Bucky Wilkin Of Ronny & The Daytonas Passes

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Bucky Wilkin

Nashville pop-music legend John “Bucky” Wilkin has died at age 77.

He is best known as the writer and performer of the rock ’n’ roll classic “G.T.O.,” billed as Ronny & The Daytonas. Songwriter Wilkin is also notable as a session guitarist. He was the son of Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Marijohn Wilkin (1920-2006).

Born John William Wilkin, he began his career at age 8 as a child performer on The Ozark Jubilee & Junior Jubilee TV shows alongside fellow juvenile Brenda Lee. Bucky Wilkin was a prodigy who emulated guitarist Chet Atkins and performed instrumentals on the telecasts from Springfield, Missouri.

Relocating to Nashville, he grew up around the music community. While his mother was writing standards such as “The Long Black Veil,” “One Day at a Time,” “Cut Across Shorty” and “Waterloo,” Bucky Wilkin was exploring the teen sounds of the day. He formed a rock band called The Majestics which performed instrumentals at a roller rink on Thompson Lane. While daydreaming during a high-school physics class at Hillsboro High, he wrote “G.T.O.”

His mother had formed Buckhorn Music Publishing with producer Bill Justis. The latter took him into the studio and got him a recording contract. Wilkin became “Ronny Dayton,” and dubbed his group The Daytonas. In reality, there was no band. In the studio, Wilkin sang with Buzz Cason, Bobby Russell and Bergen White. On the road, he assembled various pick-up groups to accompany him. His high-school friends posed for the “band” pictures on the two record albums, issued in 1964 and 1966.

“G.T.O.” became a million-selling smash in 1964. It remains Nashville’s only hot-rod rock classic. Bucky Wilkin also wrote or co-wrote five charting Ronny & The Daytonas follow-up singles “California Bound,” “Sandy,” “Somebody to Love Me,” “Dianne Dianne” and “I’ll Think of Summer” in 1964-67. He also recorded pop songs as the “Buzz & Bucky” duo with Buzz Cason, notably 1965’s “Tiger-A-Go-Go” which they co-wrote.

His hits provided the financial foundation of Buckhorn Music. The company then signed his mother’s discovery Kris Kristofferson as a staff songwriter. Kristofferson and Wilkin roomed together for a time, and co-wrote several songs (“Blame It On the Stones,” “Apocalypse 1969,” “Screaming Metaphysical Blues,” etc.).

This time using his own name, Wilkin recorded solo LPs for Liberty Records (1970’s In Search of Food, Clothing, Shelter and Sex) and United Artists Records (1971’s Buck Wilkin). He also maintained a career as a session guitarist, appearing on discs by Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez, Kristofferson, John Stewart, Steve Goodman, Bob Lind, Jessi Colter, Hedge & Donna, Kinky Friedman, Dory Previn and others.

Kristofferson introduced him to Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda. Wilkin accompanied the actors to Peru to make the 1971 film The Last Movie. He provided the production’s soundtrack songs and briefly appeared in it. The film was intended to be the follow-up to Hopper’s successful Easy Rider, but turned out to be an incomprehensible cinematic disaster.

Back in Nashville, Buck Wilkin’s songs caught the ears of a wide variety of artists. “My God and I” was recorded by such diverse stylists as Bobby Goldsboro, Odetta, Frankie Laine, Bobby Vee and Ray Charles. In 1970, Bobbie Gentry made the pop charts with his song “Apartment 21.” His compositions were also recorded by The Chordettes, Southern Pacific, The Beach Boys, Wayne Newton, Alex Chilton, The Hondells, Robert Knight and The Swinging Blue Jeans.

In 1997, New York’s Sundazed Records company issued a “Best Of” compilation of the Ronny & The Daytonas hits. Buck Wilkin’s profile went higher in 2000 when the same label reissued his debut albums G.T.O. and Sandy, both with the original Daytonas billing. He participated in a number of golden-oldie revues under his old “Ronny Dayton” billing.

John “Buck” Wilkin lived in a comfortable RV park in Hickman County, but regularly drove to Nashville to pick up royalty checks at the post office, look after his mother’s legacy and chat with old music industry friends.

He was an only child, and he never married. He passed away on April 6 near Linden, Tennessee. His death was announced by Woodlawn-Roesch-Patton Funeral Home. No services are planned.

A celebration of John Buck Wilkin’s life will be announced at a later time.

Norah Lee Allen, Vocalist & Wife Of Oak Ridge Boys Member Duane Allen, Passes

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Norah Lee Allen

Oak Ridge Boys lead singer Duane Allen is mourning the loss of his wife Norah Lee Allen, who passed away on Sunday (March 31) after battling an extended illness. She was 76.

Duane and Norah Lee Allen

Duane shared the news with his close friends on Sunday, saying, “This morning, my wife of 54 years and 8 months took her last breath of air on planet Earth. Norah Lee went to be with Jesus at 7:28 am, Easter morning. She had not been feeling well for some time. Her family all spent the night with her last night at Vanderbilt Hospital. We took time singing with and to her, telling her stories, and loving her every second that God let us share her here on Earth.”

Norah Lee grew up in Bowling Green and began singing with her sisters in The Stuart Sisters Trio, formed by their father when she was only three. For nearly 17 years, the family gospel singers traveled, toured and performed at revivals, concerts, conventions and churches throughout the southeast. In 1968, she was hired by the country gospel music group Chuck Wagon Gang. A year later, she married Duane.

In the early 1970s, Norah Lee worked in Nashville with Benson Publishing Group. She also did background session work with country, bluegrass and gospel bands and for many artists, including Conway Twitty and Grand Ole Opry bass legend Jerome Hines. In 1980, Norah Lee became a full-time member of the Grand Ole Opry band as a background vocalist. Over the years, Norah Lee and the Carol Lee Singers—then Opry staff singers—performed in front of thousands of country fans live at the Opry and on television and radio worldwide. In 2022, Norah Lee was inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame.

She is survived by husband Duane, two children, Jamie Allen (Paul) Martin and Dee Allen, and her four grandchildren, March, Kell, Texas and Tallant Martin.

Details regarding memorial arrangements will be shared on Duane Allen’s Facebook page and The Oak Ridge Boys’ social media platforms.

Veteran Music Manager Erv Woolsey Passes Away At 80

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Erv Woolsey. Photo: Courtesy of The Erv Woolsey Co.

Erv Woolsey, the manager and champion of George Strait for 45 years, passed away this morning (March 20)  in Clearwater, Florida due to complications from surgery. He was 80.

In addition to Strait, Woolsey helped steward the careers of Lee Ann Womack, Dierks Bentley, Clay Walker and Country Music Hall of Famer Ronnie Milsap.

Erv Woolsey & George Strait. Photo: Courtesy of The Erv Woolsey Co.

Reflecting on his passing, Strait shared, “My manager for around 45 years and most importantly my friend for even longer, Erv Woolsey, passed away this morning. He had complications from a surgery and just couldn’t overcome it. He was a very tough man, and fought hard, but sadly it was just too much. We will miss him so very much and will never forget all the time we had together. Won’t ever be the same without him.”

Born Eugene Ervine “Erv” Woolsey on Feb. 15, 1944 in Houston, Texas, Woolsey spent his entire professional life in the music business. A graduate of Southwest Texas State University, he started his career in the Promotion department at Decca Records. After spending time at other record labels, Woolsey made his way to Nashville in 1973 when he was tapped as Head of Promotions for ABC Records’ new country division. There he worked with Johnny Rodriguez, Jimmy Buffett, Billy “Crash” Craddock, Donna Fargo, Freddy Fender and the Amazing Rhythm Aces.

At the same time, Woolsey and his then wife Connie owned The Prairie Rose, a club in San Marcos, Texas. It was there he first saw and met Strait and, taken with his talent and charisma, began to book him regularly to perform.

After making his mark at ABC, Woolsey embarked on an unprecedented run at MCA during the ’80s. He helped create ongoing radio success for future Country Music Hall of Fame members Barbara Mandrell, Don Williams, Loretta Lynn, Tanya Tucker, Conway Twitty and The Oak Ridge Boys as well as Lee Greenwood.

In 1981, Woolsey convinced label head Jim Foglesong to sign Strait to a record deal at MCA Records, his label home to this day. Strait began his career of hits with debut single “Unwound.”

In 1984, Woolsey left MCA to devote himself to managing Strait’s career. With Woolsey by his side, Strait went on to win several Entertainer of the Year awards across four decades among more than 60 major entertainment awards, sell over 105 million albums, notch more No. 1 songs (60) than any other artist in history, be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and more.

Woolsey continued to stay relevant in the modern times of the genre. His continued love of the business and developing new talent saw him signing emerging artists Ian Munsick, Davisson Brothers Band, Kylie Frey, Triston Marez, Nick Davisson, Zach Neil, Stone Senate and Vince Herman over the last few years.

An accomplished businessman, Woolsey also developed a series of clubs, bars and hangouts throughout his career. Alongside business partner Steve Ford, he opened The Trap before striking gold with the anti-glam, come-as-you-are Losers. Designed as a hole in the wall for publishers, producers, writers and the alternative Music Row types, Losers’ success spawned the equally busy Winners, right next door, and the Dawg House.

Woolsey served on the Board of Directors for the Country Music Association and the Tennessee Museum of History. A frequent counsel to young managers, agents, artists and executives, he was known to be a gracious industry leader who was generous with his knowledge and time.

A longtime fan and passionate member of the horse racing community, Woolsey is a Lifetime Member of the Texas Thoroughbred Association. He was also regular at Kentucky’s Churchill Downs and Keeneland, including Super Stock’s run in the Kentucky Derby Grade One in 2021 and Jordan’s Henny in the Kentucky Oaks Grade One in 2017.

Woolsey passed peacefully under the care of physicians. He is survived by his son Clint, ex-wife Connie, brother David and sister Beth, and preceded in death by his parents, John and Mavis Woolsey, and brother Johnny Woolsey.

Details on arrangements will be shared at a future date.

Music Row Photographer Steve Lowry Dies

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Steve Lowry

Beloved photographer Steve Lowry, who captured hundreds of events and industry gatherings on Music Row, died of a heart attack on Sunday, March 10 while on the job. He was 63.

Lowry started his photojournalism career as a teenager in Kentucky. He came to Music City to work for the Nashville Banner, where he spent several years photographing happenings around the city. Lowry then spent time at TNN before becoming a freelance photographer with clients in all types of industries. Prior to the pandemic, he was the in-house photographer for the Ryman Auditorium for 14 years.

Over the last 15 years, Lowry has been a fixture at music industry events in Nashville, taking photos at hundreds of No. 1 parties, concerts, celebratory gatherings, benefits and more. He was called on for artist signing photos, trade shots, album covers, corporate headshots and much more. Lowry’s photos have graced Nashville Banner, The Tennessean, Billboard, Rolling Stone, MusicRow, American Songwriter and many more publications.

He deeply appreciated the work of Music Health Alliance (MHA), Second Harvest and Safe Haven Family Shelter and generously supported many philanthropic efforts in Nashville with his time and photography skills.

Lowry is survived by his partner Jerri Malloy, his mother, brother and sister-in-law, two nephews and countless friends.

Lowry’s memorial service will take place Friday, April 19 at Woodmont Christian Church, with visitation from 10 to 11 a.m. in the chapel and a Celebration of Life service at 11:30 in the sanctuary. A GoFundMe has been set up for Lowry’s partner of many years, Jerri Malloy.

Photographer Anthony Scarlati Passes

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Anthony Scarlati

Photographer Anthony Scarlati passed away on Friday, March 8, after a brief illness. He was 63.

Born in Paw Paw, Michigan, Scarlati spent most of his early life in Clarendon Hills, Illinois. He attended Western Michigan University before meeting wife, Therese, and starting a family. His career ranged from his early days as a sports photographer to his equine photography, capturing cowboys on a cattle ranch in North Dakota.

Moving to Tennessee 20 years ago, Scarlati landed in Leiper’s Fork and quickly became part of the Nashville music scene through his friendships and photography. As the house photographer for Music City Roots, Franklin Theatre and Fox & Locke, he provided the defining images for the Americana Music Triangle and Nashville’s Big Back Yard.

He has photographed many well known artists including Dolly Parton, The Doobie Brothers, BB King, Billy Gibbons, Tom Petty, Marty Stuart, Keb Mo and Billy Bob Thornton. Scarlati was Hall of Fame Songwriter Jeffrey Steele and family’s personal photographer and dear friend for the last 16 years. His love of culture and community was apparent in his photo work as well as his recent project “The Soul of America,” which chronicled his travels to small towns around America.

His publication credits include BMI Music World, Jazz Times, Bass Player Magazine, Country Music Weekly, Nashville Arts Magazine, Living Blues Magazine, Guitar Player Magazine, MusicRow and People. A lifelong lover of cuisine and culture, good books and music, he was also a woodworker in his early career.

Scarlati is survived by his wife Therese; children Sarah Hull (Jon), Katie Duda (Kevin) and Joe Scarlati (Amanda); grandchildren Tara, Ethan, Evan, Vinnie, Samantha, Maddux, Max and Layla; brothers Stephen (Debbie) and Michael (Kelly); his parents Steven and Marjorie Scarlati and many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life for Scarlati will be held on May 26 at 3-5 p.m. CT at Green’s Grocery in Leiper’s Fork. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial gifts be donated to the Alex LeVasseur Advised Fund.

Former ACM Executive Director Fran Boyd Passes Away

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Fran Boyd

Former Academy of Country Music (ACM) Executive Director Fran Boyd has passed away.

Boyd became the organization’s first paid employee when she was hired as an executive secretary in 1968. Over the years, she rose through the ranks, overseeing daily operations, serving as Talent Producer of the ACM Awards and maintaining oversight of virtually every aspect of the annual presentation. In 1995, following the passing of her husband Bill, who himself led the organization, Boyd was named Executive Director.

The ACM’s signature hat trophy was created the same year she joined, and throughout her tenure, Boyd saw the organization open its first office in Hollywood as well as refresh its name from the Academy of Country and Western Music to the Academy of Country Music in the early 1970s, and move the awards show to multiple famous California venues such as Disneyland, Universal Amphitheatre and Knott’s Berry Farm.

At the time of her retirement in 2002, she said, “I continue to be proud of all the Academy of Country Music has accomplished in my time. It has given me great joy to see so many young country artists rise from newcomers to having great careers. The Academy has helped music fans acknowledge country music as the enduring genre it deserves to be.”

ACM CEO Damon Whiteside shares, “Her tireless work and years of dedication to this organization, the country music industry and its artists cannot be overstated, and her legacy with the Academy will forever live on.”

“Fran Boyd played an essential part in the Academy’s history, stretching way back to the earliest days in the 1960s and steering the ship through decades of change, innovation and growth, all while fostering an incredible passion for country music,” says ACM Board Sergeant-At-Arms Gayle Holcomb. “Fran will always be remembered as a champion for our industry, its artists and this organization. On behalf of the ACM Officers and Board of Directors, I send our gratitude, prayers and condolences to the Boyd family.”

The organization shares that donations to Alive Hospice Nashville or the Alzheimer’s Association in Boyd’s honor are appreciated in lieu of flowers.

Blackberry Smoke’s Brit Turner Dies Of Brain Cancer

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Brit Turner

Brit Turner, a co-founder and drummer of southern rock band Blackberry Smoke, passed away on Sunday (March 3) after a battle with brain cancer. He was 57.

Turner was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2022. Earlier this week, the band shared on social media that he had passed.

“If you had the privilege of knowing Brit on any level, you know he was the most caring, empathetic, driven and endearing person one could ever hope to meet,” the band shared. “Brit was Blackberry Smoke’s True North, the compass that instituted the ideology that will continue to guide this band.”

 

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Turner, a Michigan native, formed Blackberry Smoke in 2000 alongside his brother Richard Turner (bass, vocals) as well as Charlie Starr (vocals, guitar), Paul Jackson (guitar, vocals) and Brandon Still (keyboards) in Atlanta, Georgia. Since their establishment, Preston Holcomb (drums) and Benji Shanks (guitar) have joined the band as well.

Throughout their prolific career, Blackberry Smoke has released seven studio albums including 2021’s You Hear Georgia, which celebrated their 20th anniversary as a band. In addition to their studio albums, they have released several other projects such as their EPs Stoned, The Southern Ground Sessions and Live From Capricorn Studios as well as Homecoming: Live In Atlanta, a live album and concert film.

Blackberry Smoke released their most recent album, Be Right Here, on Feb. 16, featuring Turner’s playing. The project debuted at No. 1 on the Current Country Albums chart,
Americana/Folk Albums chart and Current Rock Albums chart as well as No. 4 on the Best-Selling Current Albums chart.

Since 2000, the band has built a solid reputation for their relentless touring, building a strong and loyal community of fans. Turner continued to play with Blackberry Smoke on tour through December 2023.

Funeral arrangements for Turner are expected to be announced shortly.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Families and Communities Together Relief (FACT), which offers aid to families whose principal bread-winner is struck by a serious illness and will support Turner’s family.

Banjo Great & ‘Hee Haw’ Star Roni Stoneman Passes

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Roni Stoneman. Photo: Courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Roni Stoneman, a member of the CMA Award-winning group The Stonemans and a longtime comedian and musician on the country television show Hee Haw, has died at age 85.

Born Veronica Loretta Stoneman in 1938, she was the youngest daughter of Country Music Hall of Fame member Ernest V. “Pop” Stoneman (1893-1968). He and his wife Hattie Frost Stoneman (1900-1976) had 23 children, 15 of whom survived to adulthood and seven of whom formed a family band with him. Pop Stoneman was one of country music’s pioneers of the 1920s. He faced hard times during the 1930s, then began rebuilding his career with his children.

Roni Stoneman was raised by her parents to become a country music professional. At around age 9, she joined the family act in 1947, which was initially billed as Pop Stoneman and His Little Pebbles. Three of the children became renowned for their instrumental talents. Roni perfected three-finger bluegrass banjo. Donna excelled at “cross picking” mandolin. Scotty Stoneman (1932-1973) was a five-time national fiddle champion who was regarded as one of country music’s great fiddlers before dying of alcoholism.

In 1957, Roni Stoneman, age 19, was tapped to play on American Banjo: Tunes & Songs in Scruggs Style. This is now regarded as the first bluegrass album. During the early 1960s, The Stonemans became wildly popular on folk and bluegrass festival stages, playing everywhere from the Monterey Folk Festival to the Smithsonian Institution.

She and The Stonemans began recording for Starday Records in 1962. In 1965, The Stonemans relocated to Nashville, where they were guided by Jack Clement on a series of albums for MGM and RCA. In 1966, the group landed its own syndicated TV series, Those Stonemans, and became the long-running headline act at The Black Poodle nightclub in Printer’s Alley. Roni’s solo spot was often the comedic “Dirty Old Egg-Sucking Dog.”

In 1967, The Stonemans won the inaugural CMA Vocal Group of the Year award. After Pop died in 1968, Roni’s autoharp-playing older sister Patsy Stoneman (1925-2015) assumed leadership of the family group. The 1969 Pop Stoneman Memorial Album on MGM contained a gem, a previously recorded Roni Stoneman and Pop Stoneman duet on the folk song “The Mountaineer’s Courtship.” This was one of the last attempts to market old-time music by a major label. On the road, Roni’s comedy and banjo talents, plus Donna’s dancing and mandolin work, continued to define The Stonemans’ showmanship.

Roni left the group for a solo career around 1971. Two years later, she joined the cast of Hee Haw. The show routinely showcased her banjo virtuosity, but she became even more beloved for portraying the braying, gap-teethed, ironing-board harpy “Ida Lee Nagger,” shrieking one liners at her shiftless drunk of a husband, “LaVerne” (Gordie Tapp).

In between annual tapings of the show, Roni Stoneman headlined as a solo act at Disneyworld, entertaining an estimated 250,000 fans there in 1976. She also appeared in the 1975 film W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings starring Burt Reynolds. An acclaimed 1981 double LP titled The First Family of Country Music showcased nine Stoneman siblings, including Roni. Her daughters Barbara and Georgia also appeared on the record, as did the children of her brothers and sisters. She launched her own Roni Stoneman’s Music Park in Kentucky in 1989. It failed, leading to her bankruptcy petition late that year.

Her skits on Hee Haw continued. In addition to her “Ida Lee’ character, she was “Mophead,” the maid in the “Empty Arms Hotel” skits. She also starred in the show’s Hee Haw Banjo Band, demonstrating her picking prowess. Hee Haw became the most successful and longest lived syndicated TV program in history. During her tenure with the show, she recorded solo efforts for the Chart, Dot, Playback and Spin Chek labels. Roni Stoneman remained with Hee Haw until 1991. In 1992, she formed her all-female country band The Daisy Maes. In the 1990s, she worked the bluegrass-festival circuit with her bluegrass group Formal Grass. She divorced the fifth of her abusive husbands during this era.

Sometimes billed as “The First Lady of the Banjo,” Roni Stoneman continued to book solo shows into the early 2000s. She entertained in country nightclubs, on bluegrass festivals and at college campuses. She appeared at the annual International Country Music Conference of academics in Nashville in 2003 and 2012. She recorded a solo CD, Bummin’ Around, and collaborated with sister Donna on The Legend Continues. With sister Patsy, the women also issued The Stoneman Tradition. In 2007, Roni Stoneman published her autobiography, Pressing On. She and her family were inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2021.

Roni Stoneman died on Thursday, Feb. 22 surrounded by her children. She had been in hospice care recently. Her death leaves sister Donna, 90, as the original family’s sole survivor. In addition to Donna, Roni Stoneman is survived by five children. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Country Hitmaker Toby Keith Dies At 62 After Battle With Cancer

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Toby Keith

Iconic country hitmaker Toby Keith died Monday night (Feb. 5) after a battle with stomach cancer. He was 62.

Keith is one of the biggest country hitmakers of the modern era, with more than 40 million albums sold and 32 No. 1 hits. His legacy includes that of a prolific songwriter, as the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee wrote 26 of his hits and 11 of those alone. Throughout his career, Keith garnered more than 10 billion streams, largely on the strength of his own songwriting and producing, and under the banner of his own record label Show Dog Nashville.

Toby Keith. Photo: Greg Watermann

Keith was also a member of the New York-based all-genre Songwriters Hall of Fame and a recipient of the National Medal of Arts and the Academy of Country Music’s prestigious Merle Haggard Spirit Award.

He was diagnosed with stomach cancer in June of 2022. That fall, he received the BMI Icon Award for his songwriting legacy, and in September of 2023, he made a triumphant appearance at the Peoples Choice Country Awards, where he accepted the Country Icon award and performed the poignant “Don’t Let The Old Man In.” BMLG Records partnered with Keith following the performance to release the song to country radio, making it Keith’s last chart appearance.

At the end of 2023, Keith performed several shows in Las Vegas. Despite the challenges from his illness, he played for two hours each night.

Keith’s death was announced on his social media early Tuesday morning (Feb. 6). “Toby Keith passed peacefully last night on February 5th, surrounded by family. He fought his fight with grace and courage. Please respect the privacy of his family at this time,” the post shared.

Toby Keith

Keith was born in Clinton, Oklahoma on July 8, 1961. His interest in music started young, and he got his first guitar around age 8. After graduating from high school, Keith started his career in the oil fields. He and his friends formed the Easy Money Band when Keith was 20. They played at local bars as he continued to move up in rank working in oil.

After the oil industry in Oklahoma began to decline in the early ’80s, Keith fell back on another passion: football. He played defensive end with the semi-pro Oklahoma City Drillers while continuing to perform with his band. By the mid ’80s, Keith’s Easy Money band began playing the honky-tonk circuit in Oklahoma and Texas.

Keith came to Nashville in the early ’90s. Despite giving out his demo to record labels up and down Music Row, he received no interest. He made a vow to himself that he would get a record deal by the time he was 30 or he would quit. After one of Keith’s demos ended up in the hands of record executive Harold Shedd, he was signed to Mercury Records.

Keith’s first release with the label came with 1993’s “Should’ve Been a Cowboy.” It was a sure-fire hit and set Keith’s path to country superstardom. He continued his first spree of hits with “He Ain’t Worth Missing,” “A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action” and “Wish I Didn’t Know Now,” all of which appeared on his debut, self-titled album.

Keith then signed with Polydor Records Nashville and released his second album, Boomtown, in 1994, containing such hits as “Who’s That Man,” “Upstairs Downtown,” “You Ain’t Much Fun” and “Big Ol’ Truck.”

Next up was a deal with the Nashville division of A&M Records, where he released his third album Blue Moon in 1996. That project contained “Does That Blue Moon Ever Shine on You,” “A Woman’s Touch” and “Me Too.” Keith returned to Mercury in 1997 to release his fourth studio album, Dream Walkin’, notching more hits with the project such as “We Were in Love” and a cover of Sting’s “I’m So Happy I Can’t Stop Crying.”

Toby Keith accepts an award onstage from BMI VP of Creative Nashville, Clay Bradley and president and CEO of BMI Mike O’Neill for the 2022 BMI Country Awards. Photo: Erika Goldring/Getty Images for BMI

The country maverick moved to DreamWorks Records in 1999. It was there that he had one of the biggest songs of his career, “How Do You Like Me Now?!” The song spent five weeks at No. 1 and became Keith’s first top 40 pop hit. The album of the same name also included “Country Comes to Town” and “You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This.”

Keith released his next project, Pull My Chain, in 2001—the same year he took home the ACM’s Top Male Vocalist and Album of the Year trophies. The album’s three singles—”I’m Just Talkin’ About Tonight,” “I Wanna Talk About Me” and “My List”—all topped of the country charts. “My List” was the CMA’s Single of the Year in 2002.

His next string of hits came from 2002’s Unleashed album, which included juggernaut “Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue (The Angry American),” a song Keith wrote by himself in just 20 minutes about the September 11 tragedy. Next came chart-toppers “Who’s Your Daddy?” and “Beer for My Horses,” a duet with Willie Nelson which spent six weeks at the top of the country charts.

Toby Keith presented with his Pandora’s Billionaires Plaque at his Las Vegas show at Dolby Live at Park MGM in 2023

Keith released his eighth studio album Shock’n Y’all in 2003, and collected more hits with “I Love This Bar,” “American Soldier” and “Whiskey Girl.” His last DreamWorks album was Honkytonk University, which included the six-week No. 1 “As Good as I Once Was.”

Keith founded his own label, Show Dog Nashville, in 2005. Releasing several projects on the label, he collected more hits, such as “Get Drunk and Be Somebody,” “A Little Too Late,” “Love Me If You Can,” “She Never Cried in Front of Me,” “God Love Her,” “American Ride,” “Every Dog Has Its Day” and more.

In 2011, Show Dog released Keith’s Clancy’s Tavern. The project included the No. 1 song “Made in America” and a beloved fan-favorite “Red Solo Cup,” which became Keith’s best-peaking crossover, reaching No. 15 on the Hot 100. His legacy was honored in December of 2011 when Keith received the Artist of the Decade award at the American Country Awards.

More success followed with Keith’s albums Hope on the Rocks (2012), 35 MPH Town (2015) and The Bus Songs (2017). He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015.

Throughout his career, Keith has been a symbol of patriotism. His self-written “Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue (The Angry American)” helped spur Americans onward despite our wounds following the terrorist attacks on September 11. He frequently played for the troops, doing 11 USO Tours and touching the lives of nearly 256,000 soldiers and military families across 18 countries with more than 285 events. Keith was recognized with the Spirit of the USO Award in 2014 for his efforts.

Keith was also very passionate about other philanthropic causes. His annual golf classics funded the Toby Keith Foundation and the OK Kids Korral, a cost-free home for families of children dealing with critical illnesses. Recently, the 19th installment of the charity event raised a record $1.8 million, bringing its all-total to nearly $18 million.

Toby Keith

A singer, songwriter, musician, producer, entrepreneur, philanthropist and more, Keith’s interests and skills spanned far and wide. Recently Keith acquired Luck E Strike, an iconic bait and tackle brand. Other business ventures he undertook were bar and restaurant ownership, a clothing line and more, in addition to being a record label owner and prominent music business executive. In a 2013 issue of Forbes magazine, Keith was described as “Country Music’s $500 million man,” as he was out-earning prominent musicians such as Jay-Z and Beyoncé at that time.

In 2023, 17 of Keith’s songs were newly certified as Gold and Platinum singles from the RIAA, including the hit “I Love This Bar,” which was awarded double Platinum. He also released his last album, 100% Songwriter, last year, which included 13 of his solo writes.

Keith is survived by his mother; wife of 40 years, Tricia Lucus Keith; daughters, Shelley Covel and Krystal Sandubrae; a son, Stelen; a sister, Tonnie; a brother, Tracy; and four grandchildren.

Memorial services for Keith have not yet been announced at this time.

 

Country Star Margo Smith Passes

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Margo Smith

Singer Margo Smith, noted for a string of country hits in the 1970s and 1980s, died Tuesday, Jan. 23, at age 84.

Born Bette Lou Miller, the singer was an Ohio kindergarten teacher who came to Nashville in 1975 to record her self-penned “There I Said It” and “Paper Lovin.’” Signed by Warner Music, she hit the charts with three self-written hits in 1976-77, “Love’s Explosion,” “Take My Breath Away” and “My Weakness.”

Her biggest hits occurred via her chart-topping revivals of the pop oldies “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You,” “It Only Hurts for a Little While” and “Little Things Mean a Lot” in 1978. Margo Smith underwent several career transformations. The first of these occurred in 1979-80 when she shed her “house wife-y” image in favor of a sexy persona in spandex, plunging necklines, satin costumes and a newly blonde coiffure. This coincided with such sultry hits as “Still a Woman” and “He Gives Me Diamonds, You Give Me Chills.”

She divorced her husband and married businessman Richard Cammeron in 1982. He took over her career management. During the next few years, she returned to her homey image and continued to make the charts throughout the 1980s with solo singles as well as duets with Rex Allen Jr. such as 1980’s “Cup of Tea.” Beginning in 1982, her country releases were on such independent labels as AMI, Moon Shine, Bermuda Dunes and Payback.

Smith also began to emphasize her show-stopping yodel ability. Her next image was as “The Tennessee Yodeler,” and she began to market TV albums such as 1983’s The Best of the Tennessee Yodeler. She continued in this vein into the 1990s.

In the mid-1990s, Margo’s musical career shifted again. This time it was to Christian country music. She and her daughter, Holly, became a duo billed as “Margo Smith and Holly.” They recorded for Homeland Records and had a number of Christian-country hits. In 1994, they were named Vocal Duo of the Year by the Christian Country Music Association.

In later years, Smith continued performing and marketed records that taught singers how to yodel. Among the artists she mentored was Taylor Ware, who successfully competed on TV’s America’s Got Talent. She moved to Florida and began recording for Lamon Records in 2005. During her career, Margo Smith released 18 albums and charted with 27 country singles.

She died in Franklin, Tennessee due to complications from a stroke she suffered two days earlier.

Margo Smith is survived by her husband Richard Cammeron; son Jeffery Smith; daughters Holly Watson, Tonja Taskey Elder and Lisa Foster; brother Jimmy Miller; sisters Kathy Kelly and Linda Crofut as well as eight grandchildren.

Arrangements are being handled by Woodlawn-Roesch-Patton Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, a memorial donation may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or Music City Christian Fellowship.

A celebration of life for Margo Smith will be held Friday (Feb. 2) at 2:00 p.m. at Harpeth Christian Church (1101 Gardner Drive, Franklin, TN 37064).