SOUTHERN KENTUCKY BOOK FEST I’ll be participating in the 10th annual Southern Kentucky Book Fest on Saturday, 19 April, at the Sloan Convention Center in Bowling Green. I’m on the panel titled “Tradition, Legends, Troubadours: Music of the American South,” and will be reading an excerpt from Faron’s biography. There will also be autograph sessions […]
I’ve been working this past week on the first chapter of Marty’s biography. My three main sources for his childhood are sister Lillie’s unpublished manuscript, the Andrew Means book of Mamie’s memories, and transcripts of Marty visiting with Ralph Emery. I’d love to talk to anyone who knew the Robinson family in the 1920s through […]
NEW WEB SITE I’ve finished transferring the content from my old Web site to the new one at http://dianediekman.com. You can comment specifically on any blog entry or send an email to di***@**********an.com. Thanks to Jeniffer Thompson of Monkey C Media in San Diego for building the site for me. Suggestions from readers are welcome. […]
BOOK SIGNING IN SHREVEPORT This Sunday afternoon, February 24, I’ll be selling and signing “Live Fast, Love Hard: The Faron Young Story” at the Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana. Thanks to Robert Gentry for setting up the event. It’s so exciting to be able to commemorate Faron’s birthday at the home of the Louisiana Hayride. […]
BOOK SIGNING IN SHREVEPORT I’ll be selling and signing “Live Fast, Love Hard: The Faron Young Story” at the Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Sunday afternoon, February 24. It’s so exciting to be able to commemorate Faron’s birthday at the home of the Louisiana Hayride. And I’ll get to meet Claude King, because there’s a […]
The Deputy reunion on the Midnite Jamboree (November 10, 2007) is now on-line! Check it out at http://ernesttubb.com/mj.htm. Liz and Casey Anderson sent me their re-release of Faron’s “Are You Hungry? Eat Your Import!” The new 4-song CD, titled “Buy American,” includes three other songs Faron recorded on the same 1982 session. You can order […]
This is my periodic newsletter on Live Fast, Love Hard: The Faron Young Story, published by the University of Illinois Press in 2007, and on progress toward writing Twentieth Century Drifter: The Life of Marty Robbins. Please send me a note if you want your address removed from this list. KEN NELSON I learned of […]
I’ll close out 2007 by sending a summary of comments I’ve received since my last newsletter. Here’s a collection of photos from our big night in Nashville. Thanks to Tom Andrews for creating the Faron Young Tribute photo gallery at http://69.94.50.63/photos/FaronYoungTribute/index.html. LETTERS Skip Jackson, former Deputy steel player, says, “Was listening to XM – 13 […]
This issue brings to a close my weekly updates on Live Fast, Love Hard: The Faron Young Story, published by the University of Illinois Press. I’m starting to repeat myself, so I’ll cut back to once or twice a month and will talk about Marty Robbins and Faron Young equally. I’d still appreciate comments on […]
FARON YOUNG, FORTY-THREE YEARS AGO: On Sunday, December 6, 1964, The Nashville Tennessean headline announced, “Opry Drops 12 Top Stars.” The caption under Faron’s photo, one of four on the front page, said “Opry favorite.” The other eight photos appeared inside the paper. The WSM public relations director called it “just a routine thing” to […]