Died On This Date (August 10, 2013) Jody Payne / Longtime Guitarist For Willie Nelson
themusicsover Jody Payne
January 11, 1936 – August 10, 2013
Jody Payne was a country singer and musician who spent decades as Willie Nelson‘s guitarist on album and in concert. Nelson formed his perennial back-up band, the Family in 1973, and Payne was by his side until he retired in 2008. Born in Kentucky, Payne was singing with his sister as far back as five years old. He learned to play the mandolin around that time as well. A gig at his older (yes older) sister’s 1st grade graduation was his first gig. He could be heard singing on a local radio station by the time he was 11. He hit the road with a bluegrass band in 1951, and after being discharged from the Army in 1961, he went on to tour with Merle Haggard, and later recorded with the Emmylou Harris, George Jones, Tanya Tucker, Leon Russell, and Hank Snow. Jody Payne died from cardiac problems on August 10, 2013. He was 77.
Thanks to Harold Lepidus of Bob Dylan Examiner for the assist.
What You Should Own
Patsy Bale Cox was a Nashville music journalist and author who penned the popular book, The Garth Factor: The Career Behind Country’s Big Boom, that examined the success of country icon, Garth Brooks. Born in Kansas, Cox settled in Nashville in 1983 and started out doing freelance work while editing bios and such for Capitol and Polygram Records. She eventually became a popular writer of autobiographies in the “as told to” role. Her two such books with Ralph Emery were best sellers. Over the course of her career, Cox wrote books about such music greats as Pat Benatar, Tanya Tucker, Wynonna Judd, Tony Orlando, and Loretta Lynn. As reported by 
Todd Cerney was a brilliant songwriter, musician, and producer who was based in Nashville, Tennessee. Born in Detroit, Cerney moved to Nashville during the ’70s to further his career. His songs have been recorded by George Strait, Tanya Tucker, Jon Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Cheap Trick to name a few. His hits include the Grammy-nominated “I’ll Be Loving You” (Restless Heart) and the country chart topping “Good Morning Beautiful” (Steve Holy). As an in-demand session player, Cerney has performed live or recorded with a list of superstars that includes the Dixie Chicks, the Grateful Dead, the Beach Boys, and Jackson Browne. In November of 2010, Todd Cerney suffered a brain seizure and subsequently learned he had stage four melanoma cancer. On March 14, 2011, Cerney died as a result of the cancer.