Sick Call: John Prine

Category:  News

Legendary singer/songwriter John Prine has been diagnosed with the early stage lung cancer.

In a release e-mailed today (11/21) the 67-year-old performer notified those on his mailing list that he is being forced to postpone some shows in order for him to undergo surgery.

Here is the release from Prine:

Iconic singer/songwriter to postpone several performances to recuperate from forthcoming surgery but looks forward to full 2014 touring schedule.

 

Earlier this month, famed singer/songwriter John Prine postponed two concerts due to illness. After further consultation with his doctors, he will have to also reschedule another two appearances.

 

“There’s nothing I hate more than canceling shows,” says John Prine, who wants his fans to know that all dates will be honored.

 

Mr. Prine continues, “I’ve been diagnosed with non-small cell carcinoma of the lung. Doctors here in Nashville have caught it early, and it is operable. They see no reason why I won’t fully recover.”

 

Prine says, “This is a different form of cancer, unrelated to what I had in 1997.”

 

John Prine will play the December 6 concert in Greensboro, NC and the December 7 show in Charlotte, NC as scheduled.

 

Prine’s pending surgery and recuperation will move his Louisville, KY performances at the Brown Theatre from December 13 to February 28, while the December 14 show will now take place on March 1.  All previously purchased tickets will be honored for the new performance dates. The previously-postponed November 9 Madison, WI show is now March 15, and the November 8 Green Bay date will also take place at a later date in 2014.

 

“For me, there’s nothing like performing”, says John. “I look forward to seeing all my friends and fans in 2014. We have some great cities and venues lined up.” 

Prine successfully recovered from throat cancer in 1997.

Please keep this national treasure in your thoughts and prayers.

Dates of Note in Country Music, November 16-30

Category: News

(Hall of Fame members in bold on birth/death date, followed by hall[s] of fame in which they are enshrined and the year enshrined.  CM=Country Music; BG=Bluegrass; DJ=Country Disc Jockey; NS=Nashville Songwriter; SG=Southern Gospel; WS=Western Swing)

November 16:

Troy Seals (NS 88) born in Bill Hill, Kentucky, 1938 (now 75)
Larry Cordel born in Cordell, Kentucky, 1949 (now 64)
Will Goleman of the Cactus Brothers born in Shreveport, Louisiana, 1963 (now 50)
Ernest Tubb biographer Ronnie Pugh born in Texas, year unknown
W.C. Handy (NS 83) born in Florence, Alabama, 1873 (died 1958)
Gene Sullivan (NS 71) born in Carbon Hill, Alabama, 1914 (died 1984)
Earl Bolick born in Hickory, North Carolina, 1919 (died 1998)
Sol Ho'opi'i (Steel Guitar 79) died in Seattle, Washington (extended illness), 1953 (was 48)
J.D. Sumner (SG 97) died in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (heart attack), 1998 (was 73)

November 17:

Gordon Lightfoot born in Orilla, Ontario, Canada, 1938 (now 75). 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.
Wiley Walker (NS 71) born in Laurel Hill, Florida, 1911 (died 1966)
Eva Foley (Red Foley's wife) died in Nashville, Tennessee (suicide), 1951 (was 33)
Don Gibson (CM 01, NS 73) died in Nashville, Tennessee (natural causes), 2003 (was 75)

November 18:

John McFee of Southern Pacific born in Santa Cruz, California, 1953 (now 60)
Jessi Alexander born in Jackson, Tennessee, 1976 (now 37)
Doug Sahm died in Taos, New Mexico (heart attack), 1999 (was 58)

November 19:

Jerry Foster (NS 94) born in Tallapoosa, Missouri, 1935 (now 78)
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 (NS 94) died in Nicholasville, Kentucky (coronary artery disease), 1992 (was 52)
Buford Abner of the Swanee River Boys (SG 02) died in Ashland, Alabama (natural causes), 2011 (was 94)

November 20:

Curly Putman (NS 76) born in Princeton, Alabama, 1930 (now 83)
Roger Murrah (NS 05) born in Athens, Alabama, 1946 (now 67)
George Grantham of Poco and Ricky Skaggs' band born in Cordell, Oklahoma, 1947 (now 66)
Josh Turner born in Hannah, South Carolina, 1977 (now 36)
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 (CM 11) born in Paul Valley, Oklahoma, 1933 (now 80)
Joe Carson born in Holliday, Texas, 1936 (died 1964)
Jim Eanes died in Martinsville, Virginia (congestive heart failure), 1995 (was 71)
Bill Vernon (BG 04) died in Rocky Mount, Virginia (asthma-induced heart attack), 1996 (was 59)
Charlie Cline (BG 09) died in Jasper, Alabama (long-term illness), 2004 (was 73)
Paul Yandell, C.G.P. died in Hendersonville, Tennessee (cancer), 2011 (was 76)
Charlie Daniels refused to play the "Country Freedom Concert" after being told not to perform "This Ain't No Rag, It's a Flag," 2001

November 22:

Hoagy Carmichael (NS 88) born in Bloomington, Indiana, 1899 (died 1981)
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 80)
Charlie Black (NS 91) born in Cheverly, Maryland, 1949 (now 64)
Charlie Sizemore born in Richmond, Kentucky, 1960 (now 53)
Spade Cooley died in Oakland, California (heart attack), 1969 (was 58)
Grady Nutt died in Vinemont, Alabama (plane crash), 1982 (was 48)
Roy Acuff (CM 62) 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 73)
Steve Nelson (NS 73) born in New York, New York, 1907 (died 1981)
Stoney Edwards born in Seminole, Oklahoma, 1929 (died 1997)
Teddy Wilburn died in Nashville, Tennessee (congestive heart failure), 2003 (was 71)
Charlie Douglas (DJ 94) died in Covington, Louisiana (unknown cause), 2011 (was 78)
Wanted! The Outlaws by Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Tompall Glaser, and Jessi Colter certified platinum, making it the first certified platinum country music album in history, 1976

November 25:

Amy Grant born in Augusta, Georgia, 1960 (now 53)
Eddie Stubbs (DJ 12) born in Gaithersburg, Maryland, 1961 (now 52)
Biff Collie born in Little Rock, Arkansas, 1926 (died 1992)
Ralph Emery debuted on WSM in overnight slot, 1957

November 26:

Hal Blair (NS 03) born in Kansas City, Missouri, 1915 (died 2001)

November 27:

Eddie Rabbitt (NS 98) 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 88)
A.L. "Doodle" Owens (NS 99) born in Waco, Texas, 1930 (died 1999)
Carrie Rodgers, widow of Jimmie Rodgers, died in San Antonio, Texas (cancer), 1961

November 29:

Joel Whitburn born in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, 1938 (now 75)
Jody Miller born in Phoenix, Arizona, 1941 (now 72)
Merle Travis (CM 77, NS 70) 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 81)
Jeannie Kendall born in St. Louis, Missouri, 1954 (now 59)
Teddy Wilburn born in Hardy, Arkansas, 1931 (died 2003)
Jack Reno born in Bloomfield, Iowa, 1935 (died 2008)
Mindy McCready born in Ft. Myers, Florida, 1975 (died 2013)
David Houston died in Bossier City, Louisiana (brain aneurysm), 1993 (was 54)
Howard "Happy" Goodman (SG 03) died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 2002 (was 81)

National Enquirer Country

Category:  Comedy Show Review

It's a hard life in country music, and anyone who doubts it needs to see the Doyle and Debbie Show.  The 90-minute revue is currently playing on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at Zanie's Comedy Club in Nashville.

Doyle Mayfield was a big star "way back when" as part of a duet known as Doyle & Debbie.  Two Debbies (including one who was also Mrs. Doyle Mayfield) have come and gone, and now Doyle is trying the comeback trail with Debbie #3, whom Doyle discovered singing in a VFW post.  

They begin their set with "Whine, Whine, Twang, Twang."  After the song, about four or five words into his introduction of his singing partner it became blatantly obvious that Doyle is a jerk.  He introduced his third Debbie with such a misogynistic, condescending tone that the audience was tempted to throw something at him -- except they were laughing too hard.  

The relationship between Doyle and Debbie was one made in country music hell.  Doyle sat "backstage" (an area to the left of the stage) reading National Enquirer while Debbie sang a solo.  Debbie returned the favor when it was Doyle's turn to solo.  The glares the duo gave each other brought to mind the title of the Rodney Crowell song, "If Looks Could Kill."

Doyle had been on the wagon for a few weeks, but during the intermission he resorted to drinking while Debbie tended to her three children who were "out in the car" after hearing them arguing over a walkie-talkie she used to keep tabs on the youngsters.  Once they began the second set Doyle was more than a little tipsy, staggering onstage to the shock of his band leader Buddy.  The booze and the mention of his recently-deceased dad's favorite song "Snowbanks of Life" (as in "I peed your name in the....") changed Doyle, and he performed the morbid "Daddy's Hair," complete with a box containing the scalp of his dead dad (which caused Debbie to make good on her threat to leave).  The hair seemed to possess Doyle as it bled on his shirt, but Buddy saved the day by shooting the hair.  Debbie was eventually coaxed back to finish the set.

The comedy is side-splitting, provided by Bruce Arntson as Doyle, Jenny Littleton as Debbie and Matthew Carlton as Buddy.  Arnston created this farce and wrote all the music (except for "Whine Whine, Twang Twang," which he co-wrote with Pam Tillis).  These two are not only sharp in their delivery of the comedy (including the physical humor), they are both excellent singers.  The songs lampoon stereotypes in a way that hasn't been seen in country music since "The B-Side of Love" on National Lampoon's Goodbye Pop album.  "When You're Screwing Other Women (Think of Me)" summarizes cheating songs in the title -- and makes it far more comically obvious than others dare.  The medley of Doyle & Debbie hits concludes with "God Loves America Best," which takes dead aim at smarmy patriotism in a number of songs.  The closer, "Fat Women in Trailers," is a musical highlight, as is Debbie's "ABC's of Love," an ode to Patsy Cline-style ballads as well as nearly every commonly-utilized abbreviation today (you will LOL at this).

If you've never seen the Doyle and Debbie Show you need to put it on your "to-do" list.

Those Who Served

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 (which occurred on November 11, 1918 at 11:00 a.m.).  In 1954 the name of the holiday was changed to "Veterans Day" to honor the veterans of both world wars as well as the Korean war and those who served in peacetime.

Here is my annual list of some of the members of the world of country and bluegrass music who served in the armed forces, and (if applicable) the war during which they served.  Their music made them famous, but their service made them heroes.  

Country Music Hall of Famers in bold.

Army:

Jules Verne Allen (World War I)
Jack Anglin (World War II)
Bob Atcher (World War II)
Bobby Bare
Byron Berline
Pat Brady (World War II)
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)
Jim Eanes (World War II)
Bob Ferguson (also served in the Marines)
Jack Greene
Tom T. Hall
Harold "Hawkshaw" Hawkins (World War II)
Red Hayes (World War II)
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
Bradley Kincaid (World War I)
Kris Kristofferson 
John Lair
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
"Colonel" Tom Parker
Lloyd Perryman (World War II)
Webb Pierce
Elvis Presley
John Prine
Boots Randolph
Jerry Reed
Don Reno (World War II)
Cal Smith
James "Hal" Smith (World War II)
Ralph Stanley (World War II)
George Strait
Nat Stuckey (Korea)
Conway Twitty
T. Texas Tyler (David Myrick) (World War II)
Charlie Walker (World War II)
Roland White
Doyle Wilburn (Korea)
Teddy Wilburn (Korea)
Bob Wills (World War II)
Faron Young

Navy:

Hoyt Axton
Kenny Baker (World War II)
Archie Campbell (World War II)
Jerry Clower
Cy Coben (World War II)
Larry Cordle
Alton Delmore (World War II)
Roy Drusky
Bill Emerson
Leon Everette
Werly Fairburn (World War II)
Benjamin "Whitey" Ford (Duke of Paducah) (World War I)
Howdy Forrester (World War II)
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)
Mitch Jayne (World War II)
Doyle Lawson
Johnny Lee (Vietnam)
Leon McAuliffe (World War II)
Ronnie McDowell
Bill Nettles (World War I)
Dale Noe (World War II)
Johnny Paycheck (Donald Lytle)
Don Pierce (World War II)
Ray Pillow
Claude "Curly" Putman
Marvin Rainwater (World War II)
Red Rector (briefly joined the Navy in 1942, when he was 13, but was discharged once it was discovered he had lied about his age)
Marty Robbins (World War II)
Billy Joe Shaver
Carl Smith
Carl Story (World War II)
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)
Henry Cannon (Mr. Minnie Pearl) (World War II)
Johnny Cash
Jimmy Dean
Tennessee Ernie Ford (World War II)
Kendall Hayes
Tommy Jackson (World War II)
Jimmie Logsdon (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:

Red Allen
Wendy Bagwell (World War II)
Jack Clement
Bill Clifton
Tommy Collins (Leonard Sipes)
Don Everly
Phil Everly
Freddy Fender (Baldemar Huerta)
Bob Ferguson (Korea) (also served in the Army)
Josh Garcin
Wayne Hancock
Freddie Hart (World War II)
George Jones
Ned Miller 
Bobby Osborne
Ray Price (World War II)
Merle Travis (World War II)
Charles Whitstein
Robert Whitstein (Vietnam)

I would also like to recognize a couple of performers who tried to serve.  Chet Atkins was medically disqualified from serving in World War II because of asthma, and Jim Reeves failed his World War II Army physical because of a heart condition.

Thank you for your music; more importantly, thank you for your service.

An Exclusive Club

Category:  News

Given that I focus on country music here, this isn't the place to discuss the "Country Music" Association awards that were held tonight (11/6) in Nashville.  With acts such as Jason Mraz and Nirvana drummer David Grohl appearing I don't think I need any other justification for not reporting on the event.  

However, they did something right tonight.  For only the second time in history, a Country Music Hall of Famer won the "Entertainer of the Year" award after his Hall of Fame induction.  That honor went to George Strait, who is in the midst of his "The Cowboy Rides Away" farewell tour.

Strait was overwhelmed as the audience remained standing, cheering what may well be Strait's final award (although his "Cowboy Rides Away" tour is scheduled to continue into May 2014, which would make him eligible again next year).  

In 1966 Eddy Arnold was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.  The next year, at the inaugural CMA Awards, he was named Entertainer of the Year.  Until Strait's triumph Arnold was the only performer to ever accomplish that feat.

Congratulations to country music's most successful artist.  Here's hoping for a repeat performance next year.

George Strait's 2013 Entertainer of the Year Award

Criminal. Positively Criminal.

Category:  Rant

I normally don't deal with rock and roll here in the country blog, but I'm making an exception for two reasons.  First, there is a strong country music connection in this instance.  Second, this is such a criminal action that it demands a scream.

In late October the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its nominees for the "class of 2014."  Among the nominations was Linda Ronstadt.  If there were a musical courtroom the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should be sentenced to life for this crime against musical humanity.

The main reason Linda Ronstadt received her first nomination this year, 21 years after she was first eligible to be nominated, is the main reason I'm furious.  In July the 67-year-old singer announced that she has Parkinson's Disease, resulting in her being unable to sing any longer.  So, in essence, this nomination is basically a pity party.  

Criminal.  Positively criminal.  The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominating committee should be ashamed of itself.

Ronstadt was rock's #1 female artist in the 1970's.  Nobody was close to her.  In fact, you're probably hard-pressed to name another successful female rock singer in the 1970's:  Bonnie Raitt and Tina Turner were years away from becoming household names, and Heart (led by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson) only started in the late 70's and didn't hit their stride until the 80's.  The other major female acts in the 1970's were pop (such as Barbra Streisand), disco (Donna Summer) or R&B (Diana Ross).  Rock had but one major female voice, and it belonged to Linda Ronstadt.

Ronstadt, however, was never limited to just rock.  Her music tastes are quite diverse, and she reflected this in the songs she sang.  Her 1974 masterpiece Heart Like a Wheel successfully walked a line between rock and country, with her covers of "You're No Good" and "When Will I Be Loved" balanced against "I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You" and "Faithless Love."  Her list of country hits date to that year, when her version of "Silver Threads and Golden Needles" made the Billboard country top 20.  Ronstadt won three country Grammy awards, including two for her collaboration with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris in the Trio projects.   

She repeatedly walked that fine line throughout much of her career -- not always successfully (her cover of the Rolling Stones' "Tumbling Dice" is almost comical, and not in a good way)  -- but you could always count on Linda Ronstadt to knock you out with that voice of hers that Parton once labeled as one of only three "real" female voices in the world (the other two, according to Parton, belonging to Streisand and Connie Smith:  "the rest of us are just pretenders").  Now Parkinson's Disease has silenced that marvelous voice.  So, much like a sympathy vote (no doubt how Donna Summer gathered enough votes for a posthumous induction last year), Ronstadt has now received the first nomination to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in her life; and, as I predicted in my rock blog (and will reiterate here) I would bet the ranch if I owned one that she will be inducted.

Linda Ronstadt's music has enriched the lives of fans of country, rock, pop (check out her albums recorded with Nelson Riddle), Mexican Mariachi music, and Broadway.  She should have been inducted years ago, when she could have entertained the audience with her marvelous voice.

I would love nothing more than for God to grant her one last curtain call, so she could sing a farewell to her three generations of fans and, as a friend of mine put it, sing the rafters off the building in a middle-finger response of sorts to being overlooked for so long.  

Linda Ronstadt with Emmylou Harris (and Ricky Skaggs on guitar) 
performing "Gold Watch and Chain" in a tribute to Mother Maybelle 
Carter in 1979

Dates of Note in Country Music, November 1-15

Category: News

(Hall of Fame members in bold on birth/death date, followed by hall[s] of fame in which they are enshrined and the year enshrined.  CM=Country Music; BG=Bluegrass; DJ=Country Disc Jockey; NS=Nashville Songwriter; SG=Southern Gospel; WS=Western Swing)

November 1:

Bill Anderson (CM 01, NS 75) born in Columbia, South Carolina, 1937 (now 76)
Keith Stegall born in Wichita Falls, Texas, 1954 (now 59)
Lyle Lovett born in Klein, Texas, 1957 (now 56)
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 68)
Earl Yager of the Johnson Mountain Boys born in Gordonsville, Virginia, 1953 (now 60)
k.d. lang born in Consort, Alberta, 1961 (now 52)
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 87)
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)
The first inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame -- Jimmie Rodgers, Fred Rose, and Hank Williams -- announced, 1961
Merle Haggard paroled from San Quentin prison, 1960

November 4:

Kim Forrester born in Oglethorpe, Georgia, 1960 (now 53)
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 (CM 10, NS 84) born in Phil Campbell, Alabama, 1936 (now 77)
Lowell Blanchard born in Palmer, Illinois, 1910 (died 1968). Blanchard was the program director at WNOX in the 1930's and began the Midday Merry-Go-Round.
Roy Rogers (ne Leonard Slye) (CM 80 and 88) born in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1911 (died 1998)
Roy Horton (CM 82) 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 (CM 72, NS 71) died in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (natural causes), 2000 (was 101)
Dorothy Southworth Ritter died in Woodland Hills, California (natural causes), 2003 (was 88)
Author/biographer Patsi Bale-Cox died in Nashville, Tennessee (emphysema), 2011 (was 66)
My favorite country music fan, my dad, born in Louisville, Kentucky, 1930 (now 83)

November 6:

Stonewall Jackson born in Emerson, North Carolina, 1932 (now 81)
Guy Clark (NS 04) born in Monahan, Texas, 1941 (now 72)
Glenn Frey of the Eagles born in Detroit, Michigan, 1948 (now 65)
Doug Sahm born in San Antonio, Texas, 1941 (died 1999)
Hank Thompson (CM 89, NS 97) 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 60)
Red Ingle born in Toledo, Ohio, 1906 (died 1965)
Archie Campbell born in Bull's Gap, Tennessee, 1914 (died 1987)
Howard "Happy" Goodman (SG 98) born in northeast Alabama, 1921 (died 2002)
A.P. Carter (CM 70, NS 70) died in Kingsport, Tennessee (heart ailment), 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 (died 2013)
Scotty Wiseman (NS 71) 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 (CM 66) 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 73)
Pat Severs of Pirates of the Mississippi born in Elmira, New York, 1952 (now 61)
Paul Cohen (CM 76) born in Chicago, Illinois, 1908 (died 1970)
Buford Abner of the Swanee River Boys (SG 02) born in Lineville, Alabama, 1917 (died 2011)
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 75)
Hank "Sugarfoot" Garland born in Cow Pens, South Carolina, 1930 (died 2004)
Don Stover (BG 02) died in Brandywine, Maryland (cancer), 1996 (was 68)
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 63)
Jo Stafford born in Coalinga, California, 1917 (died 2008). The pop singer was the girl singer on Red Ingle & Natural Seven's 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 67)
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)
Steve Nelson (NS 73) died (unknown cause), 1981 (was 73)
Alvin "Junior" Samples died in Cumming, Georgia (heart attack), 1983 (was 57)

November 14:

Ken Carson born in Coalgate, Oklahoma, 1914 (died 1994)
Noel Boggs (Steel Guitar 81) born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1917 (died 1974)
Robert Whitstein died in Colfax, Louisiana (heart attack), 2001 (was 57)

November 15:

William Fries (C.W. McCall) born in Audubon, Iowa, 1928 (now 85)
Jack Ingram born in Houston, Texas, 1970 (now 43)
Albert E. Brumley (NS 70, SG 97) died in Powell, Missouri (unknown cause), 1977 (was 72)
Speedy West (Steel Guitar 81) died in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (unknown cause), 2003 (was 79)