Dates of Note in Country Music, March 1-15

Category: News

(Country Music Hall of Famers in bold)

March 1:
Janis Oliver of Sweethearts of the Rodeo born in Manhattan Beach, California, 1954 (now 57)
Sara Hickman born in Jacksonville, North Carolina, 1963 (now 48)
Clinton Gregory born in Martinsville, Virginia, 1966 (now 45)
Cliffie Stone born in Stockton, California, 1917 (died 1998)
Pearl Butler died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 1988 (was 61)
RCA Victor debuts a new format -- the 45 RPM record, 1949
Johnny Cash wed June Carter Smith Nix in Franklin, Kentucky, 1968
California governor Ronald Reagan issues a full pardon to Merle Haggard, 1972


March 2:
Doc Watson born in Deep Gap, North Carolina, 1923 (now 88)
Larry Stewart born in Paducah, Kentucky, 1959 (now 52)
Lonnie Glosson died in Searcy, Arkansas (natural causes), 2001 (was 93)

March 3:
John Carter Cash born in Madison, Tennessee, 1970 (now 41)

Jimmy Heap born in Taylor, Texas, 1922 (died 1977)
Kyle Bailes died (unknown cause), 1996 (was 80)
Harlan Howard died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 2002 (was 74)
Ernie Ashworth died in Hartsville, Tennessee (heart attack), 2009 (was 80)
Benefit concert for the family of DJ "Cactus" Jack Call held in Kansas City, Missouri, 1963. Among those performing: Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Cowboy Copas, Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper, George Jones, and Billy Walker.

March 4:
Betty Jack Davis born in Corbin, Kentucky, 1932 (died 1953)
John Duffey of the Country Gentlemen and Seldom Scene born in Washington, DC, 1934 (died 1996)
Scotty Stoneman died in Nashville, Tennessee (overdose of prescription medication), 1973 (was 40)
Minnie Pearl died in Nashville, Tennessee (complications from stroke), 1996 (was 83)
Eddie Dean died in Los Angeles, California (emphysema), 1999 (was 91)

March 5:
Raymond Fairchild born in Cherokee, North Carolina, 1939 (now 72)
Jimmy Bryant born in Moultrie, Georgia, 1925 (died 1980)
Patsy Cline died near Camden, Tennessee (plane crash), 1963 (was 30)
Cowboy Copas died near Camden, Tennessee (plane crash), 1963 (was 59)

Hawkshaw Hawkins died near Camden, Tennessee (plane crash), 1963 (was 41)

Randy Hughes died near Camden, Tennessee (plane crash), 1963 (was 34). Hughes was Patsy Cline's manager and Cowboy Copas' son-in-law as well as the pilot of the ill-fated plane.

Syd Nathan died in Miami, Florida (heart disease/pneumonia), 1968 (was 63). The Cincinnati record store owner founded King Records in 1943, making it the first all-country music record label in history.
Anna Carter Davis, original member of the Chuck Wagon Gang and widow of Jimmie Davis, died in Fort Worth, Texas (complications following a fall), 2004 (was 87)
Elvis Presley honorably discharged from the Army, 1960

March 6:
Red Simpson born in Higley, Arizona, 1934 (now 77)
Ray Walker of the Jordanaires born in Centerville, Mississippi, 1934 (now 77)
Doug Dillard of the Dillards born in East St. Louis, Missouri, 1937 (now 74)
Skip Ewing born in Red Lands, California, 1964 (now 47)

Cliff Carlisle born in Mount Eden, Kentucky, 1904 (died 1983)
Bob Wills born in Turkey, Texas, 1905 (died 1975)
Jean Chapel of the Coon Creek Girls born in Neon, Kentucky, 1925 (died 1995)

George Jones critically injured in single-vehicle accident, 1999
The siege of the Alamo ended, 1836. Davy Crockett, subject of legendary song, was among those who died during the battle. Johnny Cash would memorialize the fight in his song "Remember the Alamo."

March 7:
Townes Van Zandt born in Fort Worth Texas, 1944 (died 1997)
Jack Anglin died in Nashville, Tennessee (car wreck), 1963 (was 46). Anglin was on his way to Patsy Cline's memorial service at the time of his accident.
Pee Wee King died in Louisville, Kentucky (heart attack), 2000 (was 86)

March 8:
Jimmy Dormire of Confederate Railroad born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1960 (now 51)
Randy Meisner of Poco and the Eagles born in Scotts Bluff, Nebraska, 1946 (now 65)
Johnny Dollar born in Kilgore, Texas, 1933 (died 1986)
Jimmy Stoneman of the Stoneman Family born in Washington, DC, 1937 (died 2002)
Lew DeWitt of the Statler Brothers born in Roanoke, Virginia, 1939 (died 1990)
Stuart Hamblen died in Santa Monica, California (brain tumor), 1989 (was 80)
Hank Locklin died in Brewton, Alabama (natural causes), 2009 (was 90)

March 9:
Mickey Gilley born in Natchez, Mississippi, 1936 (now 75)
Jimmy Fadden of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band born in Long Beach, California, 1948 (now 63)
Ralph Sloan of the Ralph Sloan Dancers born in Wilson County, Tennessee, 1925 (died 1980)
George Burns died in Beverly Hills, California (cardiac arrest), 1996 (was 100). The legendary actor had a country hit with "I Wish I Was Eighteen Again."
Chris LeDoux died in Casper, Wyoming (bile duct cancer), 2005 (was 56)
Final Saturday night Opry at the Ryman before the opening of the new Opry House, 1974

March 10:
Ralph Emery born in McEwen, Tennessee, 1933 (now 78)
Norman Blake born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1938 (now 73)

Johnnie Allan born in Rayne, Louisiana, 1938 (now 73)

Daryl Singletary born in Wigham, Georgia, 1971 (now 40)
Kenneth "Jethro" Burns born in Conasauga, Tennessee, 1920 (died 1989)
Soul singer James Brown guests on the Grand Ole Opry at the request of Porter Wagoner, 1979

March 11:
Jimmy Fortune of the Statler Brothers born in Williamsburg, Virginia, 1955 (now 56)
W. Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel of the Light Crust Doughboys born in Malta, Ohio, 1890 (died 1969)
Jim Boyd of the Cowboy Ramblers died (unknown cause), 1993 (was 78)

March 12:
Marshall Wilborn of the Johnson Mountain Boys and the Lynn Morris Band born in Austin, Texas, 1952 (now 59)
James Taylor born in Belmont, Massachusetts, 1948 (now 63). The legendary pop/folk superstar wrote "Bartender's Blues" and sang with George Jones on Jones' recording of the tune.
Ralph Sloan died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown illness), 1980 (was 55)

March 13:
Liz Anderson born in Roseau, Minnesota, 1930 (now 81)
Jan Howard born in West Plains, Missouri, 1930 (now 81)
Benny Martin died in Nashville, Tennessee (nerve disorder/illness), 2001 (was 72)
Ezra Carter marries Maybelle Addington, 1926

March 14:
Michael Martin Murphy born in Oak Cliff, Texas, 1945 (now 66)
Doc Pomus died in New York, New York (lung cancer), 1991 (was 65)
Dale Potter died in Puxaco, Missouri (cancer), 1996 (was 66)
Tommy Collins died in Ashland City, Tennessee (emphysema), 2000 (was 69)
Jimmy Martin died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 2005 (was 77)
Bill Bolick of the Blue Sky Boys died in Hickory, North Carolina (natural causes), 2008 (was 90)

March 15:
D.J. Fontana born in Shreveport, Louisiana, 1931 (now 80)
Gunilla Hutton of Hee Haw born in Goteborg, Sweden, 1946 (now 65)
Ry Cooder born in Los Angeles, California, 1947 (now 64)

Carl Smith born in Maynardville, Tennessee, 1927 (died 2010)

The final Friday night Opry at the Ryman, 1974. The final song was the Opry cast singing "Will the Circle Be Unbroken."

He Hasn't Stopped Loving Her Today...Yet

CATEGORY:  50 Songs to Hear

SONG:  You Haven't Heard

ARTIST:  Stonewall Jackson

SONGWRITER:  Stonewall Jackson

ALBUM:  I Love a Song

YEAR/LABEL:  1963; Columbia

We're always happy when someone says they like one of our songs, but it's especially gratifying when it's a song I wrote.

(Stonewall Jackson, discussing "You Haven't Heard," October 25, 1992)

It happens all the time in Hollywood movies:  a singer with a dream waltzes into Nashville, gets signed, and is #1 almost immediately.  (Then they turn to drugs, booze, and/or violence and end up in the slammer, the hospital, or the morgue.)  In reality, people spend years, if not decades, making music before that "big break" comes along.

Then there's Stonewall Jackson.  Stonewall (that is his name!) was heard by Nashville executive Wesley Rose and brought to Nashville.  The buzz was so great about this young Navy veteran from North Carolina that he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry without having a record deal.  Once he did get that deal (with Columbia) he quickly validated the hype:  his first single, a cover of the George Jones-penned "Life to Go," made the top five.  His debut album was titled The Dynamic Stonewall Jackson, and the title was no exaggeration.  The next hit from the album was the John D. Loudermilk/Marijohn Wilkin composition "Waterloo," a song that became a massive country and pop hit and made Stonewall Jackson a superstar almost overnight.

Jackson's music leaned toward the traditional "honky tonk" sound popularized in the 50s at a time when the "Nashville sound" of Jim Reeves and Eddy Arnold made the Billboard pop chart look like a carbon copy of the country top ten.  In 1963 his album I Love a Song was released and gave him one of his biggest hits, the tragic "B.J. the D.J."  The highlight of the album, however, is a song that Jackson penned himself:  "You Haven't Heard."

Lost loves and "I'll love you till I die, honest" songs are nothing new in country music.  In fact, George Jones had addressed the issue long before "He Stopped Loving Her Today" with a song called "When the Grass Grows Over Me" ("I'll be over you when you're standing over me, and as you look down at the cold cold ground I'm sleeping in, don't expect to hear me say that I still love you then").  "You Haven't Heard" follows along a similar thought.  "You thought that I'd forgotten you, oh, how could I forget?" Jackson sings, then adds, "You haven't heard about me dying, have you yet?" to prove that his love is eternal.  There's no obituary "in the evening Gazette" and no mention that he "jumped in some river."  He confirms it with the line, "I'll love you even if I live forever."  It's a pure country music gem.

Jackson has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry since arriving in Nashville in 1957, but in the late 2000s he sued the Opry for age discrimination, alleging that he and many other Opry performers who were over the age of 70 were being kept from appearing on the show regularly. The lawsuit has been settled.

Not only is Stonewall Jackson's name on the list of all-time great country singers, as "You Haven't Heard" proves he is also a very underrated songwriter.  Here's hoping that his name soon appears on the list of Hall of Fame inductees.

OTHER STONEWALL JACKSON MUSIC TO INVESTIGATE:

The entire I Love a Song album -- great covers ("No One Will Ever Know"), one of Stonewall's biggest hits ("B.J. the D.J."), and so many others make it one of Jackson's best albums...or anyone else's in the 1960s.

"Leona" (from The Sadness in a Song) -- country music, for better or worse, gets stereotyped because of all the "I love you but I'm going to kill you" murder ballads (see:  "Knoxville Girl").  Well, if the music is going to get the stereotype, it might as well come because of great songs such as this one.

"Smoke Along the Track" (from The Dynamic Stonewall Jackson) -- most people now are familiar with the covers of this song by either Dwight Yoakam (not bad) and Emmylou Harris (not good).  Stonewall Jackson had the first hit with it, and the aforementioned covers pale in comparison.

PREVIOUS SONGS:

(Country)

Winter's Come and Gone
Where Do I Go to Throw a Picture Away
When My Rowboat Comes In
When I Lift Up My Head
Rose of My Heart
Rock of Ages, Hide Thou Me
Playboy
Our Town
Old Memories Mean Nothing to Me
Not That I Care
Nobody Eats at Linebaugh's Anymore
My Book of Memories
Lost to a Stranger

A Little Bitty Heart

Life Has Its Little Ups and Downs

Life is Too Short

I Want a Home in Dixie

I Lost Today

Fingerprints

Down to the River to Pray

Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyeballs

A Death in the Family

Dark as a Dungeon

Bottomless Well

(Rock)
Train Leaves Here This Morning
Swallowed By the Cracks
Stephen
Stealin' Time
Starting Tomorrow
Spellbound
Sleep's Dark and Silent Gate
She's a Runaway
Painted Bells
Out to Sea
One More Song
New Delhi Freight Train

Millworker

Long Way Home

Island

Heart of Rome

Harriet Tubman's Gonna Carry Me Home

Entella Hotel

Desperados Under the Eaves

Crossing Muddy Waters

Cliffs of Dooneen

Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrow)

Baby Mine

Dates of Note in Country Music, February 16-28

Category: News

(Country Music Hall of Famers in bold)

February 16:

Jo-Walker Meador born in Orlinda, Tennessee, 1924 (now 87)

Ronnie Milsap born in Robbinsville, North Carolina, 1944 (now 67)

Jimmy Wakely born in Mineola, Arkansas, 1914 (died 1982)

Smiley Burnette died in Encino, California (leukemia), 1967 (was 55)

February 17:

Johnny Bush born in Houston, Texas, 1935 (now 76)

Buck Trent born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, 1938 (now 73)

Jon Randall born in Dallas, Texas, 1969 (now 42)

Bryan White born in Shellman, Georgia, 1974 (now 37)

Billy Byrd born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1920 (died 2001)

Gene Pitney born in Hartford, Connecticut, 1940 (died 2006). The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer recorded two albums of duets with George Jones.

Uncle Jimmy Thompson died in Laguardo, Tennessee (natural causes), 1931 (was 82)

Eck Robertson died in Borger, Texas (natural causes), 1975 (was 87)

Gus Hardin died near Claremore, Oklahoma (car wreck), 1996 (was 50)

February 18:

Juice Newton born in Lakehurst Naval Station, New Jersey, 1952 (now 59)

Dudley Connell of the Johnson Mountain Boys born in Scheer, West Virginia, 1956 (now 55)

Julius Frank "Pee Wee" King (ne Kuczynski) born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1914 (died 2000)

Tootsie Bess, owner of Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 1978 (was 61)

Johnny Paycheck died in Nashville, Tennessee (emphysema), 2003 (was 64)

February 19:

Lorianne Crook born in Wichita, Kansas, 1957 (now 54)

Cedric Rainwater (real name: Howard Watts) born in Monticello, Florida, 1913 (died 1970)
Lowell Blanchard died in Knoxville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1968 (was 57)

Grandpa Jones died in Nashville, Tennessee (stroke), 1998 (was 84)

Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton officially break up their act, 1974

February 20:

Kathie Baillie of Baillie & the Boys born in Morristown, New Jersey, 1951 (now 60)

Claire Lynch born in Albany, New York, 1954 (now 57)

February 21:

Mary-Chapin Carpenter born in Princeton, New Jersey, 1958 (now 53)

Don Reno born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, 1926 (died 1984)
Carl T. Sprague died in Bryan, Texas (unknown cause), 1979 (was 83)

February 22:

Del Wood born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1920 (died 1989)

During a concert in London, Ontario, Johnny Cash asked June Carter to marry him, 1968

February 23:

Rusty Young of Poco born in Long Beach, California, 1946 (now 65)Buck Griffin born in Corsicana, Texas, 1923 (died 2009)

Minnie Pearl married Henry Cannon, 1947

February 24:

Little Roy Lewis of the Lewis Family born in Lincoln County, Georgia, 1942 (now 69)

Don Law born in London, England, 1902 (died 1982)

Webb Pierce died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 1991 (was 69)

Goldie Hill Smith died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 2005 (was 72)

Dinah Shore died in Beverly Hills, California (ovarian cancer), 1994 (was 77). The legendary pop singer and TV hostess was part of the family of live performers on WSM radio.

February 25:

Dr. Ralph Stanley born in Stratton, Virginia, 1927 (now 84)

Faron Young born in Shreveport, Louisiana, 1932 (died 1996)

February 26:

Jan Crutchfield born in Paducah, Kentucky, 1936 (now 75)

Billy Jack Wills born in Hall County, Texas, 1926 (died 1991)

Johnny Cash born in Kingsland, Arkansas, 1932 (died 2003)

February 27:

Chuck Glaser of the Glaser Brothers born in Spalding, Nebraska, 1936 (now 75)
Joe Carson died in Wichita Falls, Texas (car wreck), 1964 (was 27)

Walter Bailes died in Sevierville, Tennessee (various health problems), 2000 (was 80)

February 28:

Joe South born in Atlanta, Georgia, 1940 (now 71)

Don Helms born in New Brockton, Alabama, 1927 (died 2008)

Jim Denny born in Silver Point, Tennessee, 1911 (died 1963)

Audrey Williams born in Banks, Alabama, 1923 (died 1975)

Fiddlin' Arthur Smith died (unknown causes), 1971 (was 72)

And a leap baby:

February 29:

Dinah Shore born in Winchester, Tennessee, 1916 (died 1994)

The End of a Bluegrass Era

Category:  News


Cherryholmes is no more.


Jere Cherryholmes announced on the band's web site that the family act -- dad, mom and four kids -- are disbanding after their May 7th appearance at a bluegrass festival in Virginia.


According to the band's site, the combination of the children growing up and wanting to pursue their own musical interests and the marriage of others (notably, Cia) make it impossible for the band to remain together.


Cherryholmes rose to superstardom after their first two self-released albums earned them a record deal with Skaggs Family Records.  They quickly became a concert favorite, and in 2005 they were named the International Bluegrass Music Association Entertainer of the Year.  They have been nominated for six Grammy awards throughout their career, including one for "Best Country Instrumental" recording for this year's awards.


Anyone who ever saw them live know how much they will be missed.  Best of luck to Cherryholmes in everything they do.


Cherryholmes Announces They are Disbanding

Dates of Note in Country Music, February 1-15

Category: News

(Country Music Hall of Famers in bold)

February 1:

Don Everly born in Brownie, Kentucky, 1937 (now 74)
Ray Sawyer of Dr. Hook born in Chicksaw, Alabama, 1937 (now 73)
Del McCoury born in Bakersville, North Carolina, 1939 (now 72)
Lisa Marie Presley born in Memphis, Tennessee, 1968 (now 43)
Scotty Wiseman died in Gainesville, Florida (heart attack), 1981 (was 71)

February 2:

Howard Bellamy of the Bellamy Brothers born in Darby, Florida, 1946 (now 65)
Emmett Miller born in Macon, Georgia, 1900 (died 1962)
Lester McFarland of Mac & Bob born in Gray, Kentucky, 1902 (died 1984)Glenn Barber born in Hollis, Oklahoma, 1935 (died 2008)

Rusty Kershaw born in Tiel Ridge, Louisiana, 1938 (died 2001)
Louise Scruggs, wife and manager of Earl Scruggs, died in Nashville Tennessee, 2006 (was 78)

February 3:

Dave Rich born in Briar Creek, Kentucky, 1936 (now 75). Ernest Tubb heard a recording of Rich's and hounded friend Ray Price throughout a game of golf to record the song. The song? "City Lights."
Matraca Berg born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1964 (now 47)
Betty Foley, daughter and one-time duet partner of Red Foley, born in Chicago, Illinois, 1933 (died 1990)
Jiles Perry "J.P." Richardson died near Clear Lake, Iowa (plane crash), 1959 (was 28)
Buddy Holly died near Clear Lake, Iowa (plane crash), 1959 (was 22)
James Blackwood of the Blackwood Brothers Quartet died in Memphis, Tennessee (stroke), 2002 (was 83). He was the last member of the original legendary Southern Gospel quartet.

February 4:

Clint Black born in Long Branch, New Jersey, 1962 (now 49)
Chris McDaniel of Confederate Railroad born in Rock Springs, Georgia, 1965 (now 46)
Vic McAlpin born in Defeated Creek, Tennessee, 1918 (died 1980)
Kenneth "Jethro" Burns died in Evanston, Illinois (prostate cancer), 1989 (was 68)
Tom Brumley of Buck Owens' Buckaroos died in San Antonio, Texas (heart ailment), 2009 (was 62)

February 5:

Claude King born in Shreveport, Louisiana, 1933 (now 78).
Sara Evans born in Boonville, Missouri, 1971 (now 40)
Shelby David "Tex" Atchison born in Rosine, Kentucky, 1912 (died 1982)
Henson Cargill born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1941 (died 2007)
Eddy Noack died (cerebral hemorrhage), 1978 (was 47)

February 6:

Dale Reno of the Reno Brothers born in Roanoke, Virginia, 1961 (now 50)
Richie McDonald of Lonestar born in Lubbock, Texas, 1962 (now 49)
Anita Cochran born in Pontiac, Michigan, 1967 (now 44)
Violet Koehler of the original Coon Creek Girls born in Wilton, Wisconsin, 1916 (died 1973)Merle Kilgore died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 2005 (was 70)
Frankie Laine died in San Diego, California (complications from hip replacement surgery), 2007 (was 93)

February 7:

Wilma Lee Cooper born in Valley Head, West Virginia, 1921 (now 90)
Tony Booth born in Tampa, Florida, 1943 (now 68)

Garth Brooks born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1962 (now 49)
Warren Smith born in Humphreys County, Mississippi, 1933 (died 1980)
Ambrose Allen of the Allen Brothers born in Sewanee, Tennessee, 1901 (died 1959)
Dale Evans died in Happy Valley, California (congestive heart failure), 2001 (was 88)
Molly Bee died in Oceanside, California (complications of a stroke), 2009 (was 68)
Patsy Cline's last recording session, Nashville, 1963. The last song she recorded was a cover of Moon Mullican's "I'll Sail My Ship Alone."
Jim Reeves recorded "Four Walls" in Nashville, 1957. This song is said by many to be the beginning of the "Nashville Sound."

February 8:

Joe South born in Atlanta, Georgia, 1942 (now 69)
Dan Seals born in McCamey, Texas, 1948 (now 63)
Don Wayne Reno of the Reno Brothers born in Roanoke, Virginia, 1963 (now 48)
Pappy Daily born in Yoakum, Texas, 1902 (died 1987)
Bob Dunn born in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, 1908 (died 1971). Dunn is credited as being the first country musician to use amplification for his instrument.
Merle Watson born in Deep Gap, North Carolina, 1949 (died 1985)
Lulu Belle Wiseman died (Alzheimer's disease), 1999 (was 84)
Keith Knudsen of Southern Pacific died in California (chronic pneumonia), 2005 (was 56)

February 9:
Red Lane born in Zona, Louisiana, 1939 (now 72)
Joe Ely born in Amarillo, Texas, 1947 (now 64)
Travis Tritt born in Marietta, Georgia, 1963 (now 48)
Ernest Tubb born in Crisp, Texas, 1914 (died 1984)

February 10:

George York of the York Brothers born in Louisa, Kentucky, 1910 (died 1974)Arthur Satherley died in Fountain Valley, California (natural causes), 1986 (was 96)
Kendall Hayes died in Louisville, Kentucky (cancer), 1995 (was 59)
Jim Varney died in White House, Tennessee (lung cancer), 2000 (was 50)
February 11:

Wesley Rose born in Chicago, Illinois, 1918 (died 1980)

February 12:

Moe Bandy born in Meridian, Mississippi, 1944 (now 67)
Stephen Sholes born in Washington, DC, 1911 (died 1968)
Harley "Red" Allen born in Pigeon Roost, Kentucky, 1930 (died 1993)
Lorne Greene born in Ottawa, Ontario, 1915 (died 1987). The legendary actor hit the Billboard top 40 country charts in 1964 with "Ringo."
Sammi Smith died in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (emphysema), 2005 (was 61)

February 13:

David McLaughlin of the Johnson Mountain Boys born in Washington, DC, 1958 (now 53)
Tennessee Ernie Ford born in Bristol, Tennessee, 1919 (died 1991)
Boudleaux Bryant born in Shellman, Georgia, 1920 (died 1987)
Jim McReynolds of Jim & Jessee born in Coeburn, Virginia, 1927 (died 2003)
Charlie Moore born in Piedmont, South Carolina, 1935 (died 1979)
Buddy Lee died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 1998 (was 65)
Waylon Jennings died in Chandler, Arizona (complications of diabetes), 2002 (was 64)

February 14:

Razzy Bailey born in Five Points, Alabama, 1939 (now 72)
Bill Nowlin, co-founder of Rounder Records, born in Boston, Massachusetts, 1945 (now 66)
Harry Stone born in Jacksonville, Florida, 1898 (died 1968)
Lonnie Glosson born in Judsonia, Arkansas, 1908 (died 2001)
Buck Griffin died in Oklahoma (heart failure), 2009 (was 85)

February 15:

Hank Locklin born in McLellan, Florida, 1918 (died 2009)
Wally Fowler born in Adairsville, Georgia, 1917 (died 1994)
Louise Scruggs born in Lebanon, Tennessee, 1927 (died 2006)
Dorris Macon died (suicide), 1981 (was 71)
Nat "King" Cole died in Santa Montica, California (lung cancer), 1965 (was 45). The legendary pop crooner hit #1 on the Billboard country charts in 1944 (with the King Cole Trio) with the song "Straighten Up and Fly Right."

For Charlie

Category:  Tribute

In memory of Charlie Elzer Loudermilk Louvin

Born July 7, 1927, Section, Alabama

Died January 26, 2011, Wartrace, Tennessee

So if they ask you when I’m gone
Was it everything he wanted?

When he had to travel on

Did he know he’d be missed?

You can tell them this –

Hell yeah he did

He saw it all

He walked the line

Never had to crawl

He cried a bit

But not for long

Hell yeah, he found the life that he was after

Filled it up with love and laughter

Finally got it right and made it fit

Hell yeah he did

(Neil Diamond, "Hell Yeah," from the album 12 Songs, 2005)

Charlie and your blogger, 1995

Charlie's funeral is Sunday afternoon in Nashville.  He will be buried next to Ira.

You Can't Teach My Heart to Forget

Category:  News/Obituary

Harmony singing was nothing new in country music, nor was the brother duet.  The Blue Sky Boys and the Delmore Brothers were two of the biggest acts of the 1930s.  There was something unique, however, about the Louvin Brothers; namely, the tenor voice of elder brother Ira.  It is no exaggeration to say the Louvin Brothers perfected close harmony.  It is also no lie to say they were often imitated but never duplicated.

Charlie Louvin died today (1/26) of complications due to pancreatic cancer.

Charlie at the Midnite Jamboree in Nashville,

November 2010, one of his final appearances

There have been ebbs and flows in the career of Charlie Louvin, from the "wrong place at the wrong time" that seemed to plague the Louvin Brothers' career throughout the 1940s and early 50s to the #1 hit "I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby" and the reign as America's favorite country music duo; from the early 70s when the "Contrypolitan" sound left Louvin and scores of other traditional country singers behind to the Grammy award for the Louvin Brothers tribute album, Livin', Lovin', Losin':  Songs of the Louvin Brothers in 2004.  Although, as Charlie once said, his solo career actually had better sales than the Louvin Brothers' records, it is the Louvin Brothers' material that is fondly remembered and covered by everyone from bluegrass ("I Have Found a Way" on Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver's Kept & Protected) to country (Emmylou Harris' first top ten hit, "If I Could Only Win Your Love") to rock (Elvis Costello's rendition of "Must You Throw Dirt in My Face" on Kojak Variety).  The 2005 book 1,001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die includes the landmark 1956 Louvin Brothers album Tragic Songs of Life among the list of mostly rock recordings.

Last June, shortly before his birthday, Louvin was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  He was given a dim prognosis ("six weeks to live," Louvin remarked later); further, a Whipple procedure performed in August was unsuccessful.  Louvin commented, "I don't know what else they'll try, but whatever it is I'm sure it'll be painful."  

In September Louvin hosted the Midnite Jamboree.  The show was a 61st wedding anniversary celebration for Louvin and his wife, Betty.  At that show, Louvin was so exhausted he could not stand up or sing.  Just two months later, however, when Louvin again hosted the Midnite Jamboree, he sang and stood throughout the 90-minute show.  At the show he said the doctors had pronounced him "clean as a whistle" from his cancer and commented he had started to regain his appetite and some of the 40 pounds he had lost during the battle.

However, after the first of the year Louvin's condition took a sudden, dramatic turn for the worse. He was briefly hospitalized where he discovered the cancer had returned in all its fury.  According to son Sonny (Charlie Jr.), Louvin gave up interest in singing, telling his son, "I'm tired.  I just want to go home."  Wednesday morning at approximately 1:00 a.m. central time, he got his wish.

You may teach all the raindrops to return to the clouds

But you can't teach my heart to forget.

(Louvin Brothers, "When I Stop Dreaming")

Charlie Louvin was 83.

Dates of Note in Country Music, January 16-31

Category: News

(Country Music Hall of Famers in bold)

January 16:

Ronnie Milsap born in Robbinsville, North Carolina, 1943 (now 68)
Jim Stafford born in Eloise, Florida, 1944 (now 67)
Sandy Pinkard of Pinkard & Bowden born in Abbeville, Louisiana, 1947 (now 64)
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.
Jamaican authorities shot at the private plane of Jimmy Buffett, mistaking it for a drug kingpin's plane, 1996.  No one on board Buffett's plane was injured.

January 17:

Amanda Wilkinson of the Wilkinsons born in Belleville, Ontario, 1982 (now 29)
Steve Earle born in Fort Monroe, Virginia, 1955 (now 56)
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 85)
Hargus "Pig" Robbins born in Spring City, Tennessee, 1938 (now 73)
Mark Collie born in Waynesboro, Tennessee, 1956 (now 55)
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 92)
Stu Phillips born in Montreal, Quebec, 1933 (now 78)
Phil Everly born in Chicago, Illinois, 1939 (now 72)
Dolly Parton born in Locast Ridge, Tennessee, 1946 (now 65)
Stephanie Davis born in Bridger, Montana, 1958 (now 53)
Dennie Crouch of the Nashville Bluegrass Band born in Strawberry, Arkansas, 1967 (now 44)
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)


January 20:

Slim Whitman born in Tampa, Florida, 1924 (now 87). In 2008, Whitman was incorrectly listed as deceased the day after his birthday.
John Michael Montgomery born in Danville, Kentucky, 1965 (now 46)
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 69)
Jim Ibbottson of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1947 (now 64)
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:

Teddy Gentry of Alabama born in Fort Payne, Alabama, 1952 (now 59)
J.P. Pennington of Exile born in Berea, Kentucky, 1949 (now 62)
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 49)
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 75)
Jack Scott born in Windsor, Ontario, 1936 (now 75)
Ray Stevens born in Clarksdale, Georgia, 1939 (now 72)
Becky Hobbs born in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, 1950 (now 61)
Keech Rainwater of Lonestar born in Plano, Texas, 1963 (now 48)
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 79)
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. A benefit concert for the disc jockey five weeks later was the final performances by Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins, and Cowboy Copas.

January 26:

 Dave Rowland of Dave & Sugar born in Sanger, California, 1942 (now 69)
Lucinda Williams born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, 1953 (now 58)
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)
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 74)
Lee Carroll of Exile born in Glasgow, Kentucky, 1953 (now 58)
Cheryl White of the Whites born in Wichita Falls, Texas, 1955 (now 56)
Richard Young of the Kentucky Headhunters born in Glasgow, Kentucky, 1955 (now 56)
Tracy Lawrence born in Atlanta, Texas, 1968 (now 43)
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 46)
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 67)
Irlene Mandrell of the Mandrell Sisters born in Corpus Christi, Texas, 1957 (now 54)
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 74)
Norma Jean ("Pretty Miss Norma Jean") born in Wellston, Oklahoma, 1938 (now 73)
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 49)
Warren Smith died in Longview, Texas (heart attack), 1981 (was 47)

Sick Call: The Midnite Jamboree

Category:  News/Opinion


The Midnite Jamboree, a free-admission live concert that is the second-oldest radio show in the U.S. (behind the Grand Ole Opry), may be in trouble.  The Ernest Tubb Record Shop's web site has announced that there will be no new shows until March.  


This comes on the heels of a recent change in the Midnite Jamboree's broadcasts.  Since Ernest Tubb founded the show in 1947, shortly after opening his record store on Broadway near the Ryman Auditorium, the show has aired live immediately following the conclusion of the second Saturday night Opry show.  Indeed, some of the great moments in show history involved Marty Robbins playing long after the midnight hour, only to be chided by Ernest once WSM switched over to the store for the live broadcast.  However, in October 2010 the Ernest Tubb Record Shop announced a dramatic change:  the show would no longer be broadcast live.  Furthermore, it would no longer happen at midnight (the time that gave the legendary show its name).  Instead, it would be taped at 10 p.m. and aired one week later (not even the same night it was broadcast!) at midnight.


To some degree, the time change is understandable.  Admittedly, a lot of the performers who play the Midnite Jamboree are getting older (or are old:  I recently saw 83-year-old Charlie Louvin at a taping).  A show that lets out at about 2 a.m. (and that's central time, so tack on an hour for people to travel to Nashville from eastern time zone locales to see a show), once the show is finished and the artist finishes autographing and chatting with the fans in the store afterwards, is not the best thing for either the act or the audience (be it older people or the people who have brought children to the show).  Additionally, if the crowd is there at 2 in the morning that means that store workers also have to be.


However, this was never an issue until very recently.  It follows on the heels of the Opry's Friday night shows being reduced to just one and the Saturday Opry (which has been a two-show night as long as I have been alive) being reduced to just one in the summer (ironically, during the tourist season:  in the winter, when fewer people frequent Nashville as a tourist destination, they carry on the two-show tradition). 


Add to this time change the never-before-seen cancellation of the Midnite Jamboree for two months and one cannot help but wonder what is going on.  Will the Midnite Jamboree survive much longer?  It would be tremendously sad to see this long-standing tradition of country music die.


The Midnite Jamboree will resume 10 p.m. tapings in March with "Teddy Bear Song" singer Barbara Fairchild as the host.  Here's hoping it's still around next March.