty Stuart Show). That is only a drop in the bucket of the old country music TV series that existed (Bill Anderson and Ernest Tubb had a show, and who wouldn't love to see network series like The Ozark Jubilee or The Johnny Cash Show again?).

And all "Country" Music Television can offer is a show about trying to hack the Colonel's secret fried chicken recipe.

Dates of Note in Country Music, October 1-15

2011-10-03T20:44:00.001-04:00

Category: News
(Country Music Hall of Famers in bold)

October 1:
Kelly Willis born in Lawton, Oklahoma, 1968 (now 43)
Skeets McDonald born in Greenway, Arkansas, 1915 (died 1968)
Bonnie Owens born in Blanchard, Oklahoma, 1932 (died 2006)

October 2:
Jo-El Sonnier born in Rayne, Louisiana, 1946 (now 65)
Tammy Sullivan born in Wagarville, Alabama, 1964 (now 47)
Gillian Welch born in Manhattan, New York, 1967 (now 44)
Chris LeDoux born in Biloxi, Mississippi, 1948 (died 2005)
Chubby Wise born in Lake City, Florida, 1915 (died 1996)
Gene Autry died in Studio City, California (lymphoma), 1998 (was 91). The "Singing Cowboy" owned the Anaheim Angels, who dedicated their 2002 World Series victory to his memory.
Elvis Presley played the Grand Ole Opry, 1954. Opry manager Jim Denny critiqued his performance by telling him that he was going nowhere and to "go back to driving trucks."

October 3:
Joe Allison born in McKinney, Texas, 1924 (died 2002)
Woody Guthrie died in Queens, New York (Huntington's disease), 1967 (was 55). Among the folk singer's compositions was the Maddox Brothers and Rose's hit "Philadelphia Lawyer."
Del Wood died in Nashville, Tennessee (stroke), 1989 (was 69)

October 4:
Leroy Van Dyke born in Spring Fork, Missouri, 1929 (now 82)
Larry Collins of the Collins Kids born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1944 (now 67)
Greg Hubbard of Sawyer Brown born in Orlando, Florida, 1960 (now 51)
Jerry Rivers died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 1996 (was 69)
A.L. "Doodle" Owens died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1999 (was 69)
Tammy Wynette's ordeal where she claimed to have been kidnapped and beaten began, 1978

October 5:
Radio station WSM born in Nashville at 650 on the AM dial, 1925 (now 86)
Margie Singleton born in Coushatta, Louisiana, 1935 (now 76)
Johnny Duncan born in Dublin, Texas, 1938 (died 2006)

October 6:
Tim Rushlow of Little Texas born in Arlington, Texas, 1966 (now 45)
Kendall Hayes born in Perryville, Kentucky, 1935 (died 1995)
Ted Daffan died in Houston, Texas (cancer), 1996 (was 84)

October 7:
Jim Halsey born in Independence, Kansas, 1930 (now 81)
Kieran Kane born in Queens, New York, 1949 (now 62)
Dale Watson born in Birmingham, Alabama, 1962 (now 49)
Uncle Dave Macon born in Warren County, Tennessee, 1870 (died 1952)
Gordon Terry born in Decatur, Alabama, 1931 (died 2006)
Hugh Cherry born in Louisville, Kentucky, 1922 (died 1998)
Buddy Lee born in Brooklyn, New York, 1932 (died 1998)
Johnny Darrell died in Kennesaw, Georgia (diabetes complications), 1997 (was 57)
Jimmie Logsdon died in Louisville, Kentucky (unknown cause), 2001 (was 79)
Shelby Singleton died in Nashville, Tennessee (brain cancer), 2009 (was 77)
Jimmie Rodgers' first recording, "The Soldier's Sweetheart" / "Sleep Baby Sleep," released, 1927

October 8:
Susan Raye born in Eugene, Oregon, 1944 (now 67)
Lynn Morris born in Lamesa, Texas, 1948 (now 63)
Jackie Frantz of Dave & Sugar born in Sidney, Ohio, 1950 (now 61)
Ricky Lee Phelps of the Kentucky Headhunters born in Paragould, Arkansas, 1953 (now 58)
Pete Drake born in Atlanta, Georgia, 1932 (died 1988)

October 9:
Goebel Reeves born in Sherman, Texas, 1899 (died 1969)
The Renfro Valley Barn Dance began airing on WLW, 1937

October 10:
John Prine born in Maywood, Illinois, 1946 (now 65)
Tanya Tucker born in Seminole, Texas, 1958 (now 53)
Don Pierce, founder of Starday Records, born in Ballard, Washington, 1915 (died 2005)

October 11:
Gene Watson born in Palestine, Texas, 1943 (now 68)
Paulette Carlson of Highway 101 born in Northfield, Minnesota, 1952 (now 59)
Dottie West born in McMinnville, Tennessee, 1932 (died 1991)
Rex Griffin died in New Orleans, Louisiana (tuberculosis), 1958 (was 46)
Tex Williams died in Newhall, California (pancreatic cancer), 1985 (was 68)
T. Tommy Cutrer died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1998 (was 74)

October 12:
Shane McAnally born in Mineral Wells, Texas, 1974 (now 36)
John Denver died in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Pacific Grove, California (plane crash), 1997 (was 53)

October 13:
Anita Kerr born in Memphis, Tennessee, 1927 (now 84)
Lacy J. Dalton born in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, 1946 (now 65)
John Wiggins born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1962 (now 48)
Rhett Akins born in Valdosta, Georgia, 1969 (now 42)
Hoarce Lee Logan died in Victoria, Texas (respiratory disease), 2002. The founder of the Louisiana Hayride also coined one of the most oft-repeated phrases in American popular culture: trying to calm down an audience after one Louisiana Hayride performer wowed the crowd, Logan announced, "Elvis has left the building."
Acuff-Rose Publishing Company founded, 1942

October 14:
Kenny Roberts born in Lenoir City, Tennessee, 1926 (now 85)
Melba Montgomery born in Iron City, Tennessee, 1938 (now 73)
Bing Crosby died in Madrid, Spain (heart attack), 1977. The legendary pop crooner has the distinction of being the first artist to have a #1 single on Billboard magazine's Country and Western charts, with his rendition of Al Dexter's "Pistol Packin' Mama," January 8, 1944.

October 15:
Dean Miller born in Los Angeles, California, 1965 (now 46)

Chances Are....

2011-09-28T22:39:00.000-04:00

Category: News/Obituary

Imagine having a name like Johnny Mathis and not being a pop singer. Johnny Mathis the country singer was a star before the guy who sings "Chances Are," yet he was the one who put the qualifier in his name to make sure no one confused the two.

Country Johnny Mathis died Tuesday (9/27) of pneumonia at his home in Tennessee. He had suffered a massive stroke in 1999 and was totally incapacitated for the remainder of his life.

Born in Texas in 1930, Johnny Mathis learned gospel music from his Holiness preacher father. In the early 50s he teamed up with Jimmy Lee Fautheree for the duo Jimmy and Johnny. Their 1954 song "If You Don't, Somebody Else Will" was a top five smash and eventually was recorded by people ranging from Wanda Jackson to the Osborne Brothers to Ray Price to Carl Smith. The duo became regulars on the Louisiana Hayride but would never have another hit, despite some excellent music (all of which was released on a Bear Family CD).

One story on the Country Johnny Mathis web site is how he wrote "Am I That Easy to Forget" and, in a move reminiscent of Arthur Q. Smith, sold the rights to the song for enough money to buy himself a bottle of vodka. Mathis cleaned up his act and later concentrated on writing gospel songs.

Country Johnny Mathis died one day shy of what would have been his 81st birthday.

Walkin' Talkin' Cryin' Barely Beatin' Broken Heart

2011-09-27T22:55:00.001-04:00

Category: News/Obituary

It takes a real man to spend most of his life known as the husband of a famous wife. That was, in many regards, Johnnie Wright's legacy: he was Mr. Kitty Wells.

Johnnie Wright passed away this morning (9/27) at his home in Madison, Tennessee. He had been in failing health for a number of years.

Johnnie Robert Wright was born in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee on May 13, 1914. In 1938 he met up with another man born on May 13, Jack Anglin, and began a partnership with him as the duo Johnnie and Jack. Jack married Johnnie's sister, making them brothers-in-law as well as musical partners.

Wright made one other significant life change in 1938: he married an 18-year-old named Muriel Deason. The three performed together for years, bouncing between Nashville and Knoxville. Wright thought his wife's name wasn't a good "show biz" name, so he suggested she change her name. He mentioned the name Kitty Wells, taken from a song "Sweet Kitty Wells," and the rest is history.

Johnnie and Jack signed to RCA and began a string of hits in the early 50s. Kitty Wells was briefly on RCA (her classic song, "How Far is Heaven," was done for that label) before signing with Decca. Her first single on that label was an answer song to Hank Thompson's big hit "The Wild Side of Life." "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" put Kitty in a controversial situation: the happy wife and mother was singing a song that clearly irritated a number of men in positions of power in Nashville. (She was told point-blank to NOT sing the popular song on the Opry and was suspended when she defied that order.) She became the first woman to top the Billboard country music charts and kicked open the door for the Jean Shepards, Loretta Lynns, Tammy Wynettes, Connie Smiths, and Lynn Andersons who followed. As a result she earned the nickname "the Queen of Country Music."

Johnnie and Jack's career tragically ended in March, 1963 when Jack Anglin was killed in a single-car wreck on his way to the memorial service for Patsy Cline, who had died two days earlier in a plane crash with Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins. The tragedies began talks of an "Opry curse" (eight more Opry-related acts would die in the next two years). Johnnie continued as a solo act with the support of his wife and son Bobby, who was by that time a cast member on the series McHale's Navy.

Wright's first solo single, "Walkin' Talkin' Cryin' Barely Beatin' Broken Heart," was released on Decca in 1964. When the single came out it had Johnnie's first name misspelled as "Johnny." He later said he figured the more traditional spelling of the name was easier for people to remember, so for the rest of his life he went by the misspelling.

Wright's only #1 song as a solo artist was a song written by Tom T. Hall, "Hello Vietnam." The song came out in 1965, before the controversy surrounding the war escalated. He never had another top ten record after that, but that doesn't mean he was not in demand. The Johnny Wright/Kitty Wells Family Show toured until 2000, meaning that Wright and Wells were on the road together for 62 years.

Johnnie and Kitty would have celebrated their 74th wedding anniversary October 30th. Their daughter, Ruby Wright (who had an answer song to Roger Miller's "Dang Me" titled "Dern Ya") passed away from heart disease two years ago Friday.

Bear Family issued all of Johnnie and Jack's recordings in a six-CD set Johnnie and Jack and the Tennessee Mountain Boys. Sadly, the box set is out of print, and only a greatest hits CD is currently available on the duo.

The great Johnnie Wright was 97.

A True Mountain Voice Silenced

2011-09-16T22:52:00.001-04:00

Category: News/Obituary

A sad week for country music gets sadder. Wilma Lee Cooper passed away Tuesday afternoon (9/13).

For decades Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper took their pure mountain sound to the world, first through the WWVA Wheeling Jamboree then through the Grand Ole Opry. They scored charted hits with songs that were unapologetically country in the era of the Nashville Sound: "Come Walk With Me," "Big Midnight Special," and the Don Gibson-penned "There's a Big Wheel."

After Stoney's death from a heart attack in 1977 Wilma Lee remained at the Opry, performing, recording and touring as one of the "Grand Ladies of the Grand Ole Opry."

In 2001 Wilma Lee suffered a debilitating stroke that ended her career. She loved her Opry family (her daughter, Carol Lee, is leader of the background singing group on the Opry) and visited often, earning a standing ovation for merely walking out on the stage in 2005. Her final appearance on the Opry was in 2010, when she participated in the reopening ceremonies for the Opry House following the May 2010 flood.

Farewell to the great Wilma Lee Cooper, who was 90.

Dates of Note in Country Music, September 16-31

2011-09-15T22:24:00.002-04:00

Category: News
(Country Music Hall of Famers in bold)

September 16:

David Bellamy of the Bellamy Brothers born in Darby, Florida, 1950 (now 61)
Bobby Randall of Sawyer Brown born in Midland, Michigan, 1952 (now 59)
Terry McBride of McBride & the Ride born in Austin, Texas, 1958 (now 53)
Ralph Mooney born in Duncan, Oklahoma, 1928 (died 2011)
Sheb Wooley died in Nashville, Tennessee (leukemia), 2003 (was 82)

September 17:

Hank Williams born in Mount Olive, Alabama, 1923 (died 1953)
John Ritter, son of Tex Ritter, born in Burbank, California, 1948 (died 2003)
Steve Sanders (William Lee Golden's one-time replacement in the Oak Ridge Boys) born in Richland, Georgia, 1952 (died 1998)
Bill Black born in Memphis, Tennessee, 1926 (died 1965)
RCA's 33 1/3 RPM "long-playing" (LP) record born, 1931

September 18:

Priscilla Mitchell born in Marietta, Georgia, 1941 (now 70). In addition to her own singing career, she was married to Jerry Reed from 1959 until his death in 2008.
Carl Jackson born in Louisville, Mississippi, 1953 (now 58)
Ervin T. Rouse born in Craven County, North Carolina, 1917 (died 1981)

September 19:

Trisha Yearwood born in Monticello, Georgia, 1964 (now 47)
Clyde Moody born in Cherokee, North Carolina, 1915 (died 1989)
Danny Dill born in Carroll County, Tennessee, 1924 (died 2008)
Clyde "Sonny' Burns born in Lufkin, Texas, 1930 (died 1992)
Red Foley died in Fort Wayne, Indiana (heart attack), 1968 (was 58)
Gram Parsons died in Joshua Tree, California (drug overdose), 1973 (was 26)
Skeeter Davis died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 2004 (was 72)
Slim Dusty ("Australian king of country music") died in St. Ives, New South Wales (cancer), 2003 (was 76)
Carl Smith married singer Goldie Hill, 1957

September 20:

Pearl Butler born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1927 (died 1988)
Karl Farr died in West Springfield, Massachusetts (heart attack), 1961 (was 52)
Jim Croce died in Natchitoches, Louisiana (plane crash), 1973 (was 30). The folk singer/songwriter's pop hit "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song" made the country charts a year after his death.
Steve Goodman died in Seattle, Washington (liver and kidney failure/leukemia), 1984 (was 36)
Hank Williams re-joined the Louisiana Hayride after being fired from the Grand Ole Opry, 1952

September 21:

Dickey Lee born in Memphis, Tennessee, 1936 (now 75)
Don Felder, former guitarist/steel guitarist for the Eagles, born in Gainesville, Florida, 1947 (now 64)
Kenny Starr born in Topeka, Kansas, 1952 (now 59)

Daryl Mosley of New Tradition born in Waverly, Tennessee, 1964 (now 47)

Ronna Reeves born in Big Spring, Texas, 1966 (now 45)
Ted Daffan born in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana, 1912 (died 1996)
Walter Brennan died in Oxnard, California (emphysema), 1974 (was 80). Among the actor's charted hits were "Old Rivers" and a version of Bill Anderson's "Mama Sang a Song."

September 22:

June Forester of the Forester Sisters born in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, 1952 (now 59)
Debby Boone born in Hackensack, New Jersey, 1956 (now 54). The "You Light Up My Life" singer is Red Foley's granddaughter.
Roy "Pop" Lewis Sr. of the Lewis Family, born in Pickens, South Carolina, 1905 (died 2004)

September 23:

Don Herron Jr. of BR5-49 born in Steubenville, Ohio, 1962 (now 49)
Roy Drusky died in Nashville, Tennessee (emphysema), 2004 (was 74)
Bradley Kincaid died in Springfield, Ohio (natural causes), 1989 (was 94)
O.B. McClinton died in Nashville, Tennessee (abdominal cancer), 1987 (was 45)
Jimmy Wakely died in Mission Hills, California (emphysema), 1982 (was 68)
Roy Horton died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 2003 (was 88)
Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys make their first recording session, 1935

September 24:

Rosalie Allen died in Palmdale, California (congestive heart failure), 2003 (was 79)
Jim Denny fired as Opry manager, 1956

September 25:

Ian Tyson born in Victoria, British Columbia, 1933 (now 78)
Larry Sparks born in Lebanon, Ohio, 1947 (now 64)
Royce Kendall born in St. Louis, Missouri, 1934 (died 1998)
Little Jimmy Dickens became a member of the Grand Ole Opry, 1948. He is celebrating 63 years as an Opry member, which is one of the longest tenures in the history of the show.

September 26:

David Frizzell born in El Dorado, Arkansas, 1941 (now 70)
Lynn Anderson born in Grand Forks, North Dakota, 1947 (now 64)
Carlene Carter born in Madison, Tennessee, 1955 (now 56)
Doug Supernaw born in Bryan, Texas, 1960 (now 51)
Marty Robbins born in Glendale, Arizona, 1925 (died 1982)
The Beverly Hillbillies debuted on CBS, 1962. The program featured appearances by Roy Clark as Cousin Roy and Flatt and Scruggs as friends of the Clampetts, and the show was frequently sponsored by Kellogg's Corn Flakes with ads featuring Homer and Jethro.

September 27:

Uncle Josh Graves born in Tellico Plains, Tennessee, 1928 (died 2006)
Charlie Monroe died in Reidsville, North Carolina (cancer), 1975 (was 72)

September 28:

Johnny Mathis born in Maud, Texas, 1930 (died 2011). Because of the rise of a pop singer by the same name, Mathis became known as "Country Johnny Mathis."
Ronnie Reno born in Buffalo, South Carolina, 1947 (now 64)
Laurie Lewis born in Long Beach, California, 1950 (now 61)
Mandy Barnett born in Crossville, Tennessee, 1975 (now 36)
Jerry Clower born in Liberty, Mississippi, 1926 (died 1998)
Tommy Collins (ne Leonard Sipes) born in Bethany, Oklahoma, 1930 (died 2000)
Joseph Falcon born in Rayne, Louisiana, 1900 (died 1965). Falcon is credited with the first Cajun recording, "Allons a Lafayette," in 1928.
Jim Boyd (of Bill Boyd and the Cowboy Ramblers) born in Fannin County, Texas, 1914 (died 1993)
Johnny Horton married Billie Jean Williams (widow of Hank Williams), 1953

September 29:

Jerry Lee Lewis born in Ferriday, Louisiana, 1935 (now 76)
Gene Autry born in Tioga Springs, Texas, 1907 (died 1998)
Bill Boyd born in Fannin County, Texas, 1910 (died 1977)
Tillman Franks born in Stamps, Arkansas, 1920 (died 2006)
Wesley Tuttle died in San Fernando, California (natural causes), 2003 (was 85)
Mickey Newbury died in Springfield, Oregon (lung disease), 2002 (was 62)

September 30:

Richard Bowden born in Linden, Texas, 1945 (now 66)
Johnny Burns born in Knoxville, Tennessee, 1948 (now 63). The son of Jethro Burns is a singer/songwriter/guitarist on his own, and worked for many years with country-folk icon John Prine.
Deborah Allen born in Memphis, Tennessee, 1953 (now 58)
Marty Stuart born in Philadelphia, Mississippi, 1958 (now 53)
Mary Ford died in Arcadia, California (diabetes complications), 1977 (was 53)
Ruby Wright died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart disease), 2009 (was 69)
Billboard magazine changed the name of the "Hillbilly and Western" chart to the "Folk Country and Western" chart, 1950. Ernest Tubb is considered by many to be one of the people responsible for this, as he claimed that "hillbilly" was a derogatory term.

A Double Whammy in Country Music

2011-09-13T20:23:00.000-04:00

Category: News/Obituary

The world of country music has lost two giants on September 12.

Don Wayne. Don Wayne was a superb songwriter, author of such songs as "Country Bumpkin," "It's Time to Pay the Fiddler" (both hits by Cal Smith), "The Belles of Southern Bell," and "Saginaw, Michigan," which he "co-wrote" with Bill Anderson. In Anderson's autobiography Whisperin' Bill he explained how he came to be listed as Wayne's co-author: Wayne was stuck on how to end the song, and Anderson suggested that he have the song's protagonist tell the greedy, snooty father of his love that there was gold to be had in Alaska. Wayne took Anderson's suggestion and finished the song -- then insisted that Anderson be credited as co-writer. Wayne was elected to the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 1978.

Although no cause of death has yet been released, Wayne was hospitalized for some time and last week was placed in Hospice care. He was 78.

Wade Mainer. In a 1984 interview Jethro Burns called Wade Mainer a true pioneer of country music and suggested that Mainer belonged in the Hall of Fame. Mainer and his Mountaineers go back to the 1930s. He recorded with Zeke Morris, with his brother J.E. Mainer, and on his own. In 2007 a biography, Banjo on the Mountain: Wade Mainer's First Hundred Years (written by Dick Spottswood with Stephen Wade), was published by the University of Mississippi Press. He was considered the longest-living country performer ever. He passed away from congestive heart failure at his home in North Carolina.

Farewell to these two legendary gentlemen of country music.

Dates of Note in Country Music, September 1-15

2011-08-31T23:07:00.002-04:00

Category: News
(Country Music Hall of Famers in bold)

September 1

Steve Goetzman of Exile born in Louisville, Kentucky, 1950 (now 61)
Boxcar Willie (ne Lecil Travis Martin) born in Sterratt, Texas, 1931 (died 1999)
Johnny Mack Brown born in Dothan, Alabama, 1904 (died 1974). The western actor was the namesake of Lester "Roadhog" Moran and the Cadillac Cowboy's Live at the Johnny Mack Brown High School album.
Conway Twitty born in Friars Point, Mississippi, 1933 (died 1993)
Delia "Mom" Upchurch, the "Den Mother to the Stars," died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 1967 (was 85)
Jerry Reed died in Nashville, Tennessee (emphysema), 2008 (was 71)

September 2

Paul Wylie Deakin of the Mavericks born in Miami, Florida, 1959 (now 52)
Johnny Lee Wills born in Jewell, Texas, 1912 (died 1984)
Charline Authur born in Henrietta, Texas, 1929 (died 1987)
Grady Nutt born in Amarillo, Texas, 1934 (died 1982)
Fabor Robinson, founder of Fabor Records, died in Minden, Louisiana (unknown cause), 1986 (was 74)

September 3

Tompall Glaser born in Spalding, Nebraska, 1933 (now 78)
Jimmy Riddle born in Dyersburg, Tennessee, 1918 (died 1981)
Hank Thompson born in Waco, Texas, 1925 (died 2007)

September 4

Shot Jackson born in Wilmington, North Carolina, 1920 (died 1991)
Dottie West died in Nashville, Tennessee (injuries from a car wreck), 1991 (was 58)
Carl Butler died in Franklin, Tennessee (heart attack), 1992 (was 65)

September 5

Curley Williams died in Montgomery, Alabama (unknown cause), 1970 (was 66)
The Country Music Association was founded, 1958
The Lewis Family's final concert, 2009. The bluegrass and gospel band began performing in 1951.

September 6

David Allan Coe born in Akron, Ohio, 1939 (now 72)
Jeff Foxworthy born in Atlanta, Georgia, 1958 (now 53)
Mark Chesnutt born in Beaumont, Texas, 1963 (now 48)
Zeke Clements born in Warrior, Alabama, 1911 (died 1994)
Paul Yandell born in Mayfield, Kentucky, 1935 (died 2011)
Mel McDaniel born in Checotah, Oklahoma, 1942 (died 2011)
Ernest Tubb died in Nashville, Tennessee (complications from emphysema), 1984 (was 70)
Autry Inman died (unknown cause), 1988 (was 59)
Roy Huskey Jr. died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 1997 (was 41)

September 7

Ronnie Dove born in Herndon, Virginia, 1940 (now 71)
Buddy Holly born in Lubbock, Texas, 1936 (died 1959). The rock and roll pioneer began in country music, and among his band members was Waylon Jennings.
Hubert Long died in Nashville, Tennessee (brain tumor), 1972 (was 48)
Warren Zevon died in Los Angeles, California (mesothelioma), 2003 (was 56). The folk-rock singer wrote "Poor Poor Pitiful Me," which made the country charts by both Linda Ronstadt and Terri Clark, and Dwight Yoakam recorded Zevon's "Carmelita" and sang on two of Zevon's albums. Zevon also appeared in the movie South of Heaven, West of Hell with Yoakam.

September 8

Jimmie Rodgers born in Meridian, Mississippi, 1897 (died 1933)
Milton Brown born in Stephenville, Texas, 1903 (died 1936)
Patsy Cline born in Winchester, Virginia, 1932 (died 1963)
Harlan Howard born in Detroit, Michigan, 1929 (died 2002)

September 9

Freddy Weller born in Atlanta, Georgia, 1947 (now 64)
Charline Arthur born in Henrietta, Texas, 1929 (died 1987)
Rodger Dale Tubb died in Fredericksburg, Texas (car wreck), 1938 (was 7 weeks old)
Tex Owens died in New Baden, Texas (unknown cause), 1962 (was 70)
Bill Monroe died in Nashville, Tennessee (stroke), 1996 (was 84)

September 10

Tommy Overstreet born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1937 (now 74)
Rosie Flores born in San Antonio, Texas, 1956 (now 55)
Luke Wills born in Memphis, Texas, 1920 (died 2000)
Joe (ne Walter) Callahan of the Callahan Brothers died in Asheville, North Carolina (cancer), 1971 (was 61)

September 11

Jimmie Davis born in Beech Springs, Louisiana, 1899 (died 2000)
Randy Hughes born in Gum, Tennessee, 1928 (died 1963)
Lorne Greene died in Santa Monica, California (pneumonia), 1987 (was 72). The actor's recitation "Ringo" was a top 25 country hit in 1964.
Leon Payne died in San Antonio, Texas (heart attack), 1969 (was 52)
Bill (ne Homer) Callahan of the Callahan Brothers died in Dallas, Texas (congestive heart failure), 2002 (was 90)
Terrorists crash planes into the World Trade Center's twin towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington DC, 2001. The attack spawned several country songs including Alan Jackson's "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" and Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)."

September 12

George Jones born in Saratoga, Texas, 1931 (now 80)
Leona Johnson Atkins born in Jackson Township, Ohio, 1924 (died 2009). One of WLW's "Johnson Twins," she married Chet Atkins in 1946.
Lois Johnson Burns born in Jackson Township, Ohio, 1924 (died 1989). One of WLW's "Johnson Twins," she married Jethro Burns of Homer & Jethro in 1946.
Helen Carter born in Maces Springs, Virginia, 1927 (died 1998)
Rod Brasfield died in Martin, Tennessee (heart failure), 1958 (was 48)
Johnny Cash died in Nashville, Tennessee (Shy-Drager syndrome complications, diabetes, lung disease), 2003 (was 71)
John Ritter died in Los Angeles, California (heart ailment), 2003 (was 54). The actor was the son of Western legend Tex Ritter.
Charlie Walker died in Nashville, Tennessee (colon cancer), 2008 (was 81)

September 13

Bobbie Cryner born in Woodland, California, 1961 (now 50)
Bill Monroe born in Rosine, Kentucky, 1911 (died 1996)
U.S. Postal Service issues a Roy Acuff postage stamp, 2003

September 14

John Berry born in Aiken, South Carolina, 1959 (now 52)
Mae Boren Axton born in Bardwell, Texas, 1914 (died 1997)
Don Walser born in Brownfield, Texas, 1934 (died 2006)
Vernon Dalhart died in Bridgeport, Connecticut (heart attack), 1948 (was 65)

September 15

Roy Acuff born in Maynardsville, Tennesssee, 1903 (died 1992)
Patsy Cline married Charlie Dick, 1957

Dates of Note in Country Music, August 16-31

2011-08-15T10:26:00.000-04:00

Category: News

Country Music Hall of Famers in bold

August 16:

Billy Joe Shaver born in Corsica, Texas, 1939 (now 72)
Kathie Lee Gifford born in Paris, France, 1953 (now 58). Gifford began her career as one of the "Hee Haw honeys."
Emory Martin born in Hickman County, Tennessee, 1889 (died 2006). Martin was the one-armed banjo player at the Renfro Valley Barn Dance.
Elvis Presley died at Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee (heart failure), 1977 (was 42)
Vassar Clements died in Nashville, Tennessee (lung cancer), 2005 (was 77)
Patsy Montana recorded "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart," 1935. The song would become country music's first million-seller by a female.

August 17:

E.W. "Bud" Wendell born in Akron, Ohio, 1927 (now 84)
Wayne Raney born in Wolf Bayou, Arkansas, 1920 (died 1993)

August 18:

Hank Penny born in Birmingham, Alabama, 1918 (died 1992)
Molly Bee born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1939 (died 2009)
Johnny Preston born in Port Arthur, Texas, 1939 (died 2011). Preston is best known for "Running Bear," the 1959 hit which featured guitar work and backing vocals by George Jones.
Charlie Waller died in Gordonsville, Virginia (heart attack), 2004 (was 69)
The Louvin Brothers play their last official show as a duo (opening for Ray Price) in Watseka, Illinois, 1963. According to Charles Wolfe's biography, the duo that once commanded over $1,100 per show as headliners received $250 for the performance.

August 19:

Eddy Raven born in Lafayette, Louisiana, 1944 (now 67)
Lee Ann Womack born in Jacksonville, Texas, 1966 (now 45)
Clay Walker born in Beaumont, Texas, 1969 (now 42)
Curly Ray Cline died in Rockhouse, Kentucky (illness), 1997 (was 74)

August 20:

Rudy Gatlin born in Olney, Texas, 1952 (now 59)
Ralph Stanley II born in Coeburn, Virginia, 1958 (now 53)
Jim Reeves born in Galloway, Texas, 1923 (died 1964)
Justin Tubb born in San Antonio, Texas, 1935 (died 1998)
Louis Innis died (heart attack), 1982 (was 63)
Leon McAuliffe died in Tulsa, Oklahoma (illness), 1988 (was 71)

August 21:

Harold Reid born in Staunton, Virginia, 1939 (now 72)
Nick Kane of the Mavericks born in Jerusalem, Georgia, 1954 (now 57)
Teea Goans born in Lowry City, Missouri, year unknown
Sam McGee died in Williamson County, Tennessee (tractor accident on his farm), 1975 (was 81)
Murray "Buddy" Harman died in Nashville, Tennessee (congestive heart failure), 2008 (was 79)

August 22:

Rounder Records co-owner Marian Leighton-Levy born in Harrington, Maine, 1948 (now 63)
Holly Dunn born in San Antonio, Texas, 1957 (now 54)
Collin Raye born in DeQueen, Arkansas, 1959 (now 52)
Rod Brasfield born in Smithville, Arkansas, 1910 (died 1958)
Connie B. Gay born in Lizard Lick, North Carolina, 1914 (died 1989)
Horace "Aytchie" Burns died in Knoxville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1974 (was 56). Aytchie was a bass player at Knoxville's WNOX and on the Renfro Valley Barn Dance. He was also the older brother of Jethro Burns.
Elizabeth Haynes born in Greenville, Kentucky, 1920 (died 1976)
Elizabeth Haynes died in Hammond, Indiana (kidney disease), 1976 (56th birthday). The one-time bass player and "red-headed yodeling gal" on the Renfro Valley Barn Dance was the wife of Homer Haynes.
Leon Chappelear died in Gladewater, Texas (suicide [gunshot]), 1962 (was 53)
Mooney Lynn, the husband of Loretta Lynn, died in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee (heart failure/diabetes), 1996 (was 69)
Floyd Tillman died in Houston, Texas (leukemia), 2003 (was 88)

August 23:

Rex Allen, Jr. born in Chicago, Illinois, 1947 (now 64)
Woody Paul of Riders in the Sky born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1949 (now 62)
Tex Williams born in Anvil, Illinois, 1917 (died 1985)
Leslie York of the York Brothers born in Louisa, Kentucky, 1917 (died 1984)
"It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" hit #1 on the Billboard charts, 1952. The song, the first #1 hit for a female singer, was very controversial in its day, with many country stations refusing to play the song and the Grand Ole Opry management prohibiting Kitty Wells from performing the tune on the Opry.

August 24:

Fred Rose born in Evansville, Indiana, 1897 (died 1954)
Jerry Clower died in Jackson, Mississippi (complications from heart surgery), 1998 (was 71)
Nat Stuckey died in Nashville, Tennessee (lung cancer), 1988 (was 54)

August 25:

Elvis Costello born in London, England, 1954 (now 57). The punk pioneer and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member is a die-hard country music fan who recorded an album of old country songs, Almost Blue, and has performed with numerous country legends including George Jones, Ricky Skaggs, Emmylou Harris, and Charlie Louvin. Johnny Cash recorded Costello's song "The Big Light" on Johnny Cash is Coming to Town.
Billy Ray Cyrus born in Flatwoods, Kentucky, 1961 (now 50)
Jo Dee Messina born in Holliston, Massachusetts, 1970 (now 41)
Jerry Rivers born in Miami, Florida, 1928 (died 1996)
Cliff Bruner died in Texas City, Texas (cancer), 2000 (was 85)

August 26:

Don Bowman born in Lubbock, Texas, 1937 (now 74)
Jimmy Olander of Diamond Rio born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1961 (now 50)
Wilma Burgess died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 2003 (was 64)

August 27:

Jimmy C. Newman born in Big Mamou, Louisiana, 1927 (now 84)
J.D. Crowe born in Lexington, Kentucky, 1937 (now 74)
Frances Preston born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1934 (now 76)
Jeff Cook of Alabama born in Fort Payne, Alabama, 1949 (now 62)
Carter Stanley born in Dickenson County, Virginia, 1925 (died 1966)
Oliver "Mooney" Lynn, husband of Loretta Lynn, born in Butcher Holler, Kentucky, 1926 (died 1996)
David "Bunny" Biggs of Jamup & Honey died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown causes), 1948 (was 52)
Jim Denny died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 1963 (was 52). For his Hall of Fame career, Denny may be most infamous for telling a guest artist after an appearance on the Grand Ole Opry, "You ain't goin' nowhere, son. You ought to go back to driving a truck." The person on the receiving end of Denny's criticism was Elvis Presley.

August 28:

LeAnn Rimes born in Jackson, Mississippi, 1982 (now 28)
Billy Grammer born in Benton, Illinois, 1925 (died 2011)

August 29:

Dan Truman of Diamond Rio born in St. George, Utah, 1956 (now 55)
Grady Cole born in Lafayette, Georgia, 1909 (died 1981). He and wife Hazel wrote the country gospel classic "Tramp on the Street."
Archie Campbell died in Knoxville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1987 (was 67)

August 30:

Kitty Wells born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1919 (now 92)
Jon Hagar born in Chicago, Illinois, 1946 (died 2009)
Jim Hagar born in Chicago, Illinois, 1946 (died 2008)

Mr. Guitar

2011-08-15T09:49:00.000-04:00

Category: News

For many, Chet Atkins defined guitar playing in country music. He began as a shy, sickly youngster in eastern Tennessee, listening to the likes of country great Merle Travis and French gypsy jazz master Django Reinhardt and rose to the top of the music world. His work as guitarist, producer, guitarist, music executive, and oh yes did I mention guitarist earned him one of the earliest inductions into the Country Music Hall of Fame (in 1973, when he was just 49) in history -- and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has opened an exhibit dedicated to Chet Atkins. Titled "Chet Atkins: Certified Guitar Picker," the exhibit includes a detailed replica of Chet's famous workshop in the basement of his home, many guitars (including the first one he ever owned), and Chet's famous guitar instruction book (which was advertised in countless country music magazines in the 1950s).

The exhibit, sponsored by Gretsch Guitars, will run through June, 2012.

The poster for the new Chet Atkins exhibit
Courtesy of Gretsch Guitars

Gotta Travel On to Hillbilly Heaven

2011-08-11T01:32:00.000-04:00

Category: Obituary/News

The 1959 smash hit "Gotta Travel On" was one of many country songs that year that found a home on the pop "top 40" charts as well as country radio. The man who performed that song, Billy Grammer, passed away Wednesday (8/10) in a hospital in his hometown of Benton, Illinois.

Although the song is easily Grammer's best-known work, he was not a one-hit wonder. He had a top 20 hit in 1963 with a song called "I Wanna Go Home." That same year Bobby Bare recorded the tune with a different title: "Detroit City."

In addition to his own recordings, Grammer was known as a superlative guitarist. He worked on recordings by Marty Robbins, George Hamilton IV, Ernest Tubb, and Charley Pride -- and on recordings with the legendary Louis Armstrong. In the early 1960s he opened his own guitar company, Grammer Guitars. Although the company didn't last long the guitars made a lasting impression on many country guitarists, including Vince Gill.

Despite his world-wide acclaim Grammer chose to live in his hometown. Survivors include his wife of 67 years, Ruth.

Billy (ne Billie) Grammer was 85.

A Piece of Country Music History Now Open

2011-08-07T23:57:00.000-04:00

Category: News

A number of the presentations at the International Country Music Conference have pointed out that the residents of Winchester, Virginia were less than impressed with their wild child neighbor, Virginia Patterson Hensley, who was struggling to become a country music singer. Even after she gained success as Patsy Cline her reputation overshadowed any positive spotlight she could bring to the community. Her death did nothing to improve her status in the town.

At long last the town is acknowledging their most famous musical native. The house Patsy Cline lived in from 1948 until 1953 has been restored and is now open seasonally for fans to visit.

More information

Boom-Chicka-Boom

2011-08-07T23:26:00.000-04:00

Category: Obituary/News

It was a new sound, perfect for the era of rockabilly. People then and since used "boom-chicka-boom" to imitate/describe the sound of Johnny Cash and his Tennessee Two.

Marshall Grant, the bass player in Johnny Cash's groundbreaking band, died Saturday (8/6), two days after suffering a brain aneurysm. Grant had been in Jonesboro, Arkansas for a concert at Arkansas State University to raise money for a project to restore Cash's boyhood home, which had been acquired by the college, when he was stricken.

Marshall Grant and Luther Perkins backed the young Air Force veteran Johnny Cash as he skyrocketed to fame in the early 50s. The sound Cash and the Tennessee Two created found favor with both fans of country music and the new music dubbed "rock and roll." Over the years Cash hit the Billboard pop charts over four dozen times in addition to his over 130 country entries. The 1993 edition of Joel Whitburn's Billboard Top Country Singles book lists Cash as the #3 country chart artist of all time, behind only George Jones and #1 Eddy Arnold. Cash was the first performer inducted into both the country and rock halls of fame as a performer (unlike other country acts such as Bob Wills and Jimmie Rodgers, who were inducted in Cleveland for their "early influence on rock and roll").

In addition to his work with Cash, Grant was also the manager of the Statler Brothers. He played bass on their breakthrough hit "Flowers on the Wall."

Grant wrote an autobiography of his time with Cash, titled I Was There When It Happened: My Life With Johnny Cash, published in 2006.

In Tweeting news of Grant's death Rosanne Cash said:

"Marshall Grant, original of Johnny Cash & The Tennessee Two, died lst nt. Grateful I was w/ him last 2 days. Boom Chicka Boom, old friend."

Marshall Grant was 83.

Dates of Note in Country Music, August 1-15

2011-08-01T17:33:00.000-04:00

Category: News
Country Music Hall of Famers in bold

August 1:

Leon Chappelear born in Tyler, Texas, 1909 (died 1962)Howard "Howdy" Forrester of the Smoky Mountain Boys died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 1987 (was 65)

The AFM called a strike against record companies, 1942. The strike, combined with the shortage of shellac because of World War II, severely limited the record companies' output for two years.

August 2:

Hank Cochran born in Isola, Mississippi, 1935 (died 2010)

Betty Jack Davis died in Cincinnati, Ohio (car wreck), 1953 (was 21)

Joe Allison died in Nashville, Tennessee (illness), 2002 (was 77)

Redd Stewart died in Louisville, Kentucky (complications from a head injury), 2003 (was 82)The wreckage of Jim Reeves' plane discovered, 1964. The two-day search of wooded areas in and around Nashville for the plane included many country music performers. Eddy Arnold

was among those in the party that found Reeves' body.

August 3:

Dorothy Dillard of the Anita Kerr Singers born in Springfield, Missouri, 1923 (now 88)

Gordon Stoker of the Jordanaires born in Gleason, Tennessee, 1924 (now 87)

Randy Scruggs born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1953 (now 58)

Dean Sams of Lonestar born in Garland, Texas, 1966 (now 45)

Little Roy Wiggins died in Sevierville, Tennessee (heart disease and diabetes complications), 1999 (was 73)

August 4:

Vicki Hackerman of Dave & Sugar born in Louisville, Kentucky, 1950 (now 61)

Louis Armstrong born in New Orleans, 1901 (died 1971). The legendary jazz trumpet player and singer recorded with Jimmie Rodgers.

Carson J. Robison born in Oswego, Kansas, 1890 (died 1957)

James Blackwood of the Blackwood Brothers born in Ackerman, Mississippi, 1919 (died 2002)Scotty Stoneman born in Galax, Virginia, 1932 (died 1973)Fiddlin' Doc Roberts died in Richmond, Kentucky (unknown cause), 1978 (was 81)

Kenny Price died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1987 (was 56)

August 5:

Bobby Braddock born in Lakeland, Florida, 1940 (now 71)

Tim Wilson born in Columbus, Georgia, 1961 (now 50)

Terri Clark born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 1968 (now 43)
Hal Durham born in McMinnville, Tennessee, 1931 (died 2009)Vern "The Voice" Gosdin born in Woodland, Alabama, 1934 (died 2009)

Sammi Smith born in Orange, California, 1943 (died 2005)

Luther Perkins died in Nashville, Tennessee (injuries from a house fire), 1968 (was 40)

August 6:

Patsy and Peggy Lynn born in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, 1964 (now 47)

Lisa Stewart born in Louisville, Mississippi, 1968 (now 43)

Old Joe Clark (Manuel Clark), longtime Renfro Valley performer, born in Erwin, Tennessee, 1922 (died 1998)

Colleen Carroll Brooks died in Yukon, Oklahoma (throat cancer), 1999 (was 70). The former Ozark Mountain Jubilee singer was the mother of Garth Brooks.

August 7:

B.J. Thomas born in Hugo, Oklahoma, 1942 (now 69)

Rodney Crowell born in Houston, Texas, 1950 (now 61)

Raul Malo of the Mavericks born in Miami, Florida, 1965 (now 46)

Felice Bryant born in Milwaukee, Wisconcin, 1925 (died 2003)

Henry "Homer" Haynes died in Hammond, Indiana (heart attack), 1971 (was 51)
Billy Byrd died in Nashville, Tennessee (natural causes), 2001 (was 81)

August 8:

Mel Tillis born in Tampa, Florida, 1932 (now 79)

Phil Balsley of the Statler Brothers born in Staunton, Virginia, 1939 (now 72)

Jamie O'Hara born in Toledo, Ohio, 1950 (now 61)

Webb Pierce born in West Monroe, Louisiana, 1926 (died 1991)

Hank Williams Jr. critically inured in a fall while mountain climbing on Ajax Mountain in Montana, 1975. Williams' head was split open, his face was shattered, and he lost an eye in the 500-foot fall.

August 9:

Merle Kilgore born in Chickasha, Oklahoma, 1934 (died 2005)

August 10:

Jerry Kennedy born in Shreveport, Louisiana, 1940 (now 71)

Jonie Mosby born in Van Nuys, California, 1940 (now 71)

Gene Johnson of Diamond Rio born in Jamestown, New York, 1949 (now 62)

Delia Upchurch born in Gainesboro, Tennessee, 1891 (died 1976). Upchurch was known as "the Den Mother of Nashville Stars" because she ran a boarding house where struggling musicians and songwriters could stay and pay what they could afford.

Jimmy Martin born in Sneedville, Tennessee, 1927 (died 2005)

Jimmy Dean born in Plainview, Texas, 1928 (died 2010)

Alvin "Junior" Samples born in Buena Park, California, 1926 (died 1983)

August 11:

John Conlee born in Versailles, Kentucky, 1946 (now 65)Don Helms died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 2008 (was 81)

Hank Williams fired from the Grand Ole Opry, 1952

August 12:

Mark Knopfler born in Glasgow, Scotland, 1949 (now 62). Knopfler, best known as guitarist and lead singer of Dire Straits, won a "Best Country Vocal Collaboration" Grammy with Chet Atkins in 1990 for the song "Poor Boy Blues."

Rex Griffin born in Gadsden, Alabama, 1912 (died 1958)

Porter Wagoner born in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, 1927 (died 2007)

Buck Owens born in Sherman, Texas, 1929 (died 2006)

Linda Parker of the WLS National Barn Dance died in Mishawaka, Indiana (peritonitis), 1935 (was 23)

August 13:

Dan Fogelberg born in Peoria, Illinois, 1951 (died 2007)
Les Paul died (pneumonia), 2009 (was 94). The legendary guitarist won a Grammy for his work with Chet Atkins on the album Chester and Lester.

Vernon Dalhart recorded "The Prisoner's Song," 1924. The song would sell three million copies as country's first million-selling song.

August 14:

Connie Smith born in Elkhart, Indiana, 1941 (now 70)

Charles K. Wolfe born in Sedalia, Missouri, 1943 (died 2006)

Johnny Duncan died in Fort Worth, Texas (heart attack), 2006 (was 67)

August 15:

Rose Maddox born in Boaz, Alabama, 1925 (died 1998)
Bobby Helms born in Bloomington, Indiana, 1933 (died 1997)
Don Rich born in Olympia, Washington, 1941 (died 1974)Lew DeWitt died in Waynesboro, Virginia (complications from Chron's disease), 1990 (was 52)

Will Rogers died near Port Barrow, Alaska (plane crash with Wiley Post), 1935 (was 55)

Dates of Note in Country Music, July 16-31

2011-07-15T22:20:00.001-04:00

Category: News

Country Music Hall of Famers in bold

July 16:

Ronny Robbins born in Phoenix, Arizona, 1949 (now 62)

Harry Chapin died in East Meadow, New York (heart attack resulting in car wreck), 1981 (was 38). Chapin, a folk music icon, wrote "Cat's in the Cradle," which scored Ricky Skaggs one of his last country hits.

Jo Stafford died in Century City, California (congestive heart failure), 2008 (was 90). The pop singer also did country, including appearing on Red Ingle & Natural Seven's hit "Tem-Tay-Shun."

July 17:
Woodrow Wilson "Red" Sovine born in Charleston, West Virginia, 1918 (died 1980)
Harry Choates died in Austin, Texas (head injury, possibly self-inflicted), 1951 (was 29)
Dizzy Dean died in Reno, Nevada (heart attack), 1974 (was 63). Dizzy was credited with giving Roy Acuff the nickname "King of Country Music."
Don Rich died in Bakersfield, California (motorcycle accident), 1974 (was 32)
Wynn Stewart died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1985 (was 51)
Ozark Jubilee debuts on KWTO radio, 1954

July 18:
Ricky Skaggs born in Cordell, Kentucky, 1954 (now 57)
Mark Jones of Exile born in Harlan, Kentucky, 1954 (now 57)

July 19:

Sue Thompson born in Nevada, Missouri, 1926 (now 85)

George Hamilton IV born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 1937 (now 74)

Bernie Leadon of the Eagles, Flying Burrito Brothers, and Run C&W born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1947 (now 64)
William "Lefty" Frizzell died in Nashville, Tennessee (stroke), 1975 (was 47)

July 20:
Thomas "Sleepy" LaBeef born in Smackover, Arkansas, 1935 (now 76)
T.G. Sheppard born in Humbolt, Tennessee, 1942 (now 69)

Radney Foster born in Del Rio, Texas, 1959 (now 52)

Joseph Emmett "J.E." Mainer born in Weaverville, North Carolina, 1898 (died 1971)
Cindy Walker born near Mart, Texas, 1918 (died 2006)

July 21:
Sara Carter of the Carter Family born in Wise County, Virginia, 1899 (died 1979)
Eddie Hill born in Delano, Tennessee, 1921 (died 1994)

July 22:

Don Henley of the Eagles born in Gilmer, Texas, 1947 (now 64). In addition to the Eagles, Henley was in a band, Shiloh, in the late 60s with Richard Bowden (later of Pinkard and Bowden) and Jim Ed Norman.

Margaret Whiting born in Detroit, Michigan, 1924 (died 2011). Although primarily a pop singer, Whiting had a series of duets with Jimmy Wakely in the 40s and 50s.

Bob Ferguson died in Jackson, Mississippi (cancer), 2001 (was 73)

Jack Lynn, son of Loretta Lynn, died in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee (drowned), 1984 (was 34)
Ralph S. Peer arrived in Bristol to make recordings for RCA, 1927

July 23:
Alison Krauss born in Decatur, Illinois, 1971 (now 40)
Johnny Darrell born in Hopewell, Alabama, 1940 (died 1997)

July 24:
Donald "Red" Blanchard of the WLS National Barn Dance born in Pittsville, Wisconsin, 1914 (died 1980)
Lawton Williams born in Troy, Tennessee, 1922 (died 2007)
Max D. Barnes born in Hardscratch, Iowa, 1936 (died 2004)

July 25:
Roy Acuff Jr. born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1943 (now 68)
Marty Brown born in Maceo, Kentucky, 1965 (now 46)
Walter Brennan born in Swmapscott, Massachusetts, 1894 (died 1974). The actor scored a major country hit with "Old Rivers" in 1962.
Steve Goodman born in Chicago, Illinois, 1948 (died 1984)
Tommy Duncan died in San Diego, California (heart attack), 1967 (was 56)
Charlie Rich died in Hammond, Louisiana (blood clot in lung), 1995 (was 62)

July 26:
Jim Foglesong born in Lundale, West Virginia, 1922 (now 89)
Fred Foster born in Rutherford County, North Carolina, 1931 (now 80)

July 27:
Bill Engvall born in Galveston, Texas, 1957 (now 54)
Bobbie Gentry born in Chickasaw, Mississippi, 1944 (now 67)
Henry "Homer" Haynes born in Knoxville, Tennessee, 1920 (died 1971)

July 28:
Frank Loesser died in New York, New York (lung cancer), 1969 (was 59). The composer was the "victim" of Homer and Jethro's first major hit, "Baby, It's Cold Outside," in 1949 (which featured a young June Carter singing the female part). Although RCA officials worried about Loesser's reaction, Loesser loved the parody and only asked that the songwriter credit read, "With apologies to Frank Loesser."

July 29:
Martina McBride born in Sharon, Kansas, 1966 (now 45)
Pete Drake died in Brentwood, Tennessee (lung disease), 1988 (was 55)
Anita Carter died in Goodlettesville, Tennessee (illness), 1999 (was 66)

July 30:
Sam Phillips died in Memphis, Tennessee (respiratory failure), 2003 (was 80)

July 31:
Bonnie Brown of the Browns born in Sparkman, Arkansas, 1937 (now 74)
Jim Reeves died in Nashville, Tennessee (plane crash), 1964 (was 40)
Dean Manuel died in Nashville, Tennessee (plane crash), 1964 (was 30)

Dates of Note in Country Music, July 1-15

2011-06-30T23:15:00.000-04:00

CATEGORY: News

Country Music Hall of Famers in bold

July 1:

John Lair born in Livingston, Kentucky, 1894 (died 1985). Lair, a one-time announcer on the WLS National Barn Dance, founded the Renfro Valley Barn Dance in Mt. Vernon, Kentucky in 1939.

Keith Whitley born in Sandy Hook, Kentucky, 1955 (died 1989)

July 2:

Marvin Rainwater born in Wichita, Kansas, 1925 (now 86)

Fred Maddox of the Maddox Brothers born in Boaz, Alabama, 1919 (died 1992)

Ken Curtis (one-time member of Sons of the Pioneers as well as Gunsmoke actor) born in Lamar, Colorado, 1916 (died 1991)

DeFord Bailey died in Nashville, Tennessee (kidney and heart failure), 1982 (was 82)

Jim Reeves' final RCA recording session, 1964

July 3:

Johnny Lee born in Texas City, Texas, 1946 (now 65)

Aaron Tippin born in Pensacola, Florida, 1958 (now 53)

Johnny Russell died in Nashville, Tennessee (complications of diabetes), 2001 (was 61)

Homer L. "Boots" Randolph died in Nashville, Tennessee (subdural hematoma), 2007 (was 80)

July 4:

Ray Pillow born in Lynchburg, Virginia, 1937 (now 74)

Charlie Monroe born in Rosine, Kentucky, 1903 (died 1975)

Marion Worth born in Birmingham, Alabama, 1930 (died 1999)

Big Al Downing died in Leicester, Massachusetts (leukemia), 2005 (was 65)

July 5:

James "Guy" Willis of the Willis Brothers born in Alex, Arkansas, 1915 (died 1981)

The Grand Ole Opry's first show at the War Memorial Auditorium, 1939

July 6:

Jeannie Seely born in Titusville, Pennsylvania, 1940 (now 71)

Nancy Griffith born in Austin, Texas, 1953 (now 58)

Roy Rogers died in Apple Valley, California (heart failure), 1998 (was 86)

July 7:

Charlie Louvin born in Rainsville, Alabama, 1927 (died 2011)

John "Lonzo" Sullivan born in Edmonton, Kentucky, 1917 (died 1967)

Doyle Wilburn born in Hardy, Arkansas, 1930 (died 1982)

George Morgan died in Nashville, Tennessee (complications of heart bypass surgery), 1975 (was 50)

Bill Porter died in St. Louis, Missouri (Alzheimer's disease), 2011 (was 79)

July 8:

Toby Keith born in Clinton, Oklahoma, 1961 (now 50)

Louis Jordan (a jazz artist who had two country #1 hits in 1944) born in Brinkley, Arkansas, 1908 (died 1975)

Ervin Rouse died (complications from diabetes), 1981 (was 64)

Marty Stuart and Connie Smith married, 1997

July 9:

Jesse McReynolds born in Coeburn, Virginia, 1929 (now 83)

David Ball born in Rock Hill, South Carolina, 1953 (now 58)

Eddie Dean born in Posey, Texas, 1907 (died 1999)

Molly O'Day born in Pike County, Kentucky, 1923 (died 1987)

The Country Music Association announced the largest Country Music Hall of Fame induction class ever -- a total of 12 inductees (Bill Anderson, Delmore Brothers, Everly Brothers, Don Gibson, Homer & Jethro, Waylon Jennings, Jordanaires, Don Law, Louvin Brothers, Ken Nelson, Webb Pierce, and Sam Phillips) -- to coincide with the opening of the new Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, 2001

July 10:

Randall E. "Hawk" Shaw Wilson of BR5-49 born in Topeka, Kansas, 1960 (now 51)

July 11:

Jeff Hanna of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band born in Detroit, Michigan, 1947 (now 64)

July 12:

Steve Young born in Newman, Georgia, 1942 (now 69)

Jimmie Driftwood died in Fayetteville, Arkansas (heart attack), 1998 (was 91)

July 13:

Louise Mandrell of the Mandrell Sisters born in Corpus Christi, Texas, 1954 (now 57)

Rhonda Vincent born in Kirksville, Missouri, 1962 (now 49)

Bradley Kincaid born in Level, Kentucky, 1895 (died 1989)

Tim Spencer born in Webb City, Missouri, 1908 (died 1974)

Riley Puckett died in East Point, Georgia (blood poisoning), 1946 (was 62)

July 14:

Woody Guthrie born in Okemah, Oklahoma, 1912 (died 1967)

Marijohn Wilkin born in Kemp, Texas, 1920 (died 2006)

Del Reeves born in Sparta, North Carolina, 1933 (died 2007)

July 15:

Johnny Sea born in Gulfport, Mississippi, 1940 (now 70)

Linda Ronstadt born in Tucson, Arizona, 1946 (now 65)

Lloyd "Cowboy" Copas born in Adams County, Ohio, 1913 (died 1963)

Hank Cochran died in Nashville, Tennessee (pancreatic cancer), 2010 (was 74)

Dates of Note in Country Music, June 16-30

2011-06-16T20:49:00.000-04:00

Category: News

Country Music Hall of Famers in bold

June 16:

Billy "Crash" Craddock born in Greensboro, North Carolina, 1946 (now 65)
Bob Nolan of the Sons of the Pioneers died in Newport Beach, California (heart attack), 1980 (was 72)
"Orange Blossom Special" recorded by the Rouse Brothers, 1939. Ervin Rouse co-wrote the legendary fiddle tune with Chubby Wise.

June 17:

Clyde "Red" Foley born in Blue Lick, Kentucky, 1910 (died 1968)
Dave Akeman (Stringbean) born in Annville, Kentucky, 1916 (died 1973)
Minnie Pearl suffered a stroke that ended her career, 1991
Ground breaking ceremonies held for the new Country Music Hall of Fame, 1999. Your blogger was a member of the "All-Guitar Marching Band," fronted by Chet Atkins, that led the Hall of Fame members to the grounds.

June 18:

Sir Paul McCartney born in Liverpool, England, 1942 (now 69). The legendary Beatle hit the country chart in 1974 with "Sally G." He was also introduced to a Friday Night Opry audience in 1974 by Roy Acuff, where McCartney proclaimed Nashville the "music capital of the universe."
Marty Haggard born in Bakersfield, California, 1958 (now 53)
Blake Shelton born in Ada, Oklahoma, 1976 (now 35)
Zeke Turner born in Lynchburg, Virginia, 1923 (died 2003)
A.P. Carter married Sara Dougherty, 1915

June 19:

Doug Stone born in Marietta, Georgia, 1956 (now 55)
Howard Dixon of the Dixon Brothers born in Darlington, South Carolina, 1903 (died 1951)
Lester Flatt born in Sparta, Tennessee, 1914 (died 1979)
Pat Buttram born in Addison, Alabama, 1915 (died 1994)
Bobby Helms died in Martinsville, Indiana (emphysema), 1997 (was 63)

June 20:

Anne Murray born in Springhill, Nova Scotia, 1945 (now 66)
Evelyn Mae Cox of the Cox Family born in Springhill, Louisiana, 1959 (now 52)
Jimmie Driftwood born in Mountain View, Arkansas, 1907 (died 1998)
T. Texas Tyler born in Mena, Arkansas, 1916 (died 1972)
Chet Atkins born in Luttrell, Tennessee, 1924 (died 2001)
Ira Louvin died near Williamsburg, Missouri (car wreck), 1965 (was 41)
Benjamin "Whitey" Ford, the "Duke of Paducah," died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 1986 (was 85)

June 21:

Charlie Lamb born in Knoxville, Tennessee, 1921 (now 90)
Eddie Adcock born in Scottsville, Virginia, 1938 (now 73)
Leon Everette born in Aiken, South Carolina, 1948 (now 63)
Kathy Mattea born in Cross Lanes, West Virginia, 1959 (now 52)
Porter Howell of Little Texas born in Longview, Texas, 1964 (now 47)

June 22:

Peter Asher born in Williesden, Middlesex, England, 1944 (now 66). The former half of the pop duo Peter and Gordon was the producer of most of Linda Ronstadt's crossover hits.
Kris Kristofferson born in Brownsville, Texas, 1936 (now 73)

Ralph S. Peer born in Independence, Missouri, 1892 (died 1960)

Roy Drusky born in Atlanta, Georgia, 1930 (died 2004)
Elton Britt died in McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania (heart attack), 1972 (was 58)

June 23:

Zeb Turner born in Lynchburg, Virginia, 1915 (died 1978)
June Carter Cash born in Maces Springs, Virginia, 1929 (died 2003)

June 24:

Johnnie Bailes of the Bailes Brothers born in Kanawha County, West Virginia, 1918 (died 1989)
Foy Willing of Riders of the Purple Sage died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1978 (was 63)
Songwriter Tim Krekel died in Louisville, Kentucky (stomach cancer), 2009 (was 57)

June 25:

Jenifer Strait, daughter of George Strait, died in San Marcos, Texas (car wreck), 1986 (was 13)
Boudleaux Bryant died in Knoxville, Tennessee (cancer), 1987 (was 67)
Lew DeWitt retires from the Statler Brothers because of health issues, 1982
Billboard magazine renames the "Hillbilly" music chart the "Country and Western" chart, 1949

June 26:

Kenny Baker born in Jenkins, Kentucky, 1926 (now 85)
Gretchen Wilson born in Granite City, Illinois, 1973 (now 38)
Colonel Tom Parker born in Breda, Netherlands, 1909 (died 1997). Before Elvis, Colonel Tom managed Hank Snow, Eddy Arnold, and Minnie Pearl.

Doc Williams born in Cleveland, Ohio, 1914 (died 2011)

Vernon Presley died in Memphis, Tennessee (heart failure), 1979 (was 63)
Elvis Presley's final concert, at the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis, 1977

June 27:

Lorrie Morgan born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1959 (now 52)

Elton Britt born in Marshall, Arkansas, 1913 (died 1972)Rosalie Allen born in Old Forge, Pennsylavania, 1924 (died 2003)

Little Roy Wiggins born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1926 (died 1999)

Joe Maphis died near Los Angeles, California (lung cancer), 1986 (was 65)
Bob Keeshan born in Lynbrook, New York, 1927 (died 2004). The Statler Brothers referenced Keeshan's best-known character in their hit "Flowers on the Wall:" "Smokin' cigarettes and watchin' Captain Kangaroo."

June 28:

George Morgan born in Waverly, Tennessee, 1924 (died 1975)
The WWVA Wheeling Jamboree began, 1940

June 29:

T. Tommy Cutrer born in Osyka, Mississippi, 1924 (died 1998)

Frank Loesser born in New York City, 1910 (died 1969). The legendary pop songwriter was the first "victim" of a Homer & Jethro parody in 1949, "Baby, It's Cold Outside." After Homer & Jethro recorded seven more parodies of Loesser compositions for an EP (Homer & Jethro Fracture Frank Loesser), Loesser, a fan of the pair, wrote the liner notes.
Rosemary Clooney died in Beverly Hills, California (lung cancer), 2002 (was 74). The pop singer worked on WLW with many country singers and recorded a cover of the Carl Smith hit "If Teardrops Were Pennies."

June 30:

Dwayne O'Brien of Little Texas born in Ada, Oklahoma, 1963 (now 48)
Doyle Holly born in Perkins, Oklahoma, 1936 (died 2007)
R.W. Blackwood of the Blackwood Brothers Quartet died in Clanton, Alabama (plane crash), 1954 (was 33)
Bill Lyles of the Blackwood Brothers Quartet died in Clanton, Alabama (plane crash), 1954 (age unknown)
Chet Atkins died in Nashville, Tennessee (brain cancer), 2001 (was 77)

Dates of Note in Country Music, June 1-15

2011-06-02T23:05:00.004-04:00

Category: News

(Country Music Hall of Famers in bold)

June 1:

Dale Warren of the Sons of the Pioneers born in Summerville, Kentucky, 1925 (now 86)
Andy Griffith born in Mount Airy, North Carolina, 1926 (now 85)
Pat Boone born in Jacksonville, Florida, 1934 (now 77). The legendary pop crooner married Red Foley's daughter Shirley.
Wayne Kemp born in Greenwood, Arkansas, 1941 (now 70)
Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn born in Coleman, Texas, 1953 (now 58)
Elsie McWilliams born in Harperville, Mississippi, 1896 (died 1985)
Johnny Bond born in Enville, Oklahoma, 1915 (died 1978)
Lee Allen of the Allen Brothers born in Sewanee, Tennessee, 1906 (died 1981)
Hazel Dickens born in Mercer County, West Virginia, 1935 (died 2011)
Jimmy Murphy died (unknown cause), 1981 (was 55)

June 2:

Carl Butler born in Knoxville, Tennessee, 1927 (died 1992)
Helen Carter died in Nashville, Tennessee (gastrointestinal issues), 1998 (was 70)
Adolph Hofner died in San Antonio, Texas (illness), 2000 (was 83)

June 3:

Fred "Too Slim" LeBour of Riders in the Sky born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1948 (now 63)
Jamie O'Neal born in Sydney, Australia, 1968 (now 43)
Curly Williams born in Cairo, Georgia, 1914 (died 1970)
Homer Louis "Boots" Randolph born in Paducah, Kentucky, 1927 (died 2007)
Wally Fowler died at Dale Hollow Lake, Tennessee (heart attack/drowned), 1994 (was 77)
Van Stoneman of the Stoneman Family died in Mufreesboro, Tennessee (Parkinson's disease), 1995 (was 54)
Graceland opens to the public, 1982
The Cincinnati radio show Midwest Hayride begins television broadcasts (on WLW-TV), 1955

June 4:

Bill Mack born in Shamrock, Texas, 1929 (now 82)
Linda Martell born in Leesville, South Carolina, 1941 (now 70). She was the first Black female artist to perform on the Grand Ole Opry.
Texas Ruby Owens born in Wise County, Texas, 1910 (died 1963)
Freddy Fender born in San Benito, Texas, 1937 (died 2006)
Zeke Clement died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 1994 (was 82)
John Hartford died in Madison, Tennessee (cancer), 2001 (was 63)
Alabama's annual "June Jam" concert began in Fort Payne, Alabama, 1982

June 5:

Don Reid of the Statler Brothers born in Staunton, Virginia, 1945 (now 66)
Gail Davies born in Broken Bow, Oklahoma, 1948 (now 63)
William "Hopalong Cassidy" Boyd born in Cambridge, Ohio, 1895 (died 1972)
Hal Lone Pine born in Pea Cove, Maine, 1916 (died 1977)
John "Lonzo" Sullivan died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1967 (was 48)
Conway Twitty died in Springfield, Missouri (abdominal aneurysm), 1993 (was 59)
Ronald Reagan died in Los Angeles, California (complications of Alzheimer's disease), 2004 (was 93). While governor of California, the former president signed a full pardon for former convict Merle Haggard.
Grand Ole Opry's first performance at the Ryman auditorium, 1943

June 6:

Joe Stampley born in Springhill, Louisiana, 1943 (now 68)
Gid Tanner of the Skillet Lickers born in Thomas Bridge, Georgia, 1885 (died 1960)
Asher Sizemore born in Manchester, Kentucky, 1906 (died 1973)
Charlie Cline of the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers born in Gilbert, West Virginia, 1931 (died 2004)
Claudette Orbison, wife of Roy Orbison, died in Gallatin, Tennessee (motorcycle accident), 1966 (was 24)
Grant Turner began his tenure as Grand Ole Opry announcer, 1944

June 7:

Sir Tom Jones born in Treforest, South Wales, 1940 (now 71). The legendary pop/rock singer had a hit with a cover of "Green, Green Grass of Home" in 1967 and hit the country charts with "Say You'll Stay Until Tomorrow" in 1977.
Larry Boone born in Cooper City, Florida, 1956 (now 55)
Dean Martin born in Steubenville, Ohio, 1917 (died 1995). The pop crooner recorded two albums of country music on Reprise in the early 60s and sang with Ricky Nelson in the John Wayne classic Rio Bravo in 1969.
Wynn Stewart born in Morrisville, Missouri, 1934 (died 1985)
Courtney Johnson of New Grass Revival died in Glasgow, Kentucky (lung cancer), 1996 (was 56)

June 8:

Vernon Oxford born in Rogers, Arkansas, 1941 (now 70)
Tony Rice born in Danville, Virginia, 1951 (now 60)
Adolph Hofner born in Moulton, Texas, 1916 (died 2000)
Alton Delmore died in Huntsville, Alabama (alcohol-related illness), 1964 (was 55)
Roba Stanley died in Gainesville, Florida (unknown cause), 1986 (was 76). She is credited as being the first female solo artist recorded in country music history (1924).
Tommy Perkins of the Texas Playboys died in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (car accident), 2003 (was 69)

June 9:

Willard Cox of the Cox Family born in Cotton Valley, Louisiana, 1937 (now 74)
Jamie Dailey of Dailey & Vincent born in Corbin, Kentucky, 1975 (now 36)
Les Paul born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, 1915 (died 2009). In addition to his recordings with wife Mary Ford, Paul invented the solid-body electric guitar and multi-track recording. He also won a Grammy for his album with Chet Atkins, Chester and Lester, in 1976.

June 10:

Herman Crook of the Crook Brothers died in Nashville, Tennesee (heart attack), 1988 (was 89). Crook was the last surviving member of the original Grand Ole Opry/WSM Barn Dance cast from 1925.
Steve Sanders, who replaced William Lee Golden in the Oak Ridge Boys for 15 years, died in Cape Coral, Florida (suicide), 1998 (was 45)
Ray Charles died in Beverly Hills, California (complications of liver disease), 2004 (was 73). Charles made the country charts in the 80s with duets with George Jones and Willie Nelson, and his ground-breaking 1963 album Modern Sounds in Country Music presented country songs to a wide audience.

June 11:

Jay McDowell of BR-549 born in Bedford, Indiana, 1969 (now 42)
Edwin Duhon of the Hackberry Ramblers born in Lafayette, Louisiana, 1910 (died 2006)
Brother Dave Gardner born in Jackson, Tennessee, 1926 (died 1983)
Jud Strunk born in Jamestown, New York, 1936 (died 1981)
Wilma Burgess born in Orlando, Florida, 1939 (died 2003)
Henry Maddox of the Maddox Brothers & Rose died aboard a mercy flight between Ashland, Oregon and Portland, Oregon (kidney disease), 1974 (was 46)
John Wayne died in Los Angeles, California (stomach cancer), 1979 (was 72). The actor has been referenced in a number of country songs.

June 12:

Junior Brown born in Kirksville, Indiana, 1952 (now 59)
Rebecca Holden born in Austin, Texas, 1958 (now 53)
Penny Jay born in Monteagle Mountain, Tennessee, 1927 (died 2006)
Dr. Humphrey Bate of the Possum Hunters died in Castalain Springs, Tennessee (heart attack), 1936 (was 61)
J.E. Mainer died (heart attack), 1971 (was 72)
Johnny Bond died in Burbank, California (complications from stroke/heart attack), 1978 (was 63)
Danny Davis died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart failure), 2008 (was 83)

June 13:

Howard Vokes born in Clearfield, Pennsylvania, 1931 (now 80)
Slim Dusty born in Kempsey, Australia, 1927 (died 2003)
The Country Music Foundation Library and Media Center opened in the basement of the Country Music Hall of Fame, 1972. The CMF is now on the top floor of the new Hall of Fame building.

June 14:

Burl Ives born in Newton, Illinois, 1909 (died 1995)
Lash LaRue born in Gretna, Louisiana, 1917 (died 1996). The Western actor was the first sidekick to western singer/actor/songwriter Eddie Dean and was mentioned in the Statler Brothers' "Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott."
Ernest V. "Pop" Stoneman died in Nashville, Tennessee (illness), 1968 (was 75)
Patsy Cline seriously injured in a car accident in Madison, Tennessee, 1961

June 15:

Terri Gibbs born in Miami, Florida, 1954 (now 57)
Blind Alfred Reed born in Floyd, Virginia, 1880 (died 1956)
Tex Owens born in Killeen, Texas, 1892 (died 1962)
Marvin Hughes born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1911 (died 1986)Leon Payne born in Alba, Texas, 1917 (died 1969)
RCA engineer Bill Porter born in St. Louis, Missouri, 1931 (died 2010)
Waylon Jennings born in Littlefield, Texas, 1937 (died 2002)
Ruby Falls died in Nashville, Tennessee (cerebral hemorrhage), 1986 (was 40)
The summer replacement show for the CBS variety series The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour began airing, 1969. That show was Hee Haw.

ICMC Memories

2011-05-29T00:06:00.000-04:00

Category: News

The 28th annual International Country Music Conference was a rousing success. Highlights, as usual, were hard to pick from, but here are a few:

The Friday evening "Studio B" session featured three legendary record engineers: Glenn Snoddy, who worked at WSM when Hank Williams did his "Health and Happiness" shows; Tom Pick, who worked for people as diverse as Jerry Reed and Donna Fargo; and Ron "Snake" Reynolds, engineer for many legendary songs (including that one by George Jones about putting a wreath upon his door that everyone loved except George).

L-R: Ron "Snake" Reynolds, Tom Pick, moderator John Rumble,
and Glenn Snoddy discussing the role of the engineer during
the Friday evening panel at legendary Studio B.

Barry Mazor showing clips of the Ganaway country music shows from the 1950s, the Ozark Jubilee and Town Hall Party. The few moments of Jim Reeves singing "Four Walls" with sparse accompaniment on Ozark Jubilee was worth the price of admission alone.
The Belmont "Lifetime Achievement" Award went to Hall of Famer Ralph Emery for his contributions to the world of publications through both his own books as well as allowing scholars access to his treasure trove of recorded radio shows.
Hall of Famer Frances Preston and should-be (one day, no doubt, will be) Hall of Famer Jim Ed Brown were on hand to present the Charlie Lamb Awards for journalism. Tennessean country music writer Peter Cooper was given the contemporary award, while Hank Williams biographer (among so many other books) Colin Escott was presented with the lifetime achievement award.
Alton Delmore's daughter Debby attended to hear first-time presenter Dr. Gregory Reish illustrate the complex guitar techniques of the early Delmore Brothers recordings.
The family of Starday co-founder Don Pierce were also on hand, this time for picking coordinator Nate Gibson's talk on Starday artist Glenn Barber and the rockabilly records released by country artists on Starday. (Gibson also wrote a superb look at Starday Records with Pierce.)

The food was good, the presentations were excellent, and the picking was superb.

As of this writing there's only 360 days left until ICMC 2012!

ICMC Time!

2011-05-26T10:56:00.000-04:00

Category: News

The 28th annual International Country Music Conference begins later today (5/26) in Nashville. This year's keynote addresses are on bluegrass music and the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Roy Rogers. Other topics include Hank Williams, the Delmore Brothers, Alan Lomax, and Bill Monroe. Again this year they're allowing me to present on Homer and Jethro, this time focusing on their 1964 album Fractured Folk Songs. Lifetime achievements will go to Ralph Emery and Colin Escott.

ICMC is the premiere event for the discussion of country music and its satellite topics (e.g., Cajun, folk, and even southern rock) on a scholarly level. It began as a tribute to Jimmie Rodgers, and it is held annually on the weekend nearest the anniversary of Rodgers' death.

Dates of Note in Country Music, May 16-31

2011-05-15T20:43:00.005-04:00

Category: News

Country Music Hall of Famers in bold

May 16:

Rick Trevino born in Austin, Texas, 1971 (now 40)
Laura Lee Owens, the "Queen of Western Swing," born in Kansas City, Missouri, 1920 (died 1989)

May 17:

Penny DeHaven born in Winchester, Virginia, 1948 (now 63)
Pat Flynn of the New Grass Revival born in Los Angeles, California, 1952 (now 59)
Grant Turner born in Abeline, Texas, 1912 (died 1991)
Paul Warren born in Lyles, Tennessee, 1918 (died 1978)
Arthur Lee "Red" Smiley of Reno & Smiley born in Marshall, North Carolina, 1925 (died 1984)
Wiley Walker of Wiley & Gene died in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (cancer), 1966 (was 54)
New Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum building opened, 2001. Nearly every living Hall of Famer was present at the opening ceremonies, and the audience was treated to tour the new facilities for free.

May 18:

Leon Ashley born in Newton County, Georgia, 1936 (now 75)
Rodney Dillard of the Dillards born in East St. Louis, Illinois, 1942 (now 69)
Joe Bonsall of the Oak Ridge Boys born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1948 (now 63)
Gary Scruggs born in Knoxville, Tennessee, 1949 (now 62)
George Strait born in Poteet, Texas, 1952 (now 59)

May 19:

Martha Carson born in Neon, Kentucky, 1921 (died 2004)
Rex Gosdin born in Woodland, Alabama, 1938 (died 1983)
Mickey Newberry born in Houston, Texas, 1940 (died 2002)

May 20:

"Lonesome George" Gobel born in Chicago, Illinois, 1919 (died 1991). Although many may remember him as a comedian and regular on Hollywood Squares, one of Gobel's earliest jobs in entertainment was on the WLS National Barn Dance when he was a teenager in the 1930s.
Jack Cash, brother of Johnny Cash, died in Dyess, Arkansas (injuries from accident with table saw), 1944 (was 15)

May 21:

Henry Glover born in Hot Springs, Arkansas, 1921 (died 1991). The R&B songwriter and pioneering black record company executive co-wrote "Blues, Stay Away From Me" with the Delmore Brothers and Wayne Raney in 1949.
Charlie Poole died in Spray, North Carolina (alcohol-related heart failure), 1931 (was 39)
Billy Walker died in Fort Deposit, Alabama (car wreck), 2006 (was 77)
Vaughn Monroe died in Stuart, Florida (post-operative complications), 1973 (was 61). Among the pop singer's many hits was "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky."

May 22:

Miggie Lewis of the Lewis Family born in Richmond County, Georgia, 1926 (now 85)

Buddy Alan born in Mega, Arizona, 1948 (now 63)

Rich Alves of Pirates of the Mississippi born in Pleasanton, California, 1953 (now 58)
Dana Williams of Diamond Rio born in Dayton, Ohio, 1961 (now 50)
Ralph S. Peer born in Independence, Missouri, 1892 (died 1960)
Royce Kendall died in LaCrosse, Wisconsin (stroke), 1988 (was 63)

May 23:

Mac Wiseman born in Crimora, Virginia, 1925 (now 86)
Ken Irwin, co-founder of Rounder Records, born in New York, New York, 1944 (now 67)
Misty Morgan born in Buffalo, New York, 1945 (now 66)
Shelley West born in Cleveland, Ohio, 1958 (now 53)
Leroy Troy born in Goodlettesville, Tennessee, 1966 (now 45)
Rosemary Clooney born in Maysville, Kentucky, 1928 (died 2002). The legendary pop singer recorded a number of country songs, including covering Carl Smith's hit "If Teardrops Were Pennies."
Rex Gosdin died (heart attack), 1983 (was 45)

May 24:

Mike Reid born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, 1947 (now 64)
Rosanne Cash born in Memphis, Tennessee, 1955 (now 56)
Billy Gilman born in Westerly, Rhode Island, 1988 (now 23). Gilman's "One Voice" hit #1 when he was 12, making him the youngest person in Billboard country chart history to have a #1 song.
Gene Clark of the Byrds and Dillard & Clark died in Sherman Oaks, California (bleeding ulcer), 1991 (was 46)
Vivian Liberto died in Ventura, California (cancer), 2005 (was 71). Vivian was Johnny Cash's first wife and Rosanne Cash's mother.
Jimmie Rodgers recorded "Old Love Letters (Bring Memories of You)," "Mississippi Delta Blues," "Somewhere Down Below the Dixon Line," and "Years Ago" in New York City, 1933. Ravaged with tuberculosis, they would serve as the final recordings of the Father of Country Music.

May 25:

Tom T. Hall born in Olive Hill, Kentucky, 1936 (now 75)
Jessi Colter born in Phoenix, Arizona, 1947 (now 64)
Dr. Humphrey Bate of the Possum Hunters born in Castallian Springs, Tennessee, 1875 (died 1936)
Ernest V. "Pop" Stoneman born in Monarat, Virginia, 1893 (died 1968)
Dick Curless died in Bangor, Maine (stomach cancer), 1995 (was 63)

May 26:

Levon Helm of the Band born in Marvell, Arkansas, 1940 (now 71). The actor and drummer/singer for the Band made his acting debut in Coal Miner's Daughter.
Randall Hank Williams Jr. born in Shreveport, Louisiana, 1949 (now 62)
Jimmie Rodgers died in New York, New York (tuberculosis), 1933 (was 35)
Onie Wheeler died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1984 (was 62). He died on the Grand Ole Opry stage during a performance of the post-Friday Night Opry show, Grand Ole Gospel.

Judy Lynn died in New Albany, Indiana (congestive heart failure), 2010 (was 74)
The first International Country Music Conference held in Meridian, Mississippi, 1983. The three-day event began as a memorial to Jimmie Rodgers and coincides with the anniversary of his death.

May 27:

Don Williams born in Floydada, Texas, 1939 (now 72)
Redd Stewart born in Ashland City, Tennessee, 1921 (died 2003)
Kenny Price born in Florence, Kentucky, 1931 (died 1987)

Slim Bryant died in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania (long-term illness), 2010 (was 101)
Opryland opened, 1972 (died 1997)

May 28:

John Fogerty born in Berkeley, California, 1945 (now 66). The leader of Creedence Clearwater Revival recorded an album of country songs under the pseudonym Blue Ridge Rangers in 1973, hitting the country chart with his rendition of "Jambalaya."
Jerry Douglas born in Warren, Ohio, 1956 (now 55)
Phil Vassar born in Lynchburg, Virginia, 1965 (now 46)Gary Stewart born in Jenkins, Kentucky, 1945 (died 2003)

May 29:

Carl Story born in Lenoir, North Carolina, 1916 (died 1995)
Mother Maybelle and the Carter Family become members of the Grand Ole Opry, 1950
Hank and Audrey Williams divorced, 1952

May 30:

Mike Snider born in Gleason, Tennessee, 1960 (now 51)
Lewis Crook of the Crook Brothers born in Trousdale County, Tennessee, 1909 (died 1996)
Karl Davis of Karl & Harty died in Chicago, Illinois (cancer), 1979 (was 73)
Bobby Harden of the Harden Trio died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 2006 (was 70)

May 31:

Vic Willis of the Willis Brothers born in Schulter, Oklahoma, 1922 (died 1995)
Johnny Paycheck born in Greenfield, Ohio, 1938 (died 2003)
William "Red" Rector died in Knoxville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1990 (was 60)

Great Blog on Roger Miller

2011-05-07T14:39:00.000-04:00

Category: Blog Plug

Guitar wizard, singer and songwriter Deke Dickerson has reprinted his terrific liner notes to the Bear Family Roger Miller CD A Man Like Me: The Early Years of Roger Miller in his blog. You can read it here.

Dr. Don Cusic of Belmont University is working on a biography of Miller for publication. A collection of stories about Miller, titled I Ain't Got No Cigarettes, is also in print. Sadly, Miller's biggest albums -- Dang Me (also titled Roger and Out), The Return of Roger Miller, The Third Time Around, and Words and Music By Roger Miller -- are not in print.

A Year of Keeping Their Heads Above Water

2011-05-01T12:26:00.000-04:00

Category: Anniversary

On May 1, 2010 it started raining in Nashville. That's nothing new. Spring is filled with rainy days in the Southeast.

The problem is, it didn't stop.

Two days later Nashville was waterlogged. When the rain finally stopped falling eleven Nashvillians were dead and mile after mile of formerly dry property lay beneath the swollen Cumberland River. Among the places hit were tourist sites such as the Wildhorse Saloon, the Grand Ole Opry House, the Opryland Hotel, and Opry Mills. Although the Country Music Hall of Fame was an island, surrounded by the flood waters, it sustained minimal flood damage and reopened immediately after waters receded and the streets reopened.

Nashville media has devoted considerable coverage to the anniversary of this historical event (even as the city sits beneath a flood watch for fear of a cold front stalling over the area). Many damaged businesses are back to normal (e.g., the Opry, the hotel), while other places will have to endure at least another year before reopening (Opry Mills, once feared damaged beyond repair, will not return before 2012). The city has recognized that neighborhoods that lay in the flood plain and were destroyed should not be rebuilt. The houses were demolished and the community turned to green space.

The volunteer spirit that gave Tennessee its nickname was alive and well in the days and weeks following the flood, which allowed the city to start the road to recovery quickly. Nashville's flood scars will remain visible for years, if not decades, but they will rebound. One need only look at places that have suffered catastrophic natural disasters in the past to realize this is true.

Dates of Note in Country Music, May 1-15

2011-04-30T22:33:00.001-04:00

Category: News

Country Music Hall of Famers in bold

May 1:

Sonny James (ne James Loden) born in Hackleburg, Alabama, 1929 (now 82)
Rita Coolidge born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1944 (now 67). Although primarily a pop singer, Coolidge had a dozen songs chart in country. She is also the former wife of Kris Kristofferson.
Wayne Hancock born in Dallas, Texas, 1965 (now 46)
Sam McGee born in Williamson County, Tennessee, 1894 (died 1975)
Jimmy Gately born in Springfield, Missouri, 1931 (died 1985)
Ott Devine born in Gadsen, Alabama, 1910 (died 1994)
Spike Jones died in Bel Air, California (emphysema), 1965 (was 53). The novelty band leader recorded "Pal-Yat-Chee" with Homer and Jethro, and Red Ingle (of Red Ingle & Natural Seven, of "Temp-Tay-Shun" fame) was once a member of Jones' City Slickers.
Jim Hager of the Hager Twins died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 2008 (was 66)
Elvis Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu in Las Vegas, Nevada, 1967
A six-inch rainstorm hit Nashville, flooding the Grand Ole Opry House, the Opryland Hotel, the WSM-AM studios, the basement of the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Wildhorse Saloon, the instrument storage business Soundcheck, and a number of country singers' homes, 2010. The two-day total rainfall would surpass 13 inches and kill nearly two dozen.

May 2:

R.C. Bannon born in Dallas, Texas, 1945 (now 66)
Larry Gatlin born in Seminole, Texas, 1948 (now 63)
Ty Herndon born in Meridian, Mississippi, 1962 (now 49)
Roy Lee Centers of the Clinch Mountain Boys died in Jackson, Kentucky (shot to death -- details disputed between a fight, "road rage" or murder), 1974 (was 29)
"Slowly" by Webb Pierce hits #1 on the Billboard charts, 1954. It becomes the first #1 song to feature the pedal steel guitar.

May 3:

Jerry Chestnut born in Harlan County, Kentucky, 1931 (now 80)
Cactus Moser of Highway 101 born in Montrose, Colorado, 1957 (now 54)
Bing Crosby born in Tacoma, Washington, 1903 (died 1977). The pop crooner has the distinction of being the performer of the first #1 single in Billboard magazine's "Hillbilly and Western Singles" history with his rendition of Al Dexter's "Pistol Packin' Mama." Dexter's own recording was the second #1 song.
Dave Dudley born in Spencer, Wisconsin, 1928 (died 2003)
Patsy Montana died in San Jancinto, California (unknown cause), 1996 (was 83)
Dollywood theme park opened in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, 1986

May 4:

Stella Parton born in Sevierville, Tennessee, 1949 (now 62)
Robert Ellis Orrall born in Winthrop, Massachusetts, 1955 (now 56)
Randy Travis born in Marshville, North Carolina, 1959 (now 52)
Al Dexter (ne Clarence Albert Poindexter) born in Jacksonville, Texas, 1902 (died 1984)
Bobby Austin born in Wenatchee, Washington, 1933 (died 2002)
Joe L. Frank died in Chicago, Illinois (illness), 1952 (was 52)
Leo Jackson died in Nashville, Tennessee (suicide [gunshot]), 2008 (was 73)

May 5:

Ace Cannon born in Grenada, Mississippi, 1934 (now 77)
Roni Stoneman born in Washington, DC, 1938 (now 73)
Glen Duncan of Lonesome Standard Time born in Columbus, Indiana, 1955 (now 56)
Tammy Wynette born in Itawamba County, Mississippi, 1942 (died 1998)
J.D. Miller born in Iota, Louisiana, 1922 (died 1996)
Jerry Wallace died in Corona, California (congestive heart failure), 2008 (was 79)

May 6:

Jimmie Dale Gilmore born in Austin, Texas, 1945 (now 66)
Cliff Carlisle born in Taylorsville, Kentucky, 1904 (died 1983)

May 7:

Lorie Collins of the Collins Kids born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, 1942 (now 69)
Riley Puckett born in Alpharetta, Georgia, 1894 (died 1946)
Horace "Aytchie" Burns born in Cisco, Georgia, 1918 (died 1974). Aytchie, the older brother of Jethro Burns, was a bass player at WNOX, in the Stringdusters with his brother and Homer Haynes, and at the Renfro Valley Barn Dance. While in the Army he was also the platoon sergeant of Roger Miller.
Eddie Rabbitt died in Nashville, Tennessee (lung cancer), 1998 (was 56)

May 8:

Homer Bailes of the Bailes Brothers born in Kanawha County, West Virginia, 1922 (now 89)
Jack Blanchard born in Buffalo, New York, 1942 (now 69)
Del Anthony Gray of Little Texas born in Hamilton, Ohio, 1968 (now 43)
Jimmie Tarlton of Darby & Tarlton born in Cheraw, South Carolina, 1892 (died 1979)
Benny Martin born in Sparta, Tennessee, 1928 (died 2001)
Rick Nelson born in Teaneck, New Jersey, 1940 (died 1985)
Leon Huff of the Light Crust Doughboys died (unknown cause), 1952 (was 39)
George D. Hay died in Virginia Beach, Virginia (unknown cause), 1968 (was 72)
Eddy Arnold died in Brentwood, Tennessee (complications from a fall), 2008 (was 89)

May 9:

Richie Furay of Poco born in Yellow Springs, Ohio, 1944 (now 67)
Bobby Lewis born in Hodgenville, Kentucky, 1946 (now 65)
Fuzzy Knight born in Fairmont, West Virginia, 1901 (died 1976). The actor appeared in several films as Tex Ritter's sidekick.
Hank Snow born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1914 (died 1999)
Nudie Cohn died in Hollywood, California (unknown cause), 1984 (was 81)
Keith Whitley died in Nashville, Tennessee (alcohol poisoning), 1989 (was 33)
Jimmie Davis elected governor of Louisiana, 1944

May 10:

Carl T. Sprague born in Houston, Texas, 1895 (died 1979)
Mother Maybelle Carter born in Nicklesville, Virginia, 1909 (died 1979)
Shel Silverstein died in Key West, Florida (heat attack), 1999 (was 68)

May 11:

Mark Herndon of Alabama born in Springfield, Massachusetts, 1955 (now 56)
Bob Atcher born in West Point, Kentucky, 1914 (died 1993)
Lester Flatt died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart failure), 1979 (was 64)

May 12:

Kix Brooks born in Shreveport, Louisiana, 1955 (now 56)
The Duke of Paducah, Benjamin "Whitey" Ford, born in DeSoto, Missouri, 1901 (died 1986)
Joe Maphis born in Suffolk, Virginia, 1921 (died 1986)
Leroy Pullins born in Berea, Kentucky, 1940 (died 1984)
W. Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel died in Dallas, Texas (unknown cause), 1969 (was 79)

May 13:

Johnnie Wright born in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, 1914 (now 97)
Ray Kennedy born in Buffalo, New York, 1954 (now 57)
Lari White born in Dunedin, Florida, 1965 (now 46)
Jack Anglin born in Columbia, Tennesee, 1916 (died 1963)
Gid Tanner died in Dacula, Georgia (unknown cause), 1960 (was 74)
Bob Wills died Fort Worth, Texas (pneumonia/complications of 1973 stroke), 1975 (was 70)

May 15:
K.T. Oslin born in Crossett, Arkansas, 1941 (now 70)

Eddy Arnold born in Henderson, Tennessee, 1918 (died 2008)
June Carter Cash died in Nashville, Tennessee (complications from open heart surgery), 2003 (was 73)

The Sad End of the Reign of Bluegrass Music's Queen

2011-04-22T19:30:00.000-04:00

Category: News/Obituary

It is with tremendous sadness that I report the passing of bluegrass music's Queen Mother, the gifted singer/songwriter Hazel Dickens. Dickens died in her sleep today (April 22).

Hazel Dickens was the poster child for what music should be: unpolished, uncompromising, and from the heart. Dickens wrote and sang of the hard times in West Virginia, and she knew exactly of what she sang. She blended the folk songwriting traditions of Woody Guthrie and the early country sounds of the Carter Family into a precious sound. It wasn't pretty, but those songs reminded everyone that life isn't pretty.

Her influence was everywhere. Acts lined up to record her songs. Lynn Morris's rendition of "Mama's Hands" was the 1996 IBMA "song of the year." The final Johnson Mountain Boys album included their rendition of Dickens' "My Better Years." Even the Judds, the bastion of 1980s commercial country, proclaimed their main influence was Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard. In 1993 she was given IBMA's "Distinguished Achievement Award."

One of my most treasured memories of Hazel was at IBMA. A late-night, post-showcase performance highlighted the female performers on Rounder Records (excepting Alison Krauss). Near the end of the show Hazel was invited onstage. Before she sang she commented, "It's great to be up here with my children." That was, and is, the truth. Bluegrass music is far richer because Hazel graced the genre with her presence.

Hazel Dickens was 75.

Midnite Jamboree Back to Normal

2011-04-16T20:13:00.000-04:00

Category: News

After an interesting winter that saw 10 p.m. tapings, tape delayed broadcasts and no live shows at all for several weeks, the Midnite Jamboree is back to normal. The show is once again airing live at midnight from the Texas Troubadour Theater next to the Ernest Tubb Record Shop on Music Valley Drive in Nashville.

Last fall the show began an unprecedented switch from its format that had held since its debut in 1947. Instead of airing live at midnight the show began taping programs. The taped shows were held at 10 p.m. then broadcast a week later (instead of the same night). From Christmas until the first part of March the show was completely silent for the first time ever, allowing WSM to air rebroadcasts of "classic shows."

Barbara Fairchild welcomed the show back to live status in March. It currently runs with its longstanding format.

Dates of Note in Country Music, April 15-30

2011-04-16T20:05:00.000-04:00

Category: News

Country Music Hall of Famers in bold

April 16:

Dusty Springfield born in London, England, 1939 (died 1999). The legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer hit the country charts in 1962 as part of the Springfields with "Silver Threads and Golden Needles."

April 17:

Craig Anderson of Heartland born in Huntsville, Alabama, 1973 (now 38)

Eddie Cochran died in Bath, England (injuries from an April 16 car wreck), 1960 (was 21). The rockabilly pioneer co-wrote "Summertime Blues," which Alan Jackson covered in country.

Dorsey Dixon died in Plant City, Florida (heart attack), 1968 (was 70)

Hank Penny died in Camarillo, California (heart failure), 1992 (was 73)

Linda McCartney died in Tuscon, Arizona (breast cancer), 1998 (was 56). Linda and husband Sir Paul McCartney's band, Wings, hit the country charts in 1974 with "Sally G."

Glenn Sutton died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 2007 (was 69)

April 18:

Walt Richmond of the Tractors born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1947 (now 64)

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown born in Vinton, Louisiana, 1924 (died 2005)

Your blogger born in Louisville, Kentucky, 19(??) (now taking Hadacol 'cause I'm not so young after all)

Milton Brown died in Fort Worth, Texas (pneumonia resulting from injuries in an April 13 car wreck), 1936 (was 32)

April 19:

Bill Rice born in Datto, Arkansas, 1939 (now 72)

Gary Brewer born in Louisville, Kentucky, 1965 (now 46)

Bobby Russell born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1941 (died 1992)

Earl Bolick of the Blue Sky Boys died in Tucker, Georgia (unknown cause), 1998 (was 78)

The "National Barn Dance" debuted on WLS, Chicago, 1924

April 20:

Johnny Tillotson born in Jacksonville, Florida, 1939 (now 72)

Doyle Lawson of the Country Gentlemen and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver born in Ford Town, Tennessee, 1944 (now 67)

Wade Hayes born in Bethel Acres, Oklahoma, 1969 (now 42)

Frank "Hylo" Brown born in River, Kentucky, 1922 (died 2003)

Benny Hill found dead in his London flat (coronary thrombosis), 1992 (was 68). The British comedian's Benny Hill Show featured Boots Randolph's "Yakety Sax" as its theme song.

April 21:

Wade Mainer born in Buncombe, North Carolina, 1907 (now 104!)

Paul Davis born in Meridian, Mississippi, 1948 (died 2008)

Ira Louvin born in Section, Alabama, 1924 (died 1965)

Carl Belew born in Salina, Oklahoma, 1931 (died 1990)

April 22:

Glen Campbell born in Delight, Arkansas, 1936 (now 75)

Ray Griff born in Vancouver, British Columbia, 1940 (now 71)

Pat Enright of the Nashville Bluegrass Band born in Huntington, Indiana, 1945 (now 66)

Cleve Francis born in Jennings, Louisiana, 1945 (now 66)

Larry Groce born in Dallas, Texas, 1948 (now 63). The Mountain Stage host had one charted record, 1977's "Junk Food Junkie," which was a minor country hit.

Reuben Gosfield of Asleep at the Wheel born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1951 (now 60)

Heath Wright of Ricochet born in Vian, Oklahoma, 1967 (now 44)

Steve Sholes died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1968 (was 57)

Felice Bryant died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 2003 (was 77)

Paul Davis died in Meridian, Mississippi (heart attack), 2008 (was 60)

Richard Nixon died in New York, New York (stroke), 1994 (was 81). The former president's political troubles were chronicled in Tom T. Hall's song "Watergate Blues." Nixon also appeared on the Grand Ole Opry during its first night at the Opry House in 1974.

April 23:

Roland White of the Nashville Bluegrass Band born in Madawaska, Maine, 1938 (now 73)

Roy Orbison born in Vernon, Texas, 1936 (died 1988)

April 24:

Shirley Boone born in Chicago, Illinois, 1934 (now 77). Pat Boone's wife is also the daughter of Red Foley.

Rebecca Lynn Howard born in Salyersville, Kentucky, 1979 (now 32)

Harry McClintock died in San Francisco, California (unknown cause), 1957 (was 74). His greatest success would come decades after his death when his recording of "Big Rock Candy Mountain" began the film O Brother, Where Art Thou.

Bonnie Owens died in Bakersfield, California (Alzheimer's disease), 2006 (was 73)

April 25:

Larry Robbins of the Johnson Mountain Boys born in Dickerson, Maryland, 1945 (now 66)

Karl Farr of the Sons of the Pioneers born in Rochelle, Texas, 1909 (died 1961)

Cliff Bruner born in Texas City, Texas, 1915 (died 2000)

Vassar Clements born in Kinard, South Carolina, 1928 (died 2005)

O.B. McClinton born in Senatobia, Mississippi, 1940 (died 1987)

The musical Big River opened on Broadway, 1985. It won a "Best Musical" Tony for songwriter Roger Miller, making him, to date, the only country performer to ever win a Tony Award.

April 26:

Johnny Mosby born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, 1933 (now 78)

Duane Eddy born in Corning, New York, 1938 (now 73)

Fiddlin' Doc Roberts born in Richmond, Kentucky, 1897 (died 1978)

Cecil Null born in East War, West Virginia, 1927 (died 2001)

Tim Spencer of the Sons of the Pioneers died in Apple Valley, California (long illness), 1974 (was 65)

Wesley Rose died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 1990 (was 72)

April 27:

Maxine Brown of the Browns born in Campti, Louisiana, 1931 (now 80)

Herb Pedersen of the Dillards and Desert Rose Band born in Berkley, California, 1944 (now 66)

Sydney Nathan, founder of King Records, born in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1904 (died 1968)

Jimmie Skinner born in Blue Lick, Kentucky, 1909 (died 1979)

April 28:

Dale Potter born in Puxico, Missouri, 1929 (died 1996)

Tommy Caldwell of the Marshall Tucker Band died in Spartanburg, South Carolina (injuries from an April 21 car wreck), 1980 (was 30)

Ken Curtis died in Clovis, California (heart attack), 1991 (was 74). The Gunsmoke star was also a one-time member of the Sons of the Pioneers.

April 29:

Billy Mize born in Arkansas City, Kansas, 1929 (now 82)

Duane Allen of the Oak Ridge Boys born in Taylortown, Texas, 1943 (now 68)

Wayne Secrest of Confederate Railroad born in Alton, Illinois, 1950 (now 61)

Karen Brooks born in Dallas, Texas, 1954 (now 57)

Danny Davis (ne George Joseph Nowlan) of the Nashville Brass born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, 1925 (died 2008)

Eddie Noack born in Houston, Texas, 1930 (died 1978)
Vern Gosdin died in Nashville, Tennessee (stroke), 2009 (was 74)

April 30:

Fuzzy Owen born in Conway, Arkansas, 1929 (now 82)

Willie Nelson born in Abbott, Texas, 1933 (now 78)

Darrell McCall born in New Jasper, Ohio, 1940 (now 71)

Robert Earl Reynolds of the Mavericks born in Kansas City, Missouri, 1962 (now 49)

Johnny Horton born in Los Angeles, California, 1930 (died 1960)

Curly Chalker died in Hendersonville, Tennessee (brain cancer), 1998 (was 66)

WLS airs the final broadcast of the National Barn Dance, 1960, after 36 years on the air.

Dates of Note in Country Music, April 1-15

2011-03-31T22:54:00.003-04:00

Category: News

(Country Music Hall of Famers in bold)

April 1:

Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith born in Clinton, South Carolina, 1921 (now 90)

Jim Ed Brown born in Sparkman, Arkansas, 1934 (now 77)

Jules Verne Allen born in Waxahachie, Texas, 1883 (died 1945)

Jimmy Logsdon born in Panther, Kentucky, 1922 (died 2001)

CMA President Paul Cohen died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 1970 (was 71)

Rachel Veach joined Roy Acuff's Smoky Mountain Boys, 1939. Her presence gave rise to Pete Kirby's nickname "Bashful Brother Oswald:" a woman traveling with a group of men was scandalous, so Kirby was billed as Veach's "bashful brother" to quell any rumors.

The original Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opened, 1967

April 2:

Warner Mack born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1935 (now 76)

Sonny Throckmorton born in Carlsbad, New Mexico, 1941 (now 70)

Emmylou Harris born in Birmingham, Alabama, 1947 (now 64)

Dean Townson of Pirates of the Mississippi born in Battle Creek, Michigan, 1959 (now 52)

Billy Dean born in Quincy, Florida, 1962 (now 49)
Mose Rager born in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, 1911 (died 1986). The guitarist was a significant influence on the thumbpicking style of another guitarist from the region, Merle Travis.Cliff Carlisle died in Lexington, Kentucky(unknown cause), 1983 (was 78)
Former Country Gentleman Doyle Lawson formed Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, 1979

April 3:

Billy Joe Royal born in Valdosta, Georgia, 1942 (now 69)
Richard Thompson born in Notting Hill, London, 1949 (now 61). The legendary folk-rock singer/songwriter and guitarist wrote and originally recorded "1952 Vincent Black Lightning," later a bluegrass hit for Del McCoury, as well as Jo-El Sonnier's biggest hit, "Tear-Stained Letter" (which was also covered by Faith Hill).

Curtis Stone of Highway 101 (and son of Cliffie Stone) born in North Hollywood, California, 1950 (now 61)

Hank Newman of the Georgia Crackers born in Cochran, Georgia, 1905 (died 1978)

Don Gibson born in Shelby, North Carolina, 1928 (died 2003)

Ella Mae Cooley murdered, 1961. Her husband, self-proclaimed "King of Western Swing" Spade Cooley, was convicted of her murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Red Allen died in Dayton, Ohio (cancer), 1993 (was 63)
Starday Records owner Don Pierce died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 2005 (was 89)
The Louisiana Hayride debuted on KWKH, Shreveport, Louisiana, 1948. Among the artists who performed on the radio show were Elvis Presley, Hank Williams, Johnny Horton, and one-time emcee Jim Reeves.

April 4:

Norro Wilson born in Scottsville, Kentucky, 1938 (now 73)

Steve Gatlin of the Gatlin Brothers born in Olney, Texas, 1951 (now 60)

Troy Gentry of Montgomery-Gentry born in Lexington, Kentucky, 1967 (now 44)

Cy Coben born in Jersey City, New Jersey, 1919 (died 2006)

Red Sovine died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack while driving), 1980 (was 61)

April 5:

Jack Clement born in Whitehaven, Tennessee, 1931 (now 80)

Bill Clifton (ne William August Marburg) born in Riverwood, Maryland, 1931 (now 80). In addition to being a bluegrass performer, the 2008 Bluegrass Hall of Fame inductee is also credited with starting the bluegrass festival, when he organized a July 4, 1961 show in Luray, Virginia.

June Stearns born in Albany, New York, 1939 (now 72)

Tommy Cash born in Dyess, Arkansas, 1940 (now 71)

Bob McDill born in Beaumont, Texas, 1944 (now 67)
Pat Green born in San Antonio, Texas, 1972 (now 39)
Charlie Collins of Roy Acuff's Smoky Mountain Boys born i Caryville, Tennessee, 1933 (died 2012)
Frenchy "Stoney" Edwards died in Oklahoma (stomach cancer), 1997 (was 67)

Gene Pitney died in Cardiff, Wales (heart disease), 2006 (was 65). In addition to his rock hits, Pitney recorded two albums of duets with George Jones.

April 6:

Merle Haggard born in Bakersfield, California, 1937 (now 74)

Vernon Dalhart (ne Marion Try Slaughter) born in Marion County, Texas, 1883 (died 1948)

Wade Ray born in Griffin, Indiana, 1913 (died 1998)

Tammy Wynette died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart failure attributed to blood clot), 1998 (was 55)

Grand Ole Opry shows were canceled due to rioting in the wake of Martin Luther King's assassination earlier in the week, 1968

April 7:

Cal Smith born in Gans, Oklahoma, 1932 (now 79)

Bobby Bare born in Ironton, Ohio, 1935 (now 76)

John Dittrich of Restless Heart born in New York, New York, 1951 (now 60)

Leon "Pappy" Selph born in Houston, Texas, 1914 (died 1999)

Clyde Moody died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 1989 (was 73)
Steel guitarist Jeff Newman died in Watertown, Tennessee (plane crash), 2004 (was 62)

April 8:

John Schneider born in Mount Kisco, New York, 1960 (now 51)

Jimmy Osborne born in Winchester, Kentucky, 1923 (died 1957)

April 9:

Margo Smith born in Dayton, Ohio, 1942 (now 69)

Con Hunley born in Fountain City, Tennessee, 1945 (now 66)

Hal Ketchum born in Greenwich, New York, 1953 (now 58)

Mark Roberts of the Red Clay Ramblers born in Wareham, Massachusetts, 1957 (now 54)

Dave Innis of Restless Heart born in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, 1959 (now 52)

Carl Perkins born in Tiptonville, Tennessee, 1932 (died 1998)

Darrell Glenn died in Fort Worth, Texas (cancer), 1990 (was 54)

Mae Boren Axton died in Nashville, Tennessee (natural causes), 1997 (was 82)

April 10:

Weldon Myrick born in Jayton, Texas, 1938 (now 73). The steel guitar great co-wrote the Wilburn Brothers' "Hangin' Around" and suggested the town of Big Spring, Texas to Bill Anderson for the line "If you've never been to Paris, France / Big Spring, Texas will suit you fine" in "At the Time" (a hit for Jean Shepard).

Fiddlin' Arthur Smith born in Bold Spring, Tennessee, 1898 (died 1971)

Sheb Wooley born in Enick, Oklahoma, 1921 (died 2003)

Former home of Johnny and June Cash destroyed by fire, 2007. Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees owned the house at the time of the fire.

April 11:

Jim Lauderdale born in Troutman, North Carolina, 1957 (now 54)

Harty Taylor of Karl & Harty born in Mount Vernon, Kentucky, 1905 (died 1963)

Millie Good of the Girls of the Golden West born in Mount Carmel, Illinois, 1913 (died 1993)

Eddie Miller died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 1977 (was 83). In addition to writing a number of songs, including "I've Loved and Lost Again" which was recorded by Patsy Cline during her stint on Four Star, Miller co-founded the Nashville Songwriters' Association International.

Lighnin' Chance died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer/Alzheimer's), 2005 (was 79)

Jerry Byrd died in Honolulu, Hawaii (complications of Parkinson's disease), 2005 (was 85)

April 12:

Ned Miller born in Raines, Utah, 1925 (now 86)

Vince Gill born in Norman, Oklahoma, 1957 (now 54)

Ernie Lee born in Berea, Kentucky, 1916 (died 1991)

Judy Lynn born in Boise, Idaho, 1936 (died 2010)

Lewis Crook of the Crook Brothers died in Nashville, Tennessee (natural causes), 1997 (was 87)

Boxcar Willie died in Branson, Missouri (leukemia), 1999 (was 67)

April 13:

Sam Bush born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, 1952 (now 59)

Bob Nolan of the Sons of the Pioneers born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1908 (died 1980)

Guy Willis of the Willis Brothers died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 1981 (was 65)

Johnny Dollar died in Nashville, Tennessee (suicide), 1986 (was 53)

April 14:

Loretta Lynn born in Butcher Holler, Kentucky, 1935 (now 76)

Stuart Duncan of the Nashville Bluegrass Band born in Quantico, Virginia, 1964 (now 47)

Vito Pelletteri died in Nashville, Tennessee (complications from a stroke), 1977 (was 87)

Burl Ives died in Anacortes, Washington (throat cancer), 1995 (was 85)

April 15:

Roy Clark born in Meherrin, Virginia, 1933 (now 78)

J.L. Frank born in Limestone County, Alabama, 1900 (died 1952)

Bob Luman born in Nacogdoches, Texas, 1937 (died 1978)

Junior Barnard of Bob Wills' Texas Playboys died (car wreck), 1951 (was 30)

Rose Maddox died in Ashland, Oregon (kidney failure), 1998 (was 72)

Otto Kitsinger died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1998 (was 54). Otto was the historian and writer for CMT's Opry Backstage.

What I'd Give for the Lifetime I've Wasted

2011-03-17T20:36:00.000-04:00

Category: News/Obituary

If you look at the lyrics of the song "Gone" there's not much on the page. In total, just seventy-one words. What made those words come to life, and etched them eternally in the minds of country music fans, was the gut-wrenching emotion Ferlin Husky poured into every syllable of that song.

Ferlin Husky died today (March 17), two days after being released from a Hendersonville hospital into hospice care.

Husky's career began inauspiciously. Record company executives thought the name "Ferlin Husky" was too hokey and artificial, so he first recorded "Gone" under the pseudonym Terry Preston. The recording went nowhere. Meanwhile, Husky made a name for himself as a first-rate impressionist of country singers. He recorded a song, "Hank's Song," featuring lyrics comprised of Hank Williams song titles while doing an impersonation of Williams that was so good it was scary.

Husky's career took off when Capitol teamed him with a female newcomer, Jean Shepard, on a lost-love song that was quite topical at the time (during the Korean War): "A Dear John Letter." The hit put both on the road to success that would eventually end at the Country Music Hall of Fame (Shepard this year, Husky last year).

After the massive success of "Gone" Husky allowed his "good friend" Simon Crum to enter the studio for an album (The Unpredictable Simon Crum). The tracks included "My Gallina" (which included a pronunciation guide ["pronounced 'Guy-EE-na'"] on the 45 label), a Mel Tillis composition "Stand Up, Sit Down, Shut Your Mouth," and the hilarious "Little Red Webb," which featured ~~Husky~~ Crum impersonating Red Sovine and Webb Pierce while skewering the horridly smarmy "Little Rosa."

Husky gave the country music world one other classic, the 1960 crossover gospel number "Wings of a Dove." The song was one of only four tunes to hit #1 on the country charts in 1960 (the others being "El Paso," "He'll Have to Go," and "Please Help Me, I'm Falling") while also making a successful stay on the pop charts.

Husky dealt with heart problems for decades. According to one Nashville obituary, he endured seven heart bypass operations. In recent years he had been frequently in and out of hospitals because of congestive heart failure, pneumonia and infections. He was recently diagnosed with colon cancer as well.

Oh, what I'd give for the lifetime I've wasted

The love that I tasted

I was wrong

Now you've gone

Ferlin Husky was 85.