Folk Music Legend Doc Watson Passes

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Highly influential guitarist, singer, and songwriter Doc Watson passed away yesterday (5/29) at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC, following colon surgery. He was 89.

Born Arthel Lane Watson in Deep Gap, NC, he was bestowed with the nickname “Doc” during a live broadcast when the announcer said he should have an easy nickname and an audience member shouted out “Call him Doc!” The name stuck with him the rest of his life.

Watson was blind since before he was one year old, and attended North Carolina’s school for the visually impaired in Raleigh. When he was 13, he taught himself how to play “When The Roses Bloom in Dixieland” on a borrowed guitar, and his father bought him a $12 Stella as reward.

In 1947, he married Rosa Lee Carlton, daughter of fiddler Gaither Carlton, and they had two children Eddy Merle and Nancy Ellen. Watson’s first paying gigs were with a local rockabilly/swing band, but he became a full-time professional with the folk/traditional music revival of the 1960s. His self-titled solo debut appeared in 1964, and he was represented until his passing by Folklore Productions.

Watson and his son Merle began touring together in the late 1960s, with Merle playing guitar and banjo in addition to serving as driver. During this time the pair began to reach a worldwide audience, helped by collaborations with Flatt & Scruggs, Chet Atkins and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Merle passed away in 1985 after an accident on the family farm, but his legacy has been carried on with the annual MerleFest music festival in Wilkesboro, NC.

Over the course of his career, Watson recorded more than 50 albums and won eight Grammy Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Grammy. He was also a recipient of the National Medal of Arts, and a National Heritage Fellowship. In 2011, a life-size statue of Watson was unveiled in Boone, NC on the spot where he used to play for tips. At his request, the statue’s inscription reads “Just One of the People.”

His unique and innovative style of guitar picking influenced scores of guitarists who followed, and his repertoire of American music was vast. President Bill Clinton said, in awarding Watson the National Medal of Arts, “There may not be a serious, committed Baby Boomer alive who didn’t at some point in his or her youth try to spend a few minutes at least trying to learn to pick a guitar like Doc Watson.”

He is survived by his wife Rosa Lee, daughter Nancy Ellen, grandchildren Richard Watson and Karen Watson Norris, several great-grandchildren, and brother David Watson.

Private funeral arrangements are pending.

Lifenotes

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MusicRow extends condolences to Dale Turner on the death of his mother, and Suzanne Gordon on the passing of her father.

Atrell B. Thornell Turner, mother of radio and promotion vet Dale Turner, passed away May 21, 2012. She was 86 and lived in Lake City, Arkansas. The funeral will be at 2 p.m. on Sat., May 26 at the Emerson Memorial Chapel in nearby Jonesboro, Ark. Burial will follow at Monette Cemetery. Visitation will be Friday evening from 6-8 p.m. at Emerson Funeral Home in Jonesboro. www.emersonfuneralhome.com

• • • •

James Richard Cox, father of GAC VP/Programming Suzanne Gordon, passed away May 22, 2012 in Oklahoma at the age of 83. A well-known educator and jazz musician and composer, Cox toured and performed with many musical greats including Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Torme, Buddy Rich, Pete Fountain and Henry Mancini. The famly will receive friends Thurs., May 24 from 5-7 p.m. at Freeman Harris Funeral Home in Tulsa and a memorial service will be held Friday, May 25 at 11 a.m. at Carbondale Assembly of God Church. www.freemanharris.com

Doug Dillard Passes Away

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Photo: Alan Mayor

Banjo player Doug Dillard passed away yesterday (5/16) at a Nashville, TN emergency room. He was 75 years old.

Dillard was born in Salem, MO in 1937. Signed to Elektra Records in the early 1960’s, Dillard and his band (The Dillards) appeared multiple times on The Andy Griffith Show as fictional family band the “Darlings.”

After that, Dillard joined the Byrds on the group’s European Tour, eventually partnering with former Byrds member Gene Clark to perform as the duo Dillard & Clark.

He was inducted into the IBMA Hall of Fame in 2009.

Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced.

Industry Ink (5/17/12)

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NASH2O, a charity organized by George Gruhn, luthier Joe Glaser, and steel guitarist/producer Bruce Bouton in the wake of the 2010 May floods, recently donated $36,000 to two regional fire service organizations to purchase water rescue equipment. The money was raised by an auction of flood-damaged instruments from top artists, which were sold as collector pieces. The group also received a $10,000 grant by Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company and Frost Specialty.

• MusicRow offers sincere condolences to photographer Alan Mayor on the passing of his mother, Rosemary Fulmer Mayor of Clarksville. She was 86 and died Sun., May 13, 2012. She spent over 30 years working in the Montgomery County School system and was preceded in death by her husband, Lt. Col Albert Mayor Jr. USAF. She is survived by daughter Theresa Mayor Smith (Lee) of Cadiz; sons Alan Leslie Mayor of Nashville, and Kenneth Albert Mayor of Clarksville; and two grandchildren.

Visitation will be at 1 p.m. today (5/17) until the funeral service at 3 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church in Clarksville. Burial will be tomorrow (5/18) at 10 a.m. at Kentucky Veterans Cemetery West. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Grace Lutheran Church’s Rosemary Fulmer Mayor College Scholarship Fund, or Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. Arrangements are in care of Neal-Tarpley-Parchman Funeral Home, 1510 Madison Street, Clarksville, TN 37040; (931) 645-6488. Online condolences may be made at www.neal-tarpley.com.

• The National Music Publishers’ Association‘s annual meeting in New York City will be June 13, 2012, from 4–6 p.m. at the Marriott Marquis’ Astor Ballroom, 1535 Broadway, New York, NY. For registration contact Jamie Marotta at jmarotta@nmpa.org.

• Abacast, a provider of cloud-based streaming and ad management services to the radio industry, and SESAC have entered a partnership whereby SESAC will offer Abacast services to its new Radio Website licensees. SESAC will promote Abacast’s Clarity™ Digital Radio System to prospective radio licensees that launch new streaming ventures. Under this program, terrestrial radio stations that launch new streaming ventures with Abacast and license with SESAC will qualify for special introductory discounts from both organizations.

• New West Records has launched an imprint based in Athens, GA named Normaltown Records. The label’s first two Athens based signings Kalen Nash and White Violet, will be joined by labelmate Daniel Romano, a Juno Award winner, for a show in Nashville at the High Watt at Mercy Lounge on June 12. Select songs are available for free download at normaltownrecords.com.

• Changes to state law made during the 107th General Assembly will mean $2 million in anticipated funding for the state’s film incentive program, administered by the Tennessee Film Entertainment and Music Commission (TFEMC). In addition, reforms to the state’s film funding grant formula will give smaller, indigenous film productions access to a larger share of available grant dollars. Under the new program, projects with budgets over $200,000 will be eligible to receive grants equal to 25 percent of their qualified Tennessee expenditures. Previously, the combined grant and tax credit system awarded a 17 percent grant and 15 percent refundable tax credit only to productions with budgets over $1 million.

Starlite Nightclub Founder Passes

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Mary King

Mary King, the founder of Nashville’s oldest continuously operating nightclub, has died at age 91.

Known as “Sis,” Ms. King was the owner and manager of The Starlite Dinner Club. She built it on a former cow pasture in East Nashville and opened it on Christmas Eve, 1952. The nightclub is still going strong, having entertained generations of Nashvillians with its country-dancing format and hearty dinner menus. The Starlite remains at its original location, 3976 Dickerson Pike.

Mary Frances Garner King was a native Nashvillian. She is survived by her sons Roger Keefer and Lonnie Dale Garner and daughter Patricia Garner Frensley. She was preceded in death by her fourth child, son Timothy Joseph King.

Other survivors include six grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

Ms. King died of complications from Alzheimer’s on Wednesday, May 9. Her Starlite Dinner Club will celebrate its 60th anniversary on Dec. 24, 2012.

A celebration of Mary King’s life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday at the chapel of the Spring Hill Funeral Home, and interment will follow in Spring Hill Cemetery. Visitation hours with the family are on Thursday, 4-8:00 p.m. and on Friday, 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Spring Hill Funeral Home and Cemetery are at 5110 Gallatin Pike. Memorial contributions should be made to the Alzheimer’s Association at alzheimers.org.

Bradley Collier Passes [Updated]

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Bradley Collier

MusicRow extends sincere condolences to publicist Susan Collier and her family on the passing of son Bradley Aaron Collier. He was 35 and died May 2, 2012, in a motorcycle accident on Woodlawn Drive in Nashville.

Collier, a former Marine, was the recipient of a Medal of Valor and a Purple Heart. He was severely injured during his 2004 tour of duty in Iraq.

He was interviewed by The Tennessean in November 2011 for an article about veteran medical care.

He is survived by his mother Susan, father Rex, brother Christian, and stepmother Malvina Collier, all of Nashville, plus numerous extended family members in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana.

A family and friends visitation will be held at West Harpeth Funeral Home (6962 Charlotte Pike) on Monday, May 7, 4 – 7 pm; and on Tuesday, May 8, 10 – 11 am with a Celebration of Life service at 11 am. Burial Service will take place May 8 at 1 pm at Middle Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery on McCrory Lane, with a reception to follow at 2:30 pm at Brookmeade Congregational Church.

Attorney Fred Wilhelms Passes

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Entertainment attorney Frederick “Fred” Wilhelms III passed away at his Nashville home on April 24, 2012 following a yearlong fight with pancreatic cancer. He was 62.

Born in Elizabeth, NJ, he graduated from Lafayette College and Vermont Law School.

He is survived by wife of 14 years, Teri; brother, Kip Wilhelms (Dolores); sister, Linda; daughters Erica Haas (Rob) and Rebecca Douglas (Matt), and grandchildren Caroline and Charlie.

Read a blog about him here.

Memorial donations may be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network at pancan.org. Services by Nashville Funeral and Cremation Service (615) 256-1605.

 

Yodeler Kenny Roberts Passes

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Famed country yodeler Kenny Roberts has died at age 85. His death was reported on Sunday, April 29. He was known as “Yodeling Kenny Roberts” and as “America’s King of the Yodelers.”

Roberts was a radio star at KMOX in St. Louis, the CBS Saturday morning show Barnyard Frolics, The Hoosier Hop in Ft. Wayne, IN, the WCOP Hayloft Jamboree in Boston and The Midwestern Hayride in Cincinnati. He also starred in his own television kiddie program The Kenny Roberts Show on WNEM-TV in Saginaw, MI in the 1960s, as well as earlier on WLW-TV in Cincinnati.

He was a recording artist for the Vogue, Coral/Decca, Palomino and Longhorn labels in 1945-1985. His biggest hits included “I Never See Maggie Alone” (1949), “Wedding Bells” (1949), “Jealous Heart” (1949) and “Choc’late Ice Cream Cone” (1950), all on Coral. Roberts also popularized such songs as “River of Tears,” “I’ve Got the Blues,” “Yodel Polka,” “She Taught Me to Yodel,” “Hillbilly Style” and “Cheer Up, Things Could be Worse.”

He helped launch the career of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Bill Haley, who was in his Down Homers country band in 1946.

During his long career, Kenny Roberts appeared on the network television programs Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts and The Today Show.

MusicRow sends condolences to his family. He is the father of music executives Bobby Roberts (The Bobby Roberts Company) and Jeff Roberts (Jeff Roberts & Associates). He is also survived by seven other children, 19 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. Kenny Roberts passed away at his home in Athol, Massachusetts. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Dick Clark Passes Away

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Photo: Associated Press

Broadcast and entertainment legend Dick Clark passed away today (4/18) in Los Angeles following a heart attack, according to numerous reports. He was 82. The beloved host of the long-running American Bandstand, Clark’s contributions helped spread the popularity of rock & roll in the US and gave the world favorite TV shows like The 25,000 Pyramid and New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.

Born Richard Wagstaff Clark, he was also a savvy businessman whose empire extended to restaurants, film and played an important role in the development of country music. He launched his company Dick Clark Productions in 1957, which currently produces the Academy of Country Music Awards.

Clark’s relationship with the ACM spans over 40 years, dating back to 1965 when the organization was first trying to produce an awards show and get it televised.

“Dick stepped in and helped us get the show on TV, and actually hosted the show starting in 1969,” says ACM CEO Bob Romeo. “Eventually he became executive producer of the show. A relationship followed where the ACM entered into a contract with Dick Clark Productions to produce our Awards show.”

The relationship with the Clark family continues to this day, as the show’s executive producer role is now overseen by Dick’s son Richard A. (RAC) Clark II.

Romeo recalls the intimidation he felt over his first meeting with Clark.

“Before I became CEO I was chairman of the board for several years,” says Romeo. “When I was elected, one of my first duties was to go negotiate with Dick Clark on a new TV contract. Here I am, 30 years old, don’t know anything about the TV business and I’m going to walk in and have a meeting with Dick Clark. I’ll never forget the feeling. But Dick had the ability to just make me feel welcome and we talked through the issues and resolved a new deal. I felt in that moment that I had a lot to learn about the business and, you know what, I had some good teachers.”

More recently, the ACM entered into a contract with Dick Clark Productions as a full partner of the show. Earlier in 2012, the ACM, Dick Clark Productions and CBS renewed their association for another 10 years.

Curb Records founder and music industry veteran Mike Curb also had a longstanding association with Clark, and sent the following statement upon hearing the news.

“I had the opportunity to work with Dick Clark for 50 years, beginning when I wrote the theme for American Bandstand. He has clearly been the most important figure during my lifetime in the industry.”

The Dick Clark Productions official Twitter posted the following earlier:

“Dick Clark was a pioneer, entrepreneur, showman, icon, legend. The first to truly integrate music and TV. We will march on with his vision.”

Journalist Pat Harris Passes Away in Nashville

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Nashville journalist Pat Harris passed away Saturday (4/14) of natural causes at her daughter’s Nashville home. She was 88.

A native of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Harris held numerous roles during her lengthy career, including serving as Reuters News Service’s middle Tennessee reporter for nearly three decades up until about a year ago. She was also a Time magazine correspondent for over 25 years, and wrote a weekly entertainment feature for Chicago Sun Times and a monthly column for Music City News. Additionally, her work appeared in the Wall Street Journal and the Christian Science Monitor.

The veteran scribe got her start with International News Service in Chicago after finishing high school, later moving to the Springfield, Ill. office after INS merged with United Press International, where she served as bureau manager.

Harris was also the Chicago press aide for Governor Adlai Stevenson during his presidential campaign against Dwight Eisenhower. She later wrote a book called Adlai: The Springfield Years, which was published in 1975.

Harris arrived Nashville in 1965 when her husband accepted a job at The Tennessean. She worked for the TN Education Department for 12 years, handling PR, writing speeches, and editing the Trailblazer magazine.

Harris is survived by her daughter Barbara and numerous friends. A private celebration of her life will be held later. Those close to Harris, who was a lover and advocate of animals, request memorial contributions be made to ASPCA, or local organizations like Happy Tales, Love at First Sight, or Nashville Humane Association.