The Man In Back: Jimmy Capps, The Autobiography

With Scot England

Jimmy Capps has been a Grand Ole Opry guitarist since the early 1960s. “When I was a little boy, I would lie in my bed and dream about being on the Grand Ole Opry,” he says on the opening page of The Man In Back: Jimmy Capps, The Autobiography. “There was no way I could ever have imagined that I would actually go on to play on that stage more times than anyone else in the history of the Opry.”

Born in North Carolina in 1939, Capps started playing guitar for the Louvin Brothers at age 19. To follow his dream, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, as a member of their band. “I ended up making a grand total of $1,500 the first year I was with the Louvins,” Capps recalls. “Of course one person couldn’t live on just $1500 a year… so, what did I do? I got married!” He was 19 and Anne was 20. They raised three sons and were married until Anne’s death in 2005.

“Anne and I had ups and downs in our marriage,” he says. “Most of the downs came because I was always on the road. . .. I give her credit for raising our boys, and she did a really great job. I wasn’t even home on weekends, because I was playing on the Opry. . .. It takes a special woman, or man, to be married to an entertainer or musician.”

The Man In Back was written by music biographer Scot England, not Capps himself. England explains the impetus for the book in its final chapter, “Parting Song.” It took six years to persuade Capps to agree to the idea of a book—which included convincing him not to worry that his story would be boring to readers. Jimmy Fortune writes in the Foreword, “Jimmy’s legacy is so huge. He is up there with the best of the best. I am so glad he is finally doing this book! If anyone deserves a book, it is Jimmy Capps.”

England authoritatively documents the crucial role Capps has played in country music history. The title says it all. The man in back stands behind the singers and adds to their sound, letting them have the glory. In addition to years on the road as a musician, and six decades as an Opry musician, Capps also worked as a session musician. “I have no idea how many recording sessions I have been a part of,” he says. “I can tell you that for many years I was averaging more than 500 a year.” He has also performed on numerous television shows, including the Statler Brothers Show and the current current Country’s Family Reunion, which began in 1997.

Capps moved from the back to the front in 2009, with a lead role in the musical TV show, Larry’s Country Diner. He plays the role of a sheriff, as well as bandleader and guitarist. His second wife, Michelle, whom he married in 2007, is one of the backup singers. “If you are on a successful TV show,” Capps says, “more people see you in one week than have seen you throughout your entire career.”

The Man In Back is loosely structured as an autobiography, focusing on stories Capps remembers about fellow entertainers throughout his career. They are grouped into chapters such as “The Legends,” “Sessions,” and “Some Days Are Diamonds.” Interspersed throughout is an over-abundance of sidebars written by friends expressing their opinions of what a wonderful person Capps is. He is called “an amazing man,” “just a great guy,” “one of my favorite people,” “an incredible musician,” “a joy to be around,” and so forth. The story would have been smoother with fewer insertions. The press-release format used for page layout also creates choppiness, with paragraphs separated by blank lines instead of indents.

Jimmy Capps, still an active performer at age 79, continues to add to the archives of country music history. The Man In Back is a collection of memories that will bring enjoyment to every country music lover.