Died On This Date (January 27, 2010) Shirley Collie Nelson / Country Singer; Former Wife of Willie Nelson
themusicsover Shirley Collie Nelson (Born Shirley Simpson)
March 16, 1931 – January 27, 2010
Shirley Collie Nelson was a country singer who, over the course of her career, released a handful of hit country singles. An ambitious kid, she left home at the age of 14 to start a career in radio. By the late ’50s, Collie Nelson was a regular on the popular television program, Ozark Jubilee. During the ’60s, Collie Nelson released three hit country singles, “Dime a Dozen,” “Why Baby Why” (with Warren Smith), and “Willingly” (with Willie Nelson). That duet was actually Nelson’s chart debut. The two got married in 1963 and divorced in 1971. Following their divorce, Collie Nelson retired from music. In 2009, she released her memoirs, Scrapbooks in My Mind: Featuring Shirley and Willie Nelson and Many Others. On January 27, 2010, Shirley Collie Nelson passed away at the age of 78.
John Lomax was a musicologist who is world-renowned for helping preserve American folk songs by venturing into previous parts unknown to make field recordings of the locals. After completing his higher education, Lomax became a college professor and set out to document folk music across America. In 1910, his anthology, Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads was published. Songs like “Git Along Little Doggies,” “Home On The Range,” and “The Old Chisholm Trail” were collected within. In 1933, Lomax and his 18-year-old son, 
Albert Grossman is best remembered as an artist manager representing, among others, Bob Dylan between 1962 and 1970. He also co-founded the Newport Folk Festival with George Wein in 1959. In 1961, Grossman put three folk singers together, Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey and 
Jane Jarvis was a jazz pianist who is perhaps best remembered as a longtime organist at New York’s Shea Stadium. Jarvis began playing the piano as a child, and even in those early years, she was recognized for her advanced talents. Jarvis began studying under college professors while still a child. One of her early professional jobs was as the staff pianist at a local Milwaukee television station. During the mid-50s, Jarvis was hired by the Milwaukee Braves to play between innings at their home games. In the early ’60s, Jarvis moved to New York City where she went to work for Muzak, the company that provided background music for retail stores. There, she worked as the staff composer and arranger. In 1964, the New York Mets hired Jarvis to play the organ at their home games. She became a local celebrity for her work at the stadium….particular for her rendition of “Meet the Mets.” She retired from the Mets in 1979, but stayed active throughout the New York jazz scene for many years. Jane Jarvis was 94 when she passed away on January 25, 2010.