Diane’s Country Music Newsletter — 11 December 2024
This week we especially honor the memories of Faron Young and Marty Robbins. Marty died December 8, 1982, at age 57. Faron died December 10, 1996, at age 64. Both gone too soon. Both never forgotten.
NEWS
The Tennessee State Capitol has honored Brenda Lee, 79, by declaring her famous 1958 “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” as the first Official Holiday Song of Tennessee. Gov. Bill Lee gave her a signed proclamation at a short ceremony after Representative Jason Powell filed the bill to officially honor her song. It was signed into law by Gov. Lee in April. “I’m so proud,” the Tennessean reports Brenda as saying. “I’m so proud for the writer, Johnny Marks, and all the A-team of musicians and Owen Bradley. I didn’t do this alone, so I will share this with them and the public. They made it possible. I just sang the song.” Brenda was 13 years old when she recorded the track at Quonset Hut Studio on Music Row. She became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and she is also in the Country Music Hall of Fame. When asked her hope for this holiday season, she responded, laughing, “That I’ll be alive.” She said, “I just I love Christmas, my favorite time of year.”
The halftime show during the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game against the New York Giants was performed by Lainey Wilson. Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders danced on the field and on the stage around her as she sang a medley of her hits. During her performance, she brought out Jelly Roll to help sing their chart-topping duet, “Save Me.” Country Now reports this special halftime show served as the kickoff to the Salvation Army’s 134th Red Kettle Campaign. Since their partnership began in 1997, The Salvation Army and the Cowboys have raised over $3 billion to provide food, shelter, holiday gifts, and emergency financial assistance through various Salvation Army programs.
During rehearsals for the Thanksgiving show, reports Holler, Lainey Wilson was surprised by a special message that flashed on the Jumbotron. Last year’s performer, Dolly Parton, appeared in a video to say, “A little birdie told me you were going to be doing the half-time show for the Dallas Cowboys this year. I’m excited to pass the Salvation Army bell to you as this year’s Red Kettle Kick-Off half-time performer.” Dolly also congratulated Lainey on the news that Highway 15 in Lainey’s hometown of Baskin, Louisiana, has been renamed “The Lainey Wilson Highway.” Dolly said, “As a travelling musician, you spend an awful lot of time on life’s highways. So it’s a true honour to have one of them named after you – especially one in your hometown.”
Waldron, Arkansas, recently honored hometown girl Ashley McBryde by proclaiming November 24 as “Ashley McBryde Day” in the City of Waldron and unveiling a roadside sign along Highway 71 with her name, reports Country Now. Ashley was present to accept the Key to the City and witness the unveiling of the sign. She recently released a new single, “Ain’t Enough Cowboy Songs,” that she wrote with Chris Harris and Patrick Savage. “When we got together to write, the three of us realized the cowboys we looked up to growing up made us want to be the way that we are — the music associated with them and the lives they lead,” she explained. “Those things fully embodied what I am starving for. There’s no substitute for hard work, resilience, kindness, standing up for and with folks in their weaker moments. No matter what else we may try to fill that hole with…there ain’t enough of it to ever resemble the real thing.”
Taste of Country provides an update from Darryl Worley on his 16-year-old daughter Savannah’s recovery from her injuries in a head-on car crash in mid-November. It occurred less than a mile from their house. “They life-flighted her to Vanderbilt and her surgeries were scheduled for early the next morning,” Darryl wrote on Instagram. “I flew out of Dallas thinking I wouldn’t be there in time for her surgeries. God saw fit to let those surgeries be postponed until the afternoon and I made it in time to be there while she was going through her operations. I am thrilled to say that Savannah and the other lady are both recovering and everyone survived.” It’s been a tough year for the Worleys. In January their barn burned to the ground, and they lost everything except their livestock. Then his wife, Kimberly, had a side-by-side crash in August and severely injured her left arm. Following more than three hours of surgery, she is expected to fully recover but still doesn’t have full use of her hand.
The 19th annual Mission: Possible Turkey Fry and Benefit Concert raised $250,000 to help those in need in Music City. MusicRow reports that Tracy Lawrence and 300 volunteers came together to cook more than 1,600 turkeys at the Nashville Fairgrounds. Charles Esten, Terri Clark, and Clint Black are a few of the friends who assisted Tracy in dropping turkeys. In addition, over a thousand frozen turkeys were distributed to food shelters throughout Middle Tennessee, providing 25,000 meals to those in need. Later that night, they held a benefit concert. “I love to be in an industry and a town that cares so much about its citizens,” Tracy said onstage. “To see the hundreds of volunteers show up year after year, a lot of folks have been coming since this thing began 19 years ago. I can’t even begin to tell you how much it means to me. We should all be proud of the wonderful city we live in.”
Sunnyside, Washington, native Zach Top already has an almost-sold-out headlining tour beginning in January, the 2025 Cold Beer & Country Music tour. His autobiographical “Sounds Like the Radio” (Back in ’94, you know) mixes well with outstanding covers such as Willie Nelson’s “Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning,” George Strait’s “Nobody In His Right Mind Would’ve Left Her,” and John Michael Montgomery’s “Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident).” Zach was one of the entertainers at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas last week. Whisky Riff reports, “While Top often brings his band along with him, he opted to do an entirely acoustic set for this performance. And WOW. You can hardly see a phone in sight throughout the arena as his stellar vocals and lyrics captivated the crowd wholly. In today’s day and age, where we are all glued to our phones, that says everything you need to know about Zach Top and his talent.”
Two months following the death of Kris Kristofferson, his family hosted a Thanksgiving celebration in his home state of Hawaii, reports Taste of Country. Willie Nelson and wife Annie were guests, as was Margo Price. Kris made his presence known. In the statement that announced his death, his family had said, “When you see a rainbow, know he’s smiling down at us all.” Margo shared on social media a video of the stunning rainbow that showed up by the ocean during her visit.
Recording industry executive Kevin Jonas Sr., 59, has announced the release of Ready Set Glow, his seven-song EP of original and traditional Christmas music. “I’m not releasing this music to become a full-time artist again,” Knox News reports him as saying. “It’s more me celebrating my family and a promise I made to my wife many years ago.” His wife, Denise, wanted him to release a cover version of Sandi Patty’s 1995 recording of “O Holy Night.” The one-song CD she hoped for turned into a seven-track EP. “Papa Jonas” had put his dreams of solo stardom on hold after recognizing the musical aptitude of his three sons, Joe, Kevin, and Nick. He led the Jonas Brothers to Disney Channel fame and the sale of over 10 million albums. Five years ago, he founded the Nashville-based artist management and music publishing organization, Jonas Group Entertainment. A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, he was twelve when he joined the talent contest eventually won by Randy Traywick (Travis) at Country City USA. “Feeling like you were being pushed along by a flood of talented people singing songs with big, bold and powerful messages that changed lives was inspirational for a small kid with a big voice like I was,” he reminisces. When asked about the broader value of Ready Set Glow, he says, “I’m just glad my wife is happy with the final product.” He adds, “I haven’t met Sandi Patty yet. When that happens, she deserves a thank you.”
“I hurt a lot of people,” Jelly Roll, 39, tells PEOPLE concerning his early days, when he was in jail 40 times over 10 years, starting when he was 14. “No matter how much I’ve changed, they still watch and are mad that I’m successful. I understand that.” He is working to make amends, and he has dedicated his success to paying it forward, raising money for charity and visiting juvenile detention centers and jails. Pre-orders of his latest album, Beautifully Broken, raised more than $1 million for four different charities. “Philanthropy is the legacy I hope to leave with the music,” he says. “I realized we’re here to serve. That’s the thought when I write, when I perform, when we feed the homeless, when we talk to kids at juvenile or in jail — we just want to be a good steward with what we got.”
On their first tour together in a decade, Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas will embark on a 73-date “Arcadia 2025 Tour” in April, reports MusicRow. Vocalist and guitarist Russell Moore has joined longtime Union Station members Ron Block (banjo, guitar, vocals), Barry Bales (bass, vocals), and newly inducted Bluegrass Hall of Fame member Jerry Douglas (Dobro, lap steel, vocals). “I’m so grateful to get to make music again with my comrades of 40 years,” Alison says. They will be in Sioux Falls on June 14, Flag Day.
A nationwide casting search has been launched to find performers to play Dolly Parton in the upcoming Broadway production, Dolly: An Original Musical. PEOPLE reports that Dolly announced the casting call in a video posted to TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. “I want to give you the chance to help me bring my story to Broadway — and maybe even play me,” she says. “We’re looking for talented performers who can capture the spirit of my journey, whether you’re an experienced theater professional or an undiscovered gem with that little special something.” To audition, applicants record a one-minute video of themselves singing their favorite Parton song and post it to social media with the tag #SearchForDolly. The casting team will review the submissions and invite promising applicants to New York City for a formal audition.
According to court documents obtained by In Touch, Kellie Pickler, 38, filed a petition against Reed and Sharon Jacobs, parents of her late husband, Kyle Jacobs. They took over as administrators of his estate when Kellie declined to accept that position. Kellie and Kyle started dating in 2008 and were married in 2011. Kyle died February 17, 2023, from a self-inflicted gunshot at the age of 49. Kellie was home at the time and could not find Kyle. She and her assistant called police after they couldn’t open the door to a room. In her petition, Kellie explained that there is a dispute regarding certain items that were allegedly in Kyle’s possession. She said Reed and Sharon are demanding via a subpoena that she deliver items that she either does not have or does not agree on possession. The subpoena includes Kyle’s gun collection, his swords, Rolex watch, Garmin watch, a 1957 J45 Gibson guitar, a McPherson KOA Guitar, a plastic bin of baseball card albums, school awards, a Steinway Grand Model M piano, and a viola. Kyle’s parents are accusing Kellie of violating a subpoena by refusing to turn over property belonging to the estate; they say they have Kellie and Kyle’s pre-nup, which lays out ownership of property.
As the Garth Brooks sexual assault charges work their way through the courts, his accuser’s attorney, Hayley Baker, says she first met her client in 2020, reports Whiskey Riff. She says, “At the time, Ms. Roe told me the underlying facts relating to Brooks that are now set forth in the action commenced in California Superior Court.” The woman waited almost four years before officially hiring legal counsel. She says she contacted Garth’s attorneys, and they asked her to “make an offer” to settle the case out of court. Baker then presented a settlement offer that would expire in September, and Garth’s attorneys responded by asking for more information and medical records concerning alleged injuries. Baker says Garth filed his lawsuit in Mississippi on the date the settlement offer was set to expire.
Cody Jinks Sings Lefty Frizzell is a newly released tribute album, reports MusicRow. Cody Jinks covers some of the best of Lefty Frizzell on nine tracks, including “If You’ve Got The Money I’ve Got The Time,” “That’s the Way Love Goes,” “I Never Go Around Mirrors” and “She’s Gone, Gone, Gone.” Cody has also announced his 2025 Hippies and Cowboys Tour, which runs March through September. “We’re a honky-tonk band,” he says. “We’re American music. You have country rock, rhythm and blues, all in one. We’re hippies, we’re cowboys–and we’re everything in between.”
According to Country Now, Ronnie Dunn posted a photo on Instagram of his bandaged leg, with the comment, “Changing these lyrics from ‘I don’t dance with anybody but you’ to ‘I probably shouldn’t ski anymore at 72’…” He added, “8 week vacation!” At the recent CMA Awards show, Brooks & Dunn won Vocal Duo of the Year trophy for the fifteenth time and the first time since 2006. This ties them for the most CMA Awards ever — 19 career trophies.
During the two years of her Eras Tour, Taylor Swift gave out $197 million in bonuses to tour workers —truck drivers, caterers, instrument techs, merch team, lighting, sound, production staff and assistants, carpenters, dancers, band, security, choreographers, pyrotechnics, riggers, hair, make-up, wardrobe, physical therapists and video team, PEOPLE confirms. The Eras Tour kicked off in Glendale, Arizona, in March 2023 and concluded this past Sunday in Vancouver, British Columbia. The 149 shows on five continents were attended by 10,168,008 people, with $2,077,618,725 in total tickets sold, making it the bestselling tour of all time. Gross ticket sales were double those of any other concert tour in history.
LETTERS
Philip Wyn Davies writes, “Thank you for a detailed newsletter. The irony in UK is that we are finally given the opportunity by BBC to see some of the CMA awards when I feel most performers are pop singers not country singers. I record the CMHOF bit or the song designated to mark passing of a legend. Very sad to read of the passing of Duncan Warwick editor of Country Music People, my go-to country mag from mid ‘70s to whenever it was that we had CMTV on satellite TV here, late ‘90s. Duncan certainly flew the flag alongside specialist radio DJs in the annual Wembley Country Festival.”
Andrew Grooms writes from Alto, New Mexico, “Your editorial in today’s email was really spot on. I did watch the CMAs and thought Laney Wilson and Luke Bryan did a great job and love their music as it still has great country style. I do like many of the younger artists but when the genre of country music turns to hip hop, rap or reggae I am out. Not knocking other forms of music, it all needs to sit in its lane and keep its own groove. so to speak. I really like the newer music of Eric Church, Luke Combs, Chris Stapleton, Jelly Roll, Cole Swindell, Zach Top, and many others, They at least are staying close to what country music was, is, and should be all about, IMHO. Without any names, many of the performances on that CMA show were just out of place and frankly belonged somewhere else. Just not my taste, I guess, and I can vote with my wallet accordingly. George, there ain’t many like ya no mo….sadly.”
Jackie Allen Thomas in Arizona says, “Wow, your editorial regarding today’s country music was right on the mark. Many young people are doing music that isn’t in the old-time country music genre that we grew up with but it’s keeping country music alive for the younger ones. We’ve got to accept the change. Healing prayers for Donna Fargo. Please keep publishing this great newsletter.”
Mike Johnson says, “Happy Thanksgiving to and your subscribers. Fixin’ my shrimp potato salad, and crawfish tail stuffing to go with the bird tomorrow. And of course, there’ll be cold beer. Talked with Terry Smith earlier and he’s home (for a change) for the holiday, as well.”
Bob Jennings says, “Again, Excellent Country Music Newsletter. I enjoyed your Editorial on Today’s Country Music. I agree with your thinking and will add something to think about: If Country Music had not changed from The Traditional to what it is now, would it be as popular as it is now or would there still be the difference between Traditional Country Music–Popular Music–Rock & Roll???”
Dominique ‘Imperial’ Anglares writes from France, “Thank you very much for that welcome newsletter. I found I don’t have Thank you for the care given in your previous publication to my message about my late friend Dick Penner. I was glad you broke the news with some added information ’cause there was no obituary online. Too many among our musical friends left the life’s stage with no noise or cheers. Your care is always much appreciated.”
Kate and Marty Davis send this message from Oregon: “Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Thanks for all you do.”
Bobby Fischer writes from Nashville, “A yuletide memory came back to me. Long ago I wrote with Ed Penny, a great old-timer. He said a friend of his, Johnny Marks, told him he had written ‘Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer’ and Gene Autry had cut it. When he went to ASCAP, they didn’t know what to do. The secretary said, ‘start your own publishing company.’ He did, St. Nicholas Music. Lucky for him, the publishing was priceless. I hope he tipped the secretary.”
Diane: St. Nicholas Music, Inc. is still in business; it’s run by Johnny’s last surviving child, Michael Marks (mmarks@stnicholas.com), who was born the same year “Rudolph” was written. A 2014 New Yorker article describes stopping by the office on the sixth floor of the Brill Building in New York City, shortly before its move to a different building. An opaque glass door with the words “St. Nicholas Music Inc.” in rusty gold paint on the transom marked its entrance. Michael Marks invited the visitor inside. “It was like stepping through a time portal,” the article stated. “Every chair and flat surface, including the upright piano where Johnny Marks wrote some of his tunes, groaned under sheet music, Christmas songbooks, and old trade magazines.” St. Nicholas owns the copyrights to four classic Christmas songs written by Johnny Marks, who died in 1985: “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (the second best-selling Christmas single of all time), “Silver and Gold,” “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”