Dates of Note in Country Music, February 1-15

Category: News

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

February 1:

Don Everly (CM 01, NS 01) born in Brownie, Kentucky, 1937 (now 77)
Ray Sawyer of Dr. Hook born in Chicksaw, Alabama, 1937 (now 77)
Del McCoury (BG 11) born in Bakersville, North Carolina, 1939 (now 75)
Tom Gray of the Country Gentlemen (BG 96) born in Chicago, Illinois, 1941 (now 73)
Lisa Marie Presley born in Memphis, Tennessee, 1968 (now 46)
Jason Isbell born in Greenhill, Alabama, 1979 (now 35)
Scotty Wiseman (NS 71) died in Gainesville, Florida (heart attack), 1981 (was 71)

February 2:

Howard Bellamy of the Bellamy Brothers born in Darby, Florida, 1946 (now 68)
Emmett Miller born in Macon, Georgia, 1900 (died 1962)
Lester McFarland of Mac & Bob born in Gray, Kentucky, 1902 (died 1984)
Glenn Barber born in Hollis, Oklahoma, 1935 (died 2008)

Rusty Kershaw born in Tiel Ridge, Louisiana, 1938 (died 2001)
Jimmie Crawford (Steel Guitar 00) died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 2005 (was 69)
Louise Scruggs (BG 10) died in Nashville Tennessee, 2006 (was 78)

February 3:

Dave Rich born in Briar Creek, Kentucky, 1936 (now 78). Ernest Tubb heard a recording of Rich's and hounded friend Ray Price throughout a game of golf to record the song. The song? "City Lights."
Matraca Berg (NS 08) born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1964 (now 50)
Betty Foley, daughter and one-time duet partner of Red Foley, born in Chicago, Illinois, 1933 (died 1990)
Jiles Perry "J.P." Richardson died near Clear Lake, Iowa (plane crash), 1959 (was 28)
Buddy Holly (NS 94) died near Clear Lake, Iowa (plane crash), 1959 (was 22)
James Blackwood of the Blackwood Brothers Quartet (SG 97) died in Memphis, Tennessee (stroke), 2002 (was 83). He was the last original member of the legendary quartet.

February 4:

Clint Black born in Long Branch, New Jersey, 1962 (now 52)
Chris McDaniel of Confederate Railroad born in Rock Springs, Georgia, 1965 (now 49)
Vic McAlpin (NS 70) born in Defeated Creek, Tennessee, 1918 (died 1980)
Kenneth "Jethro" Burns (CM 01) died in Evanston, Illinois (prostate cancer), 1989 (was 68)
Tom Brumley (Steel Guitar 92) of Buck Owens' Buckaroos died in San Antonio, Texas (heart ailment), 2009 (was 62)

February 5:Sara Evans born in Boonville, Missouri, 1971 (now 43)
Shelby David "Tex" Atchison born in Rosine, Kentucky, 1912 (died 1982)
Claude King born in Shreveport, Louisiana, 1923 (died 2013)
Henson Cargill born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1941 (died 2007)
Eddy Noack died (cerebral hemorrhage), 1978 (was 47)

February 6:

Dale Reno of the Reno Brothers born in Roanoke, Virginia, 1961 (now 53)
Richie McDonald of Lonestar born in Lubbock, Texas, 1962 (now 52)
Anita Cochran born in Pontiac, Michigan, 1967 (now 47)
Jim Bowles (OTF) born in Rock Bridge, Kentucky, 1903 (died 1993)
Violet Koehler of the original Coon Creek Girls born in Wilton, Wisconsin, 1916 (died 1973)
Merle Kilgore (NS 98) died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 2005 (was 70)
Frankie Laine died in San Diego, California (complications from hip replacement surgery), 2007 (was 93)

February 7:

Tony Booth born in Tampa, Florida, 1943 (now 71)

Garth Brooks (CM 12, NS 11) born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1962 (now 52)
Wilma Lee Cooper born in Valley Head, West Virginia, 1921 (died 2011)
Warren Smith born in Humphreys County, Mississippi, 1933 (died 1980)
Ambrose Allen of the Allen Brothers born in Sewanee, Tennessee, 1901 (died 1959)
Dale Evans died in Happy Valley, California (congestive heart failure), 2001 (was 88)
Molly Bee died in Oceanside, California (complications of a stroke), 2009 (was 68)
Patsy Cline's last recording session, Nashville, 1963. The last song she recorded was a cover of Moon Mullican's "I'll Sail My Ship Alone."
Jim Reeves recorded "Four Walls" in Nashville, 1957. This song is said by many to be the beginning of the "Nashville Sound."

February 8:
Don Wayne Reno of the Reno Brothers born in Roanoke, Virginia, 1963 (now 51)
Pappy Daily born in Yoakum, Texas, 1902 (died 1987)
Bob Dunn (Steel Guitar 92) born in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, 1908 (died 1971). Dunn is credited as being the first country musician to use amplification for his instrument.
Dan Seals born in McCamey, Texas, 1948 (died 2009)
Merle Watson born in Deep Gap, North Carolina, 1949 (died 1985)
Lulu Belle Wiseman died (Alzheimer's disease), 1999 (was 84)
Pauline "Mom" Lewis of the Lewis Family (BG 06) died in Washington, Georgia (illness), 2003 (was 92)
Keith Knudsen of Southern Pacific died in California (chronic pneumonia), 2005 (was 56)

February 9:

Red Lane (NS 93) born in Zona, Louisiana, 1939 (now 75)
Joe Ely born in Amarillo, Texas, 1947 (now 67)
Travis Tritt born in Marietta, Georgia, 1963 (now 51)
Ernest Tubb (CM 65, NS 70) born in Crisp, Texas, 1914 (died 1984)
Charles K. Wolfe (BG 09) died in Murfreesboro, Tennessee (complications of diabetes), 2006 (was 62)

February 10:

George York of the York Brothers born in Louisa, Kentucky, 1910 (died 1974)
Arthur Satherley (CM 71) died in Fountain Valley, California (natural causes), 1986 (was 96)
Kendall Hayes died in Louisville, Kentucky (cancer), 1995 (was 59)
Jim Varney died in White House, Tennessee (lung cancer), 2000 (was 50)

February 11:

Wayma "Pee Wee" Whitewing (Steel Guitar 02) born in Reichert, Oklahoma, 1934 (now 80)
Wesley Rose (CM 86) born in Chicago, Illinois, 1918 (died 1980)

February 12:

Moe Bandy born in Meridian, Mississippi, 1944 (now 70)
Stephen Sholes (CM 67) born in Washington, DC, 1911 (died 1968)
Harley "Red" Allen (BG 05) born in Pigeon Roost, Kentucky, 1930 (died 1993)
Lorne Greene born in Ottawa, Ontario, 1915 (died 1987). The legendary actor hit the Billboard top 40 country charts in 1964 with "Ringo."
Barney Isaacs Jr. (Steel Guitar 99) died (unknownd cause), 1996 (was 69)
Sammi Smith died in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (emphysema), 2005 (was 61)

February 13:

David McLaughlin of the Johnson Mountain Boys born in Washington, DC, 1958 (now 55)
Tennessee Ernie Ford (CM 90) born in Bristol, Tennessee, 1919 (died 1991)
Boudleaux Bryant born in Shellman, Georgia, 1920 (died 1987)
Jim McReynolds of Jim & Jesse (BG 93) born in Coeburn, Virginia, 1927 (died 2003)
Charlie Moore born in Piedmont, South Carolina, 1935 (died 1979)
Buddy Lee died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 1998 (was 65)
Waylon Jennings (CM 01, NS 95) died in Chandler, Arizona (complications of diabetes), 2002 (was 64)

February 14:

Tom Bradshaw (Steel Guitar 06) born in Skiatook, Oklahoma, 1935 (now 79)
Razzy Bailey born in Five Points, Alabama, 1939 (now 75)
Bill Nowlin, co-founder of Rounder Records, born in Boston, Massachusetts, 1945 (now 69)
Harry Stone born in Jacksonville, Florida, 1898 (died 1968)
Lonnie Glosson born in Judsonia, Arkansas, 1908 (died 2001)
Buck Griffin died in Oklahoma (heart failure), 2009 (was 85)

February 15:

Wally Fowler born in Adairsville, Georgia, 1917 (died 1994)
Hank Locklin born in McLellan, Florida, 1918 (died 2009)
Louise Scruggs (BG 10) born in Lebanon, Tennessee, 1927 (died 2006)
Dorris Macon died (suicide), 1981 (was 71)
Nat "King" Cole died in Santa Montica, California (lung cancer), 1965 (was 45). The legendary pop crooner hit #1 on the Billboard country charts in 1944 (with the King Cole Trio) with the song "Straighten Up and Fly Right."

Dates of Note in Country Music, January 16-31

Category: News

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

January 16:

Ronnie Milsap born in Robbinsville, North Carolina, 1943 (now 71)
Jim Stafford born in Eloise, Florida, 1944 (now 70)
Sandy Pinkard of Pinkard & Bowden born in Abbeville, Louisiana, 1947 (now 67)
Roy Lanham born in Corbin, Kentucky, 1923 (died 1991)
Ruby Falls born in Jackson, Tennessee, 1946 (died 1986)
Dizzy Dean born in Lucas, Arkansas, 1910 (died 1974). The legendary baseball player is credited with dubbing Roy Acuff "King of Country Music."
Carl Smith (CM 03) died in Nashville, Tennessee (stroke), 2010 (was 82)
Bill Monroe seriously injured in a car wreck, 1953. Monroe was away from performing for six months while recovering.
Jimmy Buffett's private plane was shot at by Jamaican authorities, 1996.  The Jamaican police mistook Buffett's plane for one belonging to a drug kingpin.  No one on board Buffett's plane was injured.

January 17:

Steve Earle born in Fort Monroe, Virginia, 1955 (now 59)
Amanda Wilkinson of the Wilkinsons born in Belleville, Ontario, 1982 (now 32)
Walter Bailes of the Bailes Brothers born in Kanawha County, West Virginia, 1920 (died 2000)
Grady Martin born in Marshall County, Tennessee, 1929 (died 2001)
Cliffie Stone (CM 89) died in his home in Saugus, California (heart attack), 1998 (was 80)
Frank "Hylo" Brown died in Mechanicsburg, Ohio (natural causes), 2003 (was 81)
The street in front of Graceland renamed "Elvis Presley Boulevard," 1972

January 18:

Bobby Edwards born in Aniston, Alabama, 1926 (now 88)
Hargus "Pig" Robbins (CM 12) born in Spring City, Tennessee, 1938 (now 76)
Mark Collie born in Waynesboro, Tennessee, 1956 (now 58)
Linda Parker of the Cumberland Ridge Runners born in Covington, Kentucky, 1912 (died 1935)
Eddie Hill died (long-term illness), 1994 (was 74)

January 19:

Stu Phillips born in Montreal, Quebec, 1933 (now 81)
Dolly Parton (CM 99, NS 86) born in Locast Ridge, Tennessee, 1946 (now 68)
Stephanie Davis born in Bridger, Montana, 1958 (now 56)
Dennie Crouch of the Nashville Bluegrass Band born in Strawberry, Arkansas, 1967 (now 47)
Leo Soileau born in Ville Platte, Louisiana, 1904 (died 1980)
Ken Nelson (CM 01) born in Caledonia, Minnesota, 1911 (died 2008)
Oscar Sullivan born in Edmonton, Kentucky, 1919 (died 2012)
Charlie Waller of the Country Gentlemen (BG 96) born in Joinerville, TX, 1935 (died 2004)
Phil Everly (CM 01, NS 01) born in Chicago, Illinois, 1939 (died 2014)
Ralph Peer (CM 84) died in Los Angeles, California (pneumonia), 1960 (was 67)
Vic McAlpin (NS 70) died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 1980 (was 61)
Carl Perkins (NS 85) died in Jackson, Tennessee (complications of stroke/throat cancer), 1998 (was 65)
James O'Gwynn died in Hattiesburg, Mississippi (long-term illness), 2011 (was 82)
George Jones' first recording session (for Starday), 1954

January 20:

John Michael Montgomery born in Danville, Kentucky, 1965 (now 49)
Huddie "Leadbelly" Leadbetter (NS 80) born in Mooringsport, Louisiana, 1889 (died 1949).  The year of Leadbelly's birth is open for debate, as is the actual day, with numerous sources citing January 20, January 21, or January 23, and years of 1888 or 1889.
George Burns born in New York, New York, 1896 (died 1996). The legendary comedian and actor had a top 20 country song in 1980 with "I Wish I Was Eighteen Again."
Slim Whitman born in Tampa, Florida, 1924 (died 2013)
Larry Butler died in Pensacola, Florida (natural causes), 2012 (was 69)

January 21:

Mac Davis (NS 00) born in Lubbock, Texas, 1942 (now 72)
Jim Ibbottson of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1947 (now 67)
Cedric Rainwater (BG 07) died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1970 (was 56)
Jim Anglin died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 1987 (was 73)
Colonel Tom Parker died in Las Vegas, Nevada (stroke), 1997 (was 87). In addition to Elvis, Parker managed Eddy Arnold, Hank Snow, and Minnie Pearl early in their careers.
Patsy Cline appeared on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts and won the talent show,1957

January 22:

J.P. Pennington of Exile born in Berea, Kentucky, 1949 (now 65)
Teddy Gentry (CM 05) born in Fort Payne, Alabama, 1952 (now 62)
Dickie McBride of Cliff Bruner's Texas Wanderers born in New Baden, Texas, 1914 (died 1971)
Jimmy Day died in Buda, Texas (cancer), 1999 (was 65)
Janette Carter, the last surviving member of the Carter Family, died in Kingsport, Tennessee (Parkinson's disease/illness), 2006 (was 82)

January 23:

Etta May born in Bald Knob, Arkansas, 1962 (now 52)
Johnny Russell (NS 01) born in Sunflower County, Mississippi, 1940 (died 2001)
T. Texas Tyler died in Springfield, Missouri (stomach cancer), 1972 (was 55)
Rev. Thomas A. Dorsey (NS 79) died in Chicago, Illinois (Alzheimer's disease), 1993 (was 93)
Art Stamper died in Louisville, Kentucky (throat cancer), 2005 (was 71)
Johnny Carson died in Hollywood, California (emphysema), 2005 (was 79). Carson had a number of country artists on The Tonight Show, including over two dozen appearances by Homer and Jethro, who Carson considered among his favorite guests.
The Winter Dance Party begins in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1959. Three of the headliners, Buddy Holly, J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, and Richie Valens, would die 11 days later.

January 24:

Doug Kershaw born in Tiel Ridge, Louisiana, 1936 (now 78)
Jack Scott born in Windsor, Ontario, 1936 (now 78)
Ray Stevens (NS 80) born in Clarksdale, Georgia, 1939 (now 75)
Becky Hobbs born in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, 1950 (now 64)
Keech Rainwater of Lonestar born in Plano, Texas, 1963 (now 51)
Warren Zevon born in Chicago, Illinois, 1947 (died 2001).  The folk-rock singer wrote "Poor Poor Pitiful Me," which was a hit on the country charts by both Linda Ronstadt and Terri Clark.  Zevon also had Dwight Yoakam on two albums and appeared in South of Heaven, West of Hell, which Yoakam directed and starred in.
Shot Jackson died in Nashville, Tennessee (complications of stroke), 1991 (was 70)
Justin Tubb died in Nashville, Tennessee (aortic aneurysm), 1998 (was 62)

January 25:

Claude Gray born in Henderson, Texas, 1932 (now 82)
Farrell "Rusty" Draper born in Kirksville, Missouri, 1923 (died 2003)
Speedy West (Steel Guitar 80) born in Springfield, Missouri, 1924 (died 2003)
Cactus Jack Call died in Kansas City, Missouri (car wreck), 1963 (was 39).  A benefit concert for the disc jockey five weeks later would be the final performances by Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins, and Cowboy Copas.
Buddy Charleton died in Austin, Texas (lung cancer), 2011 (was 72)

January 26:

Dave Rowland of Dave & Sugar born in Sanger, California, 1942 (now 72)
Lucinda Williams born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, 1953 (now 61)
James O'Gwynn born in Winchester, Mississippi, 1928 (died 2011)
Clayton McMichen born in Allatoona, Georgia, 1900 (died 1970)
Goebel Reeves died in Long Beach, California (heart attack), 1959 (was 59)
Charlie Louvin (CM 01, NS 79) died in Wartrace, Tennessee (pancreatic cancer), 2011 (was 83)
Hillary Clinton disparagingly invoked Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man" during an interview, 1992

January 27:

Buddy Emmons born in Mishawaka, Indiana, 1937 (now 77)
Lee Carroll of Exile born in Glasgow, Kentucky, 1953 (now 61)
Cheryl White of the Whites born in Wichita Falls, Texas, 1955 (now 59)
Richard Young of the Kentucky Headhunters born in Glasgow, Kentucky, 1955 (now 59)
Tracy Lawrence born in Atlanta, Texas, 1968 (now 46)
Joe Callahan of the Callahan Brothers born in Madison County, North Carolina, 1910 (died 1971)
Claude Akins died in Altadena, California (cancer), 1994 (was 67). Among the actor's roles was Sonny on the TV series Movin' On, which featured the title song performed by Merle Haggard.

January 28:

Greg Cook of Ricochet born in Vian, Oklahoma, 1965 (now 49)
Bill Phillips born in Canton, North Carolina, 1936 (died 2010)
Skeeter Willis died in Nashville, Tennessee (lymph cancer), 1976 (was 58)
Al Dexter (NS 71) died in Denton, Texas (heart attack), 1984 (was 78)
Jim Bowles (OTF) died in Kentucky (pneumonia), 1993 (was 89)
Jimmy Fortune joins the Statler Brothers, 1982

January 29:

Patsy Sledd born in Falcon, Missouri, 1944 (now 70)
Irlene Mandrell of the Mandrell Sisters born in Corpus Christi, Texas, 1957 (now 57)
Lloyd Perryman of the Sons of the Pioneers born in Ruth, Arkansas, 1917 (died 1977)
Little Jimmy Sizemore born in Paintsville, Kentucky, 1928 (died 1985)

January 30:

Jeanne Pruett born in Pell City, Alabama, 1937 (now 77)
Norma Jean ("Pretty Miss Norma Jean") born in Wellston, Oklahoma, 1938 (now 76)
Harold Morrison born in High Lonesome, Missouri, 1931 (died 1993)
Melvin Endsley born in Drasco, Arkansas, 1934 (died 2004)
Ott Devine died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 1994 (was 83)

January 31:

Lynwood Lunsford of Lost & Found born in Roxboro, North Carolina, 1962 (now 52)
Warren Smith died in Longview, Texas (heart attack), 1981 (was 47)
Doc Williams died in Wheeling, West Virginia (natural causes), 2011 (was 96)

I'm Dreaming My Life Away

Category:  News/Obituary

The Los Angeles Times has broken the news that Phil Everly has died.

The junior Everly Brother died today (1/3) of COPD at a hospital in Burbank, California.  His wife Patti told the Times that Everly was a lifelong smoker.

There were few acts in this world that could match the harmonies of Phil and Don Everly.  Their father, Ike, was a legend in western Kentucky for his guitar playing, and he raised his sons with a love of music and the harmonies of the likes of the Blue Sky Boys and the Louvin Brothers.  

When rock and roll hit the Everlys managed to walk the fine line that allowed them to appeal to the country music fans and to the younger people who loved Elvis.  Their harmonies had a profound impact on a couple of guys from Liverpool who were just beginning to make music together: John Lennon and Paul McCartney.  (McCartney, in fact, wrote the Everlys' 1984 comeback hit "On the Wings of a Nightingale.")  The list of hits was long:  "Bye Bye Love," "All I Have to Do Is Dream," "Cathy's Clown," "I Wonder If I Care As Much," "Bird Dog," "Problems," "('Til) I Kissed You," "Walk Right Back" and "When Will I Be Loved" were some of the songs that topped the charts in the span between 1957 and 1961.

In 1962 both Phil and Don joined the Marine Corps Reserves.  Their music career waned after their service, and they never had another top ten hit after "That's Old Fashioned (That's the Way Love Should Be)."

As brother acts will do (see:  Ira & Charlie, Teddy & Doyle, Bill & Earl), the Everlys broke up in the early 1970's and pursued solo careers, neither of which managed to crack the Billboard single charts despite some good music.  Both worked separately with Warren Zevon, who had been the piano player on the final Everlys tour in the early 70's.  When Zevon recorded his first album in 1976 the first song on the record was "Frank and Jesse James," which he dedicated to Phil and Don.

Having grown up in the impoverished mining region of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky the duo reunited several times in the 80's and 90's for the "Everly Brothers Homecoming" to raise money for scholarships so students wouldn't have to face a life in the mines, and to help their hometown of Central City enjoy a few luxuries (such as a music venue) that larger cities had.

Only a handful of acts have been inducted into both the Rock and Roll and the Country Music Halls of Fame.  The Everlys were part of the inaugural class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, and in 2001 they joined eleven other acts for the largest induction class in Country Music Hall of Fame history.

Phil Everly was 74.

Dates of Note in Country Music, January 1-15

Category: News

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

January 1:

Frank Kettering of the Hoosier Hot Shots born in Monmouth, Illinois, 1909 (died 1973)
Hank Williams (CM 61, NS 70) died in the back seat of a car between Knoxville, Tennessee and Oak Hill, West Virginia (cardiac arrest), 1953 (was 29)
Aubrey "Moon" Mullican (NS 76) 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)
Patti Page (Clara Fowler) died in Encinitas, California (long illness), 2013 (was 85)
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 (CM 06) born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1926 (now 88)
Dick Feller born in Bronaugh, Missouri, 1943 (now 71)
Roger Miller (CM 95, NS 73) born in Fort Worth, Texas, 1936 (died 1992)
Red Smiley (BG 92) died in Richmond, Virginia (complications from diabetes), 1972 (was 47)
Tex Ritter (CM 64, NS 71) died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1974 (was 68)
Wayne Walker (NS 75) died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 1979 (was 53)

January 3:

Nikki Nelson of Highway 101 born in San Diego, California, 1969 (now 45)
Leon McAuliffe born in Houston, Texas, 1917 (died 1988)
Elwood Goins (BG 09) born in Bramwell, WV, 1936 (died 2007)
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:

Mike Henderson born in Independence, Missouri, 1955 (now 59)
Kathy Forester of the Forester Sisters born in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, 1955 (now 59)
Patty Loveless born in Pikeville, Kentucky, 1957 (now 57)
Deana Carter born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1966 (now 48)
Lorene Mann born in Huntland, Tennessee, 1937 (died 2013)
Clayton McMichen died in Battletown, Kentucky (unknown causes), 1970 (was 69)
Jake Hess (SG 97) 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 64)
Iris DeMent born in Paragould, Arkansas, 1961 (now 53)
Big Bill Lister born in Kenedy, Texas, 1923 (died 2009)

Sam Phillips (Sun Records owner) (CM 01) 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:

Joey Miskulin ("Joey the Cow Polka King") of Riders in the Sky born in Chicago, Illinois, 1949 (now 65)
Jett Williams born in Montgomery, Alabama, 1953 (now 61)
Harry "Hap" Peebles born in Anthony, Kansas, 1913 (died 1993)
Earl Scruggs (CM 85, BG 91, NS 07) born in Flint Hill, North Carolina, 1924 (died 2012)
Autry Inman born in Florence, Alabama, 1929 (died 1988)

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

Chubby Wise (BG 98) 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 (CM 01) died in Somis, California (natural causes), 2008 (was 96)

January 7:

Leona Williams born in Vienna, Missouri, 1943 (now 71)
Marshall Chapman born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, 1949 (now 65)
David Lee Murphy born in Herrin, Illinois, 1959 (now 55)
John Rich born in Amarillo, Texas, 1974 (now 40)
Bunny Biggs (Jamup of Jamup and Honey) born, 1897 (died 1948)
Jack Greene born in Maryville, Tennessee, 1930 (died 2013)
Owen Bradley (CM 74) died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart ailment/complications of flu), 1998 (was 82)

January 8:

Christy Lane born in Peoria, Illinois, 1940 (now 74)
Holly Tashian born in New York, New York, 1946 (now 68)

Hoke Rice of the Rice Brothers born in Gainesville, Georgia, 1909 (died 1974)
Luther Perkins born in Memphis, Tennessee, 1928 (died 1968)
Elvis Presley (CM 98) born in Tupelo, Mississippi, 1935 (died 1977)
Randall Hylton born in Willis, Virginia, 1946 (died 2001)
Sara Carter (CM 70, BG 01) died in Lodi, California (lengthy illness), 1979 (was 79)
Maxwell Emmett "Pat" Buttram, 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:

Henry Slaughter (SG 06) born in Roxboro, North Carolina, 1926 (now 87)
Roy Head born in Three Rivers, Texas, 1943 (now 71)
Crystal Gayle born in Paintsville, Kentucky, 1951 (now 63)
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 (BG 09) 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 68)
Robert Earl Keen born in Houston, Texas, 1956 (now 58)
Tommy Duncan born in Hillsboro, Texas, 1911 (died 1967)
Goldie Hill Smith born in Kanes County, Texas, 1933 (died 2005)
Max D. Barnes (NS 92) 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:

William Lee Golden of the Oak Ridge Boys born in Brewton, Alabama, 1939 (now 75)
Ricky Van Shelton born in Danville, Virginia, 1952 (now 62)
LaWanda Lindsey born in Tampa, Florida, 1953 (now 61)
Claudia Church Crowell born in Lenoir, North Carolina, 1962 (now 52)
Tex Ritter (CM 64, NS 71) born in Panola County, Texas, 1905 (died 1974)
Jack Rhodes (NS 72) born in Gedden, Texas, 1907 (died 1968)
Ray Price (CM 96) born in Perryville, Texas, 1926 (died 2013)
Paul Warren died in Nashville, Tennessee (illness), 1978 (was 59)
Charlie Collins died in Nashville, Tennessee (stroke), 2012 (was 78)
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 52)
Ezra Cline (BG 09) born in Gilbert Creek, VA, 1907 (died 1984)
Jenny Lou Carson (NS 71) born in Decatur, Illinois, 1915 (died 1978)
Stephen Foster (NS 10) died in New York New York (complications of fever and blood loss from cut), 1864 (was 37)
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 66).  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:

Peter Kuykendall (BG 96), co-founder of Bluegrass Unlimited magazine, born in Wasington, DC, 1938 (now 76)
David Lynn Jones born in Bexar, Arkansas, 1950 (now 64)
Kurt Howell of Southern Pacific born in Winter Haven, Florida, 1958 (now 56)
Billy Walker born in Ralls, Texas, 1929 (died 2006)

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

Country Music's Final Bows of 2013

Category:  Tribute

Here are the performers who sang their final notes in 2013:

Charlie Acuff (November 22, natural causes, age 94):  east Tennessee fiddler and radio star who, unlike his famous second cousin Roy Acuff, stayed in his home region and entertained for decades.

Keith Adkinson (June 18, unknown cause, age 69):  Nashville music attorney who successfully proved that Jett Williams was indeed the daughter of Hank Williams.  He was also Jett's husband.

Leon Ashley (October 20, illness, age 77):  a history-making singer:  he wrote, published and released a song on his own, and it went to #1.  The song was the classic "Laura (What's He Got I Ain't Got)."

Homer Bailes (December 3, natural causes, age 91):  the final surviving member of the legendary Bailes Brothers band, inductees in the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame and the first act from West Virginia to become members of the Grand Ole Opry.

Bob Beckham (November 11, unknown cause, age 86):  singer with the 1959 hit "Just As Much As Ever" who later became a publisher and mentor of acts such as Kris Kristofferson and Ray Stevens.

Don Bowman (June 5, complications from a stroke, age 75):  the comedian behind "Wildwood Weed" (the 1974 Jim Stafford hit) and "Chit Akins, Make Me a Star" also wrote serious songs with Waylon Jennings ("Just to Satisfy You") and served as the original host of radio's American Country Countdown.

Charles Carr (July 1, brief illness, age 79):  the man who, as an 18-year-old college freshman, drove Hank Williams from Montgomery to Knoxville, then into history when the legendary singer died during the night in the back seat of the car.

Cowboy Jack Clement (August 8, liver cancer, age 82):  one of the 2013 Country Hall of Fame inductees, Cowboy Jack's career spanned seven decades as a singer, songwriter, producer, publisher, studio owner....and just being Cowboy Jack.

Tony Douglas (January 22, lymphoma, age 82):  singer best known for his 1963 hit "His and Hers."

Chet Flippo (June 19, long illness, age 69):  a journalist's journalist, Flippo penned the first extensive biography of Hank Williams (Your Cheatin' Heart in 1981) and served for years as the country music writer for Billboard and CMT.

Jim Foglesong (July 9, natural causes, age 90):  Hall of Fame music executive who helped launch the careers of the likes of Don Williams, George Strait and Garth Brooks.

Tompall Glaser (August 13, long illness, age 75):  a performer who enjoyed a long career with his brothers (as Tompall & the Glaser Brothers) and was one-fourth of the quartet (with Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter) on the landmark Wanted!  The Outlaws, country's first platinum album, in 1976.

Chuck Goff (February 27, car wreck, age 54):  bassist and bandleader for singer Toby Keith.

Jack Greene (March 14, Alzheimer's disease, age 83):  from the "singing drummer" of Ernest Tubb's Texas Troubadours he rose to fame with the massive hits "Statue of a Fool" and "There Goes My Everything," the latter of which became the CMA's first "song of the year" award winner.

Sidney "Hardrock" Gunter (March 15, pneumonia, age 88):  Alabama-based pre-rockabilly singer who wrote the Red Foley smash hit "Birmingham Bounce."

Sherman Halsey (October 29, unknown cause, age 56):  son of Nashville managing legend Jim Halsey and video producer/director for several country artists including Dwight Yoakam, Brooks & Dunn and the Oak Ridge Boys.

Sammy Johns (January 4, unknown cause, age 66):  singer/songwriter who wrote songs such as Conway Twitty's "Desperado Love" and John Conlee's "Common Man," he also had a massive pop (and minor country) hit with "Chevy Van."

George Jones (April 26, hypoxic respiratory failure, age 81):  in the dictionary, next to the term "country music," it says, "See George Jones."

Claude King (March 7,  natural causes, age 90):  an original member of the Louisiana Hayride who shot to international success with his 1962 smash "Wolverton Mountain."

Nelson Larkin (November 18, unknown causes, age 70):  producer of Earl Thomas Conley's string of hits as well as a songwriter and publisher.

Johnny MacRae (July 3, heart disease, age 84):  songwriter who penned such hits as "Whiskey, If You Were a Woman" and "I'd Be Better Off in a Pine Box."

Lorene Mann (May 24, stroke, age 76):  a founding member of the Nashville Songwriters Association, the singer/songwriter wrote "Don't Go Near the Indians" (one of Rex Allen's biggest hits) and "Left to Right" (a hit for Kitty Wells), as well as recorded duets with Justin Tubb and Archie Campbell.

Mindy McCready (February 17, suicide [gunshot], age 37):  troubled modern country singer who took her own life a month after her boyfriend David Wilson killed himself.

Wayne Mills (November 25, shot to death, age 44):  a honky tonk singer who had performed dates with Jamey Johnson, he was nearing completion of a new album when he was shot by a Nashville bar owner during an argument.

Patti Page (January 1, long illness, age 85):  although primarily a pop vocalist, Pee Wee King & Redd Stewart's song "Tennessee Waltz" became her biggest hit and her signature tune -- along with one of the state songs of Tennessee.

Frank Page (January 10, pneumonia, age 87):  a DJ Hall of Fame member who spent decades on Shreveport's KWKH station, including working as an announcer on the Louisiana Hayride.

Jody Payne (August 10, heart disease, age 77):  guitarist for Willie Nelson's band.

Ray Price (December 16, pancreatic cancer, age 87):  a country singer's country singer, his career spanned eight decades and spawned countless hits including the Grammy-winning "For the Good Times."

Marvin Rainwater (September 17, heart failure, age 88):  singer with a string of hits in the 1950's, most famously, "Gonna Find Me a Bluebird."

Ramblin' Tommy Scott (September 30, injuries from an August 10 car wreck, age 96):  performer who worked with Charlie Monroe's Kentucky Partners, appeared frequently on the Grand Ole Opry in the 1940's and early 50's, and toured under the billing of "the Last Real Medicine Show."

Jim Shumate (September 30, natural causes, age 91):  Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys fiddler from 1943 until 1945.  He recommended Earl Scruggs to Monroe and later played on early Flatt & Scruggs sessions.

Johnny Sibert (December 21, long illness, age 80):  Steel Guitar Hall of Fame member who put the signature sound behind Carl Smith.

Cal Smith (October 10, unknown cause, age 81):  one of two former Texas Troubadours to die this year (with Jack Greene), Smith, like Greene, left Tubb and embarked on a CMA Award-winning career, highlighted by "Country Bumpkin," "The Lord Knows I'm Drinking," and "It's Time to Pay the Fiddler."

Gordon Stoker (March 27, long illness, age 88):  the tenor singer in the Hall of Fame vocal group the Jordanaires.

Rex Trailer (January 9, pneumonia, age 84):  a country music performer in the 50s who worked with Bill Haley, he later became well-known for his regional TV series Rex Trailer's Boomtown.

Tom Tall (ne Tommie Lee Guthrie) (June 14, unknown cause, age 75):  country and rockabilly singer best known for singing "Are You Mine" with Ginny Wright in the 1950's.

Slim Whitman (June 19, heart failure, age 90):  the southpaw guitar-playing yodeler who saved the world in Mars Attacks!, Whitman amassed nearly a dozen top ten hits and three gold singles in a career that spanned eight decades.

John Wilkinson (January 11, cancer, age 67):  guitarist for Elvis Presley's touring TCB band.

Farewell, and thank you for the music.

Let's Just Be Glad We Had Some Time to Spend Together

Category:  News/Obituary

One day after news erroneously circulated about the death of the legendary "Cherokee Cowboy" the sad inevitable occurred. 

Ray Price died today (12/16) at 4:43 p.m. central time at his ranch in eastern Texas, less than a week after being released into hospice care due to advanced pancreatic cancer.  According to reports from family and close friends the legendary singer lapsed into a coma on Saturday evening.

Noble Ray Price was born January 12, 1926.  As his nickname implies, he was indeed part Cherokee Indian.  Following his service as a Marine in World War II Price began working Texas honky tonks and made his first recordings in 1949.  He became friends with Hank Williams, and Williams' Drifting Cowboys became Price's band following Williams' death.

The hits came early and often.  "Talk to Your Heart," his first hit, reached #3 on the Billboard country charts in 1952.  His first #1 song was the classic "Crazy Arms," which stayed at #1 for five months in 1956.  Price was one of the major superstars of country music in the 1950's and 1960's.  He resisted the urge to follow the "Nashville sound" at first; however, as the 60's progressed he added more and more orchestration to songs such as "Danny Boy" and "Burning Memories."  In 1970 his version of the Kris Kristofferson song, "For the Good Times," earned Price a "best country male vocal" Grammy award.  In total, Price had 109 charted hits, eight of them going to #1 and two of those logging over two months at the top spot ("Crazy Arms" and "City Lights," the song that gave 20-year-old University of Georgia journalism major Bill Anderson his big break in country music).

Price was also a man who helped a number of legends get started.  In addition to being the first national star to record a Bill Anderson song, the flip, "Invitation to the Blues," was written by another up-and-coming struggling singer/songwriter by the name of Roger Miller.  Miller was part of Price's band, as were Willie Nelson and Johnny Paycheck at times.  Among the little-known songwriters at the time that Price brought attention to, in addition to Anderson and Miller, were Nelson (with his astonishing rendition of "Night Life"), Harlan Howard ("Heartaches By the Numbers"), and Mel Tillis ("Heart Over Mind").  Additionally, Price was a good songwriter himself, having written his hit "Soft Rain" after the death of his grandfather, and co-writing another hit, "I've Just Destroyed the World I'm Living In" with Nelson.

Through it all Ray Price remained a humble gentleman.  When he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996 he began his acceptance speech by joking, "It's about time!  I was beginning to feel like Susan Lucci."  The laughter quickly turned to gratitude as he thanked his wife Janie, producers, and those who he said made his career.  In the end, however, Ray Price's Hall of Fame career was made possible thanks to that exceptional voice with the unmistakable tremolo.

Now that voice is gone and Ray Price belongs to the ages.  As his massive crossover hit said, "Let's just be glad we had some time to spend together."  

He was one of a kind.  One of the best.  And there's time enough for sadness now that he's left us.

Ray Price was 87.

Dates of Note in Country Music, December 16-31

Category: News

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

December 16:

Jim Glaser of the Glaser Brothers born in Spalding, Nebraska, 1937 (now 76)
Jeff Carson born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1964 (now 49)
Shelby Singleton born in Waskom, Texas, 1931 (died 2009)
Jenny Lou Carson (NS 71) 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 83)
Sharon White Skaggs born in Wichita Falls, Texas, 1953 (now 60) 
Tracy Byrd born in Vidor, Texas, 1966 (now 47)
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 49)
Wilf Carter (Montana Slim) (NS 71) born in Port Hilford, Nova Scotia, 1904 (died 1996)
The first Louvin Brothers recording session (they recorded "Alabama") at Castle Studios, Nashville, 1947

December 19:

Little Jimmy Dickens (CM 83) born in Bolt, West Virginia, 1920 (now 93)
John McEuen of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Bang born in Long Beach, California, 1945 (now 68)
Janie Fricke born in South Whitney, Indiana, 1947 (now 66)
Jumpin' Bill Carlisle (CM 02) 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 (CM 89) died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 1980 (was 68)
Don Law (CM 01) died in LaMarque, Texas (unknown cause), 1982 (was 80)
Hank Snow (CM 79, NS 78) died in Nashville, Tennessee (various illnesses), 1999 (was 85)

December 21:

Freddie Hart (NS 04) born in Lockapoke, Alabama, 1926 (now 87)
Lee Roy Parnell born in Abilene, Texas, 1956 (now 57)
Christy Forrester of the Forester Sisters born in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, 1962 (now 51)
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 76)
Chuck Mead of BR5-49 born in Nevada, Missouri, 1960 (now 53)
Paul Martin of Exile born in Winchester, Kentucky, 1962 (now 51)
Harold "Hawkshaw" Hawkins born in Huntington, West Virginia, 1921 (died 1963)
Dave Dudley died in Danbury, Wisconsin (heart attack), 2003 (was 75)
Dennis Linde (NS 01) died in Nashville, Tennessee (lung disease), 2006 (was 63)

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)
William J. "Billy" Hill (NS 82) died in Boston, Massachusetts (heart attack), 1940 (was 41)
Charlie Moore died in Maryland (illness), 1979 (was 44)

December 25:

J.R. "Curly" Seckler (BG 04) born in China Grove, North Carolina, 1919 (now 94)
Jimmy Buffett (NS 06) born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, 1946 (now 67)
Barbara Mandrell (CM 09, Steel Guitar 09) born in Houston, Texas, 1948 (now 65)
Steve Wariner born in Noblesville, Indiana, 1954 (now 59)
Alton Delmore (CM 01, NS 71) 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 75)
Bob Carpenter of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1946 (now 67)
Travis Lewis of the Lewis Family (BG 06) born in Greenwood, South Carolina, 1958 (now 55)
Audrey Wiggins born in Asheville, North Carolina, 1967 (now 46)
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 [gunshot]), 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 82)
Les Taylor of Exile born in Oneida, Kentucky, 1948 (now 65)
Darrin Vincent of Dailey & Vincent born in Kirkville, Missouri, 1969 (now 44)
Bob Luman died in Nashville, Tennessee (pneumonia), 1978 (was 41)
Hoagy Carmichael (NS 88) died in Rancho Mirage, California (heart ailment), 1981 (was 82)
Kent Robbins (NS 98) died in Clanton, Alabama (car wreck), 1997 (was 50)
Vestal Goodman (SG 02) 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 55)
Mike McGuire of Shenandoah born in Haleyville, Alabama, 1958 (now 55)
Marty Roe of Diamond Rio born in Lebanon, Ohio, 1960 (now 53)
Dorsey Burnette born in Memphis, Tennessee, 1932 (died 1979)
Mike Auldridge died in Silver Spring, Maryland (cancer), 2012 (was 73)
Hank Williams Jr.'s first recording session at age 14, 1963

December 29:

Rose Lee Maphis born in Baltimore, Maryland, 1922 (now 91)
Ed Bruce born in Keiser, Arkansas, 1940 (now 73)

December 30:

Melvin Goins (BG 09) born in Bramwell, West Virginia, 1933 (now 80)
Mike Auldridge born in Washington, DC, 1938 (died 2012)
Suzy Bogguss born in Aledo, Illinois, 1956 (now 57)
Joaquin Murphey (Steel Guitar 80) born in Hollywood, California, 1923 (died 1999)
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 (BG 10) born in New York, New York, 1937 (died 2001)
Elsie McWilliams (NS 79) died in Meridian, Mississippi (natural causes), 1985 (was 89)

December 31:

Talmade Lewis of the Lewis Family (BG 06) born in Lincolnton, Georgia, 1934 (now 79)
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 (CM 03) died in Nashville, Tennessee (lung cancer), 1997 (was 64)
Jim McReynolds of Jim & Jesse (BG 93) died in Gallatin, Tennessee (cancer), 2002 (was 75)
Charlie Louvin injured in car accident near Manchester, Tennessee, 2001
The original Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum building closed, 2000

Ray Price Update

Category:  News

Earlier today (12/15) it was reported by numerous reputable media outlets that Ray Price had reached the end of his struggle with pancreatic cancer.  Tributes quickly appeared.  I even posted the obituary I had prepared here.

Ray's wife, Janie, took to the "Willie's Roadhouse" Sirius/XM station to refute the reports.  Price is "fading fast," she told legendary DJ Bill Mack, but he is still alive.  She further stated on her Facebook page that friends such as Willie Nelson, Larry Gatlin and Johnny Bush had called Price's home and sent their love to him as she held the phone to his ear.

Here is the most recent update this evening from Mack, who has been named by the Price family as the official "go-to" source once the inevitable happens:

Just another input at 8:00 PM, Central: Ray is still alive, thank God. Many of you have apologized for forwarding news of his "passing". Don't feel foolish or idiotic! Many announcements were made of Ray's death by various important avenues in the media because they had received the false information. It is very normal to "forward or "post" such news. It was just another bit of evidence that you love Ray and his music! Janie and the family are grateful for your precious love and concern. I'll continue to post you on any "changes". Thank you for being there. You'll never realize your value.

If one good thing has come from this incorrect announcement, it is the fact that the premature postings of tributes and the outpouring of sympathy have let Janie Price know exactly how loved, respected and admired Ray Price is, and how much his music means to people.  Hopefully she has relayed those sentiments to him.

Ray Price Goes Home With Hospice Care

Category:  News

One day after the sad announcement that Hall of Famer Ray Price's cancer has spread from his pancreas to his liver, lungs and intestines and he is now "terminal" the 87-year-old has left the hospital and returned to his home in east Texas.  There, under hospice care, he will spend his last days in the company of his wife Janie, family and friends in warm, familiar surroundings.  

Earlier today Janie posted Ray's "final message" of thanks and farewell to his fans:

"I love my fans and have devoted my life to reaching out to them. I appreciate their support all these years, and I hope I haven't let them down. I am at peace. I love Jesus. I'm going to be just fine. Don't worry about me. I'll see you again one day."


To paraphrase the opening of "Crazy Arms," blue ain't the word for the way that we feel.

Sick Call: Ray Price

Category:  News

Sadly, this will probably be the last "sick call" on country legend Ray Price.  The 87-year-old Hall of Fame singer has been battling pancreatic cancer for over a year.  Now, after a month-long bout with sepsis, his son released a statement saying that the famed "Cherokee Cowboy" is in his final days.

"My dad is very sick," Price's son wrote in a letter to Price's fans.  "He is at East Texas Medical Center at Tyler, Texas."  The note continued, "My dad is in the final stages of pancreatic cancer, and the general opinion is that he will not be going home."

Price was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in July 2012.  He made the diagnosis public in an interview with a San Antonio newspaper in October 2012, adding he felt good through the treatments.  He has been in and out of the hospital numerous times this year, and things took a dramatic turn for the worse when Price developed sepsis.  The blood infection nearly took his life, but he recovered and was released from the hospital in time to go home for Thanksgiving.  Now Price is back in the hospital, apparently for the final time, as the combination of battling sepsis and the advanced cancer have taken their toll on his body.

Here's hoping that Price gets to see Christmas.  And remember him, his family, and all his fans in your thoughts in prayers.

Dates of Note in Country Music, December 1-15

Category: News

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

December 1:

Darryl Ellis born in Norfolk, Virginia, 1964 (now 49)
Silm Willet born in Dublin, Texas, 1919 (died 1966)
Jim Nesbitt born in Bishopville, South Carolina, 1931 (died 2007)
Fred Rose (CM 61, NS 70) died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart failure), 1954 (was 57)
Carter Stanley (BG 92) died in Bristol, Tennessee (cirrhosis of the liver), 1966 (was 41)

December 2:

John Wesley Ryles born in Bastrop, Louisiana, 1950 (now 63)
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 59)
Ferlin Husky (CM 10) born in Flat River, Missouri, 1927 (died 2011)
Rabon Delmore (CM 01, NS 71) born in Dothan, Alabama, 1916 (died 1952)
Hubert Long (CM 79) 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)
Homer Bailes of the Bailes Brothers died in Ruston, Louisiana (natural causes), 2013 (was 91)
Bob Wills recorded "What Makes Bob Holler," 1973.  He suffered a stroke during the night after the recording session and never spoke or sang again.

December 4:

Chris Hillman born in Los Angeles, California, 1944 (now 69)
Rabon Delmore (CM 01, NS 71) died in Athens, Alabama (lung cancer), 1952 (was 36)
Connie B. Gay (CM 80) 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 (NS 72) born in Peking, China, 1922 (now 91)
Jim Messina of Poco born in Harlingen, Texas, 1947 (now 66)
Ty England born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1963 (now 50)
Ray Whitley (NS 81) born in Atlanta, Georgia, 1901 (died 1979)
Eddie Alkire (Steel Guitar 83) born in Hacker, West Virginia, 1907 (died 1981)
Michael "Bea" Lilly (BG 02) born in Clear Creek, West Virginia, 1921 (died 2005)
Molly O'Day died in Huntington, West Virginia (cancer), 1987 (was 64)
Wilf Carter (Montana Slim) (NS 71) 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 72)
Bill Lloyd of Foster & Lloyd born in Ft. Hood, Texas, 1955 (now 58)
Hugh Farr (CM 80) born in Llano, Texas, 1903 (died 1980)
Jim Eanes born in Mountain Valley, Virginia, 1923 (died 1995)
Huddie "Lead Belly" Leadbetter (NS 80) died in New York, New York (Lou Gehrig's Disease), 1949 (was 60)
Roy Orbison (NS 87) died in Hendersonville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1989 (was 52)

December 7:

Bobby Osborne (BG 94) born in Hyden, Kentucky, 1931 (now 82)
Hugh X. Lewis born in Yeaddiss, Kentucky, 1932 (now 81)
Gary Morris born in Fort Worth, Texas, 1948 (now 65)
Ronnie Sessions born in Henrietta, Oklahoma, 1948 (now 65)
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 54)
Jack Stapp (CM 89) born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1912 (died 1980)
Floyd Tillman (CM 83, NS 70) born in Ryan, Oklahoma, 1914 (died 2003)
Marty Robbins (CM 82, NS 75) died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1982 (was 57)

December 9:

Billy Edd Wheeler (NS 00) born in Whitesville, Virginia, 1932 (now 81)
David Kersh born in Humble, Texas, 1970 (now 43)
David Houston born in Bossier City, Louisiana, 1938 (died 1993)
Tommy Jackson died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 1979 (was 53)

December 10:

Roy Ayers (Steel Guitar 07) born in Columbus, Mississippi, 1929 (now 84)
Johnny Rodriguez born in Sabinal, Texas, 1951 (now 62)
Eddie Miller (NS 75) born in Camargo, Oklahoma, 1919 (died 1977)
John Duffey (BG 96) died (heart attack), 1996 (was 62)
Faron Young (CM 00) 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 (CM 97) born in Atlanta, Georgia, 1944 (now 69)
Charles Whitstein born in Colfax, Louisiana, 1945 (now 68)
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)
Tom Brumley (Steel Guitar 92) born in Stella, Missouri, 1935 (died 2009)
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:

Maurice Anderson (Steel Guitar 06) born in Dallas, Texas, 1934 (now 79)
LaCosta Tucker born in Seminole, Texas, 1951 (now 62)
Shelton Hank Williams III born in Houston, Texas, 1972 (now 41)
Clifton Chenier died in Lafayette, Louisiana (kidney disease related to diabetes), 1987 (was 62)

December 13:

Buck White born in Oklahoma, 1930 (now 83)
Randy Owen of Alabama (CM 05) born in Fort Payne, Alabama, 1949 (now 64)
John Anderson born in Orlando, Florida, 1954 (now 59)
Wesley Tuttle born in Lamar, Colorado, 1917 (died 2003)
Wayne Walker (NS 75) born in Quapaw, Oklahoma, 1925 (died 1979)
Lulu Belle and Scotty Wiseman wed, 1934

December 14:

Walter Haynes (Steel Guitar 03) born in Kingsport, Tennessee, 1928 (now 85)
DeFord Bailey (CM 05) 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 53)
Alvin Pleasant Carter (CM 70, NS 70, BG 01) 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

Sick Call: John Prine

Category:  News

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

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

Here is the release from Prine:

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

Prine successfully recovered from throat cancer in 1997.

Please keep this national treasure in your thoughts and prayers.