30 Years Ago: Uncle Walt’s Band Founder Dies in ValuJet Plane Crash

Plane crashes have wrought tragedy in country music over the years, and in ways that have shaped the history of the genre itself.

On March 5th, 1963, country legend Patsy Cline, along with Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins died in a plane crash near Camden, Tennessee while returning to Nashville, robbing the genre of three iconic performers. On March 16th, 1991, Reba McEntire’s road manager and seven members of her backing band died after a plane wing clipped Otay Mountain near San Diego and crashed.

There was also “The Day The Music Died” that took the life of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and “The Big Bopper” J. P. Richardson on February 3, 1959. Most significant to country music, Waylon Jennings was supposed to be on that plane as the acting bass player for Buddy Holly, but opted last minute to take a bus instead and give his seat up to The Big Bopper. Singer Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry died in a helicopter crash in New Jersey on September 8th, 2017.

Walter Hyatt of Uncle Walt’s Band might not be as well-recognized of a name as Patsy Cline, Buddy Holly, Montgomery Gentry, or Reba McEntire. But his death was just as tragic, and the fight he died on was one of the most high-profile crashes in aviation history. On May 11th, 1996, Walt was a passenger on ValueJet Airlines Flight 592. He was one of the 110 people on board who perished after chemical oxygen generators improperly stored in the cargo hold of the plane started a fire, dooming the flight.

Heading into 1996, ValuJet already had a dubious safety record. Even before the crash of Flight 592, the low-cost carrier was a punchline of jokes, though there had been no crashes or deaths up to that point. In an effort to save money, 144 expired chemical oxygen generators around the size of a tennis-ball cans were placed in the cargo compartment in five boxes. These canisters helped fuel a fire that ultimately caused the flight from Miami to Atlanta to crash in the Florida everglades.

The controversy and intrigue surrounding the plane crash in many ways overshadowed one of the flight’s most famous passengers. Walter Hyatt was not a household name, and maybe Uncle Walt’s Band wasn’t either. But both were wildly influential in their era, and Hyatt’s tragic death sent ripples throughout the country music and burgeoning Americana community.

Born in Spartanburg, North Carolina, Walter Hyatt formed Uncle Walt’s Band with Champ Hood and David Ball—two other musicians who would go on to have significant solo careers. They moved to Nashville in 1972 where Willis Alan Ramsey took a shine to them, and they began to find their way through the music scene. They returned to North Carolina in 1974 to record their debut album Blame It on the Bossanova.

The legacy of Uncle Walt’s Band was one of regular disbandings and reunifications, with the respective players pursuing solo careers in the interim. But they really found their footing in the late ’70s in Austin, TX, becoming one of the city’s most beloved bands. The released three more original albums throughout the ’80s, distinguishing themselves with their 3-part harmonies that took traditional country songs and infused them with jazz, bluegrass, and folk influences.

Jerry Jeff Walker and B.J. Thomas were some of many performers who covered Uncle Walt’s Band material. David Ball used the band as a springboard to a successful solo career, with his 1994 album Thinkin’ Problem becoming Certified Platinum, and the title track becoming a #2 hit in country. Walter Hyatt launched a solo career of his own, releasing multiple records, and being cited as a significant influence by artists like Lyle Lovett, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Lucinda Williams.

At the time of Walter Hyatt’s death, he was working on a third solo album. Having performed on Austin City Limits with Uncle Walt’s Band, the PBS program paid tribute to Hyatt after the plane crash, with Lyle Lovett, Junior Brown, Willis Alan Ramsey, Allison Moorer, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Shawn Colvin, and Marcia Ball all performing in tribute. There was another tribute held in Nashville where Townes Van Zandt and others performed.

The Flight 592 ValuJet crash remains the deadliest plane crash in Florida history. It also doomed the airline who had to sell to AirTran Airways,and who eventually retired the ValueJet brand due to the sullied reputation.

Meanwhile the legacy of Walter Hyatt and Uncle Walt’s Band feels too commonly forgotten and overlooked in country and roots music. Wildly influential in their era, even if not especially commercially successful, the legacy of the band can still be heard in songs from Austin, to Nashville, and beyond. Champ Hood’s son Warren Hood remains a big part of the Austin, TX music scene.

Walter Hyatt never got the opportunity to cement his legacy later in life due to the tragic plane crash. But the music of Uncle Walt’s Band and Hyatt’s solo career continue to be heard throughout Americana.

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