Bob Beckham was a successful Nashville music publisher who, over a career that began in the late 50s, helped guide the early careers of Tony Joe White, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson and many more. Born in Oklahoma, Beckham got the show business bug early on so began performing in a traveling when he was just eight years old. He later spent time in Hollywood where he did a bit of acting. After a stint in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper during World War II, Beckham signed to Decca Records and charted twice with 1959’s “Just As Much As Ever,” and “Crazy Arms,” which reached #2 on the pop charts the following year. He moved to Nashville in 1959 and landed jobs plugging songs, eventually co-owning Combine Music where he stayed until it sold in 1986. In 1990, he formed HoriPro Music as a U.S. division of Taiyo Music publishing company in Japan. He retired in 2006. Bob Beckham was 86 when he passed away on November 11, 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.
Gordon Stoker is best remembered as a member of Elvis Presley‘s backing vocalists, the Jordanaires. He also acted as their manager. Just 15 when he became a professional musician, Stoker eventually played piano on WSM’s Grand Ole Opry radio program. In 1949, he was picked up by the Jordanaires Gospel group to play piano. Within two years, he was singing tenor in the group. In 1956, Presley invited them to be his back up singers both live and on record. Stoker can be heard on such records as “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You,” “I Got A Woman,” and “Heartbreak Hotel.” The group continued on – with Stoker remaining until the time of his death – after Presley passed away in 1977. The list of other artists that were backed by the Jordanaires on record includes Ricky Nelson,Johnny Cash, Ringo Starr, Patsy Cline, George Jones, Dolly Parton, Ween, and Kristen Chenoweth. Gordon Stoker was 88 when he passed away on March 27, 2013. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Joe South (Born Joseph Souter) February 28, 1940 – September 5, 2012
Joe South was an Atlanta-born singer-songwriter who penned some of the most popular songs of his era. South was given his first guitar when he was just 11. A quick learner, he was playing on his local radio station within a year. Gifted electronically as well, South figured out how to build his own tiny radio station so he could broadcast his songs over the local airwaves. He apparently mounted it in his car in order to stay one step ahead of the FCC. In 1958, South scored a minor novelty hit with “The Purple People Eater Meets the Witch Doctor,” which generally resurfaces on the radio each year around Halloween. By the early ’60s, South was making a name for himself as a songwriter. His songs were either recorded or performed live by the likes of Billy Joe Royal (“Down In The Boondocks”), Gene Vincent (“Gone Gone Gone”), Elvis Presley (“Walk A Mile In My Shoes”), Deep Purple (“Hush”), and Lynn Anderson, who in 1971, scored a huge hit with his “I Never Promised You A Rose Garden.” The song and record earned them each a Grammy. In 1968, South released “Games People Play,” a protest song that cracked the Top 15 and earned him two Grammys including Song Of The Year. The tune, which is one of the most iconic of the late ‘6os/early ‘7os, has been covered by Waylon Jennings, Jerry Lee Lewis, Dolly Parton, James Taylor, and Ike & Tina Turner, to name a few. An in-demand session player as well, South can be heard on, among many others, Aretha Franklin’s “Chain Of Fools”, Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sounds Of Silence,” and throughout Bob Dylan’sBlonde On Blonde album. Joe South was 72 when he died of heart failure on September 5, 2012.
Donna Summer (Born LaDonna Gaines) December 31, 1948 – May 17, 2012
Donna Summer was a world-renowned American R&B singer who hit her stride during the disco era. Unlike many of her contemporaries, Summer, with her mezzo-soprano vocal range, needed very little studio trickery for her vocals. Coming of age in Boston during the early ’60s, Summer spent countless hours listening to records by and imitating the likes of the Supremes and Martha & the Vandellas. By then she had already been singing in church gospel groups. As the ’60s rolled on, Summer discovered the powerhouse vocals of Janis Joplin, who, along with the early girl groups, influenced her own singing. Upon hearing Joplin sing on her Big Brother and the Holding Company records, she decided that’s what she wanted to do, so she joined her first band as lead singer, the psychedelic rock outfit, Crow. That brought her to New York City where she focused on Broadway. Her first role of significance was in the European company of Hair!. In 1975, Summer cut her first record, “Love To Love You Baby,” which although banned by most American radio stations due to its raw sexuality, became an instant smash in Europe. From there it was a deal with Neil Bogart’s Casablanca Records who began pumping an extended version of the song to underground discos and Summer’s massive gay following was born. She went on to release several albums that helped define the disco era and became the first artist to have three consecutive #1 albums that were two-record sets. During the ’80s, Summer broke away from disco by adding a more rock sound to her records, and even though she had tracks on the soundtracks for the blockbuster films, Flashdance and Fast Times at Ridgemont High, the decade was not terribly kind to her. She continued to make records well into the 2000s – some faring better than others, but for the most part were very well received. Throughout her career, Summer was recognized with five Grammy awards (17 nominations), three multi-platinum albums, 11 gold albums, an NAACP Image Award, and six American Music Awards. Her songs have been covered (or sampled) by Sheena Easton, David Guetta, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and many more. Donna Summer passed away after a long struggle with cancer on May 17, 2012. She was 63.