Production Manager Jason Parkin Passes

/by

Jason Parkin, Darius Rucker’s longtime production manager, passed away on Sept. 30. He was 49.

The Raleigh, North Carolina native spent 25 years working on the road, including working on Hootie & the Blowfish’s 2019 “Group Therapy Tour,” which Rucker fronted.

Rucker wrote in a statement about his friend: “For nearly 25 years, Jason ‘Devil Boy’ Parkin was a staple in our crew. He was more than our production manager, he was our brother. We are devastated by his passing this week. Our prayers are with his family — thank you for loaning him to us all these years.”

Services have not been scheduled yet but will be handled by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home in Raleigh, North Carolina.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Darius Rucker (@dariusrucker)

BREAKING: Superstar Kris Kristofferson Passes

/by

Kris Kristofferson. Photo: Courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Country Music Hall of Fame member Kris Kristofferson passed away at his home in Maui, Hawaii on Saturday (Sept. 28) at age 88.

One of the greatest songwriters in music history, he revolutionized Nashville with his lyrics’ frank sexuality, poetic structures and intellect. Kristofferson’s musical legacy includes such masterpieces as “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” “For the Good Times,” “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” “Why Me (Lord)” and “Me and Bobby McGee.” He had success as a solo recording artist, in a duet with Rita Coolidge and as a member of the country supergroup The Highwaymen with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. Along the way, he earned four Grammy Awards and seven Gold records.

He graduated from music stardom to a thriving film career in such features as A Star Is Born, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Semi-Tough and Blade. He was also a novelist, a poet, a short story writer and an essayist.

Kris Kristofferson was born in Texas, but the family moved several times because his father was in the military. A major general in the Air Force, he urged his son to emulate him. In high school in California, Kristofferson excelled in rugby, track, soccer, boxing and football. He was also a brilliant student. While enrolled in Pomona College, he had two essays published by The Atlantic Monthly. Elected to Phi Beta Kappa, he graduated summa cum laude, then became a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University in England. While there, he began his recording career as “Kris Carson,” but that music went nowhere.

His father pressured him to join the Army. Kristofferson became a helicopter pilot while in the service. A fellow soldier was related to Nashville songwriter Marijohn Wilkin, who took an interest in Kristofferson’s music. The two later co-wrote the million-selling alcohol-recovery anthem “One Day at a Time.”

Instead of taking a position as an instructor at West Point, Kristofferson quit the Army and moved to Nashville in 1965. His parents reportedly disowned him. During his early years on Music Row, the singer-songwriter worked as a janitor at Columbia Studios and as a bartender at the Tally-Ho Tavern. He also flew helicopters for a Louisiana oil company. He’d write songs on an oil rig, then return to Nashville to pitch them. At one point, he landed a helicopter on Johnny Cash’s yard to get attention for his tunes. Songwriters Mickey Newbury, Shel Silverstein and Tom T. Hall befriended and encouraged him.

Kristofferson had his first Nashville success in 1966 when Dave Dudley had a hit with “Viet Nam Blues.” In 1968, Roy Drusky made the country charts with “Jody and the Kid.” In 1969, Roger Miller recorded “Me and Bobby McGee;” Faron Young had a top 10 hit with “Your Time’s Comin;’” Billy Walker scored with “From the Bottle to the Bottom,” and Ray Stevens had “Sunday Morning Coming Down.”

Major successes occurred the following year when Johnny Cash hit the top of the country charts with “Sunday Morning Coming Down;” Waylon Jennings scored with “The Taker;” Jerry Lee Lewis had a smash with “Once More With Feeling” and Ray Price had a massive pop crossover success with “For the Good Times.” The last was named the Country Music Association (CMA) Song of the Year. Meanwhile, the Academy of Country Music (ACM) bestowed its 1970 Song of the Year honor on “Sunday Morning Coming Down.”

Following a brief, unsuccessful stint at Epic Records, Kristofferson signed with Monument Records. His 1970 LP debut was packed with hits, including “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” a 1971 pop-crossover smash for Sammi Smith that earned the songwriter his first Grammy Award. That was also the year that Janis Joplin topped the pop charts with his “Me and Bobby McGee;” Ray Price scored with “I’d Rather Be Sorry” and Bobby Bare had back-to-back top 10 country hits with “Come Sundown” and “Please Don’t Tell Me How the Story Ends.” Sammi Smith returned to his catalog for her 1972 hit “I’ve Got to Have You.”

Kristofferson and Coolidge were married in 1973-80. She and Larry Gatlin sang backup on his gospel song “Why Me.” In the summer of 1973, it became his only No. 1 hit as an artist. The couple earned two Grammys for their recordings together.

Brenda Lee’s top 10 success with Kristofferson’s “Nobody Wins” in 1973 marked her transition from pop stardom to country hit maker. Ronnie Milsap’s revival of “Please Don’t Tell Me How the Story Ends” hit No. 1 on the country hit parade in 1974. Singers Marilyn Sellars and Don Gibson both recorded “One Day at a Time” that year, and the Sellars version became a top 20 country hit. In 1976, Johnny Duncan went into the top 10 with the songwriter’s “Stranger” (featuring vocal accompaniment by Janie Fricke). Kristofferson’s own recordings continued, with nine albums issued between 1972 and 1979.

Kris Kristofferson began his silver-screen career in the 1970s. Early credits included The Last Movie (1971), Cisco Pike (1972), Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), Blume In Love (1973), Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974), The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea (1976) and Vigilante Force (1976). He co-starred with Barbra Streisand in 1976’s A Star Is Born, which earned him a Best Actor Golden Globe Award. Its soundtrack album sold more than four million copies. He went on to star in Semi-Tough (1977, with Burt Reynolds), Convoy (1978), Songwriter (1980, with Willie Nelson) and Heaven’s Gate (1980). His Songwriter soundtrack was nominated for an Oscar.

As a songwriter, he continued to be a force on the country charts. In 1980, Cristy Lane scored an No. 1 smash with “One Day at a Time.” Nelson recorded an entire album of Kristofferson songs and hit the top 10 in 1980 with his revival of “Help Me Make It Through the Night.” In 1981, The Glaser Brothers scored the biggest hit of their career with Kristofferson’s “Lovin’ Her Was Easier.” The songwriter had based that song on a Shakespeare sonnet.

Kristofferson teamed up with Nelson, Lee and Dolly Parton on the hit 1982 album The Winning Hand. The first Highwaymen all-star album was issued in 1984 and earned a Platinum record. The group scored major hits the following year with Jimmy Webb’s “Highwayman” and Guy Clark’s “Desperados Waiting for a Train.” Kristofferson, Cash, Nelson and Jennings issued two more collections and became a hugely popular concert attraction.

Toward the end of the decade, Kristofferson moved from Monument to Mercury Records. His Repossessed (1988) and Third World Warrior (1989) albums for Mercury illuminated his progressive, leftist political positions. One of his songs from this era endured: “They Killed Him” was an homage to Kristofferson’s martyred heroes Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Jesus Christ. Bob Dylan soon re-popularized it on his Knocked Out Loaded album.

The songwriter’s film career continued to thrive with Rollover (1981, with Jane Fonda), Flashpoint (1984), Big Top Pee Wee (1988), Welcome Home (1989), Knights (1993), Lone Star (1996) and Fire Down Below (1997). In 1998, he was cast in the vampire superhero action film Blade, which spawned two sequels. In the new millennium, Kristofferson took roles in Planet of the Apes (2001), Where the Red Fern Grows (2003), The Jacket (2005), Fast Food Nation (2006), He’s Just Not That Into You (2009, with Jennifer Anniston), Dolphin Tale (2011, plus a 2014 sequel) and Joyful Noise (2012, with Parton). He was also featured in a number of high-profile television films and miniseries. In 2015, he portrayed President Andrew Jackson in the historical miniseries Texas Rising.

His music continued to be prominent. “Help Me Make It Through the Night” was a soul-music hit three times—for Joe Simon, O.C. Smith and Gladys Knight—and his songs were also recorded by Black music stars Al Green, Tina Turner, Millie Jackson, Sammy Davis Jr. and Lena Horne. Such diverse artists as Elvis Presley, Dean Martin, Olivia Newton-John, Joan Baez, Tom Jones, Pattti Page, The Grateful Dead, Frank Sinatra and Carly Simon recorded Kristofferson songs, as did a who’s-who of country celebrities—Loretta Lynn, Glen Campbell, Emmylou Harris, George Jones, Tanya Tucker, Rosanne Cash, K.T. Oslin, Charley Pride, Dolly Parton, Anne Murray, Hank Snow, Dottie West, LeAnn Rimes, Merle Haggard, Charlie McCoy, Lynn Anderson, Roy Clark, Conway Twitty, Kenny Rogers, etc.

Career accolades rolled in. Kris Kristofferson was voted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1977. The national Songwriters Hall of Fame followed suit in 1985. Induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame came in 2004.

The new Americana music genre coalesced in 1999-2000. This reinvigorated his recording career and brought him new honors. In 2003, he received the “Spirit of Americana” free-speech award from the Americana Music Association. In 2006, he issued This Old Road, his first album of new material in 11 years. It was succeeded by more Americana-music favorites, his Closer to the Bone (2009), Feeling Mortal (2013) and Cedar Creek Sessions (2016) albums. They demonstrated that he was still writing as powerfully as ever. He was also the subject of a tribute album 2006’s The Pilgrim.

In the fall of 2009, Kristofferson was celebrated as a BMI Icon. By then, his songwriting had earned him 48 BMI awards. In 2013 he won a Poet’s Award from the ACM. He was given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. An all-star concert in Nashville celebrated his 80th birthday in 2016, and he appeared at the Newport Folk Festival that year. The CMA presented him with its Lifetime Achievement honor in 2019.

Kristofferson announced his retirement in January 2021. He had been experiencing memory loss for several years, possibly as a result of old head injuries from sports. He assigned his estate management to Morris-Higham Management in Nashville. In October 2023 he attended the Country Music Hall of Fame’s annual induction ceremony. This was his final public appearance.

Kris Kristofferson is survived by his wife Lisa and by eight children—Tracy, Kris Jr., Casey, Jesse, Jody, John Robert, Kelly Marie and Blake—as well as by seven grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Songwriter Hugh Prestwood Passes

/by

Hugh Prestwood

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Hugh Prestwood died on Sunday (Sept. 22) at age 82 following a stroke.

Prestwood wrote such iconic country hits as “The Song Remembers When” and “Ghost in This House.” His “Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart” was BMI’s Country Song of the Year in 1991.

He was born and raised in El Paso. Hugh Loring Prestwood began playing guitar at age 12. After graduating from the University of Texas with an English degree, he taught grade school while performing cover songs three nights a week in a lounge band.

When he was 30, Prestwood decided to move to New York to pursue a career in music. He worked at Macy’s department store and as a secretarial temp during his first five years in Manhattan. In 1977, Jackie DeShannon recorded his song “Dorothy.” Folk star Judy Collins discovered his songwriting, took his “Hard Times for Lovers” onto the AC charts in 1979 and helped him get his first song-publishing contract.

Prestwood’s first major Nashville success was “The Sound of Goodbye.” The song became a smash for Crystal Gayle in 1983, topping the country chart, becoming a top 10 AC hit and earning a Grammy nomination. Rather than moving to Nashville, Prestwood relocated from Manhattan to Long Island that year. Prestwood always thought that living far away from Music Row gave him a “mystique.” In 1983, he also began a 20-year tenure teaching advanced songwriting at The New School in New York.

Meanwhile, in Nashville, Holly Dunn, Judy Rodman and others were recording his tunes. In 1987, he scored his second No. 1 country hit, Michael Johnson’s recording of “The Moon Is Still Over Her Shoulder.” Johnson followed it with his hit single of Prestwood’s “That’s That” in 1988.

Hugh Prestwood wrote solo and was not a prolific composer—he often worked on a song for months or even a year before he thought it was finished to his satisfaction. But in rapid succession, he wrote both “Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart” and “Ghost in This House.” The former topped the country chart for Randy Travis in 1990, which led to its big BMI award. “Ghost in This House” became a major 1990 country hit for Shenandoah. This song was re-popularized by Alison Krauss in 1999, then became a top 20 country hit for TV’s The Voice finalist Lauren Duski in 2017.

The songwriter’s third big hit of 1990 was Anne Murray’s version of his rhythmic “Feed This Fire.” The following year, Highway 101 scored with Prestwood’s “Bing Bang Boom,” and Kathy Mattea was successful with “Asking Us to Dance.” In 1993, Trisha Yearwood recorded Prestwood’s “The Song Remembers When.” It became an enduring songwriters’ anthem and was named the NSAI Song of the Year.

During the next few years, his songs became singles for Vern Gosdin, Suzy Bogguss, Bobbie Cryner, Stephanie Bentley and Ty England. Then Colin Raye returned Prestwood to the top of the charts with his hit recording of “On the Verge” in 1997.

Prestwood’s songs were also recorded by Conway Twitty, The Judds, Shelby Lynne, John Conlee, Jimmy Buffett, Jerry Douglas, James Taylor, Baillie & The Boys, Jerry Jeff Walker, Gene Watson, Barbara Mandrell, Sammy Kershaw, Lee Greenwood, Don Williams and Tanya Tucker.

Hugh Prestwood was also a recording artist, himself. His albums were Ghost in This House (1990), Fate of Fireflies (2005), All the Way On (2007) and I Used to Be the Real Me (2016). In 2006, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

In 2020, the English recording artist Rumer released Nashville Tears – The Songs of Hugh Prestwood. All 15 of the album’s tracks were written by Prestwood. In 2022 the songwriter moved from Long Island to Lincoln, Nebraska, where his wife’s family lives. This is where he died.

Hugh Prestwood is survived by his wife, the photographer Judy Ahrens. He is also survived by son Bryan Prestwood, daughter Jennifer Bustillos and four grandchildren, as well as several nieces and nephews, A Celebration of Life is planned in the future. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation towards medical expenses. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Please Venmo to: @Judy-Ahrens-5

Treasured Country-Rock Songwriter JD Souther Passes

/by

JD Souther. Photo: Courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Songwriters Hall Of Fame member JD Souther passed away on Tuesday (Sept. 17) at age 78. The tunesmith was behind a myriad of hits from the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt, and was a pivotal part of the country-rock sound that reverberated in southern California during the ’70s

The Grammy nominee also wrote for country hitmakers Brooks & Dunn, George Strait, Trisha Yearwood, The Chicks and more. As an artist himself, Souther issued several solo albums over the last 20 years. He notched two hits as a solo artist in his career, “You’re Only Lonely” in 1979 and “Her Town Too” in 1981 alongside longtime friend James Taylor.

Born John David Souther in Detroit, Michigan, but raised in Amarillo, Texas, the talented musician first started making music with a local band called The Cinders. After their first 45 record caught the attention of Warner Brothers Records, Souther found himself moving to L.A.

He soon met musician and songwriter Glenn Frey, and eventually roomed with him. The two clicked as collaborators and friends, and formed the folk duo Longbranch/Pennywhistle. Their only album was released in 1970 on Jimmy Bowen’s Amos Records.

Souther then formed the Souther–Hillman–Furay Band with Chris Hillman and Richie Furay. The men released two albums before calling it quits.

Other artists began to cut Souther’s songs in the ’70s. He co-wrote several hits for the Eagles, including “Best of My Love,” “James Dean,” “New Kid In Town,” “Doolin-Dalton,” “Victim of Love” and their final chart-topping song, “Heartache Tonight.”

Souther also collaborated heavily with Linda Ronstadt in the ’70s, whom he also dated. In addition to co-producing her Don’t Cry Now album, Souther wrote songs for several of her multi-Platinum albums, such as “Faithless Love” from Heart Like a Wheel and “White Rhythm and Blues” on Living in the USA. The two also recorded many duets together, like “Prisoner in Disguise,” “Sometimes You Can’t Win” and “Hearts Against the Wind.” The latter was featured in the 1980 hit film Urban Cowboy.

Other artists that recorded Southers’ songs include Bonnie Raitt, Warren Zevon, Paul Williams, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Hugh Masekela, Burt Bacharach, The Chicks, Raul Malo, India Arie, Roy Orbison, Arthur Hamilton, George Strait, Brian Wilson, Bob Dipiero, Bernadette Peters and Trisha Yearwood.

In ’76, Souther released his second solo LP, Black Rose, featuring another popular duet with Ronstadt “If You Have Crying Eyes.” He scored his biggest solo hit with the 1979 song “You’re Only Lonely” from the album of the same name, which reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and held the top spot on the Adult Contemporary chart for five consecutive weeks. His hit with Taylor, “Her Town Too,” reached No. 11 on the Hot 100 and No. 5 on the AC chart in 1981.

In the ’80s, Souther contributed to, performed on and did the vocal arrangements for the Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night concert and video. He sang the Platters’ “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” in Steven Spielberg’s 1989 film Always, wrote the theme song to the 1989–92 sitcom Anything But Love and co-wrote one of Henley’s solo hits “The Heart of the Matter.” He also acted in the third season of the television drama Thirtysomething in ’89, playing John Dunaway.

The ’90s and 2000s brought more acting opportunities for Souther. He played Ted in the 1990 film Postcards from the Edge, played Jeffrey Pommeroy in the 1994 film My Girl 2 and Jesse James in the 1999 movie Purgatory. Souther appeared in the 2004 audiobook of Jimmy Buffett’s A Salty Piece of Land and in 2012, he appeared in the mystery thriller Deadline.

In 2002, Souther moved to Nashville and became a large presence in the town’s creative community. 10 years later, he landed a recurring role as Watty White in the first season of country music drama series Nashville. He reprised his role in a 2017 episode of the fifth season.

In 2008, Souther released his first new studio release in nearly 25 years with If the World Was You. In 2009 he followed it up with a live album titled Rain − Live at the Belcourt Theatre. 2011 brought Natural History, a collection of new versions of Souther’s songs recorded by other artists. He released his last album, Tenderness, in 2015.

JD Souther was added to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013. At the induction ceremony he was heralded as “a principal architect of the Southern California sound and a major influence on a generation of songwriters.”

Souther has received over 20 ASCAP performance awards and the prestigious ASCAP Golden Note Award in 2009. In 2023, he was interviewed as part of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s “Poets and Prophets” series.

“It’s been said that JD Souther could have been a major artist if he had kept more of those beautiful, introspective songs he wrote for himself,” says the museum’s CEO Kyle Young. “He had the aching tenor voice, the good looks that got him TV acting jobs. But he was happy to co-write ‘New Kid in Town’ and ‘Best of My Love’ with his friends the Eagles and give ‘Prisoner in Disguise’ to Linda Ronstadt. He wasn’t a star of country-rock, but he was crucial to its enduring power.”

Souther is survived by two sisters, his former wife and her daughter, as well as his dogs Layla and Bob. Gifts in his honor can be made to the Best Friends Animal Society.

Multi-Talented Songwriter Billy Edd Wheeler Dies At 91

/by

Billy Edd Wheeler. Photo: Courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Known for such hits as “Jackson,” “The Reverend Mr. Black” and “Coward of the County,” Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Billy Edd Wheeler died in North Carolina on Monday (Sept. 16) at age 91.

In addition to being an award-winning songwriter, Wheeler was a playwright, an author, a painter and a poet. He was also a former Music Row publishing executive.

Billy Edd Wheeler was born in 1932 in the coal-mining country of West Virginia. He began playing guitar and writing songs at age 12. He left home at age 16 to work his way through high school in North Carolina. In 1955, he earned his university degree at Berea, Kentucky, then served in the U.S. Navy. Following his discharge, Wheeler worked in administration at Berea College.

In 1958, teen idol Pat Boone recorded his song “Rockin’ Boll Weevil,” his firs taste of songwriting success. Wheeler also launched his recording career while at Berea. He made two folk-music albums for the small Monitor label. The second, 1962’s Billy Earl and Bluegrass Too, featured legendary Coon Creek Girls members Lily May Pennington and Rosie Foley in trio performances with him billed as The Berea Three.

He enrolled in the Yale School of Drama’s playwright program, then moved from New Haven to Manhattan to pursue his music career. In 1963, the superstar folk group The Kingston Trio made Wheeler’s song “The Reverend Mr. Black” a top 10 pop hit. Later that year, the act scored again with the songwriter’s “Desert Pete” and introduced his miner’s classic “Coal Tattoo.” The latter song has been recorded by a dozen others, including Judy Collins, Jim Croce and Kathy Mattea.

Similarly, folk singer Judy Henske’s introduction of Wheeler’s “High Flying Bird” in 1963 led to the song’s embrace by Richie Havens, The New Christy Minstrels, We Five, Jefferson Airplane, Neil Young and more. Also in 1963, Hank Snow recorded “Blue Roses,” introducing Billy Edd Wheeler’s songwriting to the country music community.

Kapp Records signed him in 1964, and the following year, he delivered “Ode to the Little Brown Shack Out Back” as a top 10 country smash. This became his biggest success as a performer. He had an even bigger hit as a songwriter when Johnny Cash & June Carter released his “Jackson” as a duet in 1967. Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood recorded it for the pop market and also scored with it. “Jackson” was recorded by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon for the Oscar-winning 2005 movie Walk the Line.

Billy Edd Wheeler moved to Nashville in 1968 to become the manager of United Artists Music. But he returned to North Carolina two years later to make a home and raise a family in Swannanoa.

He published poetry books in 1969 and 1977. Billy Edd Wheeler also continued to work in theater. As a playwright, he was behind more than a dozen musical and dramatic productions. In 1970, The Hatfields and McCoys premiered as an outdoor drama written by him. It has been running continuously in West Virginia ever since. Wheeler’s Young Abe Lincoln outdoor drama premiered in Indiana in 1987, and his Johnny Appleseed premiered in Ohio in 2004. Both are also still running. The National Geographic Society commissioned his folk opera Song of the Cumberland Gap.

Country stars Johnny Darrell (“I Ain’t Buyin’”) and Hank Williams Jr. (“A Baby Again”) succeeded with his tunes in 1968-69. Then Cash returned to his catalog to score a big top 10 hit with 1969’s “Blistered.” Anita Carter & Johnny Darrell memorably dueted on his “The Coming of the Roads” in 1969, and the mountain song has also been sung by Kathy Mattea, Mary Hopkin, Judy Collins and Peter, Paul & Mary, among others

Songwriting success continued in the 1970s. Wheeler’s “Baby’s Smile, Woman’s Kiss” (1972), “It’s Midnight” (1975) and “Gimme Back My Blues” (1978) were winners for Johnny Duncan, Elvis Presley and Jerry Reed, respectively. In 1979, “Coward of the County” became a chart-topping smash for Kenny Rogers on both country and pop hit parades. It inspired a successful TV movie starring Rogers in 1981.

Meanwhile, Kapp, United Artists, RCA and other labels continued to release charting singles by Wheeler throughout the 1970s. He issued 15 albums between 1961 and 2006.

“Coward of the County” was co-written with Roger Bowling, who became a steady songwriting collaborator. Beginning in 1980, Bowling issued a string of charting singles containing their co-written songs. Also in 1980, Roy Clark had a hit with the team’s “Chain Gang of Love.”

Another regular songwriting collaborator was Country Music Hall of Fame member Chet Atkins. Wheeler commemorated their friendship with his 1995 album Songs I Wrote with Chet. Over the years, Wheeler’s songs have been recognized with 13 ASCAP awards in Music City.

Beginning with Laughter in Appalachia in 1986, Billy Edd Wheeler published six books of country humor. Star of Appalachia was published as his debut novel in 2004. He issued his memoir Hotter Than a Pepper Sprout in 2018, which contained an appreciation written by his longtime friend Janis Ian. Wheeler also published three songbooks. In addition, Billy Edd Wheeler became an accomplished painter, sculptor and wood worker.

More than 150 artists have recorded his songs. Country’s Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn, Mel Tillis, John Denver, George Strait, Carl Perkins, Hazel Dickens, Glen Campbell, Merle Haggard, Faron Young, George Hamilton IV, Del Reeves, Rex Allen, Jean Shepard, Flatt & Scruggs, Ed Bruce, Bill Anderson, Wanda Jackson, Narvel Felts, Vernon Oxford, Charlie McCoy, Stella Parton and Jerry Lee Lewis are among the many stars who have sung the works of Billy Edd Wheeler. In the pop world, he had cuts by Bobby Darin, The Association, Florence & The Machine, Jose Feliciano, The Chipmunks, Jay & The Americans, Gram Parsons, R.E.M., Lone Justice, Stephen Stills, B.W. Stevenson, The Human League, Lonnie Donegan, Carly Simon, O.C. Smith and more. His songs have sold an estimated 57 million records.

Wheeler was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001, the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame in 2007 and the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2011.

“The world has lost a treasure, a character, and a wonderful example of a life lived with beautiful authenticity,” eulogized Kathy Mattea yesterday. “I feel lucky to have known him.”

Billy Edd Wheeler passed away peacefully at his home. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Mary Bannerman Wheeler, by daughter Lucy Wheeler, son Travis Wheeler and brother Robert Stewart.

Award-Winning Producer, Director & Filmmaker Jim May Passes

/by

Jim May

Nashville producer, director, filmmaker and co-owner of Ruckus Films, Jim May, passed away on Sept. 9 in his home. He was 78.

May spent his early years in the southeast, moving frequently with his family from Florida to Alabama before eventually settling in Athens, Georgia. He earned degrees from the University of Georgia and Harvard Divinity School, and took his passion for theology and transformed it into an unexpected yet fitting career as a filmmaker.

May and his partners at RuckusFilm were among the early members of Nashville’s film community. His career ran more than 50 years and his work won numerous awards in the fields of advertising, music videos and TV production, including Addy Awards, Clios and several Emmys. He was also a sought-after Director of Photography as well as an award-winning Producer/Director who produced several successful feature films and TV specials. May was an early adopter of new technology, techniques and equipment, and worked with artists including the Drive-By Truckers, Aerosmith, Alan Jackson and Kathy Mattea.

May is survived by his three children, Emma Bradley (John), Georgia May Fleming and Oliver Fleming; along with his siblings, Mary Love Helms (Jim), Bo May, Martha Giardina (Gary), Deanie Fincher (Bill), Marianne May Causey, Tom May (Linda) and Joe May (Liz). He is also survived by many nieces and nephews. May leaves behind his business partners of over 30 years, Coke Sams, Clarke Gallivan and Jana Laiolo.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Oz Arts Nashville. A celebration of life will be planned soon and his ashes will be spread per his wishes in Carrabelle, Florida.

Oscar-Winning Songwriter Will Jennings Passes

/by

Will Jennings

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Will Jennings passed away on Sept. 6 at age 80.

The lyricist wrote classic country hits and had massive pop success. He won multiple Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe awards for such iconic songs as “Up Where We Belong,” “Tears in Heaven” “My Heart Will Go On” and “Higher Love.”

Will Jennings was a native Texan who began his professional career as an English professor in Nacogdoches and then at The University of Wisconsin. He moved to Nashville to pursue songwriting in 1971. He was signed by Almo-Irving Music in 1974. The publisher’s Music Row office was his base of operations in Nashville throughout his career.

Jennings’ first songwriting success was 1974’s “Keep On Lovin’ Me,” which rose to No. 23 on the country charts thanks to Johnny Paycheck’s recording of it. The songwriter’s first big hit was 1975’s “Feelin’s,” sung by Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn. Johnny Cash and June Carter had a hit with “Old Time Feeling” in 1976. His lyrics were subsequently recorded by Emmylou Harris, The Bellamy Brothers, Amy Grant, Brady Seals, BeBe & CeCe Winans, Diamond Rio, Freddy Fender, Glen Campbell, Peter Frampton, Tompall Glaser, B.J. Thomas, The Oak Ridge Boys, Janie Fricke, Dobie Gray, Willie Nelson, Crystal Gayle, Ronnie Milsap, Tracy Nelson, Barbara Mandrell and Clint Black, among other Nashville acts.

One of his songwriting collaborators persuaded Jennings to move to L.A. The lyricist first tasted pop-music success when Helen Reddy took his co-written “Somewhere in the Night” into the top 20 in 1977. Shortly afterward, Jennings had a No. 1 pop smash with Barry Manilow’s version of “Looks Like We Made It.” The following year, Manilow revived “Somewhere in the Night” and made it a top 10 hit. In 1979, The Crusaders scored with his “Street Life,” featuring a vocal by Randy Crawford.

Also in 1979, Dionne Warwick revived her career with the million selling and Grammy winning “I’ll Never Love This Way Again.” Jennings also co-wrote her 1980 hit “No Night So Long.” This began the decade in which he achieved his greatest successes.The Crusaders returned to his catalog for 1981’s “I’m So Glad I’m Standing Here Today,” featuring a vocal by Joe Cocker. That is the same year that Jennings formed a songwriting partnership with Steve Winwood. Their cowritten pop hits included “While You See a Chance” (1981), “Still in the Game” (1982), the Grammy winning “Higher Love” (1986), “The Finer Things” (1987), “Back in the High Life Again” (1987), “Valerie” (1987), “Roll With It” (1988), “Don’t You Know What the Night Can Do” (1988) and “Holding On” (1989).

Will Jennings moved into movie soundtrack work. The 1982 Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes smash “Up Where We Belong” was the theme song for An Officer and a Gentleman. Co-written by Jennings with Buffy Sainte-Marie and Jack Nitzche, it won a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for best motion-picture song of the year. The songwriter also contributed to the soundtracks of The Competition (1980), The Commitment (1976), The Land Before Time (1988) and An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991).

In the early 1980s, Jennings began cowriting songs with Jimmy Buffett for use on the albums Coconut Telegraph (1981), Riddles in the Sand (1984) and Last Mango in Paris (1985). Five of their songs went onto the country hit parade in 1984-85 —“When the Wild Life Betrays Me,” “Who’s the Blonde Stranger,” “Gypsies in the Palace,” “Please Bypass This Heart” and the top 20 hit “If the Phone Doesn’t Ring It’s Me.”

Much of Buffett’s music was recorded in Nashville, and Jennings continued his songwriting trips to Music City. He began collaborating with Rodney Crowell in 1989. Crowell scaled the country charts with their cowritten 1989 top 10 hit “Many a Long and Lonesome Highway.” The team went on to make the country charts with Rodney’s singles of “What Kind of Love” (1989) and “Please Remember Me” (1995).

Returning to soundtrack work, Jennings and Eric Clapton co-wrote “Tears in Heaven,” and it was used in the film Rush. Clapton’s 1992 performance of the song sold a million and earned its creators a Grammy Song of the Year honor, as well as a Golden Globe award.

In 1998, Will Jennings achieved new prominence due to his lyrics for “My Heart Will Go On,” the theme song of the movie blockbuster Titanic. As a single, it hit No. 1 for Celine Dion and earned multiple Grammy Awards, It also earned Jennings his second Oscar for Song of the Year from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

Meanwhile back in Nashville, Tim McGraw brought back “Please Remember Me” in 1999. This time, the Cowell/Jennings song became a No. 1 country smash that endured on the charts for half the year and remained at the top of the country hit parade for five weeks. McGraw’s wife, Faith Hill, recorded the Jennings co-written “Where Are You Christmas” for the soundtrack of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Her 2000 single of the song has become a holiday perennial, as has Mariah Carey’s version.

His ultra-romantic lyrics were particularly favored by female stylists. Bette Midler, Diana Ross, Anne Murray, Joan Osborne, Patti LaBelle, Juice Newton, Dorothy Moore, Bonnie Raitt, Etta James, Millie Jackson, Nancy Wilson, Rita Coolidge, Kim Carnes, Shirley Bassey, Linda Ronstadt, Nicole Kidman and Vanessa Williams all recorded his works. His songs were also on albums by The Lettermen, B.B. King, Color Me Badd, Steve Ray Vaughan, Aaron Neville, Bill Withers, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Sam & Dave, Ry Cooder, Tom Jones, Warren Zevon, Roy Orbison, Peter Wolf, Paul Anka and Christopher Cross.

Will Jennings was inducted into the national Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006 in New York City. The lyricist was always widely liked on Music Row. He was voted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013.

He is survived by his wife of 59 years, the former Carole Thurman and by two sisters, Joyce and Gloria.

Country Hitmaker Tommy Cash Passes

/by

Tommy Cash 

Tommy Cash, noted for his country hit “Six White Horses,” died at home in Gallatin on Friday (Sept. 13) at age 84.

He was the brother of Country Music Hall of Fame icon Johnny Cash (1932-2003) and actively supported downtown Nashville’s Johnny Cash Museum. That attraction’s founder, Bill Miller, described him as, “a very, very dear friend.. I knew him for over 50 years. Tommy Cash was….a very beloved member of our extended family as well as a highly respected member of the music industry.”

Tommy Cash was born in Dyess, Arkansas in 1940. He reportedly took up the guitar at age 16 after watching his brother perform. Following high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and worked as a DJ for the Armed Forces Radio Network in 1959-61. In his early days as a musician he played shows with Hank Williams Jr., landing a recording contract with Musicor in 1965 as his first label. Two of his early singles in 1968-69 on United Artists and Epic were written by future star Eddie Rabbitt.

In 1969, Tommy Cash released a song on Epic dedicated to John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. Titled “Six White Horses,” the record became his biggest hit, rising to No. 4 on the country hit parade.

He followed it with two more top 10 hits in 1970. “Rise and Shine” was written by Carl Perkins. “One Song Away” was penned by Don Reid of The Statler Brothers.

The singer placed 19 titles on Billboard’s national country charts between 1968 and 1978. But he only made the top 20 twice more. In 1971, Reid and fellow Statler Lew DeWitt provided Cash with the hit, “So This Is Love.” In 1973, Cash made it to No. 16 with “I Recall a Gypsy Woman.” That song was also a 1981 success for B.J. Thomas and became a country evergreen. More than 45 other versions of “I Recall a Gypsy Woman” have been recorded, including versions by Don Williams, Waylon Jennings, Jim Rooney, Hank Thompson, Doc Watson and J.D. Crowe & The New South.

Cash went on to record for Elektra, 20th Century, Monument, Indigo, Playback and other labels. On later records, he sang with George Jones, Marty Stuart, Tom T. Hall, Johnny Cash, Connie Smith and his son Mark Cash. His distinctive Cash baritone led to ad-jingle work for Pepsi, Burger King, GM, Beechnut, Santa Fe railroad and other entities.

As a songwriter, his works were recorded by Conway Twitty, Jean Shepard, Kitty Wells and Loretta Lynn, as well as his superstar older brother. He often toured overseas. During the 1990s, Tommy Cash became an entertainer in the country-theater tourism center of Branson, Missouri.

In addition to being the youngest brother of Johnny Cash, he was the brother of gospel’s Joanne Cash Yates and of the museum’s Reba Cash Hancock (1934-2006), plus the uncle of Rosanne and John Carter Cash. The names of his immediate survivors have not been issued.

Arrangements for Tommy Cash are entrusted to: Sumner Funeral & Cremation 104 Sanders Ferry Rd. Hendersonville, Tennessee (615) 822-4442. Visitation there is Wednesday, Sep. 18,, from 11:00 a.m to 1:00 p.m. with the funeral service to follow. Interment will be in Hendersonville Memory Gardens.

Veteran Engineer Billy Sherrill Passes

/by

Billy Sherrill

Billy Sherrill, the engineer who was behind the board for hits recorded by Kenny Rogers, Kenny Chesney, The Chicks, The Marshall Tucker Band and many more, passed away on Tuesday (Sept. 10). He was 77.

Born in west Tennessee and raised for most of his childhood in Paducah, Kentucky, Sherrill was in bands in high school and college. He first got a taste of the recording world when he and the band recorded in a friend’s studio in Benton, Kentucky.

Having connected with Music Row engineer Scotty Morris, Sherrill headed to Nashville after college. Morris introduced him to Thomas Wayne, and Sherrill began to help Wayne set up the studio that became Sound Shop. Soon, Sherrill was making tape copies for publishers on Music Row.

While working at Sound Shop, Sherrill met producer/songwriter Larry Butler, who invited him to work on his first real recording session for Jean Shepard’s “Slippin’ Away” (1973). The record hit the top five on the country charts and garnered more work for Sherrill. It also marked the beginning of his and Butler’s long relationship.

Together the pair worked on hit records for Dottie West, Billie Jo Spears, Ed Bruce, Johnny Cash, Charlie Rich, Mac Davis, Mickey Gilley, John Denver, Paul Anka and more. When Butler bought Jack Clement’s studio, Sherrill followed him.

Butler produced and Sherrill engineered many of Kenny Rogers’ hits, including “Lucille,” “She Believes In Me,” “The Gambler,” “Love Or Something Like It,” “You Decorated My Life” and “Coward of the County.”

Eventually Sherrill went out on his own. He engineered more hit records such as The Chicks’ Grammy-winning Fly album, and a lot of Kenny Chesney’s early work, like hits “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy” and “That’s Why I’m Here.” He also served as the sound mixer for the Grand Ole Opry for several years.

In 2019, the Audio Engineering Society (AES) presented Sherrill with a Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence in Studio Recording & Mixing. He was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame the same year.

Billy Sherrill is survived by his wife, Susan, daughter Chandler Nicole and son David.

A visitation for Billy Sherrill will take place on Friday (Sept. 20) from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturday (Sept. 21) from 2 p.m. until a service will commence at 4 p.m. at Brook Hollow Baptist Church (678 Brook Hollow Road, Nashville, TN 37205).

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made in Sherrill’s honor to The Musicians Hall of Fame or Brook Hollow Baptist Church.

Pop Star & Nashville Music Publisher Jimmy Gilmer Passes

/by

Jimmy Gilmer

Jimmy Gilmer, remembered by oldies fans as the singer of 1963’s “Sugar Shack” and known as a prominent song publisher on Music Row, died on Saturday, Sept. 7, at age 83.

Gilmer died in Amarillo, Texas while in hospice care. He had reportedly been suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease for two years.

Born in Chicago in 1940 but raised in Amarillo, Jimmy Gilmer became a session vocalist at Norman Petty’s studio in Clovis, New Mexico in 1959. The studio was the recording home of such hit makers as Buddy Knox, Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly. A local rock group called The Fireballs came to Petty’s place to record its top 40 instrumental hits “Torquay” (1959), “Bulldog” (1960) and “Quite a Party” (1961). The band’s membership changed in 1962, and Gilmer came on board as The Fireballs’ vocalist.

In 1963, Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs issued “Sugar Shack.” It rose to No. 1 on the pop charts and became the biggest selling single of the year. They followed that Gold record with the similar sounding “Daisy Petal Pickin,’” which rose to No. 15.

Norman Petty used the group to back several other artists that he produced. After Holly’s death, he had The Fireballs record band tracks to go with Holly’s voice on some home-recorded demos he left behind. They also backed folk singer Carolyn Hester.

The group returned to the charts with 1968’s rocking top 10 hit “Bottle of Wine.” One of the follow-up singles was “Come On, React!” Although its national ranking was only No. 63, the record was a top-20 hit in many markets and remained a fan favorite for years.

Gilmer’s albums included Sugar Shack (1963), Buddy’s Buddy (1964), Lucky ‘Leven (1965), Folkbeat (1965), Campusology (1966), Firewater (1968), Bottle of Wine (1968) and Come On, React! (1969).

At the end of the 1960s, The Fireballs called it quits. In 1970, Jimmy Gilmer relocated to Nashville. He was hired by United Artists Music, where he built a 30-year publishing career. Through a number of mergers and acquisitions, he rose to become a vice president at CBS Songs. plus successive executive positions at EMI and SBK.

Among the many songwriters he aided were Richard Leigh, Bobby Goldsboro and Pat Alger. He also signed Brad Paisley, whom he also managed through the early years of the star’s career.

In 1989-91, he served as the president of the Nashville chapter of The Recording Academy. He was a 1992 graduate of Leadership Music.

Jimmy Gilmer retired in 2007, but continued to perform occasionally at oldies shows.

Funeral arrangements have not been announced.