Died On This Date (April 28, 2009) Vern Gosdin / Country Music Star
themusicsover Vern Gosdin
August 5, 1934 – April 28, 2009
Vern Gosdin was nicknamed “The Voice” for a reason. He had one of the most beautifully soulful singing voices in all of country music, and if honky-tonk had a Mount Rushmore, Vern Gosdin would likely sit alongside George Jones, Merle Haggard, Lefty Frizzell and Buck Owens. Gosdin scored several hits throughout the ’70s and ’80s, including “Set ’em Up Joe,” “Chisled In Stone,” and “If You’re Gonna Do Me Wrong (Do It Right).” Gosdin began singing as a child in his Alabama church. In the early ’60s he moved to Los Angeles where he became an integral part of the blossoming west coast country scene. He soon signed to Capitol Records where he released a few marginal hits. But it wasn’t until he moved to Atlanta, retired and then came out of retirement that he hit his stride with a series of chart toppers throughout the ’80s. Vern Gosdin passed away in a Nashville hospital after suffering a stroke in recent weeks.
Thanks to Stephen of Stephen Brower for the assist.
What You Should Own
Tommy Caldwell was best known as the bassist the Marshall Tucker Band from 1973 until his death in 1980. The charismatic performer was the crowd-pleaser of the band. He also sang backup and wrote some of their songs, including “Melody Ann,” their only song on which he sang lead. His final performance with the band came on the night of April 19, 1980 which was later released as Live On Long Island. Caldwell died just ten days later from injuries he suffered in a jeep accident.
Born in Dallas, Texas, B.W. Stevenson was singer-songwriter of country pop songs. He had one big hit, 1973’s “My Maria,” which reached #9 on the Billboard pop singles chart. The song became a #1 country hit for Brook & Dunn in 1996. Stevenson died while undergoing heart valve surgery on April 28, 1988. He was 38.
Vicki Sue Robinson had many accomplishments in music, theater and film, but it would be her smash it “Turn The Beat Around” that would forever make her a disco queen. Her life as an entertainer began at age six when she joined her mother on stage at the storied Philadelphia Folk Festival. At sixteen she was on Broadway as a cast member of Hair. She landed a couple of film roles, most notably Going Home and To Find A Man and by 1973, she was performing in the Broadway production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Then in 1975, while singing backing vocals on a friend’s album, she was offered a contract with RCA Records. 1976 saw the release of her debut, Never Gonna Let You Go, that included the smash hit, “Turn The Beat Around.” The album went to number one on the Billboard pop charts and earned Robinson a Grammy nomination. Robinson’s career continued to flourish through early 2000, but she never matched the success of that first album. Besides making her own records, her later years found her doing plenty of session work as well as acting on film and stage. And of course, “Turn The Beat Around” continued to find new audiences thanks to a popular cover by Gloria Estefan and from Robinson’s live appearances on the disco revival circuit. Robinson died from cancer on April 27, 2000 at just 46.
