Buzz Cason. Photo: Courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Buzz Cason, a key figure in Nashville’s emergence as a music center, passed away on Sunday, June 16, at age 84.

He made his mark as a studio owner, music publisher, artist, songwriter, session vocalist, record producer and industry leader. Cason founded Nashville’s first rock & roll band, co-wrote the pop evergreen “Everlasting Love,” was a hit recording artist, founded Creative Workshop studio, sang national ad jingles and was an ombudsman for Nashville music.

Born James E. Cason, he was a Nashville native who formed The Casuals as a high-school student in 1956. This was Nashville’s first rock & roll band. The group had a regional hit in 1957 with “My Love Song for You,” then became the backup group for the first global pop star, Brenda Lee, in 1958-70. The Casuals continued to record its own singles for Monument, Mainstream, Kem, Sound Stage 7, Minaret, Scarlet and other labels in the 1960s.

In addition to recording with The Casuals, he formed a doo-wop harmony group called The Statues. The group charted with “Blue Velvet” in 1960. Cason’s solo vocal pop hit was 1960’s “Look For a Star,” released as by “Garry Miles.” The Casuals continued to tour with Lee, but Cason left the group in 1962. He briefly relocated to L.A., where he co-produced The Crickets with Leon Russell. Then he toured with the group in 1964, while producing artists for Liberty Records.

Cason returned to Nashville in 1965 and became a member of Ronny & The Daytonas. He co-wrote the group’s hit 1965 ballad “Sandy.” He then formed a duo with “Ronny,” who was Bucky Wilkin. They recorded as “Buzz & Bucky” for the Amy and Monument labels. Throughout this same period, Cason also recorded as a solo artist for Caprice, Janus, DJM, Mega, Warners and Capricorn, among others. He issued Buzz as an LP in 1977. Two years later came his Caught Up in a Dream collection. By then, he had established himself as a hit songwriter. In addition to “Sandy,” Cason was behind “Tennessee” (1962, Jan & Dean), “Soldier of Love” (1963, The Beatles), “Popsicle” (1966, Jan & Dean), “Rainbow Valley” (1968, Love Affair), “Ann Don’t Go Runnin’” (1972, Tommy Overstreet), “Love on a Mountaintop” (1973, Robert Knight) and “Another Woman” (1975, T.G. Sheppard).

Cason became a businessman, too. In 1966, he formed a song-publishing company with fellow songwriter Bobby Russell. They struck paydirt with “Honey” (Bobby Goldsboro), “The Joker Went Wild” (Bryan Hyland), “Little Green Apples” (Roger Miller, O.C. Smith), “Sure Gonna Miss Her” (Gary Lewis & The Playboys), “Bluer Than Blue” (Michael Johnson), “She Believes in Me” (Kenny Rogers) and more. He discovered Jimmy Buffett, cowrote with the future star and published his early songs. In 1984, Buffett brought his entire hit Coral Reefer catalog to Cason for publishing administration.

In 1970, Cason built Creative Workshop in Berry Hill. This established the suburb as an alternative entertainment district to Music Row. There are now more than 40 recording operations in the neighborhood. Among those who have recorded at Creative Workshop are The Faces with Rod Stewart, Olivia Newton-John, The Judds, Emmylou Harris, Merle Haggard, The Doobie Brothers, Leon Russell, Melanie and Dolly Parton.

As a studio vocalist, Cason sang ad jingles for such national brands as R.C. Cola, Schlitz, Ford, Tab, Pabst, Burger King, Mountain Dew, HBO and 7-Up. He was a backup singer on records by Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, John Denver, Kenny Rogers, Kris Kristofferson, Roy Orbison, Janie Fricke, B.W. Stevenson, Donna Fargo, Willie Nelson and Conway Twitty. He was the voice of “Alvin” on several Chipmunks records. As a producer, he worked with Freddy Weller, Dickey Lee, The Glaser Brothers, Buddy Knox and Mac Garden. Cason produced “She Shot a Hole in My Soul” for Clifford Curry in 1967. Released on Cason’s Elf label, it became a “beach music” classic in the Carolinas.

He and Gayden cowrote “Everlasting Love.” Nashville soul singer Robert Knight introduced the song in 1967 on Cason’s Rising Sons record label. It has subsequently become successful for Carl Carlton (1974), Rex Smith & Rachel Sweet (1981) and Gloria Estefan (1995). The song has now logged more than five million plays, according to BMI.Songwriting success continued with “Bar Wars” (1978, Freddy Weller), “Fantasy Island” (1979, Freddy Weller), “A Million Old Goodbyes” (1981, Mel Tillis) and “Timeless and True Love” (The McCarter Sisters, Jeannie Kendall & Alan Jackson). His songs have also been recorded by Charley Pride, Arthur Alexander, Marshall Crenshaw, U2, Pearl Jam, The Oak Ridge Boys, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jerry Reed, Dolly Parton, Rick Nelson, Bobby Vee, Gene Watson, The Fleetwoods, Freddy Cannon, Placido Domingo, The Derailers, Tommy Roe, Hanson, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and David Essex, among others.

Meanwhile, Cason continued to record, himself. During the 1980s, he formed the neo-rockabilly, good-time band B.C. & The Dartz. He established his I’m Into Video production company to create the group’s music videos. Cason was also a race-car driver who competed via the International Motor Sports Association. He formed a team called Music City Racing.

He remained musically active into the new millennium. Cason and Tom Douglas co-wrote “Love’s the Only House,” and it became a top-10 hit for Martina McBride in 2000. In 2004, Cason published his memoir, Living the Rock-n-Roll Dream. His solo albums during this period included Hats Off to Hank (2008), Busload of Love (2009), Surf and Turf (2012), Troubadour Heart (2014), Record Machine (2015), Passion (2017) and his collaboration with Billy Swan, Billy & Buzz Sing Buddy (2018). With his children Taylor and Parker, he issued the album Buzz Cason & Sons 2020. In 2019, The Nashville Film Festival showcased the documentary Berry Hill: From Creative Workshop and Beyond, highlighting his career.

Cason’s death was announced by The Country Music Hall of Fame yesterday (June 16). The museum had honored him in its “Poets & Prophets” series in 2014. He is survived by wife Vickie, daughters Tammy Cason, Kristy Cason and Leah Ball Steen, sons Taylor and Parker, nine grandchildren and a large extended family.

A visitation will take place on Thursday, June 20 from 1–3 p.m. CT at Williamson Memorial Funeral Home in Franklin, Tennessee. A memorial service will be held on Friday, June 21, from 1–2 p.m. CT at Forest Hills Baptist Church. Cason’s burial will be private.