Died On This Date (January 20, 2012) Larry Butler / Successful Country Musician & Producer

Larry Butler
March 26, 1942 – January 20, 2012

Larry Butler was a respected Nashville producer who, over the course of his career, helped create hits for the likes of Dottie West, Kenny Rogers, Waylon Jennings, John Denver, and Kim Carnes.  A gifted pianist and singer as well, Butler was just 6 years old when he launched his career with a performance  with the Harry James Orchestra.  Born in Florida, Butler moved to Nashville in 1963 to find work as a session player.  Before he knew it, his stellar piano playing was being featured on records by such country luminaries as Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, and Tammy Wynette, to name just a few. By the early ’70s, Butler was the head of United Artists’ Nashville division and producing some of the era’s greatest records.   In fact, it was Butler who partnered Kenny Rogers with Dottie West to record some of the greatest country duets in history.  But it was Rogers alone who he had the most success with.  Hits like “Coward Of The County,” “The Gambler,” “She Believes In Me,” and “Lucille” all had Butler at the helm.  To this day, Butler remains the only Nashville producer to be awarded the Grammy for Producer of the Year.  Larry Butler died of natural causes on January 20, 2012.  He was 69.



Died On This DAte (December 6, 2011) Dobie Gray / Soul & Country Singer-Songwriter

Dobie Gray
July 26, 1940 – December 6, 2011

Dobie Gray was an American soul (and later, country) singer and songwriter who, over a career that started in 1960, released hits like “The In Crowd” and “Drift Away,” which sold over a million copies and remains a staple on radio.  Born into a family of Texas sharecroppers, Gray was exposed to gospel music at an early age thanks to an uncle who was a Baptist minister.  By the early ’60s, he was living in Los Angeles where he met Sonny Bono who connected him with his first label, Stripe Records.  It wasn’t long until Gray was putting out a string of hits like “Look At Me,” “See You At The Go-Go,” and of course, “The In Crowd” and “Drift Away.”  The latter has been also recorded by such luminaries as Rod Stewart, Roy Orbison, the Neville Brothers, and Humble Pie. When he wasn’t making records, Gray worked as an actor – he spent over two years as part of the Los Angeles cast of Hair.  During the mid ’70s, Gray moved to Nashville where he wrote songs that were recorded by the likes of Charley Pride, George Jones, Ray Charles and Don Williams.  He also released a handful of moderately successful records at that time.  During the mid ’80s, Gray signed with Capitol Records and released a few country records that performed fairly well on the country charts.  Dobie Gray was 71 when he passed away in his sleep on December 6, 2011.  Cause of death was not immediately released, though he had been ill.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

Best of Dobie Gray (Re-Recorded Versions) - Dobie Gray



Died On This Date (September 12, 2011) Don Wayne / Wrote Numerous Country Hits

Don Wayne (Born Donald Choate)
May 30, 1933 – September 12, 2011

Don Wayne was a respected Nashville songwriter whose songs have been recorded by a who’s who of country music legends.  Born in Nashville, Wayne took a shine to country music at an early age, often catching his favorite singers on the Grand Ole Opry program on his radio.  In 1953, George Morgan recorded his “Lonesome Waltz” for Columbia Records, making it Wayne’s first major label recording.   In later years, his songs were made into hits by the likes of Lefty Frizzell (“Saginaw, Michigan”), Cal Smith (“Country Bumpkin”), Del Reeves (“The Belles Of Southern Bell”), and Faron Young (“Walk Tall,” which was later recorded by punk band, Stiff Little Fingers).  Wayne’s songs have also been put onto vinyl by Hank Williams Jr., Loretta Lynn, Conway Twitty, George Jones, and Jerry Garcia, to name a few.  Wayne also recorded a handful of his own albums, and over the years, he was either recognized or given awards to by virtually every country music organization.  Don Wayne was 78 when he passed away on September 12, 2011.  Although cause of death was not immediately released, he was reportedly in hospice care just prior to his death.



Died On This Date (March 4, 2011) Johnny Preston / Had Hit With “Running Bear”

Johnny Preston (born Johnny Courville)
August 18, 1939 – March 4, 2011

Johnny Preston was a rock ‘n roll pioneer who is perhaps best remembered for is 1960 #1 hit, “Running Bear.”  Preston was still in his teens when he and his band caught the attention of JP “The Big Bopper” Richardson at a local club.  Richardson was so impressed by the singer, that he gave Preston a tune he had penned to record.  That song was “Dancing Bear,” and when they put it to record, it included Richardson and future country icon, George Jones, on backing vocals.  The record was a huge hit, reaching #1 on both the U.S. and U.K. charts.  Unfortunately, Richardson never saw its success since it was released shortly after he perished in the plane crash that also took the lives of Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens.   Preston released a handful of other charting singles over the next couple of years, but none came close to the success of “Dancing Bear.”  He did however, continue to perform well into the 2000s and was once recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame as a pioneer of the genre.  Johnny Preston died of heart failure on March 4, 2011.  He was 71.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

Johnny Preston

Died On This Date (August 21, 2008) Buddy Harman / Session Drummer

Murrey “Buddy” Harman
December 23, 1928 – August 21, 2008

As part of Nashville’s storied A Team of studio musicians, Buddy Harman’s drums can be heard on some 18,000 recordings.  Throughout his career, Harman played on the biggest hits by such greats as Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson, George Jones, Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard to name just a few.  Harman died of congestive heart failure at the age of 79.

Watch an interview of Buddy Harman at Namm.org

Thanks to Dan Del Fiorentino at NAMM for the assist