NASHVILLE CEMETERY TOUR - VISITING THE MAN IN BLACK

This week I’m going to continue my Nashville Cemetery Tour by concluding my visit to the Hendersonville Memorial Park. I started my visit to this star studded cemetery in the Mausoleum, where I visited the final resting place of Johnny Russell, Charlie Walker and Sheb Wooley.

This week I am moving outside to visit the graves of several more country music stars who are resting here.  Probably, the most notable and most visited grave in this cemetery is just a short walk up a concrete path from the Mausoleum.

I was told that before the cemetery management installed this concrete walkway, the number of visitors had worn a dirt path to the graves of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. When it rained the dirt path turned into a muddy mess.

Johnny Cash was one of country music’s most beloved stars. He was known for his deep, calm, voice,  and the distinctive sound of his back band, the Tennessee Three. He was known as “The Man in Black,” because he dressed all in black when he appeared on stage.  

He traditionally began his concerts by introducing himself by simply saying, "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash". He had a number of hits including his signature songs, “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Ring of Fire,” and “I Walk the Line.”

On March 1, 1968, Johnny married June Carter of the famous Carter Family. He often credited June with saving him from a life of drugs and alcohol and was the love of his life.

Johnny and June remained married until her death at the age of 73, on May 15, 2003. Less than four months later on September 12, 2003, Johnny Cash passed away at the age of 71 from the complications of diabetes. Johnny and June are resting together along with a number of other family members and close friends.

Among those resting here near Johnny and June, Mother Maybelle Carter who along with her cousin Sarah and brother-in-law A. P. Carter formed the Original Carter Family. Maybelle was so respected by the Grand Ole Opry Family that she was known as “Mother Maybelle.”

After Sarah and A. P. retired, Mother Maybelle toured and performed on the Grand Ole Opry with her daughters, Helen, June and Anita.

Later in life Mother Maybelle suffered a number of health Issues which force here into retirement. Mother Maybelle Carter died on October 23, 1978, at the age of 69. She is resting next to her husband, Ezra, and near her three daughters.

Also resting nearby is Johnny’s long-time friend, singer/songwriter Merle Kilgore. At 18, Merle wrote his first Number 1 hit “More and More,” which was recorded by Webb Pierce. The song went on to sell over a million copies and launched Merle’s career as one of country music’s best songwriters. He went on to co-write with June Carter the song "Ring of Fire", first recorded by June’s sister Anita Carter. The song was later recorded by June's future husband, Johnny Cash. Claude King’s Biggest Hit, “Wolverton Mountain,” was also written by Merle.

In addition to being a talented singer/songwriter, Merle was also a respected businessman. On April 7, 1986, he was named Executive Vice President and head of management for  Hank Williams Jr. Enterprises. In addition to managing Hank Williams Jr's career. Merle was also heavily involved in a number of other country music-related businesses.

Throughout his life, Merle was a heavy smoker and developed Lung Cancer.  In early 2005, Merle traveled to Mexico to seek treatment for his cancer.  On February 6, 2005, Merle Kilgore died from heart failure while in a Mexican hospital undergoing experimental treatments for lung cancer.

Just a short walk from the graves of Johnny and June Carter Cash, we find the grave of one of the Grand Ladies of the Grand Ole Opry, Jean Shepard.

Ollie Imogene Shepard grew up singing in the church and was drawn to the music of Jimmie Rodgers and Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. As a teenager, she played bass in the Melody Ranch Girls, an all-female band formed in 1948.

Hank Thompson discovered her a few years later and with his help, she signed a recording contract with Capitol Records in 1952. In 1953 she recorded her first hit, “A Dear John Letter” with Ferlin Husky.  

From 1956 until 1981, Jean would release a total of 70 singles and 24 studio albums. She became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1955 and remained a member for the next 61 years.

Her first marriage was to fellow singer Hawkshaw Hawkins, but it ended when he, along with Patsy Cline and Cowboy Copas, was killed in a plane crash in 1963.

In 1981 she released her final album "Dear John.”  And 30 years later Jean received Country Music’s Highest honor when she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2011

 Jean continued to perform on the Opry until her health forced her to retire in 2015. Jean Shepard passed away at the age of 81 on September 25, 2016, from the complications of Parkinsons Disease.

I love traditional Country and Bluegrass Music. In fact I very seldom ever listen to anything else. What is being passed off today as country and bluegrass is basically trash and I have no interest in it.

One of my all-time favorite Bluegrass Group is Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys. Just a short walk from the grave of Jean Shepard is the grave Burkett Graves. Better known to Bluegrass fans a “Uncle Josh,” who played dobro for the Foggy Mountain Boys from 1955 to 1969. 

After the Foggy Mountain Boys disbanded, he joined Lester’s new band, the Nashville Grass. He also performed with the Earl Scruggs Revies in the 1970’s and later was a popular solo act at country music and bluegrass festivals.

Uncle Josh was inducted into the International Bluegrass Hall of Fame in 1991. Uncle Josh passed away at the age of 79 on September 30, 2006.

One the westside of the Cemetery, and just down the hill from the Grave of Johnny Cash is the grave of Luther Perkins, who was a member of Johnny’s band, “The Tennessee Three.”

A native of Cumo, Mississippi, Luther Perkins was an iconic figure in what would become known as rockabilly music and is credited for creating Cash's signature "boom-chicka-boom" style.

Luther Perkins passed away on August 5, 1968, after being found unconscious on the floor of his home by his niece at his home a couple of days earlier. .

My last stop here at the Hendersonville Memorial Park was at the grave of Country Music Hall of Famer, Ferlin Husky.

Ferlin Husky was born in the small community of Gumbo, Missouri on December 3, 1925. Ferlin was multi-talented, achieving success as a traditional country music singer as well as a honky tonk and ballad singer.

He was also quite the comedian and created a hayseed character that he named Simon Crum which he incorporated into his stage shows and sometimes on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry.

Ferlin had several hits on both the country and pop charts including “Gone” and his signature song, “Wings of a Dove.” Both reach #1 on the Country Charts. Between 1953 and 1975, he had 11 top 10 hits, two dozen top 20 hits and a total of 50 songs in Billboard magazine's top 100 country songs.

Ferlin was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2010 and was one of the first country singers to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

On March 8, 2011, Ferlin was hospitalized after not feeling well for several days, but he improved and was discharged to the care of his daughter. On March 17, he died of congestive heart failure at his daughter's home in Westmoreland, Tennessee.

It’s been a few years since I last visited the Hendersonville Memorial Gardens. Since that last visit we have lost bluegrass great Bobby Osborne who is resting here. Hopefully, the nest time I am in Nashville, I can stop and pay my respects to one of the men who made dear ole Rocky Top the state song of Tennessee.