Country Music 2017 Losses
It's January 1st, 2018. We are supposed to have our resolutions for the new year and possibly be reminiscing the one we just had.
It's only mid morning but I'm going to start this and probably put myself in one hell of a depressing mood for the rest of the day. It's too early to break into the bottle of Jack so we will see how far I get.
There have been years were country music fans have mourned a larger number of musicians, of artists, that we have lost. The country music family said goodbye to a lot of dear song writers this year, and quite a few behind the scenes friends.
We lost beloved entertainers that I will go into some depth on. Mel Tillis, Glen Campbell, Don Williams and Troy Gentry.
And then the country music family suffered together with a Nation as we endured our darkest of days. A day where an attack was purposely carried out on our family.
58 country music fans were senselessly murdered on October 1st, at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival. The Las Vegas Massacre.
We all know the horrific details and much like other horrible dark times, 9/11, The Pulse attack of 2016, of the 7/8/16 sniper attack of the Police Officers in Dallas, we don't need to rehash what happened, because we will never forget. I could't get through listening to the names of those we lost in Vegas. I woke up to the news, drove to my office an hour away sobbing the whole way, physically ill, as I watched the causality numbers rise from half way across the country. Unable to do a damn thing.
So instead I'm going to focus a little more on the music we lost.
Mel Tillis, who we lost November 19th, 2017 at the age of 85. He gave us 38 studio albums and six #1 singles. My personal favorites include "Life Turned Her That Way", "Borrowed Angel", "Burning Memories" and "I Believe in You". Mel was a Florida man born in Tampa and died in Ocala. He also gifted this world with his daughter, country star Pam Tillis known for for "mi Vida Loca (My Crazy Life)".
Glen Campbell gave us so much in 81 years when we lost him on August 8th. Over 70 albums which hailed "Wichita Lineman", "Galveston" and "Rhinestone Cowboy". He was honored enough to play opposite John Wayne in 1969 "True Grit". He gave us The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour (well not me, I wasn't around for that).
Don Williams' "Tulsa Time", "Good Ole Boys Like Me", "Lord I Hope This Day is Good". Gosh, I am such a bawl baby, this is getting harder to get through. Born 5/27/39, we lost him on 9/8/17. A United States Army Veteran, and a Texas boy, Don came into the music world in 74 and reigned until 1991. He released 46 singles with only four of them never seeing the top 10 list. Don played minor movie roles in "W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings" and in "Smokey and the Bandit II" both with Burt Reynolds.
2014 saw the release of Don's last album Reflections, composed of ten tracks and released with Caroline Records. In March 2017 Don retired from touring, cancelling all further shows and spend his last months with family,
September 8th 2017. It would have been my late boyfriends birthday Jason Sagez. We lost him now 5 years ago. So, I was visiting his grave and had been there for quiet sometime sharing a six pack of Budweiser with him when my phone blew up with notifications of Dons death followed by a more tragic and less expected notification. Troy Gentry was killed alongside the pilot in a helicopter crash.
Growing up, Mel, Glen & Don were legends of the past I love and adored but Troy... I listed to him and Eddie all my life I actually heard their new released and watched them win awards. They were Montgomery Gentry. My heart ached for Angie Gentry and Troys children. It ached for Eddie too. They had been friends since touring days with John Michael as Early Tyms and Young Country before becoming the duo Deuce that eventually became Montgomery Gentry.
"Daddy Won't Sell the Farm," is my favorite song they recorded.
T-Roy and Eddie broke Brooks & Dunn 7 year CMA Duo award streak. And now I am rambling senselessly and crying. Country music takes loss hard. Because unlike any other fan base, music or otherwise, country music embraces artist and fans like family and treat each other like so. We feel that every song they sing enriches our lives and souls. Country music guided us through heart break, to love and to the Lord. It's one family that celebrates joy and shares loss together.
May 2018 be filled with more smiles than tears. More love than heartbreak.
Don Williams "Tulsa Time"
Mel Tillis "Ruby Don't Take Your Love To Town"
Glen Campbell "Wichita Lineman"
Montgomery Gentry- Eddie and Troy with
"Daddy Won't Sell the Farm"
Carrie Underwood "Softly and Tenderly"
Tribute to all Route 91 Las Vegas victims
It's only mid morning but I'm going to start this and probably put myself in one hell of a depressing mood for the rest of the day. It's too early to break into the bottle of Jack so we will see how far I get.
There have been years were country music fans have mourned a larger number of musicians, of artists, that we have lost. The country music family said goodbye to a lot of dear song writers this year, and quite a few behind the scenes friends.
We lost beloved entertainers that I will go into some depth on. Mel Tillis, Glen Campbell, Don Williams and Troy Gentry.
And then the country music family suffered together with a Nation as we endured our darkest of days. A day where an attack was purposely carried out on our family.
58 country music fans were senselessly murdered on October 1st, at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival. The Las Vegas Massacre.
We all know the horrific details and much like other horrible dark times, 9/11, The Pulse attack of 2016, of the 7/8/16 sniper attack of the Police Officers in Dallas, we don't need to rehash what happened, because we will never forget. I could't get through listening to the names of those we lost in Vegas. I woke up to the news, drove to my office an hour away sobbing the whole way, physically ill, as I watched the causality numbers rise from half way across the country. Unable to do a damn thing.
So instead I'm going to focus a little more on the music we lost.
Mel Tillis, who we lost November 19th, 2017 at the age of 85. He gave us 38 studio albums and six #1 singles. My personal favorites include "Life Turned Her That Way", "Borrowed Angel", "Burning Memories" and "I Believe in You". Mel was a Florida man born in Tampa and died in Ocala. He also gifted this world with his daughter, country star Pam Tillis known for for "mi Vida Loca (My Crazy Life)".
Glen Campbell gave us so much in 81 years when we lost him on August 8th. Over 70 albums which hailed "Wichita Lineman", "Galveston" and "Rhinestone Cowboy". He was honored enough to play opposite John Wayne in 1969 "True Grit". He gave us The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour (well not me, I wasn't around for that).
Don Williams' "Tulsa Time", "Good Ole Boys Like Me", "Lord I Hope This Day is Good". Gosh, I am such a bawl baby, this is getting harder to get through. Born 5/27/39, we lost him on 9/8/17. A United States Army Veteran, and a Texas boy, Don came into the music world in 74 and reigned until 1991. He released 46 singles with only four of them never seeing the top 10 list. Don played minor movie roles in "W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings" and in "Smokey and the Bandit II" both with Burt Reynolds.
2014 saw the release of Don's last album Reflections, composed of ten tracks and released with Caroline Records. In March 2017 Don retired from touring, cancelling all further shows and spend his last months with family,
September 8th 2017. It would have been my late boyfriends birthday Jason Sagez. We lost him now 5 years ago. So, I was visiting his grave and had been there for quiet sometime sharing a six pack of Budweiser with him when my phone blew up with notifications of Dons death followed by a more tragic and less expected notification. Troy Gentry was killed alongside the pilot in a helicopter crash.
Growing up, Mel, Glen & Don were legends of the past I love and adored but Troy... I listed to him and Eddie all my life I actually heard their new released and watched them win awards. They were Montgomery Gentry. My heart ached for Angie Gentry and Troys children. It ached for Eddie too. They had been friends since touring days with John Michael as Early Tyms and Young Country before becoming the duo Deuce that eventually became Montgomery Gentry.
"Daddy Won't Sell the Farm," is my favorite song they recorded.
T-Roy and Eddie broke Brooks & Dunn 7 year CMA Duo award streak. And now I am rambling senselessly and crying. Country music takes loss hard. Because unlike any other fan base, music or otherwise, country music embraces artist and fans like family and treat each other like so. We feel that every song they sing enriches our lives and souls. Country music guided us through heart break, to love and to the Lord. It's one family that celebrates joy and shares loss together.
May 2018 be filled with more smiles than tears. More love than heartbreak.
Don Williams "Tulsa Time"
Mel Tillis "Ruby Don't Take Your Love To Town"
Glen Campbell "Wichita Lineman"
Montgomery Gentry- Eddie and Troy with
"Daddy Won't Sell the Farm"
Carrie Underwood "Softly and Tenderly"
Tribute to all Route 91 Las Vegas victims
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