NEWS Hal Ketchum, 67, died November 23 as a result of complications from dementia. I reported in January that a tribute concert and fundraising campaign was held for him as he battled Alzheimer’s disease. The event took place at Gruene Hall in Gruene, Texas, where he had given his final performance in 2018. Hal was […]
IN THE SPOTLIGHT — BOBBY GOLDSBORO — PART II My last newsletter gave an update on Bobby Goldsboro. This week, we’ll talk about his “after-65” career as an oil painter. When I asked if he still performs concerts, he said he hadn’t booked any for the past year because he wanted to spend time on […]
IN THE SPOTLIGHT — BOBBY GOLDSBORO — PART I While waiting for my prearranged phone call from Bobby Goldsboro, I checked his website and read a recent article about the Florida native. Country fans will remember him best for his hits of “Honey” and “Watching Scotty Grow.” He also wrote “With Pen in Hand,” which […]
NEWS Johnny Bush (1935-2020) Texas Country Music Hall of Famer Johnny Bush, 85, died of pneumonia on October 16 in San Antonio, Texas. The Houston Chronicle reports, “John Bush Shinn III’s story began in northeast Houston in Kashmere Gardens in a house with no electricity or running water on a street paved with oyster shells. […]
NEWS Mac Davis (1942-2020) Mac Davis, 78, died September 29, the day after his family tweeted that he was “critically ill following heart surgery in Nashville.” Born in Lubbock, Texas, in 1942, he belonged to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the National Songwriters Hall of Fame. My favorites of his hits were “Baby […]
NEWS The Country Daily reports on country music reactions to the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 87, on September 18. Dolly Parton tweeted, “She was small in stature but even the tallest looked up to her. Her voice was soft but her message rang loud and clear and will echo forever. Thank […]
NEWS William “Bill” Pursell, Grammy-nominated composer and studio musician, died September 3 in Nashville at the age of 94. The Los Angeles Times obituary reports his death came after a “very fast, tough battle with COVID pneumonia,” according to his daughter, Laura Pursell. He had been in the hospital for a week. The California native, […]
As the biographer of Faron Young and Marty Robbins, I bring these newsletters to classic country music fans around the world. Send me your comments and ideas. Please forward this message and tell your friends to email me if they want to be added to the list. Randy Travis is the subject of my third University […]
IN THE SPOTLIGHT – LEROY VAN DYKE At age 90, Leroy Van Dyke is not slowing down. Except for the COVID-19 pandemic, that is. He’s anxious to get back on the road. During our phone conversation Monday evening, I commented that he sounded as young as ever. “Well, my voice has not left,” he said. […]
IN THE SPOTLIGHT – DALLAS WAYNE When Dallas Wayne, 64, announced he had moved from Austin, Texas, to Bristol, Tennessee, I decided it was time for an update from the Willie’s Roadhouse (SiriusXM) deejay.