Dates of Note in Country Music, April 1-15

Category: News
(Country Music Hall of Famers in bold)

April 1:

Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith born in Clinton, South Carolina, 1921 (now 89)
Jim Ed Brown born in Sparkman, Arkansas, 1934 (now 76)
Jules Verne Allen born in Waxahachie, Texas, 1883 (died 1945)
Jimmy Logsdon born in Panther, Kentucky, 1922 (died 2001)
CMA President Paul Cohen died (cancer), 1970 (was 71)
Rachel Veach joined Roy Acuff's Smoky Mountain Boys, 1939. Her presence gave rise to Pete Kirby's nickname "Bashful Brother Oswald:" a woman traveling with a group of men was scandalous, so Kirby was billed as Veach's "bashful brother" to quell any rumors.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opened, 1967

April 2:

Warner Mack born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1935 (now 75)
Sonny Throckmorton born in Carlsbad, New Mexico, 1941 (now 69)
Emmylou Harris born in Birmingham, Alabama, 1947 (now 63)
Dean Townson of Pirates of the Mississippi born in Battle Creek, Michigan, 1959 (now 51)
Billy Dean born in Quincy, Florida, 1962 (now 48)
Mose Rager born in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, 1911 (died 1986). The guitarist was a significant influence on the thumbpicking style of another guitarist from the region, Merle Travis.
Cliff Carlisle died (unknown cause), 1983 (was 78)
Former Country Gentleman Doyle Lawson formed Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, 1979

April 3:

Billy Joe Royal born in Valdosta, Georgia, 1942 (now 68)
Curtis Stone of Highway 101 (and son of Cliffie Stone) born in North Hollywood, California, 1950 (now 60)
Hank Newman of the Georgia Crackers born in Cochran, Georgia, 1905 (died 1978)
Don Gibson born in Shelby, North Carolina, 1928 (died 2003)
Ella Mae Cooley murdered, 1961. Her husband, self-proclaimed "King of Western Swing" Spade Cooley, was convicted of her murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Red Allen died (cancer), 1993 (was 63)
Starday Records owner Don Pierce died (heart attack), 2005 (was 89)
The Louisiana Hayride debuted on KWKH, Shreveport, Louisiana, 1948. Among the artists who performed on the radio show were Elvis Presley, Hank Williams, Johnny Horton, and one-time emcee Jim Reeves.

April 4:

Norro Wilson born in Scottsville, Kentucky, 1938 (now 72)
Steve Gatlin of the Gatlin Brothers born in Olney, Texas, 1951 (now 59)
Troy Gentry of Montgomery-Gentry born in Lexington, Kentucky, 1967 (now 43)
Cy Coben born in Jersey City, New Jersey, 1919 (died 2006)
Red Sovine died (heart attack), 1980 (was 61)

April 5:

Jack Clement born in Whitehaven, Tennessee, 1931 (now 79)
Bill Clifton born in Riverwood, Maryland, 1931 (now 79). In addition to being a bluegrass performer, Clifton is also credited with starting the bluegrass festival, when he organized a July 4, 1961 show in Luray, Virginia.
June Stearns born in Albany, New York, 1939 (now 71)
Tommy Cash born in Dyess, Arkansas, 1940 (now 70)
Bob McDill born in Beaumont, Texas, 1944 (now 66)
Pat Green born in San Antonio, Texas, 1972 (now 38)
Stoney Edwards died (complications from diabetes), 1997 (was 67)
Gene Pitney died (natural causes), 2006 (was 65). In addition to his rock hits, Pitney recorded two albums of duets with George Jones.

April 6:

Merle Haggard born in Bakersfield, California, 1937 (now 73)
Vernon Dalhart (ne Marion Try Slaughter) born in Marion County, Texas, 1883 (died 1948)
Wade Ray born in Griffin, Indiana, 1913 (died 1998)
Tammy Wynette died (heart failure attributed to blood clot), 1998 (was 55)
The Grand Ole Opry was canceled due to rioting in the wake of Martin Luther King's assassination earlier in the week, 1968

April 7:

Cal Smith born in Gans, Oklahoma, 1932 (now 78)
Bobby Bare born in Ironton, Ohio, 1935 (now 75)
John Dittrich of Restless Heart born in New York, New York, 1951 (now 59)
Leon "Pappy" Selph born in Houston, Texas, 1914 (died 1999)
Clyde Moody died (unknown cause), 1989 (was 73)
Steel guitarist Jeff Newman died (plane crash), 2004 (was 62)

April 8:

John Schneider born in Mount Kisco, New York, 1960 (now 50)
Jimmy Osborne born in Winchester, Kentucky, 1923 (died 1957)

April 9:

Margo Smith born in Dayton, Ohio, 1942 (now 68)
Con Hunley born in Fountain City, Tennessee, 1945 (now 65)
Hal Ketchum born in Greenwich, New York, 1953 (now 57)
Mark Roberts of the Red Clay Ramblers born in Wareham, Massachusetts, 1957 (now 53)
Dave Innis of Restless Heart born in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, 1959 (now 51)
Carl Perkins born in Tiptonville, Tennessee, 1932 (died 1998)
Darrell Glenn died (unknown cause), 1990 (was 54)
Mae Boren Axton died (natural causes), 1997 (was 82)


April 10:

Weldon Myrick born in Jayton, Texas, 1938 (now 72). The steel guitar great co-wrote the Wilburn Brothers' "Hangin' Around" and suggested the town of Big Spring, Texas to Bill Anderson for the line "If you've never been to Paris, France / Big Spring, Texas will suit you fine" in "At the Time" (a hit for Jean Shepard).
Fiddlin' Arthur Smith born in Bold Spring, Tennessee, 1898 (died 1971)
Sheb Wooley born in Enick, Oklahoma, 1921 (died 2003)
Former home of Johnny and June Cash destroyed by fire, 2007. Bee Gee Barry Gibb owned the house at the time of the fire.

April 11:

Jim Lauderdale born in Troutman, North Carolina, 1957 (now 53)
Harty Taylor of Karl & Harty born in Mount Vernon, Kentucky, 1905 (died 1963)
Millie Good of the Girls of the Golden West born in Mount Carmel, Illinois, 1913 (died 1993)
Eddie Miller died (unknown cause), 1977 (was 83). In addition to writing a number of songs, including "I've Loved and Lost Again" which was recorded by Patsy Cline during her stint on Four Star, Miller co-founded the Nashville Songwriters' Association International.
Lighnin' Chance died (cancer/Alzheimer's), 2005 (was 79)
Jerry Byrd died (complications of Parkinson's disease), 2005 (was 85)

April 12:

Ned Miller born in Raines, Utah, 1925 (now 85)
Judy Lynn born in Boise, Idaho, 1936 (now 74)
Vince Gill born in Norman, Oklahoma, 1957 (now 53)
Ernie Lee born in Berea, Kentucky, 1916 (died 1991)
Lewis Crook of the Crook Brothers died (natural causes), 1997 (was 87)
Boxcar Willie died (leukemia), 1999 (was 67)

April 13:

Sam Bush born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, 1952 (now 58)
Bob Nolan of the Sons of the Pioneers born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1908 (died 1980)
Milton Brown died (injuries received in automobile accident on April 8), 1936 (was 32)
Guy Willis of the Willis Brothers died (unknown cause), 1981 (was 65)
Johnny Dollar died (unknown cause), 1986 (was 53)

April 14:

Loretta Lynn born in Butcher Holler, Kentucky, 1935 (now 75)
Stuart Duncan of the Nashville Bluegrass Band born in Quantico, Virginia, 1964 (now 46)
Vito Pelletteri died (complications from a stroke), 1977 (was 87)
Burl Ives died (cancer), 1995 (was 85)

April 15:

Roy Clark born in Meherrin, Virginia, 1933 (now 77)
J.L. Frank born in Limestone County, Alabama, 1900 (died 1952)
Bob Luman born in Nacogdoches, Texas, 1937 (died 1978)
Junior Barnard of Bob Wills' Texas Playboys died (car wreck), 1951 (was 30)
Rose Maddox died (various illnesses), 1998 (was 72)
Otto Kitsinger died (heart attack), 1998 (was 56). Otto was the historian and writer for CMT's Opry Backstage.

Dates of Note in Country Music, March 16-31

Category: News

(Country Music Hall of Famers in bold)

March 16:

Jerry Jeff Walker born in Oneonta, New York, 1942 (now 68)
Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1951 (now 59)
Tim O'Brien born in Wheeling, West Virginia, 1954 (now 56)
Stan Thorn of Shenandoah born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, 1959 (now 51)
Ronnie McCoury born in York County, Pennsylvania, 1967 (now 43)
Robert Whitstein born in Colfax, Louisiana, 1944 (died 2001)
Plane crash kills Chris Austin, Kirk Capello, Joey Cigainero, Paula Kaye Evans, Terry Jackson, Michael Thomas, and Tony Saputo of Reba McEntire's band, 1991

March 17:

Jim Weatherly born in Pontotoc, Mississippi, 1943 (now 67)
Paul Overstreet born in Newton, Mississippi, 1955 (now 55)
Dick Curless born in Fort Fairfield, Maine, 1932 (died 1995)
Hugh Farr died (unknown causes), 1980 (was 77)
Jimmy Gately died (unknown causes), 1985 (was 53)
Sammy Pruett died (unknown causes), 1988 (was 61)
Terry Stafford died (liver failure), 1996 (was 55)
Bill Carlisle died (natural causes), 2003 (was 94)

March 18:

Billy Armstrong born in Streator, Illinois, 1930 (now 80)
Charley Pride born in Sledge, Mississippi, 1938 (now 72)
Margie Bowes born in Roxboro, North Carolina, 1941 (now 69)
James McMurty born in Fort Worth, Texas, 1962 (now 48)
Smiley Burnette born in Summum, Illinois, 1911 (died 1967)
John Phillips of the Mamas and Papas died (heart failure), 2001 (was 65). His solo hit, "Mississippi," was a country hit in 1971.

March 19:

Henry "Friendly Henry" Maddox born in Boaz, Alabama, 1928 (died 1974)
Speck Rhodes died (natural causes), 2000 (was 84)
Randall Hylton died (brain aneurysm), 2001 (was 55)
Tootsie's Orchid Lounge opened in Nashville, 1960

March 20:

Tommy Hunter born in London, Ontario, 1937 (now 73)
Douglas B. Green (Ranger Doug) of Riders in the Sky born in Great Lakes, Illinois, 1946 (now 64)
Jim Seales of Shenandoah born in Hamilton, Alabama, 1954 (now 56)
Jerry Reed born in Atlanta, Georgia, 1937 (died 2008)

March 21:

Carol Lee Cooper born in West Virginia, 1942 (now 70)
Tommy Hill died (liver and heart ailments), 2002 (was 72)

March 22:

Charlie Poole born in Randolph County, North Carolina, 1892 (died 1931)
Hoyle Nix of the West Texas Cowboys born in Azel, Texas, 1918 (died 1985)
Uncle Dave Macon died (illness), 1952 (was 81)
Stoney Cooper died (heart attack), 1977 (was 59)
Carl Perkins injured in automobile accident, 1956

March 23:

David Grisman born in Passaic, New Jersey, 1945 (now 65)
Fiddlin' John Carson born in Fannin County, Georgia, 1868 (died 1949)
Jim Anglin born in Franklin, Tennessee, 1913 (died 1987)
Smokey Rogers born in McMinnville, Tennessee, 1917 (died 1993)
J.D. Miller died (complications from heart bypass surgery), 1996 (was 73)
Ray "Pop" Lewis of the Lewis Family died (natural causes), 2004 (was 98)
Cindy Walker died (natural causes), 2006 (was 88)

March 24:

Peggy Sue Webb born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky, 1947 (now 63)
Carson Robison died (unknown causes), 1957 (was 66)
Howard Dixon died (unknown - possible work accident), 1961 (was 57)
Henson Cargill died (complications from surgery), 2007 (was 66)

March 25:

Bonnie Guitar born in Seattle, Washington, 1923 (now 87)
Robbie Fulks born in York, Pennsylvania, 1963 (now 47)
Hoyt Axton born in Duncan, Oklahoma, 1938 (died 1999)
Jack Kapp died (cerebral hemorrhage), 1949 (was 47)
Buck Owens died (heart attack), 2006 (was 76)

March 26:

Bud Isaacs born in Bedford, Indiana, 1928 (now 82)
Vicki Lawrence born in Inglewood, California, 1949 (now 61). The Carol Burnett Show actress had one hit, "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia," which made both the pop and country charts.
Ronnie McDowell born in Fountain Head, Tennessee, 1950 (now 60)
Michael Bonagura of Baillie & the Boys born in Newark, New Jersey, 1953 (now 57)
Dean Dillon born in Lake City, Tennessee, 1955 (now 55)
Charly McClain born in Jackson, Tennessee, 1956 (now 54)
Kenny Chesney born in Lutrell, Tennessee, 1968 (now 42)

March 27:

Bill Callahan of the Callahan Brothers born in Madison County, North Carolina, 1912 (died 2002)
David Rogers born in Houston, Texas, 1936 (died 1993)

March 28:

Roy Dean Webb of the Dillards born in Independence, Missouri, 1937 (now 73)
Charlie McCoy born in Oak Hill, West Virginia, 1941 (now 69)
Reba McEntire born in Chockie, Oklahoma, 1955 (now 55)
Jay Livingston born in McDonald, Pennsylvania, 1915 (died 2001). The pop songwriter's many hits include "Silver Bells," which has been recorded by many country performers.
Rusty Draper died (heart disease/throat cancer), 2003 (was 80)
Glenn Barber died (heart ailment), 2008 (was 73)

March 29:

Brady Seals of Little Texas born in Hamilton, Ohio, 1969 (now 41)
Moon Mullican born in Corrigan, Texas, 1909 (died 1967)
Jerry Byrd born in Lima, Ohio, 1920 (died 2005)
Texas Ruby died (house fire), 1963 (was 54)
Opry announcer Hal Durham died (unknown cause), 2009 (was 77)

March 30:

Bobby Wright born in Charleston, West Virginia, 1942 (now 68)
Connie Cato born in Carlinville, Illinois, 1955 (now 55)

March 31:

John D. Loudermilk born in Durham, North Carolina, 1934 (now 76)
Greg Martin of the Kentucky Headhunters born in Louisville, Kentucky, 1954 (now 56)
Howdy Forrester born in Vernon, Tennessee, 1922 (died 1987)
Tommy Jackson born in Birmingham, Alabama, 1926 (died 1979)
William O. "Lefty" Frizzell born in Corsicana, Texas, 1928 (died 1975)
Anita Carter born in Maces Springs, Virginia, 1933 (died 1999)
Skeets McDonald died (heart attack), 1968 (was 52)
Carl Story died (complications from heart bypass surgery), 1995 (was 78)

Hey, Dude!

Category: Birthday Tribute

In 1926 a six-year-old boy picked up a mandolin that was lying around his home. His eight-year-old brother taught him the three chords of "Little Brown Jug." After that, the mandolin was never the same again.

The little boy was Kenneth Charles Burns, born nine decades ago March 10.

By the age of ten, Dude (pronounced "Dudie") Burns had learned every country song played on the radio in Knoxville. The music failed to challenge his playing sufficiently, so he turned to jazz; specifically, the brilliance of Django Reinhardt. The more he discovered the better he played. By the time he was twelve a talent judge threw him and his band out of an amateur contest because he sounded far too professional.

Something else heavily influenced the young Dude Burns: his father, who, prior to World War I, worked as a blackface Vaudeville comedian. The humor gene became very prevalent in the son a few years later on the radio, when he and his friend and musical partner Henry "Junior" Haynes began doing comical versions of pop songs. When WNOX announcer Lowell Blanchard forgot their names while introducing them for their segment on the Midday Merry-Go-Round he blurted out something else. The two boys liked the names Blanchard improvised and kept them. Those names were Homer and Jethro.


Homer and Jethro on the
National Barn Dance, 1957

Jethro Burns is a legend, and rightfully so. He was not only the master of the mandolin who could impersonate anyone's playing style (listen to him mimic Bill Monroe on Old Friends, the album he did with Red Rector) and play any genre of music, his humor was drier than the deserts he and Homer sang about in "The Sifting, Wimpering Sands."

And nobody was safe from Jethro's humor. When his daughter injured her toe at school the nurse suggested she go home after the toe turned purple. She phoned home and her father's reply to her plight was, "Do you want me to call you a toe truck?" He commented to a friend that he was perplexed as to why, when he came home from a tour, he always found the toilet seat up. And when an interviewer asked Jethro how he and brother-in-law Chet Atkins were able to differentiate between their wives, who were identical twins, Jethro commented, "We never try."

Jethro seemed to relish in letting people get in just nearly over their head -- then he'd throw them a cinder block. On one occasion, while touring with Steve Goodman, Goodman went after one of Jethro's less-than successful jokes. "Is that how these jokes went over when you told them back then?" Goodman said.

"No," Jethro replied sincerely. Sometimes they flopped."

Goodman laughed. "Homer stood here for forty years, huh?"

At that point Jethro executed his revenge. "We'd do all the old jokes. Ask this lady here, 'are you in show business?'"

As this joke was used in the film Blazing Saddles, Goodman should have seen what was coming; however, he obliged his friend. "Are you in show business?" he asked the woman in the audience. She shook her head.

"Then get your elbow off the stage!" Jethro commanded.

Goodman sank like a rock. "What I wanna know," he said through his laughter, "is how I got talked into setting that up!"

On another occasion Burns fenced with his longtime partner at 35,000 feet. While returning from one of Homer and Jethro's engagements in Las Vegas Jethro was called to the cockpit of the plane. When he arrived he found the captain waiting for him. The captain informed Jethro he needed to be searched, and Burns consented. After he was patted down and his personal effects returned to him, the pilot apologized, "I'm sorry, but we had it on good authority that you were smuggling drugs."

"No problem."

As Jethro started back for his seat the first thing he saw as he passed through the curtain was Homer, in his seat, doubled over in laughter. As Jethro neared Homer's seat Haynes asked innocently, "Anything wrong?"

"Nothing," Jethro replied. "The captain wanted my autograph, that's all."

Celebrate the 90th anniversary of the birth of Kenneth "Jethro" Burns by spinning a few Homer and Jethro albums (you have to use albums, since there are only two compilation CDs in print). Here's one to get your funny bone warmed up:




Enjoy the musical and comedy magic that is Homer and Jethro.

Dates of Note in Country Music, March 1-15

Category: News

(Country Music Hall of Famers in bold)

March 1:

Janis Oliver of Sweethearts of the Rodeo born in Manhattan Beach, California, 1954 (now 56)
Sara Hickman born in Jacksonville, North Carolina, 1963 (now 47)
Clinton Gregory born in Martinsville, Virginia, 1966 (now 44)
Cliffie Stone born in Stockton, California, 1917 (died 1998)
Pearl Butler died (unknown cause), 198 (was 61)
Johnny Cash wed June Carter Smith Nix in Franklin, Kentucky, 1968
California governor Ronald Reagan issues a full pardon to Merle Haggard, 1972
RCA Victor debuts a new format -- the 45 RPM record, 1949

March 2:

Doc Watson born in Deep Gap, North Carolina, 1923 (now 87)
Larry Stewart born in Paducah, Kentucky, 1959 (now 51)
Lonnie Glosson died (natural causes), 2001 (was 93)

March 3:

John Carter Cash born in Madison, Tennessee, 1970 (now 40)Jimmy Heap born in Taylor, Texas, 1922 (died 1977)
Kyle Bailes died (unknown cause), 1996 (was 80)
Harlan Howard died (heart attack), 2002 (was 74)
Ernie Ashworth died (heart attack), 2009 (was 80)
Benefit concert for DJ "Cactus" Jack Call held in Kansas City, Missouri, 1963. Among those performing: Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Cowboy Copas, Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper, George Jones, and Billy Walker.

March 4:

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

March 5:

Raymond Fairchild born in Cherokee, North Carolina, 1939 (now 71)
Jimmy Bryant born in Moultrie, Georgia, 1925 (died 1980)
Patsy Cline died (plane crash), 1963 (was 30)
Cowboy Copas died (plane crash), 1963 (was 59)
Hawkshaw Hawkins died (plane crash), 1963 (was 41)
Randy Hughes died (plane crash), 1963 (was 34). Hughes was Patsy Cline's manager and Cowboy Copas' son-in-law as well as the pilot of the ill-fated plane.
Syd Nathan died (heart disease), 1968 (was 63). The Cincinnati record store owner founded King Records in 1943, making it the first all-country music record label in history.
Anna Carter Davis, original member of the Chuck Wagon Gang and widow of Jimmie Davis, died (complications following a fall), 2004 (was 87)
Elvis Presley honorably discharged from the Army, 1960

March 6:

Red Simpson born in Higley, Arizona, 1934 (now 76)
Ray Walker of the Jordanaires born in Centerville, Mississippi, 1934 (now 76)
Doug Dillard of the Dillards born in East St. Louis, Missouri, 1937 (now 73)
Skip Ewing born in Red Lands, California, 1964 (now 46)Cliff Carlisle born in Mount Eden, Kentucky, 1904 (died 1983)
Bob Wills born in Turkey, Texas, 1905 (died 1975)
Jean Chapel of the Coon Creek Girls born in Neon, Kentucky, 1925 (died 1995)George Jones critically injured in single-vehicle accident, 1999
The siege of the Alamo ended, 1836. Davy Crockett, subject of legendary song, was among those who died during the battle. Johnny Cash would memorialize the fight in his song "Remember the Alamo."

March 7:

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

March 8:
Jimmy Dormire of Confederate Railroad born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1960 (now 50)
Randy Meisner of Poco and the Eagles born in Scotts Bluff, Nebraska, 1946 (now 64)
Johnny Dollar born in Kilgore, Texas, 1933 (died 1986)
Jimmy Stoneman of the Stoneman Family born in Washington, DC, 1937 (died 2002)
Lew DeWitt of the Statler Brothers born in Roanoke, Virginia, 1939 (died 1990)
Stuart Hamblen died (brain tumor), 1989 (was 80)
Hank Locklin died (natural causes), 2009 (was 90)

March 9:

Mickey Gilley born in Natchez, Mississippi, 1936 (now 74)
Jimmy Fadden of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band born in Long Beach, California, 1948 (now 62)
Ralph Sloan of the Ralph Sloan Dancers born in Wilson County, Tennessee, 1925 (died 1980)
George Burns died (natural causes), 1996 (was 100). The legendary actor had a country hit with "I Wish I Was Eighteen Again."
Chris LeDoux died (bile duct cancer), 2005 (was 56)
Final Saturday night Opry at the Ryman before the opening of the new Opry House, 1974

March 10:

Ralph Emery born in McEwen, Tennessee, 1933 (now 77)
Norman Blake born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1938 (now 72)Johnnie Allan born in Rayne, Louisiana, 1938 (now 72)
Daryl Singletary born in Wigham, Georgia, 1971 (now 39)
Kenneth "Jethro" Burns born in Conasauga, Tennessee, 1920 (died 1989)
Soul singer James Brown guests on the Grand Ole Opry at the request of Porter Wagoner, 1979

March 11:

Jimmy Fortune of the Statler Brothers born in Williamsburg, Virginia, 1955 (now 55)
W. Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel of the Light Crust Doughboys born in Malta, Ohio, 1890 (died 1969)
Jim Boyd of the Cowboy Ramblers died (unknown cause), 1993 (was 78)

March 12:

Marshall Wilborn of the Johnson Mountain Boys and the Lynn Morris Band born in Austin, Texas, 1952 (now 58)
James Taylor born in Belmont, Massachusetts, 1948 (now 62). The legendary pop/folk superstar wrote "Bartender's Blues" and sang with George Jones on Jones' recording of the tune.
Ralph Sloan died (unknown illness), 1980 (was 55)

March 13:

Liz Anderson born in Roseau, Minnesota, 1930 (now 80)
Jan Howard born in West Plains, Missouri, 1930 (now 80)
Benny Martin died (nerve disorder/illness), 2001 (was 72)
Ezra Carter marries Maybelle Addington, 1926

March 14:

Michael Martin Murphy born in Oak Cliff, Texas, 1945 (now 65)
Doc Pomus died (lung cancer), 1991 (was 65)
Dale Potter died (cancer), 1996 (was 66)
Tommy Collins died (emphysema), 2000 (was 69)
Jimmy Martin died (cancer), 2005 (was 77)
Bill Bolick of the Blue Sky Boys died (natural causes), 2008 (was 90)

March 15:
D.J. Fontana born in Shreveport, Louisiana, 1931 (now 79)
Gunilla Hutton of Hee Haw born in Goteborg, Sweden, 1946 (now 64)
Ry Cooder born in Los Angeles, California, 1947 (now 63)
Carl Smith born in Maynardville, Tennessee, 1927 (died 2010)
The final Friday night Opry at the Ryman, 1974. The final song was the Opry cast singing "Will the Circle Be Unbroken."

Congratulations Times Four

Category: News

The Country Music Hall of Fame class of 2010 has been announced. The Hall of Fame opens its doors to the following greats:

Jimmy Dean: Long before he was the "sausage king," Jimmy Dean hosted a ground-breaking television show. The regulars on that show included a young Roy Clark and a young Jim Henson, manning Dean's friend Rowlf the dog.

Ferlin Husky: One of the last 1950s superstars to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, Ferlin gave the world classics like "Gone," "Wings of a Dove," and "A Dear John Letter." He also gave the world Simon Crum.

Billy Sherrill: Sherrill rose to fame in the late 60s as a producer for Epic Records artists David Houston and Tammy Wynette -- and writing a number of their hits, such as "Almost Persuaded," "Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad," and "Stand By Your Man."

Don Williams: Country's "Gentle Giant" started in the early 70s with songs like "Amanda" and has continued to please audiences since.

Congratulations to the Hall of Fame's class of 2010!

Dates of Note in Country Music, February 16-28

Category: News

(Hall of Famers in bold)

February 16:

Ronnie Milsap born in Robbinsville, North Carolina, 1944 (now 66)
Jo-Walker Meador born in Orlinda, Tennessee, 1924 (now 86)
Jimmy Wakely born in Mineola, Arkansas, 1914 (died 1982)
Smiley Burnette died (leukemia), 1967 (was 55)

February 17:

Johnny Bush born in Houston, Texas, 1935 (now 75)
Buck Trent born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, 1938 (now 72)
Jon Randall born in Dallas, Texas, 1969 (now 41)
Bryan White born in Shellman, Georgia, 1974 (now 36)
Billy Byrd born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1920 (died 2001)
Gene Pitney born in Hartford, Connecticut, 1940 (died 2006). The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer recorded two albums of duets with George Jones.
Uncle Jimmy Thompson died (natural causes), 1931 (was 82)
Eck Robertson died (natural causes), 1975 (was 87)
Gus Hardin died (car wreck), 1996 (was 50)

February 18:

Juice Newton born in Lakehurst Naval Station, New Jersey, 1952 (now 58)
Dudley Connell of the Johnson Mountain Boys born in Scheer, West Virginia, 1956 (now 54)
Pee Wee King born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1914 (died 2000)
Tootsie Bess, owner of Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, died (cancer), 1978 (was 61)
Johnny Paycheck died (emphysema), 2003 (was 64)

February 19:

Lorianne Crook born in Wichita, Kansas, 1957 (now 53)
Cedric Rainwater (real name: Howard Watts) born in Monticello, Florida, 1913 (died 1970)
Grandpa Jones died (stroke), 1998 (was 84)
Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton officially break up their act, 1974

February 20:

Kathie Baillie of Baillie & the Boys born in Morristown, New Jersey, 1951 (now 59)
Claire Lynch born in Albany, New York, 1954 (now 56)

February 21:

Mary-Chapin Carpenter born in Princeton, New Jersey, 1958 (now 52)
Don Reno born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, 1926 (died 1984)
Carl T. Sprague died (unknown cause), 1979 (was 83)

February 22:

Del Wood born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1920 (died 1989)
During a concert in London, Ontario, Johnny Cash asked June Carter to marry him, 1968

February 23:

Rusty Young of Poco born in Long Beach, California, 1946 (now 64)
Buck Griffin born in Corsicana, Texas, 1923 (died 2009)
Minnie Pearl married Henry Cannon, 1947

February 24:

Little Roy Lewis of the Lewis Family born in Lincoln County, Georgia, 1942 (now 68)
Don Law born in London, England, 1902 (died 1982)
Webb Pierce died (cancer), 1991 (was 69)
Goldie Hill Smith died (cancer), 2005 (was 72)
Dinah Shore died (cancer), 1994 (was 77). The legendary pop singer and TV hostess was part of the family of live performers on WSM radio.

February 25:

Dr. Ralph Stanley born in Stratton, Virginia, 1927 (now 83)
Faron Young born in Shreveport, Louisiana, 1932 (died 1996)

February 26:

Jan Crutchfield born in Paducah, Kentucky, 1936 (now 74)
Billy Jack Wills born in Hall County, Texas, 1926 (died 1991)
Johnny Cash born in Kingsland, Arkansas, 1932 (died 2003)

February 27:

Chuck Glaser of the Glaser Brothers born in Spalding, Nebraska, 1936 (now 74)
Joe Carson died (car wreck), 1964 (was 27)
Walter Bailes died (various health problems), 2000 (was 80)

February 28:

Joe South born in Atlanta, Georgia, 1940 (now 70)
Don Helms born in New Brockton, Alabama, 1927 (died 2008)
Jim Denny born in Silver Point, Tennessee, 1911 (died 1963)
Audrey Williams born in Banks, Alabama, 1923 (died 1975)
Bunny Biggs of Jamup & Honey died (unknown causes), 1948 (was 52)
Fiddlin' Arthur Smith died (unknown causes), 1971 (was 72)

And a leap baby:
February 29:

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

Optimism and Love in the Face of Trouble

Category: 50 Songs to Hear

SONG: When My Rowboat Comes In

ARTIST: Steve Goodman

SONGWRITER: Steve Goodman

ALBUM: Affordable Art

YEAR/LABEL: 1983; Red Pajamas

There aren't a lot of members of the 'class of 1969' walking around today with this stuff.
(Steve Goodman, 1983)

For nearly fourteen years Steve Goodman lived, raised a family, wrote songs, recorded, and toured with a secret. Coiled up inside his body, ready to strike a lethal blow at any moment, was a viper named leukemia. Initially Goodman did not discuss his illness publicly because he feared record companies and concert promoters would not deal with a man who, at age 21, had already outlived the initial prognosis he had received at age 20. And while living several years with relatively good health in a state of remission, there was certainly no reason to bring the issue into the open. His friends knew, but they, too, kept quiet (something that would probably never happen in today's media frenzy times).

When Goodman suffered a relapse in 1982 there was no way to avoid the issue any longer. Bald from chemotherapy, an Ommaya reservoir visible on his scalp, and looking terribly gaunt, Goodman broke his silence with a series of interviews once his condition improved. His stated purpose was not to entice pity but to provide emotional support for the statistical one in four who would be hit by cancer at some point in their lives.

During this time he also wrote "When My Rowboat Comes In," a song that was his most blatant reference to his plight. In baseball terms, the lifelong Cubs fan both hit a grand slam and pitched a perfect game with the song. In the space of three minutes and thirty eight seconds Steve Goodman invited everyone into his house, sat them in a comfortable chair, offered them refreshments, and explained life as a leukemia patient. Most amazingly, he did so in a way that left the listener feeling joyous, not sad.

Musically, the song was a marked departure for Goodman. Although he enjoyed dabbling in nearly every genre of popular music from R&B ("Can't Go Back," which he said he wrote "in case I ever run into Wilson Pickett") to Western swing ("Between the Lines") -- on the same album -- he had never ventured into bluegrass (although coming close with "Death of a Salesman," also on the same album as the R&B and Western swing songs). The bluegrass accompaniment, however, served to augment the overall warm feel of the song. Goodman's focus was on calming the listeners' uneasiness as he poured out his soul to them. After all, while the announcement of his leukemia was a shock to his fans it was not news to him, for he had spent every day since December 1968 with the knowledge that he had a disease that would eventually take his life.

Goodman was a masterful songwriter who frequently put multiple layers of meaning into his songs (often slipping references to his disease into songs in ways that only became apparent after he went public with his condition). Those who did not know the author and singer of "When My Rowboat Comes In" was undergoing chemotherapy treatments could merely chalk up the song title to Goodman's sense of humor. Since the title is a play on the term "when my ship comes in" the phrase, especially in the context of the verse about his professional career, could be seen as nothing more than frustration from years of being a successful songwriter ("City of New Orleans," "Banana Republics," "You Never Even Call Me By My Name") while never having a hit as a performer (and, to date, his only well-known recording is "Go Cubs Go," the song played at Wrigley Field after Cubs victories). The rough seas could be the lack of a record deal as easily as a health crisis.

For people who were aware of Goodman's medical condition, however, the deeper message was obvious. In the opening verse he referenced the "lucky stars" that disappeared "on a stormy night" with his relapse. He credited his wife Nancy (who knew he was sick when she married him in 1970) with being "someone who can find the sun and chase away my sorrow with her laughter." After acknowledging "the seas are rough in the highest tide" Goodman, backed by harmonies by Sharon and Cheryl White, sang with his trademark audible smile about his optimism: "When the sun comes out on the other side, everything will be all right when we go rowing."

The second verse began by looking at Goodman's career, where he toured and played "every song I know from the mountains to the bottom of the canyon." He then acknowledged that he was realistic about his condition by stating he was "looking for some moments I can borrow." As he neared the end of this brief autobiography he had answered every question many people had wanted to ask him but refrained from doing so. He then concluded with the most important query: what about the future? "If my lucky stars won't shine tonight," Goodman replied in his song, "I'd rather take my chances on tomorrow."

Goodman's nearly sixteen-year battle with leukemia ended on September 20, 1984 at the age of 36. Steve Goodman's story, however, is not about a dying man but a man who lived his life to its fullest until he died. That is the message of this ode to love of family and career, his marvelous hymn of hope. After all, Goodman did not title this song "if My Rowboat Comes In," but WHEN.

OTHER STEVE GOODMAN MUSIC TO INVESTIGATE:

The entire Affordable Art album -- sterling examples of Goodman's eclectic musical styles and songwriting (including what many consider to be his funniest song ever, "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request") in one neat package, with a comical cover photo (showing the diminutive singer posed amid statues as if he were a lawn jockey) to boot.

"The Water is Wide" (from Artistic Hair) -- a traditional love ballad with lyrics ("I can't cross over," "not as deep as this hole I'm in, and I know not if I sink or swim") that take on a completely different meaning because of a bald Goodman showing off what he called his "chemo 'do" on the cover of the album. This song's imagery ("build me a boat that can carry two, and both shall row, my love and I") may have inspired "When My Rowboat Comes In."

"Blue Umbrella" (from Jessie's Jig and Other Favorites) -- another song with a completely different meaning ("just give me one extra season so I can figure out the other four") because of Goodman's medical problem is this tune penned and originally performed by his best friend, John Prine.

"Face on the Cutting Room Floor" (from Santa Ana Winds) -- an aspiring actress rejects the casting couch in this song with a marvelous kiss-off line ("sunrise on Sunset she won't be around, I guess that settles the score").

"(Now And Then, There's) A Fool Such as I" (from Unfinished Business) -- backed by dear friend Jethro Burns on mandolin, Goodman fulfilled a request from his wife to do this lost-love Hank Snow classic. His spoken introduction is positively heartbreaking for the implication that this was a farewell song to Nancy in light of his rapidly-failing health. Thankfully, he did not say that explicitly or this would be unlistenable.

PREVIOUS SONGS:
(Country)
When I Lift Up My Head
Rose of My Heart
Rock of Ages, Hide Thou Me
Playboy
Our Town
Old Memories Mean Nothing to Me
Not That I Care
Nobody Eats at Linebaugh's Anymore
My Book of Memories
Lost to a Stranger
A Little Bitty Heart
Life Has Its Little Ups and Downs
Life is Too Short
I Want a Home in Dixie
I Lost Today
Fingerprints
Down to the River to Pray
Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyeballs
A Death in the Family
Dark as a Dungeon
Bottomless Well

(Rock)
Stephen
Stealin' Time
Starting Tomorrow
Spellbound
Sleep's Dark and Silent Gate
She's a Runaway
Painted Bells
Out to Sea
One More Song
New Delhi Freight Train
Millworker
Long Way Home
Island
Heart of Rome
Harriet Tubman's Gonna Carry Me Home
Entella Hotel
Desperados Under the Eaves
Crossing Muddy Waters
Cliffs of Dooneen
Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrow)
Baby Mine

Dates of Note in Country Music, February 1-15

Category: News

(Hall of Famers in bold)

February 1:

Don Everly born in Brownie, Kentucky, 1937 (now 73)
Ray Sawyer of Dr. Hook born in Chicksaw, Alabama, 1937 (now 72)
Del McCoury born in Bakersville, North Carolina, 1939 (now 71)
Lisa Marie Presley born in Memphis, Tennessee, 1968 (now 42)
Scotty Wiseman died (heart attack), 1981 (was 71)

February 2:

Howard Bellamy of the Bellamy Brothers born in Darby, Florida, 1946 (now 64)
Emmett Miller born in Macon, Georgia, 1900 (died 1962)
Lester McFarland of Mac & Bob born in Gray, Kentucky, 1902 (died 1984)
Glenn Barber born in Hollis, Oklahoma, 1935 (died 2008)
Rusty Kershaw born in Tiel Ridge, Louisiana, 1938 (died 2001)
Louise Scruggs, wife and manager of Earl Scruggs, died, 2006 (was 78)

February 3:

Dave Rich born in Briar Creek, Kentucky, 1936 (now 74). Ernest Tubb heard a recording of Rich's and hounded friend Ray Price throughout a game of golf to record the song. The song? "City Lights."
Matraca Berg born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1964 (now 46)
Betty Foley, daughter and one-time duet partner of Red Foley, born in Chicago, Illinois, 1933 (died 1990)
Jiles Perry "J.P." Richardson died (plane crash), 1959 (was 28)
Buddy Holly died (plane crash), 1959 (was 22)
James Blackwood of the Blackwood Brothers Quartet died (stroke), 2002 (was 83). He was the last member of the original legendary Southern Gospel quartet.

February 4:

Clint Black born in Long Branch, New Jersey, 1962 (now 48)
Chris McDaniel of Confederate Railroad born in Rock Springs, Georgia, 1965 (now 45)
Vic McAlpin born in Defeated Creek, Tennessee, 1918 (died 1980)
Kenneth "Jethro" Burns died (prostate cancer), 1989 (was 68)
Tom Brumley of Buck Owens' Buckaroos died (heart ailment), 2009 (was 62)

February 5:

Claude King born in Shreveport, Louisiana, 1933 (now 77).
Sara Evans born in Boonville, Missouri, 1971 (now 39)
Shelby David "Tex" Atchison born in Rosine, Kentucky, 1912 (died 1982)
Henson Cargill born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1941 (died 2007)
Eddy Noack died (cerebral hemorrhage), 1978 (was 47)

February 6:

Dale Reno of the Reno Brothers born in Roanoke, Virginia, 1961 (now 49)
Richie McDonald of Lonestar born in Lubbock, Texas, 1962 (now 48)
Anita Cochran born in Pontiac, Michigan, 1967 (now 43)
Violet Koehler of the original Coon Creek Girls born in Wilton, Wisconsin, 1916 (died 1973)
Merle Kilgore died (cancer), 2005 (was 70)
Frankie Laine died (complications from hip replacement surgery), 2007 (was 93)

February 7:

Wilma Lee Cooper born in Valley Head, West Virginia, 1921 (now 89)
Garth Brooks born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1962 (now 48)
Tony Booth born in Tampa, Florida, 1943 (now 67)
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 (congestive heart failure), 2001 (was 88)
Molly Bee died (complications of a stroke), 2009 (was 68)
Patsy Cline's last recording session, Nashville, 1963. The last song she recorded was a cover of Moon Mullican's "I'll Sail My Ship Alone."
Jim Reeves recorded "Four Walls" in Nashville, 1957. This song is said by many to be the beginning of the "Nashville Sound."

February 8:

Joe South born in Atlanta, Georgia, 1942 (now 68)
Dan Seals born in McCamey, Texas, 1948 (now 62)
Don Wayne Reno of the Reno Brothers born in Roanoke, Virginia, 1963 (now 47)
Pappy Daily born in Yoakum, Texas, 1902 (died 1987)
Bob Dunn born in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, 1908 (died 1971). Dunn is credited as being the first country musician to use amplification for his instrument.
Merle Watson born in Deep Gap, North Carolina, 1949 (died 1985)
Lulu Belle Wiseman died (Alzheimer's disease), 1999 (was 84)
Keith Knudsen of Southern Pacific died (chronic pneumonia), 2005 (was 56)

February 9:

Red Lane born in Zona, Louisiana, 1939 (now 71)
Joe Ely born in Amarillo, Texas, 1947 (now 63)
Travis Tritt born in Marietta, Georgia, 1963 (now 47)
Ernest Tubb born in Crisp, Texas, 1914 (died 1984)

February 10:

George York of the York Brothers born in Louisa, Kentucky, 1910 (died 1974)
Arthur Satherley died (natural causes), 1986 (was 96)
Kendall Hayes died (cancer), 1995 (was 59)
Jim Varney died (lung cancer), 2000 (was 50)

February 11:

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

February 12:

Moe Bandy born in Meridian, Mississippi, 1944 (now 66)
Stephen Sholes born in Washington, DC, 1911 (died 1968)
Harley "Red" Allen born in Pigeon Roost, Kentucky, 1930 (died 1993)
Lorne Greene born in Ottawa, Ontario, 1915 (died 1987). The legendary actor hit the Billboard top 40 country charts in 1964 with "Ringo."
Sammi Smith died (emphysema), 2005 (was 61)

February 13:

David McLaughlin of the Johnson Mountain Boys born in Washington, DC, 1958 (now 52)
Tennessee Ernie Ford born in Bristol, Tennessee, 1919 (died 1991)
Boudleaux Bryant born in Shellman, Georgia, 1920 (died 1987)
Jim McReynolds of Jim & Jessee born in Coeburn, Virginia, 1927 (died 2003)
Charlie Moore born in Piedmont, South Carolina, 1935 (died 1979)
Buddy Lee died (cancer), 1998 (was 65)
Waylon Jennings died (complications of diabetes), 2002 (was 64)

February 14:

Razzy Bailey born in Five Points, Alabama, 1939 (now 71)
Bill Nowlin, co-founder of Rounder Records, born in Boston, Massachusetts, 1945 (now 65)
Harry Stone born in Jacksonville, Florida, 1898 (died 1968)
Lonnie Glosson born in Judsonia, Arkansas, 1908 (died 2001)
Buck Griffin died (heart failure), 2009 (was 85)

February 15:

Hank Locklin born in McLellan, Florida, 1918 (died 2009)
Wally Fowler born in Adairsville, Georgia, 1917 (died 1994)
Louise Scruggs born in Lebanon, Tennessee, 1927 (died 2006)
 Nat "King" Cole died (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."
Dorris Macon died (suicide), 1981 (was 71)
Roy Lanham died in Camarillo, California (cancer), 1991 (was 68)

Musical Freight Train

Category: Concert Review

In over a dozen years of attending bluegrass shows at the Shepherdsville Country Music Place, the January 22 Dailey and Vincent show is the first time I have ever walked into a venue already three-fourths full -- some 75 minutes before the show. The early arrivals, in addition to getting a coveted seat for the concert, were treated to two songs in the sound check: "The Class of '57," the classic Statler Brothers song, and an a cappella rendition of "Get Down on Your Knees and Pray."

When the sound check raises goose bumps there is quite an expectation. Forgive the cliche, but Dailey and Vincent did not disappoint. They took the stage five minutes early like a musical freight train heading full-throttle toward the audience, and they did not slow down until after "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," which was their seventh song into the show.

Former Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver lead/tenor singer Jamie Dailey and former Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder mandolinist Darrin Vincent (younger brother of Rhonda Vincent) teamed up in 2007, and since then they have been bowling over the bluegrass world the way they mesmerized the capacity crowd in Shepherdsville. Eight IBMA Awards (including back-to-back Entertainer of the Year trophies) later, they are the hottest act in bluegrass -- and for very good reason. In the finest tradition of old-time performers, Dailey and Vincent combine fine harmonies, good music, superb song selection, and a healthy dose of comedy to provide a very entertaining show. And entertain is exactly what they did, to the point where they took a ten-minute intermission almost under duress.


Dailey and Vincent (center) singing
with band members Jeff Parker (l)
and Christian Davis

As with both of their former bosses, a number of gospel songs were performed throughout the show, highlighting the new totally a cappella release Singing From the Heart. Additionally, they performed several Statler Brothers tunes to promote the forthcoming release Dailey & Vincent Sing the Statler Brothers, which will be available beginning February 1 at Cracker Barrel stores.

The duo received a number of standing ovations during the show, including for their spine-tingling rendition of the Statlers' "More Than a Name on a Wall." After finishing with "Don't You Want to Go to Heaven When You Die," they were called back for an encore. Before closing the show, Dailey quipped, "Phew. It's pretty tiring when you sing for yourself."

The band has already been well-received in bluegrass circles, but there is no telling where they will go from here. Based on their superlative performance Friday night, each and every accolade they receive will be more than deserved.

If Teardrops Were Pennies

Category: Obituary

It is with tremendous sadness that I report the passing of one of country music's greatest entertainers, singers, and legends. Carl Smith passed away Saturday (January 16) in Nashville.

Carl began his career in Knoxville (which could be nicknamed "the cradle of the Hall of Fame" given all the Hall of Famers who started there), on WROL. In 1951 he married June Carter and got a record deal on Columbia. The marriage to June didn't last. The marriage to Columbia was far more successful, as Carl scored hit after hit through the 1950s and 60s.

He continued to have hits in the 1970s, but he -- not the decline in success -- ended his career. He retired to live on his farm with second wife Goldie Hill (of "I Let the Stars Get in My Eyes" fame) and raise horses.

Carl's career earned him a spot in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2003. However, in one of the biggest insults to a Hall of Fame inductee ever displayed, he was not allowed to give a speech on the CMA Awards telecast the night of his induction. Had traditional country fan Vince Gill not been hosting the show and acknowledged Carl in his seat, the very presence of the newest recipient of country's highest honor would have gone completely unnoticed.

The love of Carl's life, Goldie Hill, died in February 2005 of cancer. They had been married for 47 years at the time of her passing.



Country music has lost a "tall tall gentleman" of talent. We will not see the likes of him again.

A sad and loving farewell to Carl Smith, who was 82.

Dates of Note in Country Music, January 16-31

Category: News

Hall of Famers in bold

January 16:

Ronnie Milsap born in Robbinsville, North Carolina, 1943 (now 67)
Jim Stafford born in Eloise, Florida, 1944 (now 66)
Sandy Pinkard of Pinkard & Bowden born in Abbeville, Louisiana, 1947 (now 63)
Roy Lanham of the Sons of the Pioneers born in Corbin, Kentucky, 1923 (died 1991)
Ruby Falls born in Jackson, Tennessee, 1946 (died 1986)
Dizzy Dean born in Lucas, Arkansas, 1910 (died 1974). The legendary baseball player is credited with dubbing Roy Acuff "King of Country Music."
Bill Monroe seriously injured in a car wreck, 1953. Monroe was away from performing for six months while recovering.

January 17:

Amanda Wilkinson of the Wilkinsons born in Belleville, Ontario, 1982 (now 28)
Steve Earle born in Fort Monroe, Virginia, 1955 (now 55)
Walter Bailes of the Bailes Brothers born in Kanawha County, West Virginia, 1920 (died 2000)
Grady Martin born in Marshall County, Tennessee, 1929 (died 2001)
Cliffie Stone died (heart attack), 1998 (was 80)
Frank "Hylo" Brown died (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 84)
Hargus "Pig" Robbins born in Spring City, Tennessee, 1938 (now 72)
Mark Collie born in Waynesboro, Tennessee, 1956 (now 54)
Linda Parker of the Cumberland Ridge Runners born in Covington, Kentucky, 1912 (died 1935)
Eddie Hill died (long-term illness), 1994 (was 74)

January 19:

Oscar Sullivan born in Edmonton, Kentucky, 1919 (now 91)
Stu Phillips born in Montreal, Quebec, 1933 (now 77)
Phil Everly born in Chicago, Illinois, 1939 (now 71)
Dolly Parton born in Locast Ridge, Tennessee, 1946 (now 64)
Stephanie Davis born in Bridger, Montana, 1958 (now 52)
Dennie Crouch of the Nashville Bluegrass Band born in Strawberry, Arkansas, 1967 (now 43)
Leo Soileau born in Ville Platte, Louisiana, 1904 (died 1980)
Ken Nelson born in Caledonia, Minnesota, 1911 (died 2008)
Ralph Peer died (unknown cause), 1960 (was 67)
Vic McAlpin died (unknown cause), 1980 (was 61)
Carl Perkins died (stroke), 1998 (was 65)


January 20:

Slim Whitman born in Tampa, Florida, 1924 (now 86). In 2008, Whitman was incorrectly listed as deceased the day after his birthday.
John Michael Montgomery born in Danville, Kentucky, 1965 (now 45)
George Burns born in New York, New York, 1896 (died 1996). The legendary comedian and actor had a top 20 country song in 1980 with "I Wish I Was Eighteen Again."

January 21:

Mac Davis born in Lubbock, Texas, 1942 (now 68)
Jim Ibbottson of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1947 (now 63)
Huddie "Leadbelly" Leadbetter born in Mooringsport, Louisiana, 1889 (died 1949). The year of Leadbelly's birth is open for debate, as is the actual day, with numerous sources citing January 20, January 21, or January 23, and years of 1888 or 1889.
Cedric Rainwater died (heart attack), 1970 (was 56)
Jim Anglin died (cancer), 1987 (was 73)
Colonel Tom Parker died (stroke), 1997 (was 87). In addition to Elvis, Parker managed Eddy Arnold, Hank Snow, and Minnie Pearl early in their careers.
Patsy Cline appeared on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts and won the talent show,1957

January 22:

Teddy Gentry of Alabama born in Fort Payne, Alabama, 1952 (now 58)
J.P. Pennington of Exile born in Berea, Kentucky, 1949 (now 61)
Dickie McBride of Cliff Bruner's Texas Wanderers born in New Baden, Texas, 1914 (died 1971)
Jimmy Day died (cancer), 1999 (was 65)
Janette Carter, the last surviving member of the Carter Family, died (Parkinson's disease/illness), 2006 (was 82)

January 23:

Etta May born in Bald Knob, Arkansas, 1962 (now 48)
Johnny Russell born in Sunflower County, Mississippi, 1940 (died 2001)
T. Texas Tyler died (cancer), 1972 (was 55)
Art Stamper (fiddler in the Clinch Mountain Boys) died (throat cancer), 2005 (was 71)
Johnny Carson died (emphysema), 2005 (was 79). Carson had a number of country artists on The Tonight Show, including over three dozen appearances by Homer and Jethro, who Carson considered his favorites.
The Winter Dance Party begins in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1959. Three of the headliners, Buddy Holly, J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, and Richie Valens, would die 11 days later.

January 24:

Doug Kershaw born in Tiel Ridge, Louisiana, 1936 (now 74)
Jack Scott born in Windsor, Ontario, 1936 (now 72)
Ray Stevens born in Clarksdale, Georgia, 1939 (now 71)
Becky Hobbs born in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, 1950 (now 60)
Keech Rainwater of Lonestar born in Plano, Texas, 1963 (now 47)
Shot Jackson died (complications of stroke), 1991 (was 70)
Justin Tubb died (aortic aneurysm), 1998 (was 62)

January 25:

Claude Gray born in Henderson, Texas, 1932 (now 78)
Rusty Draper born in Kirksville, Missouri, 1923 (died 2003)
Speedy West born in Springfield, Missouri, 1924 (died 2003)
Cactus Jack Call died (car wreck), 1963. A benefit concert for the disc jockey five weeks later was the final performances by Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins, and Cowboy Copas.

January 26:

James O'Gwynn born in Winchester, Mississippi, 1928 (now 82)
Dave Rowland of Dave & Sugar born in Sanger, California, 1942 (now 68)
Lucinda Williams born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, 1953 (now 57)
Clayton McMichen born in Allatoona, Georgia, 1900 (died 1970)
Goebel Reeves died (heart attack), 1959 (was 59)
Hillary Clinton disparagingly invoked Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man" during an interview, 1992

January 27:

Buddy Emmons born in Mishawaka, Indiana, 1937 (now 73)
Lee Carroll of Exile born in Glasgow, Kentucky, 1953 (now 57)
Cheryl White of the Whites born in Wichita Falls, Texas, 1955 (now 55)
Richard Young of the Kentucky Headhunters born in Glasgow, Kentucky, 1955 (now 55)
Tracy Lawrence born in Atlanta, Texas, 1968 (now 42)
Joe Callahan of the Callahan Brothers born in Madison County, North Carolina, 1910 (died 1971)
Claude Akins died (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:

Bill Phillips born in Canton, North Carolina, 1936 (now 73)
Greg Cook of Ricochet born in Vian, Oklahoma, 1965 (now 45)
Skeeter Willis died (lymph cancer), 1976 (was 58)
Al Dexter died (heart attack), 1984 (was 78)
Jimmy Fortune joins the Statler Brothers, 1982

January 29:

Patsy Sledd born in Falcon, Missouri, 1944 (now 66)
Irlene Mandrell of the Mandrell Sisters born in Corpus Christi, Texas, 1957 (now 53)
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 73)
Norma Jean ("Pretty Miss Norma Jean") born in Wellston, Oklahoma, 1938 (now 72)
Harold Morrison born in High Lonesome, Missouri, 1931 (died 1993)
Melvin Endsley born in Drasco, Arkansas, 1934 (died 2004)
Ott Devine died (unknown cause), 1994 (was 83)

January 31:

Lynwood Lunsford of Lost & Found born in Roxboro, North Carolina, 1962 (now 48)
Warren Smith died (heart attack), 1981 (was 47)

A 90-Second Pick-Me-Up

Category: 50 Songs to Hear

SONG: When I Lift Up My Head

ARTIST: Browns

SONGWRITER: Dottie Rambo

ALBUM: Old Country Church

YEAR/LABEL: 1967; RCA Victor

That's not a song people usually mention.
(Maxine Brown, discussing "When I Lift Up My Head," July 4, 2009)

It has often been said, given the number of sibling acts in country music history, that there is no harmony like family harmony. Very few people have proven that more accurately than the Browns.

The trio began as a duet, just Jim Ed and his older sister Maxine. When Bonnie graduated from high school she joined the group. Their career seemed at an end when Jim Ed was drafted, but good friend (and guitarist on the first Browns recordings) Jim Reeves went to bat for them at RCA and got them signed. Their first RCA hit was one for the ages: the Louvin Brothers composition "I Take the Chance." Out of the Army, in 1959 Jim Ed recorded the landmark "The Three Bells" with his sisters. and set everyone in country and pop on their ears with the song. Other hits followed, including "Scarlet Ribbons" and a version of Hank Locklin's "Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On." In 1967 the two sisters retired from show business to concentrate on raising their families, leaving Jim Ed as a solo artist.

Before they parted company professionally they recorded a gospel album, Old Country Church. The shortest song on the album is also the best: "When I Lift Up My Head."

Written by the late gospel great Dottie Rambo, the song takes up just 91 seconds of time. It is the most enjoyable, uplifting minute and a half on the record -- or just about anywhere. Maxine sang the lead with her sibling backing her on a "call and response" throughout the song. Regardless of a person's religious belief, the pure joy of this song will lift their spirit.

The Browns have performed numerous "reunion" shows on the Grand Ole Opry and the Midnite Jamboree in Nashville that have filled the auditoriums. The joy of the music provided by the first family of harmony is the reason people pack the house. That joy is most evident in the brief by exceptional "When I Lift Up My Head."

OTHER BROWNS MUSIC TO INVESTIGATE:

The entire Jim Edward, Maxine and Bonnie Brown album -- golden nuggets ("Lookin' Back to See," "I Heard the Bluebirds Sing"), an early Conway Twitty composition ("The Table Next to Me"), and a cover photo featuring Jim Ed holding Hawkshaw Hawkins' guitar.

"The Bandit" (from Three Shades of Brown) -- the theme to the 1953 film O Cangaceiro gets the harmony treatment from the Browns.

"Man With a Plan" (available on The Three Bells 8-CD set) -- a fun song written by Ira Louvin.

"The Three Bells" -- it may sound strange to include this, since it was not only the biggest hit of the Browns' career but one of the biggest songs in country music history, but get this recording out and enjoy it. It is a masterpiece. If you don't have goosebumps, have someone check your pulse.

PREVIOUS SONGS:
(Country)
Rose of My Heart
Rock of Ages, Hide Thou Me
Playboy
Our Town
Old Memories Mean Nothing to Me
Not That I Care
Nobody Eats at Linebaugh's Anymore
My Book of Memories
Lost to a Stranger
A Little Bitty Heart
Life Has Its Little Ups and Downs
Life is Too Short
I Want a Home in Dixie
I Lost Today
Fingerprints
Down to the River to Pray
Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyeballs
A Death in the Family
Dark as a Dungeon
Bottomless Well

(Rock)
Stealin' Time
Starting Tomorrow
Spellbound
Sleep's Dark and Silent Gate
She's a Runaway
Painted Bells
Out to Sea
One More Song
New Delhi Freight Train
Millworker
Long Way Home
Island
Heart of Rome
Harriet Tubman's Gonna Carry Me Home
Entella Hotel
Desperados Under the Eaves
Crossing Muddy Waters
Cliffs of Dooneen
Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrow)
Baby Mine

The New Year Starts Off Hot on a Cold Night

Category: Concert review

Part of the beauty of bluegrass music is the close connection and interaction between fans and bands. That connection enabled the Cherryholmes family to earn an ovation for their sound check, which they conducted in front of the early-arriving crowd at the Shepherdsville Country Music Place on New Year's Day evening. The lucky early comers, about half of the capacity crowd who would fill the house at show's beginning, appreciated the bonus music. The band most likely appreciated the size of the audience watching them tune up, given that their first appearance in Shepherdsville was before fewer than fifty people.

Cherryholmes opened the show with a beautiful a cappella rendition of the National Anthem before launching into the first half of the show. The highlights included a brand new song they premiered for the loyal Kentucky fans, a bluesy gospel number called "Changed in a Moment" featuring mom Sandy on lead vocal, and a smoking version of "Brand New Heartache."

The influence of jazz on bluegrass has only been mentioned comically, in the late Randall Hylton's song "The Mother of Bluegrass." In this show, Cia mentioned Django Reinhardt, probably the first time the jazz master has ever been referenced at a bluegrass show. The children did two jazz numbers, one vocal and one instrumental, to close out the first half of the show.

Cherryholmes returned after the intermission with a list of requests, and they fulfilled them all. At one point regional bluegrass star Tommy Brown joined the band onstage for a superb version of "Room at the Top of the Stairs." After the intermission requests were filled, Jere asked the audience if there were more songs. People called for "Red Satin Dress" and "He Goes to Church" (which they did), and, of course, the obligatory cry of "Free Bird." After stunning renditions of "No One to Sing for Me" and "When He Reached Down His Hand for Me," the band finished off with a smoking encore of "Orange Blossom Special."

Cherryholmes will return to Shepherdsville in late February for friend Tommy Brown's mid-winter festival. The fans who walked away with smiles on their faces after the family's mesmerizing performance on New Year's day are counting the moments until that next appearance.