13 September 2006
FARON YOUNG, FORTY-FIVE YEARS AGO: On September 16, 1961, Patsy Cline returned to the Opry after a serious car accident. She sang while leaning on a pair of crutches. Following a standing ovation and an encore, she hobbled off the stage. Faron teased, “Some people will do anything to get applause.” She told him, “No, Sheriff, it’s talent and guts they’re applauding.” He said, “Who in the hell wouldn’t encore, going out there with those damn sympathy sticks?” She swung one of her crutches at him, and he protested, “Goddamnit, Patsy, can’t you take a joke?” Her temper cooled, and the friends hugged.
LETTERS:
In answer to Hazel Van Dyke’s question, Ernie Reed sends, “Thanks for keeping me up to date on the book. I remember a lot of the events you talk about. The song she is looking for is probably ‘Once I had it, but I let it slip away.'”
Response: “I Let It Slip Away,” written by Jan Crutchfield, is on the CD, “Faron Young: The Radio Shows, Volume 1.” Thanks, Ernie! And thanks for continuing to make that beautiful fiddle music.
Chris Merkley offers, “Maybe it could be ‘All Right’ from around 56′ or 57′. Another to consider is a song he performed on the Opry called ‘Forgive me Dear.’ Also, some good news in that my four year son, JohnHenry recognizes Faron’s voice when ever he hears his music on the stereo. Not bad eh? Also is Faron’s early steel player Joe Vincent still alive? I always loved his sound on the early stuff. . . . his Steel playing is up there with the best of them all.
Response: Joe is alive and well in Nashville, the last time I talked to him. He retired from a career in respiratory care at Baptist Hospital. He doesn’t get this newsletter because he doesn’t have an e-mail address.
Mayf Nutter writes, “Interesting response from the Wheeling Jamboree manager. I also performed on that show many times, which was always live on WWVA radio and usually, if not always recorded. My Daddy also did many hours of WWVA radio on the Jamboree and with Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper in the LIVE radio days. . . . Your hard work and diligence to get your book out there is inspirational. I wish you tons and tons of success.”
Fred Bessell asks, “Did you include in your book anything about the song Faron wrote that Elvis recorded?”
Response: Yes, I did mention that Elvis recorded “Is It So Strange” in Hollywood. He sang a portion of the song during the famous jam session of the “million dollar quartet” in Memphis on December 4, 1956. “Ol’ Faron Young wrote this song and sent it to me to record,” Elvis said.
Floyd Gentry writes, “Faron was just a bit younger than I and attended Fair Park High School in Shreveport but the family lived in Oil City which is a little north of Shreveport near Cross Lake. I was driving a Trackless Trolley back in 1951 and passed by Fair Park high school many times a day. You could tell if Faron was in school or not by the girls gathered around him and his guitar.”
Ross in Tennessee is one of those hoping the book will have an edition for people who can’t read regular books. He says, “My limited sight is due to age / glaucoma /cataracts. . .It takes about 30 minutes for me to read a news article that my wife can read in 10 minutes. Then, I usually wind up with a headache. Since I did NOT have this condition in my ‘early days,’ I haven’t learned braille; it would have to be audio for me to be able to ‘read’ it.”