Died On This Date (August 8, 2013) Cowboy Jack Clement / Legendary Nashville Producer, Musician & Songwriter
themusicsover Jack Clement
April 5, 1931 – August 8, 2013
Cowboy Jack Clement was a successful record producer, songwriter and session player who worked with a wide range of artists over a career that spanned 60 years. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Clement was still in his teens when he first picked up the guitar. After serving in the Marines during the late ’40s/early ’50s, he co-founded his first band, a bluegrass outfit named Buzz and Jack & the Bayou Boys. In 1954, he went to work at Sun Studios where he worked on early recordings by the likes of Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and Carl Perkins. As his career continued, Clement produced such iconic records as Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” George Jones‘ “She Still Thinks I Care,” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” for Jerry Lee Lewis who he is credited for having discovered. As a songwriter, Clement penned tunes that have been recorded by the likes of Cash, Dolly Parton, Ray Charles, Elvis Presley and Tom Jones. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 1973. He is also a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and the Music City Walk of Fame. In April of 2013, it was announced that the Country Music Hall of Fame would include him in their class of 2013. In 1987, U2 hired Clement to produce tracks for their Rattle and Hum album at Sun Studios. He worked on “When Love Comes To Town” “Love Rescue Me,” and “Angel Of Harlem.” Parts of the sessions can be seen in the Rattle and Hum film. In recent years, Clement could be heard during his weekly radio program on SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country channel. Cowboy Jack Clement was 82 when he passed away in his home. Cause of death was not immediately released.
JJ Cale was an American singer-songwriter who gave us some of rock music’s most iconic songs. Widely considered a songwriter’s songwriter, Cale’s most famous tunes are “Cocaine” and “After Midnight” which were made into hits by Eric Clapton, and “Call Me The Breeze” a hit for Lynyrd Skynyrd. The seemingly endless list of others who recorded his songs includes 
It wasn’t until T-Model Ford was 58 when he learned how to play the guitar, but he certainly made up for lost time over the last 20 years of his life. Born in Mississippi, Ford waited until his 70s before he launched his music career. His style has been described as a blend of raw Delta, Chicago, and juke joint blues. Following a troubled life as an illiterate blue-collar worker who later served 2 years on a chain-gang for murder, Ford turned things around when he began putting his life experiences into his music. Unable to read music or tabs, he developed his own way of playing that even he couldn’t define. During the late 90s, Ford was discovered by the owners of Fat Possum Records who went on to release his first five albums to critical praise. He went to release 3 more albums and continued touring until 2012. T-Model Ford died of respiratory failure on July 16, 2013. He was likely 93 years old*.
Cory Monteith was a Canadian actor-come-singer who is best remembered for portraying popular high school quarterback/glee club stand-out, Finn Hudson, in Fox Television’s widely popular program, Glee. Balancing the fine line between big-man-on-campus as the leading jock and social outcast as a member of the school’s glee club, Monteith brought compassion and idealism to a role that attempted to break down teenage stereotypes while examining social caste systems. The show’s break-out first season of 2009 almost single-handedly changed the focus of school vocal groups around the world by featuring choral treatments of and dynamic dance routines to some of pop music’s biggest hits. The cast’s first hit, the pilot’s rousing version of Journey‘s “Don’t Stop Believin,” became an internet sensation and brought the song back to the top of the charts for the first time since it’s 1981 release while selling over a million copies. Monteith provided co-lead vocals with cast mate and real life girlfriend, Lea Michele. Other stand-out tracks that featured Monteith on lead or co-lead included Rick Springfield‘s “Jessie’s Girl,” the Doors‘ “Hello, I Love You,” and Queen‘s “Somebody To Love.” On July 13, 2013, 31-year-old Cory Monteith, was found dead in a Vancouver, Canada hotel room. According to official reports released on July 16th, , he died from an accidental overdose of heroin and alcohol.
