Opry Photographer Les Leverett Dies At Age 96

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Les Leverett. Photo: Courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

The most important photographer in the history of country music has passed away.

Les Leverett died in Nashville on Friday (June 2) at age 96. He was the staff photographer at the Grand Ole Opry for 32 years, archiving country music’s “golden age” on film. He was the man behind iconic images of Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Bill Monroe, Vince Gill and a myriad of their peers.

Roy Acuff and Les Leverett backstage in Acuff’s dressing room. Photo: Donnie Beauchamp, Courtesy of The Grand Ole Opry

His work has earned him a Grammy Award, prestigious exhibitions and distinction as a major provider of photos for such documentaries as Ken Burns’ PBS opus Country Music. His images have appeared in American Heritage, Country Weekly and many other periodicals, not to mention in annual Opry souvenir books for decades.

Born in 1927, Leverett grew up in Alabama. He served aboard a troop ship during World War II. After the war, he went to photography school in San Antonio on the G.I. Bill. This is when he became infatuated with country music. His wife Dot Vandiver was a Nashville native, and the couple moved to her hometown in 1950.

He initially worked as an advertising and portrait photographer in Music City. Between 1960 and 1992, he was the official photographer for the National Life insurance company and its affiliates WSM Radio, WSMV-TV and the Opry. He also rescued and preserved the photographic record of WSM’s founding years, 1925-50, after he discovered the company was throwing those images away. In addition, Leverett did stars’ publicity portraits, created album covers and documented celebrities at home.

His album covers include the theatrical image of Porter Wagoner on the jacket of 1966’s Confessions of a Broken Man. It earned him a Grammy Award. His 1972 cover for Dolly Parton’s LP Bubbling Over won him Billboard magazine’s award as its Country Album Cover of the Year. Leverett’s vivid photographs appear on more than 200 albums.

Garth Brooks, Kitty Wells, Gene Autry, Roy Acuff, Merle Haggard, Ricky Skaggs, Alison Krauss, Ernest Tubb, Conway Twitty, Maybelle Carter, Emmylou Harris, George Strait, Willie Nelson, Linda Ronstadt, Kenny Rogers, Waylon Jennings, k.d. lang, Marty Robbins, Hank Snow, Grandpa Jones, Minnie Pearl, Tex Ritter – it would be easier to name a country star he hasn’t photographed than those he has. Les Leverett was the official photographer for the TV series of both Johnny Cash and Marty Stuart.

A charming raconteur and lovably humble personality, Leverett was especially fond of bluegrass music. His archive includes many images of Flatt & Scruggs, The Whites, Jim & Jesse, Ralph Stanley and the like. In 2001, he was honored with a Distinguished Achievement Award from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA).

George Jones and Tammy Wynette. Photo: Les Leverett, Courtesy of The Grand Ole Opry

Les Leverett’s work is preserved in two books, Blue Moon of Kentucky (1996) and American Music Legends (2005). Daughter Libby Leverett-Crew published her memoir Saturday Nights with Daddy at the Opry in 2003, which also featured many of his images.

He was a writer of limericks and a talented artist who had a knack for drawing caricatures. He also had the lesser-known gifts of being able to write backwards and upside down. Les Leverett’s photo archive now resides at the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum.

He is survived by his son, Gary Leverett, his daughter, Libby Leverett-Crew, son-in-law, Larry Crew, nine grandchildren and numerous great and great-great grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Spring Hill Funeral Home & Cemetery, 5110 Gallatin Pike South. Visitation will be on June 7 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. followed by a Celebration of Life service.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Second Harvest Food Bank, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Nashville Union Rescue Mission or a charity of your choice.

Porter Wagoner’s Confessions of a Broken Man. Photo: Les Leverett

Loretta Lynn. Photo: Les Leverett

Pictured (L-R): Minnie Pearl, Wilma Lee Cooper, Jan Howard, Skeeter Davis, June Carter and Kitty Wells. Photo: Les Leverett, Courtesy of The Grand Ole Opry

Patsy Cline. Photo: Les Leverett, Courtesy of The Grand Ole Opry

Grand Ole Opry cast in 1965. Photo: Les Leverett, Courtesy of The Grand Ole Opry

June Carter Cash and Johnny Cash. Photo: Les Leverett, Courtesy of The Grand Ole Opry

Dolly Parton. Photo: Les Leverett, Courtesy of The Grand Ole Opry

Jeannie Seely being photographed by Les Leverett. Photo: Dot Leverett, Courtesy of The Grand Ole Opry

Texas Music Journalist John Lomax IV Passes

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Journalist John Nova Lomax died on Monday (May 22) in Houston, Texas at age 53.

For more than two decades, he chronicled the music and lifestyles of the Lone Star State. He authored two books and was a senior editor at Texas Monthly in 2015-2019. He was at The Houston Press for a dozen years, 2000-2012 as both the music editor and staff writer. During this period, he became a mentor to aspiring music journalists. He also wrote for Texas Highways, Houstonia, Spin, The New York Times, The Village Voice and L.A. Weekly.

Nova was an authority on the culture of Houston. One of his books was Houston’s Best Dive Bars: Drinking & Diving in the Bayou City. The other was Murder & Mayhem in Houston (co-witten with Mike Vance). He authored a blog called “Sole of Houston,” which was about seeing his hometown on foot, mile by mile. This also ran as a Houston Press series. He was a regular contributor to the Texas Monthly radio program “Talk Like a Texan.”

He wrote vividly about everything from the downfall of country singer Doug Supernaw to the woes of the Houston Texans football team. He skills as a music writer were reflected in profiles about Johnny Nash, Bobby “Blue” Bland, blues guitarist Goree Carter and many other locals. He was also an eloquent food reporter. His 2007 story about Supernaw won ASCAP’s prestigious Deems Taylor Award for excellence in music writing.

Mimi Swartz of Texas Monthly wrote, “Lomax—and that’s what those who knew him best called him—was one of those writers who, if he was interested in something, could make you interested in it too. Some writers have good ideas but can’t execute; some writers are good enough with words but lack the singularity of vision that makes readers want to follow them anywhere. Lomax had both.”

John Nova Lomax was born in Houston in 1970, but was raised in Nashville. He is the son of noted Nashville journalist, artist manager, performer and author John Lomax III. His “big brothers” were Steve Earle and the late Townes Van Zandt, both of whom were managed by his father.

The Lomax family also includes his great-grandfather John Avery Lomax, the dean of American folklorists and the discoverer of Leadbelly. His grandfather, John II, managed John Lee Hooker and founded the Houston Folklore Society that launched Guy Clark, K.T. Oslin, Earle and more. Great uncle Alan Lomax guided the Library of Congress Archive of American Folksong, wrote prolifically and was a recording artist. Great aunt Bess Lomax Hawes became a leading authority on children’s folklore, a manager at the National Endowment for the Arts and co-wrote The Kingston Trio hit “M.T.A.”

Nova’s mother was Julia Plummer Taylor, known as Bidy. She became an alcoholic who lived on the streets of Nashville before she was struck and killed while trying to cross Interstate 40 in 1998.

Nova had returned to Houston to attend high school in 1985. He dropped out of the University of Texas in Austin and drifted professionally until his father offered him a writing job penning a liner-notes essay. He pursued writing full-time from 2001 onward.

John Nova Lomax struggled with alcoholism his entire life. He went through a recurring cycle of hospitalizations, recoveries and relapses. These accelerated as he got older, but he often hid his problems from loved ones. His liver and other organs began to fail last year, and he entered Intensive Care.

His father posted a final update on Monday. “After a long hard fight in which he defied all doctor’s predictions, John Nova Lomax passed away peacefully early this morning with his former wife, Kelly Graml, at his side,” John Lomax III wrote. “He was in no pain at the end and slipped peacefully away to another realm.”

The medical bills are significant. There is a GoFundMe account. The family plans to distribute any remaining funds after funeral expenses and medical bills to Nova’s children, John Henry and Harriet Rose. He is also survived by his sister, Mandy, a Nashville visual artist.

John Lomax III says they plan to have a quiet family service for his gifted son, followed at some point by a memorial celebration with music. The family is also hoping to put out a book of Nova’s writings.

Variety Attractions Founder George Moffett Passes

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George Moffett

Variety Attractions Founder and veteran industry talent buyer, George Moffett, passed away on May 14 in Zanesville, Ohio.

Moffett made his first foray into booking while in college. Playing trumpet with a dance band in school, he started to book local bands on the side at fraternity parties and social clubs. Following graduation and realizing the need for a booking agency, he founded Variety Attractions in 1961.

At Variety Moffett booked Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, George Jones, Alabama, Garth Brooks, Toby Keith, Trace Adkins, Kenny Chesney and more at the beginning of their careers and throughout. To date, Variety Attractions has booked over $1.2 billion in contracts since its inception and now operates in 24 states.

As the company grew, Moffett received the Country Music Association’s SRO Promoter/Talent Buyer of the Year award four times. He was also the Academy of Country Music’s Talent Buyer of the Year three times, and received honors from many state fair associations, including being inducted into the Ohio Fair Managers Hall of Fame. He served three terms on the CMA Board of Directors, and visited the White House under President Jimmy Carter.

Moffett was also one of the founding members of the International Country Music Buyers Association in Nashville, along with his colleagues Don Romeo and Hap Peebles. Today the organization is known as the International Entertainment Buyers Association and is recognized as the premier organization for talent buyers of all genres. He served on the IEBA Board of Directors for 30 years, received the Founders Award in 2010 and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2018.

Moffett is survived is his wife Shirley (Williams) Moffett; daughter Amy (Rob) Gray; and granddaughters Megan (Gray) Van-Dyke and Elaine Gray.

Visitation is set for Friday, May 19 from 5-8 p.m. at the Snouffer Funeral Home (1150 West Military Road,  Zanesville, Ohio 43701). The funeral service will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 20 in the Snouffer Chapel, with burial to follow in Zanesville Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the George Moffett Scholarship Fund, which is endowed at Belmont University in Nashville and awarded annually to a deserving student majoring in an accredited music business class. Donations can be made here or by contacting Pam Matthews at 615-679-9601.

Renowned Nashville Music Exec. Richard Landis Passes

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Richard Landis

Veteran singer-songwriter, session musician, producer and label head Richard Landis has passed away. He was 77.

Throughout his career Landis served as an executive at Capitol Records, Giant Records and BNA, and had over 40 years of professional credits and chart success with artists including Juice Newton, The Oak Ridge Boys, Earl Thomas Conley, Eddie Rabbitt, Kenny Rogers, Lorrie Morgan, Doug Supernaw, Neil Diamond, Poco and Vince Gill. Landis also produced the last record of Roy Rogers career, Tribute.

Landis grew up in the borough of Queens, New York and attended the prestigious High School of Music & Art in Manhattan. He was first encouraged to move to Nashville in the ’90s by Joe Galante, then head of RCA. Galante was one of the biggest champions of Landis’ career, hiring him to produce many artists on his roster.

He partnered with Galante and the late Stan Moress in the publishing company, Route 66 Music. From 1993 to 2000, Landis and James Stroud co-owned Nashville’s Loud Recording, as well as an overdub and mixing suite next door called Too Loud. In 2007, Landis opened his own studio, Fool on the Hill, in Berry Hill, which he later sold to Peter Frampton.

Landis began producing music for Juice Newton in 1981. They released her multi-Platinum album, Juice, which charted two No. 1 singles. Landis also produced Lorrie Morgan’s top 10 album, War Paint in 1994. That same year he was one of the producers on CMA Album of the Year, Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles, producing the last track on the album, Morgan’s cover of “The Sad Café.” He also produced Morgan’s signature hit “Something in Red.”

An accomplished pianist and a passionate NY Yankees fan, Landis also cherished his beloved dog Rowdy, who was a fixture in the studio and is being cared for by friends. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Folk Mainstay Gordon Lightfoot Dies At 84

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Gordon Lightfoot

Canadian folk singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot died on Monday (May 1) at the age of 84. His passing was announced by his family.

Lightfoot had success in success in folk, folk-rock and country music. His legacy is his key involvement helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s. With songs such as “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” “Sundown,” “If You Could Read My Mind,” “Early Morning Rain,” “For Lovin’ Me” and more, he is known to many as Canada’s greatest songwriter.

Born Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. on November 17, 1938 in Orillia, Ontario, Lightfoot exhibited musical promise as a child. His mother schooled him to become a successful child performer. As a child, Lightfoot sang in the choir at Orillia’s St. Paul’s United Church and performed periodically in public. He learned piano and taught himself to play the drums as a teenager.

After graduating high school, he spent two years in California studying jazz composition and orchestration at Hollywood’s Westlake College of Music. He eventually grew tired of LA and returned to Toronto in 1960, where he stayed until his death.

Lightfoot’s career began when two singles, both recorded at RCA in Nashville and produced by Chet Atkins, became local hits in Toronto—”(Remember Me) I’m the One” and “Negotiations / It’s Too Late, He Wins.” In 1963, Lightfoot travelled in Europe and hosted BBC TV’s Country and Western Show, returning to Canada in 1964.

Lightfoot’s songwriting prowess began to earn him cuts by other artists, with Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Chad & Jeremy, George Hamilton IV, the Clancy Brothers and the Johnny Mann Singers all cutting his songs. Ian and Sylvia Tyson had success with “Early Mornin’ Rain” and “For Lovin’ Me,” as did Peter, Paul and Mary. Established recording artists such as Marty Robbins (“Ribbon of Darkness”), Leroy Van Dyke (“I’m Not Saying”), Judy Collins (“Early Morning Rain”), Richie Havens and Spyder Turner (“I Can’t Make It Anymore”) and the Kingston Trio (“Early Morning Rain”) all achieved chart success with Lightfoot’s material.

After signing a recording contract with United Artists in 1965, Lightfoot released his version of “I’m Not Sayin'” as a single. He released his debut album Lightfoot! in 1966, which featured the now-famous songs “For Lovin’ Me,” “Early Mornin’ Rain,” “Steel Rail Blues” and “Ribbon of Darkness.”

Throughout his career, Lightfoot was able to have success from his home in Canada without moving to any music mecca, though he often recorded in Nashville at Owen and Jerry Bradley’s Bradley’s Barn during the ’60s.

Between 1966 and 1969, Lightfoot recorded four additional albums for United Artists: The Way I Feel (1967), Did She Mention My Name? (1968), Back Here on Earth (1968), and the live recording Sunday Concert (1969). He placed several singles in the Canadian top 40, including “Go-Go Round,” “Spin, Spin” and “The Way I Feel.” One of Lightfoot’s biggest hits was a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues,” which peaked at No. 3 on the Canadian charts in 1965.

When he signed with Warner Bros./Reprise in 1970, Lightfoot had a big hit in the U.S. with “If You Could Read My Mind,” which sold over one million copies. He recorded a series of successful singer-songwriter albums in the ’70s.

Lightfoot was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy in 1972. The condition left his face partially paralyzed for a time and reduced his touring schedule, but he continued to have hits.

1974’s “Sundown” became his only No. 1 hit in the United States. He released another fan-favorite, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” in 1976. The tune was based on the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, which claimed the lives of all 29 crew members on November 10, 1975. It hit No. 2 in the U.S. and No. 1 in Canada.

During the ’80s and the ’90s, Lightfoot recorded six more original albums and a compilation record.

His health began to suffer more substantially in the early 2000s. He underwent emergency vascular surgery for a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm in 2002, and endured a six-week coma while recovering from it. In 2006, he suffered a minor stroke in the middle of a performance.

Lightfoot persevered, making music and touring up until three weeks ago, when he canceled his tour due to his declining health.

Gordon Lightfoot was a renowned tunesmith, having influenced generations of songwriters and musicians. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1986, the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012. He was awarded 16 Juno Awards throughout his career, and was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by SOCAN at the 2014 SOCAN Awards in Toronto.

Lightfoot is survived by his wife, actress Kim Hasse, as well as his six children.

Singer-Songwriter & Producer, Keith Gattis, Passes Away

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Keith Gattis

Beloved singer-songwriter and producer Keith Gattis passed away on Sunday, April 23 due to a tractor accident at his home. He was 52.

A Texas native, Gattis began playing around the Austin area as a teen, and moved to Nashville after college in pursuit of a music career. He signed with RCA Nashville in 1996 and released his debut self-titled album, which yielded the single “Little Drops Of My Heart” but not much commercial success.

Undeterred but battle-scarred, he headed to the west coast and found work out there, eventually recording an indie solo album nearly a decade later, Big City Blues. In 2002 he became band leader for Dwight Yoakam, and played bass and electric guitar on Yoakam’s album Blame The Vain. An in-demand guitar slinger and session player throughout his career, Gattis worked in the studio with Bruce Robison, Sunny Sweeney, Jon Pardi, Brandy Clark, and many others.

He found success as a songwriter as well, penning the hauntingly beautiful “El Cerrito Place,” which appeared on his Big City Blues album, was recorded by Charlie Robison, and was later a hit for Kenny Chesney. Chesney also co-wrote “When I See This Bar” with Gattis, who also had cuts by George Strait, Randy Travis, Gary Allan, Randy Houser, Charlie Robison, Randy Rogers Band, Jack Ingram, Wade Bowen, and more.

Gattis found success behind the boards as well, helming sessions at his own Pioneertown Recording Studio for artists including Jon Pardi, Jake Owen, Waylon Payne, Kendell Marvel, Wade Bowen, and more. He was the co-producer of Randy Houser’s 2019 acclaimed, rootsy album Magnolia.

Keith Gattis’ wife Penny Gattis is GM of Publishing at Eclipse Music Group in Nashville. They have two children together. In addition to his wife and children, Gattis is survived by his mother Donna (Robert) Booth; his father Donny (Sharon) Gattis; his siblings Brad (Julie) Booth, Cody (Keisha) Booth, Mike (Bridget) Booth, Rob (Caryn) Booth, Casey (Shayna) Gattis, Knox Gattis, and Lee Ann (Scott) Schumpelt; and many beloved nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his best friend Charlie Brocco.

A celebration of life for Gattis will take place Sunday, April 30 at the Spring Hill Funeral Home and Cemetery at 5110 Gallatin Pike South in Nashville. Visitation will be from 11-2 p.m. with a service immediately following.

Opry Crooner Ray Pillow Passes

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Ray Pillow

Grand Ole Opry star Ray Pillow has died at age 85.

He is best known for his 1966 hit duets with Country Music Hall of Fame member Jean Shepard (1933-2016) “I’ll Take the Dog” and “Mr. and Mrs. Used to Be.” Pillow had top-40 solo country hits with “Thank You Ma’am” (1965), “Common Colds and Broken Hearts” (1966), “Volkswagen” (1966) and “Reconsider Me” (1969). He charted 18 times between 1965 and 1981.

Pillow also had a career on Music Row as an executive for Liberty Records in the 1990s. He was a song publisher and the co-founder of an independent record label as well.

Born Herbert Raymond Pillow, the singer was a native of Lynchburg, Virginia. He graduated from Lynchburg College with a business degree and served in the U.S. Navy.

Pillow performed locally on radio and TV before coming to Nashville to compete on the Pet Milk Talent Contest. He did not win, but he persevered and eventually found his Nashville manager, Joe Taylor. This led to a 1964 contract with Capitol Records. This label is where most of his hits occurred.

Ray Pillow was named “Most Promising Male Artist” by Billboard in 1966. Cash Box echoed that by naming him its Most Promising New Artist of 1966. That was also the year that he was inducted into the Opry cast.

During his heyday, he appeared on the nationally syndicated television shows of Porter Wagoner, Bobby Lord and The Wilburn Brothers. He also appeared in the feature films Country Boy (1966) and The Disc Jockey (1979).

The baritone vocalist continued to record for the next three decades. Pillow placed singles on the charts on such imprints as ABC, Plantation, Mega, Hilltop, Dot, MCA and First Generation.

In 1964, he and Taylor formed The Joe Taylor Artist Agency, a management and booking company. It was located on 12th Avenue South in the complex now occupied by Dolly Parton’s offices.

Pillow also partnered with former Mel Tillis bass player Larry McFaden. They co-founded the song-publishing business Sycamore Valley Music. The firm became highly successful, handling the songwriting catalog of Lee Greenwood in the 1980s. The songs included Greenwood’s 1984 anthem “God Bless the U.S.A.,” which won the CMA Song of the Year award.

In 1990, Jimmy Bowen hired Pillow as an A&R executive at Liberty to screen songs for the label’s artists. Ray Pillow celebrated his 50th anniversary as an Opry member in 2016 and retired two years later.

The singer passed away on Sunday, March 26. He is survived by his wife, Joanne Pillow, daughter, Selena Malone, son, Daryl Ray Pillow and by six grandchildren and a great-grandchild. A celebration of life will be announced at a later date by the family.

Music Industry Entrepreneur Bob ‘Norton’ Thompson Passes

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Bob ‘Norton’ Thompson

Bob Thompson, or “Norton” as he was known to many, passed away March 24 following a brief illness. He had also suffered from dementia for the last several years of his life. He was 80.

Thompson, alongside his wife Toni, owned the renowned Nashville rehearsal studio Soundcheck. The space was often utilized by stars such as Vince Gill, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, the Eagles, 38 Special, Reba McEntire, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Garth Brooks, Peter Frampton, and many more, to work out their stage shows before touring. He was beloved by the many performers and crew members who walked through the doors, and was very likely to be the first one to greet them and offer to lend a hand carrying equipment.

Thompson also worked on tours in the early days of his career as a roadie, stage manager and personal assistant alongside bands and artists including the Eagles, Ozzy Osbourne, Glenn Frey, Dan Fogelberg, Chicago, Jimmy Buffet, Fool’s Gold, and The Bellamy Brothers. His life and times on the road are described in his recent book Last Encore: My Time with Glenn Frey, the Eagles and other Hit Artists.

After spending much of his career on the road, Thompson and his wife opened Third Encore rehearsal studios in the San Fernando Valley in California in 1989 and later moved to Nashville, opening Soundcheck in 1993.

Thompson was a devoted father, grandfather, husband, protector, dog lover and a friend to all who knew him. He is survived by his wife, daughter Summer Naylor, and grandson Carter Naylor. A private service will be scheduled, and a Go Fund Me account has been arranged to help the family with medical bills.

Veteran Nashville Publicist Liz Thiels Passes

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Liz Thiels. Photo: Donn Jones for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Liz Thiels, one of the founders of Nashville music publicity, died yesterday (March 19) at age 78.

Thiels ended her distinguished career with a vice presidency at the Country Music Hall of Fame. She joined the museum in 2002 as Vice President for Public Relations, and retired as a key member of its executive team in 2015.

During her tenure, she helped raise the institution’s profile and deepen the public’s understanding of its educational mission. She also served as a guiding vision for dozens of key museum events, including its annual Medallion Ceremony, which formally inducts new members of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

The Louisiana native rose to prominence in Music City as a co-founder of the historic Exit/In nightclub in 1971. This legendary nightspot hosted a who’s-who of national recording artists — Jimmy Buffett, Linda Ronstadt, Steve Martin, George Jones, Etta James, Johnny Cash, Muddy Waters, R.E.M., The B-52s, Willie Nelson, Billy Joel, Bily Crystal, John Hiatt, Buddy Rich, Jerry Lee Lewis and more. The club was featured in the 1975 Robert Altman film Nashville.

Beginning in 1974, she was a key member of the Sound Seventy management and concert-promotion team. The company staged the massively successful, annual, all-star Charlie Daniels Volunteer Jam shows in Nashville.

In 1979, Liz Thiels launched Network Ink. This was the first publicity company in Nashville to focus solely on music. Clients included Ricky Skaggs, Wynonna, Kathy Mattea, Reba McEntire, Steve Wariner, Dolly Parton, Lyle Lovett, Brooks & Dunn, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Clint Black, Nanci Griffith, WSM radio, Universal Music Group, Clay Walker and Guy Clark, among many others. During this time, she also served as a council member of the W.O. Smith Community Music School.

Thiels was born in Alexandria, Louisiana, in 1944. She attended the University of Southwest Louisiana in Lafayette, Louisiana, and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, majoring in advertising design.

She began her career as a newspaper reporter in Louisiana. Thiels went to Washington, D.C. as the press secretary for U.S. Congressman Speedy O. Long. After moving to Nashville in the late 1960s, she worked at Holder, Kennedy Public Relations.

Following her Exit/In and Sound Seventy stints, she helmed Network Ink for more than 20 years. Her P.R. firm trained a generation of Nashville music publicists, including Lance Cowan, Kim Fowler, Mike Hyland, Dixie Owen, Jennifer Bohler, Ellen Pryor and Kevin Lane. Liz Thiels became sole owner of Network Ink in 1985.

One of her clients there was the Country Music Hall of Fame. She was instrumental in the capital campaign that raised $18 million to build its new downtown home. She also oversaw the publicity surrounding its move from Music Row.

The Hall of Fame hired her as a full-time executive in December 2001. She closed Network Ink and assumed her new duties in January 2002.

“Liz Thiels elevated and enhanced the profile of country music in countless ways,” said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “She was the consummate music business publicist — heading her own firm…and also expertly guiding public relations for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, first as a PR consultant and then as a staff member, for a total of more than three decades.

“A vital figure in the museum’s successful move in 2001 to downtown Nashville, she was instrumental in strategizing for our growth and crucial in positioning the museum as both a key fixture in Nashville’s music community and an institution of national stature. I can’t imagine where the museum would be without her many years of wise counsel.”

In November 2008, Thiels was recognized at the museum’s annual Louise Scruggs Memorial Forum, which honors music industry leaders who represent the legacy of music business manager Louise Scruggs.

In honor of her love of gardening, the museum now includes a fresh herb garden onsite, the Liz Thiels Hillbilly Garden, which provides ingredients for the museum’s restaurant.

Her death came following a long illness. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Musicians Hall Of Fame Member Michael Rhodes Passes

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Michael Rhodes. Photo: Bob Seamans

Renowned musician Michael Rhodes passed away at his home in Nashville on March 4. He was 69.

Best known for his mastery of the bass, Rhodes played on iconic recordings and toured with some of rock, blues, jazz and progressive country music’s biggest names. He was inducted into the Musician’s Hall of Fame in 2019.

Born in Monroe, Louisiana on Sept. 16, 1953, Rhodes taught himself to play guitar at age 11. Drawn to the funky rhythms of the bayou state, bass eventually became his instrument of choice.

He moved to Austin, Texas during the rise of the outlaw country movement in the early ’70s. He later moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where he found work with Charlie Rich’s son Allan. Rhodes soon moved to Nashville and joined a local rock band, the Nerve. He also quickly became a part of the house demo band at Tree Music Publishing, where Bobby Braddock, Harlan Howard and Curly Putnam wrote songs.

Rhodes soon became a first-call musician for the recordings of stars across a myriad of genres. His bass playing can be heard on Shawn Colvin’s Grammy-winning “Sunny Came Home,” Lee Ann Womack’s titanic “I Hope You Dance,” Ashley Cleveland You Are There, Joe Bonamassa’s Live at the Greek and Larry Carlton Take Your Pick.

He recorded frequently with Willie Nelson, Etta James, Mark Knopfler, Alan Jackson, Stevie Nicks, Brian Wilson, Joss Stone, Dolly Parton, The Chicks, J.J. Cale, Wynonna Judd, Merle Haggard, Randall Bramlett, Amy Grant, Hank Williams, Jr, The Highwaymen, John Oates, George Strait and Kenny Chesney, as well as on projects for Bob Seger, Dave Stewart, Keith Whitley, Joan Baez, Lionel Richie, Burt Bacharach, Aaron Neville, Johnny Cash, Lonny Mack, India.Arie, Buddy Guy, Grace Potter, Billy Joe Shaver, Ruthie Collins, Michael McDonald, Dan Penn, Jennifer Holiday, John Fogerty, Elton John and Joan Osborne.

Rhodes played on both LeAnn Rimes and Trisha Yearwood’s versions of Dianne Warren’s “How Will I Live,” which competed against each other in 1997 on the charts and at the Grammy Awards.

He was also an in-demand touring musician. He played with Vince Gill on the tour of his Grammy-nominated album These Days. He was part of Steve Winwood’s acclaimed live band, as well as a frequent member of Rosanne Cash and Rodney Crowell’s road bands during the ‘80s and ‘90s. Rhodes continued to play and perform up until his passing. He was scheduled to play his regular gig with Pat McLaughlin’s band days before his death.

Michael Rhodes is survived by his wife of more three decades, Lindsay Fairbanks Rhodes; a son Jason Rhodes and daughter Melody Wind Rhodes; Lindsay’s sons Van and Weston Hayes; and grandchildren Cayman Rhodes, Cora Rhodes, Wylder Rhodes, Kingsley Rhodes, Jenna Nicole Hillman and Ryley Bruce Hillman.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Music Health Alliance in Rhodes’ name. The family also encourages friends of Rhodes to really listen to a piece of music that matters to you, sharing that Rhodes listened to John Coltrane before he passed.

Memorial arrangements are pending.