Dates of Note in Country Music, May 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; NS=Nashville Songwriter; SG=Southern Gospel; StG=Steel Guitar; GLA=Grammy Lifetime Achievement; RR=country act also inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.)

May 1:

Rita Coolidge born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1944 (now 76). 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 55)
Sam McGee born in Williamson County, Tennessee, 1894 (died 1975)
Sonny James (ne James Loden) (CM 06) born in Hackleburg, Alabama, 1929 (died 2016)
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, 2010.  The massive flood damaged 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. Over 13 inches of rain fell over a two-day period in Music City and killed nearly two dozen.

May 2:

R.C. Bannon born in Dallas, Texas, 1945 (now 75)

Sharon Vaughn (NS 19) born in Orlando, Florida, 1947 (now 73)
Larry Gatlin born in Seminole, Texas, 1948 (now 72)
Ty Herndon born in Meridian, Mississippi, 1962 (now 58)
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)
John Starling (BG 14) died in Fredericksburg, Virginia (heart failure), 2019 (was 79)
"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:

Cactus Moser of Highway 101 born in Montrose, Colorado, 1957 (now 63)
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 (CM 96) 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 71)
Robert Ellis Orrall born in Winthrop, Massachusetts, 1955 (now 65)
Randy Travis (CM 16) born in Marshville, North Carolina, 1959 (now 61)
Al Dexter (ne Clarence Albert Poindexter) (NS 71) born in Jacksonville, Texas, 1902 (died 1984)
Bobby Austin born in Wenatchee, Washington, 1933 (died 2002)
Joe L. Frank (CM 67) died in Chicago, Illinois (complications of throat infection), 1952 (was 52)
Leo Jackson died in Nashville, Tennessee (suicide [gunshot]), 2008 (was 73)

May 5:

Roni Stoneman born in Washington, DC, 1938 (now 82)
Glen Duncan of Lonesome Standard Time born in Columbus, Indiana, 1955 (now 65)
J.D. Miller born in Iota, Louisiana, 1922 (died 1996)
Ace Cannon born in Grenada, Mississippi, 1934 (died 2018)
Tammy Wynette (CM 98, NS 09) born in Itawamba County, Mississippi, 1942 (died 1998)
Wayne Carson (NS 97) born in Denver, Colorado, 1942 (died 2015)
Jerry Wallace died in Corona, California (congestive heart failure), 2008 (was 79)

May 6:

Jimmie Dale Gilmore born in Austin, Texas, 1945 (now 75)
Cliff Carlisle born in Taylorsville, Kentucky, 1904 (died 1983)
Lorrie Collins of the Collins Kids born in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, 1942 (died 2018)
Otis Blackwell (NS 86) died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 2002 (was 71)
George "Goober" Lindsey died in Nashville, Tennessee (brief illness), 2012 (was 83)
Dottie Dillard of the Anita Kerr Singers died in Springfield, Missouri (natural causes), 2015 (was 91)

May 7:
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 performer at the WNOX Midday Merry-Go-Round and the Renfro Valley Barn Dance. While in the Army he was also the platoon sergeant of Roger Miller.
Jerry Chesnut (NS 96) born in Loyall, Kentucky, 1931 (died 2018)
Lorrie Collins of the Collins Kids born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, 1942 (died 2018)
Eddie Rabbitt (NS 98) died in Nashville, Tennessee (lung cancer), 1998 (was 56)

May 8:

Jack Blanchard born in Buffalo, New York, 1942 (now 78)
Del Anthony Gray of Little Texas born in Hamilton, Ohio, 1968 (now 52)
Jimmie Tarlton of Darby & Tarlton born in Cheraw, South Carolina, 1892 (died 1979)
Homer Bailes of the Bailes Brothers born in Kanawha County, West Virginia, 1922 (died 2013)
Benny Martin (BG 05) 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 (CM 66) died in Virginia Beach, Virginia (unknown cause), 1968 (was 72)
Eddy Arnold (CM 66, GLA 05) died in Brentwood, Tennessee (complications from a fall), 2008 (was 89)
Charles "Everett" Lilly (BG 02) died in Clear Creek, West Virginia (aneurysm/heart attack), 2012 (was 87)


May 9:

Richie Furay of Poco born in Yellow Springs, Ohio, 1944 (now 76)
Bobby Lewis born in Hodgenville, Kentucky, 1946 (now 74)
Fuzzy Knight born in Fairmont, West Virginia, 1901 (died 1976). The actor appeared in several films as Tex Ritter's sidekick.
Hank Snow (CM 79, NS 78) born in Brooklyn, 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)
Johnny Gimble died in Dripping Springs, Texas (complications of a stroke), 2015 (was 88)
Jimmie Davis elected governor of Louisiana, 1944

May 10:

Carl T. Sprague born in Houston, Texas, 1895 (died 1979)
Mother Maybelle Carter (CM 70, BG 01, GLA 05) born in Nicklesville, Virginia, 1909 (died 1979)
Shel Silverstein (NS 02) died in Key West, Florida (heat attack), 1999 (was 68)

May 11:

Bobby Black (StG 04) born in Prescott, Arizona, 1934 (now 86)
Mark Herndon of Alabama (CM 05) born in Springfield, Massachusetts, 1955 (now 65)
Bob Atcher born in West Point, Kentucky, 1914 (died 1993)
Dick Overbey (StG 10) born in Detroit, Michigan, 1942 (died 2014)
Glen Sherley died in Salinas, California (suicide [gunshot]), 1978 (was 42)
Lester Flatt (CM 85, BG 91, NS 07) died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart failure), 1979 (was 64)
Dottie Rambo (SG 97, NS 07) died in Mt. Vernon, Missouri (bus crash), 2008 (was 74)

May 12:

Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn (CM 19) born in Shreveport, Louisiana, 1955 (now 65)
The Duke of Paducah, Benjamin "Whitey" Ford, (CM 86) 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:

Ray Kennedy born in Buffalo, New York, 1954 (now 65)
Johnnie Wright born in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, 1914 (died 2011)
Jack Anglin born in Columbia, Tennesee, 1916 (died 1963)
Lari White born in Dunedin, Florida, 1965 (died 2018)
Gid Tanner died in Dacula, Georgia (unknown cause), 1960 (was 74)
Bob Wills (CM 68, NS 70, GLA 07) died Fort Worth, Texas (pneumonia/complications of stroke), 1975 (was 70)

May 14:

Jimmy Martin (BG 95) died in Nashville, Tennessee (bladder cancer), 2005 (was 77)
Leon Rausch died in Fort Worth Texas (illness), 2019 (was 91)

May 15:
K.T. Oslin born in Crossett, Arkansas, 1941 (now 78)

Eddy Arnold (CM 66, GLA 05) born in Henderson, Tennessee, 1918 (died 2008)
June Carter Cash died in Nashville, Tennessee (complications from open heart surgery), 2003 (was 73)

So Long to Ol’ Roadhog

Category:  News/Obituary

Ol’ Roadhog won’t be funnin’ us anymore.  

Harold Reid, the bass singer for the Statler Brothers, died today (4/24) after a long bout with kidney failure.  

Although known as the Statler Brothers, in truth there were only two brothers in the quartet: Harold and Don Reid.  The band’s name came from Maine’s Statler Tissue Company.  

They started in gospel music, and never forgot that, but they branched out into country music in the mid-60s.  Their massive 1965 hit, “Flowers on the Wall,” brought the quartet the first of three Grammy awards.  

From there, the Statler Brothers became legends.  They were featured on Johnny Cash’s ABC television series (and sang on Cash’s song “Daddy Sang Bass” [ironically, the woman who provided the “mama sang tenor” line in that recording, Jan Howard, died last month]) and scored hit after hit. 

Harold was the primary comedian in the group.  He became the focal point of one of the funniest (and sweetest) send-ups of the small-town country radio show when the Statlers recorded Lester “Roadhog” Moran and the Cadillac Cowboys.  Harold, as Roadhog the MC, was absolutely hilarious.  It’s a rare comedy recording in that you need to hear it multiple times to catch everything in it.  The jokes are subtle, too:  “I was in the Navy with ol’ Joe-nee,” Roadhog boasted about Johnny Cash (who, most people know, was in the Air Force), and would always follow up a snarky remark with, “Ol’ Roadhog was just funnin’ ya.”

The Statler Brothers retired from performing and touring in the early 2000s.  In 2008 they were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Harold Reid was 80.

Dates of Note in Country Music, April 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[s] enshrined.  CM=Country Music; BG=Bluegrass; NS=Nashville Songwriter; SG=Southern Gospel; StG=Steel Guitar; LAG=Lifetime Achievement Grammy; RR=country act also inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

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 47)

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 (NS 99) died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 2007 (was 69)
Randy Scruggs died in Nashville, Tennessee (short illness), 2018 (was 64)

April 18:

Walt Richmond of the Tractors born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1947 (now 73)

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown born in Vinton, Louisiana, 1924 (died 2005)
Curtis Potter born in Cross Plains, Texas, 1940 (died 2016)

Your blogger born in Louisville, Kentucky, 19(?!!??!) (doesn't need a rocking chair)

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

April 19:

Jody Carver (StG 04) born in Brooklyn, New York, 1929 (now 91)
Bill Rice (NS 94) born in Datto, Arkansas, 1939 (now 81)

Gary Brewer born in Louisville, Kentucky, 1965 (now 55)

Bobby Russell (NS 94) born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1941 (died 1992)

Earl Bolick of the Blue Sky Boys died in Tucker, Georgia (unknown cause), 1998 (was 78)
Levon Helm died in New York, NY (throat cancer), 2012 (was 71)
The "National Barn Dance" debuted on WLS, Chicago, 1924

April 20:

Johnny Tillitson born in Jacksonville, Florida, 1939 (now 81)

Doyle Lawson (BG 12) born in Ford Town, Tennessee, 1944 (now 76)

Wade Hayes born in Bethel Acres, Oklahoma, 1969 (now 51)

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 (died 2011)

Ira Louvin (CM 01, NS 79) born in Section, Alabama, 1924 (died 1965)

Carl Belew born in Salina, Oklahoma, 1931 (died 1990)
Paul Davis (NS 10) born in Meridian, Mississippi, 1948 (died 2008)
Neal Matthews Jr. (CM 01) died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 2000 (was 70)

April 22:

Pat Enright of the Nashville Bluegrass Band born in Huntington, Indiana, 1945 (now 75)

Cleve Francis born in Jennings, Louisiana, 1945 (now 75)

Larry Groce born in Dallas, Texas, 1948 (now 72). 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 69)

Heath Wright of Ricochet born in Vian, Oklahoma, 1967 (now 53)
Glen Campbell (CM 05, LAG 12) born in Delight, Arkansas, 1936 (died 2017)
Ray Griff born in Vancouver, British Columbia, 1940 (died 2016)

Steve Sholes (CM 67) died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1968 (was 57)

Felice Bryant (CM 91, NS 72) died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 2003 (was 77)

Paul Davis (NS 10) 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.
Hazel Dickens (BG 17) died in Washington, DC (pneumonia), 2011 (was 85)

April 23:

Roland White of the Nashville Bluegrass Band born in Madawaska, Maine, 1938 (now 82)

Roy Orbison (NS 87, LAG 98) born in Vernon, Texas, 1936 (died 1988)
Kent Robbins (NS 98) born in Mayfield, Kentucky, 1947 (died 1997)

April 24:

Rebecca Lynn Howard born in Salyersville, Kentucky, 1979 (now 41)
Shirley Boone born in Chicago, Illinois, 1934 (died 2019). Pat Boone's wife was also the daughter of Red Foley.

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.
Bobby Garrett (StG 95) died in Tyler, Texas (cancer), 1999 (was 64)

Bonnie Owens died in Bakersfield, California (Alzheimer's disease), 2006 (was 73)
Harold Reid (CM 08) died in Staunton, Virginia (kidney failure), 2020 (was 80)

April 25:

Larry Robbins of the Johnson Mountain Boys born in Dickerson, Maryland, 1945 (now 75)

Karl Farr (CM 80) 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:

Duane Eddy born in Corning, New York, 1938 (now 82)

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

Cecil Null born in East War, West Virginia, 1927 (died 2001)
Johnny Mosby born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, 1933 (died 2018)

Tim Spencer (CM 80) died in Apple Valley, California (long illness), 1974 (was 65)

Wesley Rose (CM 86) died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 1990 (was 72)
George Jones (CM 92, LAG 12) died in Nashville, Tennessee (respiratory failure), 2013 (was 81)

April 27:

Herb Pedersen of the Dillards and Desert Rose Band born in Berkley, California, 1944 (now 76)

Sydney Nathan (BG 06; RR 97) born in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1904 (died 1968)
Maxine Brown of the Browns (CM 15) born in Campti, Louisiana, 1931 (died 2019)

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:

Willie Nelson (CM 93, NS 73, LAG 00) born in Abbott, Texas, 1933 (now 87)
Duane Allen of the Oak Ridge Boys (CM 15) born in Taylortown, Texas, 1943 (now 76)

Karen Brooks born in Dallas, Texas, 1954 (now 65)

Billy Mize born in Arkansas City, Kansas, 1929 (died 2017)

Eddie Noack born in Houston, Texas, 1930 (died 1978)
Wayne Secrest of Confederate Railroad born in Alton, Illinois, 1950 (died 2018)

Vern Gosdin died in Nashville, Tennessee (stroke), 2009 (was 74)
Kenny Roberts died in Alton, Massachusetts (natural causes), 2012 (was 85)

April 30:

Fuzzy Owen born in Conway, Arkansas, 1929 (now 91)

Darrell McCall born in New Jasper, Ohio, 1940 (now 80)

Johnny Farina (StG 02) born in Brooklyn, New York, 1941 (now 79)

Robert Earl Reynolds of the Mavericks born in Kansas City, Missouri, 1962 (now 58)

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

Curly Chalker (StG 85) 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.  On May 1 the radio station switched to an all rock and roll format, becoming the first major radio station in the Midwest to do so.

"When I Die Let My Ashes Float Down the Green River"

Category: News/Obituary


Words cannot even begin to express how saddened I am to post this. 

John Prine has died.  

Prine, a legend in rock, folk, and country circles and one of the greatest songwriters of the past half-century, died today (4/7) from complications of COVID-19.  His family reported on March 29 that Prine was in the hospital with the virus, in critical condition and intubated. 

John Prine was born in Maywood, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, on October 10, 1946.  He grew up with a love of country music instilled in him by his parents.  

After a stint in the Army, Prine got a job as a letter carrier.  He would sing as he walked his route, and later was coerced into trying out at an open mic night in a folk club.  Roger Ebert (the famed movie critic) praised his work, as did his friend, Steve Goodman, who, according to Clay Eals' biography, gave up his own shot at success to make sure Prine got signed to a record deal.

Hailed as "the next Dylan" (a kiss of death for many a songwriter), Prine's first album was a masterpiece.  It included folk, country, and rock elements....and the song "Paradise."  The song, about the now-defunct town in western Kentucky where his parents hailed from, has become a classic in bluegrass, folk, and country. 

The album also contained what may always stand as Prine's most poignant song, "Sam Stone."  The lyrics, on display at the Country Music Hall of Fame, show the song was originally titled "The Great Society Conflict Veteran's Blues," but later changed to the protagonist's name to make it more universal (given that veterans from all wars suffered the same fate).  Prine once said that not a concert went by where some veteran didn't come up to him to say "thank you" for "Sam Stone."

Prine's career combined the heartbreak songs ("Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrow)," about an actual event Prine witnessed as a young man in Chicago, where an altar boy was run over by a commuter train) and the comical ("Dear Abby") for a career that spanned six decades.  Over the years he recorded with a number of country acts, including an album of duets with bluegrass legend Mac Wiseman. 

His accolades including two Grammy awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Americana Music Association.  He was also nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

I've been on a "Paradise" road trip, stopping at the various sites mentioned in the song.  Sitting by the Rochester Dam I could hear Prine's voice, clear as ever, singing those memorable lines:

When I die let my ashes float down the Green River
Let my soul roll on up to the Rochester Dam
I'll be halfway to heaven, with Paradise waiting
Just five miles away from wherever I am.

John Prine was 73.