Category: News/Tribute
It's one of the saddest pieces of news to come out of Nashville about someone who's alive and well in eons.
Eddie Stubbs is retiring.
The 58-year-old Country DJ Hall of Famer, who will be inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame this year as part of the Johnson Mountain Boys, announced on his radio show Tuesday (7/21) that July 29th would be his last day at WSM. That ends his nightly "Eddie Stubbs Show" as well as his work as an announcer on the Grand Ole Opry, where he was the third-longest tenured announcer in Opry history.
This will close a love affair between Stubbs and fans from all over the country who tune in to his WSM radio show in Nashville or online to get a nightly education in country music. Along the way, he's interviewed countless country and bluegrass legends.
To say the very least, his knowledge of country music is beyond comprehension or description.
I've been in the studio a couple of times while he's been on the air (once to drop off some photos I took at the Johnson Mountain Boys' show in North Carolina). He's not reading any of that stuff he tells you. It's all coming from his memory bank. And, as anyone who's ever come in contact with him will attest, he is a gracious, humble gentleman in every sense of the word.
So, what will Stubbs, who just married at the beginning of July, do? There's no telling. He may go back to being a road musician. He may move that Fort Knox-like vault of golden music knowledge to Sirius/XM. Or, he may just retire and enjoy life.
Whatever he does in the future, I can guarantee you that, when Stubbs turns the microphone off for the final time at WSM next week, the final thread by which traditional country music in Nashville dangled will break.
God bless you, Eddie. Thanks for everything.
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
Monday, July 13, 2020
Dates of Note in Country Music, July 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; StG=Steel Guitar; RR=country performer also inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
July 16:
(Hall of Fame members in bold on birth/death date, followed by hall[s] of fame in which they are enshrined and the year enshrined. CM=Country Music; BG=Bluegrass; NS=Nashville Songwriter; SG=Southern Gospel; StG=Steel Guitar; RR=country performer also inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
July 16:
Ronny Robbins born in Phoenix, Arizona, 1949 (now 71)
Harry Chapin died in East Meadow, New York (heart attack resulting in car wreck), 1981 (was 38). Chapin, a folk music icon, wrote "Cat's in the Cradle," which gave Ricky Skaggs one of his last country hits.
Jo Stafford died in Century City, California (congestive heart failure), 2008 (was 90). The pop singer also did country, including appearing on Red Ingle & Natural Seven's hit "Tem-Tay-Shun."
Kitty Wells (CM 76) died in Nashville, Tennessee (stroke), 2012 (was 92)
Bonnie Brown (CM 15) died in Nashville, Tennessee (lung cancer), 2016 (was 77)
Gary S. Paxton died in Branson, Missouri (unknown cause), 2016 (was 77)
Kitty Wells (CM 76) died in Nashville, Tennessee (stroke), 2012 (was 92)
Bonnie Brown (CM 15) died in Nashville, Tennessee (lung cancer), 2016 (was 77)
Gary S. Paxton died in Branson, Missouri (unknown cause), 2016 (was 77)
July 17:
Elizabeth Cook born in Wildwood, Florida, 1972 (now 48)
Woodrow Wilson "Red" Sovine born in Charleston, West Virginia, 1918 (died 1980)
Harry Choates died in Austin, Texas (head injury, possibly self-inflicted), 1951 (was 29)
Dizzy Dean died in Reno, Nevada (heart attack), 1974 (was 63). Dizzy was credited with giving Roy Acuff the nickname "King of Country Music."
Don Rich died in Bakersfield, California (motorcycle accident), 1974 (was 32)
Wynn Stewart died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1985 (was 51)
Ozark Jubilee debuted on KWTO radio, 1954
July 18:
Ricky Skaggs (CM 18, BG 18) born in Cordell, Kentucky, 1954 (now 66)
Mark Jones of Exile born in Harlan, Kentucky, 1954 (now 66)
Barney Alvin Kalanikau Isaacs, Jr. (StG 99) born in Honolulu, Hawaii, 1926 (died 1996)
Elizabeth Cook born in Wildwood, Florida, 1972 (now 48)
Woodrow Wilson "Red" Sovine born in Charleston, West Virginia, 1918 (died 1980)
Harry Choates died in Austin, Texas (head injury, possibly self-inflicted), 1951 (was 29)
Dizzy Dean died in Reno, Nevada (heart attack), 1974 (was 63). Dizzy was credited with giving Roy Acuff the nickname "King of Country Music."
Don Rich died in Bakersfield, California (motorcycle accident), 1974 (was 32)
Wynn Stewart died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1985 (was 51)
Ozark Jubilee debuted on KWTO radio, 1954
July 18:
Ricky Skaggs (CM 18, BG 18) born in Cordell, Kentucky, 1954 (now 66)
Mark Jones of Exile born in Harlan, Kentucky, 1954 (now 66)
Barney Alvin Kalanikau Isaacs, Jr. (StG 99) born in Honolulu, Hawaii, 1926 (died 1996)
July 19:
Sue Thompson born in Nevada, Missouri, 1926 (now 94)
Bernie Leadon of the Eagles, Flying Burrito Brothers, and Run C&W born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1947 (now 73)
George Hamilton IV born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 1937 (died 2014)
George Hamilton IV born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 1937 (died 2014)
William "Lefty" Frizzell (CM 82, NS 72) died in Nashville, Tennessee (stroke), 1975 (was 47)
George Riddle died in Indianapolis, Indiana (throat cancer), 2014 (was 78)
July 20:
T.G. Sheppard born in Humbolt, Tennessee, 1942 (now 78)
George Riddle died in Indianapolis, Indiana (throat cancer), 2014 (was 78)
July 20:
T.G. Sheppard born in Humbolt, Tennessee, 1942 (now 78)
Radney Foster born in Del Rio, Texas, 1959 (now 61)
Joseph Emmett "J.E." Mainer born in Weaverville, North Carolina, 1898 (died 1971)
Cindy Walker (CM 97, NS 70) born near Mart, Texas, 1918 (died 2006)
Velma Smith born in Eppley Station, Kentucky, 1927 (died 2014)
Ralph Rinzler (BG 12) born in Passaic, New Jersey, 1934 (died 1994)
Thomas "Sleepy" LaBeef born in Smackover, Arkansas, 1935 (died 2019)
Wayne Carson (NS 97) died in Nashville, Tennessee (long illness), 2015 (was 72)
July 21:
Bobby Hicks (BG 17) born in Newton, North Carolina, 1933 (now 87)
Sara Carter of the Carter Family (CM 70, BG 01) born in Wise County, Virginia, 1898 (died 1979)
Eddie Hill (DJ 75) born in Delano, Tennessee, 1921 (died 1994)
Hal Rugg (StG 89) born in New York, New York, 1936 (died 2005)
Cindy Walker (CM 97, NS 70) born near Mart, Texas, 1918 (died 2006)
Velma Smith born in Eppley Station, Kentucky, 1927 (died 2014)
Ralph Rinzler (BG 12) born in Passaic, New Jersey, 1934 (died 1994)
Thomas "Sleepy" LaBeef born in Smackover, Arkansas, 1935 (died 2019)
Wayne Carson (NS 97) died in Nashville, Tennessee (long illness), 2015 (was 72)
July 21:
Bobby Hicks (BG 17) born in Newton, North Carolina, 1933 (now 87)
Sara Carter of the Carter Family (CM 70, BG 01) born in Wise County, Virginia, 1898 (died 1979)
Eddie Hill (DJ 75) born in Delano, Tennessee, 1921 (died 1994)
Hal Rugg (StG 89) born in New York, New York, 1936 (died 2005)
July 22:
Don Henley of the Eagles born in Gilmer, Texas, 1947 (now 73). In addition to the Eagles, Henley was in a band, Shiloh, in the late 60s with Richard Bowden (later of Pinkard and Bowden) and Jim Ed Norman.
Margaret Whiting born in Detroit, Michigan, 1924 (died 2011). Although primarily a pop singer, Whiting had a series of duets with Jimmy Wakely in the 40s and 50s.
Bob Ferguson died in Jackson, Mississippi (cancer), 2001 (was 73)
Jack Lynn, son of Loretta Lynn, died in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee (drowned), 1984 (was 34)
Ralph S. Peer arrived in Bristol to make recordings for RCA, 1927
July 23:
Alison Krauss born in Decatur, Illinois, 1971 (now 49)
Johnny Darrell born in Hopewell, Alabama, 1940 (died 1997)
Patsy Stoneman died in Manchester, Tennessee (natural causes), 2015 (was 90)
July 24:
Donald "Red" Blanchard of the WLS National Barn Dance born in Pittsville, Wisconsin, 1914 (died 1980)
Lawton Williams born in Troy, Tennessee, 1922 (died 2007)
Max D. Barnes (NS 92) born in Hardscratch, Iowa, 1936 (died 2004)
Freddie Tavares (StG 95) died in Anaheim, California (unknown cause), 1990 (was 77)
July 25:
Marty Brown born in Maceo, Kentucky, 1965 (now 55)
Walter Brennan born in Swmapscott, Massachusetts, 1894 (died 1974). The actor had a major country hit with "Old Rivers" in 1962.
Roy Acuff Jr. born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1943 (died 2015)
Steve Goodman born in Chicago, Illinois, 1948 (died 1984)
Tommy Duncan died in San Diego, California (heart attack), 1967 (was 56)
Charlie Rich died in Hammond, Louisiana (blood clot in lung), 1995 (was 62)
July 26:
Jim Foglesong (CM 04) born in Lundale, West Virginia, 1922 (died 2013)
Fred Foster (CM 16) born in Rutherford County, North Carolina, 1931 (died 2019)
July 27:
Bobbie Gentry born in Chickasaw, Mississippi, 1944 (now 76)
Bill Engvall born in Galveston, Texas, 1957 (now 63)
Henry "Homer" Haynes (CM 01) born in Knoxville, Tennessee, 1920 (died 1971)
Jack Davis died in St. Simon Island, Georgia (stroke), 2016 (was 91). Davis, a cartoonist for Mad Magazine, designed the covers for numerous albums by Ben Colder, Johnny Cash, and Homer & Jethro.
July 28:
Frank Loesser died in New York, New York (lung cancer), 1969 (was 59). The legendary pop composer was the "victim" of Homer and Jethro's first major hit, "Baby, It's Cold Outside," in 1949 (which featured a young June Carter singing the female part). Although RCA officials worried about Loesser's reaction, Loesser loved the parody and only asked that the songwriter credit read, "With apologies to Frank Loesser." Loesser later wrote the liner notes for the Homer & Jethro Fracture Frank Loesser EP.
July 29:
Martina McBride born in Sharon, Kansas, 1966 (now 54)
Pete Drake (StG 87) died in Brentwood, Tennessee (lung disease), 1988 (was 55)
Anita Carter died in Goodlettesville, Tennessee (illness), 1999 (was 66)
Buddy Emmons (StG 81) died in Hermitage, Tennessee (unknown cause), 2015 (was 78)
July 30:
Dennis Morgan (NS 04) born in Tracy, Minnesota, 1952 (now 68)
Sam Phillips (CM 01) died in Memphis, Tennessee (respiratory failure), 2003 (was 80)
Lynn Anderson died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 2015 (was 67)
July 31:
Bonnie Brown of the Browns (CM 15) born in Sparkman, Arkansas, 1937 (died 2016)
Jim Reeves (CM 67) died in Nashville, Tennessee (plane crash), 1964 (was 40)
Dean Manuel died in Nashville, Tennessee (plane crash), 1964 (was 30)
Velma Smith died in Madison, Tennessee (illness), 2014 (was 87)
Bill Mack (DJ 82) died (long illness/COVID-19), 2020 (was 91)
Ralph S. Peer arrived in Bristol to make recordings for RCA, 1927
July 23:
Alison Krauss born in Decatur, Illinois, 1971 (now 49)
Johnny Darrell born in Hopewell, Alabama, 1940 (died 1997)
Patsy Stoneman died in Manchester, Tennessee (natural causes), 2015 (was 90)
July 24:
Donald "Red" Blanchard of the WLS National Barn Dance born in Pittsville, Wisconsin, 1914 (died 1980)
Lawton Williams born in Troy, Tennessee, 1922 (died 2007)
Max D. Barnes (NS 92) born in Hardscratch, Iowa, 1936 (died 2004)
Freddie Tavares (StG 95) died in Anaheim, California (unknown cause), 1990 (was 77)
July 25:
Marty Brown born in Maceo, Kentucky, 1965 (now 55)
Walter Brennan born in Swmapscott, Massachusetts, 1894 (died 1974). The actor had a major country hit with "Old Rivers" in 1962.
Roy Acuff Jr. born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1943 (died 2015)
Steve Goodman born in Chicago, Illinois, 1948 (died 1984)
Tommy Duncan died in San Diego, California (heart attack), 1967 (was 56)
Charlie Rich died in Hammond, Louisiana (blood clot in lung), 1995 (was 62)
July 26:
Jim Foglesong (CM 04) born in Lundale, West Virginia, 1922 (died 2013)
Fred Foster (CM 16) born in Rutherford County, North Carolina, 1931 (died 2019)
July 27:
Bobbie Gentry born in Chickasaw, Mississippi, 1944 (now 76)
Bill Engvall born in Galveston, Texas, 1957 (now 63)
Henry "Homer" Haynes (CM 01) born in Knoxville, Tennessee, 1920 (died 1971)
Jack Davis died in St. Simon Island, Georgia (stroke), 2016 (was 91). Davis, a cartoonist for Mad Magazine, designed the covers for numerous albums by Ben Colder, Johnny Cash, and Homer & Jethro.
July 28:
Frank Loesser died in New York, New York (lung cancer), 1969 (was 59). The legendary pop composer was the "victim" of Homer and Jethro's first major hit, "Baby, It's Cold Outside," in 1949 (which featured a young June Carter singing the female part). Although RCA officials worried about Loesser's reaction, Loesser loved the parody and only asked that the songwriter credit read, "With apologies to Frank Loesser." Loesser later wrote the liner notes for the Homer & Jethro Fracture Frank Loesser EP.
July 29:
Martina McBride born in Sharon, Kansas, 1966 (now 54)
Pete Drake (StG 87) died in Brentwood, Tennessee (lung disease), 1988 (was 55)
Anita Carter died in Goodlettesville, Tennessee (illness), 1999 (was 66)
Buddy Emmons (StG 81) died in Hermitage, Tennessee (unknown cause), 2015 (was 78)
July 30:
Dennis Morgan (NS 04) born in Tracy, Minnesota, 1952 (now 68)
Sam Phillips (CM 01) died in Memphis, Tennessee (respiratory failure), 2003 (was 80)
Lynn Anderson died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 2015 (was 67)
July 31:
Bonnie Brown of the Browns (CM 15) born in Sparkman, Arkansas, 1937 (died 2016)
Jim Reeves (CM 67) died in Nashville, Tennessee (plane crash), 1964 (was 40)
Dean Manuel died in Nashville, Tennessee (plane crash), 1964 (was 30)
Velma Smith died in Madison, Tennessee (illness), 2014 (was 87)
Bill Mack (DJ 82) died (long illness/COVID-19), 2020 (was 91)
Monday, July 06, 2020
"Diggin' Barefoot Jerry and the CDB"
Category: News/Obituary
Country music has lost its third Hall of Famer this year with the death of Charlie Daniels.
Daniels died this morning (July 6) after suffering a stroke, according to his publicist.
Charles Edward Daniels, the proud Tennessean, was actually born in North Carolina on October 28, 1936. Growing up in the Tar Heel State he learned music of all forms: the country music blaring from WSM in Nashville, the down-home picking of bluegrass, as well as the R&B and fledgling rock and roll. Becoming proficient on the guitar and fiddle, Daniels absorbed it all.
He began his career as a session man, playing bass and guitar on Bob Dylan's groundbreaking Nashville Skyline album in 1969. He also went to work as a producer, heading the album Elephant Mountain for the folk-rock group the Youngbloods.
After a couple of albums on his own, his third release, Honey in the Rock, yielded his first hit, the "talking blues" novelty song "Uneasy Rider." The tune was about a counter-culture hero who has a run-in with the stereotypical southern "rednecks" (his own term in the lyrics), who want to fight the protagonist because of his long hair and the "peace sign, the mag wheels, and four on the floor" car he's driving. Certainly in danger of being banned in today's culture, the song was hilarious (with its ending of deciding to get to Los Angeles from Jackson, Mississippi via Omaha).
Understandably, the song, while a pop top ten song, didn't do all that well in the conservative country music realm (where songs like "Okie From Muskogee" and "The Fightin' Side of Me" were still getting airplay). In fact, two subsequent Daniels singles, "Texas" and "Wichita Jail," both did much better on the country charts than "Uneasy Rider."
However, in 1979, there was no stopping Daniels, thanks to another "talking blues" song about a fiddle contest between Satan and a southern boy named Johnny. "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" was a chart-topper in country music, and only kept out of the #1 position in pop by the 1979 song of the year, "My Sharona" by the Knack.
Among Daniels' lasting contributions to the American musical landscape was the Volunteer Jam, which he began in 1974 for a group of southern rock and country-rock acts to get together and party through music. This year's Volunteer Jam, scheduled to be held on September 15 (COVID-19 permitting), will be a "Musical Salute" to the man who made us laugh (such as his Geico commercial, where he took a French restaurant's violinist's instrument away to play "Hoedown" to show the man "that's how you do it, son"), think (his musings on his website's "Soap Box" feature), and sing along for seven decades.
So many genres can claim him that it's no wonder much of the musical world is in mourning over the loss of this giant. He loved his country roots and his southern rock roots. In "The South's Gonna Do It Again" he honored both, naming practically every southern rock band in existence at the time (some, such as Grinderswitch [from Macon, not named for Minnie Pearl's hometown] had their biggest success by being mentioned in the song, while others like Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top made the Rock Hall of fame) while playing some terrific fiddle. He closed the song by telling everyone:
All the good people down in Tennessee
Are diggin' Barefoot Jerry and the CDB.
Charlie Daniels was 83.
Country music has lost its third Hall of Famer this year with the death of Charlie Daniels.
Daniels died this morning (July 6) after suffering a stroke, according to his publicist.
Charles Edward Daniels, the proud Tennessean, was actually born in North Carolina on October 28, 1936. Growing up in the Tar Heel State he learned music of all forms: the country music blaring from WSM in Nashville, the down-home picking of bluegrass, as well as the R&B and fledgling rock and roll. Becoming proficient on the guitar and fiddle, Daniels absorbed it all.
He began his career as a session man, playing bass and guitar on Bob Dylan's groundbreaking Nashville Skyline album in 1969. He also went to work as a producer, heading the album Elephant Mountain for the folk-rock group the Youngbloods.
After a couple of albums on his own, his third release, Honey in the Rock, yielded his first hit, the "talking blues" novelty song "Uneasy Rider." The tune was about a counter-culture hero who has a run-in with the stereotypical southern "rednecks" (his own term in the lyrics), who want to fight the protagonist because of his long hair and the "peace sign, the mag wheels, and four on the floor" car he's driving. Certainly in danger of being banned in today's culture, the song was hilarious (with its ending of deciding to get to Los Angeles from Jackson, Mississippi via Omaha).
Understandably, the song, while a pop top ten song, didn't do all that well in the conservative country music realm (where songs like "Okie From Muskogee" and "The Fightin' Side of Me" were still getting airplay). In fact, two subsequent Daniels singles, "Texas" and "Wichita Jail," both did much better on the country charts than "Uneasy Rider."
However, in 1979, there was no stopping Daniels, thanks to another "talking blues" song about a fiddle contest between Satan and a southern boy named Johnny. "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" was a chart-topper in country music, and only kept out of the #1 position in pop by the 1979 song of the year, "My Sharona" by the Knack.
Among Daniels' lasting contributions to the American musical landscape was the Volunteer Jam, which he began in 1974 for a group of southern rock and country-rock acts to get together and party through music. This year's Volunteer Jam, scheduled to be held on September 15 (COVID-19 permitting), will be a "Musical Salute" to the man who made us laugh (such as his Geico commercial, where he took a French restaurant's violinist's instrument away to play "Hoedown" to show the man "that's how you do it, son"), think (his musings on his website's "Soap Box" feature), and sing along for seven decades.
So many genres can claim him that it's no wonder much of the musical world is in mourning over the loss of this giant. He loved his country roots and his southern rock roots. In "The South's Gonna Do It Again" he honored both, naming practically every southern rock band in existence at the time (some, such as Grinderswitch [from Macon, not named for Minnie Pearl's hometown] had their biggest success by being mentioned in the song, while others like Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top made the Rock Hall of fame) while playing some terrific fiddle. He closed the song by telling everyone:
All the good people down in Tennessee
Are diggin' Barefoot Jerry and the CDB.
Charlie Daniels was 83.
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Hooray for Bluegrass!!
Category: News
While the Country Music Hall of Fame may not get around to even announcing its inductees for 2020, the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) isn't waiting around to see whether or not they'll have in-person or "virtual" awards this year.
In addition to the nominees for the IBMA awards for this year, the bluegrass organization has announced the inductees for the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame for 2020.
It is my absolute delight to introduce you to the three new inductees:
J.T. Gray: the man who owns this little place in Nashville called the Station Inn. He's supposedly been offered seven figures to sell the club that'll hold, maybe, 200 people (many fewer with social distancing in place), but he refuses. With all the trendy condos and bars sprouting up around the Station Inn, it's beginning to look like Bugs Bunny's home in the cartoon No Parking Hare. But it's still there, and it'll be there when COVID-19 vanishes. Gray is a hero among venue owners: he loves the music more than the money, and anyone who's ever performed at the Station Inn will tell you they're treated like family. The customers will tell you the same thing.
The Johnson Mountain Boys: I never thought it would happen. The guys who stuck out like sore thumbs with traditional bluegrass in the days of the "progressive" bluegrass are going into the Hall of Fame. Deservedly so, too. Loaded with individual talent (with Dudley Connell's stunning voice leading the way), the JMB made traditional bluegrass cool again.
New Grass Revival: speaking of "progressive" bluegrass, the "Father of Newgrass" Sam Bush and his friends in the New Grass Revival are also being honored this year. Another band with a boatload of talent (look at the solo careers of Bush, John Cowan, and Béla Fleck), the New Grass Revival did remarkable things in the world of bluegrass, including incorporating other genres but still remaining unmistakably bluegrass.
Hooray for bluegrass!!! And congratulations to the new inductees, who are all richly deserving of bluegrass music's highest honor!
While the Country Music Hall of Fame may not get around to even announcing its inductees for 2020, the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) isn't waiting around to see whether or not they'll have in-person or "virtual" awards this year.
In addition to the nominees for the IBMA awards for this year, the bluegrass organization has announced the inductees for the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame for 2020.
It is my absolute delight to introduce you to the three new inductees:
J.T. Gray: the man who owns this little place in Nashville called the Station Inn. He's supposedly been offered seven figures to sell the club that'll hold, maybe, 200 people (many fewer with social distancing in place), but he refuses. With all the trendy condos and bars sprouting up around the Station Inn, it's beginning to look like Bugs Bunny's home in the cartoon No Parking Hare. But it's still there, and it'll be there when COVID-19 vanishes. Gray is a hero among venue owners: he loves the music more than the money, and anyone who's ever performed at the Station Inn will tell you they're treated like family. The customers will tell you the same thing.
The Johnson Mountain Boys: I never thought it would happen. The guys who stuck out like sore thumbs with traditional bluegrass in the days of the "progressive" bluegrass are going into the Hall of Fame. Deservedly so, too. Loaded with individual talent (with Dudley Connell's stunning voice leading the way), the JMB made traditional bluegrass cool again.
New Grass Revival: speaking of "progressive" bluegrass, the "Father of Newgrass" Sam Bush and his friends in the New Grass Revival are also being honored this year. Another band with a boatload of talent (look at the solo careers of Bush, John Cowan, and Béla Fleck), the New Grass Revival did remarkable things in the world of bluegrass, including incorporating other genres but still remaining unmistakably bluegrass.
Hooray for bluegrass!!! And congratulations to the new inductees, who are all richly deserving of bluegrass music's highest honor!
Dates of Note in Country Music, July 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=Disc Jockey; NS=Nashville Songwriter; SG=Southern Gospel; STG=Steel Guitar; RR=country act inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
(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=Disc Jockey; NS=Nashville Songwriter; SG=Southern Gospel; STG=Steel Guitar; RR=country act inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
July 1:
John Lair born in Livingston, Kentucky, 1894 (died 1985). Lair, a one-time announcer on the WLS National Barn Dance, founded the Renfro Valley Barn Dance in 1937.
Thomas A. Dorsey (NS 79) born in Villa Rica, Georgia, 1899 (died 1993)
Alvino Ray (StG 78) born in Oakland, California, 1908 (died 2004)
Charles "Everett" Lilly (BG 02) born in Clear Creek, West Virginia, 1924 (died 2012)
Keith Whitley born in Sandy Hook, Kentucky, 1955 (died 1989)
Charles Carr died in Montgomery, Alabama (brief illness), 2013 (was 79). As a 19-year-old college student, Carr was Hank Williams' chauffeur on the fateful trip from Alabama to Akron, Ohio New Year's Eve 1952.
Red Lane (NS 93) died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 2015 (was 76)
Thomas A. Dorsey (NS 79) born in Villa Rica, Georgia, 1899 (died 1993)
Alvino Ray (StG 78) born in Oakland, California, 1908 (died 2004)
Charles "Everett" Lilly (BG 02) born in Clear Creek, West Virginia, 1924 (died 2012)
Keith Whitley born in Sandy Hook, Kentucky, 1955 (died 1989)
Charles Carr died in Montgomery, Alabama (brief illness), 2013 (was 79). As a 19-year-old college student, Carr was Hank Williams' chauffeur on the fateful trip from Alabama to Akron, Ohio New Year's Eve 1952.
Red Lane (NS 93) died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 2015 (was 76)
July 2:
Ken Curtis (one-time member of Sons of the Pioneers as well as Gunsmoke actor) born in Lamar, Colorado, 1916 (died 1991)
Fred Maddox of the Maddox Brothers born in Boaz, Alabama, 1919 (died 1992)
Fred Maddox of the Maddox Brothers born in Boaz, Alabama, 1919 (died 1992)
Marvin Rainwater born in Wichita, Kansas, 1925 (died 2013)
DeFord Bailey (CM 05) died in Nashville, Tennessee (kidney and heart failure), 1982 (was 82)
Elwood Goins of the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers (BG 09) died in Pikeville, Kentucky (long-term illness), 2007 (was 71)
Ralph Rinzler (BG 12) died in Washington, DC (long-term illness), 1994 (was 59)
Jim Reeves' final RCA recording session, 1964
Elwood Goins of the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers (BG 09) died in Pikeville, Kentucky (long-term illness), 2007 (was 71)
Ralph Rinzler (BG 12) died in Washington, DC (long-term illness), 1994 (was 59)
Jim Reeves' final RCA recording session, 1964
July 3:
Johnny Lee born in Texas City, Texas, 1946 (now 74)
Aaron Tippin born in Pensacola, Florida, 1958 (now 62)
Johnny Russell (NS 01) died in Nashville, Tennessee (complications of diabetes), 2001 (was 61)
Homer L. "Boots" Randolph died in Nashville, Tennessee (subdural hematoma), 2007 (was 80)
July 4:
Ray Pillow born in Lynchburg, Virginia, 1937 (now 83)
Peter Rowan born in Boston, Massachusetts, 1942 (now 78)
Stephen Collins Foster (NS 10) born in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania, 1826 (died 1864)
Peter Rowan born in Boston, Massachusetts, 1942 (now 78)
Stephen Collins Foster (NS 10) born in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania, 1826 (died 1864)
Charlie Monroe born in Rosine, Kentucky, 1903 (died 1975)
Marion Worth born in Birmingham, Alabama, 1930 (died 1999)
Bill Vernon (BG 04) born in New York, New York, 1937 (died 1996)
Bill Vernon (BG 04) born in New York, New York, 1937 (died 1996)
Big Al Downing died in Leicester, Massachusetts (leukemia), 2005 (was 65)
July 5:
James "Guy" Willis of the Willis Brothers born in Alex, Arkansas, 1915 (died 1981)
Mitch Jayne (BG 09) born in Hammond, Indiana, 1928 (died 2010)
Mitch Jayne (BG 09) born in Hammond, Indiana, 1928 (died 2010)
The Grand Ole Opry's first show at the War Memorial Auditorium, 1939
July 6:
Jeannie Seely born in Titusville, Pennsylvania, 1940 (now 80)
Nanci Griffith born in Austin, Texas, 1953 (now 67)
Justin Trevino born in Brownsville, Texas, 1973 (now 47)
Roy Rogers (CM 80; CM 88) died in Apple Valley, California (heart failure), 1998 (was 86)
Charlie Daniels (CM 16) died in Nashville, Tennessee (stroke), 2020 (was 83)
Justin Trevino born in Brownsville, Texas, 1973 (now 47)
Roy Rogers (CM 80; CM 88) died in Apple Valley, California (heart failure), 1998 (was 86)
Charlie Daniels (CM 16) died in Nashville, Tennessee (stroke), 2020 (was 83)
July 7:
Randy Goodrum (NS 00) born in Hot Springs, Arkansas, 1947 (now 73)
John "Lonzo" Sullivan born in Edmonton, Kentucky, 1917 (died 1967)
Charlie Louvin (CM 01, NS 79) born in Section, Alabama, 1927 (died 2011)
Wallace Lewis of the Lewis Family (BG 06) born in Lincolnton, Georgia, 1928 (died 2007)
John "Lonzo" Sullivan born in Edmonton, Kentucky, 1917 (died 1967)
Charlie Louvin (CM 01, NS 79) born in Section, Alabama, 1927 (died 2011)
Wallace Lewis of the Lewis Family (BG 06) born in Lincolnton, Georgia, 1928 (died 2007)
Doyle Wilburn born in Hardy, Arkansas, 1930 (died 1982)
George Morgan (CM 98) died in Nashville, Tennessee (complications of heart bypass surgery), 1975 (was 50)
Bill Porter died in St. Louis, Missouri (Alzheimer's disease), 2011 (was 79)
Lois Johnson died in Nashville, Tennessee (long illness), 2014 (was 72)
Lois Johnson died in Nashville, Tennessee (long illness), 2014 (was 72)
July 8:
Alice Gerrard (BG 17) born in Seattle, Washington, 1934 (now 86)
Toby Keith born in Clinton, Oklahoma, 1961 (now 59)
Toby Keith born in Clinton, Oklahoma, 1961 (now 59)
Louis Jordan (a jazz artist who had two country #1 hits in 1944) born in Brinkley, Arkansas, 1908 (died 1975)
Ervin Rouse died (complications from diabetes), 1981 (was 64)
Kenny Baker (BG 99) died in Gallatin, Tennessee (stroke), 2011 (was 85)
Kenny Baker (BG 99) died in Gallatin, Tennessee (stroke), 2011 (was 85)
Marty Stuart married Connie Smith, 1997
July 9:
Jesse McReynolds (BG 93) born in Coeburn, Virginia, 1929 (now 91)
David Ball born in Rock Hill, South Carolina, 1953 (now 67)
Eddie Dean born in Posey, Texas, 1907 (died 1999)
Molly O'Day born in Pike County, Kentucky, 1923 (died 1987)
Jim Fogelsong (CM 04) died in Nashville, Tennessee (natural causes), 2013 (was 90)
The Country Music Association announced the largest Country Music Hall of Fame induction class ever -- a total of 12 inductees (Bill Anderson, Delmore Brothers, Everly Brothers, Don Gibson, Homer & Jethro, Waylon Jennings, Jordanaires, Don Law, Louvin Brothers, Ken Nelson, Webb Pierce, and Sam Phillips) -- to coincide with the opening of the new Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, 2001
Jim Fogelsong (CM 04) died in Nashville, Tennessee (natural causes), 2013 (was 90)
The Country Music Association announced the largest Country Music Hall of Fame induction class ever -- a total of 12 inductees (Bill Anderson, Delmore Brothers, Everly Brothers, Don Gibson, Homer & Jethro, Waylon Jennings, Jordanaires, Don Law, Louvin Brothers, Ken Nelson, Webb Pierce, and Sam Phillips) -- to coincide with the opening of the new Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, 2001
July 10:
Randall E. "Hawk" Shaw Wilson of BR5-49 born in Topeka, Kansas, 1960 (now 60)
July 11:
Jeff Hanna of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band born in Detroit, Michigan, 1947 (now 73)
Eddie Cline of the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers (BG 09) died in Gilbert Creek, West Virginia (unknown cause), 1984 (was 77)
Eddie Cline of the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers (BG 09) died in Gilbert Creek, West Virginia (unknown cause), 1984 (was 77)
July 12:
Steve Young born in Newman, Georgia, 1942 (died 2016)
Jimmie Driftwood died in Fayetteville, Arkansas (heart attack), 1998 (was 91)
July 13:
Louise Mandrell of the Mandrell Sisters born in Corpus Christi, Texas, 1954 (now 66)
Rhonda Vincent born in Kirksville, Missouri, 1962 (now 58)
Bradley Kincaid (NS 71) born in Level, Kentucky, 1895 (died 1989)
Tim Spencer (CM 80, NS 71) born in Webb City, Missouri, 1908 (died 1974)
Lawrence Reynolds born in St. Stephens, Alabama, 1944 (died 2000)
Riley Puckett died in East Point, Georgia (blood poisoning), 1946 (was 62)
Kayton Roberts (StG 12) died in White House, Tennessee (stroke), 2017 (was 83)
Kayton Roberts (StG 12) died in White House, Tennessee (stroke), 2017 (was 83)
July 14:
Rory Bourke (NS 89) born in Cleveland, Ohio, 1942 (now 78)
William J. "Billy" Hill (NS 82) born in Boston, Massachusetts, 1899 (died 1940)
Woody Guthrie (NS 77) born in Okemah, Oklahoma, 1912 (died 1967)
William J. "Billy" Hill (NS 82) born in Boston, Massachusetts, 1899 (died 1940)
Woody Guthrie (NS 77) born in Okemah, Oklahoma, 1912 (died 1967)
Marijohn Wilkin (NS 75) born in Kemp, Texas, 1920 (died 2006)
Del Reeves born in Sparta, North Carolina, 1933 (died 2007)
July 15:
Linda Ronstadt born in Tucson, Arizona, 1946 (now 74)
Mac McAnally (NS 07) born in Red Bay, Alabama, 1957 (now 63)
Mac McAnally (NS 07) born in Red Bay, Alabama, 1957 (now 63)
Lloyd "Cowboy" Copas born in Adams County, Ohio, 1913 (died 1963)
Johnny Seay born in Gulfport, Mississippi, 1940 (died 2016)
Johnny Seay born in Gulfport, Mississippi, 1940 (died 2016)
Hank Cochran (CM 14, NS 74) died in Nashville, Tennessee (pancreatic cancer), 2010 (was 74)
Sunday, June 14, 2020
Dates of Note in Country Music, June 16-30
Category: News
(Hall of Fame members in bold on birth/death date, followed by hall[s] of fame in which they are enshrined and the year enshrined. CM=Country Music; BG=Bluegrass; DJ=Disc Jockey; NS=Nashville Songwriter; SG=Southern Gospel; StG=Steel Guitar; GLA=Grammy Lifetime Achievement; RR=country act inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
June 16:
Billy "Crash" Craddock born in Greensboro, North Carolina, 1946 (now 74)
Bob Nolan (CM 80, NS 71) died in Newport Beach, California (heart attack), 1980 (was 72)
"Orange Blossom Special" recorded by the Rouse Brothers, 1939. Ervin Rouse co-wrote the legendary fiddle tune with Chubby Wise.
June 17:
Clyde "Red" Foley (CM 67) born in Blue Lick, Kentucky, 1910 (died 1968)
Dave Akeman (Stringbean) born in Annville, Kentucky, 1916 (died 1973)
Dolores Dinning Edgin died in Springfield, Tennessee (natural causes), 2015 (was 86)
Minnie Pearl suffered a stroke that ended her career, 1991
Ground breaking ceremonies held for the new Country Music Hall of Fame, 1999. Your blogger was a member of the "All-Guitar Marching Band," fronted by Chet Atkins, that led the Hall of Fame members to the site.
June 18:
Sir Paul McCartney born in Liverpool, England, 1942 (now 78). The legendary Beatle hit the country chart in 1974 with "Sally G." He was also introduced to a Friday Night Opry audience in 1974 by Roy Acuff, where McCartney proclaimed Nashville the "music capital of the universe."
Marty Haggard born in Bakersfield, California, 1958 (now 62)
Zeke Turner born in Lynchburg, Virginia, 1923 (died 2003)
A.P. Carter married Sara Dougherty, 1915
June 19:
Glen Allred of the Florida Boys (SG 01) born in Monroe, Tennessee, 1934 (now 86)
Doug Stone born in Marietta, Georgia, 1956 (now 64)
Howard Dixon of the Dixon Brothers born in Darlington, South Carolina, 1903 (died 1951)
Lester Flatt (CM 85, BG 91, NS 07) born in Sparta, Tennessee, 1914 (died 1979)
Pat Buttram born in Addison, Alabama, 1915 (died 1994)
Bobby Helms died in Martinsville, Indiana (emphysema), 1997 (was 63)
Slim Whitman died in Orange Park, Florida (heart failure), 2013 (was 90)
Chet Flippo died in Nashville, Tennessee (illness), 2013 (was 69)
June 20:
Anne Murray (Canadian Music 93) born in Springhill, Nova Scotia, 1945 (now 75)
Evelyn Mae Cox of the Cox Family born in Springhill, Louisiana, 1959 (now 61)
Jimmie Driftwood (ne James Corbitt Morris) born in Mountain View, Arkansas, 1907 (died 1998)
T. Texas Tyler born in Mena, Arkansas, 1916 (died 1972)
Pauline "Mom" Lewis of the Lewis Family (BG 06) born in Washington, Georgia, 1920 (died 2003)
Chet Atkins (CM 73, RR 02, GLA 93) born in Luttrell, Tennessee, 1924 (died 2001)
Ira Louvin (CM 01, NS 79, GLA 15) died near Williamsburg, Missouri (car wreck), 1965 (was 41)
Benjamin "Whitey" Ford, the "Duke of Paducah" (CM 86), died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 1986 (was 85)
June 21:
Eddie Adcock (BG 96) born in Scottsville, Virginia, 1938 (now 82)
Leon Everette born in Aiken, South Carolina, 1948 (now 72)
Kathy Mattea born in Cross Lanes, West Virginia, 1959 (now 61)
Porter Howell of Little Texas born in Longview, Texas, 1964 (now 56)
Charlie Lamb born in Knoxville, Tennessee, 1921 (died 2012)
Jimmy C. Newman died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 2014 (was 86)
June 22:
Kris Kristofferson (CM 04, NS 77, GLA 14) born in Brownsville, Texas, 1936 (now 84)
Peter Asher born in Williesden, Middlesex, England, 1944 (now 76). The former half of the pop duo Peter and Gordon was the producer of most of Linda Ronstadt's crossover hits.
Roy Drusky born in Atlanta, Georgia, 1930 (died 2004)
(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=Disc Jockey; NS=Nashville Songwriter; SG=Southern Gospel; StG=Steel Guitar; GLA=Grammy Lifetime Achievement; RR=country act inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
June 16:
Billy "Crash" Craddock born in Greensboro, North Carolina, 1946 (now 74)
Bob Nolan (CM 80, NS 71) died in Newport Beach, California (heart attack), 1980 (was 72)
"Orange Blossom Special" recorded by the Rouse Brothers, 1939. Ervin Rouse co-wrote the legendary fiddle tune with Chubby Wise.
June 17:
Clyde "Red" Foley (CM 67) born in Blue Lick, Kentucky, 1910 (died 1968)
Dave Akeman (Stringbean) born in Annville, Kentucky, 1916 (died 1973)
Dolores Dinning Edgin died in Springfield, Tennessee (natural causes), 2015 (was 86)
Minnie Pearl suffered a stroke that ended her career, 1991
Ground breaking ceremonies held for the new Country Music Hall of Fame, 1999. Your blogger was a member of the "All-Guitar Marching Band," fronted by Chet Atkins, that led the Hall of Fame members to the site.
June 18:
Sir Paul McCartney born in Liverpool, England, 1942 (now 78). The legendary Beatle hit the country chart in 1974 with "Sally G." He was also introduced to a Friday Night Opry audience in 1974 by Roy Acuff, where McCartney proclaimed Nashville the "music capital of the universe."
Marty Haggard born in Bakersfield, California, 1958 (now 62)
Zeke Turner born in Lynchburg, Virginia, 1923 (died 2003)
A.P. Carter married Sara Dougherty, 1915
June 19:
Glen Allred of the Florida Boys (SG 01) born in Monroe, Tennessee, 1934 (now 86)
Doug Stone born in Marietta, Georgia, 1956 (now 64)
Howard Dixon of the Dixon Brothers born in Darlington, South Carolina, 1903 (died 1951)
Lester Flatt (CM 85, BG 91, NS 07) born in Sparta, Tennessee, 1914 (died 1979)
Pat Buttram born in Addison, Alabama, 1915 (died 1994)
Bobby Helms died in Martinsville, Indiana (emphysema), 1997 (was 63)
Slim Whitman died in Orange Park, Florida (heart failure), 2013 (was 90)
Chet Flippo died in Nashville, Tennessee (illness), 2013 (was 69)
June 20:
Anne Murray (Canadian Music 93) born in Springhill, Nova Scotia, 1945 (now 75)
Evelyn Mae Cox of the Cox Family born in Springhill, Louisiana, 1959 (now 61)
Jimmie Driftwood (ne James Corbitt Morris) born in Mountain View, Arkansas, 1907 (died 1998)
T. Texas Tyler born in Mena, Arkansas, 1916 (died 1972)
Pauline "Mom" Lewis of the Lewis Family (BG 06) born in Washington, Georgia, 1920 (died 2003)
Chet Atkins (CM 73, RR 02, GLA 93) born in Luttrell, Tennessee, 1924 (died 2001)
Ira Louvin (CM 01, NS 79, GLA 15) died near Williamsburg, Missouri (car wreck), 1965 (was 41)
Benjamin "Whitey" Ford, the "Duke of Paducah" (CM 86), died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 1986 (was 85)
June 21:
Eddie Adcock (BG 96) born in Scottsville, Virginia, 1938 (now 82)
Leon Everette born in Aiken, South Carolina, 1948 (now 72)
Kathy Mattea born in Cross Lanes, West Virginia, 1959 (now 61)
Porter Howell of Little Texas born in Longview, Texas, 1964 (now 56)
Charlie Lamb born in Knoxville, Tennessee, 1921 (died 2012)
Jimmy C. Newman died in Nashville, Tennessee (cancer), 2014 (was 86)
June 22:
Kris Kristofferson (CM 04, NS 77, GLA 14) born in Brownsville, Texas, 1936 (now 84)
Peter Asher born in Williesden, Middlesex, England, 1944 (now 76). The former half of the pop duo Peter and Gordon was the producer of most of Linda Ronstadt's crossover hits.
Roy Drusky born in Atlanta, Georgia, 1930 (died 2004)
Elton Britt died in McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania (heart attack), 1972 (was 58)
June 23:
Dallas Wayne born in Springfield, Missouri, 1956 (now 64)
Zeb Turner born in Lynchburg, Virginia, 1915 (died 1978)
June Carter Cash born in Maces Springs, Virginia, 1929 (died 2003)
Dr. Ralph Stanley (BG 92) died in Coeburn, Virginia (skin cancer), 2016 (was 89)
June 24:
Johnnie Bailes of the Bailes Brothers born in Kanawha County, West Virginia, 1918 (died 1989)
Foy Willing of Riders of the Purple Sage died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1978 (was 63)
Tim Krekel died in Louisville, Kentucky (stomach cancer), 2009 (was 57)
June 25:
Jenifer Strait, daughter of George Strait, died in San Marcos, Texas (car wreck), 1986 (was 13)
Boudleaux Bryant (CM 91, NS 72) died in Knoxville, Tennessee (cancer), 1987 (was 67)
Lew DeWitt retired from the Statler Brothers because of health issues, 1982
Billboard magazine renames the "Hillbilly" music chart the "Country and Western" chart, 1949
June 26:
Gretchen Wilson born in Granite City, Illinois, 1973 (now 47)
Colonel Tom Parker born in Breda, Netherlands, 1909 (died 1997). Before Elvis, Colonel Tom managed Hank Snow, Eddy Arnold, and Minnie Pearl.
June 23:
Dallas Wayne born in Springfield, Missouri, 1956 (now 64)
Zeb Turner born in Lynchburg, Virginia, 1915 (died 1978)
June Carter Cash born in Maces Springs, Virginia, 1929 (died 2003)
Dr. Ralph Stanley (BG 92) died in Coeburn, Virginia (skin cancer), 2016 (was 89)
June 24:
Johnnie Bailes of the Bailes Brothers born in Kanawha County, West Virginia, 1918 (died 1989)
Foy Willing of Riders of the Purple Sage died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1978 (was 63)
Tim Krekel died in Louisville, Kentucky (stomach cancer), 2009 (was 57)
June 25:
Jenifer Strait, daughter of George Strait, died in San Marcos, Texas (car wreck), 1986 (was 13)
Boudleaux Bryant (CM 91, NS 72) died in Knoxville, Tennessee (cancer), 1987 (was 67)
Lew DeWitt retired from the Statler Brothers because of health issues, 1982
Billboard magazine renames the "Hillbilly" music chart the "Country and Western" chart, 1949
June 26:
Gretchen Wilson born in Granite City, Illinois, 1973 (now 47)
Colonel Tom Parker born in Breda, Netherlands, 1909 (died 1997). Before Elvis, Colonel Tom managed Hank Snow, Eddy Arnold, and Minnie Pearl.
Doc Williams born in Cleveland, Ohio, 1914 (died 2011)
Kenny Baker (BG 99) born in Jenkins, Kentucky, 1926 (died 2011)
Charlie Cline of the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers (BG 09) born in Gilbert Creek, Virginia, 1931 (died 2004)
Vernon Presley died in Memphis, Tennessee (heart failure), 1979 (was 63)
Elvis Presley's final concert, at the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis, 1977Kenny Baker (BG 99) born in Jenkins, Kentucky, 1926 (died 2011)
Charlie Cline of the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers (BG 09) born in Gilbert Creek, Virginia, 1931 (died 2004)
Vernon Presley died in Memphis, Tennessee (heart failure), 1979 (was 63)
June 27:
Lorrie Morgan born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1959 (now 61)
Elton Britt born in Marshall, Arkansas, 1913 (died 1972)
Rosalie Allen born in Old Forge, Pennsylavania, 1924 (died 2003)
Rosalie Allen born in Old Forge, Pennsylavania, 1924 (died 2003)
Little Roy Wiggins (StG 85) born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1926 (died 1999)
Joe Maphis died near Los Angeles, California (lung cancer), 1986 (was 65)
Bob Keeshan born in Lynbrook, New York, 1927 (died 2004). The Statler Brothers referenced Keeshan's best-known character in their hit "Flowers on the Wall:" "Smokin' cigarettes and watchin' Captain Kangaroo."
Susanna Clark died in Nashville, Tennessee (illness), 2012 (was 73)
June 28:
Bob Keeshan born in Lynbrook, New York, 1927 (died 2004). The Statler Brothers referenced Keeshan's best-known character in their hit "Flowers on the Wall:" "Smokin' cigarettes and watchin' Captain Kangaroo."
Susanna Clark died in Nashville, Tennessee (illness), 2012 (was 73)
June 28:
George Morgan (CM 98) born in Waverly, Tennessee, 1924 (died 1975)
Bobby Caldwell (StG 10) born in St. Louis, Missouri, 1941 (died 2009)
The WWVA Wheeling Jamboree began, 1940
June 29:
T. Tommy Cutrer (DJ 80) born in Osyka, Mississippi, 1924 (died 1998)
Bobby Caldwell (StG 10) born in St. Louis, Missouri, 1941 (died 2009)
The WWVA Wheeling Jamboree began, 1940
June 29:
T. Tommy Cutrer (DJ 80) born in Osyka, Mississippi, 1924 (died 1998)
Frank Loesser born in New York City, 1910 (died 1969). The legendary pop songwriter was the first "victim" of a Homer & Jethro parody in 1949, "Baby, It's Cold Outside." After Homer & Jethro recorded seven more parodies of Loesser compositions for an EP (Homer & Jethro Fracture Frank Loesser), Loesser, a fan of the pair, wrote the liner notes.
Rosemary Clooney died in Beverly Hills, California (lung cancer), 2002 (was 74). The pop singer worked on WLW with many country singers and recorded a cover of the Carl Smith hit "If Teardrops Were Pennies."
June 30:
Dwayne O'Brien of Little Texas born in Ada, Oklahoma, 1963 (now 57)
Doyle Holly born in Perkins, Oklahoma, 1936 (died 2007)
R.W. Blackwood of the Blackwood Brothers Quartet (SG 02) died in Clanton, Alabama (plane crash), 1954 (was 33)
Bill Lyles of the Blackwood Brothers Quartet (SG 02) died in Clanton, Alabama (plane crash), 1954 (was 34)
Chet Atkins (CM 73, RR 02, GLA 93) died in Nashville, Tennessee (brain cancer), 2001 (was 77)
Rosemary Clooney died in Beverly Hills, California (lung cancer), 2002 (was 74). The pop singer worked on WLW with many country singers and recorded a cover of the Carl Smith hit "If Teardrops Were Pennies."
June 30:
Dwayne O'Brien of Little Texas born in Ada, Oklahoma, 1963 (now 57)
Doyle Holly born in Perkins, Oklahoma, 1936 (died 2007)
R.W. Blackwood of the Blackwood Brothers Quartet (SG 02) died in Clanton, Alabama (plane crash), 1954 (was 33)
Bill Lyles of the Blackwood Brothers Quartet (SG 02) died in Clanton, Alabama (plane crash), 1954 (was 34)
Chet Atkins (CM 73, RR 02, GLA 93) died in Nashville, Tennessee (brain cancer), 2001 (was 77)
Thursday, May 28, 2020
Dates of Note in Country Music, June 1-15
Category: News
(Hall of Fame members in bold on birth/death date, followed by hall[s] of fame in which they are enshrined and the year enshrined. CM=Country Music; BG=Bluegrass; NS=Nashville Songwriter; SG=Southern Gospel; StG=Steel Guitar; GLA= Grammy Lifetime Achievement recipient; RR=country act inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
June 1:
Pat Boone born in Jacksonville, Florida, 1934 (now 86). The legendary pop crooner married Red Foley's daughter Shirley.
Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn (CM 19) born in Coleman, Texas, 1953 (now 67)
Elsie McWilliams (NS 79) born in Harperville, Mississippi, 1896 (died 1985)
Lee Allen of the Allen Brothers born in Sewanee, Tennessee, 1906 (died 1981)
Johnny Bond (CM 99, NS 70) born in Enville, Oklahoma, 1915 (died 1978)
Hazel Dickens (BG 17) born in Mercer County, West Virginia, 1925 (died 2011)
Dale Warren of the Sons of the Pioneers born in Rockford, Illinois, 1925 (died 2008)
Andy Griffith born in Mount Airy, North Carolina, 1926 (died 2012)
Wayne Kemp (NS 99) born in Greenwood, Arkansas, 1941 (died 2015)
Jimmy Murphy died (unknown cause), 1981 (was 55)
June 2:
Carl Butler born in Knoxville, Tennessee, 1927 (died 1992)
Helen Carter died in Nashville, Tennessee (gastrointestinal issues), 1998 (was 70)
Adolph Hofner died in San Antonio, Texas (illness), 2000 (was 83)
Weldon Myrick (StG 97) died in Nashville, Tennessee (stroke), 2014 (was 76)
June 3:
Fred "Too Slim" LeBour of Riders in the Sky born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1948 (now 72)
Deke Dickerson born in St. Louis, Missouri, 1968 (now 52)
Jamie O'Neal born in Sydney, Australia, 1968 (now 52)
Curly Williams born in Cairo, Georgia, 1914 (died 1970)
Homer Louis "Boots" Randolph born in Paducah, Kentucky, 1927 (died 2007)
Wally Fowler died at Dale Hollow Lake, Tennessee (heart attack/drowned), 1994 (was 77)
Van Stoneman of the Stoneman Family died in Mufreesboro, Tennessee (Parkinson's disease), 1995 (was 54)
James Alan Shelton died in Kingsport, Tennessee (cancer), 2014 (was 51)
Graceland opens to the public, 1982
The Cincinnati radio show Midwest Hayride begins television broadcasts (on WLW-TV), 1955
June 4:
Bill Mack (DJ 82) born in Shamrock, Texas, 1929 (now 91)
Linda Martell born in Leesville, South Carolina, 1941 (now 79). She was the first black female artist to perform on the Grand Ole Opry.
Texas Ruby Owens born in Wise County, Texas, 1910 (died 1963)
Freddy Fender born in San Benito, Texas, 1937 (died 2006)
Herby Wallace (StG 01) born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1947 (died 2012)
Zeke Clements (NS 71) died in Nashville, Tennessee (post-operative complications), 1994 (was 82)
John Hartford (BG 10) died in Madison, Tennessee (non-Hodgkin's lymphoma), 2001 (was 63)
Alabama's annual "June Jam" concert began in Fort Payne, Alabama, 1982
June 5:
Don Reid (CM 08) born in Staunton, Virginia, 1945 (now 75)
Gail Davies born in Broken Bow, Oklahoma, 1948 (now 72)
William "Hopalong Cassidy" Boyd born in Cambridge, Ohio, 1895 (died 1972)
Vaughn Horton (NS 71) born in Broad Top, Pennsylvania, 1911 (died 1988)
Hal "Lone" Pine born in Pea Cove, Maine, 1916 (died 1977)
John "Lonzo" Sullivan died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1967 (was 48)
Conway Twitty (CM 99, NS 93) died in Springfield, Missouri (abdominal aneurysm), 1993 (was 59)
Ronald Reagan died in Los Angeles, California (complications of Alzheimer's disease), 2004 (was 93). While governor of California, the former president signed a full pardon for former convict Merle Haggard.
Don Bowman died in Branson, Missouri (complications of a stroke), 2013 (was 75)
Grand Ole Opry's first performance at the Ryman auditorium, 1943
The United States Postal Service issues the Johnny Cash postage stamp, 2013
June 6:
Joe Stampley born in Springhill, Louisiana, 1943 (now 77)
Gid Tanner of the Skillet Lickers born in Thomas Bridge, Georgia, 1885 (died 1960)
Asher Sizemore born in Manchester, Kentucky, 1906 (died 1973)
Charlie Cline of the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers born in Gilbert, West Virginia, 1931 (died 2004)
Claudette Orbison, wife of Roy Orbison, died in Gallatin, Tennessee (motorcycle accident), 1966 (was 24)
Grant Turner began his tenure as Grand Ole Opry announcer, 1944
June 7:
Sir Tom Jones born in Treforest, South Wales, 1940 (now 80). The legendary pop/rock singer had a hit with a cover of "Green, Green Grass of Home" in 1967 and hit the country charts with "Say You'll Stay Until Tomorrow" in 1977.
Larry Boone born in Cooper City, Florida, 1956 (now 64)
Dean Martin born in Steubenville, Ohio, 1917 (died 1995). The pop crooner recorded two albums of country music on Reprise in the early 60s and sang with Ricky Nelson in the John Wayne classic Rio Bravo in 1969.
Wynn Stewart born in Morrisville, Missouri, 1934 (died 1985)
Courtney Johnson of New Grass Revival died in Glasgow, Kentucky (lung cancer), 1996 (was 56)
June 8:
Vernon Oxford born in Rogers, Arkansas, 1941 (now 79)
Tony Rice (BG 13) born in Danville, Virginia, 1951 (now 69)
Adolph Hofner born in Moulton, Texas, 1916 (died 2000)
Alton Delmore (CM 01, NS 71) died in Huntsville, Alabama (alcohol-related illness), 1964 (was 55)
Roba Stanley died in Gainesville, Florida (unknown cause), 1986 (was 76). She is credited as being the first female solo artist recorded in country music history (1924).
Tommy Perkins of the Texas Playboys died in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (car accident), 2003 (was 69)
Norro Wilson (NS 96) died in Nashville, Tennessee (congestive heart failure), 2017 (was 79)
June 9:
Willard Cox of the Cox Family born in Cotton Valley, Louisiana, 1937 (now 83)
Jamie Dailey of Dailey & Vincent born in Corbin, Kentucky, 1975 (now 45)
Les Paul born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, 1915 (died 2009). In addition to his recordings with wife Mary Ford, Paul invented the solid-body electric guitar and multi-track recording. He also won a Grammy for his album with Chet Atkins, Chester and Lester, in 1976.
Herb Remington (StG 79) born in Mishawaka, Indiana, 1926 (died 2018)
June 10:
Thom Schuyler (NS 11) born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 1952 (now 68)
Herman Crook of the Crook Brothers died in Nashville, Tennesee (heart attack), 1988 (was 89). Crook was the last surviving member of the original Grand Ole Opry/WSM Barn Dance cast from 1925.
Steve Sanders, who replaced William Lee Golden in the Oak Ridge Boys for 15 years, died in Cape Coral, Florida (suicide), 1998 (was 45)
Ray Charles died in Beverly Hills, California (complications of liver disease), 2004 (was 73). Charles made the country charts in the 80s with duets with George Jones and Willie Nelson, and his ground-breaking 1962 album Modern Sounds in Country Music presented country songs to a wide audience.
Chuck Glaser died (unknown cause), 2019 (was 83)
June 11:
Jay McDowell of BR-549 born in Bedford, Indiana, 1969 (now 51)
Edwin Duhon of the Hackberry Ramblers born in Lafayette, Louisiana, 1910 (died 2006)
Brother Dave Gardner born in Jackson, Tennessee, 1926 (died 1983)
Jud Strunk born in Jamestown, New York, 1936 (died 1981)
Wilma Burgess born in Orlando, Florida, 1939 (died 2003)
Henry Maddox of the Maddox Brothers & Rose died aboard a mercy flight between Ashland, Oregon and Portland, Oregon (kidney disease), 1974 (was 46)
Jim Ed Brown (CM 15) died in Nashville, Tennessee (lung cancer), 2015 (was 81). Brown died less than three months after it was announced that he would be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
John Wayne died in Los Angeles, California (stomach cancer), 1979 (was 72). The actor has been referenced in a number of country songs.
June 12:
Junior Brown born in Kirksville, Indiana, 1952 (now 68)
Penny Jay born in Monteagle Mountain, Tennessee, 1927 (died 2006)
Dr. Humphrey Bate of the Possum Hunters died in Castalain Springs, Tennessee (heart attack), 1936 (was 61)
J.E. Mainer died (heart attack), 1971 (was 72)
Johnny Bond (CM 99, NS 70) died in Burbank, California (complications from stroke/heart attack), 1978 (was 63)
Winnie Winston (StG 10) died in New Zealand (prostate cancer), 2005 (was 64)
Danny Davis (ne George Joseph Nowlan) died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart failure), 2008 (was 83)
June 13:
Howard Vokes born in Clearfield, Pennsylvania, 1931 (now 89)
Slim Dusty born in Kempsey, Australia, 1927 (died 2003)
Jimmy Dean (CM 10) died in Varina, Virginia (natural causes), 2010 (was 81)
Frances Preston (CM 92) died in Nashville, Tennessee (congestive heart failure), 2012 (was 83)
Chips Moman died in LaGrange, Georgia (long illness), 2016 (was 79)
The Country Music Foundation Library and Media Center opened in the basement of the Country Music Hall of Fame, 1972. The CMF is now on the top floor of the new Hall of Fame building.
June 14:
Burl Ives born in Newton, Illinois, 1909 (died 1995)
Lash LaRue born in Gretna, Louisiana, 1917 (died 1996). The Western actor was the first sidekick to western singer/actor/songwriter Eddie Dean and was mentioned in the Statler Brothers' "Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott."
Ernest V. "Pop" Stoneman (CM 08) died in Nashville, Tennessee (illness), 1968 (was 75)
Tom Tall died in Los Angeles, California (unknown cause), 2013 (was 75)
D.J. Fontana died in Nashville, Tennessee (natural causes), 2017 (was 87)
Patsy Cline seriously injured in a car accident in Madison, Tennessee, 1961
June 15:
Terri Gibbs born in Miami, Florida, 1954 (now 66)
Blind Alfred Reed born in Floyd, Virginia, 1880 (died 1956)
Tex Owens (NS 71) born in Killeen, Texas, 1892 (died 1962)
Marvin Hughes born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1911 (died 1986)
Leon Payne (NS 70) born in Alba, Texas, 1917 (died 1969)
RCA engineer Bill Porter born in St. Louis, Missouri, 1931 (died 2010)
Bob White (StG 90) born in Jenny Lind, Arkansas, 1932 (died 2003)
Waylon Jennings (CM 01, NS 95) born in Littlefield, Texas, 1937 (died 2002)
Ruby Falls died in Nashville, Tennessee (cerebral hemorrhage), 1986 (was 40)
Hee Haw debuted on CBS as the summer replacement show for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, 1969.
(Hall of Fame members in bold on birth/death date, followed by hall[s] of fame in which they are enshrined and the year enshrined. CM=Country Music; BG=Bluegrass; NS=Nashville Songwriter; SG=Southern Gospel; StG=Steel Guitar; GLA= Grammy Lifetime Achievement recipient; RR=country act inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
June 1:
Pat Boone born in Jacksonville, Florida, 1934 (now 86). The legendary pop crooner married Red Foley's daughter Shirley.
Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn (CM 19) born in Coleman, Texas, 1953 (now 67)
Elsie McWilliams (NS 79) born in Harperville, Mississippi, 1896 (died 1985)
Lee Allen of the Allen Brothers born in Sewanee, Tennessee, 1906 (died 1981)
Johnny Bond (CM 99, NS 70) born in Enville, Oklahoma, 1915 (died 1978)
Hazel Dickens (BG 17) born in Mercer County, West Virginia, 1925 (died 2011)
Dale Warren of the Sons of the Pioneers born in Rockford, Illinois, 1925 (died 2008)
Andy Griffith born in Mount Airy, North Carolina, 1926 (died 2012)
Wayne Kemp (NS 99) born in Greenwood, Arkansas, 1941 (died 2015)
Jimmy Murphy died (unknown cause), 1981 (was 55)
June 2:
Carl Butler born in Knoxville, Tennessee, 1927 (died 1992)
Helen Carter died in Nashville, Tennessee (gastrointestinal issues), 1998 (was 70)
Adolph Hofner died in San Antonio, Texas (illness), 2000 (was 83)
Weldon Myrick (StG 97) died in Nashville, Tennessee (stroke), 2014 (was 76)
June 3:
Fred "Too Slim" LeBour of Riders in the Sky born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1948 (now 72)
Deke Dickerson born in St. Louis, Missouri, 1968 (now 52)
Jamie O'Neal born in Sydney, Australia, 1968 (now 52)
Curly Williams born in Cairo, Georgia, 1914 (died 1970)
Homer Louis "Boots" Randolph born in Paducah, Kentucky, 1927 (died 2007)
Wally Fowler died at Dale Hollow Lake, Tennessee (heart attack/drowned), 1994 (was 77)
Van Stoneman of the Stoneman Family died in Mufreesboro, Tennessee (Parkinson's disease), 1995 (was 54)
James Alan Shelton died in Kingsport, Tennessee (cancer), 2014 (was 51)
Graceland opens to the public, 1982
The Cincinnati radio show Midwest Hayride begins television broadcasts (on WLW-TV), 1955
June 4:
Bill Mack (DJ 82) born in Shamrock, Texas, 1929 (now 91)
Linda Martell born in Leesville, South Carolina, 1941 (now 79). She was the first black female artist to perform on the Grand Ole Opry.
Texas Ruby Owens born in Wise County, Texas, 1910 (died 1963)
Freddy Fender born in San Benito, Texas, 1937 (died 2006)
Herby Wallace (StG 01) born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1947 (died 2012)
Zeke Clements (NS 71) died in Nashville, Tennessee (post-operative complications), 1994 (was 82)
John Hartford (BG 10) died in Madison, Tennessee (non-Hodgkin's lymphoma), 2001 (was 63)
Alabama's annual "June Jam" concert began in Fort Payne, Alabama, 1982
June 5:
Don Reid (CM 08) born in Staunton, Virginia, 1945 (now 75)
Gail Davies born in Broken Bow, Oklahoma, 1948 (now 72)
William "Hopalong Cassidy" Boyd born in Cambridge, Ohio, 1895 (died 1972)
Vaughn Horton (NS 71) born in Broad Top, Pennsylvania, 1911 (died 1988)
Hal "Lone" Pine born in Pea Cove, Maine, 1916 (died 1977)
John "Lonzo" Sullivan died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1967 (was 48)
Conway Twitty (CM 99, NS 93) died in Springfield, Missouri (abdominal aneurysm), 1993 (was 59)
Ronald Reagan died in Los Angeles, California (complications of Alzheimer's disease), 2004 (was 93). While governor of California, the former president signed a full pardon for former convict Merle Haggard.
Don Bowman died in Branson, Missouri (complications of a stroke), 2013 (was 75)
Grand Ole Opry's first performance at the Ryman auditorium, 1943
The United States Postal Service issues the Johnny Cash postage stamp, 2013
June 6:
Joe Stampley born in Springhill, Louisiana, 1943 (now 77)
Gid Tanner of the Skillet Lickers born in Thomas Bridge, Georgia, 1885 (died 1960)
Asher Sizemore born in Manchester, Kentucky, 1906 (died 1973)
Charlie Cline of the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers born in Gilbert, West Virginia, 1931 (died 2004)
Claudette Orbison, wife of Roy Orbison, died in Gallatin, Tennessee (motorcycle accident), 1966 (was 24)
Grant Turner began his tenure as Grand Ole Opry announcer, 1944
June 7:
Sir Tom Jones born in Treforest, South Wales, 1940 (now 80). The legendary pop/rock singer had a hit with a cover of "Green, Green Grass of Home" in 1967 and hit the country charts with "Say You'll Stay Until Tomorrow" in 1977.
Larry Boone born in Cooper City, Florida, 1956 (now 64)
Dean Martin born in Steubenville, Ohio, 1917 (died 1995). The pop crooner recorded two albums of country music on Reprise in the early 60s and sang with Ricky Nelson in the John Wayne classic Rio Bravo in 1969.
Wynn Stewart born in Morrisville, Missouri, 1934 (died 1985)
Courtney Johnson of New Grass Revival died in Glasgow, Kentucky (lung cancer), 1996 (was 56)
June 8:
Vernon Oxford born in Rogers, Arkansas, 1941 (now 79)
Tony Rice (BG 13) born in Danville, Virginia, 1951 (now 69)
Adolph Hofner born in Moulton, Texas, 1916 (died 2000)
Alton Delmore (CM 01, NS 71) died in Huntsville, Alabama (alcohol-related illness), 1964 (was 55)
Roba Stanley died in Gainesville, Florida (unknown cause), 1986 (was 76). She is credited as being the first female solo artist recorded in country music history (1924).
Tommy Perkins of the Texas Playboys died in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (car accident), 2003 (was 69)
Norro Wilson (NS 96) died in Nashville, Tennessee (congestive heart failure), 2017 (was 79)
June 9:
Willard Cox of the Cox Family born in Cotton Valley, Louisiana, 1937 (now 83)
Jamie Dailey of Dailey & Vincent born in Corbin, Kentucky, 1975 (now 45)
Les Paul born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, 1915 (died 2009). In addition to his recordings with wife Mary Ford, Paul invented the solid-body electric guitar and multi-track recording. He also won a Grammy for his album with Chet Atkins, Chester and Lester, in 1976.
Herb Remington (StG 79) born in Mishawaka, Indiana, 1926 (died 2018)
June 10:
Thom Schuyler (NS 11) born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 1952 (now 68)
Herman Crook of the Crook Brothers died in Nashville, Tennesee (heart attack), 1988 (was 89). Crook was the last surviving member of the original Grand Ole Opry/WSM Barn Dance cast from 1925.
Steve Sanders, who replaced William Lee Golden in the Oak Ridge Boys for 15 years, died in Cape Coral, Florida (suicide), 1998 (was 45)
Ray Charles died in Beverly Hills, California (complications of liver disease), 2004 (was 73). Charles made the country charts in the 80s with duets with George Jones and Willie Nelson, and his ground-breaking 1962 album Modern Sounds in Country Music presented country songs to a wide audience.
Chuck Glaser died (unknown cause), 2019 (was 83)
June 11:
Jay McDowell of BR-549 born in Bedford, Indiana, 1969 (now 51)
Edwin Duhon of the Hackberry Ramblers born in Lafayette, Louisiana, 1910 (died 2006)
Brother Dave Gardner born in Jackson, Tennessee, 1926 (died 1983)
Jud Strunk born in Jamestown, New York, 1936 (died 1981)
Wilma Burgess born in Orlando, Florida, 1939 (died 2003)
Henry Maddox of the Maddox Brothers & Rose died aboard a mercy flight between Ashland, Oregon and Portland, Oregon (kidney disease), 1974 (was 46)
Jim Ed Brown (CM 15) died in Nashville, Tennessee (lung cancer), 2015 (was 81). Brown died less than three months after it was announced that he would be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
John Wayne died in Los Angeles, California (stomach cancer), 1979 (was 72). The actor has been referenced in a number of country songs.
June 12:
Junior Brown born in Kirksville, Indiana, 1952 (now 68)
Penny Jay born in Monteagle Mountain, Tennessee, 1927 (died 2006)
Dr. Humphrey Bate of the Possum Hunters died in Castalain Springs, Tennessee (heart attack), 1936 (was 61)
J.E. Mainer died (heart attack), 1971 (was 72)
Johnny Bond (CM 99, NS 70) died in Burbank, California (complications from stroke/heart attack), 1978 (was 63)
Winnie Winston (StG 10) died in New Zealand (prostate cancer), 2005 (was 64)
Danny Davis (ne George Joseph Nowlan) died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart failure), 2008 (was 83)
June 13:
Howard Vokes born in Clearfield, Pennsylvania, 1931 (now 89)
Slim Dusty born in Kempsey, Australia, 1927 (died 2003)
Jimmy Dean (CM 10) died in Varina, Virginia (natural causes), 2010 (was 81)
Frances Preston (CM 92) died in Nashville, Tennessee (congestive heart failure), 2012 (was 83)
Chips Moman died in LaGrange, Georgia (long illness), 2016 (was 79)
The Country Music Foundation Library and Media Center opened in the basement of the Country Music Hall of Fame, 1972. The CMF is now on the top floor of the new Hall of Fame building.
June 14:
Burl Ives born in Newton, Illinois, 1909 (died 1995)
Lash LaRue born in Gretna, Louisiana, 1917 (died 1996). The Western actor was the first sidekick to western singer/actor/songwriter Eddie Dean and was mentioned in the Statler Brothers' "Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott."
Ernest V. "Pop" Stoneman (CM 08) died in Nashville, Tennessee (illness), 1968 (was 75)
Tom Tall died in Los Angeles, California (unknown cause), 2013 (was 75)
D.J. Fontana died in Nashville, Tennessee (natural causes), 2017 (was 87)
Patsy Cline seriously injured in a car accident in Madison, Tennessee, 1961
June 15:
Terri Gibbs born in Miami, Florida, 1954 (now 66)
Blind Alfred Reed born in Floyd, Virginia, 1880 (died 1956)
Tex Owens (NS 71) born in Killeen, Texas, 1892 (died 1962)
Marvin Hughes born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1911 (died 1986)
Leon Payne (NS 70) born in Alba, Texas, 1917 (died 1969)
RCA engineer Bill Porter born in St. Louis, Missouri, 1931 (died 2010)
Bob White (StG 90) born in Jenny Lind, Arkansas, 1932 (died 2003)
Waylon Jennings (CM 01, NS 95) born in Littlefield, Texas, 1937 (died 2002)
Ruby Falls died in Nashville, Tennessee (cerebral hemorrhage), 1986 (was 40)
Hee Haw debuted on CBS as the summer replacement show for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, 1969.
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Dates of Note in Country Music, May 16-31
Category: News
May 29:
Carl Story (BG 07) born in Lenoir, North Carolina, 1916 (died 1995)
Danny Davis (ne George Joseph Nowlan) of the Nashville Brass born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, 1925 (died 2008)
Doc Watson (BG 00) died in Winston-Salem, North Carolina (complications from abdominal surgery), 2012 (was 89)
Mother Maybelle and the Carter Family became members of the Grand Ole Opry, 1950
Hank and Audrey Williams divorced, 1952
May 30:
Mike Snider born in Gleason, Tennessee, 1960 (now 60)
Lewis Crook of the Crook Brothers born in Trousdale County, Tennessee, 1909 (died 1996)
Johnny Gimble (CM 18) born in Tyler, Texas, 1926 (died 2015). Gimble is one of the "class of 2018" inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Don Wayne (NS 78) born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1933 (died 2011)
Karl Davis of Karl & Harty died in Chicago, Illinois (cancer), 1979 (was 73)
Bobby Harden of the Harden Trio died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 2006 (was 70)
May 31:
Vic Willis of the Willis Brothers born in Schulter, Oklahoma, 1922 (died 1995)
Johnny Paycheck (ne Donald Eugene Lytle) born in Greenfield, Ohio, 1938 (died 2003)
Bud Carter (StG 09) born in Sullivan, Missouri, 1931 (died 2015)
William "Red" Rector died in Knoxville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1990 (was 60)
Lloyd Perryman of the Sons of the Pioneers (CM 80) died in Burbank, California (complications of heart surgery), 1977 (was 60)
Jerry Sullivan of the Sullivan Family died in Alabama (illness), 2014 (was 80)
(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 Music Disc Jockey; NS=Nashville Songwriter; SG=Southern Gospel; StG=Steel Guitar; RR=country performer also inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; GLA=Grammy Lifetime Achievement recipient)
May 16:
Rick Trevino born in Austin, Texas, 1971 (now 49)
Laura Lee Owens, the "Queen of Western Swing," born in Kansas City, Missouri, 1920 (died 1989)
Wallace Lewis of the Lewis Family (BG 06) died in Washington, Georgia (complications of Parkinson's disease), 2007 (was 78)
Doug Dillard of the Dillards (BG 09) died in Nashville, Tennessee (lung infection), 2012 (was 75)
May 17:
Pat Flynn of the New Grass Revival born in Los Angeles, California, 1952 (now 68)
Grant Turner (CM 81, DJ 75) born in Abeline, Texas, 1912 (died 1991)
Paul Warren (BG 13) born in Lyles, Tennessee, 1918 (died 1978)
Arthur Lee "Red" Smiley (BG 92) born in Marshall, North Carolina, 1925 (died 1984)
Penny DeHaven born in Winchester, Virginia, 1948 (died 2014)
Wiley Walker of Wiley & Gene (NS 71) died in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (cancer), 1966 (was 54)
New Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum building opened, 2001. Nearly every living Hall of Famer was present at the opening ceremonies, and the audience was treated to a tour of the new facilities for free.
May 18:
Rodney Dillard of the Dillards (BG 09) born in East St. Louis, Illinois, 1942 (now 78)
Joe Bonsall of the Oak Ridge Boys born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1948 (now 72)
Tom Shapiro (NS 08) born in Kansas City, Missouri, 1950 (now 70)
George Strait (CM 06) born in Poteet, Texas, 1952 (now 67)
Leon Ashley born in Newton County, Georgia, 1936 (died 2013)
Gary Scruggs born in Knoxville, Tennessee, 1949 (died 1992)
May 19:
Martha Carson born in Neon, Kentucky, 1921 (died 2004)
Rex Gosdin born in Woodland, Alabama, 1938 (died 1983)
Mickey Newberry (NS 80) born in Houston, Texas, 1940 (died 2002)
May 20:
"Lonesome George" Gobel born in Chicago, Illinois, 1919 (died 1991). Although many may remember him as a comedian and regular on Hollywood Squares, one of Gobel's earliest jobs in entertainment was on the WLS National Barn Dance when he was a teenager in the 1930s.
Jack Cash, brother of Johnny Cash, died in Dyess, Arkansas (injuries from accident with table saw), 1944 (was 15)
May 21:
Henry Glover born in Hot Springs, Arkansas, 1921 (died 1991). The R&B songwriter and pioneering black record company executive co-wrote "Blues, Stay Away From Me" with the Delmore Brothers and Wayne Raney in 1949.
Charlie Poole died in Spray, North Carolina (alcohol-related heart failure), 1931 (was 39)
Billy Walker died in Fort Deposit, Alabama (car wreck), 2006 (was 77)
Vaughn Monroe died in Stuart, Florida (post-operative complications), 1973 (was 61). Among the pop singer's many hits was "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky."
May 22:
Buddy Alan born in Mega, Arizona, 1948 (now 72)
May 16:
Rick Trevino born in Austin, Texas, 1971 (now 49)
Laura Lee Owens, the "Queen of Western Swing," born in Kansas City, Missouri, 1920 (died 1989)
Wallace Lewis of the Lewis Family (BG 06) died in Washington, Georgia (complications of Parkinson's disease), 2007 (was 78)
Doug Dillard of the Dillards (BG 09) died in Nashville, Tennessee (lung infection), 2012 (was 75)
May 17:
Pat Flynn of the New Grass Revival born in Los Angeles, California, 1952 (now 68)
Grant Turner (CM 81, DJ 75) born in Abeline, Texas, 1912 (died 1991)
Paul Warren (BG 13) born in Lyles, Tennessee, 1918 (died 1978)
Arthur Lee "Red" Smiley (BG 92) born in Marshall, North Carolina, 1925 (died 1984)
Penny DeHaven born in Winchester, Virginia, 1948 (died 2014)
Wiley Walker of Wiley & Gene (NS 71) died in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (cancer), 1966 (was 54)
New Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum building opened, 2001. Nearly every living Hall of Famer was present at the opening ceremonies, and the audience was treated to a tour of the new facilities for free.
May 18:
Rodney Dillard of the Dillards (BG 09) born in East St. Louis, Illinois, 1942 (now 78)
Joe Bonsall of the Oak Ridge Boys born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1948 (now 72)
Tom Shapiro (NS 08) born in Kansas City, Missouri, 1950 (now 70)
George Strait (CM 06) born in Poteet, Texas, 1952 (now 67)
Leon Ashley born in Newton County, Georgia, 1936 (died 2013)
Gary Scruggs born in Knoxville, Tennessee, 1949 (died 1992)
May 19:
Martha Carson born in Neon, Kentucky, 1921 (died 2004)
Rex Gosdin born in Woodland, Alabama, 1938 (died 1983)
Mickey Newberry (NS 80) born in Houston, Texas, 1940 (died 2002)
May 20:
"Lonesome George" Gobel born in Chicago, Illinois, 1919 (died 1991). Although many may remember him as a comedian and regular on Hollywood Squares, one of Gobel's earliest jobs in entertainment was on the WLS National Barn Dance when he was a teenager in the 1930s.
Jack Cash, brother of Johnny Cash, died in Dyess, Arkansas (injuries from accident with table saw), 1944 (was 15)
May 21:
Henry Glover born in Hot Springs, Arkansas, 1921 (died 1991). The R&B songwriter and pioneering black record company executive co-wrote "Blues, Stay Away From Me" with the Delmore Brothers and Wayne Raney in 1949.
Charlie Poole died in Spray, North Carolina (alcohol-related heart failure), 1931 (was 39)
Billy Walker died in Fort Deposit, Alabama (car wreck), 2006 (was 77)
Vaughn Monroe died in Stuart, Florida (post-operative complications), 1973 (was 61). Among the pop singer's many hits was "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky."
May 22:
Buddy Alan born in Mega, Arizona, 1948 (now 72)
Rich Alves of Pirates of the Mississippi born in Pleasanton, California, 1953 (now 67)
Dana Williams of Diamond Rio born in Dayton, Ohio, 1961 (now 59)
Ralph S. Peer (CM 84) born in Independence, Missouri, 1892 (died 1960)
Miggie Lewis of the Lewis Family (BG 06) born in Richmond County, Georgia, 1926 (died 2017)
Royce Kendall died in LaCrosse, Wisconsin (stroke), 1988 (was 63)
May 23:
Ken Irwin (BG 16) born in New York, New York, 1944 (now 76)
Misty Morgan born in Buffalo, New York, 1945 (now 75)
Shelley West born in Cleveland, Ohio, 1958 (now 62)
Leroy Troy born in Goodlettesville, Tennessee, 1966 (now 54)
Mac Wiseman (CM 14, BG 93) born in Crimora, Virginia, 1925 (died 2019)
Rosemary Clooney born in Maysville, Kentucky, 1928 (died 2002). The legendary pop singer recorded a number of country songs, including covering Carl Smith's hit "If Teardrops Were Pennies."
Rex Gosdin died (heart attack), 1983 (was 45)
May 24:
Mike Reid (NS 05) born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, 1947 (now 73)
Rosanne Cash (NS 15) born in Memphis, Tennessee, 1955 (now 65)
Billy Gilman born in Westerly, Rhode Island, 1988 (now 32). Gilman's "One Voice" hit #1 when he was 12, making him the youngest person in Billboard country chart history to have a #1 song.
Gene Clark of the Byrds and Dillard & Clark died in Sherman Oaks, California (bleeding ulcer), 1991 (was 46)
Vivian Liberto died in Ventura, California (cancer), 2005 (was 71). Vivian was Johnny Cash's first wife and Rosanne Cash's mother.
Jimmie Rodgers recorded "Old Love Letters (Bring Memories of You)," "Mississippi Delta Blues," "Somewhere Down Below the Dixon Line," and "Years Ago" in New York City, 1933. Ravaged with tuberculosis, they would be the final recordings of the Father of Country Music.
The United States Postal Service issues the Jimmie Rodgers postage stamp, 1978
May 25:
Tom T. Hall (CM 08, NS 78, BG 18) born in Olive Hill, Kentucky, 1936 (now 84)
Jessi Colter born in Phoenix, Arizona, 1947 (now 73)
Dr. Humphrey Bate of the Possum Hunters born in Castallian Springs, Tennessee, 1875 (died 1936)
Ernest V. "Pop" Stoneman (CM 08) born in Monarat, Virginia, 1893 (died 1968)
Hal David (NS 84) born in New York, New York, 1921 (died 2012)
Dick Curless died in Bangor, Maine (stomach cancer), 1995 (was 63)
May 26:
Randall Hank Williams Jr. (NS 07) born in Shreveport, Louisiana, 1949 (now 71)
Richard Leigh (NS 94) born in Washington, DC, 1951 (now 69)
Lance LeRoy (BG 00) born in Tingall, Georgia, 1930 (died 2015)
Levon Helm born in Marvell, Arkansas, 1940 (died 2012). The actor and drummer/singer for the Band made his acting debut in Coal Miner's Daughter.
Jimmie Rodgers (CM 61, NS 70, RR 86, GLA 17) died in New York, New York (tuberculosis), 1933 (was 35)
Onie Wheeler died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1984 (was 62). He died on the Grand Ole Opry stage during a performance of the post-Friday Night Opry show, Grand Ole Gospel.
Dana Williams of Diamond Rio born in Dayton, Ohio, 1961 (now 59)
Ralph S. Peer (CM 84) born in Independence, Missouri, 1892 (died 1960)
Miggie Lewis of the Lewis Family (BG 06) born in Richmond County, Georgia, 1926 (died 2017)
Royce Kendall died in LaCrosse, Wisconsin (stroke), 1988 (was 63)
May 23:
Ken Irwin (BG 16) born in New York, New York, 1944 (now 76)
Misty Morgan born in Buffalo, New York, 1945 (now 75)
Shelley West born in Cleveland, Ohio, 1958 (now 62)
Leroy Troy born in Goodlettesville, Tennessee, 1966 (now 54)
Mac Wiseman (CM 14, BG 93) born in Crimora, Virginia, 1925 (died 2019)
Rosemary Clooney born in Maysville, Kentucky, 1928 (died 2002). The legendary pop singer recorded a number of country songs, including covering Carl Smith's hit "If Teardrops Were Pennies."
Rex Gosdin died (heart attack), 1983 (was 45)
May 24:
Mike Reid (NS 05) born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, 1947 (now 73)
Rosanne Cash (NS 15) born in Memphis, Tennessee, 1955 (now 65)
Billy Gilman born in Westerly, Rhode Island, 1988 (now 32). Gilman's "One Voice" hit #1 when he was 12, making him the youngest person in Billboard country chart history to have a #1 song.
Gene Clark of the Byrds and Dillard & Clark died in Sherman Oaks, California (bleeding ulcer), 1991 (was 46)
Vivian Liberto died in Ventura, California (cancer), 2005 (was 71). Vivian was Johnny Cash's first wife and Rosanne Cash's mother.
Jimmie Rodgers recorded "Old Love Letters (Bring Memories of You)," "Mississippi Delta Blues," "Somewhere Down Below the Dixon Line," and "Years Ago" in New York City, 1933. Ravaged with tuberculosis, they would be the final recordings of the Father of Country Music.
The United States Postal Service issues the Jimmie Rodgers postage stamp, 1978
May 25:
Tom T. Hall (CM 08, NS 78, BG 18) born in Olive Hill, Kentucky, 1936 (now 84)
Jessi Colter born in Phoenix, Arizona, 1947 (now 73)
Dr. Humphrey Bate of the Possum Hunters born in Castallian Springs, Tennessee, 1875 (died 1936)
Ernest V. "Pop" Stoneman (CM 08) born in Monarat, Virginia, 1893 (died 1968)
Hal David (NS 84) born in New York, New York, 1921 (died 2012)
Dick Curless died in Bangor, Maine (stomach cancer), 1995 (was 63)
May 26:
Randall Hank Williams Jr. (NS 07) born in Shreveport, Louisiana, 1949 (now 71)
Richard Leigh (NS 94) born in Washington, DC, 1951 (now 69)
Lance LeRoy (BG 00) born in Tingall, Georgia, 1930 (died 2015)
Levon Helm born in Marvell, Arkansas, 1940 (died 2012). The actor and drummer/singer for the Band made his acting debut in Coal Miner's Daughter.
Jimmie Rodgers (CM 61, NS 70, RR 86, GLA 17) died in New York, New York (tuberculosis), 1933 (was 35)
Onie Wheeler died in Nashville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1984 (was 62). He died on the Grand Ole Opry stage during a performance of the post-Friday Night Opry show, Grand Ole Gospel.
Judy Lynn died in New Albany, Indiana (congestive heart failure), 2010 (was 74)
The first International Country Music Conference held in Meridian, Mississippi, 1983. The three-day event began as a memorial to Jimmie Rodgers and coincides with the anniversary of his death.
May 27:
Redd Stewart (NS 70) born in Ashland City, Tennessee, 1921 (died 2003)
Kenny Price born in Florence, Kentucky, 1931 (died 1987)
Don Williams (CM 10) born in Floydada, Texas, 1939 (died 2017)
The first International Country Music Conference held in Meridian, Mississippi, 1983. The three-day event began as a memorial to Jimmie Rodgers and coincides with the anniversary of his death.
May 27:
Redd Stewart (NS 70) born in Ashland City, Tennessee, 1921 (died 2003)
Kenny Price born in Florence, Kentucky, 1931 (died 1987)
Don Williams (CM 10) born in Floydada, Texas, 1939 (died 2017)
Slim Bryant died in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania (long-term illness), 2010 (was 101)
Opryland opened, 1972 (closed 1997)
May 28:
John Fogerty born in Berkeley, California, 1945 (now 75). The leader of Creedence Clearwater Revival recorded an album of country songs under the pseudonym Blue Ridge Rangers in 1973, hitting the country chart with his rendition of "Jambalaya," and several songs Fogerty has written have been recorded by country singers.
Jerry Douglas born in Warren, Ohio, 1956 (now 64)
Phil Vassar born in Lynchburg, Virginia, 1965 (now 55)
Gary Stewart born in Jenkins, Kentucky, 1945 (died 2003)
Opryland opened, 1972 (closed 1997)
May 28:
John Fogerty born in Berkeley, California, 1945 (now 75). The leader of Creedence Clearwater Revival recorded an album of country songs under the pseudonym Blue Ridge Rangers in 1973, hitting the country chart with his rendition of "Jambalaya," and several songs Fogerty has written have been recorded by country singers.
Jerry Douglas born in Warren, Ohio, 1956 (now 64)
Phil Vassar born in Lynchburg, Virginia, 1965 (now 55)
Gary Stewart born in Jenkins, Kentucky, 1945 (died 2003)
May 29:
Carl Story (BG 07) born in Lenoir, North Carolina, 1916 (died 1995)
Danny Davis (ne George Joseph Nowlan) of the Nashville Brass born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, 1925 (died 2008)
Doc Watson (BG 00) died in Winston-Salem, North Carolina (complications from abdominal surgery), 2012 (was 89)
Mother Maybelle and the Carter Family became members of the Grand Ole Opry, 1950
Hank and Audrey Williams divorced, 1952
May 30:
Mike Snider born in Gleason, Tennessee, 1960 (now 60)
Lewis Crook of the Crook Brothers born in Trousdale County, Tennessee, 1909 (died 1996)
Johnny Gimble (CM 18) born in Tyler, Texas, 1926 (died 2015). Gimble is one of the "class of 2018" inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Don Wayne (NS 78) born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1933 (died 2011)
Karl Davis of Karl & Harty died in Chicago, Illinois (cancer), 1979 (was 73)
Bobby Harden of the Harden Trio died in Nashville, Tennessee (unknown cause), 2006 (was 70)
May 31:
Vic Willis of the Willis Brothers born in Schulter, Oklahoma, 1922 (died 1995)
Johnny Paycheck (ne Donald Eugene Lytle) born in Greenfield, Ohio, 1938 (died 2003)
Bud Carter (StG 09) born in Sullivan, Missouri, 1931 (died 2015)
William "Red" Rector died in Knoxville, Tennessee (heart attack), 1990 (was 60)
Lloyd Perryman of the Sons of the Pioneers (CM 80) died in Burbank, California (complications of heart surgery), 1977 (was 60)
Jerry Sullivan of the Sullivan Family died in Alabama (illness), 2014 (was 80)
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