The Day The Music Died: To Those Country Music Lost in 2019

Earl Thomas Conley

K.F. Raizor, author of the website Raizor's Edge and the book We Can't Sing and We Ain't Funny: The World of Homer and Jethro is our guest writer today on That Nashville Sound. She's ever so gracious to provide wonderful tributes to honor those to whom the music we treasure just wouldn't be the same without. Thank you, K.F.

Here are the people related to the world of country music for whom the final curtain fell in 2019.

Billy Adams (March 30, illness, age 79): Rockabilly Hall of Fame singer and gospel songwriter (author of "I Saw the Man," best-known by the Happy Goodman Family).

Frank Arnett (January 7, unknown cause, age 81): steel guitarist for several Bakersfield-based acts such as Wynn Stewart and Rose Maddox, later worked for Marty Stuart.

Jeff Austin (June 24, unspecified medical emergency, age 45): co-founder of and mandolin player for Yonder Mountain String Band.

Hal Blaine (March 11, natural causes, age 90): a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame drummer, his long and illustrious career saw him play on #1 hits as diverse as "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis, "Cherokee Reservation (Lament of the Cherokee Indian)" by Paul Revere & the Raiders, and "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma" by David Frizzell & Shelly West.

Anne Boatman (June 16, Alzheimer's disease, age 71): "Opry Annie" was the assistant to Bud Wendell at the Grand Ole Opry.

Terry Bock (January 3, unknown cause, age 81): promoter for acts such as David Houston and owner of the traveling Nashville Country Music Museum.

Shirley Boone (January 11, vasculitis, age 84): the wife of pop crooner Pat Boone was also the daughter of Hall of Fame great Red Foley.

Harold Bradley (January 31, natural causes, age 93): Hall of Fame session musician who was part of the original "A Team," businessman, and co-founder (with brother Owen) of the Quonset Hut.

busbee (ne Michael Ryan) (September 29, glioblastoma, age 43): songwriter who worked with a number of modern acts including Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, and Garth Brooks.

Charlie Brocco (February 4, unknown cause, age 64): Grammy-winning album engineer who was rewarded for his work on Kacey Musgraves' Same Trailer, Different Park.

Maxine Brown (January 21, heart and kidney disease, age 87): the oldest of the Country Music Hall of Fame trio the Browns.

William "Beau" Bruce (May 15, unknown cause, age 49): the son of singer/songwriter Ed Bruce was also an executive at MCA Publishing.

Jerry Carrigan (June 22, long illness, age 77): Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section drummer who also worked on a large number of country recordings beginning in the 60s.

Frances Scott Carter (May 5, unknown cause, age 89): costume designer on the TV series Hee Haw.

Justin Carter (March 16, accidental shooting, age 35): Texas-based country singer. He was killed in an accidental shooting during the filming of a video.

Larry Carter (April 30, heart attack, age 62): longtime DJ and host of the much-loved "Bluegrass for Breakfast" program originating on WCXZ in Harrogate, Tennessee, and streamed worldwide on TuneIn.

Keith Case (September 4, unknown cause, age 79): head of the prolific Keith Case & Associates agency, who represented countless acoustic, bluegrass, and Americana artists.

Steve Cash (October 13, unknown cause, age 73): co-founder and harmonica player for the country/rock band Ozard Mountain Daredevils and writer of their biggest hit, "Jackie Blue."

John Cohen (September 16, natural causes, age 87): co-founder of the New Lost City Ramblers as well as a photographer and music professor.

Earl Thomas Conley (April 10, cerebral atrophy, age 77): songwriter and singer with a long string of hits in the 1980s.

Bob Cornett (April 11, natural causes, age 89): founder of Kentucky's "Festival of the Bluegrass" and bluegrass concert promoter in Kentucky and Florida.

Sonny Curtis (October 11, Alzheimer's disease, age 83): not the Cricket Sonny Curtis; rather, the steel guitarist who played for George Jones' Jones Boys for George Jones for decades.

Chuck Dauphin (September 18, complications of diabetes, age 45): respected country music journalist for Billboard and Rolling Stone.

Ray Deaton (June 4, unknown cause, age 66): one-time bass player in Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver who went on to co-found IIIrd Tyme Out with other former DL&Q members Russell Moore and Mike Hartgrove.

Edd Easter (January 30, unknown cause, age 84): member of the legendary bluegrass gospel group the Easter Brothers.

Al Embry (September 9, natural causes, age 82): longtime talent manager and promoter who worked with the likes of George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Jerry Lee Lewis, the Statler Brothers, and Merle Haggard.

Raymond Fairchild (October 13, heart attack, age 80): award-winning, influential banjo player who delighted bluegrass audiences for decades.

Toni Foglesong (June 7, unknown cause, age 92): widow of music executive and Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Jim Foglesong.

Fred Foster (February 20, natural causes, age 87): Country Music Hall of Fame record executive (founder of Monument Records), producer (Roy Orbison), and songwriter ("Me and Bobbie McGee").

Donnie Fritts (August 27, complications of heart surgery, age 76): the longtime Kris Kristofferson musician was also a songwriter and an early member of the "Swampers," the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. Jerry Carrigan, who also passed away this year, was also an early member of the Swampers.

Phran Galante (September 23, lung cancer, age 64): video producer for acts such as Alabama, K.T. Oslin, and Alan Jackson.

Vivian Gilley (December 13, Alzheimer's disease, age 80): wife of country singer Mickey Gilley and his manager.

Chuck Glaser (June 10, unknown cause, age 83): the last surviving member of the trio Tompall and the Glaser Brothers. His brother Jim died April 6.

Jim Glaser (April 6, heart attack, age 82): member of Tompall and the Glaser Brothers. His brother Chuck died June 10.

Dr. Jerry Goff (July 12, unknown cause, age 84): Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame inductee who was a member of the LaFevres, a well-known trumpet player in southern gospel music, and one of the founders of the Gospel Music Association.

John Goodson (May 21, non-alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver, age 54): banjo player in the bluegrass gospel band the Gospel Plowboys.

Bonnie Guitar (January 13, congestive heart failure, age 95): country music singer and songwriter who had a crossover hit in 1957 with "Dark Moon."

Dallas Harms (October 12, cancer, age 84): Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame singer/songwriter whose best-known composition for US audiences would most likely be Gene Watson's hit "Paper Rosie."

Kylie Rae Harris (September 4, car wreck, age 30): Texas-based country singer who was starting her career after appearing on the TV series Troubadour, TX.

Hoyt Herbert (July 5, unknown cause, age 87): longtime country (Lefty Frizzell) and bluegrass (Charlie Monroe's Kentucky Partners) banjo player, as well as host of WFMX's bluegrass show in North Carolina.

Dot Hindman (October 31, natural causes, age 98): longtime figure in numerous Nashville music publishing companies.

John A. Hobbs (June 12, natural causes, age 91): the founder of Music Valley staples the Fiddler's Inn and (co-founding with Jerry Reed) the Nashville Palace.

Don Hoglen (September 27, unknown cause, age 87): last surviving member of Mac Wiseman's original Country Boys band.

Don Imus (December 26, unknown cause, age 79): legendary radio host (and VH-1 VJ) whose Imus Ranch Record albums had country singers covering interesting songs (such as Jamey Johnson's superb rendition of Meat Loaf's "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad").

Juanita Jackson (January 11, Alzheimer's disease, age 81): wife of country great Stonewall Jackson and his business manager.

Terry Jennings (January 25, unknown cause, age 62): oldest son of Waylon Jennings and author of Waylon: Tales of My Outlaw Dad. He also worked as tour manager and merchandise salesman for his father.

Carol Johnson (Carol Bass) (January 9, unknown cause, age 85): bluegrass bass player and singer with Jim and Jesse.

Dennis Jones (June 14, septic shock, age 62): bluegrass historian, disc jockey, sound man, and festival MC who had no lack of friends in the bluegrass or country music world.

Martin Katahn (October 17, extended illness, age 91): bestselling diet author (The Rotation Diet) and professor who also did numerous session work at Studio B during the "Nashville Sound" era of country music.

John Kilzner (March 12, suicide [hanging], age 62): country and rock songwriter whose best-known song was "Green, Yellow, Red," covered by Rosanne Cash on King's Record Shop.

Bob Kingsley (October 17, bladder cancer, age 80): 1998 Country Radio Hall of Fame inductee who was the longtime host of the radio program America's Country Countdown.

Carl Knight (September 13, unknown cause, age 89): country songwriter with songs recorded by the likes of Loretta Lynn, Charley Pride, Mel Tillis, and Del Reeves. He was also in WW and the Dixie Dance Kings.

Sleepy LaBeef (December 26, unknown cause, age 84): Rockabilly Hall of Fame singer who began a career in the 1950s and continued his success, primarily in Europe, until the day he died.

Joe Mansfield (October 31, cancer, age 77): executive at Capitol Records when Garth Brooks' career was taking off. He continued to work for Brooks after leaving Capitol.

Glenn Martin (May 12, natural causes, age 86): Grammy-nominated country songwriter responsible for hits such as "Is Anybody Going to San Antone" and "If We're Not Back in Love By Monday."

Martha McCrory (February 16, natural causes, age 98): classically-trained cellist who played on numerous country music sessions with the likes of Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, and Elvis.

Ed McGowan (October 8, cause and age unknown): husband and manager of Rattlesnake Annie.

Anne Miller (January 2, illness, age unknown): wife of country music singer/songwriter Frankie Miller.

Todd Milsap (February 23, unknown cause, age 49): son of Country Music Hall of Fame legend Ronnie Milsap.

Dan Mitchell (May 22, cause and age unknown): songwriter best-known for writing "If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You've Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)" by Alabama.

Ralph Murphy (May 28, pneumonia, age 75): Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame member noted for writing such songs as Crystal Gayle's hits "Talking in Your Sleep" and "Half the Way."

Jerry Naylor (December 5, unknown cause, age 80): member and lead vocalist of the Crickets for two years after Buddy Holly's death.

Alan Perdue (February 20, cirrhosis of the liver, age 49): bluegrass mandolin great who was a member of the band Mountain Heart.

Troy "Renfro" Proffitt (July 25, illness, age 69): guitarist in the 70s incarnation of Ralph Stanley's Clinch Mountain Boys.

Gina Putman (August 5, unknown cause, age 45): daughter of songwriting legend Curly Putman was an employee at Sony-Tree Publishing.

Leon Rausch (May 14, illness, age 91): "the voice of the Texas Playboys" for a number of years beginning in the late 50s, and leader of the Texas Playboys band after Bob Wills' death.

Billy Ray Reynolds (November 29, unknown cause, age 79): country songwriter who had songs recorded by acts as diverse as Tom Jones and Alison Krauss. He was also the guitarist for the supergroup the Highwaymen.

Steve Ripley (January 3, cancer, age 69): the founder and only regular member of the country-rock group the Tractors, best known for "Baby Likes to Rock It."

Raeanne Rubenstein (December 2, cardiac arrest, age 74): noted celebrity photography who took photos of numerous country music legends.

Vickie Salas (January 16, cancer, age 66): longtime companion of country legend Bill Anderson and the subject of his song "Until the Light Comes on Again."

Ray Sawyer (December 31, 2018, brief illness, age 81): one of the lead singers of Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show, who had eight charted country songs in addition to their long career as a rock group.

Jack Scott (December 11, congestive heart failure, age 83): Canadian-born Rockabilly Hall of Fame singer who found success in country and rockabilly in the US.

Jeanette Scott (January 7, unknown cause, age 62): secretary of the organization R.O.P.E. (Reunion of Professional Entertainers).

Les Sears (January 15, heart attack, age 70): longtime regional bluegrass guitarist, disc jockey, and festival MC. He was stricken while performing onstage at the Yee Haw Music Festival in Florida.

Sanger D. "Whitey" Shafer (January 12, cancer, age 84): Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame songwriter responsible for such classics as "That's the Way Love Goes," "The Baptism of Jesse Taylor," "All My Exes Live in Texas," and "Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind."

Al Shusterman (April 24, unknown cause, age 75): longtime country DJ and host of the Sacramento, California program Backwoods Bluegrass.

Dewayne "Son" Smith (March 16, unknown cause, age 72): "Son" in the Geezenslaw Brothers. Fellow Geezenslaw Sammy Allred passed away in 2018.

Faye Smith (September 13, unknown cause, age 83): longtime executive at BMI in Nashville.

Russell Smith (July 12, cancer, age 70): the lead singer and main songwriter for the country-rock group the Amazing Rhythm Aces, he also wrote songs covered by the likes of George Jones, George Strait, and T. Graham Brown. He was also a member of the bluegrass parody group Run C&W.

John Starling (May 2, heart failure, age 79): original lead singer and guitarist for the Bluegrass Hall of Fame band the Seldom Scene.

Guy Stevenson (January 4, illness, age 89): onetime member of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys and three-time SPBGMA award winner for bass player of the year.

Bertie Sullivan (February 21, unknown cause, age 78): three-time SPBGMA "promoter or the year" award winner for her work in bluegrass concerts and festivals.

Joe Sun (October 25, natural causes, age 76): a songwriter who had marginal success recording his own songs; however, one of them ("Old Flames [Can't Hold a Candle to You]") became a #1 hit for Dolly Parton.

Phil Thomas (January 5, unknown cause, age 74): country songwriter whose contributions included "Colorado Kool-Aid" and "Me and the IRS" by Johnny Paycheck and "Drinkin' My Way Back Home" by Gene Watson.

Luke Thompson (June 12, natural causes, age 91): Louisiana-based instrumental builder who also worked in country and bluegrass on the Louisiana Hayride.

Daniel "Flop" Tidwell (January 6, unknown cause, age 69): one-time owner of Nashville's legendary Exit/In club.

Doris Tillis (August 29, natural causes, age 79): widow of Mel Tillis and mother of Pam Tillis.

David Turner (September 18, bus wreck, age 64): road sound man for Josh Turner (no relation) for 14 years, he had also worked for the likes of Patty Loveless and Eddie Rabbitt.

Maggie Lewis Warwick (March 29, pneumonia, age 79): songwriter whose best-known works include "Mountain of Love" (covered by Johnny Rivers, Bobby G. Rice, and Charley Pride) and "The Girl Most Likely" a hit for Jeannie C. Riley).

Rusty Wilcoxen (July 17, illness, age 68): TNN producer who worked on country shows Nashville Now, American Music Shop, and Grand Ole Opry Live.

Larry T. Wilson (December 5, illness, age 61): songwriter who had his songs recorded by the likes of Sammy Kershaw and Marty Raybon.

Mac Wiseman (February 24, kidney failure, age 93): "the voice with a heart" who thrilled bluegrass and country fans for seven decades, and an inductee in both the Country and Bluegrass halls of fame. He was also an active music businessman, helping found the Country Music Association and the International Bluegrass Music Association.

Emmons "Skip" Woolwine (November 7, heart illness, age 61): founding member of the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame and, when hired, the youngest announcer in WSM history (hired at age 17).

Reggie Young (January 14, heart failure, age 82): longtime session guitarist who worked as an original member of Bill Black's Combo and with acts as diverse as Elvis Presley and Jimmy Buffett.

Vern Young (June 14, natural causes, age 95): bluegrass musician who had a Mac Wiseman-like voice and a long career. He was also a country music DJ in Missouri and the former husband of Anne Young, who later married (and died with) Ira Louvin.

Country Music Hall of Famer Mac Wiseman Passes Away at 93

K.F. Raizor, author of the website Raizor's Edge and the book We Can't Sing and We Ain't Funny: The World of Homer and Jethro is our guest writer today on That Nashville Sound. She's ever so gracious to provide wonderful tributes to honor those to whom the music we treasure just wouldn't be the same without. Thank you, K.F.

In less than two months the Country Music Hall of Fame has lost its fourth member. Mac Wiseman, the legendary singer, dubbed "Voice With a Heart," died Sunday (2/24). He had been suffering from kidney failure in the last weeks of his life.

Malcom Bell Wiseman was born in 1925 in Virginia. Stricken with polio as a child, he learned to play guitar, and music became his primary interest. His first appearance on record came as the bass player on Molly O'Day's classic "The Tramp on the Street" in 1946.

Wiseman also worked in radio, where he would sing and play records. Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs heard him on the radio and asked him to join their band. From there he later became a member of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys before striking out on his own in 1951.

Although usually considered "bluegrass" Wiseman had a number of songs on the singles chart. His highest charting song was the classic "Jimmy Brown the Newsboy," although he also had a top 40 country hit with the novelty Cy Coben-penned song "Johnny's Cash and Charley's Pride" (with lyrics that were puns of country singers' names: "If I had Johnny's paycheck Charlie'd walk'er home from work no more").

In addition to his decades of work as a recording artist, Wiseman was also very active behind the scenes. In 1958 he became the first treasurer of the Country Music Association, the organization that would later create the Country Music Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 2014. Additionally, he helped charter the International Bluegrass Music Association. His close association with bluegrass throughout his career led him to be part of the third class of inductees into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.

People have often asked me what my favorite concert was. It came in 1995, at MerleFest. It was hardly a "concert" in the traditional sense (as anyone who's ever been to MerleFest, or any bluegrass festival, will attest), but it was the memorable thing I've ever witnessed in music. Mac Wiseman was on a stage in a tent near the main grounds, entertaining the Saturday pre-lunch crowd. One of the individuals enjoying Wiseman's wonderful voice was Doc Watson, the founder of the festival. After Wiseman left the stage he sat down on a stool next to Watson, and the two spent the next 45 minutes swapping stories and songs, passing Wiseman's guitar between them. Totally impromptu, totally unscripted, and totally mesmerizing.

The song that's probably most closely tied to Mac Wiseman is "'Tis Sweet to Be Remembered." That sweet voice will always be remembered.

Mac Wiseman was 93.

Truly Historic Box Set At The Louisiana Hayride Tonight Features Previously Unheard Recordings From Hank Sr, Elvis, Cash & More

Album: At The Louisiana Hayride Tonight
Label: Bear Family Records
Release date: October 20, 2017

In the annals of country music history, only one show rivals the importance of The Grand Ole Opry. For more than two decades, the Louisiana Hayride radio show was a Saturday night staple for music lovers, broadcast by Shreveport, Louisiana’s KWKH-AM from 1948-
1960. While the Opry favored established Nashville stars, Hayride offered headliners and newcomers alike an opportunity to perform. It was this policy that led Hayride to say “yes” to a young singer from Tupelo, Mississippi after the Opry said “no.” That singer, Elvis Presley, debuted on the show in October 1954 and later made his first TV appearance on the television version in March 1955.

Now an amazing and truly historic collection of 20 CD's and a 200+ page book featuring more than 25 hours of music will be forthcoming on October 20. This unprecedented collection includes rare performances from stars like Presley, Johnny Cash, June Carter, Kitty Wells, George Jones, and Webb Pierce, as well as a previously unknown Hank Williams recording that you can listen to HERE.

The compilation has been constructed in chronological sequence. Throughout the 20 discs songs are interspersed with the Louisiana Hayride theme tune (“…we’re gonna have a wonderful time…”), and with show announcements, intros, ads, comedy routines, and even mistakes, giving listeners a real sense of what it was like to hear the show on the radio, or to have plunked down your 60¢ (or 30¢ for children) for a ticket to watch it live in Shreveport’s Municipal Auditorium. One of these stage announcements, in fact, is the old-time emcee Horace Logan making the now-famous proclamation that “Elvis has left the building.”

Eighteen of the set’s CDs cover the classic weekly Louisiana Hayride broadcasts that took place from April 3, 1948 until August 27, 1960. The other two CDs collect material from some post-1960 shows, along with commercial recordings made in the KWKH radio studios, promotional discs, and transcribed shows from KWKH’s early days. Among the studio-recorded commercial tracks are hits by Slim Whitman, the Browns, Mitchell Torok, Jim Reeves, Mac Wiseman, and Carolyn Bradshaw. Additionally, there are 11 “as live” studio-recorded transcriptions that feature selections from Kitty Wells, Johnnie and Jack, Hank Williams, and Curley Williams. 

Hank Cochran, Ronnie Milsap, and Mac Wiseman Named To Country Music Hall of Fame

The Country Music Association announced today that Hank Cochran, Ronnie Milsap, and Mac Wiseman will become the newest members of the revered Country Music Hall of Fame. Milsap will be inducted in the “Modern Era Artist” category, while Wiseman will be inducted in the “Veterans Era Artist” category. Cochran will be inducted in the “Songwriter” category, which is awarded every third year in a rotation with the “Recording and/or Touring Musician Active Prior to 1980” and “Non-Performer” categories. Cochran, Milsap, and Wiseman will increase membership in the coveted Country Music Hall of Fame from 121 to 124 members.

“Induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame is the highest honor achievable for a Country Music artist, songwriter, or industry leader and this year’s inductees are all highly deserving,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “Hank’s songs have been recorded by everyone from Burl Ives to Etta James, George Strait to Ella Fitzgerald. Mac is a revered figure in the world of bluegrass and a founding Board member of the Country Music Association. And Ronnie is an incredibly gifted pianist and performer who is also one of the most successful and versatile crossover artists in our genre.”

“When you start listening to the radio as a kid, you want to hear your songs on there, because songs are bits of people’s lives, including your own,” said Milsap. “Then you dream that your songs and your music will mean enough to the people that, one day, they’ll put you in the Hall of Fame. Not for you, exactly, but for all the songwriters and musicians and especially the fans who tell you their life is in your songs. To me, that’s what the Hall of Fame is all about: how many people’s lives were held in your music. So many people I admire and have heard my story in their songs are already in the Hall, and I love the idea that maybe my music meant – to others – what those artists have meant to me.”

“Being a founding member of CMA, I have always been proud of my role in helping make Country Music popular,” said Wiseman. “Being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame is the icing on the cake and certainly a highlight of my career.”

Induction ceremonies for Cochran (who passed away in 2010), Milsap, and Wiseman will take place at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in the CMA Theater later this year. Since 2007, the Museum’s Medallion Ceremony, an annual reunion of the Hall of Fame membership, has served as the official rite of induction for new members.

CMA created the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961 to recognize noteworthy individuals for their outstanding contributions to the format with Country Music’s highest honor. “All these distinguished Southerners overcame serious hardship before finding the opportunity to hone their talents to professional levels and make the inspired Country Music that has led to this moment,” said Kyle Young, Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “Their indelible mark has earned them Country Music’s highest honor, membership in the Country Music Hall of Fame.”

Songwriter

Hank Cochran – Garland Perry “Hank” Cochran was born Aug. 2, 1935 in Isola, Miss. After his parents’ divorce when Cochran was nine, he moved to Memphis to live with his father. But post-Depression life proved to be difficult and Cochran’s father ended up placing him in St. Peter’s Orphan home. After Cochran’s third attempt at running away from the orphanage, his father took him back to Mississippi to be raised by his grandparents.

At the age of 10, Cochran was playing guitar and singing at church. At 12, he and his uncle Otis hitchhiked from Mississippi to Hobbs, N.M. to work in the oilfields. But work as a roughneck was not only physically demanding, but dangerous. So after spending two years in the oilfields, Cochran headed to Los Angeles. Once there he got a job at a Sears & Roebuck. The company insisted he return to school since he was not yet 16.

While in Los Angeles, Cochran entered various amateur talent contests in the area with much success, giving him the idea to form a group to play at clubs and local events. His search for a guitar player led him to Eddie Cochran (no relation) who shared his passion for music. The teens formed a rock ‘n’ roll duo called The Cochran Brothers, which had minor success.

After the duo disbanded, Cochran made the move to Nashville in January of 1960 and began working as a songwriter for Pamper Music. That year he penned “Make the World Go Away,” which was recorded by both Ray Price and Eddie Arnold.

In addition to writing songs for Pamper Music, he also helped the company sign other songwriters, as well as acquire songs and get them recorded. Among those he signed to the publishing company’s roster was Willie Nelson, whom Cochran discovered singing at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge.

In April of 1961 Patsy Cline released Cochran’s “I Fall to Pieces” (co-written with Harlan Howard), which afforded Cochran the opportunity to give up his extra jobs and become a full time songwriter. Soon after, Cochran was playing guitar with Justin Tubb on the Grand Ole Opry, touring with Price, and scoring his first hit as a recording artist with the Top 20 single “Sally Was a Good Old Girl.” He also earned three BMI Awards for songs he had written on his own, and became a co-owner (along with Price) of Pamper Music.

In 1974 Cochran was unanimously voted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

In 1996, Cochran topped the Americana chart as a recording artist with Desperate Men: The Legend and the Outlaw. In 2002 he released another album, Livin’ For a Song: A Songwriters Autobiography.

Cochran’s songs have been recorded by a wide variety of artists including Chet Atkins, Junior Brown, Jimmy Buffett, Johnny Cash, Elvis Costello, Bing Crosby, Vern Gosdin, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, Tom Jones, Loretta Lynn, Dean Martin, Wayne Newton, Elvis Presley, Reba, Linda Ronstadt, George Strait, and Lee Ann Womack. He has penned some of music’s classic tunes including “She’s Got You,” “Set ‘Em Up Joe,” “The Chair,” “Is It Raining At Your House,” “Miami, My Amy,” “Ocean Front Property,” and “Don’t You Ever Get Tired of Hurting Me.”

His catalog has generated more than 36 million performances, which, if played back-to-back, would amount to more than 200 years of continuous airplay.

Cochran passed away on July 15, 2010 surrounded by friends, family, and music – Jamey Johnson, Billy Ray Cyrus, and producer/songwriter Buddy Cannon were passing a guitar around in Cochran’s bedroom, singing songs and telling tales.

Veterans Era Artist

Mac Wiseman – Malcolm B. “Mac” Wiseman was born May 23, 1925, in Crimora, Va. At six-months old, Wiseman contracted polio, which he felt was a blessing. Because of his illness, he was kept inside and was not subjected to the field work that most children of the rural Shenandoah Valley were expected to do. His father would set the phonograph up by the wood stove and Wiseman would listen to old records over and over. His mother would write the lyrics from songs she heard on the radio into composition books for young Mac.

In 1943, Wiseman applied for a job at the Merck and Co. chemical plant, but because of the polio damage to his leg, he was turned down. That was when he made the decision to pursue his music.
Wiseman attended the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music in Virginia with help from the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, which would later become the March of Dimes. There Wiseman excelled in a radio course and accepted a job offer from WSVA in Harrisonburg, Va., where he read the news and farm reports and spun pop and Country records.

In 1946, Wiseman joined Molly O’Day’s band, where he developed a love of classic Country.
In 1948, Wiseman made his first foray into what would become known as bluegrass music. He joined Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs as a member of the Foggy Mountain Boys, singing high harmonies and booking the band’s first concert dates. And in 1949, he joined Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys where he played the Grand Ole Opry for the first time. He also recorded the classics “Traveling This Lonesome Road” and “Can’t You Hear Me Callin’” with Monroe. He left the band in 1949 to set out on his own.

Wiseman soon attracted the attention of the independent label Dot Records and was offered a recording contract. In 1951, Dot released Wiseman’s first single, “Tis Sweet To Be Remembered,” which became a career-making song and earned him the nickname the “voice with a heart.” Wiseman went on to record other classics including “Love Letters in the Sand,” “Jimmy Brown, the Newsboy,” “Ballad of Davy Crockett,” and “Shackles and Chains.”

Wiseman became a record executive in 1957 when he was tapped to head the Country Division of Dot Records. And in 1958, Wiseman was instrumental in the founding of the Country Music Association, becoming the organization’s first Secretary/Treasurer, demonstrating the respect he had earned as both an artist and a record executive.

During the 1960s Wiseman was a staple on the folk festival circuit and on college campuses. But he also played Carnegie Hall in 1962 on a bill headlined by Johnny Cash, which garnered him rave reviews in The New York Times.

From 1966 to 1971, Wiseman was Program Producer and Talent Director for the WWVA Wheeling Jamboree. During his tenure he stabilized the cast of performers and gave bluegrass prominence.
Most recently, Wiseman has released his music on his own Wise Records including a six-disc boxed set entitled The Mac Wiseman Story, featuring songs he recorded in the 1970s and a DVD collection called Mac Wiseman – An American Treasure. In 2007, he recorded a duet album with John Prine, Standard Songs for Average People, which was released by Oh Boy Records. He has also just completed an album with Merle Haggard, Vince Gill, and The Isaacs that will be released in 2014 and is also being interviewed for inclusion in the upcoming Ken Burns PBS documentary on Country Music. Wiseman will also be the first inductee into the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music Hall of Fame later this month.

Modern Era Artist

Ronnie Milsap – Ronnie Lee Milsap was born Jan. 16, 1943, in Robbinsville, N.C. A congenital disorder left him almost blind, and he was raised by his grandmother in the Smoky Mountains until the age of five, when he was sent to the Governor Morehead School for the Blind in Raleigh, N.C.
Showing an interest in music early on, at the age of seven his teachers recognized that he had considerable musical talent. He began studying classical music and learned several instruments, eventually mastering the piano.

His youthful passion for rock music led him to form a band with some high school classmates called The Apparitions. Briefly attending Young Harris College on a full scholarship, Milsap left before graduating to pursue a career in music.

In the early 1960s, Milsap played his first professional gigs as a member of J.J. Cale’s band. In 1965, he released “Total Disaster,” his first single as a solo artist, which achieved some local success in the Atlanta area.

In 1965, Milsap signed with New York-based Scepter Records where he scored an R&B Top 5 with the Ashford and Simpson-penned “Never Had It So Good.” While at Scepter, Milsap shared concert stages with James Brown, Stevie Wonder, and Ray Charles, who encouraged the young man to apply himself to music.

In 1969, Milsap moved to Memphis to become a session musician. Working with the legendary Chips Moman, he played keyboards on Elvis Presley’s “Kentucky Rain” and can be heard singing background on “Don’t Cry Daddy.” When not doing session work, Milsap and his ensemble served as the house band at the local music hotspot T.J.’s Club.

In 1970, Milsap found success on the pop charts with “Loving You Is a Natural Thing.” He recorded and released his eponymous debut album – produced by Dan Penn – in 1971.

In 1972, Milsap was performing at the Whiskey A-Go-Go where Charley Pride happened to be in the audience. Impressed with his soulful singing style, Pride encouraged Milsap to focus on Country Music. Moving to Nashville later that year, he began working with Pride’s manager, Jack D. Johnson. A year later, he signed with RCA Records and later that same year released his first Country single, the Top 10 “I Hate You.”

In 1974, Milsap scored two No. 1s: “Pure Love” and “Please Don’t Tell Me How the Story Ends,” which won his first Grammy. Another No. 1 followed the next year with “Daydreams About Night Things.”

In 1976, Milsap solidly established himself as one of Country Music’s biggest stars. A string of seven No. 1 hits in a row, including “(I’m a) Stand By My Woman Man,” “What a Difference You’ve Made in My Life,” and “It Was Almost Like a Song,” which was the most successful single of the 1970s. “Song” was the singer’s first crossover hit, peaking No. 7 on the adult contemporary chart and paving the way for Milsap to be named Billboard’s Artist of the Year (in any genre) in 1976.
This string of hits also kicked off a remarkable run in American pop music. With songs “(There’s) No Getting Over Me,” “I Wouldn’t Have Missed It For the World,” “Any Day Now,” “Stranger In My House,” “Lost in the Fifties Tonight,” “She Keeps the Home Fires Burning,” “Snap Your Fingers,” and “Where Do the Nights Go,” Milsap did not leave the Top 10 for 16 years.

Milsap also received myriad awards and accolades during this period. He won four CMA Album of the Year Awards (1975, 1977, 1978, and 1986), three CMA Male Vocalist of the Year trophies (1974, 1976, and 1977), and the coveted CMA Entertainer of the Year Award (1977). In addition, he won five Grammys for Best Male Country Vocal performance (1974, 1976, 1981, 1985, and 1986) and one Grammy for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals in 1988 for the Kenny Rogers duet “Make No Mistake, She’s Mine.”

In 1993, Milsap left RCA and signed with Liberty Records and released the album True Believer. In 2000, he released the two-CD set, 40 No. 1 Hits.

In 2004, Milsap recorded Just For a Thrill, a collection of American popular/jazz standards, which was nominated for a Grammy. Returning to Country in 2006 at his original home of RCA Records, he released My Life. It was followed in 2009 with Then Sings My Soul, a two-CD set collection of hymns and gospel songs.

On March 18 of this year, Milsap released Summer #17, his 31st album, which he describes as an homage to the music that inspired him. Hailed by USA Today, The Tennessean and NPR: National Public Radio, the set pays tribute to the influences that shaped Milsap’s singular brand of soul-steeped Country.

With 40 No. 1 hits and more than 35 million albums sold, Milsap remains one of Country’ Music’s most successful and beloved crossover artists. At 71, he continues to tour the country, playing his music for multiple generations of music lovers.