Roy Acuff was a country musician, singer, songwriter, promoter and publisher who was rightfully called, the King of Country Music. Acuff got his start when, in 1932, he was hired to entertain potential customers of a traveling medicine show. He left in 1934 to form his first band, the Crazy Tennesseans with whom he moved to Nashville in 1938. They were soon offered a contract with the Grand Ole Opry. In 1942, Acuff partnered with Fred Rose to open Acuff-Rose Music, which became Nashville’s biggest country music publishing company. The company quickly became very successful by hiring such songwriters as Lefty Frizzell, Roy Orbison, Don Gibson and many more. As a performer, Acuff’s career started to falter during the ’50s and ’60s due to the fickle tastes of music fans, but in the early ’70s, he experienced a bit of a comeback thanks to his appearance on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s landmark album, Will the Circle Be Unbroken. He continued to perform sporadically throughout his later life. Roy Acuff was 89 when he died of heart failure on November 23, 1992.
Donnell “Spade” Cooley
December 17, 1910 – November 23, 1969
Photo: Getty Images
Spade Cooley was a western swing fiddle player, band leader and television personality who came to prominence during the 1940s. Born in Oklahoma, Cooley eventually settled in Southern California where he and his band took up residence in the Venice Pier Ballroom. During the first part of the ’40s, the band performed a then-unheard of run of eighteen months. During that time, Cooley released his first of a string of Top 10 singles, “Shame On You.” By the early ’50s, Cooley was a popular face on film and television as well, appearing in almost forty westerns, and hosting his own television program from 1949 to 1959. His career came to an abrupt end in 1961 when he was convicted of beating his second wife, Ella Mae Evans, to death when she told him she wanted a divorce. After serving eight years of his sentence, Spade Cooley was permitted to perform at a sheriff’s benefit concert on November 23, 1969. Following his set, Cooley suffered a fatal heart attack backstage.
Wesley “Speedy” West
January 25, 1924 – November 15, 2003
Speedy West was one of country music’s greatest pedal steel guitarists. He is best remembered for his work with Jimmy Bryant and Tennessee Ernie Ford. Born and raised in and around Springfield, Missouri, West learned to play the peddle steel at an early age, and after WWII, he and his young family moved to Los Angeles to follow his dream after learning of tremendous opportunities for musicians in the area. His big break came in 1948 when Spade Cooley hired him to perform in his big swing band. West soon met Cliffie Stone who was doing A&R for Capitol Records, and by 1949, he was a full time session player. It was soon after that West began recording with Bryant. Over the first five years of the 1950s, West played on upwards of 6000 recordings by over 175 artists. That list includesFrank Sinatra,Bing Crosby, Jo Stafford, and Johnnie Ray. During the late ’50s, West worked with Bobby Bare, helping he establish his career, and then playing on his records. Work for country musicians began to dry up in Los Angeles by the early ’60s, so West moved to Tulsa to manage Fender Instruments’ distribution center. He continued to play, but not nearly as much as he had in California. West suffered a massive stroke in 1981 that left him unable to play. He was 79 when he passed away on November 15, 2003.
Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler was was a Green Beret medic who served for the US Army in Vietnam. In 1966, Sadler co-wrote and sang lead on “Ballad of the Green Berets.” Ironicallly, the pro-military song became a massive hit during an era mostly associated with the anti war movement. The song sat at the top of the charts for five weeks and sold approximately nine million copies. Sadler later became a published author, writing more than 20 adventure books. On November 6, 1989, Barry Sadler died from a serious gunshot wound he suffered a year earlier. While traveling in Guatamala in 1988, he was shot in the head while in a taxi cab. He laid in a coma for several months and ended up suffering brain damage and was partially paralyzed. The shooting was originally reported as a robbery and never officially solved, but some have claimed it was an assasination attempt by those who believed that Sadler was training the Contras.
Johnny Horton was a popular country singer, musician and songwriter who came to prominence during the 1950s. His main contribution to popular music was that it was he who ushered in the so-called historical ballad craze of the late ’50s. His 1959 single “The Ballad of New Orleans” was one of the most popular songs of the decade and earned him a Best Country Record Grammy. Other songs like “Sink the Bismarck” and “North to Alaska” were popular with country music fans and history buffs alike. On November 5, 1960 while driving home from an Austin, Texas performance, Johnny Horton, 35, was killed when his car was hit head-on by a drunk driver.
Porter Wagoner was a three-time Grammy award winning country singer who was instantly recognizable thanks to his sparkly suits and towering blond coif. Wagoner signed to RCA Records during the early ‘50, and in 1955, he was hired on to perform on ABC Television’s Ozark Jubilee, broadcasting out of Springfield, MO. Two years later, he moved to Nashville and became a member of the Grand Ol Opry. Over the next five decades, Wagoner charted 81 singles. Songs like “A Satisfied Mind,” “Green Grass of Home,” and “The Cold Hard Facts of Life” are some of the greatest recordings country music has ever known. In 1960, Wagoner began starring in his own nationally syndicated television show, The Porter Wagoner Show. The program ran for twenty years and helped launch the careers of Norma Jean, Mel Tillis, and most famously, Dolly Parton. It was Wagoner who Parton was writing about when she penned “I Will Always Love You,” which became a massive hit for Whitney Houston almost 20 years after it was first released by Parton. Wagoner continued to work well into the 21st century, recording and making guest appearances on television. In 2007 he released the Marty Stuart-produced Wagonmaster, the critically acclaimed album that helped him experience a renassaince much in the same way Johnny Cash had in the mid ’90s. That same year, Wagoner opened for the White Stripes at Madison Square Garden. Porter Wagoner died of lung cancer at the age of 80.
Hoyt Axton was country singer songwriter and actor who came to prominence as a folk singer in the ’60s and then again as country singer in the ’70s. Even though he released several successful albums and acted in and performed on numerous television shows and films, it was Axton’s skills as a songwriter that separated him from the pack. Over the years, his songs were made into hits by the likes of Ringo Starr (“No-No Song”) Steppenwolf (“The Pusher”) and of course, Three Dog Night (“Never Been To Spain” and most famously, “Joy to the World” aka “Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog”). His songs have also been covered by Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez and John Denver. Axton, 61, died of a heart attack on October 26, 1999.
Robert D. Norred
January 16, 1919 – October 25, 2009
Robert D. Norred was a steel guitarist who briefly played in Hank Williams’ Drifting Cowboys beginning in late 1947. He also played with Hal Howard and the Pearl River Boys for about a decade. Norred passsed away at the age of 90.
Roger Miller was a popular country singer songwriter who landed several hits during the ’70s and ’80s. His most popular hits were “Dang Me,” “Old Friends” (with Willie Nelson), and “King of the Road.” As a songwriter, he’s penned hits for Brooks and Dunn, Ricky Van Shelton, and Alan Jackson. Over the course of his career, Miller has been awarded with an impressive 11 Grammys which was a record until Michael Jackson’sThriller came along. He also won a Tony for the lyrics he wrote for Broadway’s Big River. A longtime smoker, Roger Miller died of lung cancer at the age of 56.
Danny Dill (Born Horace Dill)
September 19, 1925 – October 23, 2008
Danny Dill is primarily remembered as a Nashville songwriter, although he did work as a backing musician during the ’40s and ’50s. He also recorded several records of his own. His songs have been recorded by Bobby Bare and Jim Reeves among others. His most famous song, “Long Black Veil,” has been recorded by the likes of Lefty Frizzell(who had the first hit with it), Johnny Cash, Dave Matthews, the Band, Joan Baez, Ani DiFranco, the Stranglers, the Byrds and Jerry Garcia. Danny Dill, 83, passed away on October 23, 2008.
David Box is best remembered as the singer who replaced Buddy Holly in the Crickets. It is Box’s voice you here on “Peggy Sue Got Married,” which was arguably the best Crickets song after Holly’s death. Box left the Crickets to go to college where he studied art under Norman Rockwell. He also recorded under his own name and toured with the likes of the Everly Brothers. Remarkably, David Box was killed in a small airplane crash just as Holly had been. He was just 21 years old.
Tennessee Ernie Ford
February 13, 1919 – October 17, 1991
Tennessee Ernie Ford was a multi-faceted entertainer who found success as a country and gospel singer as well as a radio and television personality during the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. Over the course of his career, Ford released numerous country, gospel and pop hits, many defining their genres. One in particular, a cover of Merle Travis’ “Sixteen Tons,” became his signature song after it spent nearly a dozen weeks at the top of the country charts and over two months atop the pop charts. No honest country collection of the era is complete without it. Ford soon became a household name and a familiar face in people’s living rooms thanks to television. He was cast as the semi-regular guest, Cousin Ernie on I Love Lucy and hosted his own Tennesse Ernie Ford Show. Tennessee Ernie Ford was 72 years old when he died of liver failure. It was the 36th anniversary of the release of “Sixteen Tons.”
Jud Strunk was an American singer-songwriter who flirted with success during the 1970’s. He recorded several records through the course of his career, one of which, “The Biggest Parakeets in Town” continues to get airplay on Dr. Demento’s syndicated radio program. His biggest hit came in 1974 with the release of “A Daisy a Day,” which landed in the Top 20 of Billboard’s pop and country charts. Though his name might not have been a household one, he was a semi-regular guest on such television programs as Laugh-In and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. A licensed pilot, Jud Strunk suffered a heart attack while taking off in his small plane on October 15, 1981. The plane crashed, instantly killing Strunk, age 45, and his passenger.
Freddy Fender (Born Baldemar Huerta)
June 4, 1937 – October 14, 2006
Freddy Fender was arguably America’s most popular Tejano star – at least until Selena came along. Fender is best remembered for his crossover hits of “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights” and “Before the Next Teardrop Falls,” as well as his later work with Los Super Seven and the Texas Tornados. Born into a traveling circus family, Fender took to entertaining at a very young age. At 5, he fashioned his first guitar out of a sardine can and screen door wire, and by 10 he was making his first appearances at local radio stations. In the mid ’50s, after being court martialed and discharged from the Marines, Fender began touring as El Bebop Kid, doing Spanish versions of popular rockabilly and country songs. In 1959, he recorded “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights,” which quickly became his signature song. Unfortunately, just as his fame was on the rise, he was arrested for marijuana possession and sent to the notorious Angola prison farm in Louisiana. He was released three years later and all but retired from music while working as a mechanic. When Fender made his comeback in 1973, he did so in a big way, with “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” reaching #1 on both the country and pop charts. Over the next decade Fender charted 21 country hits. His career experienced yet another comeback when, in the late ‘8os he joined up with Doug Sahm, Flaco Jiminez and Augie Meyers in the Texas Tornados, with whom he won a Grammy for Best Mexican American Performance. He followed that up with a stint in Los Super Seven, who along with Cesar Rosas, David Hidalgo, Joe Ely, Ruben Ramos and Rick Trevino, won the same Grammy nine years later. He won his third Grammy in 2001, this time for his own album, La Musica de Baldemar Huerta. In ailing health in later years, Fender received a kidney transplant from his daughter in 2002, and a liver transplant in 2004. He died of lung cancer on October 14, 2006 at the age of 69.
John Denver (Born Henry Deutschendorf) December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997
John Denver was an American folk rock singer-songwriter who released several pop hits during the ’70s. His 300-strong catalog of popular songs included “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” “Take Me Home Country Roads,” “Rocky Mountain High,” “Annie’s Song,” and “Thank God I’m a Country Boy,” and “Sunshine on My Shoulder.” Denver also had a strong presence on television and film during the height of his career. He was featured in a handful of Muppet specials, hosted the Grammy’s five times, and sat in for Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show several times. In 1977, he starred alongside George Burns in the popular comedy, Oh God!. In later years, Denver devoted most of his time to various humanitarian causes. He was also a licensed pilot and flying enthusiast. On October 12, 1997, John Denver died when the experimental aircraft he was piloting crashed shortly after take off from a Central California coast airport. Witnesses say the plane made a sudden dive into the ocean, leading experts to conclude that he likely accidentally pushed the right rudder pedal while maneuvering in the seat. Denver was 53 when he died.
Shelby Singleton
December 16, 1931 – October 7, 2009
Shelby Singleton’s music career began during the ’50s working at Mercury Records as a producer. While moving up in the ranks, he became instrumental in numerous hits and was eventually rewarded with his own imprint, Smash Records where he signed Jerry Lee Lewis, Roger Millerand Faron Young among others. During the early part of his career, he produced such hits as Brook Benton’s “The Boll Weevil Song,” Ray Stevens‘ “Ahab The Arab,” and Leroy Van Dyke’s “Walk On By.” But his biggest hit came in 1968 with Jeannie C. Riley’s recording of Tom T. Hall’s “Harper Valley P.T.A.” A shrewd businessman as well, Singleton went on to purchase Sam Phillips’ Sun Records including it’s stellar catalog of recordings. Shelby Singleton died of cancer on October 1, 2009. He was 77.
Orvon “Gene” Autry
September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998
Known since the 1930s as the Singing Cowboy, Gene Autry was country singer-songwriter and cowboy actor. Signing to Columbia Records in 1929, Autry began releasing what were called “hillbilly” music in the early ’30s. Over the course of his career, Autry made over 600 records, roughly half either co-written, or written by himself. Besides his signature song, “Back in the Saddle Again,” Autry best remembered for “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty the Snowman,” and the self-written, “Here Comes Santa Claus.” Besides making nearly 100 films, Autry successfully transitioned to television during the ’40s, starring in his own show on CBS. Autry also owned several California radio stations as well as Major League Baseball team, the California Angels. Forbes Magazine included him in annual list of the 400 richest Americans for many years. Gene Autry died of lymphoma at the age of 91.
Patrick Bourque
September 27, 1977 – September 25, 2007
Patrick Bourque was best known as the one-time bassist for Canadian country band, Emerson Drive. Finding moderate success as 12 Guage in and around Alberta, the band soon changed its name to Emerson Drive and moved to Nashville where they landed a deal with DreamWorks. The band released a series of country hits and added Bourque to the band in 2002. Within a couple of years they were opening for the likes of Shania Twain. But in August of 2007, Bourque left the band for an undisclosed reason. Just one month later, he was found dead in his Montreal home. Reports have indicated that he committed suicide.
Jimmy Bryant was an in-demand session guitarist whose played on numerous country and jazz recordings during the ’50s and ’60s, most notably those by Tennessee Ernie Ford. He was equally adept at country and jazz, and was often referred to as the fastest guitarist in the country. During the ’50s, Bryant partnered with steel guitar great, Speedy West to record for Capitol Records. A heavy smoker, Jimmy Bryant died of lung cancer at the age of 55.
Gram Parsons (Born Cecil Connor)
November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973
Gram Parsons was a highly influential singer-songwriter who helped launch what would later be called country rock and then alt-country or Americana. Parsons began playing the guitar as a teenager to escape a less than ideal home life. The first group he played with, the Shilohs, were a folk band in the tradition of the Kingston Trio. When the band broke up, he and other Boston area folk musicians formed the International Submarine Band with whom he began to develop a sound the borrowed the best from country, folk and rock. They enjoyed moderate success, primarily getting airplay on the up-and-coming progressive radio stations. In 1968, Parsons was asked to join the Byrds as a replacement for David Crosby and Michael Clarke. He started on keyboards but soon switched to guitar, helping guide the group down a more country rock path. Parsons left the Byrds in the summer of 1968. He joined back up with the Byrds’ Chris Hillman soon after to form the Flying Burrito Brothers whose debut, The Gilded Palace of Sin would be a direct influence on the likes of the Eagles, Dwight Yoakam and later, Wilco and Ryan Adams. By the early ’70s, Parsons was working as a solo artist while recording and performing with good friend, Emmylou Harris. It was during this period that Parsons’ inner demons were taking control in the form of substance abuse. He was also spending more and more time in an area he had become fond of, Joshua Tree National Monument in the desert outside of Los Angeles. He liked to go thre and take LSD while searching for UFOs. It was during one of these trips that Gram Parsons apparently overdosed on morphine and alcohol and died at the age of 26.
Speedy West was one of country music’s greatest pedal steel guitarists. He is best remembered for his work with 
Johnny Horton was a popular country singer, musician and songwriter who came to prominence during the 1950s. His main contribution to popular music was that it was he who ushered in the so-called historical ballad craze of the late ’50s. His 1959 single “The Ballad of New Orleans” was one of the most popular songs of the decade and earned him a Best Country Record Grammy. Other songs like “Sink the Bismarck” and “North to Alaska” were popular with country music fans and history buffs alike. On November 5, 1960 while driving home from an Austin, Texas performance, Johnny Horton, 35, was killed when his car was hit head-on by a drunk driver.
Hoyt Axton was country singer songwriter and actor who came to prominence as a folk singer in the ’60s and then again as country singer in the ’70s. Even though he released several successful albums and acted in and performed on numerous television shows and films, it was Axton’s skills as a songwriter that separated him from the pack. Over the years, his songs were made into hits by the likes of Ringo Starr (“No-No Song”) Steppenwolf (“The Pusher”) and of course, Three Dog Night (“Never Been To Spain” and most famously, “Joy to the World” aka “Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog”). His songs have also been covered by 
Robert D. Norred was a steel guitarist who briefly played in 
Roger Miller was a popular country singer songwriter who landed several hits during the ’70s and ’80s. His most popular hits were “Dang Me,” “Old Friends” (with Willie Nelson), and “King of the Road.” As a songwriter, he’s penned hits for Brooks and Dunn, Ricky Van Shelton, and Alan Jackson. Over the course of his career, Miller has been awarded with an impressive 11 Grammys which was a record until 
Jud Strunk was an American singer-songwriter who flirted with success during the 1970’s. He recorded several records through the course of his career, one of which, “The Biggest Parakeets in Town” continues to get airplay on Dr. Demento’s syndicated radio program. His biggest hit came in 1974 with the release of “A Daisy a Day,” which landed in the Top 20 of Billboard’s pop and country charts. Though his name might not have been a household one, he was a semi-regular guest on such television programs as Laugh-In and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. A licensed pilot, Jud Strunk suffered a heart attack while taking off in his small plane on October 15, 1981. The plane crashed, instantly killing Strunk, age 45, and his passenger.
Shelby Singleton’s music career began during the ’50s working at Mercury Records as a producer. While moving up in the ranks, he became instrumental in numerous hits and was eventually rewarded with his own imprint, Smash Records where he signed Jerry Lee Lewis, 
