Diane’s Country Music Newsletter — 5 February 2025

NEWS

Terry Smith, 80, of Nashville, Tennessee, died January 21, 2025. Born in Oklahoma in 1944 and reared in Texas, he earned a bachelor’s degree in education at North Texas State University. In 1972 he moved to Nashville to pursue a songwriting career and teach middle school English. He released thirteen albums of original material during those years. He retired from teaching after twenty-nine years and focused on music. His most famous song is “Far Side Banks of Jordan,” recorded by over 300 performers, including Johnny Cash/June Carter Cash and Jimmy Fortune. I spotlighted Terry in my newsletter in 2020.

Carolyn Babcock, 85, wife of Cowboy Joe Babcock, died January 18, surrounded by her family at home. Born and raised in Nashville, she met Joe Babcock when he came from Nebraska in 1959 to sing with Marty Robbins on the Grand Ole Opry. The Williamson Scene reports, “They both knew immediately that they were soul mates brought together by God.” In later years, they and their daughter Lorrie formed the gospel music group, The Babcocks, and created the annual Sunday Morning Country event, held at the Opry House. Joe is a long-time subscriber to this newsletter, and we send our condolences to you, Joe. He says, “She was my wife and best friend for 64 years.”

When Billy Ray Cyrus, 63, took the stage to perform at the Liberty Ball, one of President Donald Trump’s inaugural festivities, he appeared to have personal issues, as well as technical difficulties with his guitar and microphone, while singing “Achy Breaky Heart.” While attempting to sing a cappella, he walked around the stage snapping his fingers, speaking the lyrics rather than singing them. “Check? Is anybody awake?” he asked, looking for assistance. “Y’all want me to sing more, or you want me to just get the hell off the stage?” He later told PEOPLE, “I wouldn’t have missed the honor of playing this event whether my microphone, guitar and monitors worked or not. I was there because President Donald J. Trump invited me.” He said, “I’ve learned through all these years when the producer says, ‘You’re on,’ you go entertain the folks even if the equipment goes to hell.” Comments on social media included, “Sad to see Billy Ray so messed up at the Liberty Ball,” “Watching Billy Ray Cyrus tonight was heartbreaking,” and “Billy Ray Cyrus performance is cringe-worthy. Legitimately Concerning.”

The Blackshear Times reports the death of Marshall Rowland on January 11 in Fernandina Beach, Florida, less than two weeks before his 94th birthday. Born in 1931 in Brunswick, Georgia, he grew up as a good student, hard worker, and talented musician. At 16, he graduated from high school and was hired to play steel guitar for Tiny Grier and the Florida Playboys, live on the radio, in Jacksonville, Florida. He became a morning disc jockey and worked his way over the years to become the owner of WQIK in Jacksonville, along with several other stations. As a country music show promoter across Florida and Georgia, he booked Merle Haggard, Marty Robbins, Waylon Jennings, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, Glen Campbell, and many others. He “discovered’ country comedian Jerry Clower and booked him on his first live performance–as opening act for Charley Pride. Rowland was president of the Greater Jacksonville Fair Association in the early 1980s. He had many musician friends in the Jacksonville area and greatly enjoyed having jam sessions. In addition to steel guitar, he played piano and guitar.

The Grand Ole Opry will celebrate its 100th anniversary with Opry 100: A Live Celebration, a concert that airs live on NBC on Wednesday, March 19, reports Billboard. Blake Shelton will host the three-hour event, featuring performances from the Opry House and the Ryman Auditorium. Opry members Ashley McBryde, Brad Paisley, Carly Pearce, Carrie Underwood, Clint Black, Dierks Bentley, Garth Brooks, Kelsea Ballerini, Lainey Wilson, Luke Combs, Marty Stuart, Reba McEntire, Trace Adkins, Trisha Yearwood, and Vince Gill will all take part, as will Randy Travis, Amy Grant, Eric Church, Jelly Roll, and The War and Treaty. The Grand Ole Opry launched in 1925 and has become the longest running live broadcast show in the world, featuring weekly performances from established country music artists and rising artists.

Dolly: An Original Musical will make its world premiere at Belmont University’s Fisher Center, reports the Tennessean. Dolly Parton joined the musical’s director, Bartlett Sher, and reporter Marcus K. Dowling onstage at the 1,700-plus seat Fisher Center to announce the dates to Belmont students and members of the press. Opening night will be August 8 and the final performance August 17. The musical goes to the Broadway stage in 2026. “I have always wanted to do my life story in a musical, and I just thought I wanted to see it done while I was still around to be able to oversee it, to make sure it’s done properly,” Dolly said. “Rather than to wait till I’m gone and let somebody else decide how they think it should be done.”

In addition to announcing the world premiere of her musical, Dolly Parton, CTK Enterprises, and Belmont University announced the launch of Dolly U, an immersive educational experience focused on the creation of that world premiere. According to MusicRow, “This inaugural program offers students opportunities to work alongside the musical’s professional cast, creative and production teams as it develops and debuts at the Fisher Center this summer.” Students are already serving as production assistants and casting ambassadors for the recently completed national casting search, “The Search for Dolly.” This first-year program is a pilot for future collaborations between Belmont, Dolly, and CTK Enterprises, with plans to expand Dolly U. For more information, visit www.belmont.edu/dollyu.

Randy Travis has released his second AI-generated single, “Horses in Heaven,” via Warner Music Nashville. Last year’s release of “Where That Came From” made history after Randy’s longtime producer, Kyle Lehning, used a revolutionary AI-powered voice model to produce Randy’s first new music in over a decade. “Horses In Heaven,” written by Jon Randall and Matt Nolen, is a perfect fit, says a press release, “for the artist who has been horseback since he, quite literally, was a baby. Harold Traywick, Randy’s late father, was a renowned horse trainer in North Carolina and ensured that his children inherited his skills.” In a social media post on January 30, the night before the release, Randy dedicated “Horses in Heaven” to the victims of the Washington DC plane crash and the memory of publishing giant Ben Vaughn of the Warner Music family. His statement said, “We have decided to continue with this release and promotion but felt remiss to not share what’s on my heart right now… God Bless Ben, the victims of last night’s crash, and all who are feeling the heaviness of this moment.”

President & CEO of Warner Chappell Music Nashville, Ben Vaughn, 49, died unexpectedly on January 30. According to Country Now, a cause of death has not been revealed. The Kentucky native worked at his local radio station in Sullivan before moving to Nashville to attend Belmont University. He began his publishing career as an intern at Warner Chappell’s partner company, Big Tractor Music, where he grew the small publishing company while earning his college degree. At age 34, he became the youngest executive to lead a major publisher in Nashville, as EVP and GM of EMI Music Publishing. Eventually, he led Warner Chappell Nashville for over a decade. Collectively, his songwriters amassed 19 CMA, ACM, Grammy, or PRO Songwriter of the Year honors, 35 Song of the Year titles, and eight inductions into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience (The MAX) inducted five new members into its Hall of Fame on January 23 at a ceremony at the Mississippi State University Riley Center in downtown Meridian, according to a press release. Folklorist William “Bill” Ferris (b. 1942) is an author, photographer, and longtime college professor. Historian and novelist Shelby Foote (1916-2005) wrote the three-book series The Civil War: A Narrative and provided commentary for the Ken Burns documentary The Civil War. His son, Huger Foote, accepted his award. Singer/songwriter Bobbie Gentry (b. 1942 as Roberta Lee Streeter) is best known for “Ode to Billie Joe.” She was not present. Singer/songwriter/musician/producer Mac McAnally (b. 1957 as Lyman Corbitt McAnally Jr.) has written hit songs recorded by Kenny Chesney and Alabama and has been named Musician of the Year 10 times by the Country Music Association. Poet Natasha Trethewey (b. 1966) is a former poet laureate for the United States and Mississippi; she won the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry in 2007.

Eight days later, Mac McAnally walked onstage to a standing ovation at the packed Ryman Auditorium. He introduced fellow Coral Reefer, Eric Darken, who had an assembly of pots, pans and other items not normally found in a drum kit. They honored their former boss, Jimmy Buffett, who never got to fulfill his wish of headlining at the Ryman; his microphone and guitar sat center stage. They sang Buffet songs, as well as songs Mac wrote for himself and other artists. He showed off his signature guitar work that has earned him 10 CMA Musician of the Year Awards. According to a press release, Kenny Chesney arrived to thunderous cheers. He and Mac sang “Down the Road,” their Number One duet from 2009. The evening ended with “Back Where I Come From,” a Number One that Mac wrote for Kenny, and a final Jimmy Buffett tribute with “A Pirate Looks At Forty.”

“I’m living in London while working on some new music and playing some shows,” Darius Rucker, 58, writes on Instagram. “Always been on the bucket list — but don’t get it twisted y’all … nothing will ever replace the Carolinas and it is still home.” Country Now reports that the proud native of Charleston, South Carolina, recently moved to London with his two dogs, Freddie and Larry. His next scheduled show is March 13 in London for the CMA Songwriters Series as part of C2C: Country to Country Festival.

While cohosting Today with Jenna & Friends, Wynonna Judd, 60, talked about raising her 2½-year-old granddaughter, Kaliyah, which she has been doing since the multiple arrests of her daughter, Grace Kelley. “My life on the farm is simple and sweet, which is what we need more of,” she said. “I do what I have to do to learn how to just live off the road. ‘Cause I was on the road at 17, so I never got to learn how to do life outside of show business.” She added, “Food family and fun is my goal.”

MusicRow reports the death of songwriter Buddy Brock, 72, on January 24 at his home in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. Born William Calhoun Brock Jr. in Greenwood, South Carolina, he moved to Nashville in 1990 to pursue his songwriting dream. He spent 17 years as a staff writer for Acuff-Rose/Sony Publishing and won BMI Awards for “Fall in Love” (Kenny Chesney), “You’ve Got to Stand for Something” (Aaron Tippin), “Watermelon Crawl” (Tracy Byrd),  “There Ain’t Nothing Wrong with the Radio,” (Aaron Tippin), “Haunted Heart” (Sammy Kershaw), and “I Wanna Fall in Love” (Lila McCann). Among the other artists who recorded his songs were George Jones, Ty Herndon, Doug Stone, Gary Allan, Woody Lee, George Strait, Charley Pride, and Daryle Singletary.

The steel guitar world is in shock over the unexpected death of pedal steel innovator Susan Alcorn, 72. No cause of death was given. She lived in Baltimore and had been born in Cleveland in 1953. She started playing guitar at age 12 and began experimenting with slide guitar as a teen after randomly meeting Muddy Waters. In the 1970-80s, she played pedal steel in country bands and western swing groups in Houston. To improve her technique, she copied the music of her steel guitar and blues heroes: Buddy Emmons, Lloyd Green, Jimmy Day, Curly Chalker, Maurice Anderson, Robert Johnson, Bukka White, and many more. She took lessons from anyone who would teach her. She began experimenting by running the instrument through a synthesizer to mimic the sound of other instruments. Comments on Steel Guitar Forum include: “Susan was such an innovator and helped to push the instrument into some unexpected territory.” “She took pedal steel in totally different directions.” “She was a brilliant musician and a warm, caring person who called out injustice and wanted to do good in the world.” “Susan was one of the most extraordinary persons I ever had the privilege to meet. Her albums displayed fearlessness and boundless curiosity that only a few musicians possess.”

When Bill Anderson kicked off the Grand Ole Opry’s 100th anniversary year on January 3 at the Ryman Auditorium, he tried to recreate what the first Opry show in 1925 might have sounded like when Uncle Jimmy Thompson and his fiddle went on the air. “I stood back in the shadows while the fiddle player in my band, Gail Johnson, stood center stage in the spotlight alone and played an old tune Uncle Jimmy might have played called ‘Leather Britches,’” he writes in his fan club newsletter. After about 30 seconds, he stepped into the spotlight beside her and sang to her fiddle accompaniment the new verses he’d written to “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”: “Just an old-time fiddle player/Back in 1925/Now one-hundred long years later/What he started is still alive.” Before the song was over, the entire evening’s cast was on stage singing with him. “It was a special Opry Moment and only the first of what promises to be an incredible Opry year,” Bill writes. “It was one of the most thrilling moments I’ve experienced in my 63-year career as an Opry member.”

LETTERS

Joseph Allen says, “I am familiar with Tug McGraw and his time with the Mets. Didn’t know Tim is his son. Now I know. Neat.”

Diane: Here’s the story.

Mike Johnson writes, “Your 2nd January issue snuck up on me before I could comment on the first one. Most definitely relate to Ronnie McDowell’s Navy story regarding his Vietnam tours on USS Hancock. I enlisted in 1965 right out of high school and in February 1967 checked aboard USS Constellation CVA-64 and did two Nam tours on her. In particular, his mention of Subic Bay and Po Town (Olongapo City) caught my attention. It was my favorite liberty port because there was so much to do with my time being divided between the riding stables in the hilly mountain part of the base, Po Town, and Grande Island, where beer, sodas, hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and other snacks were dished out 24/7 to keep us fleet sailors busy and out of ‘trouble’ in Po Town. I also went boar hunting at the ranch of one of stable hand’s parents up in the Luzon Mountains. Sorry to hear of the passing of Sam ‘Soul Man’ Moore. He had quite a career to be sure, and I’m aware of some of his music as a kid. I met him at a Congressional Hearing on music industry royalties regarding digital outlets refusing to pay their fair share to music creators, etc. He was a soft spoken and gracious person. Must admit I’d never heard of In-Law Country. But one doesn’t know ‘everything’ about the business as some will claim. Very interesting story. Melba Montgomery was one of my favorite singers, with ‘No Charge’ being my favorite of hers. May she and Sam Rest in Peace and condolences to both families. Still plodding along with volume two of my music anthology, but still have time to take a break and read your interesting newsletters.”

Bobby Fischer in Nashville says, “Hard to hear about the great Melba Montgomery passing. I learned those duet songs she had with George and then a big thrill in later years I got to write with her. Steve Leslie lined it up. I will always treasure those songs. She was one of my heroes from the ‘60s. She gave the music world some treasures.

Dominique ‘Imperial’ Anglares writes from France, “Thanks for that Country Music Newsletter and for the information given about Melba Montgomery. She was a fine singer, and I had a strong appreciation for her recorded work. Her cover of ‘Blue Moon of Kentucky’ done with George Jones stands among my favorites since several decades. She will be missed.”

Martha Moore of so much MOORE media says, “Thank you so much for running our Tori Martin news/pic. Be on the lookout for the fun and OH SO COUNTRY duet coming January 24 from Alex Miller and Emily Ann Roberts. It is called ‘More Country Than You.’”

Carolyn Berry writes from Charlottesville, Virginia, “Happy New Year, I love reading your newsletters. They are so informative. I am totally blind, and I want to read your books, I need to know the exact name of them so I can see if the library has them on audio cartridge.”

Melba June Thompson writes, “Thanks for such a great and newsy letter. I hope this is a beautiful and grace-filled year for you. Thanks for all the time and effort you spend in making these letters such a joy for us who receive them. My sister Tommie Ray who also received your newsletter passed away on Dec. 29, She had a six-month bout with liver cancer and spent this time with me and my husband. Every two weeks, we shared your newsletter together until she became bedfast.”

Eric Calhoun in Los Angeles says, “I would like to first say, for this round, thank you for the review on In-Law Country. I hope this book will be in Braille. You mentioned a note about a gentleman who spent time with Tennessee School for the Blind. I have not been on that campus, but I do know that location on Stewarts Ferry Pike. Concerning Emmylou Harris, I must say, I have been blessed by her singing and songwriting. She, too, is an advocate for animal rights, which I also champion. Do you have a Youtube link to Carrie Underwood’s performance of ‘America the Beautiful’? I think other readers would like to hear this. You mentioned the Field of Dreams farm.  I got a chance to check out that movie, Field of Dreams, and, if I can, would love to visit that farm in Iowa. I’d like to end with a recommendation. Though not completely associated with country music, the movie A Complete Unknown is the true story of Bob Dylan, who revolutionized the sound of rock-n-roll and country music. Johnny Cash was one of his friends.”

Diane: Here is Carrie.

SONG OF THE WEEK

Terry Smith was a fulltime schoolteacher when he wrote “Far Side Banks of Jordan” in1975, writing in the boarding house where he lived upon his arrival in Nashville. While it was never on the charts, this classic song has been recorded more than 300 times. To me, Jimmy Fortune’s rendition adds to the beauty of the song more than any other singer I’ve heard: “When I see you coming, I will rise up with a shout And come running through the shallow waters reaching for your hand.” It’s a song about two people whose life together is drawing to an end: “Lures of this old world have ceased to make me want to stay. My one regret is leaving you behind. But I’ll be waiting on the far side banks of Jordan.” When I asked for the story behind the song, Terry told me two things might have influenced him, the death of the first of his uncles and a scene in the 1972 movie, Sounder. A black sharecropper had been sent to prison during the Depression, for stealing a ham to feed his family. When he returns home and his wife sees him limping up the road, she doesn’t recognize him at first. Then she starts running and screaming down the road with her kids at her heels. Sounder is barking. Terry also remembered his preacher at that time often referred to the other side of Jordan as the land of promise. “Maybe the combination of all those things,” Terry told me. “I was a fairly young guy then–not yet thirty years old when I wrote that.”

MUSICIANS HALL OF FAME IN NASHVILLE – 2007 The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville honors all musicians regardless of genre or instrument, from the beginning of recorded music. It was founded by Linda and Joe Frank Chambers in 2003, with the museum opened to the public in 2006. Members of the American Federation of Musicians and other music industry professionals nominate candidates for its Hall of Fame. Over the next ten months in this newsletter, I will introduce all inductees–beginning with the five groups inducted in the first class in 2007.

The Blue Moon Boys were Elvis Presley’s original backing band, consisting of Scotty Moore on lead guitar and Bill Black on bass, with D.J. Fontana later joining them on drums. In 1954, Bill and Scotty lived in Memphis, Tennessee, and had a band called The Starlight Wranglers. Sam Phillips matched them with Elvis Presley to record as a trio, the Blue Moon Boys. Their first release was “That’s Alright Momma,” with “Blue Moon of Kentucky” on the flip side. It’s considered one of the first records in the rock n’roll genre.

The Funk Brothers were a group of local musicians in Detroit in the late 1950s when Berry Gordy opened the record label that became known as Motown. From 1959-1972, they played on every Motown hit by The Supremes, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, The Four Tops, and Stevie Wonder. Inductees: James Jamerson, Uriel Jones, Dennis Coffey, Joe Messina, Eddie Willis, Bob Babbitt, Eddie “Bongo” Brown, Robert White, Richard “Pistol” Allen, Jack Ashford, Joe Hunter, Earl Van-Dyke, William “Benny” Benjamin, Johnny Griffith.

The Nashville “A” Team was a group of session musicians who played on most of the Music Row recordings in Nashville during the 1950s-1970s. The highly versatile group typically had backgrounds in country music. Although members changed over time, there was always a core group consisting of Pig Robbins (keyboards), Bob Moore (bass), Ray Edenton and Harold Bradley, Grady Martin and Hank Garland (guitar) and Charlie McCoy (harmonica). Inductees: Harold Bradley, Floyd Cramer, Pete Drake, Ray Edenton, Hank Garland, Buddy Harmon, Tommy Jackson, Grady Martin, Charlie McCoy, Bob Moore, Boots Randolph, Hargus (Pig) Robbins, Jerry Kennedy.

The Tennessee Two consisted of bass guitarist Marshall Grant and lead guitarist Luther Perkins. They were mechanics at the Plymouth dealership in Memphis, Tennessee, and they played guitar together. Fellow mechanic Roy Cash introduced them to his brother John, who had recently moved to Memphis. After their first successful recordings, where Johnny played rhythm and sang, they added W.S. Holland and changed their name to Johnny Cash and Tennessee Three.

The Wrecking Crew was a group of LA musicians who dominated the top 40 pop charts in the 1960s and 1970s playing behind artists such as The Beach Boys, The Mamas and The Papas, The Byrds, Sonny and Cher, The Grass Roots, The Fifth Dimension, America, Elvis, Simon & Garfunkel, Johnny Rivers and The Carpenters. The beginning core members included Hal Blaine, Larry Knechtel, and Joe Osborn. Some started out as Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound session musicians. Inductees: Glen Campbell, Tommy Tedesco, Billy Strange, Leon Russell, Don Randi, Larry Knechtel, Carol Kaye, Joe Osborn, Ray Pohlman, Hal Blaine, Earl Palmer, Julius Wechter, Lyle Ritz, James Burton, Jim Horn, Mike Deasy, Al DeLory, Plas Johnson, Don Peake, Louie Shelton.

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