Diane’s Country Music Newsletter — 30 April 2025
NEWS
Famed Hee Haw cast member Lulu Roman, 78, died unexpectedly April 22 in Bellingham, Washington. According to MusicRow, the Dallas, Texas, native was born with a thyroid condition and placed in an orphanage at birth. Before moving to Nashville, she worked in Jack Ruby’s Dallas nightclubs under the stage name “Lulu Roman, the World’s Biggest Go-Go Dancer.” She joined Hee Haw In 1969, quickly becoming known for both her comedy and her powerful voice. Following a struggle with drug addiction, she later turned to gospel music and won multiple Dove Awards. She was inducted into the Country Gospel Music Hall of Fame and the Christian Music Hall of Fame. This Is My Story; This Is My Song is the title of her 2019 autobiography. She participated in numerous charitable efforts related to children’s welfare, heart health, and addiction recovery.
Coyote Country 107.9 reports that Lorrie Morgan has canceled all concerts and public appearances for the remainder of April. Lorrie’s husband, Randy White, is battling aggressive mouth cancer and has been readmitted to a hospital in Middle Tennessee. The couple has been married since September 2010. Pam Tillis will take Lorrie’s place on her Alabama tour.
MusicRow reports that Mark Chesnutt has signed with Conway Entertainment Group / Ontourage Management. He won the CMA Horizon Award in 1993, and his hits include “Bubba Shot the Jukebox,” “Too Cold at Home,” “Brother Jukebox” and “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.” Conway Entertainment Group Ontourage Management President Tony Conway says, “I was Mark’s first agent at Buddy Lee up until the time I left after 33 years. He’s one of the true great male vocalists of country music. After all he’s been through, we wanted to help him get back on the road and in the studio.” Mark, now 61, underwent emergency quadruple bypass surgery last summer and back surgery before that.
The Tennessee House of Representatives, in a special session at the Tennessee State Capitol on April 14, recognized The Grand Ole Opry on its 100th anniversary. Representative Jeremy Faison introduced the resolution that honored the Opry’s century-long impact on American music and Tennessee culture. Dailey & Vincent performed “I’ll Leave My Heart in Tennessee” live on the chamber floor. Written by Karen Staley and recorded by Dailey & Vincent, the song was declared an official Tennessee State Song in 2022.
Songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and performer Mac Gayden died April 16 at age 83. According to MusicRow, “He co-wrote such soul classics as ‘Everlasting Love’ and ‘She Shot a Hole in My Soul,’ co-founded the Southern rock bands Barefoot Jerry and Area Code 615, recorded solo LPs, and played lead guitar on albums by Kris Kristofferson, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Linda Ronstadt and many others.” Born McGavock Dickinson Gayden in 1941 in Nashville, he was raised in a prominent family that expected him to be a doctor. Instead, fascinated by R&B acts, he pursued music as a career. His guitar style was deeply influenced by R&B. By the late 1960s, his prowess as a guitarist had attracted the attention of Nashville’s top session musicians and producers. He became one of the legendary A-Team “Nashville Cats.” His 2013 memoir was titled Missing String Theory: A Musician’s Uncommon Spiritual Journey.
Keyboardist David Briggs, 82, died April 22, following a stroke; he had been battling cancer. Born in 1943, he started playing piano as a teenager in studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. He was a key member of the original Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and played on all the early Muscle Shoals hits. He moved to Nashville in 1965 for steady work as a session musician and became one of the A-Team “Nashville Cats.” During his first year there, he played on 140 recording sessions, with the number soon accelerating to 400+ sessions a year. He also recorded solo albums and performed in bands such as Area Code 615, The James Gang, and Elvis Presley’s TCB Band. He co-founded Quadrafonic Sound Studios and later created his own House of David recording studio. In 1999, he was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. He and his fellow Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section members entered the Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville in 2019.
Following in the footsteps of Merle Haggard and Randy Travis, singer Jelly Roll, 40, may soon receive a full pardon from his state governor. Country Now reports that Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall wrote to Governor Bill Lee a year ago and asked for a full pardon for Jason “Jelly Roll” Deford, who was in and out of the judicial system from ages 14 to 25. Sheriff Hall’s recent social media post says, “Today the Board unanimously recommended his Pardon. It’s now in the hands of our Governor.” While serving time for drug-related felonies, the Nashville native discovered that his passion for music created a sense of community among fellow inmates. At the age of 23, he earned his GED in prison. The news that he had a daughter led him to change his life. He routinely goes back to prisons to perform for inmates and demonstrate that their past does not have to define their future.
On August 2, Tim McGraw will headline a concert prior to the MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway. Major League Baseball and Speedway? Together? That confused me. Here’s the MusicRow explanation: “A baseball diamond ready for a Major League game will be built across the famed Bristol track.” This is the first regular-season MLB game to be played in the state of Tennessee. The teams will be the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds. The one-of-a-kind pregame show featuring Tim and special guests will be part of a full day of events at Bristol Motor Speedway to celebrate music and baseball. Tim’s birth father, Tug McGraw, was an MLB pitcher who played for the NY Mets and the Phillies and contributed to their World Series victories.
The past eight months have been medically tough for Tim McGraw, who turns 58 on May 1. He had surgery on both knees last August, causing him to cancel his remaining 2024 dates. In January, reports Pennlive.com, he pulled out of a Netflix rodeo series to have back surgery. He has announced a May 31 performance at the Music City Rodeo in Nashville, followed by the MLB Speedway Classic on August 2.
Books by and about Dolly Parton never stop coming. MusicRow announces her upcoming book, Star of the Show: My Life on Stage, will be released November 11 via Ten Speed Press. This in-depth look at her career is the last in her photographic trilogy, following Songteller (lyrics) and Behind the Seams (fashion). It covers her early years, her movies and TV shows, her worldwide headliner tours, and stars she shared the stage with. “I’m so proud that I’ve been able to spend the last 70 plus years doing what I feel I was born to do…singing, writing, and performing,” she says. An audio version, read by Dolly, will also be published by Penguin Random House Audio. In a few weeks, I’ll be reviewing another Dolly Parton book: Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker. It is the companion book for her upcoming exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Morgan Wallen and Post Malone wrote and released a single called “I Ain’t Comin’ Back.” A line in the song says, “But the night I said I’m leavin,’ I turned into Richard Petty / Broke my heart, so I got even in my ’97 Chevy.” Holler reports that Richard Petty shared a clip of the lyric video on his Instagram Stories, with the comment, “Thanks for the shoutout @morganwallen.”
On the past Saturday night Grand Ole Opry, Vince Gill presented Steve Earle with a custom guitar strap commemorating 100 years of the Opry. Then, Columbo-like, he started to leave the stage and turned around to say he forgot to mention that the strap can only be given to Opry members. That was his invitation for Steve to become the newest member.
Ann Lorraine Brognano, 89, of Rome, New York, died April 17. She had spent her career as a registered nurse in Rome and was preceded in death by her dentist husband. They owned a house on Delta Lake and loved to host family cookouts. Her obituary says she was “proud that she and Jim were featured in Randy Travis‘ music video, ‘That’s The Way Love Goes,’ which was filmed at their beloved lake house.” To find the time frame, I checked Randy’s discography and learned that song had appeared on his final album, Influence Vol. 2: The Man I Am, released by Warner Bros. on August 19, 2014. It was news to me that a video had been made for that album. It was released August 9, which means it would have been filmed while Randy was fighting for his life after his stroke. He does not appear in the video.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced its 2025 inductees into the Rock Hall in Cleveland, reports Reuters. No country singers this year but I want to acknowledge “The Twist” singer Chubby Checker, 83, who popularized dance styles such as the twist and the limbo in the 1960s. I can remember going to the weekly free movies in Clear Lake and seeing Twist Around the Clock. Kids were twisting in the aisles, but not us farm kids. The other inductees this year are Cyndi Lauper, 71, grunge rock band Soundgarden, English rock group Bad Company, hip-hop act Outkast, British rock and blues singer Joe Cocker, who died in 2014 at age 70, and garage rock duo The White Stripes.
Terry Tyson emailed me an eBay link to let me know my book cover is being used to sell bootleg shirts. Titled “NEW Randy Travis Signed Storms of Life Black T-Shirt,” the photo showed a really pretty black t-shirt with my book cover (minus my name) in the center and Randy’s autograph along the side. I thanked Terry and forwarded it to my publisher. The intellectual property manager made a report to eBay and asked that it be removed from the site. The last I checked, it was still there. I asked Terry (who handles merch for Randy Travis and Alabama) if he deals with this often, and he said, “All the time. It’s out of hand.” He scours eBay for bootleg merch and routinely reports it. “Never trust those Etsy, eBay, Amazon, or Walmart ads,” he advises. “It’s so easy for everyone to use apps and create print-on-demand shirts using artists’ intellectual property. Attorneys are having a field day shutting them down.” So if you want to buy any artist merchandise, go to the artist’s official website and shop there. Then you know you’ll get a quality product, and the money will go to the rightful owner.
LETTERS
Paul Leim writes from Nashville, “Randy came to the studio today to see us cut Jacob Tolliver’s new record. ‘Talk About Some Jerry Lee Rockin’!’ Kyle producing. Studio 6. We had an incredible day recording Jacob‘s new tracks. Rocking like crazy in a Jerry Lee Lewis style. Nobody does it better than Jacob Tolliver. He is incredible. Left to right in back: Casey Wood first Engineer. Carlos Chavez second Engineer. Larry Paxton Bass. Jason Roller Guitar. Jacob Tolliver Artist from the Million Dollar Quartet production in Las Vegas. Paul Leim drums. Kyle Lehning legendary producer. Of course, Randy Travis in front.”
Nobuhiko Ogino writes from Kobe, Japan, “Very sad to hear Johnny Tillotson has passed away. He was very popular singer also in Japan. Pig Robbins was great country piano player. He joined my Nashville recording one time in 2002. His play was amazing.”
Diane Jordan says, “I just finished reading your interview with David Robbins in your newsletter. I found it all so interesting, as I had never read about Pig’s life before. When I was living in Nashville with my older sister in the early 1960s, and going to high school, we went to the Friday Night Frolics and the Opry every weekend. One of her best friends had met Vicki Robbins at the Friday Night Frolics at WSM radio studios. Vicki would drive Pig, of course, and there was no backstage, so she sat in the audience. Florence struck up a conversation with her and they became good friends. Pig would hear a lot of gossip at the recording sessions. She told us that Pig told her, ‘People will talk in front of a blind person, like they think he can’t hear either!’ That makes sense.”
Marlene Nord writes, “I had been aware of Hargus Pig Robbins’s status as a celebrated Nashville session musician for decades. I had the honor of becoming somewhat acquainted with him during the last few years of his life. He joined VIP Conduit, a website promoting music, conversation, classes, and other social networking activities of blind and visually impaired individuals. Pig was very humble and low key about his famed piano playing ability. As your interview reflected, he played on so many timeless recordings. The very recognizable intro to Charlie Rich’s ‘Behind Closed Doors,’ George Jones’s ‘I Always Get Lucky with You’ and ‘White Lightning,’ just to name a few. My all-time favorite is that wonderful intro to Gene Watson’s ‘Fourteen Carat Mind.’ Although it was incredible to have such a celebrity in our midst, Pig’s unassuming presence, sense of humor and quiet spirit soon transformed him to just one of the gang. He didn’t speak overmuch, but what he did contribute to a conversation always packed a punch. What a privilege it was to get to know this amazingly talented, nationally renowned yet down to earth gentleman.”
Larry Sloven of Extragrande Music says, “Wonderful piece about Pig Robbins and his son. I always enjoy your writing.”
Larry Jordan writes, “First, I always enjoy your informative newsletter and appreciate how hard you work gathering all the news about country music that you do. I am happy to announce that my award-winning book, JIM REEVES: HIS UNTOLD STORY is now available worldwide as an audiobook. It is professionally narrated by Frank Gerard, one of the top voice talents in the nation who of course also did your book on Marty Robbins. You can find mine on Amazon, Audible, and Apple iTunes. It runs about 39 hours. Just go to the product page for my printed and ebook editions. A lot of people don’t have time to sit down and read a book, even about someone as fascinating as the great singer Jim Reeves. But with an audiobook, you can listen to the book being read while you are doing other things. It’s very convenient. You can listen to little snippets at a time and work your way through the book. Be sure to click to listen to a sample. Frank has a good voice, enunciates very clearly with the right inflections, and is easy on the ear. You will enjoy listening to him and I hope fans will also be drawn into the incredible UNTOLD STORY of Gentleman Jim’s fascinating life. Thanks and best wishes,”
Diane: That’s great news that Frank Gerard recorded your book, Larry. I’m pleased with the way he told the stories of Marty Robbins and Faron Young. (Links to both are at the bottom of this newsletter.)
Roger Ryan in Cork, Ireland, says, “Thank you for yet another newsletter chock-full of interesting items as usual. I am heading to Music City from June 1 to 14 for all the excitement of CMA Music Fest and Fan Fair and to meet up with some good friends.”
Mary Katherine Aldin wonders, “In your newest newsletter you reported the closure of the Patsy Cline museum. I had also seen a couple of other news stories about this closing. However, nobody has reported on what will happen to all the wonderful artifacts and memorabilia that are in the museum. Do you know? Greatly enjoy your newsletter always.”
Diane: Randall Bart tells me that most, if not all, will return to the Patsy Cline family.
Rosemary Eng writes from Whiting, New Jersey, “I know this is a country newsletter, but when I was a teen my two favorites were Duane Eddy and Johnny Tillotson. I still have my 45 RPM record boxes with their names scribbled all over them. Sad they are both gone, and it was a thrill to see them both mentioned in your GREAT newsletter.”
Martha Moore of so much MOORE media sends a video link and says, “Billy Jam Recording artist Alex Miller spent time yesterday at WGSQ’s / 94.7 The Country GIANT in Cookeville, Tennessee. He was on air with Philip Gibbons who has been an early believer and has already added Alex’s upcoming single, ‘The Byrd,’ which features Country legend Tracy Byrd. Alex also sang his recent hit ‘She Makes Dirt Look Good’ and Haggard’s ‘Big City,’ before treating invited listeners to a 30-minute live luncheon performance.”
Martha Moore of so much MOORE media says, “Nashville-based LuckySky Music celebrates its second #1 with artist/songwriter Tori Martin in Arlington, TX. Martin’s ‘Abilene,’ produced by Bill Warner and written by Bill Diluigi, Kirsti Manna, Bill Warner and Martin, has topped the Texas Regional Radio Report (TRRR) Chart. Tori has show dates this month in Waco, Abilene, Gruver and Horseshoe Bay, Texas. Below: Bill DiLuigi (staff writer), Bill Warner (President), Kirsti Manna (VP & Creative Director), Greg Sax, Radio Promoter (SAXIS MUSIC GROUP), Tori Martin (Music artist/writer), Jason Engelman (CEO), and Joseph Wandass IV (staff writer).”
Daniel Burritt writes from Phoenix Arizona, “Wow!! Another Jam-packed newsletter. You covered Country greats, Rock’n’roll greats, and Blues! Thank you for sharing.”
Bobby Fischer says, “Still a few music biz surprises. A song I wrote with Rick Giles, ‘Hit the Ground Runnin’,’ became a hit for John Conlee and a Ford truck commercial. Out of the blue, a big star in Norway recorded it as a single, and he now recorded twelve of my songs: Arne Benoni.”
Douglas Joe Guy, RMC, USN (Ret), writes from Knoxville, Tennessee, “Today, I received my copy of the book you reviewed, Singing in the Saddle, and I can’t wait to get started. I am old enough (79 in June) to remember a lot of the singing cowboys, so some chapters will be like old home week. Thanks for telling us about it in your as usual great newsletter.”
RANDY TRAVIS: STORMS OF LIFE
Sam Ehlinger, publicity coordinator for University of Illinois Press, says, “I have a few advanced reading copies left. If you are a journalist interested in reading an ARC, please reach out to press-publicity@uillinois.edu with your address. Then we can send out the ones that are left.”
As a reminder, the book release party for RANDY TRAVIS: STORMS OF LIFE will take place at 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 28, at Legends of Country Music Museum, 2613 McGavock Pike in Nashville. The event will be free to the public.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Patsy Cline fan Frank Gerard sent me a song from YouTube that he had never heard Patsy sing. He also sent songs by Faron Young and Marty Robbins and asked if I recognized them. The videos were described as “retro” and “tribute.” Noticing the lyrics of all three songs were written by Johnny Shand, I looked him up. He is a young doo-wop/rock-n-roll singer/songwriter in England. Which means Patsy, Marty, and Faron were long dead before Shand wrote the songs they are purportedly singing. The Faron song sounded exactly like Faron in the 1950s, and I loved the song and the sound. Unfortunately, he didn’t record it. His voice was there, artificially recreated, but he didn’t sing the words. What is the point of listening to a “good” song if you know it’s fake? In the words of Mary and Randy Travis on Capitol Hill last week, “No one should be allowed to put words in someone else’s mouth or depict them doing something they never did. It is unconscionable that AI can take my voice and produce content without my consent or compensation.” Now that you know my opinion, here’s my question: How should consumers treat AI-generated songs? This is a new industry, and YouTube will soon be flooded with similar products.
MUSICIANS HALL OF FAME IN NASHVILLE – 2014 (second third)
Ben Keith may be best known for his work as a pedal steel guitarist with Neil Young, but he got his start playing steel guitar with Faron Young. He stayed in Faron’s Country Deputies band from 1958-63 and became a session musician during that time. He later worked for over four decades with numerous successful rock, country, and pop artists as producer and multi-instrumentalist sideman. Ben invited me to his farm in 2000 to talk about his days with Faron. At the time, he was producing CDs for both Jewel and Neil Young. You can read excerpts from our interview in “In Their Own Words” near the end of this newsletter: https://dianediekman.com/dianes-country-music-newsletter-28-november-2018/. Ben died of a heart attack in 2010, while staying at Neil Young’s ranch in Northern California. He was 73 years old.
Will Lee holds the world’s record for longest-running bass guitarist on late night television, after spending more than three decades as part of the CBS Orchestra on Late Show with David Letterman. As a studio musician, he has played on more than 1,700 albums for artists such as Carly Simon, Barry Manilow, Mariah Carey, and Dave Matthews. He was also a founding member of the Beatles tribute band, The Fab Faux. He published his 11th book in 2021. Titled Funk/Jazz Bass, it was a “play-in-the-style-of…” book that focused on 30 great bass players. When asked what advice he had for new bass players, he said, “Surround yourself with musicians better than you. Do your best to find a great drummer, especially if you’re a bassist. Learn how to lock in, to focus on the way that person feels. Try to learn how to predict where their foot’s going to land, because you can adapt to that, no matter what your inherent groove is that you play when you’re by yourself. The more you play with other people, the better you can play with other people, because you can get into bad habits playing with yourself.” Will is 72 years old and has a website at https://www.willlee.com.
The beautiful, multi-talented, and amazing Barbara Mandrell, 76, wasthe first artist to win CMA Entertainer of the Year for two consecutive years. She is a member of the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame and also plays saxophone, banjo, guitar, Dobro, mandolin, bass, and accordion. Her TV show, Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters, was one of my favorite shows. Her 1990 autobiography, Get to the Heart: The Barbara Mandrell Story, stayed on the New York Times Best Seller List for six months. She officially retired in 1997 and was inducted into the Country Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2009, she became the only woman ever to be inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame. She was also inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2009. Born on Christmas Day in 1948, Barbara has a website at https://barbaramandrell.com.
Corki Casey O’Dell, born Vivian J. “Corki” Ray Casey, earned the title of The First Rock and Roll Sidechick because she played rhythm guitar on so many pioneering hit records. She was the only woman in a small group of musicians in Phoenix, Arizona, in the mid-Fifties, who made groundbreaking recordings that helped define the rock and roll sound. In 1956, she played percussion on a cardboard box on Sanford Clark’s “The Fool.” She was a member of Duane Eddy’s band the Rebels and played on many of his hits: “Moovin’ ‘n Groovin’,” “Ramrod,” “Peter Gunn,” “Forty Miles of Bad Road,” and “Rebel Rouser.” Casey and songwriter husband Kenny O’Dell moved to Nashville in 1969. She died in Nashville in 2017, two days before her 81st birthday. During the 2014 Musicians Hall of Fame induction ceremony, she and Duane Eddy performed together for the first time in half a century.