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.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
New Dailey and Vincent
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
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"
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.
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.
Monday, January 02, 2012
Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?
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.
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.
Sunday, January 01, 2012
Dates of Note in Country Music, January 1-15
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
(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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
Vic Willis died in Hohenwald, Tennessee (car wreck), 1995 (was 72)
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Country Music's Final Notes of 2011
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.
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.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Dates of Note in Country Music, December 16-31
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
(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
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.
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
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.
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.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Dates of Note in Country Music, December 1-15
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
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
(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
Monday, November 14, 2011
Dates of Note in Country Music, November 16-30
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)
(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)
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Singing and Serving
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.
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.
Thursday, November 03, 2011
The Battling Bickersons, 2011 Style
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.
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.
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