Country

Died On This Date (July 29, 1988) Pete Drake / Pedal Steel Legend & Successful Producer

Roddis “Pete” Drake
October 8, 1932 – July 29, 1988

L-R: Pete Drake, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Peter Frampton, Billy Preston

Pete Drake was an in-demand Nashville producer and pedal steel guitarist during the ’60s and ’70s.  In 1950, Drake formed an Atlanta-based  band that included Joe South, Doug Kershaw, Jerry Reed and Roger Miller.  He later moved to Nashville where he played on hits by the likes of Bob Dylan, Lynn AndersonTammy Wynette, Joan Baez, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.  While in Nashville he developed a unique device to play his guitar through – it was called a “talk box” and it would reach the masses in later recordings  by Peter Frampton and Joe Walsh.  Drake died of lung cancer on July 29, 1988.

What You Should Own

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For Pete's Sake - Pete Drake

Died On This Date (July 28, 2010) John Aylesworth / Co-Created “Hee Haw”

John Aylesworth
DOB Unknown – July 28, 2010

John Aylesworth was a television writer and producer who’s biggest mark on popular music came with the hit country music infused program, Hee Haw.  Aylesworth moved from Canada to the U.S. in the late ’50s and quickly found himself as a writer for the popular music program, Your Hit Parade.   He went on to write for other music programs like Hullabaloo and specials for Frank Sinatra, Perry Como and Judy Garland, to name a few.  During the late ’60s, Aylesworth and partner, Frank Peppiatt developed a show that married the best elements of Laugh-In to those of The Beverly Hillbillies, and Hee Haw was born.   The show, hosted by Buck Owens and Roy Clark,went on to become one of the most popular programs for many years thanks to its down home humor and weekly performances by the biggest names in country music.   John Aylesworth was 81 when he died from complications of pneumonia on July 28, 2010.



Died On This Date (July 26, 2010) Ben Keith / Steel Guitar Legend; Played With Neil Young

Ben Keith (Born Bennett Schaeufle)
March 6, 1937 – July 26, 2010

Ben Keith was a successful Nashville session player, producer, and singer-songwriter who is perhaps best remembered for his many collaborations with Neil Young.  Keith first began making a name for himself in Nashville during the ’50s and ’60s when he played on numerous country and early rock ‘n roll hits.  That list includes his steel guitar on Patsy Cline’s “I Fall To Pieces.”  During the early ’70s, Keith was invited to play on Young Harvest album that went on to become the most successful album of 1971 and spawned such rock staples as “Old Man” and “Heart Of Gold,” both of which featured Keith’s playing.   That was the beginning of a nearly 40-year musical partnership that found Keith playing on over a dozen Young albums and in countless concerts.  Over the course of his career, Keith also collaborated with a group of some of popular music’s most beloved artists.  That list includes Waylon Jennings, Jewel, Warren Zevon, Willie Nelson, the Band, Johnny Cash, and Ringo Starr.  He also released a handful of his albums.  Ben Keith passed away on July 26, 2010 at the age of 73.  Cause of death was not immediately released.

Died On This Date (July 25, 1995) Charlie Rich / Legendary Country Singer

Charlie Rich
December 14, 1932 – July 25, 1995

Nicknamed “The Silver Fox,” Charlie Rich was a Grammy-winning country singer who had string of hits in the early ’70s.  Although his career started back in the late ’50s, it wasn’t until 1973 that he scored his two huge country and pop chart-topping hits with “Behind Closed Doors,” and “The Most Beautiful Girl.”  Perhaps the reason for his “late-blooming” was that the world wasn’t quite ready for his eclectic sound until someone came up with the genre, “countrypolitan,” and suddenly he fit right in.  But Rich’s popularity was short-lived partly due to his erratic behavior and problems in his personal life, likely due to his excessive drinking.  He floundered through the next couple of decades, trying, but never being able to get anything substantial going again.  In July of 1995, Rich was traveling home from his son’s concert in Mississippi when he came down with a severe cough.  After a doctor sent him on his way with antibiotics, Rich continued the drive home until he found a place for he and his wife to spend the night.  Rich died in his sleep that night of what was later determined to be a blood clot in his lung.  He was 62.

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Behind Closed Doors - Charlie Rich

Died On This Date (July 19, 1975) Lefty Frizzell / Country Great

William “Lefty” Frizzell
March 31, 1928 – July 19, 1975

Lefty Frizzell was a country singer and songwriter, popular in the 1950s and one of the leaders of the honky tonk movement.  His singing and playing style were a major influence on the likes of George Jones, Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson.  Frizzell kept very busy throughout most of the ’50s, either recording or touring the honky tonk circuit, and even as rock ‘n roll was dominating the Ameican phsyche by 1959, Frizzell was still scoring hits with his traditional country sound, including the Grammy nominated “Long Black Veil.”  By the ’70s, Frizzell had moved to Bakersfield, California and became the first Country artist to perform at the Hollywood Bowl.  But unfortunately, Frizzell’s battle with alcohol was starting to catch up with him, both physically and by damaging his business and personal relationships due to his heavy mood swings and angry tirades.   Lefty Frizzell died on July 19, 1975 after suffering a stroke.

What You Should Own

16 Biggest Hits - Lefty Frizzell