Country Hit Maker & Opry Star Hal Ketchum Dies

Hal Ketchum. Photo: Pete Lacker

Singer-songwriter Hal Ketchum died on Monday (Nov. 23) at age 67, following a struggle with early-onset dementia.

Known for such top country hits as “Small Town Saturday Night” and “Past the Point of Rescue,” Ketchum has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry cast since 1994.

He was born and raised in Greenwich, NY, in the Adirondack Mountains near the Vermont state line. Ketchum’s father was a country banjo player, but the boy got his start in music as a drummer for a local R&B band at age 15.

At age 17, Hal Michael Ketchum became a master carpenter, initially plying his trade in Florida, then moving to Austin, TX. A visit to the legendary showplace Gruene Hall changed his life in 1981. Ketchum became captivated by Lone Star State tunesmiths Townes Van Zandt and Lyle Lovett. Determined to follow in their footsteps, he taught himself guitar and began playing open-mic nights at the venue.

He recorded his debut LP Threadbare Alibis in 1986. It contained the first 10 songs he’d ever written. He showcased at the Kerrville Folk Festival in 1987 and was spotted by songwriter Pat Alger, who took Ketchum’s music to Nashville. Music Row’s Forerunner Music signed him as a staff songwriter in 1988. His album was released in Europe the following year, leading to career-long popularity overseas.

Ketchum moved to Music City in 1990 and was signed by Curb Records. “Small Town Saturday Night” made him a star in the summer of 1991. It was named the No. 1 country single of the year by Radio & Records magazine. Its hilarious accompanying music video won Breakthrough Video of the Year honors from MusicRow, and Ketchum was nominated for the CMA’s Horizon Award.

He followed his breakthrough smash with his self-composed “I Know Where Love Lives,” then rang up a trio of 1992 hits – “Past the Point of Rescue,” “Five O’Clock World” and “Sure Love.” His debut Curb album, Past the Point of Rescue, was certified as a Gold Record.

The string of hits continued in 1993 with “Mama Knows the Highway” and his self-written “Hearts Are Gonna Roll” and “Someplace Far Away.” Ketchum sang the songs of such top Nashville songwriters as Alger, Gary Burr, Allen Reynolds and Shawn Camp. In addition, he often co-wrote his singles, as was the case with “(Tonight We Just Might) Fall in Love Again” (with Al Anderson, 1994), “Stay Forever” (with Benmont Tench, 1995), and “Every Little Word” (with Marcus Hummon, 1995).

He fell in love with the Opry when he first guested on the show in 1991 and began dropping hints that he’d love to be invited to join the cast. Those efforts paid off in January 1994. Hal Ketchum called his induction the highlight of his life.

His album output on Curb continued with Sure Love (1992), Every Little Word (1994) and I Saw the Light (1998). But Ketchum’s career was troubled by health issues. He went to rehab for substance abuse in 1992 and 1997 before attaining sobriety in early 1998. Later that year, he was diagnosed with acute transverse myelitis, a neurologic disorder that can cause paralysis. He had to learn to sing and play guitar all over again.

He battled back with the Curb collections Awaiting Redemption (1999), Lucky Man (2001) and The King of Love (2003). Then speech impairment, balance issues and arm paralysis led to a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, the disease that had killed his mother. Months of physical therapy allowed him to reemerge on stage via a role in The Nashville Ballet’s 2006 production of The Nutcracker and on disc with the 2008 CD Father Time.

Ketchum temporarily retired from music and moved back to Texas in 2008. He took up painting, resumed woodworking and wrote poetry and short stories. His paintings were featured in one of the art galleries in Santa Fe, NM.

In 2014, he reemerged with the album I’m the Troubadour and resumed touring regionally. Ketchum appeared sporadically in Texas venues throughout the next four years.

In April 2019, he announced his retirement and his dementia diagnosis, which was accompanied by Alzheimer’s Disease. His wife Andrea stated that he died at home on Monday night.

Hal Ketchum was married four times and had five children. Funeral arrangements had not been announced at press time.