Lifenotes: Hit Songwriter / Sideman X. Lincoln Passes

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candle lifenotes11Aries X. Lincoln, who made his mark as a touring band member and songwriter in Country music, has died of liver cancer at age 76.
He is perhaps best known as the co-writer of “Goin’ Down Hill” with John Anderson. In 1983, this top-10 hit was the follow-up single to Anderson’s signature song “Swingin.’”
Lincoln was born Billy Lee Tubb in San Antonio, TX. His family moved to Nashville, and he attended Donelson High School. He is the brother of hit country songwriter Glenn Douglas Tubb, the cousin of Grand Ole Opry star Justin Tubb and the nephew of Country Music Hall of Fame member Ernest Tubb.
After performing in the rockabilly act The Tubb Brothers and recording as “Ronny Wade” for King Records, he became a regular in Nashville nightspots such as Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge. He also recorded for Dot Records.
Lincoln toured as a sideman with Bob Luman, Roger Miller, Sheb Wooley, Hank Williams Jr., LeRoy Van Dyke, Sammi Smith, George Jones, Deborah Allen and others.
A bass player and guitarist, he joined the John Anderson Band in 1981 and remained with the group until 2000.
X. Lincoln, which was his legal billing, is survived by wife Connie, daughter Victoria Leigh Tubb, stepdaughter Lynda Joyce Kerney, grandsons Bryce Louis Planchard and Jesse Drew Planchard,  brother Glenn Douglas Tubb and sisters Betty Tubb Drozer, Loretta Tubb Jordan and Marietta Tubb Raiber, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
A memorial jam session will be held at the AFM office, 11 Music Circle North, on Sunday, Oct. 13.

Lifenotes: Musician, Author Barry McCloud Passes

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Barry McCloud

Barry McCloud


Barry McCloud, best known as the author of Definitive Country, has died at age 70.
McCloud died on Sept. 26. His book Definitive Country: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Country Music and its Performers was first published in 1995 and remains one of the genre’s essential reference works. He was also a journalist, a photographer, a songwriter, a record producer and an educator. He taught at Belmont University.
McCloud was born and raised in England. He became a performer at age four. As a teenager, he took up the guitar and played in jazz, rock, folk and country bands.
In the 1960s, he operated the largest folk talent agency in the U.K. In the 1970s, he became a booking agent for such bands as Mungo Jerry, Humble Pie and Fleetwood Mac. During this same period, he became a popular disco DJ.
He also fronted the rockabilly band Barry McCloud and His Blue Tears. His British country band was called The Bounty Hunters. His singles have included “Lady Rodeo Rider” and “No Problem.”
McCloud began concentrating on songwriting in the 1980s. His collaborators have included Buddy Cannon, Fred Koller, Don Goodman, Jeff Tweel and Karen Taylor-Good.
He moved to Nashville in 1992. He has operated Barry McCloud Management & Productions for the past 17 years. His Blue Mountain Photography Studio has been in business for the past eight years. He formerly managed Nashville guitar great Muriel Anderson. As a journalist, he has written for Country Song Roundup, Tour Guide Journal and MusicRow. He has also written liner notes for Rhino Records, Varese Sarabande, Scotti Brothers and Readers Digest. He has produced records for the rock band Mr. Blister, bluegrass performer Jimmy Bowen, singer Kacie Edwards and folk artist Terry Duggins.
McCloud worked on his book for more than a decade before publishing it. His widow plans to publish his photographs of country-music celebrities in a coffee-table book.
At the 2008 International Country Music Conference at Belmont, Barry McCloud was presented with the Charlie Lamb Lifetime Achievement Award.
He was a member of the Nashville Association of Talent Directors, the Recording Academy, the International Entertainment Buyers Association and Meeting Professionals International.
Barry McCloud is survived by his wife Tricia Miller McCloud, sons Elliott Saville and Alex Saville, two grandchildren and two step grandchildren. Plans for a jam session in his memory are still being finalized.

America's Last Medicine-Show Performer Tommy Scott Dies At 96

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Tommy Scott

Ramblin’ Tommy Scott


Ramblin’ Tommy Scott, billed as America’s last medicine-show performer, was buried on Friday, Oct. 4, in his hometown of Toccoa, Ga.
The 96-year-old Scott died on Sept. 30 as a result of injuries he sustained in an automobile accident on Aug. 10. He was a singer, songwriter, ventriloquist, comic, actor and show business entrepreneur.
He began his career on local radio in Georgia in 1933. When a medicine-show wagon stopped in Toccoa in 1936, Scott jumped aboard. It was a show that had been launched in 1890 by “Doc” M.F. Chamberlain. When Chamberlain retired, he turned the enterprise and its medicinal formulas over to Scott.
Using music and comedy, Scott sold the liniment Snake Oil, the tonic Vim Herb and the laxatives Herb-O-Lac and Man-O-Ree for decades.
Tommy Scott moved to North Carolina in 1938 to perform on WPTF radio in Raleigh. On WWVA in Wheeling, WV he was billed as“Rambling Scotty” when he fronted Charlie Monroe’s band The Kentucky Pardners. He moved to WSM and its Grand Ole Opry in 1940.
Back in Georgia, Scott became a country TV pioneer with the production of The Ramblin’ Tommy Scott Show in 1948. He later had the syndicated television series Smokey Mountain Jamboree.
In 1949, Scott starred in the movie Trail of the Hawk. Other films he appeared in include Mountain Capers, Hillbilly Harmony and Southern Hayride.
Tommy Scott recorded for such labels as King, Rich-R-Tone, Macy and Four Star. In the 1940s, he founded his own Katona Records company.
During his career, he wrote more than 500 songs, including the bluegrass favorite “You Are the Rainbow of My Dreams.” His most successful song was “Rosebuds and You.” It became a regional success for him in 1950, and was also recorded by George Morgan,The Willis Brothers and Red Sovine. Fiddler/singer Benny Martin had a country hit with the song when he revived it in 1963.
In the 1970s, Scott began billing himself as “Doc” and reemphasizing his medicine-show roots. He marketed a TV album and was featured by such national broadcasters as Walter Cronkite, Charles Kuralt, Ralph Emery, Oprah Winfrey and David Letterman. Scott made multiple appearances on The Today Show and Entertainment Tonight. He brought his show to Nashville’s Fan Fair celebration in 1977.
Over the years, “Doc Scott’s Last Real Old Time Medicine Show” featured such stars as Stringbean, Curley Seckler, Carolina Cotton, Johnny Mack Brown, Ray Whitley and Randall Franks. Franks directed a 2001 PBS special about Scott’s life titled Still Ramblin.’ He also co-wrote Scott’s 2007 autobiography Snake Oil, Superstars and Me.
Ramblin’ Tommy Scott is a member of the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame. He was pre-deceased by his wife and co-star Mary Frank “Frankie” Thomas Scott. He is survived by daughter Sandra Scott Whitworth, sister Cleo Scott Cheek, nephew Benny Cheek, granddaughter Pam Lawson and great-grandchildren Craig and Corey Lawson.

Percussionist Tommy Wells Dies at 62

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Tommy Wells

Tommy Wells


Percussionist Tommy Wells passed away Tuesday evening (Sept. 24) after a brain aneurysm. He was 62.
Wells received his first drum kit before he was in his teens; In 1969, he attended Berklee College of Music, before returning to Detroit to perform with groups Dust and First Gear. He also did studio work in Detroit at GM Recording, Pampa, United, Golden World, The Funk Factory and MoTown. He then moved to Nashville in 1977, where he toured and recorded with Gene Cotton and American Ace, as wells as rock group RPM.
Wells’ credits included performing with Charlie Daniels, Ricky Van Shelton, Charley Pride, Porter Wagoner, Roy Clark, The Statler Brothers, and  Foster & Lloyd, among others.
A memorial service will be held Thursday, Oct. 3 at Jay’s Place Recording Studio (located at 1508 17th Ave. S.) beginning at 5 p.m.

Lifenotes: Country Songwriter Buck Moore Dies

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buckmooreSinger-songwriter Buck Moore died in a tree-cutting accident in Idaho earlier this month (Sept. 10) at the age of 79. Moore is perhaps best known for Tracy Lawrence‘s 2005 hit “Paint Me A Birmingham.” He also penned songs for Randy Travis (“The Box,” co-written with Travis), Mo Bandy and Jo Stampley (“Holding The Bag”) Tammy Wynette (“The Note”) and others.
Born on January 3, 1934 to George Moore and Margaret (Warren) Moore in Arnold, Nebraska, he moved with his family to Emmett, Idaho at the young age of 6 months. In 1936 the family moved to Coeur d’Alene, ID, where he attended the Rimrock country school and later graduated from Rathdrum High School in 1952. He married Darlene Hogue with whom he had three sons, Rodney, Jeff, and Marty who all preceded him in death. He later married Virginia Harms and they had one son, Todd.
He loved to race snowmobiles and claimed the title as North American Champion three different years. He also raced motorcycles and loved anything that went fast. He loved the outdoors and was an avid hunter and fisherman, making yearly trips to Alaska to fish for salmon.
Buck loved music from a very young age, played the guitar and could sing and yodel. In the ’70s he moved to Nashville and began his career as a songwriter.
Buck leaves behind one son, Todd Moore, his loving companion and best friend, Michelle Bryner, seven grandchildren, five great grandchildren, brother William (Bill) Moore and sister, Arlene (Moore) Galovic. Another sister, Mary (Moore) Dalby, preceded him in death as well as his parents, George and Margaret Moore.
The family invites his friends and loved ones to join in remembering Buck on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013 at Sun Aire Estates from 1:00-4:00 pm.
 
 

Lifenotes: Country Artist Marvin Rainwater Passes

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RainwaterMarvin Rainwater, a country star of the 1950s, died Tuesday, Sept. 17, in Minneapolis, MN. He died of heart failure at age 88, according to The New York Times. His “Gonna Find Me a Bluebird” was a No. 3 country smash and a top-20 pop hit in 1957.
Born in Wichita, KS and raised in Kansas and Oklahoma, Rainwater was trained as a classical pianist, even though his family listened to the Grand Ole Opry. He switched to country music when he was homesick and serving in the Navy during World War II.
His first brush with success was as a songwriter. “I Gotta Go Get My Baby,” which he wrote in 1954, became a modest pop hit for Teresa Brewer and a top-10 country hit for Justin Tubb.
Rainwater rose to fame by winning the Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts TV competition in 1955. This led to him becoming a regular on The Ozark Jubilee TV series.
Signed to MGM Records, he issued “Albino Pink-Eyed Stallion” and “Tennessee Houn’ Dog Yodel” as singles before recording the rockabilly classic “Hot and Cold.”
His biggest hit was his self-penned “Gonna Find Me a Bluebird.” It became a giant country and pop hit in 1957. Around the same time, Faron Young had a major hit with the Rainwater penned “I Miss You Already (And You’re Not Even Gone).” This song was successfully revived by Billy Joe Royal in 1988.
Also in 1957, Rainwater’s “Majesty of Love” duet with MGM ingénue Connie Francis became the future pop star’s first charted single. His solo single, “Whole Lotta Woman,” became a No. 1 record in the U.K. in 1958. Lynn Redgrave later sang this song in the 1966 film Georgie Girl. Rainwater wrote it, as well as his country charting “So You Think You’ve Got Troubles.”
He also wrote “I Dig You Baby,” which became his second British hit. Meanwhile, “Nothin’ Means Nothin’” returned him to the country charts in the U.S. in late 1958.
Rainwater’s final appearance on the country hit parade was in 1959 with “Half-Breed.” It was written by John D. Loudermilk, who also wrote Rainwater’s “The Pale-Faced Indian (Lament of the Cherokee Nation).” This 1960 Rainwater single turned out to have a very long life. Don Fardon re-recorded it as “Indian Reservation” and had a pop hit with it in 1968. The Raiders revived it to become an even bigger pop hit in 1971. Then it was incorporated into Tim McGraw’s 1994 country smash “Indian Outlaw.”
Although Rainwater was frequently photographed in beaded headbands and buckskin jackets and was publicized as an “Indian,” he was not Native American.
Due to constant touring, he lost his voice. MGM dropped him in 1961. He later recorded for Warwick, United Artists and Warner Bros., and also formed his own label, Brave Records.
His other business ventures included backing the early country fan magazine Trail in 1958. He also had a studio and a publishing company. But by the 1980s, he was living in a trailer in rural Minnesota.
Germany’s Bear Family Records put out a boxed set of his works in 1992. Marvin Rainwater continued to tour until 2011.
He is survived by his wife Sheree Kay Christensen Rainwater, by sons Jim and Wade and by daughters Judie, Barbie and Laura. Sister and sometime MGM duet partner Patty Rainwater and brother Bob also survive him, as do 11 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and five great-great grandchildren.

Lifenotes: Musician and Audio Innovator Bill West Passes

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Bill West

Bill West


Steel guitarist, songwriter and audio innovator Bill West died on Thursday, Sept. 19, at age 80.
Born William Morris West Jr., he was raised in Nashville. After graduating from Hume-Fogg High School, he enrolled at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville to pursue an electrical engineering degree. By then, he was already proficient on pedal steel guitar.
While in Cookeville, he met aspiring country singer-songwriter Dorothy Marie Marsh. They married in 1952, and he worked in her band throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
As Dottie West (1932-1991), she became a big hit singer and a Grand Ole Opry star. She and Bill co-wrote her Grammy Award winning “Here Comes My Baby” (1964). The Wests also co-wrote her hits “Would You Hold It Against Me” (1966), “Mommy, Can I Still Call Him Daddy” (1966) and “What’s Come Over My Baby” (1967), as well as the 1963 Jim Reeves hit “Is This Me.”
Always an experimenter who could reportedly build and fix just about anything, Bill West developed a “talkbox” device. It sent processed vocal sounds through an electric-guitar amplifier. The effect was first heard on fellow steel guitarist Pete Drake’s 1964 hit “Forever.”
Rock artist Joe Walsh was a friend of the Wests. Bill West gave Walsh a prototype of the talkbox and Walsh used it on such hits as 1976’s “Rocky Mountain High.” He later also used it on some songs when he was a member of The Eagles, notably on “Those Shoes” on the million-selling 1979 LP The Long One.
A similar effect can be heard on several hits by Peter Frampton, including 1976’s “Show Me the Way.”
Several of the Wests’ children entered the music business. Daughter Shelly West became a country hit maker of the 1980s and a CMA Award winner as the duet partner of David Frizzell.
Son Kerry West is an audio engineer, both in Music Row studios and at concerts. He tours with stars such as Ronnie Milsap, and has also produced a number of song demos that resulted in big hits.
Son Mo West (1953-2010) was a guitarist and songwriter in the American rock band Thunder. Produced by Kyle Lehning, the group recorded albums for Atlantic Records in the early 1980s.
Bill and Dottie West divorced in 1974. In the 1980s, he continued to perfect his steel guitar sounds. He also performed in the Opryland USA theme park’s long-running stage show “Country Music USA.” He has been retired for several years.
Bill West is survived by his wife Brenda McClure West, by sons Kerry, Dale and Walter, by daughter Shelly West Hood, by six grandchildren and by three great-grandchildren.
A celebration of his life will be at noon today (Monday, Sept. 23) at the chapel of Spring Hill Funeral Home. Internment will follow in Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends from 10 a.m. until the time of the service. Memorial contributions may be made to Alive Hospice.

LifeNotes: R&B Musician DeFord Bailey Jr. Passes

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deford bailey jr1

DeFord Bailey Jr.


DeFord Bailey Jr. died last Sunday, Sept. 15, in his hometown of Nashville. He was 81 years old.
Bailey was a Nashville r&b music mainstay for decades. He was a regular on the nationally syndicated soul TV show Night Train in 1963-68. His backing band on the show included the guitarist who later became known as Jimi Hendrix. The latter’s guitar style was reportedly influenced by Bailey’s.
DeFord Bailey Jr.’s band also became popular in local nightspots such as The Jolly Roger in Printer’s Alley. He continued to perform regionally throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He was a musician at the Opryland USA theme park for a time. DeFord Bailey Jr. was the son of early Grand Ole Opry star and Country Music Hall of Fame member DeFord Bailey (1899-1982). His father was known as “The Harmonica Wizard.” “Junior” was frequently called upon by the media to speak about his legendary father. Junior’s son Carlos Bailey is also a professional musician in Nashville.
DeFord Bailey Jr. is survived by sisters Dezoral and Christine, 10 children, 26 grandchildren and 29 great grandchildren.
Visitation with the family is this afternoon (Sept. 20) until 6 p.m. and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to noon at Terrell Broady Funeral Home, 3855 Clarksville Pike. The funeral will follow tomorrow’s visitation. It will be held at Greater Bethel A.M.E. Church, 1300 South Street. Interment will be in Greenwood Cemetery, which is also where his father is buried.

Singer-Songwriter Vikki Sallee Dillard Passes

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vikki sallee-dillard

Vikki Sallee in vintage publicity photo. Courtesy hillbillyhollywood.com.


Nashville recording artist Vikki Sallee has died at age 72.
The singer-songwriter billed herself as the “Queen of Hillbilly Hollywood” and maintained the hillbillyhollywood website. She was the widow of Bluegrass Hall of Fame member Doug Dillard (1937-2012) of The Dillards.
Vikki Sallee began her singing career over KWHN radio in Ft. Smith, Ark. As a teen, she performed with Bob Luman and Wanda Jackson. Jackson became her mentor, and Sallee sang with the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame member in Las Vegas venues such as The Golden Nugget and The Thunderbird.
She started her recording career on Reprise Records with such singles as “There Goes the Lucky One” and “Favorite Lies.” Moving to Dot Records, she put out “Jimmy Darling,” “Little Wishing Star” and “Wild Angel,” which became her most successful single.
Sallee moved to Nashville in 1969 and signed with Tree Publishing. Loretta Lynn recorded her song “Sometimes I Go Crazy” in 1980.
The songwriter formed her own publishing company and co-wrote her theme song, 1980’s “Hillbilly Hollywood.” It was recorded by Dr. Hook’s Ray Sawyer, among others. It also became the title tune to her final CD.
Vikki Sallee Dillard is survived by sister Bobbie Sallee Rivarde and daughters Kelley Snead and Kristi Ritson, as well as several nieces and nephews. Visitation will be on Saturday, Sept. 21, from 10 a.m. to noon at Harpeth Hills Funeral Home. A Life Celebration service will be held there at noon. Interment will be at Harpeth Hills Memory Garden.

Founder and Director Emeritus of Dolby Laboratories Dies at Age 80

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ray dolby1Dr. Ray Dolby, American inventor of groundbreaking audio technologies, died Thursday, Sept. 12 at his home in San Francisco. He was 80.
Dolby founded Dolby Laboratories in 1965; his pioneering work in noise reduction and surround sound led to the development of numerous state-of-the-art technologies. Dolby Laboratories transformed the entertainment experience from cinema to living room to mobile entertainment. Among Dr. Dolby’s honors are the National Medal of Technology (1997), a Grammy from NARAS (1995), and medals from the Audio Engineering Society (Silver-1971 and Gold-1992) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers Edison Medal (2010).
“Today we lost a friend, mentor and true visionary,” said Kevin Yeaman, President and CEO, Dolby Laboratories. “Ray Dolby founded the company based on a commitment to creating value through innovation and an impassioned belief that if you invested in people and gave them the tools for success they would create great things. Ray’s ideals will continue to be a source of inspiration and motivation for us all.”
Dr. Dolby was born in 1933 in Portland, Ore. He worked in audio and instrumentation projects at Ampex Corporation from 1949 to 1957. In 1957, he received a BS degree in electrical engineering from Stanford. After being awarded a Marshall Scholarship and a National Science Foundation graduate fellowship, he studied at Cambridge University in England. He received a PhD in physics from Cambridge in 1961 and was elected an Honorary Fellow years later in 1983. In 1963, he took a two-year appointment as a United Nations advisor in India, then returned to England in 1965 to found Dolby Laboratories. He was awarded the George C. Marshall Award in 2003; he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in the U.S. and the Royal Academy of Engineers in the UK in 2004.
Dr. Dolby is survived by his wife, Dagmar, his sons, Tom and David, their spouses, Andrew and Natasha, and four grandchildren. A celebration of his life will be held at a later date.