Country Greats Who’ve Passed Away So Far in 2015
2015 so far has been an especially dark year for deaths in the greater country music world. From the passing of legends such as “Little” Jimmy Dickens and Jim Ed Brown, to the tragedy of lives ended too soon like in the cases of Randy Howard and Jon Hensley. We don’t always take to proper time to honor all of those that have passed, so as we enter the second half of 2015, let’s reflect back on who we have lost so far.
Tom Skinner – July 12th, 2015
You may not be comfortable with how exactly to define the quasi country, quasi-rock music that comes out of the Texas / Oklahoma region known as Red Dirt, but what you can be confident in is that it would never have come to life like it did without a man named Tom Skinner.
Along with Jimmy LaFave and the late Bob Childers, Tom Skinnner was one of the founding fathers of the music nicknamed for the clay-laced earth deposited throughout the region that gives the Red River dividing Texas and Oklahoma a burnt red hue. More of an attitude than a sound, the term “Red Dirt” encompasses the rock music of Cody Canada and the hard country of Jason Boland all the same. The only constant is they all got their start in Stillwater, Oklahoma, under the tutelage of Tom Skinner and others.
Bass player, songwriter, and father of Red Dirt music Tom Skinner passed away July 12th after a long bout with health issues. He was 61-years-old. He will leave a hole in the Texas / Red Dirt music scene the size of Oklahoma. (read more)
Jim Ed Brown – June 11th, 2015
Country Music Hall of Famer and Grand Ole Opry member Jim Ed Brown passed away June 11th at the Williamson Medical Center in Franklin, TN after a long battle with lung Cancer. Though Jim Ed’s Cancer originally diagnosed in September of 2014 had gone into remission earlier this year, the country star recently announced it had returned.
James Edward Brown was born April 1, 1934, in Sparkman, Arkansas. He was a member of the family band The Browns with his two sisters Maxine and Bonnie. It was just announced in March that The Browns would be the newest inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame along with Grady Martin and the Oak Ridge Boys.
In 1965, Jim Ed Brown signed a solo contract with RCA and began to record and release music outside of The Browns band, including numerous successful hits. This slowly caused the band to dissolve, eventually disbanding officially in 1967. However over the years, The Browns have reunited on many occasions and continue to perform together today. he had become a mainstay of the Grand Ole Opry over the last few years, and also was the DJ of a radio show. In 2015, he released a new album called In Style Again his first record in 40 years. (read more)
Randy Howard – June 9th, 2015
Randy Howard released two major label records, All American Redneck for Warner Bros. in 1983, and the self-titled Randy Howard for Atlantic in 1988. He released seven records overall, including two titles for for Utopian Records, including his debut Now and Then in 1976. It included the protest song, “God Don’t Live in Nashville” and Howard was considered to be a pioneer of the Outlaw country movement. “All American Redneck” became his signature song and an underground hit.
As a performer, Howard shared the stage with Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Charlie Daniels, Hank Williams Jr., and many others. Later in life he might have been best known for penning songs for Hank Williams III, including the 3rd generation country star’s “I Don’t Know” off of his debut album Risin’ Outlaw, and “My Drinking Problem” from Hank3’s opus Straight to Hell. Howard also toured with Hank3 as an opener early in Hank3’s career.
Randy Howard was killed by a bounty hunter serving a bench warrant. The case is still under investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. (read more)
Jon Hensley – June 1st, 2015
Jon Hensley is given credit for helping to revitalize the career of Wanda Jackson when the Queen of Rockabilly began to perform and record again after a lull in her career. Wanda Jackson recorded an album with Jack White called The Party Ain’t Over in 2011, and worked with Justin Townes Earle on 2012’s Unfinished Business, putting her back into national prominance. “Jon’s very valuable to me and the resurgence of my career,” Wanda Jackson is quoted as saying. “We’re kindred spirits.”
Hensley also managed Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers and The Dirt Daubers two acts involving performer JD Wilkes, and also managed Gary Bennett of BR549, and Goose Creek Symphony. John previously worked under the management, publicity, and distribution company Thirty Tigers.
Recently Hensley was best known as the manager and right hand man of Waylon Jenning’s son Shooter Jennings. (read more)
Johnny Gimble – May 9th, 2015
By the late 60’s Gimble was a sought after session player, and played on Merle Haggard’s Bob Wills tribute record, and recordings from Chet Atkins. Gimble also played mandolin in both live and studio sessions. He was also known for being one of the very few five-string fiddle players adding an extra lower string to hit lower notes.
Johnny Gimble’s most high-profile position may have been as a member of the Million Dollar Band an All-Star group of session musicians that most notably appeared on the television variety show Hee-Haw. He also toured with Willie Nelson as his fiddle player from 1979 to 1981 after moving from Nashville back to Texas, and in 1983 assembled a Texas Swing group that featured Ray Price on vocals that had a hit with the song “One Fiddle, Two Fiddle” after the song was featured in the Clint Eastwood move Honkytonk Man.
Beloved as a fiddle virtuoso in Texas and beyond, Johnny Gimble will the deeply missed in the country music community. He was 88 years old. (read more)
Drummer Bob Burns – April 4th, 2015
Burns slipped off the road on a tight turn and hit a mailbox and a tree just before midnight. He died on the scene. Georgia State Patrol authorities say Burns was not wearing his seat belt at the time of the accident.
Bob Burns helped form Lynyrd Skynyrd with Gary Rossington and Larry Junstrom in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964 when he was just 14-years-old. He would appear on many early recordings, as well as the band’s two first major releases, (Pronounced ‘LÄ•h-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd) and Second Helping, making Burns the drummer on some of the most iconic songs in Southern rock history, including “Free Bird,” “Sweet Home Alabama,” and “Simple Man.” Burns officially left the group in 1974 citing the rigors of road life, and he often took time off from the band during his tenure as drummer. Burns was replaced by Artemis Pyle who became a well-recognized member of the iconic Southern rock outfit. (read more)
Bobby Emmons – February 23rd, 2015
Known for writing such iconic songs as the #1 hits by Waylon Jennings “Luckenbach, Texas” and “Wurlitzer Prize (I Don’t Want To Get Over You),” Tanya Tucker’s hit “Love Me Like You Used Too,” “So Much Like My Dad” by George Strait, and many more, he was also a well-respected musician in some of American music’s most important studio and touring bands.
Born Bobby Gene Emmons on February 19, 1943 in Corinth, Mississippi to Elmer and Minnie Emmons, Bobby was a self-taught player who became a professional songwriter and musician in 1959. As a member of Bill Black’s Combo, he toured all around the country playing keys until he joined The Memphis Boys the iconic studio band for the American Sound Studio in Memphis, TN. Considered one of the top two hit factory studios of the time, The Memphis Boys played on more hit records in a six month period than any other group of studio musicians in history according to Billboard, including scoring hits in four different genres: country, jazz, R&B, and pop. They had 122 hits in all, including many with Elvis.
Emmons also lent his talents to other studios, including Fernwood, Hi Studios, Sun Studios, Phillips International, Sounds of Memphis, Stax, Ardent and Elvis Presley’s “The Jungle Room.” Bobby played on the Willie Nelson albums Always on My Mind, City of New Orleans, Take It to the Limit, WWII (with Waylon Jennings), Pancho and Lefty (with Merle Haggard), the first two records for the supergroup The Highwaymen, and played Hammond B3 in The Highwaymen backing band. Bobby Emmons had just turned 72-years-old. (read more)
Joe B. Maudlin – February 7th, 2015
Joe Benson Mauldin, Jr. was born on July 8th, 1940 in Lubbock, TX, and joined Buddy Holly early on along with drummer Jerry Allison, and later guitarist Niki Sullivan. The Crickets were taking a hiatus from Buddy Holly on that fateful February 3rd in 1959 when Buddy Holly’s plane crashed, forever memorialized as “The Day The Music Died.” At the time a young upstart musician named Waylon Jennings was filling in for Maudlin. The Crickets were in a minor spat with Holly at the time, but were hoping to patch things up when the bespectacled star returned home. Joe B. was one of the pall bearers at Buddy Holly’s funeral.
Beyond The Crickets, Joe B. had a notable career as a musician and sound engineer. Mauldin worked at the Gold Star Studio in Los Angeles in the 1960’s that was used by Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys and Phil Spector among others. He also played on many country records. Joe B. Mauldin is also a member of the Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville, and is memorialized on the West Texas Walk of Fame in his hometown of Lubbock. In 2012, a committee made sure that Maudlin and the other original Crickets were formally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after being overlooked when Buddy Holly was first inducted in 1986. (read more)
“Little” Jimmy Dickens – January 2nd, 2015
James Cecil Dickens was born in Bolt, West Virginia, and began his musical career performing on WJLS radio while attending college. In 1948, Roy Acuff heard Dickens on the radio, and introduced him to Columbia Records and The Grand Ole Opry, and soon “Little” Jimmy was a mainstay on the radio show and releasing studio records. The “Little” came from his small stature, but Hank Williams later nicknamed him “Tater” after one of his most recognizable early hits “Take an Old Cold Tater (And Wait).” Hank originally penned his song “Hey Good Lookin’” for Jimmy, but later recorded it himself, saying it was “too good” for his Opry friend.
Dickens formed his band the Country Boys in 1950, and was best known for his novelty songs, or songs that incorporated comedy such as “A-Sleeping at the Foot of the Bed,” “I’m Little But I’m Loud,” and “May The Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose.” He became the first country act to circumvent the globe while on tour in 1964, and in 1965 scored his first #1 hit with “May The Bird of Paradise”¦” Jimmy was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1983.
Later in life “Little” Jimmy became a fixture of The Grand Ole Opry, many times as the comic relief character of the sainted stage, and despite his loss of commercial prominence, was well-recognized and beloved even by younger audiences who knew “Little” Jimmy from appearances on awards shows, videos for Brad Paisley, and other notable cameos.
Other Notable Deaths:
” Red Lane – July 1st – Songwriter of “Til’ I Get It Right,” “Darling You Know I Wouldn’t Lie,” & more.
” Jack Eubanks – July 1st – Session guitarist who played on records from Alabama, Kenny Rogers, Charley Pride, & more.
” Rumer Rain Rogers – June 9th – Newborn daughter of Texas country artist Randy Rogers.
” Toni Dae – June 3rd – Songwriter for Alan Jackson, Conway Twitty, George Jones, Tammy Wynette, and others.
” Jean Ritchie – June 1st – Folk Queen who wrote songs for Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Doc Watson, and more.
” Bob Stegall – May 27th – steel guitar player, and father of Keith Stegall.
” Dottie Dillard – May 6th -Singer and member of The Anita Kerr Quartet.
” Herb McCullough – May 5th – Songwriter.
” Dan Wilson, Jr. – April 21st – Publisher and songwriter for Ricky Skaggs, The Oak Ridge Boys, Jerry Reed, and others.
” Tut Taylor – April 8th – Bluegrass virtuoso who played dobro, mandolin, banjo, and guitar.
” Sandy Mason – April 1st – Songwriter.
” Don Robertson – March 16th – Nashville Songwriter Hall of Famer who penned classics for Hank Snow, Elvis, Eddy Arnold, and Charley Pride.
” Billy Block – March 11th – Americana founding father, up-and-coming music enthusiast who launched numerous artists through his radio and stage presentations.
” Wayne Kemp – Songwriter for “Love Bug,” “Feelin’ Single, Seein’ Double,” Conway Twitty’s #1 “Next in Line,” and many more.
” James “Spider” Wilson – February 26th – Guitar player who spent from 1953 to 2006 in the Grand Ole Opry band.
” Dixie Hall – January 15th – Well-known bluegrass songwriter and wife of Tom T. Hall.
” AJ Masters – January 12th – Songwriter.
July 16, 2015 @ 7:57 am
What a list.
July 16, 2015 @ 8:31 am
I was lucky enough to get to see Jim Ed Brown with my dad at the Opry and Little Jimmy Dickens with my 8 year old daughter over the 5 years. My little girl wrote to the Opry well wishes for Dickens and I know she will forever remember that experience.
July 16, 2015 @ 9:47 am
Every time I see Jon Hensley’s name now I remember that episode of Spongebob Squarepants with the screaming chocolate guy.
“Jon Hensley? Did you say Jon Hensley??? JON HENSLEY!!!!!!!!!”
Seriously Trig, bravo for staying your course and for posting this. Johnny Gimble was my favorite on this list.
July 16, 2015 @ 10:15 am
Trigger,
I wish you could’ve done a full write-up on Wayne. He truly is one of those really talented greats, who despite all the songs he’s written, has always remained somewhat obscure. He was also a great singer. I’d love to do an article on him if you’d let me.
I would encourage anybody not familiar with Wayne Kemp, to research his songwriting credits, and to go on YouTube and listen to his records.
July 16, 2015 @ 1:12 pm
Totally agree with you Clint about Wayne Kemp. A fantastic songwriter that never got the due he deserved. I know George Strait did a lot of his songs in the 80s and 90s. As a kid growing up, always loved his song Haven’t You Heard that Strait recorded on his Something Special album. Wayne Kemp was a very under appreciated songwriter.
July 16, 2015 @ 1:20 pm
Right on, Steve. Wayne was also a great singer, and recorded a lot of those Strait songs himself, back in the late 60’s/early 70’s, before George did. And I love George Strait, but nothing beats those original versions in my opinion. If you’ve never heard it, go on YouTube and listen to Wayne sing ‘Haven’t YouHeard’.
July 16, 2015 @ 1:54 pm
I fittingly hadn’t heard “Haven’t you Heard” so I had to get off the couch (reading SCM on mobile) and find a computer with speakers. What a great tune! The YouTube suggested I might also like “Don’t Send Me No Angels” which George Jones sang on his “Walls Can Fall” comeback album. Clint do you know if Wayne Kemp was any relation to Cordell Kemp? I did an internet search but couldn’t find anything.
July 16, 2015 @ 4:16 pm
Well Fuzz, Wayne was from Arkansas, so I highly doubt he’s related to Cordell.
Wayne’s little brother, Tommy Kemp, plays lead guitar for the house band, at the Little Ole Oprey, in West Fork, Arkansas.
Yeah, a lot of people would be shocked at the number of songs they’re familiar with by other singers, that Wayne either wrote either wrote and/or recorded first.
Here he is on the Porter Wagoner show, singing a song that George Strait cut for his “Carrying Your Love With Me” album.
http://youtu.be/PJTrBpshrsE
Here’s Wayne singing one of his originals, that Ricky Van Shelton took to #1. Notice that Wayne did it in 3/4 time.
http://youtu.be/5OVhD_tavm8
July 16, 2015 @ 6:16 pm
Thanks for clearing that up Clint. Wayne wrote so many classic songs, I’m still learning some of them. I honestly think the most deserving “forgotten” songwriter in country music history is Dave Kirby. The man wrote “Is Anybody Going to San Antone,” “Sidewalks of Chicago,” “there Ain’t No Good Chain Gang,” and a song that was the soundtrack to my Senior Year: “So Long Train Whistle.” In fact, his rare solo record is one of the crown jewels of my collection. (The original “Singer, Picker, Writer,” not the posthumous “Mr Songwriter”) And after George McCormick and Buck Trent had left the Wagonmasters and the Porter Wagoner show had moved to Opryland, Dave Kirby moved in on the guitar. BUT, so far as I know, George Jones never sang any of Kirby’s songs, and if we are to consider Jones the greatest country singer, then Wayne Kemp has beat out Dave Kirby as a songwriter, REPEATEDLY.
July 16, 2015 @ 7:01 pm
Off the top of my head, I know Dave had 2 cuts on the Haggard and Jones duet album, “Yesterday’s Wine”, ‘The Brothers’, and ‘Mobile Bay’.
If I think of any more I’ll let you know.
July 16, 2015 @ 7:32 pm
After pouring over some Jones tapes I found his name on “God’s Gonna Getcha” which was a duet with Tammy. So it looks like I was wrong about Kirby.
From a construction standpoint, merely on sound, instrumentation, etc:
1: dave Kirby has a nasally, wheesy voice
2: He doesn’t offer much on his solo album besides guitars, basses and drums.
Wayne Kemp could sing the liver spots off Dave Kirby, and he uses pianos, fiddles and stuff in his songs too. Plus he has a much more stylish moustache.
July 16, 2015 @ 2:20 pm
I wish I would have done a full write-up for Wayne Kemp and all of these people, and that was part of my motivation to put this together so I had at least mentioned them. Unfortunately I’m only one person and the stories to tell and people to be honored seems endless. Not out of the realm of possibility that I will do do a feature on Kemp in the future.
July 16, 2015 @ 4:20 pm
I know you’re a busy man, Trigg. I hope I didn’t sound like I was complaining, or criticizing you. I was just expressing my love for Wayne.
July 16, 2015 @ 10:47 am
Thanks for including Johnny Gimble, Trigger. An absolute genius, a hero to us fiddle players and a genuinely nice guy. For the unfamiliar, listen to Gardenia Waltz, Fiddlin’ Around or Roses in Summer Rain on youtube.
July 16, 2015 @ 10:59 am
I would add Holmes Brothers members Wendell Holmes and Popsy Dixon to the list. Though they weren’t country, per se, they recorded quite a bit of country material over the years. In doing so they showed time and again that genre boundaries are silly. In addition to four excellent originals, their ‘Simple Truths’ album from 2004 included songs associated with such diverse artists as Motorhead, Townes Van Zandt, Bruce Channel, Hank Williams, Gillian Welch, Jimmy Reed, Willie Nelson, Bob Marley and Jim Reeves. It’s a tremendous album as they found a way to make the songs fit together. Their gospel-drenched version of “If I Needed You” is my favorite Townes cover and nothing else is even close. It’s a shame more people didn’t know about the Holmes Brothers because open-minded fans of roots music would have understood and loved them. Great band.
July 16, 2015 @ 6:42 pm
“genre boundaries are silly.” While when I go to a record store or a library I tend to agree (Mostly because I like searching alphabetically by artist rather than spend an hour in the rock section before I realize I should have searched in the metal section, and because I hate seeing Chase Rice in country, and because some subgenres are loosely defined and/or just lumped into inappropriate supergenres, like moving Sluz-Duz into folk.) That said, without genre boundaries, where would we be? would we be comparing John Anderson to Freddy Mercury to Tim Minchin when it came time for the awards shows? how would they be graded? Furthermore, without genre boundaries how could radio stations function? I love Guns’N’Roses, and Faith No More, I also love Colm Wilkinson, and John Coltrane, and The Louvin Brothers, and Al Dexter, and Al Hirt, Split Lip Rayfield, Bob Wills, et al. These artists have nothing in common and very little overlap in audiences. Without genre boundaries they would all be on all the stations, and most listeners would be confused and unhappy. Not to mention, it would mean that Tartini’s Flute Concertos are regarded as no different than Sammy Davis’ “This is the Moment” or that Ira Louvin and The Edge would both be up for instrumentalist of the year. Genre distinctions, though flawed, are in the better interests of both consumers and musicians, even if, in the case of a certain dude who wrote a song for Keith Urban about an automobile driven by a law enforcement officer, they don’t work.
July 16, 2015 @ 6:55 pm
Well said, Fuzzinator.
I love genre boundaries, although I hate calling Country music a genre. It’s a culture, or at least the voice of a culture. But yeah, boundaries are necessary in many things, including music.
July 17, 2015 @ 6:19 pm
Why are boundaries necessary? There’s no such thing as a “pure” form of music. People who try to make pure country music tend to suck.
July 17, 2015 @ 8:01 pm
Wow, dude. wow. You just totally made your whole argument irrelevant. Jones was pure Country, Hank was pure country, Patsy was pure country, and Reno and Smiley were pure Bluegrass. If you think those guys sucked then you might as well go back to the doctor who gave birth to you and let him slap you again.
July 16, 2015 @ 2:53 pm
Didn’t Wayne Kemp write The Fireman also?
July 16, 2015 @ 3:47 pm
Yes, Wayne co-wrote it with Mack Vickery.
July 16, 2015 @ 4:52 pm
Thanks for the list. Hope it doesn’t get too much longer in the next 6 months.
July 16, 2015 @ 4:54 pm
God, I feel old.
July 17, 2015 @ 8:44 am
I’m surprised there is still no news on Jon Hensley’s autopsy.
July 17, 2015 @ 9:45 am
My guess is we will hear something mid to late next week, but it could be sooner or later than that. This is a perfectly normal time from for an autopsy to come back with the types of tests that are necessary in toxicology work.
As an example, remember how far back B.B. King died? Well his autopsy just came back a couple of days ago. Two of his daughters had claimed he was poisoned, and that’s how long it took for the toxicology to be returned.
July 17, 2015 @ 11:03 am
I’ll add Kent Finlay to this list. I’d have to say that he was and is one of the most important people down here in Texas when it comes to songwriting and country music. I’m not saying he was the best songwriter, but its what he did for other artist that made him one of a kind. I can’t say we wouldn’t have George, Randy, Todd, Bruce or many others like them without Mr. Finlay, but he had a huge part in molding them and making them who they are today. Below is a quote from Jason Eady and if you search, you will find many others just like this from some of the best.
“I remember one night around 2008”¦ It was my third or fourth time to play Cheatham Street Warehouse and I had managed to build my crowd there to a whopping 10 people. After the show I walked down to talk to Kent Finlay at his usual spot on his stool at the end of the bar. I was feeling pretty discouraged and a little guilty for not covering the guarantee and costing him money, again. Kent looked at me and said “Jason, I watched Stevie Ray Vaughn sit on that stage night after night and sometimes the only people here were me and the bar staff. He did that for a lot of nights before anyone paid any attention. You just keep showing up and doing what you do and it”™ll come around.” And he kept booking me (and losing money) until it did. I still think about that conversation to this day. He was a believer in music and his belief was infectious. I know that anyone who ever met him would say the same thing. He and his words will always be a part of me. I will miss him.””“Jason Eady
July 17, 2015 @ 12:02 pm
Kent Finlay is another important one.