Robert D. Norred
January 16, 1919 – October 25, 2009
Robert D. Norred was a steel guitarist who briefly played in Hank Williams’ Drifting Cowboys beginning in late 1947. He also played with Hal Howard and the Pearl River Boys for about a decade. Norred passsed away at the age of 90.
Danny Dill (Born Horace Dill)
September 19, 1925 – October 23, 2008
Danny Dill is primarily remembered as a Nashville songwriter, although he did work as a backing musician during the ’40s and ’50s. He also recorded several records of his own. His songs have been recorded by Bobby Bare and Jim Reeves among others. His most famous song, “Long Black Veil,” has been recorded by the likes of Lefty Frizzell(who had the first hit with it), Johnny Cash, Dave Matthews, the Band, Joan Baez, Ani DiFranco, the Stranglers, the Byrds and Jerry Garcia. Danny Dill, 83, passed away on October 23, 2008.
David Box
August 11, 1943 – October 23, 1964
David Box is best remembered as the singer who replaced Buddy Holly in the Crickets. It is Box’s voice you here on “Peggy Sue Got Married,” which was arguably the best Crickets song after Holly’s death. Box left the Crickets to go to college where he studied art under Norman Rockwell. He also recorded under his own name and toured with the likes of the Everly Brothers. Remarkably, David Box was killed in a small airplane crash just as Holly had been. He was just 21 years old.
Tennessee Ernie Ford
February 13, 1919 – October 17, 1991
Tennessee Ernie Ford was a multi-faceted entertainer who found success as a country and gospel singer as well as a radio and television personality during the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. Over the course of his career, Ford released numerous country, gospel and pop hits, many defining their genres. One in particular, a cover of Merle Travis’ “Sixteen Tons,” became his signature song after it spent nearly a dozen weeks at the top of the country charts and over two months atop the pop charts. No honest country collection of the era is complete without it. Ford soon became a household name and a familiar face in people’s living rooms thanks to television. He was cast as the semi-regular guest, Cousin Ernie on I Love Lucy and hosted his own Tennesse Ernie Ford Show. Tennessee Ernie Ford was 72 years old when he died of liver failure. It was the 36th anniversary of the release of “Sixteen Tons.”
Jud Strunk
June 11, 1936 – October 15, 1981
Jud Strunk was an American singer-songwriter who flirted with success during the 1970’s. He recorded several records through the course of his career, one of which, “The Biggest Parakeets in Town” continues to get airplay on Dr. Demento’s syndicated radio program. His biggest hit came in 1974 with the release of “A Daisy a Day,” which landed in the Top 20 of Billboard’s pop and country charts. Though his name might not have been a household one, he was a semi-regular guest on such television programs as Laugh-In and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. A licensed pilot, Jud Strunk suffered a heart attack while taking off in his small plane on October 15, 1981. The plane crashed, instantly killing Strunk, age 45, and his passenger.
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