Died On This Date (January 1, 2009) Walter Haynes / Legendary Steel Guitarist
themusicsover Walter Haynes
December 14, 1928 – January 1, 2009
Walter Haynes was a highly respected steel guitarist and songwriter who played on records by the likes of Patsy Cline, JJ Cale, the Everly Brothers, Little Jimmy Dickens and Del Reeves with whom he co-wrote “Girl on the Billboard, a #1 hit for Reeves. As a producer, he worked with Bill Monroe and Marty Robbins, among others. Haynes was 80 when he passed away on January 1, 2009.
Over a career that spanned nearly 40 years, Marty Robbins was one of the most popular country artists of his generation. To escape a home life that was less than ideal, Robbins enlisted in the Navy at the age of 17. And while serving in WWII, he spent much of his down time learning to play the guitar. When he returned home to the states, he pursued his show business career, eventually landing his own local radio show in Phoenix, Arizona. When touring country star, Little Jimmy Dickens guested on Robbins’ show and heard him perform, he helped him get a record deal with Columbia Records. Before long, Robbins was the toast of Nashville and a favorite performer at the Grand Ole Opry. Over the course of his career, Robbins released several charting country hits including his most popular and oft covered, “El Paso,” which won him a Grammy in 1959. He won two more Grammys over the next decade. On December 8, 1982, Marty Robbins died of complications from a cardiac surgery at the age of 57.
