Radio Veteran Ted Cramer Dies

/by

Ted Cramer

Ted Cramer, also known as Cary Maurice Forester Tricarico, passed away on Tuesday (Aug. 25) at the Center for Hospice Care- Esther’s House in Elkhart, Indiana. He was 65.

Cramer served as Program Director of WIFE and WLPK in Indiana. He was a part of the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart panel, and was selected as MusicRow‘s Reporter of the Year in 2021 for his passion.

Beginning his radio career at 17, Cramer spent time at various stations in the country before his time in Indiana.

Cramer is survived by his children, Jensine Tricarico and her partner Marc Wertenberger of Elkhart, IN., Janyce (Zachary) Logan of Elkhart, IN and Jaison Spink of Las Vegas, NV; his grandchildren, Kyle (Mallory) Cannon, Evangeline Hesselgrave, Matthew Cannon, Brendon Hesselgrave, Ozzie Wertenberger, Graysen Hesselgrave and Adilyne Logan, one great-grandchild, Khylen Cannon and one on the way, and his brother Scott (Lisa) Tricarico. Cary was preceded in death by his parents Kenneth Forest and Rhoda and John Tricarico and his baby boy, John Tricarico.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, Sept. 5, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Ox Bow Park, at the Cottonwood Shelter (23033 CR 45, Goshen, IN 46528). Online condolences may be made to Cary’s family at stemmlawsonpeterson.com.

BREAKING: Dolly Parton: The Passing Of An Icon

/by

Dolly Parton. Photo: David McClister

Global icon Dolly Parton passed away peacefully today (Aug. 25) in Nashville after a brief battle with cancer. She was 80.

Dolly Parton was arguably the most famous, most universally beloved and most widely respected country-music artist of all time. She is a member of The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, The Country Music Hall of Fame, The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, The Gospel Music Hall of Fame, The East Tennessee Hall of Fame, The (NY) Songwriters Hall of Fame and the American Academy of Achievement. Parton won a Kennedy Center Honor, earned two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, garnered 11 Grammy Awards and 10 CMA Awards, was presented with a National Medal of Arts, and to date has 44 top-10 country albums, more than any other artist. She has been celebrated with a life-size bronze statue in her hometown of Sevierville, TN.

She had 40 BMI Songwriter honors, in addition to eight BMI Million-Air certificates, ranging from one million (“Coat of Many Colors”) to three million (“Jolene”), and upward to five million (“9 To 5”) and 10 million (“I Will Always Love You”). She has composed two Broadway musicals, created a symphony-orchestra experience, and starred in seven Hollywood movies, including such major hits as 9 To 5 (1980) and Steel Magnolias (1989). Her 18 made-for-TV films included an Emmy Award winner (2021) and eight original Netflix productions based on her songs (2020).

Her business acumen was legendary. She had an East Tennessee theme park, a Nashville hotel and a career museum. She put her brand on cake mixes, frozen foods, perfume, jewelry, pet products, clothing, kitchenware, picnic supplies, travel centers, pinball machines, wine, and cosmetics. Her net worth has been estimated at more than $500 million.

Parton’s philanthropy extended to Appalachian charities, medical clinics, and educational initiatives. She famously founded the Imagination Library to put books into the hands of millions of children. She donated one million dollars to create a COVID vaccine.

Dolly Parton rose from impoverished anonymity to become one of the most famous popular-culture figures of modern times. Her shimmering mountain soprano and emotionally gripping songwriting captivated the country-music community. Her baroque looks and witty personality fascinated the pop-music world. Her savvy intelligence and quick-study adaptability turned Hollywood’s head. Her warm humanity and strong sense of social justice endeared her to common people all over the world. She was, in short, the grandest of superstars.

Hers was a true rags-to-riches story. Dolly Rebecca Parton was born in a one-room cabin in the mountains of East Tennessee during the cold winter of 1946. She was the fourth of 12 children born to sharecropper Lee Parton and his singing wife Avie Lee Owens Parton. The family had no electricity, no running water, no telephone and no indoor plumbing. But the kids were all creative personalities and highly musical. Dolly was composing songs before she could read or write, and her mother wrote them down.

Dolly had professional role models. Avie Lee’s sister Dorothy Jo Hope was a gospel songwriter and evangelist, while brothers Louis, Robert, and Bill Owens were all local country entertainers. Uncle Bill bought Dolly a guitar, taught her to play it, and put her on stages at area churches and theaters.

When she was 10, he took her to Knoxville to audition for entrepreneur Cas Walker, who had a radio show called Farm and Home Hour. Throughout her junior high and high school years, Dolly performed on the show, then on its television incarnation beginning in 1957. She was on TV before her family owned one.

She began making tapes of her tunes at area radio stations. In 1960, Louisiana’s Goldband Records issued the 14-year-old’s peppy, rockabilly flavored “Puppy Love.” She parlayed it into a one-shot appearance on the Opry during one of the many trips she and Uncle Bill made to Nashville trying to break into the country-music business. On one occasion, she was hired by an independent label to record six Kitty Wells songs. During another trip, she took her radio-station tapes to song publisher Buddy Killen. He signed Dolly to his Tree Publishing and arranged for her to cut a single for Mercury Records. “(It May Not Kill Me) But It’s Sure Gonna Hurt” was issued when she was 16.

In 1964, Dolly became the first person in her family to get a high-school diploma. The day after graduation, she boarded a bus bound for Music City. During her early years in Nashville, she took jobs as a receptionist for a neon-sign company, a waitress in a family restaurant and a singer on the early-morning TV program The Eddie Hill Show.

On her first day in town, she met Nashville native Carl Dean (1942-2025), who became her steady beau. When he got out of the Army two years later, they wed. In the meantime, she’d signed with Combine Publishing and its affiliated record label, Monument. She and Uncle Bill Owens co-wrote “Put It Off Until Tomorrow,” and Decca artist Bill Phillips turned it into a country smash in 1966. Dolly sang a distinctive harmony vocal on the single, paving the way for the acceptance of her Monument singles “Dumb Blonde” and “Something Fishy” in 1967. Her early songs were also recorded by Hank Williams Jr., Skeeter Davis and Kitty Wells.

Country star Porter Wagoner (1927-2007) caught wind of the vivacious country newcomer and offered her a job as the “girl singer” in his road show and on his widely seen syndicated TV series. She moved from Monument to Wagoner’s recoding home, RCA, and the two were soon harmonizing on a string of 21 hit duets, eight of which were written by Dolly. The team won CMA Awards in 1968, 1970, and 1971.

Wagoner was emotionally abusive, and the fiercely independent Parton chafed at his dominating personality. His last solo top-10 hit was in 1972, while Parton’s solo career soared with “Just Because I’m a Woman” (1968), “Mule Skinner Blues” (1970), “Joshua” (1971), “Coat of Many Colors” (1971), “Touch Your Woman” (1972), “My Tennessee Mountain Home” (1973), “Jolene” (1973), “I Will Always Love You” (1974), “Love Is Like a Butterfly” (1974), “The Bargain Store” (1975), “The Seeker” (1975), “We Used To” (1975), and “All I Can Do” (1976). She joined the cast of the Grand Ole Opry in 1969. She was named the CMA’s Female Vocalist of the Year in 1975 and 1976. After seven years of servitude, she finally cut the ties with Wagoner, endured his lawsuits and headed out on her own. She self-produced her 1977 LP New Harvest First Gathering and its vibrant single “Light of a Clear Blue Morning.”

Parton forged alliances in New York and Los Angeles music circles. She hired L.A.’s Sandy Gallin as her manager. The pop tune “Here You Come Again” became a massive country and pop hit in 1977, and she followed it with the glossy “Heartbreaker,” “You’re the Only One,” “Two Doors Down,” and “Starting Over Again” as pop/country successes. She appeared in major mainstream magazines, at pop-music showplaces, and on network TV talk shows and variety specials. In 1978, she won her first Grammy Award and was named the CMA Entertainer of the Year. Two years later, she staged one of the splashiest showroom debuts in Las Vegas history.

She paved the way for other Nashville singers to expand their horizons. She brought country music renewed validity and respect as an art form by becoming the genre’s leading ambassador to the pop-culture mainstream. Her wits became as celebrated as her glitz as she charmed TV talk-show hosts and magazine interviewers alike.

She staged her silver screen debut opposite Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in 1980. 9 To 5 was the largest grossing movie of the year, behind only the blockbuster Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Parton’s “9 To 5” title tune topped pop and country charts, sold a million, won two Grammys, and was nominated for an Oscar. The soundtrack of her Best Little Whorehouse in Texas film (1982) yielded “Hard Candy Christmas” and her remake of “I Will Always Love You” as country chart successes. She returned to the top of the pop hit parade with 1983’s million-selling “Islands in the Stream.” It was a duet with superstar Kenny Rogers (1938-2020), with whom she toured and recorded a top-selling Christmas album as well as several subsequent duet singles.

In 1984, “Tennessee Homesick Blues” and “God Won’t Get You” emerged as hits from the soundtrack of Rhinestone, co-starring Parton and Sylvester Stallone of Rocky fame. Her wildly successful Dollywood theme park opened in 1986, and she soon acquired other East Tennessee tourist attractions nearby. She shed 40 pounds between 1983 and 1987 and reveled in her glamorous, newly-sleek image.

The disc sensation Trio album with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris was a magnificent return to Parton’s mountain roots. It spawned four top-10 hits in 1987-88, won Grammy and CMA awards, sold four million copies worldwide, and was selected for the Grammy Hall of Fame. Parton teamed up with Ricky Skaggs as her producer for 1989’s White Limozeen LP and its two No. 1 hit singles “Why’d You Come in Here Lookin’ Like That” and “Yellow Roses.”

Her costars in 1989’s female-centric film Steel Magnolias were Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, and Julia Roberts. She wrote the uplifting “Eagle When She Flies” for its soundtrack, but it was not used. Instead, it became a 1991 LP title tune on a collection that also included “Rockin’ Years,” a chart-topping duet with Ricky Van Shelton.

“I Will Always Love You” already held the unique distinction of being a No. 1 country hit twice for Dolly Parton, once in 1974 and again in 1982. The song became even more popular in 1992 via a worldwide, blockbuster hit pop treatment by Whitney Houston. Dozens of others recorded the song, and Parton reaped millions in royalties. In 1995, she won a CMA Award by recording “I Will Always Love You” as a duet with Vince Gill, further cementing the song as a standard.

Gill was just one of her many celebrity duet partners. Others included Rod Stewart, Julio Iglesias, Paul Anka, Smokey Robinson, Miss Piggy, Neil Diamond, Don Henley, James Ingram, Janis Ian, and Solomon Burke. Not to mention Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Mac Davis, Alison Krauss, George Jones, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Shania Twain, and a who’s-who of other country greats.

Parton published her memoir My Life and Other Unfinished Business in 1994. It became a New York Times best seller. In 1995, she launched her Imagination Library free books initiative. Parton had long owned her own song-publishing company and film-production entity, and in 1995 she added her own record labels. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999. Parton rounded out the 1990s and entered the new millennium with her acclaimed albums Hungry Again (1998) and Halos & Horns (2002). The latter contained “Hello God” as her composition inspired by 9/11.

During this same period, Parton became more interested in her musical roots. Heartsongs (1994), the Grammy-winning Trio II with Ronstadt and Harris (1999), Honky Tonk Angels with Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn (1993), and Live and Well (2004) were all expressions of this. Most expressive of all were her bluegrass-music masterpieces The Grass Is Blue (1999) and Little Sparrow (2001). Both resulted in Grammy Awards.

By the year 2000, Dolly Parton was an internationally recognized icon. In 2001, she was voted into the national Songwriters Hall of Fame, placing her alongside titans such as Irving Berlin, Lennon & McCartney and Bob Dylan. In 2003, BMI presented her with its Icon award. She was saluted by the Library of Congress in 2004, was chosen for a National Medal of Arts accolade in 2005, was honored by The Kennedy Center in 2006 and was presented with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.

Her musical output continued. In 2005, she returned to No. 1 on the country hit parade via a collaboration with Brad Paisley on “When I Get Where I’m Going.” It won a CMA Award, her eighth. She wrote “Travelin’ Thru” for the 2005 movie Transamerica, earning a second Academy Award nomination, as well as a performance slot on the 2006 Oscar telecast. In 2009, her self-penned 9 To 5: The Musical opened on Broadway, garnered four Tony Award nominations, and spawned “Backwoods Barbie” as a self-referential single. Also in 2009, she published I Am a Rainbow as her children’s book.

Parton’s album Pure & Simple (2016) celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary with Carl Dean. I Believe In You (2017) was her first children’s album. A Holly Dolly Christmas (2020) sold a million as her holiday collection. Better Day (2011) and Blue Smoke (2014) were top sellers in the U.K., aided by a triumphant overseas tour in 2014 to Europe, Australia and New Zealand. It was capped by her appearance at England’s Glastonbury Festival before 180,000 fans. The RIAA certified her worldwide record sales at 100 million in 2014.

After wildfires decimated her East Tennessee homeland in 2016, Parton organized and hosted an Emmy Award winning telethon that raised $8.9 million for victims. By 2018, her Imagination Library had distributed more than 100 million free books to children and had expanded into an international endeavor. To help raise funds for it, the state of Tennessee began offering a Dolly Parton license plate in 2016. Her charity became the subject of the 2020 documentary film The Library That Dolly Built. Her film Coat of Many Colors, based on her classic song, became one of the highest-rated TV movies in history when it aired on NBC in 2015. Continuing in this vein, her TV movie Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square won an Emmy Award in 2021.

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the CMA had Parton singing “I Will Always Love You” as the finale of its 2016 all-star recording “Forever Country.” Her enduring ballad thus became a No. 1 country hit yet again. In 2018, Parton provided the soundtrack songs for the movie Dumplin,’ co-starring Jennifer Anniston.

Dolly Parton ended the decade in a blizzard of activity. In 2019, eight of her songs became Netflix movies; she was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year by the Recording Academy, starred in the popular NPR podcast “Dolly Parton’s America,” co-hosted the CMA Awards on ABC, introduced her Hallmark Channel movie Christmas at Dollywood, wowed the crowd in a surprise appearance at the Newport Folk Festival, and celebrated her 50th anniversary as an Opry member with an NBC special. She also won a 2019 Grammy Award for her Christian-music collaboration with For King & Country on “God Only Knows.” She won another Grammy in this category for her duet with Zach Williams on “There Was Jesus” in 2021.

She entered the new decade at the top of the dance-music charts by singing, co-writing, and doing a music video with the Swedish electronic duo Galantis on its international hit “Faith.” The record remained at No. 1 on the dance charts for five consecutive weeks in 2020. Parton was no stranger to the dance-music community. “Baby I’m Burnin’” (1978) marked her first foray onto the dance hit parade. That up-tempo rampage was followed by disco remixes of such singles as “House of the Rising Sun,” “Potential New Boyfriend,” and “Peace Train.”

Always “dreaming new dreams” as she would say, Parton co-wrote a best-selling novel titled Run, Rose, Run in 2022. It had a companion album of newly written songs, and a feature film was planned. Between 2020 and 2025, Parton co-created four other books, Songteller (2020), Behind the Seams (2023), Good Lookin’ Cookin’ (2024), and Star of the Show (2025).

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame came calling in 2022. Parton initially declined its offer of induction, stating that she did not think she’d earned it. She eventually acquiesced, and sang “Jolene” at the New York ceremony with Pat Benatar, Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart, Simon Le Bon, Brandi Carlile, and Rob Halford. More than 300 artists have issued versions of “Jolene,” her most recorded song. She won yet another Grammy by singing it with the a cappella group Pentatonix in 2017. Superstar Beyonce included her version of “Jolene” on the million-selling Cowboy Carter album of 2024.

The following year, Parton issued a collection of rock-music classics titled Rockstar. It included collaborations with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Sting, Elton John, Sheryl Crow and Lizzo, among others. She became a go-to duet partner for many modern pop/rock artists. Sabrina Carpenter, Kesha, Sia, Post Malone, and Norah Jones have all sung with her in recent years.

A triple album called Smoky Mountain DNA: Family, Faith and Fables was issued in 2024. Credited to “Dolly Parton and Family,” the collection represented the star’s reaffirmation of her roots. On it, she collaborated with her mother, uncles, aunts, siblings, cousins, nieces, nephews, and other country-music kin.

After a prolonged decline in health, husband Carl Dean passed away in 2025 at age 82. To deal with her grief, she issued the touching “If You Hadn’t Been There” in his memory, then forged ahead with her career. She staged Nashville previews of a new musical based on her life story. She began rehearsals for a Las Vegas residency at Caesar’s Palace. She launched “Threads” as a touring classical-music show, marrying her songs to various symphony orchestras. To mark her 80th birthday in 2026, she issued “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” as a single and video with Miley Cyrus, Reba McEntire Lainey Wilson, and Queen Latifah. But overwork caught up with her. In caring for Carl, she had neglected her own health, and she fell ill, cancelling her engagements.

Parton’s demographic is vast. Kids love her; so do seniors. Songwriters revere her. Folkies respect her. Feminists adore her. Rockers dig her. Young or old, gay or straight, Black or white, conservative or liberal, intellectual or redneck — what they all have in common is love for a deeply gifted artist, a luminous personality, and a profound humanitarian.

At Dolly’s request, a small, private service will be held for immediate family. Dolly’s fans and friends from around the world are encouraged to pay tribute to Dolly on social media by tagging @DollyParton or by leaving a message at www.dollyparton.com.

In lieu of flowers the family asks for donations to be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library at www.imaginationlibrary.com.

Country Music Journalist & Author Vernell Hackett Passes

/by

Vernell Hackett

Vernell Hackett, a beloved journalist and author, passed away on Aug. 14 after going into cardiac arrest at the Chicago airport en route to Mexico for vacation. She was 77.

Hackett’s legacy as a country music writer included time as editor of Country News, Country Rhythms and American Songwriter magazines. She was a founder of American Songwriter, and helmed the publication as editor-in-chief for more than a decade. Hackett also freelanced for many other publications and syndicators throughout her career, and mentored many young reporters.

A native of Riesel, Texas, Hackett has originally planned to be a crime reporter, inspired by her brother Bubba, a Houston police office. After college, she and her husband Ken moved to Buffalo, New York before relocating to Nashville, where her career as a music journalist began. Hackett took a job at Top Billing International, working for legendary booking agent Tandy Rice, who represented Dolly Parton, Jim Ed Brown, Jerry Clower, Porter Wagoner, Jeannie C. Riley, Tom T. Hall and more. She later worked in the communications department at the Country Music Association.

Hackett also spent time in public relations, representing artists such as country star Chris LeDoux, award-winning bluegrass artist Dale Ann Bradley, singer-songwriter Ryan Murphey, western singer-songwriter Joni Harms, Americana duo Jesse & Noah, John McEuen and cowboy singer-songwriter/rancher Randy Huston.

As an author, Hackett wrote Ghosts, Gangsters and Gamblers of Las Vegas with longtime friends Liz Cavanaugh and Michelle Honick. She also wrote a biography of Carrie Underwood.

Hackett was known as a gifted writer whose integrity earned the trust of country music’s elite, and a noted philanthropist who was particularly passionate about animal rights. She worked with animal rescues and was a major supporter of the Robyn’s Nest shelter

Hackett is survived by her nephew Glen Boswank of Nashville and niece Katy Prewitt of Kaufman, Texas.

A celebration of life will be held for for Hackett on Nov. 4 at 2 p.m. in the Ford Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Bluegrass Great Pat Enright Passes

/by

Pat Enright

Grammy winning musician Pat Enright died last week at age 81.

He was best known as the co-founder of The Nashville Bluegrass Band. The group is the most awarded ensemble in bluegrass-music history. Enright was also a member of The Soggy Bottom Boys in the O Brother Where Art Thou film and its Grammy-winning Album of the Year soundtrack.

Pat Enright was an Indiana native who took up acoustic guitar in high school. The folk-revival movement of the 1960s led him to bluegrass music. He moved to the Bay Area in 1969 and formed Phantoms of the Opry with future West Coast bluegrass star Laurie Lewis.

In Boston, he joined Tasty Licks alongside Béla Fleck, Mark Schatz, and Jack Tottle. The group recorded two Rounder albums in 1978-79. He formed the Dreadful Snakes in Nashville in 1983. Other luminaries in that band included Jerry Douglas, Blaine Sprouse and Mark Hembree, along with veteran Roland White. The band was primarily a part-time endeavor, although its shows at The Station Inn and its album, Snakes Alive, were delightfully influential.

The following year, Enright co-founded The Nashville Bluegrass Band. The act was initially formed as the backing band for a Minnie Pearl tour. Alan O’Bryant (banjo), Mike Compton (mandolin), Mark Hembree (bass) and Stuart Duncan (fiddle) became the core of the group with Enright.

The band became instantly popular with its tight, a cappella harmonies and eclectic repertoire. Enright was a diligent song finder, drawing material from Black gospel sources, folk tunes, vintage bluegrass numbers and Music Row country songs. His earnest, wry, sweet-yet-soulful vocals and effortless yodeling set him apart from other singers. Enright’s clear, warm, playful diction echoed that of his favorite singer, Jimmie Rodgers. He also cited Jimmy Martin and Hank Williams as influences.

Enright and O’Bryant fronted The Nashville Bluegrass Band through 10 Rounder and Sugar Hill albums and multiple lineup changes. During its international touring career, NBB became the first bluegrass group to perform in the People’s Republic of China. It has also staged shows in Brazil, Israel, Crete, Egypt, Bangladesh, Japan, Iraq, Bahrain, Qatar, Turkey and the Azores, not to mention Denmark, Germany, France, Ireland, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and England.

On disc, NBB collaborated with Johnny Cash, Clint Black, The Fairfield Four, Peter Rowan, Maura O’Connell and Bernadette Peters. NBB won the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album twice, for Waitin’ for the Hard Times to Go (1993) and Unleashed (1995). In addition, NBB won the IBMA Vocal Group of the Year award four straight years (1990–1993). Enright also took home IBMA Album of the Year and Recorded Event of the Year in 1997 for the tribute album True Life Blues: The Songs of Bill Monroe (Sugar Hill).

In 2000, Pat Enright was hired to sing as one of the Soggy Bottom Boys alongside Dan Tyminski and Harley Allen for the O Brother, Where Art Thou movie soundtrack. It became a million-selling phenomenon that won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2002. The Nashville Bluegrass Band became part of the “Down From The Mountain” tour, inspired by the film and the soundtrack’s success.

The Nashville Bluegrass Band dissolved in 2005. It is slated for induction into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame this fall.

In retirement, Pat Enright occasionally performed solo or as a rhythm guitarist at The Station Inn. He died on Tuesday, Aug. 18. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

BREAKING: Legendary Entertainment Executive & Artist Manager Dale Morris Passes Away

/by

Dale Morris. Photo: Courtesy of Morris Higham Management

Legendary entertainment executive and artist manager Dale Morris has passed away at the age of 89.

A Nashville industry leader for almost seven decades, Morris found his initial success as a songwriter, landing Johnny Paycheck in the Top 5 with “Don’t Monkey With Another Monkey’s Monkey.”

Over the years, Morris signed and worked with many of country music’s top acts, including Country Music Hall of Fame inductees Alabama and Kenny Chesney, through his company, Dale Morris & Associates. Inducted into the International Entertainment Buyers Association’s Hall of Fame in 2010, Morris built an internationally renowned staging company, known as Morris Light & Sound, to ensure cutting-edge production elements for his artists. In 2018, Morris sold the Dale Morris Agency to Paradigm, now known as The·Team, retaining autonomy for his agents in the process.

Morris was married to his wife Earline for 68 years and the couple had one son, Tim, who preceded him in death. They loved and took great pride in being involved in the lives of their daughter-in-law Jennifer, their grandchildren Zack, Colton (and wife Mary Blair), Nick (and wife Shelby) and Kendall, and great-grandchildren Mary Dee and Gus.

A Celebration for Life will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

“Nobody loved life, people, the chase more than Dale,” the family shares. “But above all that, he loved his family most of all. As a husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, he created a world where we felt safe, supported and ready to shine…We will miss him every day and carry his love with us always.”

“He was larger than life, and never met a dream he couldn’t build,” says Morris Higham Management President Clint Higham, who joined Dale Morris & Associates while still a student at Belmont University. “Dale Morris gave me my first internship, and I never wanted to go anywhere else. He saw things in people, in me, in Kenny, and inspired everyone to reach beyond what we thought possible. Maybe it’s how much he loved life, loved his family, loved us. He lived a big, bold, beautiful, blessed life, and I’m holding onto that right now. It’s the end of an era.”

‘Nashville’ Actress Hayden Panettiere Passes

/by

Photo: © Glenn Francis / Wikimedia Commons (PacificProDigital.com), CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and modified to black and white from original).

Hayden Panettiere, who starred as Juliette Barnes in the television show Nashville, passed away yesterday (Aug. 16) at age 36.

Panettiere was raised in Palisades, New York and first appeared on-screen in a commercial in 1990 at 11 months old. She began her full-time acting career in 1994 with a role as Sarah Roberts on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live, followed by Lizzie Spaulding on the CBS soap opera Guiding Light. She was nominated for the Young Artist Award for Young Actress Age Ten or Under in the category of Best Performance in a TV Movie or Pilot for her role in Lifetime’s 1999 If You Believe.

Known for her roles in Remember the Titans, Heroes and Scream, Panettiere held additional roles in Malcolm in the Middle, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Tiger Cruise, A Bug’s Life and many more. Throughout her career, she was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, a Grammy Award, multiple Teen Choice Awards and more.

Panettiere was featured on the soundtrack for multiple shows and films she appeared in including A Bug’s Life, Ice Princess, Cinderella III: A Twist in Time, Nashville and more. Her first single not associated with an acting role was released in 2008.

Earlier this year, she released her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, which chronicles her experiences as a child actress, as well as with addiction, postpartum depression and more.

Panettiere is survived by her parents and her daughter, who is 11.

Revered Musician & Producer Tommy Detamore Passes At 70

/by

Renowned pedal steel player, engineer and producer Tommy Detamore passed away on Aug. 5. He was 70.

The Charlottesville, Virginia native played guitar in local bands through high school and college and in 1981 moved to Texas to play steel guitar with Darrell McCall. A year later he joined Moe Bandy‘s band, playing steel guitar and touring across the U.S and internationally for nearly a decade, and making numerous radio and TV appearances including The Grand Ole Opry, Hee Haw, Nashville Now and New Country, among others.

As a producer, Detamore had a number of hits on the Americana and Texas Music charts, including the No. 1 singles “Lucky Arms” and “Your Heart Turned Left (& I Was on the Right)” for Jason Allen. He produced, mixed and mastered over 150 albums, and played on over 300 projects. Throughout his over 30-year career, he worked with dozens of artists including Ray Price, Micky Dolenz, Ronnie Milsap, Johnny Bush, Jim Lauderdale, Doug Sahm, The Texas Tornados, Gary P. Nunn, Augie Meyers, Robert Earl Keen, Sunny Sweeney, Rick Trevino, Raul Malo, Kevin Fowler, The Derailers, Gary Nicholson, and many more.

He was also a featured performer in the classic country show San Antonio Rose Live which ran from 2009-2012 at the Aztec Theatre on the Riverwalk in San Antonio. Detamore owned and operated Cherry Ridge Studio in Floresville, Texas since 1991. He was a member of the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame, and was honored at the Cowtown Society of Western Music ceremony in Wichita Falls, Texas on July 25 with the Hero of Western Swing award.

He is survived by his wife Sandra and son Thomas.

Celebrated Session & Touring Keyboardist Jimmy Nichols Passes

/by

Jimmy Nichols.

Jimmy Nichols, a gifted pianist known for his work with artists including Faith Hill, Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood, Elton John and countless others, has passed away.

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Nichols was one of eight children in a close-knit family that shaped his love of music from an early age. Alongside three of his brothers, he spent 24 years touring the country as a member of the Nichols Brothers. Two weeks before his passing, Nichols was inducted into the Ohio Country Music Hall of Fame. Throughout his career, his work extended beyond country music into pop, gospel and television.

Nichols is survived by his beloved wife, Tonya, who he spent the last few years caring for through a difficult illness.

A Celebration of Life will be held Sept. 2 at Ray Stevens’ CabaRay Showroom. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. with the celebration starting at 6:30 p.m.

Songwriter Joe Melson Passes

/by

Joe Melson

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Joe Melson has died at age 91.

Melson is best known for his 1960s collaborations with Nashville pop star Roy Orbison (1936-1988), including standards such as “Blue Bayou,” “Crying,” “Only the Lonely” and “Running Scared.”

Claudie Joe Melson was raised in Bonham, Texas, northeast of Fort Worth. By the time of his teen years in the early 1950s, he was singing professionally and writing songs. He went to work in the mailroom at Standard Oil while studying accounting at Odessa Junior College. In the evenings, he entertained youngsters at dances and nightclubs with his rockabilly band, The Cavaliers. The group’s crowd-pleasing “Raindrops” became Melson’s debut single.

In 1957, he met fellow Texan Orbison, and the two began cowriting songs. They first came out with “Only the Lonely.” This 1960 smash launched Orbison’s hit-making career and is regarded as the first operatic rock song. It was also recorded by Kitty Wells, Floyd Cramer and Jack Greene. In 1969, Sonny James had a No. 1 country hit with “Only the Lonely.” It has since been revived by Glen Campbell (1973) and Chris Isaac (1996), among others.

The Orbison/Melson team followed that song with the 1960 singles “Blue Angel” and “I’m Hurtin.’” In early 1961, the throbbing-crescendo ballad “Running Scared” became their first No. 1 pop smash. Over the years, “Running Scared” has also been recorded by Del Shannon, The Lettermen, Glen Campbell and Jeff Lynne.

The 1961 Orbison/Melson hit “Crying” became an even more familiar tune. More than a dozen other stars have had success with this song, including Bobby Vinton, Waylon Jennings, Dottie West, B.J. Thomas, Pat Benatar, Lynn Anderson, Deana Carter and Clay Aiken. Jay & The Americans revived “Crying” on the pop charts in 1966, while Arlene Harden (1970), Ronnie Milsap (1976) and Stephanie Winslow (1980) brought it onto the country hit parade. In 1981, Don McLean’s version of “Crying” became a substantial hit on the pop, A/C, country and British charts. Orbison and K.D. lang performed it as a duet in 1987 and won a Grammy Award.

Melson and Orbison’s “Blue Bayou” was a top 30 pop hit in 1963. Linda Ronstadt revived it as a massive international pop smash in 1977. The Cox Family, Wayne Newton, Ed Bruce, Raul Malo, Billie Jo Spears, Norah Jones and Harry Dean Stanton are among the many others who have recorded “Blue Bayou.”

Other Orbison/Melson collaborations included “The Crowd,” “Up Town,” “Barbara,” “I’m in a Blue Blue Mood,” “Lookin’ for Love,” “(I Get So) Sentimental,” “The Actress” and “Come Back to Me (My Love).” Roy Orbison was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

Another of Joe Melson’s songwriting collaborators was Don Gant. They co-wrote “Run, Baby, Run (Back Into My Arms),” which was a big pop hit in 1965 for The Newbeats. The Gant/Melson team also co-wrote Orbison’s 1967 single “Cry Softly Lonely One.”

Melson and Glenn Barber co-wrote the latter’s 1972 country hit “I’m the Man on Susie’s Mind.” Melson was also behind Barber’s 1979 favorite “Love Songs Just for You,” plus Barber’s 1972 hit “Unexpected Goodbye.”

Don Gibson scored a top 30 country hit with Melson’s cowritten “Ever Changing Mind” in 1969. Others who have recorded Melson’s songs include Del Reeves, Bob Luman, Bobby Vee, The Crickets, Conway Twitty, The Velvets, and Danny Davis.

The songwriter also maintained a recording career. Melson issued singles on Hickory Records in 1960-63. The best known of these is “Hey Mr. Cupid.” He continued to record for other labels in 1964, 1965, 1971, 1979, and beyond. Melson sang and/or arranged the inventive background vocals on all of the hits he wrote with Orbison The two also recorded vocal duets.

He and Orbison resumed their songwriting partnership in 1971-75.

Melson remained engaged in music throughout the succeeding decades. He issued singles as recently as 2014. He also continued to perform. Over the years, he entertained at rockabilly-revival and nostalgia festivals. He was a familiar figure on the music scene in Hendersonville.

“Only the Lonely” went into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, and “Crying” joined it in 2002. Also in 2002, Melson was inducted into the International Rock-A-Billy Hall of Fame, located in Jackson, Tennessee. He was elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018.

Melson reportedly wrote songs right up to the weeks before his passing on July 1 in Music City.

He is survived by his sister, Katie Bethel, his children, Michael Melson, Michelle Byerly, Melodie Garner, and Serena Aaker; grandchildren, Sabrina Molina and Aden Aaker; great-grandchildren, Heidi Mollinary and Bianca Molina and many extended family members and friends. Melson’s final arrangements were entrusted to the Hendersonville Memory Gardens, Funeral Home and Cremation Center.

The Melson family honored Joe’s wishes by not holding a memorial service. However, Joe asked that the following message be shared: “Dad loves you all. Don’t cry for me. Remember me when I was alive.”

In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family invites those who wish to honor his memory to make a donation at donate.jw.org.

Canadian Country Legend Tommy Hunter Passes

/by

Tommy Hunter

Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame member Tommy Hunter died on Thursday (July 2) at age 89.

Known as “Canada’s Country Gentleman,” he was the host of a legendary, long-lasting national TV show. Hunter’s country TV career was launched in 1956 on CBC’s Country Hoedown, where he was a cast member. He was given his own program in 1965.

The Tommy Hunter Show became one of the most enduring music programs in North American television history. The show aired weekly on CBC for 27 years, 1965–1992, and was later carried in the U.S. by TNN. Over the years, it showcased top Canadian country acts — Carroll Baker, Rita MacNeil, Hank Snow, Michelle Wright, Shania Twain and the like — as well as Nashville stars such as Roy Acuff, Kitty Wells, Johnny Cash, Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire and many others.

Hunter was noted for classy presentation of country music (no barns, hay bales, or corn stalks). The crooner charted in the U.S. with the ballad “Mary in the Morning” on Columbia in 1967.

After his TV show ended, Hunter remained a top concert attraction into the 1990s and 2000s. He retired from touring on his 75th birthday in 2012.

During his long career, he won three Juno Awards and one Gemini Award, as well as induction into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. He was appointed to both the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario. Hunter was also honored via a Canada postage stamp.

Hunter is survived by his three children, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Funeral arrangements and details regarding a public memorial will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the London Ontario Humane Society or to an animal rescue organization of the donor’s choice.