Died On This Date (June 25, 2009) Tim Krekel / Played With Jimmy Buffett
themusicsover Tim Krekel
October 10, 1950 – June 25, 2009
Tim Krekel was perhaps best known as part of Jimmy Buffett’s band for nearly ten years. Both on tour and on record, Krekel contributed to Buffett’s success, particularly on his Son Of A Son Of A Sailor. Over the years, Krekel also toured with Bo Diddley, the Eagles, and Delbert McClinton. As a songwriter, Krekel has been recorded by the likes of Canned Heat, Alan Jackson, Patty Loveless, Crystal Gayle and Martina McBride. Tim Krekel died of cancer at the age of 58.
Larry Jon Wilson was a country music singer, songwriter and guitarist who found some success during the ’70s when he released four albums. After teaching himself to play the guitar, Wilson didn’t get serious as a songwriter until the age of 30. Throughout his early career, he built himself a following throughout the clubs of Nashville. Wilson all but retired from the music industry during the ’80s, only to return for occasional shows during the latter years of the decade. In 2008, Wilson made a comeback with the release of Larry Jon Wilson, on hipster label, Drag City Records. Larry Jon Wilson died from a stroke on June 21, 2010. He was 69 years old.
Bobby Helms was a country singer who came into his own in the mid ’50s. Signing to Decca Records in 1956, Helms’ career skyrocketed the following year, earning two #1 country hits with “Fraulein” and “My Special Angel.” And then on December 23 of that same year, Decca released a third Helms single that would go on to be one of the most played songs every year at Christmas time. That song was “Jingle Bell Rock,” one of the greatest Christmas classics of all time. Helms spent most of the next three decades recording and touring. Helms died of emphysema and asthma at the age of 63.
Jimmy Dean was a country music legend, television personality, and part-time actor who used his fame to pitch his own successful Jimmy Dean sausage products for many years. After dropping out of high school in the mid ’40s, Dean chose his path as an entertainer while serving in the United States Air Force. He eventually became host of his own local radio program where future stars like Roy Clark and 
