One of Country’s Oldest Living Legends Sue Thompson Dead at 96
This story has been updated.
Just a couple of weeks removed from losing the oldest living link to country music’s past when fiddle player Don Maddox of the Maddox Brothers and Rose passed away on September 12th at the age of 98, we’ve now lost another one of the oldest living country artists, that being Sue Thompson, who was performing country songs on television starting in the late 40’s, and throughout the 60’s and 70’s had numerous pop and country hits. Thompson passed away on September 23rd at the age of 96.
Finding her first big success with songs penned by John D. Loudermilk, once married to Western Swing banjo player Hank Penny, and recording multiple duet albums with Don Gibson, Sue Thompson left her mark on both pop and country with her girlish-sounding singing voice that remained in high demand well into her 40’s.
Born Eva Sue McKee on July 19, 1925 in Nevada, Missouri, she was singing cowgirl songs and playing guitar on stage by the age of 7. After her family moved to San Jose, California, she began performing on the Hometown Hayride TV show. When World War II broke out, and she became a true life Rosie the Riveter, working in a defense plant. By the age of 20, she was married and had her first child, though the marriage didn’t last very long, and to support herself, she was performing nightly in clubs around California’s Bay Area.
After winning a talent contest in San Jose, Sue Thompson caught the eye of bandleader Dude Martin, and Sue began singing in his band, and signed her first solo recording contract to Mercury Records in 1950. Dude and Sue were soon married, but not for very long as Hank Penny joined Dude Martin’s band in 1952, and ended up leaving with Sue Thompson on his arm. After Sue divorced Dude Martin, she moved with Hank Penny to Los Angeles, where the two hosted a TV show for two years before moving to Las Vegas to perform on the casino circuit.
Sue Thompson found her big break in 1960 when she signed to Hickory Records, and started releasing successful singles, most of which were written by Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer John D. Loudermilk. 1961’s “Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)” hit #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, and then “Norman” went #3 later that year. The combination of Loudermilk’s novelty songs and Sue Thompson’s youthful-sounding voice made for a winning combination. Thompson also had a Top 20 hit in 1962 with Loudermilk’s “James (Hold The Ladder Steady)” and 1964’s “Paper Tiger.” She released other singles during the era, but Loudermilk’s were her most successful.
This helped facilitate Sue Thompson’s full move into country music where she had started her career. Though her own singles struggled, she recorded two well-regarded albums with Don Gibson in the 70’s: The Two Of Us Together, and Oh, How Love Changes, resulting in a handful of Top 40 singles. She also appeared on Hee-Haw, and Ralph Emery’s A Record World during the era.
Later Sue Thompson returned to Las Vegas where she continued as a regular performer singing many of her early career hits, and later became a prominent emcee at the famed Palomino Club in Los Angeles during it’s heyday. Sue Thompson eventually permanently located to Las Vegas, where she continued to perform into the 90s. She’s also the mother of producer Greg Penny, known for working with K. D. Lang.
Sue Thompson was an early pioneer for women in country music, and specifically on the West Coast. Her death, along with Don Maddox and Oklahoma’s Jude Northcutt, leaves few performers from the earliest era of country music left, including the 98-year-old Rose Lee Maphis.
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Editor’s Note: This article was updated to include Rose Lee Maphis.
September 28, 2021 @ 9:25 am
RIP Sue Thompson.
As far as I know, the following are still alive:
Ozark fiddler Violet Hensley will be 105 in October !
Mervin Shiner turned 100 earlier this year. The country singer is known for “Peter Cottontail” in 1950.
Rose Lee Maphis will be 99 in December.
Bill Hayes is 96 and is best known for his acting role on Days of Our Lives, but he also had a hit with the “Ballad of Davy Crockett” in 1955.
September 28, 2021 @ 10:03 am
I was currently putting together an update about the oldest living country legends after the passing of Don Maddox when this news came in. I hope to get it published soon, though last time I published it, I got attacked for only including Loretta Lynn as an honorable mention. But the truth was she was young compared to the others on the list. That’s how old they were/are.
September 28, 2021 @ 10:46 am
I appreciate these articles. I thought of a couple more names of possible nterest:
Ray “Chubby” Howard is a 95-year-old steel guitar hall of famer. I read an article just last week that he still plays.
Bill Pitman is 101, a guitarist best known for session work in other styles of music, but he was in the band for TV shows like the Roger Miller Show and Glen Campbell Show. I’ll try to think of any others.
September 28, 2021 @ 11:51 am
Mitchell Torok had a #1 country hit with “Carribean” in 1953. He is 92 and he’s the only living person to have a #1 hit that dates back to the early 50s.
September 28, 2021 @ 10:21 pm
Mitchell Torok passed away in 2017.
September 28, 2021 @ 10:52 pm
Are you sure? I can’t find any article about his death and on Wikipedia there isn’t any mention about it.
November 14, 2021 @ 2:33 pm
SUE had the best tunes ever !!!!!! They were just neat tunes I liked them all RIP SUE
January 17, 2022 @ 8:38 am
If indeed Mitchell Torok is deceased, then – with the additional recent death of Stonewall Jackson – the only remaining living artist that has a No. 1 country hit dating to the 1950s is Jerry Lee Lewis. (And indeed, “The Killer” is still killing it.) Jerry Lee topped the charts twice in the 1950s: “A Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” which reached No. 1 the week of Sept. 14, 1957 (and thus, possibly the earlist No. 1 hit by a still-living artist); and “Great Balls Of Fire,” which topped the chart Jan. 11, 1958.
Leroy Van Dyke, who is in his early 90s, also survives, having had a top-10 country hit with “The Auctioneer” in 1957. He is the next artist with the earliest No. 1 song to survive, although he didn’t reach No. 1 until 1961 with “Walk On By.”
The list of 1960s No. 1 artists is also starting to grow to a point where you can count them on two hands. By my county, there’s eight surviving artists who reached No. 1 during the 1960s decade. After Leroy Van Dyke, there’s:
* Bill Anderson, with “Mama Sang a Song” and “Still” from 1962-1963, and then later in the 1960s with “I Get the Fever” (1966), “For Loving You” (1967, with Jan Howard, who is deceased) and “My Life (Throw It Away If I Want To)” (1969).
* Connie Smith and “Once a Day,” 1964.
* Warner Mack, whose lone No. 1 song was “The Bridge Washed Out,” 1965.
* Loretta Lynn, with “Don’t Come Home a’Drinkin’ With Lovin’ On Your Mind” (1967), “Fist City” (1968) and “Woman Of the World (Leave My World Alone)” (1969).
* Bobby Goldsboro with his country and pop No. 1 hit “Honey” (1968).
* Jeannie C. Riley and her country/pop No. 1 smash “Harper Valley PTA” (1968).
* Jerry Lee Lewis, who returned to No. 1 after an 11-year absence with “To Make Love Sweeter For You” in March 1969.
January 17, 2022 @ 8:45 am
Even though he wasn’t a country artist, 96-year-old Tony Bennett is still with us. On the Billboard pop chart, with the death of Vera Lynn (1952’s “Auf Wiederseh’n, Sweetheart”) in 2020, he is the earliest surviving artist with a No. 1 hit, with 1951’s “Because Of You” (which went No. 1 when he was just 24 years old).
He is notable for having recorded a cover of Hank Williams Sr.’s “Cold, Cold Heart,” which topped the pop chart later in 1951; his third No. 1 hit was 1953’s “Rags to Riches.”
September 28, 2021 @ 11:20 am
Who was the back-up vocals and musicians for Sue Thompson’s 1960s recordings ? That melodic sound on the song “Have A Good Time” reeks of the Nashville “A Team” . I wish she would have recorded more during that era . I loved her voice .
September 29, 2021 @ 3:06 am
I had contact with a relative of his back in February 2018 and he then mentioned he had passed away “approx 3-4 months ago”. So that ought to be late 2017 in that case. Not sure why nobody cared to report about it back then.
January 21, 2022 @ 7:24 pm
Is that the Jordanaires backing Sue on songs like Have A Good Time ?
September 28, 2021 @ 8:22 pm
I am Sue’s daughter, Julie. I am 10 years older than my brother Greg. My father was Tom Gamboa. My parents were childhood sweethearts growing up in what was at that time the “little” town of Lincoln, California. .After a few years my parents were divorced and Mother married Dude Martin a country western icon in the music industry. It was a difficult life and that marriage also ended in divorce, She then married Hank Penny. They worked together for many years in and around Las Vegas,, Reno and Lake Tahoe as well as many other venues. My brother, Greg was born during this time. We later moved from California to Las Vegas, Nevada. They signed with the Golden Nugget so Vegas became our home base. She and Hank later divorced. She stayed single for many years until she was reintroduced to Ted Serna, a childhood friend of my parents. Awhile after they were married I encouraged them to move to Pahrump rather than to stay in the ever growing city of Las Vegas They were married until Ted’s passing in 2013. I was fortunate enough to have been my Mother’s caregiver after Ted died. She lived in my home with me for 8 years. It was a privilege to be with her. If there ever was an angel it was my precious Mother. No one would ever believe how tolerant she was of her illness. Not being able to walk or speak the last while but she always would offer up that beautiful smile and try to grasp your hand as a show of affection. It was a privilege to be with her. If there ever was an angel it was my precious Mother. Rest In Peace Mommie.
Your Loving Daughter
September 29, 2021 @ 5:10 am
Many blessings to you and the rest of your family.
October 1, 2021 @ 9:07 pm
We’re can I write Julie Jenning. Sue Thompson’s daughter. My deceased husband, Teddy Horton play drums for Sue many, Many times. We loved sue and her family. I talked to Sue and Julie 11 years ago when Teddy passed. I would love to contact her. Thank you. Reatta Horton
December 31, 2022 @ 3:13 am
Reatta I really hope you are able to get in touch with Julie, hopefully some who knows someone will step up and get you the contact info you need????????