Obituaries

Jerry Reed Died
Jerry Red of Smokey and The Bandits fame, passed away on Monday 1st September (2008) due to complications from emphysema at 71years of age. Next to Chet Atkins he may have been the greatest guitarist in Guitar City.

Don Helms
The last surviving member of Hank Williams' Original Drifting Cowboys, Don Helms, died 11th August (2008) at the age of 81 from pneumonia two weeks after he was in hospital for a triple heart bypass operation. He was married for 62 years to wife Hazel.

Nashville Brass Leader
George Nowlan, better known as Danny Davis -- leader of the Nashville Brass -- died of cardiac arrest at 5:40pm June 12th at St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville.

Jordanaires
Hugh Jarrett, a member of Elvis Presley's  backup group, The Jordanaires,  passed away Saturday June 1 (2008), at the age of 78, of complications from a car accident he was in back in March. Jarrett sang bass with the Jordanaires from 1954 until 1958, and is featured on a number of Presley hits including "Hound Dog," "Don't Be Cruel," "Love Me Tender," "All Shook Up," "Jailhouse Rock," and "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You."

Howard Staub
The Western Music Association is very sorry to inform you of the loss of one of our own Board of Directors, Howard Staub.  He died Wednesday, May 7th, after a very difficult battle with cancer. 

Eddie Arnold Died
Country Music today lost one of the industry's giants.  Eddy Arnold, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, died around 4:40 a.m. 5th May 2008 at NHC Place in Cool Springs at the age of 89.  He has been suffering with cancer and was known as the affable Tennessee Plowboy who brought elegance, sophistication and millions of fans to country music. Eddie Arnold sold more than 85 million records and had 37 hits in the pop charts as well as a bunch of country songs which became classics.

Eddy Arnold's wife dies in  hospital
Sally Gayhart Arnold, the woman who gave meaning to husband Eddy Arnold's love songs, died Tuesday 18 March in a Williamson County hospital. She was 87.
  For more than 66 years, the couple had one of the greatest romances in the history of country music. The news of Mrs. Arnold's death came late Tuesday afternoon as her country music legend husband, now 89, remained in a Davidson County hospital after undergoing hip replacement surgery last week.
 Married on Nov. 28, 1941, the couple's relationship to friends and family epitomised commitment, devotion and teamwork.

Guitarist Barry "Byrd" Burton Dead At 61
Guitarist Barry "Byrd" Burton of the Amazing Rhythm Aces died Monday March 10 at a Nashville hospital after a long battle with leukaemia. He was 61. He toured with Dolly Parton, Brooks and Dunn and Dan Fogelberg.

Bobby Lord
Seventy four year old  Bobby Lord died  February 16th in Stuart, Florida after a lengthy illness.  Lord was a member of the Ozark Jubilee before joining the Grand Ole Opry in 1960 and remained a regular until 1975. During the late 1980s, he hosted the Celebrity Outdoors series on TNN: The Nashville Network. Lord recorded for the Columbia, Hickory and Decca Records.

Western Swing Ace Passed

Frankie McWhorter passed away this morning in his sleep (2 Feb 2008).  He was 76.  Frankie retired a couple months ago from regular appearances with Don and Angie House's Thomas Country Opry up in OK. 

Jack D. Johnson, 79,

The brash and colourful manager of Charley Pride, Ronnie Milsap, T.G. Sheppard and others, died Thursday morning in Nashville after battling congestive heart failure.
  Jack D. Johnson confronted segregation and presumption in helping Pride to become the first African-American singing superstar in country music.
 Ronnie Milsap signed with Mr. Johnson in 1973, and he soon became a major star. In 1975, Mr. Johnson won the CMA's Producer of the Year award for his co-production of Milsap's records.

Jim Nesbitt has passed away

John Hughey,
Steel guitar player for Conway Twitty and Vince Gill died November 18th in Nashville at the age of 73.  Hughey toured and recorded with Twitty for many years, and worked with Loretta Lynn for nearly two years before joining  Vince Gill's band, where he remained for 12 seasons. He was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 1996.  Hughey's work was also featured in movies, television series and specials, commercials and music videos.

Bettye Ashworth
After a long fight with lung cancer, Bettye wife of Grand Ole Opry Star Ernie Ashworth's passed away saturday morning 3 Nov

Robert Goulet.
Robert Goulet remembered for his magnificent voice and his role in Camelot, died 1st Nov awaiting a lung transplant.

Porter Wagoner died
Porter Wagoner, an Opry member since 1957 and Country Music Hall of Famer died at age 80 tonight (28 Oct 2007), as dignitaries and stars gathered at the Country Music Hall of Fame to induct its three newest members. Mr. Wagoner was admitted to the hospital on Monday, Oct. 15 and had been under doctors’ care since then. Porter. Wagoner was released to hospice care on Friday, days after the announcement of a lung cancer diagnosis.

Lee Hazlewood died
Lee Hazlewood, best known for writing and producing "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" for Nancy Sinatra, has died. He was 78.
  Barton Lee Hazlewood died at his home in Henderson of kidney cancer on Saturday evening. Hazlewood was most famous for his work with the daughter of Frank Sinatra, including writing and producing hits including "Sugartown". He also produced "Something Stupid," a duet Nancy recorded with
her father in 1967.

Boots Randolph
Saxophone player Boots Randolph passed away after suffering a subdural hematoma . The man who appeared on the 1963 hit "Yaketty Sax" (The Benny Hill theme) is 80 years old. If any country act wanted sax on their music Boots was the man they called. His playing has been heard on hundreds of hits and even Elvis Presley had him on his records. He was a regular performer in Nashville up until the 1990s. He has just had his latest CD released, a 14-track jazz instrumental album.

Glenn Sutton
One of the country musics' most prolific songwriters, Glenn Sutton has died of a heart attack on 17 April 2007. Glenn was married to Lynn Anderson and Produced "Rose Garden" and wrote many, many super hit songs. Joe South Wrote "Rose Garden".

Frankie Laine Died Age 93
The wonderful Frankie Laine has died at the age of 93. Frankie was best
known for hits like "Rawhide" and "I Believe" and although he crossed over
to the mainstream he was played a lot on country radio with many cowboy
songs to his credit, including "Cool Water" and "Don't Fence Me In".

Tom Morrell 
Tommy Morrell passed away on 30 January 2007 of emphysema at home in East Dallas. He was 68. .  For over 50 years this touring sideman and session player delivered western swing, jazz and country with artful skill on motion picture sound tracks and on the recordings of innumerable artists, including Bob Wills' Texas Playboys.  Later as a bandleader, he arranged and produced dozens of albums. During the 1990s he proved to be a major force in the resurgence of non-pedal steel through touring, arranging and recording besides his brands of Morrell and the Morrell-shields steels. He was one of the founders and designers of MSA pedal guitars.

"Sneaky" Pete Kleinow
Legendary pedal steel guitarist, "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow, passed away on Saturday, January 6, according to Paige Cofrin, President of Luna Chica Records, and Brenda Cline, of NashRock Entertainment, Kleinow's former record label head, and manager, respectively. Kleinow's death was apparently due to complications from Alzheimer's. He was diagnosed with the disease in 2006, and had been living in a convalescent home in Petaluma, California, for the past few months.

Doyle Holly 
Died January 13th after along battle with cancer. He was a member of Buck Owens’ Buckaroos from 1963-1970. He also placed seven songs on the country charts from 1972 -1974.

Del Reeves
Veteran country music entertainer Del Reeves, best known for his edgy, Bakersfield-fuelled hits Looking at the World Through A Windshield, The Girl on the Billboard and Goodtime Charlie’s passed away on January 1 in his Centerville, Tennessee home after lengthy battles with emphysema and other ailment

Dennis Linde
  Dennis Linde (pronounced LIN-dee) Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer and former BMI Songwriter of the Year died aged 63 on 22 Dec 2006 of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. A brilliant songwriter with a quick wit and fast mind who artfully blended quirky, original lyrics with up-tempo melodies. 
   He emerged on the songwriting scene in 1970 after Roger Miller released his song, "Tom Green County Fair," and Roy Drusky cut "Long Long Texas Road." Two years later, Presley recorded "Burning Love." "He was the quintessential mystery man of Nashville because he didn't go to all the functions," said Scott Siman, an artist manager who had known Mr. Linde since the 1970s. "It wasn't like he was seen up and down Music Row. He had his own way of writing and conducting himself. If you ever saw Dennis Linde it was amazing, because you didn't get that opportunity very often."

Buddy Killen
Music publisher, songwriter, record producer and musician "Buddy" Killen
became one of the most influential figures in the Nashvill entertainment business, died at the age of 73. He was recently
diagnosed with liver and pancreatic cancer.  

Freddy Fender
Country music icon Freddy Fender died at the age of 69 on 15 October after a long fight with cancer.
  The funeral takes place at San Benito City Cemetery on 18 Oct.

Josh Graves
Dobro player Josh Graves died 30 September at age 81.

Don Walser
Texas country singer Don Walser died on September 20th 2006, following a long illness from.  He was 72 and retired from the music business in 2003 after being diagnosed with neuropathy, a disease of the nervous system in 2001.

Johnny Duncan
Country music singer Johnny Duncan, known for songs like "She Can Put Her Shoes Under My Bed Anytime" and "It Couldn't Have Been Any Better," has died. He was 67.
Duncan died 14 Aug of a heart attack at a Fort Worth hospital.

Obituaries

Billy Walker and wife killed 
Veteran Grand Ole Opry star Billy Walker, whose hits included "Charlie's Shoes" and "Cross the Brazos at Waco," died in a car wreck on Sunday May 21. He was 77. Walker was killed along with his wife Bettie, 61 and two of his band members Charles Lilly Jr. and Daniel Patton Sr. when a van they were riding in ran off Interstate 65 south of Montgomery, Alabama and overturned. Walker's grandson, Joshua Brooks, 21 was critically injured in the accident. The group was on their way back to the Nashville area after performing at a show near Gulf Shores.

Bonnie Owens Died 76-year-old singer/songwriter Bonnie Owens passed away on 24 April from complications of Alzheimers. Her first marriage was to Buck Owens when he was an orange picker and part-time entertainer.
    Reports from Bakersfield say that her Alzheimers was advanced to the point that she wasn't aware of Buck Owens' death. A spokesman said she will be cremated and her ashes laid next to Buck Owens in the family mausoleum.

Buck Owens Passes
Legendary country singer Buck Owens passed away on March 25. He was 76. One of the main proponents of the Bakersfield Sound, in the early 1960s he spearheaded a new honky-tonk country styling that utilised a heavy backbeat with electric lead guitar, pedal steel, drums and bass and occasional use of fiddle. His impact was so great that he crossed over to the pop charts and was a huge influence on the Beatles (who covered his Act Naturally hit), Gram Parsons, the Byrds, Emmylou Harris and numerous others. Among his many hits are such classics as Together Again, I’ve Got A Tiger By the Tail, Love’s Gonna Live Here, My Heart Skips A Beat, and Streets of Bakersfield the latter a duet hit with Dwight Yoakam.

Cindy Walker the legendary Central Texas country music songwriter whose work is featured on a CD released this week by Willie Nelson, has died at the age of 87. The prolific songwriter died Thursday night March 23 at Parkview Regional Hospital in Mexia.
   During her sixty-plus years as a songwriter, Cindy wrote such classics as In the Misty Moonlight, Distant Drums, Dream Baby, Cherokee Maiden, When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again, Blue Canadian Rockies, China Doll, You Don’t Know Me, Warm, Red Wine and dozens more.

Terry Hadfield, lead singer and frontman for many years with the British country band Stroller died on Sunday 29th Jan 2006.  "Terry's Last Gig" was well attended and took place at Uppermill church (near Oldham) on Monday 20th Feb. Several musicians paid tribute to Terry in song, giving him a truly fitting send-off.  Terry may be gone, but he will not be forgotten!!!

Louise Scruggs, 78, wife and manager of banjo legend Earl Scruggs;  February 2nd in Nashville from respiratory disease.

Wilson Pickett, 64, member of The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; January 19th near Reston, VA from a heart attack.

Bob Weinstock, 77, producer who recorded Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Stan Getz, the Modern Jazz Quartet and other jazz artists for his Prestige label; January 21st in Boca Raton, FL from complications of diabetes.

Janette Carter, the last surviving child of members of the original Carter Family, died 22 January 2006 at Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport, Tennessee.  She was 82 and had several chronic illnesses, including Parkinson's disease. Ms. Carter's parents, A.P. and Sara Carter, joined with Maybelle Carter to comprise what is now known as "The First Family of Country Music."

Wife Of Carl Perkins Has Died
Friends are remembering Val Perkins as the woman the late singer-songwriter Carl Perkins couldn’t live without. She died at the age of 74. Perkins sister, Martha Bain, says Val’s death was a shock. Bain says she’s the one who got the couple together in high school, double dating with George Bain, who was to become her husband. Carl Perkins died in 1998. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is best known for his 1950’s hit Blue Suede Shoes. He also wrote the Johnny Cash-June Carter smash, Jackson.

Wilson ‘Lit’ Waters Jr. of Fairfield Four dies
Wilson "Lit" Waters Jr., an integral member of Grammy-winning gospel vocal group the Fairfield Four, died Thursday Nov 24 at his home in Nashville. He was 74 and had been diagnosed with cancer.

Mike Storey
The British Country Music Association (BCMA) is saddened to announce the death of one of its founding members, Mike Storey. He died in his sleep, November 26, and had been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease earlier in the year.
  In the early 1970s Mike Storey launched the Mike & Margaret Storey Entertainment Agency with his first wife Margaret (who died in 1999).
  A one time librarian at BBC Radio Leeds, Storey co-presented, with Goff Greenwood, a weekly country music programme on the station as well as running the highly successful Wakefield Country Music Club during the 1970s.
  Mike Storey, who was 68 years old years, is survived by his second wife Jean, and children Catherine and James.

Baker Knight dies at age 72....Stars ranging from Elvis Presley to Ricky Nelson, Paul McCartney, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin recorded his hits. From the 1950s to the 1970s, Knight wrote almost 1,000 songs. More than 40 singers recorded his tunes, which include the 1970 Presley hit The Wonder of You and Martin's Somewhere There's a Someone and That Old Time Feelin'. Nelson and McCartney sang the same Knight hit, Lonesome Town, decades apart. Perry Como, Jerry Lee Lewis, Sammy Davis Jr. and Mickey Gilley also recorded some of Knight's songs.

Rufus Thibodeaux. The name "Thibodeaux" is engraved permanently in the history of Cajun music thanks to the song "Thibodeaux & His Cajun Band". Rufus Thibodeaux was a fiddle player in Jimmy C Newman's band and died aged 71 recently. Jimmy C Newman believed he was the greatest Cajun fiddler of all time. He worked with Neil Young, Bob Wills and Porter Wagoner in his varied career.

Hal Rugg, Country Music Hall of Fame Steel Guitarist  passed away 10 August 2005 following a long illness of cancer.
  "Hal was one of the greatest steel guitar players of all time, but most of all, he was a true gentlemen, a great person, and a friend to all," said friend and country music promoter Marty Martel. "I knew Hal for many years. He played on several of my recording sessions. His fellow steel guitar friends are in a state of sorrow and shock, although most of us knew that Hal would be taken soon. He will be brought back to Nashville to be buried."

Eddie Shuler died in Lake Charles, Louisiana, at 92 year old.  He released 13 year old Dolly Parton’s first single ,”Puppy Love,” on his Goldband Record label in 1959.

Long John Baldry, 64, bluesman; July 21st in Vancouver, British Columbia from complications of a chest infection.

Blue Barron, 91, big-band orchestra leader; July 16th in Baltimore.

Peggy Bradley, 62, president of Bradley Music Management; July 15th at Nashville's Vanderbilt University Hospital.

Myron Floren ("The Happy Norwegian"), 85, featured accordion player on The Lawrence Welk Show;  July 23rd in Rolling Hills Estates, CA from cancer.

John Herald, 65, songwriter ("Stewball" and "High Muddy Water"), session musician and lead singer for the Greenbriar Boys;  July 18th in West Hurley, NY from an apparent suicide.

Tracy Jones, 49, long-time Nashville booking agent; July 15th after a long battle with cancer.

Eugene Record, 64, songwriter ("Oh Girl") and founder of the Chi-Lites; July 22nd from cancer.

Billy Bauer, 89, jazz guitarist who played in groups led by Woody Herman, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, and Jack Teagarden; June 17th from complications of pneumonia.


Big Al Downing, 65, member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame; July 4th in Massachusetts from complications of leukaemia.

Johnny Cash's First Wife Died

It is with deep sadness that we bear the news of the passing of Johnny Cash's first wife and Rosanne's mom, Vivian Liberto Cash Distin on May 24, 2005.

Keith Manifold Passed Away

It is with regret we hear of the death of country performer Keith Manifold who suffered a heart attack on 22nd May at a festival in Suffolk .  Derbyshire based Keith has been a stalwart of the British country music scene for about 30 years as singer/guitarist.  In recent years he ran a booking agency for country artists.   
He will be much missed by fans and artists alike.  His death closes a chapter in British Country Music.

Jimmy Martin Passes

Jimmy Martin, the brash fireball whose electrifying stage presence and soaring vocals made him one of bluegrass music's most consequential and colourful artists, died on the morning of May 14, at a Nashville hospice from complications of bladder cancer. He was 77. Known as ''The King of Bluegrass'' and ''Mr. Good'n Country,'' Martin became known as a master of American roots music. In 1949, Mr. Martin successfully auditioned for Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys and his vocal contributions ushered in what is now known in bluegrass as the ''high, lonesome sound.''

. Niki Sullivan Passed Away

Funeral services were held April 9th in Independence , Mo. , for Niki M. Sullivan, former rhythm guitarist for Buddy Holly & the Crickets. Sullivan, 66, joined Holly's band in 1957 and played on 27 records, including "That'll Be the Day," "Oh Boy," "Not Fade Away" and "Maybe Baby." He left the group later in 1957 following Holly's debut appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show

Patsy Montana’s Husband Passed Away

Paul Rose, Patsy Montana's Husband passed away on February 19 in Montgomery Alabama at the home of his Grandson Michael Losey. His daughter Beverly was by his side.
Beginning in the 1930's, Paul Rose was the manager and booking agent in the 1930's for many of the WLS artists including Mac and Bob and Patsy Montana and the Prairie Ramblers.

Legendary Songwriter Max D. Barnes dies 

The writer of masterful country music ballads including Chiseled In Stone, Look At Us and Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes, Max Duane Barnes died early Monday morning January 12 at Baptist Hospital of complications from pneumonia. He was 67. ''Max was one of the greats,'' said Merle Haggard, who recorded and co-wrote numerous songs with Mr. Barnes. ''He's in that category with Hank Cochran and Harlan Howard. I guess everybody else moves up a notch now. If there's any hereafter - any justice about it - we can rest assured that he's among friends.'' Mr. Barnes' simply structured, deeply empathetic songs landed him in the Nashville Songwriters Association International Hall of Fame in 1992. He won song of the year awards from the Country Music Association for Chiselled In Stone and Look At Us, and Chiselled In Stone was nominated for a Grammy. A special tribute feature will be published in the March issue of Maverick

June Cash’s daughter died
Rosey Nix Adams and Jimmy Campbell. Adams, 45, the daughter of the late June Carter school bus on Oct. 24 near Clarksville, Tenn.  Propane heaters in the bus were the cause of the carb
Cash and stepdaughter of the late Johnny Cash, and Campbell, 40, were found dead in a converted on monoxide poisoning, Dr. Bruce Levy ruled.

Campbell was a well-known bluegrass fiddler, who had played with the late father of bluegrass, Bill Monroe. He had also been a regular with The Sidemen, the group that plays weekly shows at Nashville's
Station Inn.

Adams was the daughter of Carter Cash and her second husband, Nashville police officer Edwin "Rip" Nix. Her siblings in the Carter- Cash family are Rosanne, Kathy, Cindy, Tara, John Carter and Carlene. Adams often sang with her mother and was a background vocalist On. on her 1999 album Press

Obituaries

Legendary record producer Sam Phillips died 30 July 2003 from respiratory failure.