Bill Friskics-Warren
Posts
Roni Stoneman, Country Music’s ‘First Lady of the Banjo,’ Dies at 85
A featured player on ‘Hee Haw’ and member of the famed Stoneman Family, she was the first woman to play modern bluegrass banjo on a...
Jimmy Van Eaton, Purveyor of the Sun Records Beat, Dies at 86
His drumming lent spontaneity and imagination to the unfettered sound of seminal rock ’n’ roll records by Jerry Lee Lewis and others.
Toby Keith, Popular Country Music Singer-Songwriter, Dies at 62
Mr. Keith, who announced in 2022 he had cancer, cultivated an in-your-face persona with hits like “Who’s Your Daddy” and “Courtesy of the Red, White...
Jo-El Sonnier, Who Sparked a Revival of Cajun Music, Dies at 77
An accordion virtuoso and a gifted vocalist, he scored country hits in the 1980s by putting a Cajun spin on songs like Richard Thompson’s “Tear-Stained...
Larry Collins, Rockabilly Guitar Prodigy, Is Dead at 79
He and his sister became child stars in the 1950s by making exuberantly unhinged music. “I had so much energy,” he once said, “they didn’t...
Jimmy Buffett Dead at 76
With songs like “Margaritaville” and “Fins,” he became a folk hero to fans known as Parrot Heads. He also became a millionaire hundreds of times...
Jerry Bradley, Who Helped Remake Country Music, Dies at 83
A longtime Nashville executive, he was the driving force behind “Wanted! The Outlaws,” the 1976 album that sold a million copies and shook up the...
Bobby Osborne, Mandolinist Who Flouted Bluegrass Convention, Dies at 91
The band he led with his brother broke new ground with an unusually broad repertoire, unorthodox instrumentation and untraditional vocal harmonies.
Jesse McReynolds, Lead Singer in Long-Running Bluegrass Duo, Dies at 93
Also a mandolinist, he performed alongside his brother, Jesse, in an act that lasted 55 years. He continued performing after his brother’s death.
Jesse McReynolds, Lead Singer in Long-Running Bluegrass Duo, Dies at 93
He also played mandolin in the act, Jim & Jesse, performing with his brother for 55 years.