Country

Died On This Date (January 12, 2012) Charlie Collins / Played With Roy Acuff

Charlie Collins
DOB Unknown – January 12, 2012

Charlie Collins was a legendary multi-instrumentalist who is best remembered for playing in Roy Acuff’s band for over 25 years.  It was 1966 when he joined Acuff’s Smokey Mountain Boys, and he remained until Acuff’s passing in 1992.  Collins next joined up with Bashful Brother Oswald with whom he played for many more years. After Oswald passed away in 2002, Collins joined the Grand Ole Opry Dance Band. In fact, until the week prior to his own death, Collins played the Grand Ole Opry nearly every weekend.    Over the years, he graced recordings by the likes of Jim & Jesse McReynolds, Bill Monroe, Sam Bush, Norman Blake, and Mark O’Connor.  Charlie Collins was 78 when he passed away on January 12, 2012.

Thanks to Henk de Bruin at 2+ Printing for the assist.



Died On This Date (January 9, 2009) Jon Hager / One Half Of “Hee Haw’s” The Hager Twins

Jon Hager
August 30, 1941 – January 9, 2009

Jon Hager at right

Jon Hager and his twin brother, Jim Hager, were known collectively as the Hager Twins, a popular singing and comedic duo who  popularized their act on TV’s Hee Haw program from 1968 to 1986.  The twins were still children when they began performing together, and by the time they were teens, they were singing weekly on a local television program.  Since their early days, they opened for such acts as Dolly Parton, Steve Martin and Buck Owens.  They released six albums over the course of their career, accounting for a few moderately successful country singles along the way.  Jon Hager was 67 when he died in his sleep on January 9, 2009.


Died On This Date (January 7, 1998) Owen Bradley / Country Hit Maker

Owen Bradley
October 21, 1915 – January 7, 1998

Owen Bradley was a prominent country music producer who was one of the architects of what would become known as the “Nashville Sound.”  Bradley began his career at storied radio station, WSM-AM, where he worked as a staff musician and engineer.  He quickly moved up the ranks while moonlighting as a songwriter.  Bradley’s earliest song of significance was “Night Train To Memphis,” first made famous by Roy Acuff.  He was soon hired by Decca Records as a musician and assistant producer, working on many country hits of the ’50s.  By 1958, Bradley was the vice president of the label’s Nashville division and was laying the foundation for the Nashville Sound.  Throughout his career, Bradley helped make stars out of the likes of Patsy Cline, Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn and Brenda Lee.   His recordings of Cline in particular, became the blueprint for those of countless female country singers to come.  Owen Bradly was 82 when he passed away on January 7, 1998.

Died On This Date (January 6, 2008) Ken Nelson / Former A&R Executive, Capitol Records

Ken Nelson
January 19, 1911 – January 6, 2008

With Wanda Jackson

Although by no means a household name,  Ken Nelson made one of the biggest impacts on country music during his time as an A&R executive at Capitol Records.  Specializing in country music, Nelson was one of the main factors in country music’s massive growth during the ’50s.  While with Capitol, he produced hit records by the likes of Buck Owens, Gene Vincent, Ferlin Husky, Wanda Jackson, Merle Haggard and more.  In 1961, Nelson produced the Hank Thompson’s Live at the Golden Nugget, considered to be the first live album ever released by a country singer.   Ken Nelson was 96 when he passed away on January 6, 2008.



Died On This Date (January 6, 2011) Gary Claxton / Heybale

Gary Claxton
DOB Unknown – January 6, 2011

Photo by Todd V. Wolfson

Gary Claxton was a respected Austin, Texas-based singer-songwriter and guitarist.  As part of alt-country band, Heybale he was a popular weekly draw at the city’s world-famous watering hole, The Continental Club for nearly a decade.  That group also featured the great Redd Volkaert of Merle Haggard fame, and Ernie Poole Ball who played with Johnny Cash.  Claxton was born in Oklahoma and eventually moved to Nashville after winning a songwriting contest.  But he quickly became disillusion by the business that is country music, so he packed up and moved to Austin where his honky-tonk inspired sound fit more easily.  He later met the great Tom Lewis who invited him to join Heybale.   Either as part of Heybale or fronting groups made up of other local friends, he was always a crowd-pleaser thanks to his golden voice and his respect for traditional country music.  Gary Claxton took his own life on January 6, 2011.  He was 50 years old.