Billy Joe Shaver Dies At 81

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Billy Joe Shaver at a 2014 tribute concert in Austin, Texas. Photo: Courtesy Conqueroo

Billy Joe Shaver has died at age 81. The country singer-songwriter died from a stroke on Wednesday (Oct. 28) in Waco, Texas. He was born in Corsicana, Texas, on Aug. 16, 1939.

According to a release, Shaver was raised mainly by his grandmother; his father left before he was born and his mother had a job in Waco, some 60 miles away. As a youth, he spent more time working on family farms than in school. As he wrote in his song “Fast Train,” “I have an eighth grade education … I got all my country learning picking cotton, raising hell and bailing hay.”

His grandmother gave him a Gene Autry guitar when he was 11; however, his grandfather gave it away several years later. Shaver left home at 16 to serve in the Navy and afterwards took a series of jobs, including one in the professional rodeo. After losing several fingers in a sawmill accident, he decided to do what he really loved to do: write songs.

In 1965, Shaver hitchhiked to Nashville in the back of a cantaloupe truck. Camping himself at the office of country singer Bobby Bare, he convinced the Nashville star to listen to his songs. Impressed, Bare signed him to a $50 a week job as a songwriter. Bare recorded “Ride Me Down Easy” and other musicians took notice of his tunes too. Kris Kristofferson did “Good Christian Soldier” and Tom T. Hall “Willie the Wandering Gypsy and Me.”

One of these songs, “You Asked Me To,” was a Top 10 hit for Jennings and later covered by Elvis Presley.

Jennings would record 1973’s Honky Tonk Heroes, a project including nearly all Shaver-penned songs. Shaver went on to pen songs including Johnny Rodriguez’s “I Couldn’t Be Me Without You.” Other notable cuts include Bobby Bare’s “Ride Me Down Easy,” Patty Loveless’ “When the Fallen Angels Fly,” and Elvis Presley’s “You Asked Me To.”

Shaver’s debut album, the Kristofferson-produced Old Five and Dimers Like Me, came out in 1973 on the Monument Records. Shaver went on to release more than 20 albums for such labels as MGM, Capricorn, Columbia, Zoo/Praxis, New West, and Sugar Hill Records. His 2007 album, Everybody’s Brother (Compadre Records), earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Southern/Country/Bluegrass Album and his most recent release, 2014’s Long in the Tooth (Lightning Rod Records), was his first to chart in Billboard’s Top Country Albums.

While he experienced many successes in his life, Shaver also had more than his share of tragedies. In 1999, he lost his mother to cancer as well as his wife, Brenda, a woman he married three times (and divorced twice). On December 31, 2000, his son Eddy died of a heroin overdose. Shaver had teamed up with his guitarist son for several highly praised albums in the 1990s. Then, on July 4, 2001, Shaver suffered a massive, and nearly fatal heart attack while performing on stage. He later received some unwanted notoriety when, in 2007, a bar argument wound up with Shaver shooting the other man. Shaver was acquitted of charges, and wrote about the incident in the song “Wacko From Waco.”

One of Shaver’s signature songs, “Live Forever,” was performed by Robert Duvall in the film Crazy Heart. A long-time admirer and friend, Duvall cast Shaver in his 1996 movie The Apostle, and Shaver later acted in such films as Secondhand Lions, The Wendell Baker Story, and Bait Shop. Duvall also produced the documentary A Portrait of Billy Joe.

Shaver’s music attracted many illustrious admirers over the years. Johnny Cash, who covered Shaver’s “I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I’m Gonna Be a Diamond Some Day),” called him “my favorite songwriter,” while Willie Nelson, a frequently Shaver collaborator, declared that “Billy Joe is definitely the best writer in Texas.” Bob Dylan not only has performed Shaver’s “Old Five and Dimers Like Me” in concert, but even name-checked him in his tune “I Feel a Change Comin’ On.”

He earned the first Americana Music Award for Lifetime Achievement in Songwriting in 2002, was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004, followed by the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and honored with the ACM Poet’s Award in 2019.

No funeral arrangements have been announced at this time.

 

Songwriter Bryan Wayne Galentine Dies

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Bryan Wayne Galentine records his album While You Wait.

Songwriter Bryan Wayne Galentine died Oct. 22 at age 53, following a battle with ALS. He was the sole writer for Tommy Shane Steiner’s debut single “What If She’s An Angel,” which reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart in 2002.

He also earned a Top 25 single as a writer with Chris Cagle’s “Country By The Grace of God” and his song “Kick My Ass” was included on Big & Rich’s 3x multi-Platinum debut album. Galentine also earned cuts with Clay Walker, Emerson Drive, and more.

Galentine was diagnosed with terminal ALS in 2017. Faced with the possibility of losing his ability to speak or sing, he went into the studio to make his debut full-length project While You Wait. The album included the single “Simplify,” which featured Big & Rich, James Otto, Shannon Lawson and Joanna Janet. The album was recorded in the home studio of Big & Rich member Big Kenny Alphin, as well as Starstruck Studios and Dave Brainard’s deciBel. The project released in 2018 and included Bryan’s own version of “What If She’s An Angel.”

Music Industry Exec Joe Meador Dies At 73

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Joe Meador

Joe Meador, best known for his work with Ronnie McDowell and Killen Entertainment Group, died Oct. 21 at age 73. Funeral services were held Oct. 25 in Hendersonville, TN.

Meador, a Kentucky native, graduated from Draughon’s Business College in Nashville, TN, and began working for the Federal Reserve Bank in Nashville, where he met his future wife, Sally Wise. Meador also worked at Hewgley’s Music Shop, and then teamed with co-owner Jim Vantrease to launch Sumner County Music Center in Gallatin. He also joined the group Glass Hammer, which opened for Ricky Nelson, as well as Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons.

Meador later became a road manager, and later manager, for Ronnie McDowell. McDowell, Meador, and Buddy Killen formed Killen Entertainment Group, which managed McDowell and Six Shooter. Later, Meador became CEO/President of Grand Entertainment Group and launched three publishing companies.

He co-wrote the George Strait-recorded song “Under These Conditions,” and songs including “All Tied Up” and “I’m Still Missing You” for McDowell.

Meador also co-produced the documentary Dixie Rose, which earned Best SXSW Documentary at the Telluride, Colorado Indie Festival. Meador also co-authored the book The Genuine Elvis: Photos and Untold Stories about the King.

Meador is preceded in death by his grandmother, Mamie Meador, of Adolphus, KY and his father Ralph Meador and mother Beatrice (Rather) Meador.

Joe Meador is survived by wife Sally (Wise) Meador and daughter, Laura Kathryn Meador, brother-in-law Mike Wise, sister-in-law Kathleen Wise, brother-in-law Sam Alfano and sister-in-law Jo Alfano, along with three nephews and two nieces. Joe is also survived by his cousin Patti (Graves) Pearson and her husband Wendell Pearson, along with their two children, Bradley Pearson and Shelley Pearson.

“Mr. Bojangles” Creator Jerry Jeff Walker Dies

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Jerry Jeff Walker. Photo: jerryjeffwalker.com

Texas music legend Jerry Jeff Walker died on Friday, Oct. 23 following a three-year battle with throat cancer.

Walker, 78, is best known for writing the classic story song “Mr. Bojangles.” He was one of the founding figures of the Austin, Texas “outlaw” country scene, a top showman and the host of the TNN television series The Texas Connection.

He was born Ronald Clyde Crosby in Oneonta, New York, in 1942 and performed in a number of local teen combos in the 1950s. After going AWOL from the National Guard, he became a folk troubadour, traveling to Florida, Louisiana and Texas.

In 1965, he was arrested for public intoxication in New Orleans and spent the night in a drunk tank with an itinerant street performer named “Bojangles.” While performing in Washington, D.C. the following year, the musician changed his name to Jerry Jeff Walker.

Relocating to New York City, he formed the house band at the Electric Circus nightclub. Dubbed Circus Maximus, the band recorded two albums for Vanguard Records in 1966-67.

After the band’s demise, Walker resumed working in the Greenwich Village folk scene. He fashioned a song based on Bojangles and used it as the title tune of his 1968 solo debut LP. Walker introduced “Mr. Bojangles” at the Newport Folk Festival, and the song became a minor pop chart entry for him that summer. In 1970, the song became the first top-10 hit of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. That version is now in the Grammy Hall of Fame.

“Mr. Bojangles” has gone on to become one of the most recorded titles in the BMI repertoire. Among its hundreds of versions are those by Harry Belafonte, Nina Simone, John Denver, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Frankie Laine, Johnny Paycheck, Bobbie Gentry, Tom T. Hall, Harry Nilsson, Sammi Smith, Nancy Wilson and Walker’s Newport Folk Festival cohort David Bromberg. It was a key feature of Sammy Davis Jr.’s nightclub act for decades.

Jerry Jeff Walker took Jimmy Buffett to Key West in 1970. They co-wrote “Railroad Lady,” which later became a Lefty Frizzell country single. Buffett remained in Florida.

In 1971, Walker moved to Austin. He and his Lost Gonzo Band became mainstays of the movement variously described as “alternative country,” “outlaw country” and “progressive country.” Their freewheeling, rollicking shows became wildly popular.

Jerry Jeff Walker became a songwriting connoisseur. He popularized such Texas classics as Ray Wiley Hubbard’s “Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother,” Billy Joe Shaver’s “Old Five and Dimers Like Me,” Guy Clark’s “L.A. Freeway” and “Desperados Waiting for a Train,” Jesse Winchester’s “Mississippi You’re on My Mind,” Willie Nelson’s “Pick Up the Tempo,” Gary P. Nunn’s “London Homesick Blues (Home with the Armadillo),” Michael Martin Murphy’s “Backsliders Wine” and Rusty Weir’s “Don’t It Make You Wanna Dance.”

Following three LPs for Atco, he signed with MCA Records in 1972. Viva Terlingua was issued the following year. Regarded as a classic, the album earned a Gold record and became his biggest seller. He issued 10 other collections on MCA before forming his own Tried and True imprint in 1986.

Following in the footsteps of Nashville’s John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker became a model of do-it-yourself career success. He maintained a fan base of 50,000, communicating via regular newsletters, annual record releases and enthusiastic tours.

His partner in the business was his wife. Walker had married Susan Streit in 1974 and given up his hard-partying vices in 1978. She became his manager and booking agent. Merchandise, tour promotion and publicity were also handled in-house.

Live at Gruene Hall (1989), Navajo Rug (1990), Hill Country Rain (1992), Cowboy Boots & Bathin’ Suits (1998) and many more releases polished his reputation as a record maker. Walker also continued to write, with “Sangria Wine,” “Gettin’ By,” “Gypsy Songman,” “Hairy Ass Hillbillies,” “Pissin’ in the Wind,” “Hill Country Rain” and “Leavin’ Texas” becoming particular audience favorites. He also wrote a tribute to an enduring baseball legend, “Nolan Ryan.”

In 1991, he began hosting the series The Texas Connection on TNN. The show continued for a second season in 1992.

Walker presided at annual fan-club gatherings coinciding with his birthday in March and Labor Day in September. In 1999, he published his autobiography, Gypsy Songman: A Life in Music.

By then, Jerry Jeff Walker had become a musical inspiration for a generation of younger troubadours such as Nanci Griffith, Townes Van Zandt, Lyle Lovett, Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, Robert Earl Keen, Todd Snider and Jack Ingram. During his career, he released more than 40 albums, including live recordings and compilations.

He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2017. Walker donated his career’s archive to Texas State University. His final album appeared in 2018.

Jerry Jeff Walker is survived by wife Susan, daughter Jessie Jane McCarty, son Django Walker, two grandchildren and a sister. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Session Guitar Great J.T. Corenflos Dies

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Top Nashville session musician J.T. Corenflos has died of cancer at age 56.

The guitarist can be heard on the records of such contemporary country hit makers as Eric Church, Chris Janson, Kenny Chesney, Darius Rucker, Luke Bryan, Tim McGraw, Dustin Lynch, Little Big Town, Thomas Rhett, Blake Shelton, Lee Brice, Josh Turner, Cody Johnson, Kacey Musgraves, Dierks Bentey and Jon Pardi.

Jerry Corenflos, known as “J.T.,” was born and raised in Terre Haute, Indiana. He performed in local bands throughout the 1970s and moved to Nashville in 1982. His initial jobs were in the bands of Jean Shepard and Joe Stampley. On the Nashville club scene, he played in The Blue Tick Hounds backing singer-songwriter David Lee Murphy. He has continued to work with Murphy periodically.

In 1990, Corenflos decided to concentrate on studio work. His performances as a guitarist on publishers’ song demos led to being hired for master sessions beginning in 1993.

Generally hired for his electric-guitar prowess, he played on sessions for Tanya Tucker, Rodney Crowell, Big & Rich, Lorrie Morgan, Pam Tillis, Rascal Flatts, LeAnn Rimes, Joe Diffie, Toby Keith, Easton Corbin, John Anderson, Billy Currington, Trace Adkins, Joe Nichols, Aaron Tippin and Sara Evans, among many others.

Corenflos has backed such Country Music Hall of Fame members as George Jones, Alabama, Reba McEntire, George Strait, Brooks & Dunn, Charley Pride, Kenny Rogers, Hank Williams Jr., Alan Jackson and Dolly Parton. Among the pop and rock acts he has recorded with as Bob Seger, Jose Feliciano, Kelly Clarkson, Richard Marx, The Doobie Brothers, Sheryl Crow, Don Henley, Paul Carrack, Cliff Richard and Dobie Gray.

In 2013, the Academy of Country Music named him its Guitar Player of the Year. Corenflos was also regularly cited as one of Nashville’s top session musicians.

J.T. Corenflos issued his solo album in 2015, Somewhere Under the Radar.

His death was announced on social media on Saturday, Oct. 24. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Outback Concerts Co-Founder Kathy Smardak Passes

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L-R: Sasha Smardak, Mike Smardak, Kristina Smardak, Kathy Smardak
Photo credit: Rick Diamond

Kathy Smardak, co-founder of Outback Concerts, died on Sunday, October 11, 2020 at Williamson Medical Center in Franklin, Tenn. after a brief illness. She was 60 years old.

Smardak was born on November 24, 1959, in Lynchburg, VA, and graduated from Brookville High School and Virginia Western Community College. She married husband Michael Smardak in 1992. In 1997, the two co-founded Outback Concerts, a successful independent concert promotion company located in Nashville.

Kathy is survived by her husband and beloved daughters Sasha Amara Karina Smardak and Natalya Kristina Smardak.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Thursday, October 15, from 5 to 7 p.m., at The Stone House at Arrington Vineyards. A private family graveside will be held at Woodlawn Memorial Park in the Grand Tour Garden.

Flowers may be sent to the Williamson Memorial Funeral Home at 3009 Columbia Ave., Franklin, TN, 37064, (615) 794-2289, and donations in remembrance can be sent to the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes, P.O. Box 2206, Brentwood, TN 37024.

 

Country Songwriter, Label Founder Ray Pennington Dies In House Fire

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A house fire on Wednesday (Oct. 7) has claimed the life of country-music veteran Ray Pennington, 86.

The fire occurred in Sumner County, on the outskirts of Hendersonville on New Hope Road. Officials described it as the community’s largest conflagration in recent memory.

Pennington was a songwriter, record producer, instrumentalist, label executive and singer. He is perhaps best known as the writer of the chart-topping Waylon Jennings 1974 classic “I’m a Ramblin’ Man” and as a founder of Step One Records in 1984.

Born Ramon Pennington on Dec. 22, 1933, he was a native of Clay County, Kentucky. Following early experience performing in an Ohio western-swing band, he signed with King Records in Cincinnati. His debut single was 1958’s “Three Hearts in a Tangle.”

He moved into record producing at King, working with Hawkshaw Hawkins, The Stanley Brothers, Reno & Smiley and others. In 1961, Roy Drusky gave Pennington his first songwriting success by taking “Three Hearts in a Tangle” to No. 2 on the country charts.

Pennington relocated to Nashville in 1964. Kenny Price had back-to-back top-10 country hits in 1966-67 with Pennington’s songs “Walking on New Grass” and “Happy Tracks.” Price also released nine other singles of Pennington songs, including four top-40 successes.

The songwriter’s own career on the popularity charts began when he signed with Capitol Records in 1966. He first cracked the top-40 on the country hit parade with “I’m a Ramblin’ Man” in 1967. Subsequent stints on the Monument and MRC labels resulted in a total of nine charted titles in the 1960s and 1970s.

His debut LP appeared on Monument in 1970. He wrote half of the songs on Ray Pennington Sings for the Other Woman, which was produced by Fred Foster.

Pennington went to work for RCA Records in 1971. He produced records for the label’s Norma Jean, Willie Nelson and Billy Walker, among others. He co-wrote Walker’s top-20 RCA hit “Don’t Stop in My World” of 1976, as well as other songs the star recorded.

Pennington and Jerry McBee formed the duo Bluestone, which made the charts in 1980 with “Haven’t I Loved You Somewhere Before” on Dimension Records. He co-wrote “Don’t Cheat in Our Hometown,” which became a No. 1 hit for Ricky Skaggs in early 1984.

Later that year, Pennington became a co-founder of the Step One label, whose first signing was superstar Ray Price. Produced by Pennington, Price charted 12 times with Step One singles during the next five years.

The label’s Clinton Gregory continued its success into the 1990s with a string of chart successes, including “(If it Weren’t for Country Music) I’d Go Crazy” (1991) and “Play Ruby Play” (1992). He was also produced by Pennington.

The rest of Step One’s roster featured Faron Young, Charlie McCoy, Western Flyer, The Kendalls, Kitty Wells, Cal Smith, Celinda Pink, Terry McMillan, Hank Thompson, The Geezinslaws and label co-founder Curtis Potter.

Gene Watson’s CDs for Step One were Uncharted Mind (1993), The Good Ole Days (1996), Jesus Is All I Need (1997) and A Way to Survive (1997). Ray Pennington produced all of them.

Pennington, himself, recorded for Step One. He issued Memories (1984) and Dear Lord, I’ve Changed (1988) as LPs for the company.

During this same time period, he formed The Swing Shift Band with steel guitarist Buddy Emmons. The group issued Swingin’ as a double-LP of oldies on Step One in 1984. This was followed by In the Mood for Swingin’ (1986), Swing & Other Things (1988), Swingin’ Our Way (1990) Swingin’ By Request (1992), It’s All In the Swing (1995) and Goin’ Out Swingin’ (1997). The group charted on the label with the single “(Turn Me Loose and) Let Me Swing” in 1988.

Step One Records closed in 1998. Pennington produced artists on a variety of independent labels thereafter.

During his long career, Ray Pennington’s songs were recorded by such Country Music Hall of Fame members as Price, Skaggs, Jennings, The Browns, Grandpa Jones, Ferlin Husky, George Morgan, Jean Shepard, Mel Tillis and Porter Wagoner. They have also been sung by Eric Church, Leona Williams, James Brown, Johnny Bush, Montgomery Gentry, Johnny Paycheck, Wanda Jackson, The Wilburn Brothers, Lorrie Morgan, Etta James, Jim & Jesse, Dave Dudley and Jack Greene, among many others.

Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Producer Bill McEuen Dies At 79

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Record, film and TV producer Bill McEuen died on Sept. 24 in Kona, Hawaii at age 79.
He is best known as the producer and mastermind behind The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s landmark 1971 album Will the Circle Be Unbroken. The record featured the group collaborating with legends of old-time country music. It is now in the Grammy Hall of Fame and is considered to be a foundational work of what became known as Americana Music.

McEuen also produced the Dirt Band’s 1970 hit “Mr. Bojangles,” which is in the Grammy Hall of Fame as well. He managed the group for a time and arranged for it to become the first American band to tour the Soviet Union (1977).

Among his other clients were Pee Wee Herman, Steve Martin, LeRoux, Robert Shimmel, The Sunshine Company, John McEuen and the pre-Allman Brothers rock group Hourglass.
Bill McEuen produced four comedy albums for Steve Martin, which sold an estimated 10 million units. He also produced the comedian’s million-selling 1978 hit single “King Tut,” as well as Martin’s movie The Jerk.

McEuen’s Aspen Film Society company also produced the films Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, Big Top Pee Wee, The Man with Two Brains, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid, The Lonely Guy, Cold Dog Soup and The Big Picture, as well as a number of television specials.

He owned the Aspen Recording Society studio. He is the older brother of recording artist John McEuen, formerly a member of the Dirt Band.

William Eugene “Bill” McEuen is survived by his wife Alice and his brother John McEuen.

Legendary Johnny Cash Drummer W.S. "Fluke" Holland Dies At 85

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W.S. Holland. Photo: Eddie Michel Azoulay

Longtime Johnny Cash sideman W.S. “Fluke” Holland passed away on Wednesday (Sept. 23) in Jackson, Tennessee, at age 85.

Holland was the superstar’s only drummer throughout his career. He joined Cash’s The Tennessee Two in 1960, which prompted the group’s renaming to The Tennessee Three. He played on all of Cash’s hits thereafter, remaining by his side until Cash retired from the road in 1997.

Born in Saltello, Tennessee in 1935, Holland graduated from high school in Jackson in 1953. He began working with fellow Jackson resident Carl Perkins the following year. When Perkins went to Sun Records in Memphis, Holland accompanied him.

He played on all of the classic Perkins Sun Records sides, including “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Honey Don’t,” “Boppin’ the Blues,” “Glad All Over,” “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby” and “Matchbox” in 1956-59. He also played on records by various other Sun artists, including Roy Orbison, Carl Mann and Billy Lee Riley.

He was present at the famed late-1956 Million Dollar Quartet session at Sun, which joined the forces of Perkins, Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley.

Perkins’ increased drinking, a serious automobile accident and waning disc success led to Holland leaving his band in 1959. The following year, Cash hired him to join bassist Marshall Grant and lead guitarist Luther Perkins in his band. Holland’s “train-like” rhythm subsequently became one of the distinguishing elements of Cash’s sound.

His drumming can be heard on “Don’t Take Your Guns to Town,” “Five Feet High and Rising,” “I Got Stripes,” “Ring of Fire,” “Understand Your Man,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Daddy Sang Bass,” “A Boy Named Sue,” “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” “Man in Black,” “One Piece at a Time” and many more Johnny Cash singles. In addition, Holland is on the landmark Cash LPs Live at Folsom Prison (1968) and Live at San Quentin (1969).

He was also on the 1969 Bob Dylan album Nashville Skyline, alongside Cash. Other stars who recorded with Holland include Dale Watson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Western, Marty Stuart, Johnny Horton, Steve Goodman and George Jones.

After 1997, the drummer toured with his own W.S. Holland Band, extending his career as a working musician to seven decades. He was a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. He has been called the most important drummer in country-music history.
In 2019, Holland published his autobiography, entitled Behind The Man in Black: The WS Holland Story. He died of congestive heart failure.

W.S. Fluke Holland is survived by his wife Joyce Lindsey Holland, daughters Kim Holland Lovelace and Krista Holland. The family will receive friends for a visitation on Saturday at West Jackson Baptist Church from 10 a.m. until noon with the funeral beginning at noon. He will be buried at Ridgecrest Cemetery.

Memorial donations can be made in his honor to either West Jackson’s Hartland Ministry or YouthTown of Tennessee.

Rock/Country Showman Roy Head Dies At 79

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Rocker Roy Head, who later forged a long career in country music, died Monday morning (Sept. 21) at age 79.

Head is best known for his 1965 pop/rock hit “Treat Her Right.” He was a wild, unpredictable showman whose stage performances were legendary. Between 1974 and 1986 he placed 24 singles on the country charts.

He grew up in East Texas, influenced by the musicians in the Black community around him, his mother’s Ernest Tubb records and the weekly broadcasts of The Louisiana Hayride.

Head recorded a few rockabilly tunes, then broke through with the R&B barn burner “Treat Her Right.” The single rose to the upper reaches of the charts, prevented from hitting No. 1 by The Beatles’ “Yesterday.”

The song became a big country hit for Barbara Mandrell in 1971. “Treat Her Right” was also covered by Jerry Lee Lewis, Billy “Crash” Craddock, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Mae West, Robert Plant, Tom Jones, Otis Redding, George Thorogood, The Box Tops, Doug Sahm, Sandy Nelson, Joe Stampley and Los Straightjackets.

Head’s version was heard on the soundtracks of the 1991 movie The Commitments and Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

“Apple of My Eye” was the follow-up top 40 hit in late 1965. A string of releases on Back Beat, Scepter and Mercury ensued in 1966-71. Future rock star Johnny Winter got his start in Head’s band The Traits.

It was during this time that Roy Head built his reputation as a microphone-slinging, frantic, manic, back-flipping, leg-splitting stage wild man. Vocal shrieks and enthusiastic shouts accompanied his gymnastic dancing. Head’s offstage exploits were equally colorful, and Head’s re-telling of them was invariably embellished.

When his pop/rock career faded, Head turned his attention to country music.
He made his debut on the country charts with Mickey Newbury’s tune “Baby’s Not Home” in 1974. The following year, he scored his first country hit, “The Most Wanted Woman in Town.” It cracked the top 20 and became a top 10 hit on the Canadian country charts.

Head had his two biggest country hits in 1977-78, “Come to Me” and “Now You See ‘Em Now You Don’t.” Both were top 20 hits on ABC/Dot Records.

Other notable singles included his country versions of Rod Stewart’s “Tonight’s the Night” (1978) and Loggins & Messina’s “Your Mama Don’t Dance” (1983). Roy Head remained a Houston music legend into the 1990s and beyond. He retained his reputation as an electrifying showman into his senior years, and continued to be an entertaining raconteur.

Son Sundance Head was a finalist on American Idol in 2006, then won on The Voice in 2016. That led to the top 10 country hit “Darlin’ Don’t Lie” and a remake of his father’s “Treat Her Right” as a duet with Blake Shelton.

Roy Head was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of fame in 2007. He is survived by his wife Carolyn, son Jason (Sundance), daughter-in-law Misty, and three grandchildren. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.