Died On This Date (July 9, 2013) Jim Foglesong / Legendary Record Label Executive
Jim Foglesong
July 26, 1922 – July 9, 2013
Jim Foglesong was a longtime record company executive who, for the better part of 50 years, helped countless country music performers become household names. A singer himself, Foglesong began singing in church before he turned four years old, and by the time he was in high school, he was singing on local radio stations throughout Charleston, West Virginia. During WWII, Foglesong performed at USO shows while serving in the Army. After his service ended, he enrolled in college where he studied music. After graduating and moving to New York City, he found himself working as a session singer on recordings by the likes of Rosemary Clooney, Connie Francis, Neil Sedaka, and Dion & the Belmonts. During the early ’50s, Foglesong worked at Columbia Records where he helped start Epic Records. While there, he began producing records. He eventually moved to RCA where he produced records by the likes of Robert Goulet and Doris Day. By the late ’70s, he was working in Nashville where the list of artists he went on to work with reads like an encyclopedia of country music. During that time he also found himself running labels like Dot and MCA Records. In 1984, he was named president of Capitol Records’ Nashville division where he signed Garth Brooks. Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard, Conway Twitty, Reba McEntire, and George Strait are just a few of the country stars whose recording careers he helped guide. After retiring from the record business in the early ’90s, Foglesong went into education. He served as the music business department head at Trevecca Nazarene College and taught a music business class at Vanderbilt University, both in Nashville. In 2004, he was elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Jim Foglesong was 90 when he passed away on July 9, 2013.

Slim Whitman was an American country singer, songwriter and guitarist who is perhaps best remembered for his high voice and yodeling skills. Highly influential, even 
George Jones was country music, period. Born in Saratoga, Texas, Jones took to country music as early as 7 years old. He was given his first guitar at nine, and when he turned 16, he left home to pursue his career in music. After serving in California during the Korean War, Jones’ career sped into overdrive. His first hit, “White Lightning” came in 1959, and for the next fifty years, he had at least one every year. His wild days are legendary, in fact, he was so often late for his own concerts due in part to his indiscretions, one of a handful of his nicknames was No Show Jones. Another was The Possum, but the name that has been tagged to him for over two decades prior to his death is the most fitting, The Greatest Living Country Singer. Such a great singer in fact, that the late great 
Rita MacNeil was a popular Canadian folk and country singer who had the honor of outselling both Garth Brooks and Clint Black in Canada during 1990, at the height of their careers. Born and raised on the eastern tip of Nova Scotia, the incredibly shy MacNeil was 27 when she first performed on stage – relatively late by pop music standards. The year was 1971, and within just a few years, she recorded her first album and was becoming a popular draw along the Canadian folk festival circuit. Based on her growing popularity and work on behalf of women’s rights, MacNeil was secretly spied upon by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Security Service on the unwarranted suspicion that she had communist ties. Her first single of note was 1986’s “Flying On Your Own” which reached #42 on the Canadian charts and was covered by Anne Murray the following year. MacNeil went on to have numerous hits throughout the ’80s and ’90s, both in Canada and the UK. In all, she released 24 albums which sold in the millions. During the mid ’90s, MacNeil hosted her own CBC variety show, Rita And Friends. Over the course of her career, she was recognized with a Juno, five honorary doctorates, and was a member of the Order of Canada and the Order of Nova Scotia. On April 16, 2013, Rita MacNeil died unexpectedly from complications of a surgery. She was 68.
Hardrock Gunter was an American country singer, songwriter and guitarist whose rave-ups are considered to be the earliest examples of rock ‘n roll and rockabilly. After playing in a few bands during his teens, Gunter took a shine to television and became a local TV personality for a bit. In 1950, he cut his self-penned “Birmingham Bounce” which came out a year before “Rocket 88,” the song that is generally credited as being the first rock ‘n roll song ever. More records followed, including “Sixty Minute Man” which was one of the first country songs to cross over to R&B. Gunter continued to record and perform until he retired from music during the ’60s to get into the insurance business. During the mid ’90s, he returned to the stage to perform at festivals and rockabilly events throughout Europe and the U.S. Hardrock Gunter was 88 when he died of pneumonia on March 15, 2013.