Hit Songwriter Ronnie Samoset Passes

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By Robert K. Oermann

Friends and family gathered in Bradenton, Florida, on Sunday (Aug. 26) to celebrate the life of hit songwriter Ronnie Samoset.

The veteran Nashville music man died at age 71 on July 29. His death was announced in The Bradenton Herald on Aug. 19. During the acceptance of her ACM Poet’s Award last Wednesday, Matraca Berg memorialized her frequent collaborator from the stage of the Ryman Auditorium.

Samoset’s songs were recorded by Kenny Rogers, Randy Travis, Linda Ronstadt, Ricky Van Shelton, Tanya Tucker, Diamond Rio, Emmylou Harris, Tom Wopat, Dusty Springfield and Highway 101, among many others.

Among his best known titles are “I’m That Kind of Girl” (Patty Loveless, 1991), “A Jukebox With a Country Song” (Doug Stone, 1992), “(This Thing Called) Wantin’ and Havin’ It All” (Sawyer Brown, 1995), “On Your Way Home” (Patty Loveless, 2003) and the Matraca Berg singles “Baby Walk On” (1990), “The Things You Left Undone” (1990) and “I Must Have Been Crazy” (1991).

The Berg/Samoset song “Lying to the Moon” has been recorded by Robin & Linda Williams, Trisha Yearwood, Purely Wild, Lauren Kennedy and others, in addition to Berg.

His dozens of recorded songs also include cuts by Sammy Kershaw, The Woodys, Johnny Rodriguez, Daron Norwood, Neal McCoy, Michelle Wright, Charlie Floyd, Little Texas, Davis Daniel and Ricochet.

Besides Berg, Samoset’s songwriting collaborators in Nashville included Craig Wiseman, Dave Loggins, Chuck Cannon, Judy Rodman and Gene Nelson. He also wrote solo.

The songwriter’s real name was Ronald A. Santaniello. He is survived by his three children, Corey, Joseph and Anthony Santaniello; by brothers Michael, Andrew, Douglas and Raymond Santaniello; by sisters Diane and Linda and by numerous nieces and nephews.

His memorial gathering was held yesterday at the clubhouse of his residence, the Perico Apartments in Bradenton. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Ronnie’s memory to a charity of your choice. Condolences may be made to [email protected].

Lynyrd Skynyrd Guitar Great Ed King Passes

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Ed King. Photo: Ed King/Facebook

Nashville guitarist Ed King, best known for his membership in Lynyrd Skynyrd, passed away last week following several years of declining health.

The Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame member died at home on Aug. 22 at age 68. He retired from the band in 1996 due to congestive heart failure. He underwent a heart transplant operation in 2011. For the past several months, he reportedly had been battling lung cancer.

King performed on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s star-making albums and co-wrote its biggest hit, 1974’s “Sweet Home Alabama.” He also created that song’s iconic and instantly recognizable guitar riff.

He was a native of California who initially rose to prominence as a member of the psychedelic rock band Strawberry Alarm Clock. He and the band’s keyboardist Mark Weitz reportedly co-wrote the act’s 1967 No. 1 smash “Incense and Peppermints,” but were cheated out of their songwriting credits and royalties.

They are credited as cowriters on the band’s 1968 singles “Tomorrow,” “Sit With the Guru” and “Barefoot in Baltimore.” Strawberry Alarm Clock’s swansong on the charts was 1969’s “Good Morning Starshine,” from the “flower child” Broadway musical Hair.

King joined Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1972, helping to establish its distinctive, triple-guitar attack. He was a key figure on the band’s first three LPs, Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd (1973), Second Helping (1974) and Nuthin’ Fancy (1975).

Following the band’s hit with “Sweet Home Alabama,” the song was recorded by more than a dozen other artists, including Red Hot Chili Peppers, Garth Brooks, Bret Michaels, Charlie Daniels, Every Mother’s Nightmare, Alabama, Cinderella, Bonfire and French rock star Johnny Hallyday.

King’s co-written Skynyrd song “Workin’ For MCA” was also popularized by Hank Williams Jr. and Ted Nugent. “Saturday Night Special” was covered by The Replacements, Armored Saint, Larry Cordle and Jerry Jeff Walker, among others. Other well-known Skynyrd tunes he cowrote include “Poison Whiskey,” “Mr. Banker,” “Money Man” and “Whisky Rock-A- Roller,” several of which were also recorded by others.

Lynyrd Skynyrd was well known for its boozing and brawling. Fist fights among band members sometimes broke out on stage. For non-violent hippie Ed King, it was all too much. He quit the group in 1975. Therefore, he was not in the fatal 1977 plane crash that decimated the band.

King helped to reconstitute and revive Skynyrd in 1987 and remained in the band for the next decade. His health issues forced his retirement from the group in 1996.

The widely liked musician remained accessible to the band’s fans and stayed in touch via his Facebook community. In 2006, he and fellow Skynyrd alumnus Artimus Pyle cowrote “The Freebird Fall” with Billy Ray Cyrus, and the country star included it on his CD that year, as well as on a later “Hits” compilation.

King was voted into the Rock Hall as a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd in 2006, and he performed with the band at its induction ceremony.

Showtime premiered the film If I Leave Here Tomorrow four days before King’s death last week. He was prominently featured in the documentary. The latest lineup of Lynyrd Skynyrd has announced that its current tour will be its last.

According to TMZ, Ed King is to be cremated, and no memorial service is planned.

Nashville Music Publisher Jeff Carlton Dies

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Longtime Nashville music publisher Jeff Carlton died on Monday (Aug. 20). He was 66.

Carlton spent more than 30 years in Nashville’s music publishing industry, championing songwriters including Tony Martin, Lee Thomas Miller, Monty Criswell, Jimmy Ritchey and more.

While working at Willin’ David Music, the company earned seven BMI million performing pop singles penned by Will Jennings, and three No. 1 country singles penned by writers Carlton developed and signed to their first publishing deals.

Carlton spent time at Stroudavarious Music and later Hamstein Music for eight years; during that tenure, the companies earned more than 75 Top 10 country singles. He also worked for a decade with writer Tom Shapiro.

Later on as an independent publisher he signed writer Erin Enderlin, who earned the NSAI “Song I Wish I Had Written” award for Alan Jackson’s “Monday Morning Church” and a Grammy nomination for “Last Call” by Lee Ann Womack.

During tenures at Bigger Picture and Vibe Room Music, he worked in developing artist/writers including Sam Hunt and Brandy Clark. In 2013, he was brought on as Creative Consultant for THiS Music and Parallel Entertainment Publishing. He also served in a consultant role with Ashley Gorley’s Tape Room Music.

Carlton was part of Leadership Music’s Class of 1997. He was honored with the NSAI’s President’s Award in 2016. Earlier this year, AIMP honored Carlton with the AIMP Nashville Independent Spirit Award.

Jeff Carlton (R) earns the NSAI President’s Award, with Lee Thomas Miller.

Steve “Bogie” Bogdanovich Passes

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Steve “Bogie” Bogdanovich, Romeo Entertainment Group Vice President/Production Manager, passed away on Monday (8/6) at the age of 66 following a three-year battle with ideopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Bogdanovich was born and raised in Omaha and started playing in local bands as a teenager. In 1978, he became the Production Manager for the Aksarben Coliseum and Thoroughbred Racetrack. He maintained his position at Aksarben until the building closed in 2001, then took a job with Romeo Entertainment Group as a production manager and booking agent. While working for REG, he became a true road warrior, producing concert events all over the western United States.

In addition to his full-time work, Bogie ventured into many side gigs, including his video production company, BogieVision, (1992-2003), his work producing the All Star Jam at the Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas (2003-2015), and his annual gig as production manager for the Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders Meeting in Omaha. He was the recipient of several industry awards, including the 2013 IEBA Talent Buyer of the Year, the 2010 Academy of Country Music Talent Buyer of the Year, and the 2009 Jack Hunter Award from the Dakota Fairs Association.

Bogdanovich is survived by his wife of 45 years Nancy, two daughters and their husbands, Shawn Poulicek (Joe) and Jody Olsen (Ryan), two grandchildren, Steven and Sidney Poulicek, his mother Josie (Vecchio) Bogdanovich, sister Mary Jo Goodwin, and dog “L.B.”

Visitation will be held on Friday, August 10 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Heafey-Hoffmann-Dworak-Cutler on 7805 W. Center Road in Omaha. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 11 at 10 a.m. Cards can be sent in c/o Romeo Entertainment Group 5247 N. 129 th St. Omaha, NE 68164.

Grammy-Winning Engineer Jim Malloy Passes

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Jim Malloy

Recording engineer, producer and song publisher Jim Malloy died Thursday, July 5, at age 87. Malloy worked with such superstars as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. He won a 1963 Grammy Award for his engineering work on Henry Manclini’s movie theme “Charade” and was nominated for Grammys five other times.

Born in Illinois in 1931, he moved to the West Coast for a career in the electronics industry in 1954. He began his career in Los Angeles in the early 1960s by engineering discs by Mahalia Jackson, Duane Eddy, Duke Ellington, Doris Day, Ike & Tina Turner, Miles Davis, Lee Hazelwood, Ann-Margret, Sam Cooke, Bob Wills, Bing Crosby and Mancini.

Chet Atkins enticed him to move to Nashville. Atkins ran the Music Row office of RCA Records, for whom Malloy worked in 1965-68. He engineered albums by RCA’s Eddy Arnold, Waylon Jennings, Charley Pride, Hank Snow, Connie Smith and John Hartford, as well as Atkins, Nelson, Parton and Presley.

Jim Malloy

His record-production career began in 1968-69 with the acclaimed Townes Van Zandt albums For the Sake of the Song, Our Mother the Mountain and Townes Van Zandt.

A stint at Monument Records led to work with Roy Orbison.

Ray Stevens was also a regular production client there. Malloy produced the star’s 1969 million-selling hit “Gitarzan” among other efforts. Jim Malloy was the recording engineer for Johnny Cash’s national TV series in 1969-71. It was filmed at the Ryman Auditorium and featured a who’s-who of the music world at the time, including Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Linda Ronstadt and Merle Haggard.

When former RCA executive Brad McEuen launched Mega Records, Malloy became that label’s regular producer.

With Malloy as her producer, Sammi Smith earned a Grammy Award for her 1971 pop-crossover million seller on Mega, “Help Me Make It Through the Night.” He also produced her hits “Today I Started Loving You Again” (1975), “City of New Orleans” (1973), “Never Been to Spain” (1974), “Long Black Veil” (1974), “My Window Faces the South” (1976) and “Then You Walk In” (1971).

The last-named was co-written by Jim Malloy’s son David Malloy. He became a staff songwriter at his father’s publishing company, DebDave Music. So did Even Stevens, and the two co-wrote with star Eddie Rabbitt. This resulted in giant hits for the firm such as “I Love a Rainy Night” and “Drivin’ My Life Away” in the early 1980s. The company also discovered such songwriters as Paul Overstreet, Dan Tyler, Frank Myers and Thom Schuyler.

Meanwhile, Jim Malloy continued to produce records. He guided four LPs by Stella Parton and continued to work with Elvis Presley and other artists. In recent years, Malloy reunited with Eddy Arnold for a series of albums. He published his memoir, Playback, in 2005.

Update [8/15/18]: A Celebration of Life will be held for Jim Malloy on Friday, Aug. 24, from 5-7 p.m. at Studio A (located at 30 Music Sq. W) in Nashville. In lieu of flowers, those wanting to make a contribution in Jim’s honor can do so to the Nashville Engineer Relief Fund.

Jim Malloy (second from left) celebrates BMI Million-Air awards with BMI’s Jody Williams, David Malloy, BMI’s David Preston and Phil Graham in January 2018. Photo: Steve Lowry

Amy Grant’s Father, Dr. Burton Grant, Dies

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Pictured (L-R): Dr. Burton Grant and Amy Grant. Photo: Amy Grant

Singer-songwriter Amy Grant‘s father, Dr. Burton Grant, died Saturday (June 30). He was 86.

Burton Grant was an oncologist, who also championed his daughter’s musical career. According to 2002’s The Sound Of Light, penned by Don Cusic, Dr. Grant provided financial support to help launch Amy Grant’s first album and tours, including hiring an independent radio promoter for her debut album, financially supporting her early tours, and providing financial support for Grant managers Michael Blanton and Dan Harrell when they opened Blanton/Harrell Production and Management in 1980, with Amy Grant as their first client.

Dr. Burton Grant’s wife Gloria Dean Napier Grant died in 2011.

“Walking our dad home has been a ten year journey, taking our family places we never imagined,” Amy Grant shared via Facebook on Sunday (July 1). “We are all closer because of it. I’m so grateful for my dad. My grandfather passed away when my dad was a teenager. When my dad decided to become a doctor it was his mother, my grandmother, who paid his way through school. Years after my grandmother passed, I found his graduation program in a box of her things with a note from my dad. It said, ‘Mother, I hope I will serve mankind in such a way as to justify your faith in me. Love, Burton’ Well done, Dad.”

Concert Impresario Joe Sullivan Passes

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Former Nashville concert, management and radio mogul Joe Sullivan died on Friday, June 22, at age 76. During the 1970s and 1980s, Sullivan’s Sound Seventy Corporation was a leading concert-promotion firm in the Southeast. His artist-management clients included Charlie Daniels, Wet Willie, Bobby Bare, Dobie Gray, Nicolette Larson and Dickie Betts.

Sullivan was a native of Manchester, Tennessee. He began his show-business career as a disc jockey on that city’s WMSR radio station. He spent 15 years in the radio industry. It was said that every station he was affiliated with earned its market’s No. 1 rating. By 1969, he was program director at WMAK, then Nashville’s top rock broadcaster.

At the time, most major rock acts bypassed Music City on tour. Sullivan booked Steppenwolf into Municipal Auditorium in early 1970, which launched Sound Seventy. The firm soon changed the face of live music in Nashville.

In 1973, Sullivan brought headliners such as The Rolling Stones, The Allman Brothers Band, Leon Russell and Alice Cooper to Nashville. Five years later, Sound Seventy was also promoting shows in Birmingham, Huntsville, Shreveport, Montgomery, Chattanooga, Dallas, Johnson City, Louisville, New Orleans, Knoxville, Baton Rouge, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Mobile and Pensacola.

But Nashville remained the impresario’s main focus. In 1978-79, alone, he brought to the city such superstars as David Bowie, Van Halen, Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen, The Doobie Brothers, The Jacksons, Elton John, The Eagles, Queen and Billy Joel. In addition to management and concert promotion, Sullivan expanded into song publishing, record promotion and tour merchandising. By the mid 1980s, Sound Seventy was a multi-million dollar Nashville company.

Journey, Tom Jones, Elvis Costello, Bob Hope, Jimmy Buffett, Rod Stewart, Kiss, Linda Ronstadt, Muhammad Ali, Bob Seger, The Beach Boys, Ozzy Osbourne, Bob Dylan, Chicago, James Taylor, Lionel Richie, Tina Turner, Neil Young, Cyndi Lauper, Don Henley and Heart had all enjoyed huge box office successes with Sound Seventy by the time the business celebrated its 15th anniversary in 1985.

So had such country superstars as Willie Nelson, Ronnie Milsap, Loretta Lynn, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Anne Murray, Emmylou Harris and Hank Williams Jr.
In the 1990s, Joe Sullivan moved to Branson, Missouri, and formed The Sullivan Company. In the 2000s, he worked with Larry Gatlin, Rick Springfield, The Fifth Dimension, The Lawrence Welk Orchestra, Billy Ray Cyrus and others in this new show-promotion venture. He had reportedly been in ill health for the past several years.

According to Nashville music industry veteran Steve Greil, Joe Sullivan’s body is being donated to a research hospital in Memphis. Services will take place in Branson and burial will be n Manchester.

Elvis Presley Drummer D.J. Fontana Passes

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DJ Fontana

Famed Elvis Presley drummer D.J. Fontana passed away in Nashville on Wednesday, June 13, at age 87.

Fontana played on more than 450 Presley records and toured with the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll for 14 years. He was the last surviving member of Presley’s original band.

Born Dominic Joseph Fontana, he was a native of the Texarkana area who served an apprenticeship drumming in strip clubs. In 1953, he became the staff drummer at The Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport, where Presley became a regular performer.

Presley (1935-1977), guitarist Scotty Moore (1931-2016) and bassist Bill Black (1926-1965) hired Fontana to join their Blue Moon Boys band in 1955. Fontana played on such seminal Elvis Presley hits as “Hound Dog,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” ‘Love Me Tender,” “Jailhouse Rock” and “Teddy Bear.” He, as well as Moore and Black, also appeared on Presley’s Ed Sullivan Show appearances in 1956-57.

DJ Fontana and Elvis. Photo: Elvis Presley Enterprises

He also appeared in several of Presley’s movies in the 1960s, including King Creole, G.I. Blues, Jailhouse Rock and Loving You. He continued to appear with the superstar until 1969, when he left over a pay dispute with manager Col. Tom Parker (1909-1997).

In addition to Elvis Presley, Fontana backed such artists as Paul McCartney, Keith Richards, Ringo Starr, Gene Vincent, Red Sovine, Faron Young, Steve Earle, Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings, Charley Pride, Porter Wagoner, Johnny Cash and Webb Pierce.

Starr, Levon Helm, Max Weinberg, Charlie Watts, Stan Lynch and many other rock drummers have cited Fontana as an influence. His style was characterized by power, steadiness, accuracy and get-to-the-point directness.

In 1983, Fontana published D.J. Fontana Remembers Elvis, a pictorial volume of reminiscences.

He and Scotty Moore won a Nashville Music Award and were nominated for a Grammy in 1998 for their album All the King’s Men.

In 2009, he was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame as well as the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame (in the sideman category).

Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Veteran Talent Agent Steve Thurman Passes

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Country industry veteran Steve Thurman died at age 62 on Friday, June 8.

He is perhaps best-known as an early champion of Diamond Rio, Joe Diffie and Tim McGraw. Thurman was also a mainstay of the NATD (Nashville Association of Talent Directors).

While a student at MTSU in the 1970s, he became chairman of the school’s concert committee. He and roommate Charles Dorris also worked Municipal Auditorium concerts for promoters Sound Seventy and Varnell Enterprises. After graduation, Thurman worked for the country agency Top Billing.

According to Dorris, he next began managing The Tennessee River Boys. He re-named them Diamond Rio and reportedly arranged their Arista Records contract. He also brought the band to Charles Dorris & Associates.

He and agent Dick Beacham signed the then-unknown Joe Diffie and Tim McGraw, among others.

In recent years, Thurman became one of the key organizers of the NATD, which stages an annual awards banquet in Nashville, a CMA Fest picnic for booking and promotion executives, and a speaker series, among other events.

Stephen Odell Thurman died of respiratory issues, pneumonia and a blood infection. He is survived by his mother, Norene Harris Thurman, by brothers Stand and Brian and by nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles.

Funeral services were held on Tuesday, June 12 at 1 p.m. at Coulter Garrison Funeral Home in Dayton, TN, followed by his burial in Spence Cemetery in Dayton.

Country Singer Billy ThunderKloud Dies

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Colorful country entertainer Billy ThunderKloud passed away in Florida on June 5 at age 70.

The former Nashvillian enjoyed a string of chart records in the 1970s, but is more often remembered for the beads, turquoise jewelry, feathers, braids and costumes he wore to recognize his Native American ancestry.

ThunderKloud was born Vincent Clifford in British Columbia, Canada. He was a member of the Gitksan tribe, part of the Tsimshian Indian Nation. His tribe dubbed him Chief Dau-Hkansqu. At age 14, he hopped a train from Port Edward, BC to Edmonton, Alberta in order to attend the Indian Residential School there.

At the school, he formed the Chieftones in 1964 with fellow Native American musicians Jack Wolf, Barry Littlestar and Richard Grayowl. They were initially billed as “Canada’s All-Indian Band.”

In 1965-68, the group issued a series of singles on the Claremont, Cuca and Youngstown labels. The William Morris Agency signed the band. Clifford/ThunderKloud appeared on TV’s To Tell the Truth in 1966, and after his identity was revealed, The Chieftones performed on the national telecast.

The star adopted the stage name Billy ThunderKloud in 1972. Now billed as Billy ThunderKloud & The Chieftones, the act landed a Nashville recording contract with Superior Records, which was owned by Oak Ridge Boys member Duane Allen.

ThunderKloud moved to Nashville in 1974 and signed with 20th Century Records. He and the band debuted on the country charts the following year with “What Time of Day.” It rose to #16 on the country charts and briefly crossed over to the pop hit parade.

After this, the group became noted for country remakes of pop oldies such as “Pledging My Love” (1975), “Indian Reservation” (1976) and “Try a Little Tenderness” (1976) as it moved from 20th Century to Polydor Records.

Billy ThunderKloud & The Chieftones’ last appearance on the country charts was with 1979’s “It’s Alright,” written by Jerry Foster and Bill Rice.

Buddy Lee Attractions booked the band, making it a favorite on the fair and festival circuit. On the road, the Chieftones were augmented by the members of Hank Williams Jr.’s band.

The group was chosen to entertain at President Richard Nixon’s second Inaugural Ball in 1973. After an appearance at Walt Disney World the following year, Walt Disney gave his pet mountain lion to ThumderKloud as a gift. It reportedly travelled with the band on its tour bus.

The group’s albums included All Through the Night (1973), Off the Reservation (1974), What Time of Day (1975), Where Do I Begin to Tell a Story (1976) and Some of Nashville’s Finest (1980). In their jacket photos, the band was pictured in feathered headdresses, elaborate silver-and-turquoise belts and necklaces, leather accessories, tunics, long braided-pigtail hairdos and similar regalia.

ThunderKloud was chosen Outstanding Indian of the Year in 1975 by the American Indian Exposition. He continued to tour and make personal appearances until 1991.

He retired to Palm City, FL and died there due to complications from a stroke and pneumonia. He is survived by his wife Bev, daughters Shawnee and Chey Kuzma and by three grandchildren.

At his request, there will be no funeral service. Donations may be made in Billy ThunderKloud’s name to the National Indian Child Welfare Association, to Shriners Hospital for Children, to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, to the American Diabetes Association or to a charity of your choice.