Billy Brown
July 22, 1929 – January 10, 2009
Billy Brown was an American rockabilly guitarist and singer who launched his career upon his return from the Korean War. Brown released a handful of singles before he was signed by Columbia Records in 1957. A young Jerry Reed played on a few of those early Columbia recordings. None of his releases sold particularly well. Billy Brown was 79 when he passed away on January 10, 2009.
Woodward “Tex” Ritter
January 12, 1905 – January 2, 1974
Tex Ritter was a universally famous cowboy actor and country singer whose career spanned nearly 50 years. He was also the father of popular actor, John Ritter. His career began in the late ’20s when he appeared in such radio programs as Death Valley Days and the Lone Star Rangers. He soon graduated to motion pictures, making countless b-movie westerns that made him a star. He began making records in 1942 and landed his first hit, “I’m Wasting My Tears on You,” two years later. In 1953, he sang his hit “High Noon” on the very first televised broadcast of the Academy Awards, taking home the Oscar for Best Song that night. During the late ’60s he had moved to Nashville where he began working at the Grand Ole Opry while hosting country radio programs. Tex Ritter was 68 when he died on January 2, 1974 following a heart attack.
Hiram “Hank” Williams
September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953
Hank Williams was not only the patriarch of a musical family that includes Hank Jr, Hank III, Holly Williams, Jett Williams and Hillary Williams, but is also considered by many to be the patriarch of honky-tonk music. Williams’ career began when, at 17, he took up residence outside the local radio station on weekends and after school. He was soon invited to perform on the air which lead to a twice-weekly program of his own. Over the course of the next 15 years, Williams released a string of records that cemented his place in music history as one of the most influential songwriters of all time. With nearly a dozen #1 hits, his catalog included such classic country songs as “Move it on Over,” “Jambalaya,” “Hey Good Lookin’,” “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” and “Cold, Cold Heart.” Not only have his songs been covered by hundreds of country, folk, R&B, and rock singers, but Williams himself has been the subject of or mentioned in over 50 songs by the likes of Waylon Jennings, Neil Young, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Johnny Cash, and even Charles Manson. Sadly however, Williams was strongly addicted to alcohol and drugs, likely due in part to the pain caused by a lifetime of an undiagnosed spinal column disorder. On January 1, 1953, Williams hired a “long black Cadillac” limousine to drive him from Knoxville, Tennessee to a gig in Canton, Ohio. Before the trip, he reportedly injected himself with vitamin B12 and morphine. Later that afternoon, the driver pulled over at a filling station and checked in on Williams only to find him dead. Hank Williams, age 29, was dead of what was officially ruled heart failure.
Aubrey “Moon” Mullican
March 29, 1909 – January 1, 1967
In a perfect world, you wouldn’t need to tell you who Moon Mullican was. As a singer, songwriter a pianist associated with country music, what he was doing would be called rock ‘n roll some ten or so years later. By combining elements of hillbilly, jazz and blues, he created a sound and a fury that was a direct influence on Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Hank Williams, Jim Reeves and Bill Haley. He is rumored to have been the uncredited co-writer of Hank Williams’ “Jambalaya.” Mullican passed away in the early morning hours of January 1, 1967 after suffering a heart attack the previous day.
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.
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