Archive for February, 2008

5 December 2007

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008

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 periodically drop performers who failed to meet the Opry requirement of 26 shows per year. He insisted the decision was a mutual agreement between WSM and the entertainers themselves. But the unprecedented mass firing caught the performers by surprise. Faron said he had been told he would be retained even though his touring schedule kept him from making the required number of shows. But, he recalled, “So the next day the paper come out, and there I was in there.” (more…)

28 November 2007

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008

FARON YOUNG, TWENTY-SIX YEARS AGO: At the end of November 1981, Faron was a guest on Ralph Emery’s WSM radio show. Ralph asked about the origin of his name, and Faron replied, “I don’t have no idea. I used to say it was a Biblical name, and it’s not. Because I had several people who know the Bible inside out and they wrote me a letter, and said your name is not in the Bible. There’s some pharaohs and things in it, but there’s not a Faron. My great-grandmother named me, but I really don’t know–unless it’s just something that come off the top of her head and she said let’s call him Faron. (more…)

21 November 2007

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008

FARON YOUNG, TWENTY-THREE YEARS AGO: Faron appeared as a guest on Nashville Now on November 23, 1984. Ralph Emery commented, “I have never seen you so dressed up in my life,” and asked if he had jury duty somewhere. Tennessee Ernie Ford, another guest on the show, said, “Looks like he’s gonna go preach.” Faron said, “I buy one suit a year, just in case somebody I know dies. I can be ready for them.” He was on his way to the Opryhouse, just down the street from the television studio. “It’ll be the first time I sang on the Grand Ole Opry in 21 years,” he said. He planned to sing “Wine Me Up” and “It’s Four in the Morning.” (more…)

14 November 2007

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008

FARON YOUNG, FIFTY-FIVE YEARS AGO: Faron was enjoying life as a new
recording artist in Nashville, and living with other musicians at Mom
Upchurch’s house, when he received his draft notice. He went into the U.S.
Army on November 16, 1952. When asked whether he was drafted or joined
voluntarily, he told an interviewer, “You damned right I was drafted. I
didn’t join nuthin’. They had to come get me. You notice one of my arms is
longer than the other one? They pulled it.” The Army turned out to be a good
deal for him, though, when he took over the recently-discharged Eddie
Fisher’s slot as head entertainer for the Army’s recruiting program. Not
many privates get their own radio show and touring band. (more…)

7 November 2007

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008

FARON YOUNG, FIFTY YEARS AGO: One of Faron’s movies was released and another filmed in November 1957. Raiders Of Old California was shown in special screening during the disc jockey convention, and then Faron headed to New York City for the filming of Country Music Holiday. In Raiders Of Old California, Marshal Faron Young shoots an outlaw (Marty Robbins) and brings him into a California town in 1847. Faron described the scene as follows: “The worst part of it was when I finally get him to the local jail. I had to get Marty off the horse and put him on my back. It was in Kanab, Utah, and the sand is this deep, and Marty wasn’t all that light–I’m not too big a guy anyway. But I get him over my shoulder, and I’m walkin’ right at the camera, and Marty’s goosin’ me. I’m tryin’ to keep a straight face. So we did this about ten takes.” In Country Music Holiday, New York City music producers are pitting two Tennesseans against each other to be the top singer in the nation. Ferlin Husky and Faron perform country songs with pop instrumentation in front of New York City audiences. (more…)

31 October 2007

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008

This newsletter has now begun its third year. Although I get requests to change to a Marty Robbins newsletter, I don’t know when I’ll have enough information to do that. The University of Illinois Press has redesigned its Web site, and here’s the link to the new page for Live Fast, Love Hard: The Faron Young Story: http://www.uiuc.edu/goto/f07diekman. A bookplate can be requested from http://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/Diekman.BookplateRequest.pdf.

FARON YOUNG, TWENTY-ONE YEARS AGO: On Halloween night in 1986, Faron appeared on the TV show “Nashville Now” as Spike Cruncher, a convict dressed in a prison uniform of black and white stripes. “I used to be a sheriff,” he said. “Till I got a divorce, and this is all she left me.” He swung a 5-inch black ball attached by a chain to his wrist, and Ralph Emery asked, “You mean that little ball there is all you got left?” Faron said, “One ball, pal, one ball.” Amidst the laughter, Ralph asked, “What else did she take you for?” Faron answered, “A fool.” After a discussion of Cruncher’s prison garb, Ralph asked, “Do you have a number?” “Yeah, I got a number,” Faron said. “It’s called one hundred and six thousand.” Johnny Russell, another guest that evening, collapsed in laughter. He obviously knew that Faron’s recently announced divorce settlement was $106,000. (more…)

24 October 2007

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008

Live Fast, Love Hard: The Faron Young Story is available online and in most bookstores. Stores not currently carrying the book can order it upon request.

FARON YOUNG, THIRTY-FIVE YEARS AGO: Faron performed at Dance Town U.S.A. in Houston on 28 October 1972. Bob Claypool interviewed him for a Houston Post article, dated 11/12/72, “A night on ‘the Bus’ with one of country music’s biggest superstars, Faron Young.” The article said a “shy, soft-spoken young man asked Faron to cut some promo spots for a radio station in Dibolt, Texas. Without hesitation Faron grabbed the man’s cassette recorder, switched it on, and began an impromptu patter of professional salesmanship. ‘Hi, friends, this is Faron Young, and you’re listening to the voice of the mighty metropolis, Dibolt, Texas.’ David Stallings, who now entertains as Willie P. Richardson, was the young man. (more…)

17 October 2007

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008

FARON YOUNG, THIRTY-FIVE YEARS AGO: Connie Smith and Faron presented an award at the Country Music Association awards show on October 16, 1972. Connie recalls, “Faron was always razzing me about being a fanatic, and all that, so when we went out on stage to present the award together, I just said, ‘Faron, if you won’t cuss ’em, I won’t bless ’em.'”

NASHVILLE TRIP
I’m back home from a great weekend in Nashville. Eddie Stubbs invited me two years ago to be a guest on his WSM radio show when the book came out. It finally happened, and we had an enjoyable three hours Thursday evening talking about Faron and playing his music. (more…)

10 October 2007

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008

FARON YOUNG, FIFTY-FIVE YEARS AGO: Faron recorded “Goin’ Steady” on October 12, 1952, a month before his induction into the Army. He’d written the song while on the road touring with Hank Snow. He used the melody of Claude King’s “She Knows Why,” and he received advice on the lyrics from his manager, Hubert Long, and Snow’s frontman, Hillous Butram. The song went into the Central Songs catalog, a publishing company owned by Faron’s record producer, Ken Nelson. “Goin’ Steady” was Faron’s fourth release on Capitol Records and his first to chart. It debuted on the Billboard chart shortly before Faron completed infantry basic training at Fort Jackson, and it eventually hit the number two spot. (more…)

3 October 2007

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008

FARON YOUNG, FIFTY-TWO YEARS AGO: A Grand Ole Opry package came to the Dade County auditorium in Miami, Florida, on October 4, 1955. Minnie Pearl and Faron Young were two of the performers. Country music was popular in Miami at the time and a huge crowd pushed at one another to get tickets. Gordon Terry and the other Deputies sold pictures of Faron to the audience before the show. One fan remembers being invited to Faron’s dressing room, which was filled with local deejays and musicians and songwriters. Everybody talked about the music business and asked Faron about being in the movies. Faron, with a number one record and two movies completed, probably felt on top of the world that night. (more…)