In Memoriam: Country Music Greats Lost in 2025

Before we look forward to 2026, let’s look back at 2025 and remember the important individuals we lost, from big superstars, to songwriters, side players and other contributors. They all lent a hand to the music we love, and deserve to be remembered.

Please note: Every effort was expended to make sure most everyone was included here, and any potential omissions are purely accidental. If you happen to see someone you believe belongs here, please feel free to speak up in the comments section below for the benefit of us all.

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Buck White – January 13th – Age 94

Buck White was the oldest member of the Grand Ole Opry, and a grand patriarch of country music.

White was the somewhat reluctant, but ultimately proud leader of one of country music’s most important bluegrass, country, and Gospel bands. Buck White was mostly a moonlighting musician for much of his life, working as a plumber by day, and playing piano and mandolin by night. Originally from Fort Worth, Buck loved the music, but didn’t care too much for the places you had play late at night like dancehalls and wrestling arenas.

It’s when Buck White’s daughters Sharon White (born December 17, 1953) and Cheryl White (born January 27, 1955) showed early promise in music that Buck White started to take it more seriously as a career. Buck White and The Down Home Folks formed in 1972 and did well, and Buck recorded a solo album for Sugar Hill in 1979. But it’s when The Whites formed officially in the early 1980’s as a family band signed to Curb Records that things started to click. (read more)

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Daryl Schiff – January 14th – Age 86

He was a local country music legend who went on to be nationally recognized, and also happened to be the father and mentor of country superstar Martina McBride. By the time Martina was 8 years old, she was already singing in her father’s band The Schiffters, with her brother Marty also performing in the band. Martina would continue to perform in her father’s band, including playing keys and other roles.

Daryl Schiff would go on to perform on the Grand Ole Opry numerous times, and recorded two albums in Nashville, including 2021’s Satisfied, which was produced by Martina, and included performances by McBride and her brother Marty, reprising family harmonies on some of the songs they grew up singing together like “Heartaches By The Number” and “Satisfied Mind.” (read more)

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Melba Montgomery – January 15th – Age 86

Before there was Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn, and before there was George Jones and Tammy Wynette, there was George Jones and Melba Montgomery, who helped set the standard for duets in the country music discipline. With her strong dimples and confident voice, Melba helped to make the men she sang with stars.

in 1963, Melba started recording a series of albums and songs with George Jones herself. George heard Melba’s music, and immediately believed in her, convincing producer Pappy Daily to sign her to United Artists Records.

Throughout the 1960’s, Melba Montgomery released her own singles through multiple labels. But then in 1974, songwriter Harlan Howard brought Montgomery a song called “No Charge” that he’d written for her personally. There was a sweetness to the song that helped shoot it straight to #1, and gave Melba Montgomery a solo hit all on her own. (read more)

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Garth Hudson – January 21st – Age 87

From country to Americana, to folk and classic rock, from Canada to the United States and around the world, everybody knows and loves The Band, and their influence and appeal is stratified across genres and continents. And now, the final original member of one of the most influential bands in North American music history has passed away.

Those cool frog croaking sounds you hear on the band’s iconic “Up On Cripple Creek”? That was Garth Hudson playing a clavinet through a wah-wah pedal. The mournful sax moans on “Tears of Rage”? That was Garth’s work too. All the brass and woodwinds you hear on the iconic “Ophelia”? That was all Garth Hudson. He could play just about everything, and did. He gave the sound of The Band that unique and eclectic flavor, and omnivorous aspect. (read more)

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Carl Dean – March 3rd – Age 82

Dolly Parton’s beloved husband of nearly 60 years has died. And as music journalists, entertainment writers, and gossip columnists scramble to populate obituaries to hopefully carve out a piece of the attention economy for themselves, they’ll all pull from the same very shallow cache of information on the shadowy Carl Dean to attempt to describe a man very few people knew beyond his immediate orbit.

In truth, it’s what we don’t know about Carl Dean that makes him so intriguing, important, and exceptional; not the scant details we do have. The significant other of a major singing star always draws some interest. But Carl Dean wasn’t just the husband of a famous star. He was the husband of Dolly Parton—a woman that was both an object of desire, and a vessel of virtue—for multiple generations. (read more)

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Troy Seals – March 6th – Age 86

Many souls have contributed to country music in the last century. The company is more exclusive when you talk about the performers, musicians, and songwriters who if you removed their work from the country music canon, the genre would take on a decidedly different, and often not as compelling or significant aspect. The towering songwriting legacy of Troy Seals is one of those exclusive individuals.

Marvel that it was the same man who wrote or co-wrote the songs “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes” by George Jones, “We Had It All” by Waylon Jennings, “Ten Feet Away” by Keith Whitley, and “Seven Spanish Angels,” which became the biggest #1 country hit for Ray Charles when he recorded it with Willie Nelson in 1985, and it went onto be nominated for the CMA Song of the Year. Overall Troy Seals wrote eleven #1 hits and 30 Top 10s. (read more)

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Larry Bastian – April 6th – Age 90

“If one looks down the list of music’s greatest writers of all time, I couldn’t imagine the list being complete without the name of Larry Bastian.”

This isn’t faint praise from Garth Brooks, and is hard to refute when you look at the resume of Larry Bastian, and especially how important it was to the early and continued success of Garth’s career. Bastion contributed to the catalogs of many greats. But it was really his relationship with Garth Brooks where he would cement his legacy in country music.

On Garth’s debut, self-titled album from 1989, Larry Bastian co-wrote “I’ve Got a Good Thing Going,” “Cowboy Bill,” and “Nobody Gets Off in This Town.” But it was on Garth’s album No Fences from 1990 where Bastian made arguably his greatest contribution, co-writing “Unanswered Prayers” with Pat Alger and Garth himself—a song that would go to #1 and become one of Garth’s signature tracks. (read more)

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Mac Gayden – April 16th – Age 83

You’re not going to find a lot of accounts of legendary Nashville guitarist Mac Gayden that claim he was one of the twangiest session players in history, or that he was a keeper of the country music flame. That’s just not what you called upon Mac Gayden for. You called on him when you wanted something a little different, something a little more soulful, with a rhythm and blues disposition brought to country, or maybe a rock edge.

And the people in country music and beyond that called upon Mac Gayden, they did so often, making him one of the most prolific and accomplished Nashville session guitar players to ever do it. Gayden was considered part of the elite group of session players known as the “Nashville Cats” for decades, along with being a “first-call” member of that distinguished group, meaning you always tried to get him first, and got someone else only when Mac wasn’t available. (read more)

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David Briggs – April 22nd – Age 82

There are only a few distinct session players in Nashville who can legitimately claim to be part of the cast of “Nashville Cats” who were in high demand for decades to perform on country albums, along with albums from across the American music spectrum. There are even fewer session players who can claim they were also part of the original Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. Piano and keyboard player, songwriter, producer, studio owner, and performer David Briggs was one of those rare unicorns.

Briggs would end up on the songs of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Jerry Reed, Linda Ronstadt, Brenda Lee, Roy Orbison, B.B. King, Dan Fogelberg, Peter, Paul & Mary, Joan Baez, Al Green, Dean Martin, Joe Simon, Tony Joe White, Joe Tex, Ronnie Milsap, Leon Russell, Joe Cocker, Bob Seger, the Pointer Sisters, and many more. (read more)

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Lulu Roman – April 24th – Age 78

For generations, Lulu Roman was let into the living rooms and hearts of country music fans through the long-running syndicated show Hee Haw, and in turn she finally found the family she had sought throughout her life as an orphan. Lulu Roman had to overcome incredible adversity to become an accomplished actor, comedian, and eventually a Gospel singer. She found her strength through faith and the support of country music fans.

Thorough her work on Hee Haw, Lulu Roman also launched a career as a Christian and Gospel singer, recording and releasing numerous albums, and performing regularly, along with continuing to participate in comedy. Though not originally a singer, Roman became cherished as a Gospel performer, and that’s how she became known to many after the end of Hee Haw. In 1999, Lulu Roman was inducted into the Country Gospel Music Hall of Fame. (read more)

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Johnny Rodriguez – May 9th – Age 73

Any serious fan of 1970’s country music worth their salt will know the name, the hits, and doesn’t need to be sold on the importance of Johnny Rodriguez. Six #1 songs, fourteen Top 5’s, twenty Top 10’s, including a run of fifteen Top 10 songs to start his career between 1973 and 1978, Johnny Rodriguez helped define country music as much as anyone in the decade, and continued to mint hit songs well into the 80s.

Rodriguez has remained a hero down in Texas. He was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2010, he received the Pioneer Award from the Institute of Hispanic Culture in Houston. And in November of 2022 he was inducted into the All Cowboy and Arena Champions Hall of Fame in Kerrville, TX. He also received the 2023 Ameripolitan Master Award.

In a just world, Johnny Rodriguez would be a name at least in the discussion for the Country Music Hall of Fame. There is a campaign underway to get him inducted. (read more)

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Mark Laws – May 25th – Age 62

Mark Laws was known for working with country legends like “Little Jimmy Dickens, Larry Cordle, Bill Carlisle, Pam Perry, and others. Most recently Laws had been working as the bandleader and drummer behind young country traditionalist and American Idol alum Alex Miller—a position Laws held for the past five years.

According to the Sheriff’s Department, Mark Stephen Laws was shot twice with a 9mm handgun after a verbal altercation at a home near Harrogate, Tennessee. Laws died at the scene. Maxwell Alan Madon lived with his grandparents, and got in an argument with them about cleaning his room. The argument turned violent, and Madon allegedly assaulted his grandfather. The grandmother then called Mark Laws who is Madon’s stepfather, who came to the residence to help. (read more)

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Brian Wilson – June 11th – Age 82

The entirety of the music world mourns whenever a titan at the level of original Beach Boys member and musical mastermind Brian Wilson makes their exit from the mortal coil, leaving behind a planet that feels a bit more cold and lifeless afterwards. The music genius that flowed from this man, especially in his heydey in the mid ’60s, is arguably unparalleled. Mentioning his name in the company of mammoth popular musical creators like Elvis, The Beatles, and Bob Dylan is not unwarranted.

Though Brian Wilson’s ties to country were few and far between, they certainly weren’t non-existent. In fact, a long-rumored country album he helped create decades ago was finally receiving a renewed push to get out to the public when Wilson’s family announced his passing on June 11th at the age of 82. Called Cows in the Pasture, and included the manager of The Beach Boys at the time, Fred Vail, on vocals, as well as others.

Throughout the Beach Boys catalog, you can hear country-inspired tracks. Brian Wilson said about the 1977 song “Honkin’ Down The Highway,” “I remember when I wrote that I was thinking ‘Truckin’ Down the Highway’ – just some kind of a country and western kind of an idea.” Then in 1996, Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys collaborated with a dozen country artists, including Willie Nelson, Toby Keith, Junior Brown, Doug Supernaw, and others on the album Stars & Stripes, Vol.1 that remade many of the band’s biggest songs in a country style. (read more)

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Connie Francis – July 16th – Age 87

Connie Francis was the voice of a generation, and a gifted singer revered worldwide for her songs that graced radio and jukeboxes, and found favor in the cinematic landscape, seeding a legacy that is still thriving to this day. Though crooners of her kind were much more common in the ’50s and ’60s when you had to be a skilled performer and couldn’t simply rely on Tik-Tok, Connie had a way of instilling emotion into her songs that made their effect and legacy long lasting.

Though most know Connie Francis for her major pop hits, it shouldn’t be surprising that she also found favor with country music in the way the music often centers around heartbreak. But much of this legacy has been glossed over. Connie Francis’s affinity for sad, sentimental, and depressing songs led her to singing and recording country songs on numerous occasions throughout her career. (read more)

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Helen Cornelius – July 18th – Age 83

Her duets with Country Music Hall of Famer Jim Ed Brown topped the charts in the mid ’70s and early ’80s numerous times, while she enjoyed her own solo career that lasted many years and included many cherished appearances on RFD-TV’s Country Family Reunion and the Grand Ole Opry. The country music family said goodbye to one of the genre’s most cherished champions and duet partners.

Jim Ed Brown and producer Bob Ferguson were looking for a duet partner for the song “I Don’t Want to Have to Marry You.” Singed to RCA at the time himself, Jim Ed was matched with Helen, and magic ensued. The song went straight to #1 in 1976, and would inspired a string of top country hits, five albums pairing the two, and revitalized the careers of both of the country performers. (read more)

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Sandy Pinkard – July 26th – Age 78

He was a singer, he was a songwriter, and with his partner Richard Bowden, he was one of the most prolific and beloved parody artists in country music. Nobody coined him the “Weird Al of Country Music” in his time, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t deserve it. He was Sandy Pinkard, and his legacy was making country music fans laugh.

There was a serious side to Sandy Pinkard as well. As a songwriter without his tongue firmly implanted in his cheek, he co-wrote songs like the #1 hit for Mel Tillis, “Coca Cola Cowboy,” David Frizzell & Shelly West’s #1 duet “You’re The Reason God Made Oklahoma” that went on to win the 1981 ACM Song of the Year, the #1 song “Blessed Are the Believers” for Anne Murray in 1981, and Vern Gosdin’s #1 “I Can Tell By The Way You Dance.” (read more)

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Flaco Jiménez – July 31st – Age 86

“Flaco” is partly a term of endearment, and partly a euphemism in the Spanish language, translating in English to “skinny.” Flaco Jiménez was certainly svelte and earned the nickname, but he was so much more. He was a star in the realm of the Tejano, Tex Mex, and Norteño music that carried the Hispanic music traditions north of the border. He was an incredibly prolific session music, both in the Tejano realm, and well beyond it.

Flaco Jiménez was a prolific collaborator, working with a wide range of popular performers, from Bob Dylan to The Rolling Stones. He was also the member of numerous supergroups, namely the Texas Tornados and Los Super Seven.

Ultimately, “Flaco” didn’t come to mean “skinny” at all. It came to mean “musical legend.” (read more)

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Jeannie Seely – August 1st – Age 85

With the loss of Jeannie Seely, country music doesn’t just lose a singer, songwriter, and performer. It loses one of the most venerable, most beloved, and most important ties to country music’s enduring legacy, one of the most revered women to ever grace the genre, and one of the most accomplished and constant voices of the Grand Ole Opry for the better part of a century. “Miss Country Soul,” and the modern era’s mother of the Opry passed on August 1st.

Before Miss Seely took her final bow, she made an incredible 5,397 appearances on the Grand Ole Opry—a record that might never be eclipsed. At the time of her death, she was considered the oldest living woman in country music with an active career. An actor, an author, a DJ, an a natural Master of Ceremonies wherever she appeared, Jeannie Seely’s legacy stretched well beyond the Opry and country music. But it’s within that country community that she worked so hard to keep so close-knit where her passing is felt the most. (read more)

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Robby Turner – September 4th – Age 63

He played as a primary musician in the band for The Highwaymen. He was the final steel guitar player and producer for Waylon Jennings. He played on Sturgill Simpson’s High Top Mountain and Chris Stapleton’s Traveller. He earned the nickname the “Man of Steel,” which he titled his 1996 album after.

He was one of the most respected steel guitar players to ever take the stool, and a staunch country music traditionalist. He was Robby Turner, and similar to the strings he made weep on so many records and songs, the country music community lets out a collective cry at news of his passing. (read more)

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Denzel “Santa” Irwin – Age 75

He was Nashville’s ever-present and year-long version of Santa Claus, and his haunt Santa’s Pub is like the North Pole of the South. Inside a triple wide trailer south of downtown and near Nashville’s new Geodis Park, some of the most lasting memories were made among Nashville’s population of artists and their fans, and Christmas cheer never went out of season.

Six nights a week, Santa’s Pub is a karaoke bar. Then somewhere around 2012 with so many musicians frequenting the place, they finally convinced Santa to allow one night of live music, and the Ice Cold Pickers were born—a backing band that could do just about any classic country music song you called out, with a revolving cast of singers coming up to front the band on a nightly basis.

Kristina Murray, Logan Ledger, Runner of the Woods, Emily Nenni, Hannah Juanita, Wade Sapp, Eliza Thorn, and a host of other musicians became mainstays of Santa’s Sunday night sessions, seeding their careers and cutting their teeth on classic country. Santa’s Pub is also one of the places country artist Luke Bell first played regularly when making his way to Nashville. (read more)

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Brett James – September 18th – Age 57

Hit songwriter Brett James had songwriting credits on an incredible 26 No. 1 tracks, including on Carrie Underwood’s signature song “Jesus Take The Wheel” that won two Grammy Awards including Best Country Song in 2007. He was also an inductee to the Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame. But his own song concludes way too soon as it’s been revealed that Brett James was one of three people who perished in a plane crash.

Brett James was responsible for writing some of the best, most meaningful, and most uplifting songs in country music over the last 25 years while still maintain his integrity, and the integrity of country music through a transitional period. Jessica Andrews was one of the first to have success with a Brett James song, taking “Who I Am” to #1 in 2000, finally opening the door for James in the industry. Martina McBride then found success with “Blessed,” which rose to #1 in 2001. James became one of the most sought after co-writers in Nashville. (read more)

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Sonny Curtis – September 19th – Age 88

Few musicians can say they were there at the very formation of rock and roll, wrote some of the genre’s most foundational songs, toured with legends like Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley, along with influencing the world of country songwriting decades later to an award-winning capacity. This was the remarkable life of Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Sonny Curtis.

The first association most people draw from the name Sonny Curtis is his important time playing in the backing band for Buddy Holly known as The Crickets. Curtis had played on some of the earlier hits for Holly before the official formation of The Crickets in 1957, but he wasn’t officially a Cricket until 1958.

Sonny’s songwriting where he contributed some of the most important moments to popular culture in the United States and beyond. Sonny’s original song “I Fought The Law” helped make The Crickets and important early rock band all on their own. The song later became a hit for the Bobby Fuller Four, and later bands like The Clash, Dead Kennedys, and Green Day would help make it an iconic song in American music history.

 Sonny Curtis was a skilled guitar player, a clever songwriter, and someone who left his fingerprints all across American culture in indelible ways. (read more)

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Steve Said – Sept. 28th – Age 72

When Mr. Said wanted to open a new business, he decided constructing some modern, prefabricated building didn’t seem very cool. So instead, he purchased an old tobacco barn in Kentucky originally built in the 1850 that was carefully deconstructed board by board, loaded it up on a flatbed truck, and shipped it down to Texas. 

The Dosey Doe Big Barn was the first place that Parker McCollum played a real show while growing up nearby. Cody Johnson also performed at the venue on his way up. The Red Clay Strays also used Dosey Doe as a spring board to their now major career, and there are many other similar stories. As an independent-owned venue not beholden to bigger entities, Steve Said could take a chance on local artists who would often return the favor by coming back even when they’d reached a bigger capacity.

The Dosey Doe Big Barn also plays a big role by offering a location for country legends to perform. Upcoming shows include The Gatlin Brothers, Gene Watson, The Bellamy Brothers, along with important emerging acts like The Castellows, The Wilder Blue, and John PayCheck. Wynonna has been a regular there, even though she could play much larger venues. BJ Thomas was one of the venue’s first performers. (read more)

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Speedy Sparks – October 7th – Age 79

There’s no such thing as “just a bass player.” Speedy Sparks was emblematic of this. In certain circles, Speedy Sparks was like the patron saint, and was thought of in no less regard than the legendary performers he had the pleasure of performing with over the years. In Austin, Speedy Sparks was the bass player everyone wanted in their band. In Texas, his name was held in topmost regard in the music scene. His passing closes an era in Texas music.

Doug Sahm, The Sir Douglas Quintent, The Texas Tornados, James Hand, The Texas Mavericks, Eve and the Exiles, Teddy and the Tall Tops, The Leroi Brothers, Alvin Crow and the Pleasant Valley Boys, Joe King Carrasco, Ben Vaughan, The Nortons, and his own bands such as Speedy Sparks and the Koolerators all were graced by the presence of Speedy Sparks who was a foundational, original member of the Austin and Central Texas music scene. (read more)

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Rex “Wrecks” Bell – November 1st – Age 81

There are numerous gifts, contributions, and accomplishments one must enumerate when properly eulogizing Rex “Wrecks” Bell. After all, he did so much for Texas music and the Houston scene specifically, and in a host of important capacities. But there might not be a better way of conveying the deep, resounding impact Wrecks had on the music than citing the the song “Rex’s Blues,” written by his good friend, and a man some consider the greatest songwriter of all time, Townes Van Zandt.

If Townes Van Zandt wrote a song about you, you’ve got a pretty big reason to gloat. But that’s just one of the bullet points on Wreck’s résumé. Rex Bell’s story in music really starts with the opening of a venue called the Old Quarter in Houston in 1965. Wrecks also spent years playing bass in Towns Van Zandt’s backing band, known affectionately as the Hemmer Ridge Mountain Boys—a duo that also performed on their own, and for many years after Van Zandt’s passing in 1997. Wrecks also toured with Lightnin’ Hopkins and others. (read more)

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John Wesley Ryles – November 2nd – Age 74

John Wesley Ryles had a successful career as a country music performer, amassing eleven Top 40 hits over a 20 year time span, including signature songs like “Kay” recorded when he was just 17 years old, and 1977’s “Once in a Lifetime Thing” that reached the Top 5. But it was his work as a harmony singer and studio musician singing on countless country cuts that earned him the respect of so many in Nashville.

Willie Nelson, Conway Twitty, Waylon Jennings, Garth Brooks, Clint Black, Alan Jackson, Gene Watson, Craig Campbell, Aaron Watson, Kenney Chesney, Joe Nichols, Martina McBride, Terry Clark, and so on and so forth all recorded songs with John Wesley Ryles singing harmonies with them, and he remained prolific well into the early 2020s. Incidentally, Ryles was married to fellow country singer Joni Lee, who is also the daughter of Conway Twitty. (read more)

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Todd Snider – November 14th – Age 59

The world has lost a light, and of the most unique, interesting, compelling, challenging, mercurial, iconoclastic, and influential songwriters to ever ply the craft. Todd Snider wasn’t just a singer of songs and a storyteller. He was a dynamo of insight and entertainment, often unable to be contained in the conventional vessels of an upright society, or the human form. He was more than an “Alright Guy,” he was the voice and conscience for a generation of alt listeners and general misfits.

Todd Snider’s friends, fans, family, and fellow songwriters will remember him as a man, a songwriter, and a storyteller like no other, not inhibited by the fears of what others might think, or how the world might judge him, but confident that it was his duty to share his thoughts, opinions, and experiences unfettered, uncensored, and often, unabridged with the rest of the universe.

Todd Snider is gone, but those songs, stories, and memories will live on through the countless fans he touched, and the songs and songwriters he inspired as his legacy ripples well into the unknown future. (read more)

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Walt Aldridge – November 19th – Age 70

He was the pride of Florence, Alabama. And he didn’t have to make a pilgrimage to Muscle Shoals just across the river to chase musical immortality. Muscle Shoals was his home. As a musician, songwriter, singer, engineer, and producer, Walt Aldridge touched and influenced many different aspects of country music.

Songwriting and the many memorable hits Walt Aldridge penned is probably the place most music fans will recognize the name. After all, he was an inductee into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2017. It’s hard to imagine a country music world without Ronnie Milsap’s #1 hit “(There’s) No Gettin’ Over Me,” or Earl Thomas Conley’s “Holding Her and Loving You,” or Heartland’s “I Loved Her First.” (read more)

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Bryan Keeling – December 6th – Age 59

Though he played and recorded with many musicians across multiple genres, Keeling is perhaps best known as the drummer for the .357’s—the original band behind second generation performer Shooter Jennings. Along with bassist Ted Russell Kamp and guitarist Leroy Powell, the .357’s played hundreds of shows behind Shooter Jennings from 2003 to 2012, and recorded the albums Put The ‘O’ Back in Country (2005), Electric Rodeo (2006), The Wolf (2007), along with Shooter’s album Black Ribbons under the band name Hierophant.

After the .357s disbanded, Keeling briefly became the touring drummer for the rock band Fuel. As both a live drummer and studio musician, Keeling performed on music from Jessie Colter, Pink, Macy Gray, Dionne Warwick, Mya, Guy Sebastian, Lucy Woodard, Evan Bartels, The Lugnuts, Hell City Rockers, and others. He also toured extensively as a member of Eric Sardinas and Big Motor from 2012 to 2015. Keeling also appeared on archival tracks from Waylon Jennings as part of the Waylon Forever album from 2008. (read more)

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Raul Malo – December 8th – Age 60

Even before his recent, harrowing battle with Cancer, anyone who asked Saving Country Music who the best singer of this generation is would receive back the answer without a hint of hesitation, “Raul Malo.” That assessment comes virtually irrespective of genre. In fact, one of the most important legacies Raul Malo leaves behind was his ability to dabble in so many different musical styles, while mastering quite a few. He even pioneered a couple of his own during the span of his incredible career, and did it all in two separate languages.

Not dissimilar to other Latin pioneers in country like Freddy Fender and Johnny Rodriguez, Raul Malo and The Mavericks opened up country music to new audiences, and did so with music that was distinctly country in its day. But even beyond the work of their predecessors, Raul and The Mavericks also created a bridge from country fans to appreciate the music of Latin America and south Florida by fearlessly pursuing these influences, especially in Malo’s solo career, and the later iterations of The Mavericks.

You may never see Raul Malo’s name alongside the Mount Rushmore of American crooners like Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, George Jones, and the like. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t belong there. He was Raul Malo, and he sang right from the soul with no latency. And that voice will forever echo throughout the chambers of our hearts for eternity, irrespective of his continued presence on Earth. But he is the very first we hope to hear sing again when we’re all reunited with the Almighty. (read more)

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Joe Ely – December 15th – Age 78

He was the Bruce Springsteen of Texas, the country icon of punk, the rock ‘n roll heart of country, and the envy of any singer, songwriter, and guitar player out there that knew their stuff. He wasn’t any genre. He was every genre all at the same time. He was a brilliant and sought-after collaborator, while being an incredibly accomplished solo artist.

He was someone who made it through 78 years in the belly of the dingy brothel that is the American music industry with every stitch of his dignity and integrity in tact. He was Joe Ely, and news of his passing pierces the soul like a dagger, only to be tempered by the flood of fond recollections of his music and performances.

Joe Ely was a Texas music institution. The music scene in Lubbock and Austin, the sound of Texas country, the swagger it all comes with can be traced back to Joe Ely resolutely. In 2016, Ely was named the official “Texas State Musician.” In 2022, he was inducted to the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame. Joe Ely is gone, and the story of The Flatlanders now reads, “And then they were two.” But as sure as the West Texas wind numbs the face when it turns from the North, the legacy of Joe Ely will howl on. (read more)

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Jim Stringer – December 16th – Age 77

Jim Stringer wasn’t just an Austin musician. He served as the connective tissue that held together Austin’s enterprising country music scene for over 30 years. The long-time name of Jim Stringer’s musical outfit was “The AM Band.” No, it wasn’t named for their pre-noon performances. AM stood for “Austin Music.” It was christened after drummer Lisa Pankratz once observed, “There’s only one band in Austin, and everyone plays in it.”

Jim Stringer was a fixture in the Austin music scene, playing with Roger Wallace at The White Horse and other places, along with his legendary Country Jam on Sunday nights at the Carousel Lounge. Recently, a Cancer diagnosis slowed him down, but he didn’t stop. Along with Rosie Flores, he performed in Blue Moon Jazz Quartet at the Continental Gallery on South Congress.

From Kansas, to Austin, from film and music, from country to rock and jazz, Jim Stringer left his mark. For Stringer, music was always local, and personal, and always about friendship first. (read more)

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Stu Phillips – December 25th – Age 92

Stu Phillips was a singer, songwriter, DJ, show host, Canadian, and an Episcopal Church minister who spent the better part of his years contributing to the legacy of country music in one capacity or another. Most notably, he was the oldest living member of the Grand Ole Opry when he passed away on Christmas Day.

Stu soon was signed to RCA and worked with Chet Atkins as a producer, releasing Top 25 hits like “Juanita Jones” and “Vin Rose” in 1967. He released four albums for RCA, though none of them were very commercially successful. But shortly after arriving in town, Stu Phillips fell in with the Grand Ole Opry crowd who embraced him for his voice and his preservationist disposition. After making some 20 guest appearances, Phillips was inducted as a Grand Ole Opry member in 1967.

When Buck White of The Whites passed away in January of this year at the age of 94, Stu Phillips officially became the oldest living member of the Grand Ole Opry. Phillips was an Opry member for 58 years. (read more)

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Wayne Osmond – Jan. 1st. – Age 73 – Member of The Osmonds and later The Osmond Brothers who released numerous country songs and albums. Brother of Donnie and Marie Osmond.

Eddie Seals – Jan. 6 – Age 90 – Singer, keys player, and a country music comedian best known for appearing in the duo Eddie & Joe with Joe Grant. He was also the brother of Dan Seals and Jim Seals of Seals & Croft fame.

Peter Yarrow – Jan. 7th – Age 86 – Folk legend and member of Peter, Paul, and Mary.

Scotty Broyles – Jan. 17th – Age 96 – California mandolin player who also worked as a photographer. His photographs ended up on the front of numerous albums and books.

Johnny Foy Moore – Jan. 21st – Age 95 – One of the olest living country music performers who shared the stage with folks like Ernest Tubb and Jim Reeves. He was also the uncle of Jeannie C. Riley.

Buddy Brock – Jan. 24th – Age 72 – Award-winning songwriter of “Watermelon Crawl,” and other songs by Alan Jackson, Sammy Kershaw, Kenny Chesney, and more.

Larry Leaver – Jan. 26th – Age 77 – Ohio-based bluegrass fiddler who played with numerous bands including Landon Walker & the Pioneer Mountain Boys and the Stone Mountain Boys.

Tsuyoshi Otsuka – Jan. 26th – Age 80 – Pioneering guitarist of the Japanese group Bluegrass 45 who became interested in bluegrass during the US occupation after WWII.

Quitman Dennis – Jan. 26th – Age 83 – Saxaphone player and bassist who played in rock ‘n roll bands early on, but later became a session player in Nashville, performing on songs from Waylon Jennings, Alabama, Rodney Crowell, and more.

Robin Kincaid – Jan. 29th – Bluegrass guitar player for bands Last Fair Deal and Tasty Licks.

Jim Fraley – Jan. 30th – Age 68 – Banjo player for Deeper Shade of Blue and others.

Ben Vaughan – Jan. 30th – Age 49 – President & CEO of publishing company Warner Chappell Music Nashville.

Susan Alcorn – Jan. 31st – Age 71 – Legendary steel guitarist who started in country and Western Swing, and went on to pioneer the instrument in the jazz realm.

Virgil Holdman Jr. – Jan. 31st – Age 68 – Luckenbach Texas “World Ambassador”

Willis Wade – Feb. 3rd – Age 90 – Cult underground country singer and songwriter, known for his song  “The Dope Addicts.”

Buddy Griffin – Feb. 4th – Age 76 – Bluegrass fiddle and banjo player who played in numerous groups including Jim & Jesse, and the Sunny Valley Boys. He appeared on A Prairie Home Companion and other programs.

Louie Sirian – Feb. 15th – Age 88 – Owner of Lee’s Liquor Lounge in Minnesota. Dale Watson once wrote a song about the venue that supported traditional and independent country artists.

Jack Schneider – Feb 19th – Age 90 – Country performer who became active in the songwriting scene as both a writer and publisher, and owned one of the most important independent country labels, Rustic Records. He wrote songs recorded by Kitty Wells, Jim Ed Brown.

Bill Fay – Feb. 23rd – Age 81 – English cult folk artist who inspired Jeff Tweedy and others.

William “Bill” Creager – March 2nd – Age 90 – Father of Roger Creager and supporter of Texas country music, known for singing “Rancho Grande” with his son.

Ernie Sykes – March 5th – Age 64 – Upright bass player and singer for the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band with Leroy Troy. He also performed with many bluegrass legends over the years, including Bill Monroe, Jimmy Martin, Peter Rowan, Roland White, and the Bluegrass Cardinals.

Wendel Adkins – March 9th – Age 82 – Outlaw country singer and songwriter who famously emulated Waylon Jennings and other Outlaw country stars.

Jerry Braswell – March 12th – Age 77 – Best known as a bass player on the Grand Ole Opry. He also performed with Jim Ed Brown, Porter Wagoner, Lefty Frizzell, Tanya Tucker, and others.

Eddie Adcock – March 19th – Age 86 – Bluegrass banjo player who performed with Bill Monroe, Mac Wiseman, The Country Gentlemen, IInd Legend, and others. Member of the Bluegrass Hall of Fame.

Kurt Storey – March 27th – Age 64 – Beloved, longtime soundman for The Station Inn in Nashville who also worked as an audio engineer on albums. He also played fiddle and bass.

Mike “Tramp” Lawing – March 28th – Age 60 – Along with releasing two solo albums, he was a member of the Nashville bands Bonepony and Cactus Brothers, along with playing on albums from bands like Hank Williams Jr., Tim Easton, Hayseed, and others. Tramp was a mutli-instrumentalist, profficeint on mandolin, fiddle, anfd guitar. He also appeared in the George Strait film Pure Country.

Dick Damron – March 29th – Age 91 – Canadian country star who scored numerous Top 20 hits in Canada between 1964 and 1991, including five No. 1s. He also wrote songs recorded by Charley Pride, Wilf Carter, George Hamilton IV, and others.

Tracy Schwarz – March 29th – Age 86 – Fiddle player and singer for The New Lost City Ramblers and others.

Chuck Auerbach – March 29th – Age 75 – Singer/songwriter who also co-wrote lyrics with his brother Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys.

Johnny Tillotson – April 1st – Age 86 – Singer and songwriter who was active in pop and country, including making po versions of country standards.

Bob Kelley – April 4th – Age 60 – Resophonic guitar player for bluegrass band String Therapy.

Raymond Huffmaster – April 8th – Age 81 – Bluegrass guitarist and bassist who played for both Bill Monroe and The Osborne Brothers.

Ray Sisk – April 8th – Age 77 – Long time fixture of Bibby’s Idle Hour on Music Row in Nashville who songs were covered by the likes of Warren Haynes and Gov’t Mule, and Gabe Lee (“Beverly”).

Randy Jones – April 9th – Age 58 – Mandolinist who performed with Lonesome River Band and Larry Sparks among others. He passed away due to Cancer.

Chuck Jennings – April 19th – Age 86 – Guitarist for Boxcar Willie, Tony Douglas, and others.

Travis Collinsworth – April 22nd – Age 47 – Co-owner of The 5 Spot in East Nashville.

Bobby Joe “Pop” Baldridge – May 2nd – Age 79 – Mandolin player in the bluegrass family band Goldwing Express that was nominated three times for Bluegrass Entertainer of the Year by the SPBGMA.

Gerry Wood – May 3rd – Age 87 – Long time Nashville journalist and TV personality who worked as editor at Billboard, Nashville magazine, and later wrote for Country Weekly.

Barry Poss – May 13th – Age 79 – Founder of bluegrass-centric Sugar Hill Records that helped support the late career albums of artists like Marty Stuart, Ricky Skaggs, Dolly Parton, Don Williams, and others.

Tony Haselden – May 16th – Age 79 – Member of rock band LeRoux who would go on to write country hits for George Strait, Keith Whitley, Shenandoah, and others.

Roger Beck – May 19th – Age 79 – Bluegrass guitarist and vocalist for Arkansas band Harmony Hollow.

Sherry Bryce – May 26th – Age 78 – Country singer for MGM/Curb and MCA Records who released two duet albums with Mel Tillis, resulting in two Top 10 songs and five more Top 40 songs.

Randy White – June 1st, Age 72 – Husband of Lorrie Morgan.

Mike Borchetta – June 14th – Age 84 – Country music executive who among other achievements, signed Tim McGrew to his first recording contract. Father of Big Machine Records CEO Scott Borchetta.

Gailard Sartain – June 19th – Age 81 – Well-known actor who played the characters Sheriff Orville P. Bullmoose, Maynard, and Orville on Hee-Haw. He also appeared in the Ernest films.

Debra Apostol – June 20th – Age 64 – Mother of Billy Strings. Poet.

Jimmy Swaggart – July 1st – Age 90 – Controversial televangelist who also had a career as a Gospel singer. He was the cousin of Country Hall of Famer Jerry Lee Lewis, as well as Mickey Gilley.

Philippe Bourgeois – July 14th – World renown banjo player from France who collaborated with multiple American bluegrass artists.

Adam Frazier – July 16th – Age 31 – Upright bass player for bluegrass band Flint Hill who died from stomach Cancer.

Ozzy Osbourne – July 22nd – Age 76 – Absolutely no ties to country music whatsoever. But, he was Ozzy Osbourne. At one point, he even said, “ I don’t mind country, but the ‘Prince of Darkness’ with a cowboy hat? I’m a rock & roller, not a f–king country bumpkin.”

Pat Green’s brother John Burgess, his wife Julia, and two young sons Jack and James died during the July 4th flood on the Guadalupe River in Texas.

Benny Birchfield – Aug. 2nd – Age 88 – Bluegrass bass and guitarist who performed with The Osborne Brothers and others, and was the husnad of Jean Shepard.

Holly Hatcher – August 3rd – Age 62 – Mother of traditional country artist Spencer Hatcher who was killed in a home invasion in rural Virginia.

Brandon Blackstock – Aug. 6th – Age 48 – Talent manager who was also the ex-husband of Kelly Clarkson and stepson of Reba McEntire.

Joe Hickerson – Aug. 17th – Age 89 – Folk singer, songwriter, song finder, and Library of Congress archivist.

Kathy Barwick – Aug. 20th – Age 71 – West coast bluegrass legend and multi-instrumentalist. He performed in numerous bluegrass bands, and co-founded the all-female band The All Girl Boys in 1989.

Chris Gage – Aug. 24th – Age 71 – Gifted multi-instrumentalist who performed with Roy Clark for many years, played on the Grand Ole Opry and appeared on Hee Haw over 100 times. He also performed with Jimmie Dale Gilmore. Later in life Gage became a fixture of the Austin music scene.

Laurence Postma – Oct. 9th – Age 81 – Resonator/dobro guitar player for regional bands like Back Burner, The Combinations, Blueberry Hill, Deer in the Headlights, and Roosevelt Road.

Dave Burgess – Oct. 19th – Age 90 – Songwriter and guitar player who’s probably best known as being a member of The Champs, who recorded the song “Tequila.” But Burgess also wrote country songs from Marty Robbins, Slim Whitman, Eddy Arnold, Glen Campbell, and others.

Louise Rowe – Oct. 31st – Age 93 – Hired by Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys in 1953, making her the only female musician in the band’s history. She later formed her own band, Louise Rowe and Her Texan Playboys.

Donna Jean Godchaux – Nov. 2nd – Age 78 – Backup singer in the 1970s for the country-adgacent Grateful Dead. She also sang backup for Elivs, including on his signature song “Suspicious Minds.” She also sang with Duane Allman, Boz Scaggs, and others. She was married to Grateful Dead keys player Keith Godchaux.

Carlos DeFord Bailey – Nov. 3rd – Age 66 – Grandson of Country Hall of Famer and Grand Ole Opry legend DeFord Bailey who kept the legacy of his grandfather alive, including performing on the Grand Ole Opry, and participating in over 25 educational programs at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Bill Ivey – Nov. 7th – Age 81 – Country Music Hall of Fame CEO from 1971 to 1997. Also worked with the Recording Academy (Grammys), and did much as a volunteer, archivist, and author.

Tim Ellis – Nov. 10th – Age 67 – Banjo player who performed on the Midnite Jamboree, and toured with Jim & Jesse & The Virginia Boys.

Mayne Smith – Nov. 12th – Age 86 – Pioneering folk and bluegrass musician and scholar.

Dolores Watson Seigenthaler – Nov. 30th – Age 96 – Nashville-based pop and country singer who appeared on WSM and with multiple country stars. Was the wife of journalist and Civil Rights activist John Seigenthaler.

Mark T. Jordan – Dec. 1st – Age 79 – Studio pianist who worked on songs from Hank Thompson, Lucinda Williams, Ian Tyson, Walt Wilkins, Alison Brown, Lyle Lovett, along with performers from the pop and rock world, including Bonnie Raitt.

Steve Cropper – Dec. 3rd – Age 84 – Guitarist for Booker T. & the M.G.’s, songwriter for “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay,” “In the Midnight Hour,” and others.

Steve Duncan – Dec. 8th – Age 72 – Drummer and co-founder of the Desert Rose Band.

Bob Allen – Dec. 10th – Age 77 – Country music writer who wrote books about George Jones, and Waylon & Willie. He was also a writer and editor for publications Country Music, Billboard, Rolling Stone, Bluegrass Unlimited, and others.

Roger Sovine – Dec. 23rd – Age 82 – Son of Red Sovine, BMI Nashville executive.

Gabe Hirshfeld – Dec. 27th – Age 36 – Banjo player for the Lonely Heartstring Band, Berklee College of Music graduate who faced numerous health ailments in his life.

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