Died On This Date (December 24, 2011) Jody Rainwater / Bluegrass Pioneer
themusicsover Jody Rainwater (Born Charles Johnson)
1920 – December 24, 2011
Jody Rainwater was a bluegrass pioneer who found his calling as a teenager, at first playing the mandolin. Before long, he and is brother were performing as Chuck and Slim, the Johnson Brothers. The boys built a local following thanks in part to their comical on stage banter. In 1937, they were hired by High Point, North Carolina radio station, WMFR to perform live every Thursday evening. By 1945, the duo were no longer together, so Rainwater enlisted in the Marines and served during WWII. Upon his discharge, he formed the Blue Ridge Mountain Boys with Woody Hauser and developed an onstage persona known as Little Jody. By the late ’40s, they disbanded, and Rainwater was soon playing bass alongside Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs in the Foggy Mountain Boys. The band had a hit with the Rainwater composition, “I’m Waiting To Hear You Call Me Darling.” Upon doctor’s orders, Rainwater retired from the group in 1952 and went to work hosting a morning radio show on WSVS. His program quickly became the biggest money-maker at the station and would continue to be until his retirement in 1984. He also performed local gigs with his own group from time to time during this period. Jody Rainwater was 92 when he passed away on December 24, 2011.
Thanks to Paul Bearer for the assist.
Whop Frazier was a Washington DC blues singer and bassist who was a popular draw throughout the city and surrounding area blues clubs for many years. Over the years, he played with Carl Anderson, the Bad Influence Band and his own Whop Frazier & Friends By Choice. William “Whop” Frazier died of lung and bone cancer on December 22, 2011. He was 68.
David Gold was the founder and lead singer/guitarist for Ontario, Canada doom metal band, Woods Of Ypres. Formed as a trio in 2002, the band released a handful of critical and fan favorite albums on Gold’s own Krankenhaus Records. Their black and dark metal songs, which have been described as a “metallised Pink Floyd, helped build a legion of fans over the years. In 2010, just as rumors of the group’s demise were circulating, they signed with Earache Records who is scheduled to release their latest offering in January 2012. David Gold was reportedly killed in a car accident in Ontario, Canada on December 22, 2011. He was 31.
Barry Clayton was known to many a-headbanger as the sinister voice that opens Iron Maiden’s epic song, “The Number Of The Beast.” Released in 1982 and from the album of the same name, the song begins with Clayton hauntingly reciting an excerpt from the Book Of Revelations –
Merv Conn was a Washington DC area accordionist and singer who entertained audiences big and small for several decades. Conn was still in his teens when he first learned to play the accordion, and in a very short time, he was playing parties and on local radio stations. During the mid ’40s, he opened an accordion school, which at its peak, employed five teachers and taught as many as 300 students a week. In 1964, he became the official live musician of the Washington Senators professional baseball team, entertaining crowds over the PA system between innings. Due to his proximity to the U.S. Capital, Conn often performed at embassy events and even played private shows for Richard Nixon, Lyndon Johnson, and Harry S. Truman. Over the years, his repertoire swelled to over 1000 songs. Merv Conn was 91 when he died of complications of prostate cancer on December 20, 2011.