NASHVILLE CEMETERY TOUR - BASHFUL BROTHER OSWALD & EVERYBODY'S FAVORITE GRANDPA

 

A few months ago, I was in the middle of visiting some of the Notable Cemeteries in the area in and around Nashville, Tennessee. I interrupted that series to post my 2025 and 2026 Fourth of July Adventures.

Now that I am home for a few weeks, I am going to try and wrap up my tour of the Cemeteries of Music City. In previous posts, I have visited the Hermitage Memorial Park and Hendersonville Memorial Park.  This week I am moving a few miles north of downtown Nashville to Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the community of Goodlettsville, Tennessee.

Forest Lawn was established in 1960 and is the final resting place of a number of country music stars.  Just inside the main entrance of the cemetery is a section call “Music Row,” where several Country Music Personalities are resting. That’s where I am going to begin my visit.

WILLIAM ORVILLE “LEFTY” FRIZZELL: Lefty Frizzell became one of the most successful and influential artists of country music. He smoothed out the rough edges of a honky tonk song by sounding out syllables longer and singing longer.

Because of this, his music became much more mainstream without losing its honky-tonk attitude and persona. He moved from the Honky Tonks of Texas and became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1951.

During his career he had several #1 hits, including, “If You got the Money, Honey I’ve Got The Time,” “I Love You a Thousand Ways,”  “Always Late With Your Kisses,” and Saginaw, Michigan.”

On July 19, 1975, Lefty Frizzell suffered a massive stroke and passed away at the young age of 47. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1982.

February 3, 1959, is often referred to as “The Day Music Died.” That is when that Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson died in a plane Crash just outside of Clear Lake, Iowa.

If that day in 1959 is the day music died, then you can say that March 5,1963 is the day Country Music Died. It was on that day that Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, Hawshaw Hawkins and Randy Hughes died in a plane crash near Camden, Tennessee.

While Patsy Cline is buried in her hometown of Winchester, Virginia, the other three are buried here on Music Row.

HAROLD “HAWKSHAW” HAWKINS: Hawkshaw Hawkins was born on December 22, 1921, in Huntington, West Virginia. Folks in his neighborhood started calling him Hawkshaw after the comic strip Hawkshaw and the Detective.  Growing up he taught himself to play the guitar and began performing on a local radio station across the Ohio River in Ashland, Kentucky.

 In 1941 he spent two years traveling with a musical troupe before joining the Army in 1943. He was stationed in Paris, Texas where we spent his spare time performing in the local honky Tonks. Later he was stationed in France and saw action at the Battle of the Bulge, where he was awarded four battle stars during his 15 months of combat service.

After his discharge from Military Service, he returned to West Virginia where he became a regular performer on the WVVA Jamboree in Wheeling, West Virginia. That let him to the Grand Ole Opry where he officially became a member in June of 1955.  His biggest hit was “Lonesome 7-7203” Which was is only Number 1 Hit.  At the time of his death, he was only 41 years old and married to country music star Jean Shepard

LLOYD “COWBOY” COPAS: “Cowboy Copas was born on July 15,1913 in Blue Creek, Ohio. His musical talent was evident at an early age and by the time he was 14 he was performing on WLW and WKRC radio stations in Cincinnati, Ohio.

In the 1930’s and 1940’s he formed his own band, “The Gold Star Rangers” and moved to Knoxville, Tennessee. He proved to be very successful and drew the attention of Pee Wee King.  When Eddy Arnold decided to leave King’s band, Cowboy Copas was selected as Arnold’s replacement.

As a member of the of King band, he began performing on the Grand Ole Opry, and in 1946 Copas had his first hit record, “Filipino Baby.”

“Filipino Baby,” and his appearances on the Opry, launch him into the National Spotlight and he eventually left King and began touring on his own. While still appearing on the Opry Copas recorded several more hits including “Signed, Sealed and Delivered,” “Candy Kisses” and the “Hangman’s Boogie.”

Copas continued to be one of the most popular stars in country music and continued to perform on the Opry as well as appearing as a regular on ABC’s Ozark Jubilee.

In 1960, he recorded his biggest hit, “Alabam” which remained #1 on the country charts for more than 3-monts. He was still one of Country Music’s most popular star when he died at the age of 49 in the Plane Crash near Camden, Tennessee.

RAMSEY “RANDY” HUGHES: The Fourth Person to die in the Crash was Randy Hughes who was Patsy Cline’s Manager and pilot of the Plane. Randy began his career in the music industry as a highly respected recording session guitarist playing for several country music artists including Cowboy Copas and at times, singing with groups.

After marrying Cowboy Copas’ daughter, Kathy. Randy decided that he could do more than just playing a guitar in a country band and made a career change and turned his attention to managing country artist’s careers. In 1959, Patsy Cline became one of his clients.

After taking basic flying lessons, he purchased a yellow Piper PA-24 Comanche to fly his clients from one show to another. He reasoned that purchasing the plane would be to his client’s advantage; they would arrive faster for their date, thus not have to depend on slower cars for transportation. 

He was the pilot of the plane that carried Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins and Patsy Cline when it crashed on March 5, 1963, near Camden, Tennessee.

DAVID “STRINBEAN” AKEMAN: The last grave that I wanted to visit here on Music Row is that of banjo picker and comedian “Stringbean,” who was known for his unique wardrobe which consisted of a very long nightshirt tucked into a pair of short blue jeans that were belted around the knees. This gave him the appearance of being a very tall man with very short legs.

He joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1945 and quickly became one of the show’s most popular performers. He also was a regular cast member of the Popular TV Show Hee Haw. String and his close friend Grandpa Jones lived just a few miles outside of Goodlettsville in the small community of Ridgetop, Tennessee.

String, who didn't trust banks, was known to carry large sums of money in his overall s After returning to his home in Ridgetop Tennessee for a Saturday Night performance of the Opry. String and his wife Estelle were murdered by two individuals. Their Bodies were discovered the following morning by their long-time friend and neighbor and fellow Opry Star Grandpa Jones.

Two cousins John A. Brown Jr. and Doug Marvin Brown were tried and convicted for the Murder. Doug Brown died in Prison in 2003 while John Brown was granted parole and released from prison in November 2014 after serving 41 years of his sentence

BEECHER KIRBY: Just a short walk from music row is the grave of a long-time member of Roy Acuff’s Smokey Mountain Boys, Beecher Kirby, better known as “Bashful Brother Oswald.”

He played dobro with local bands around Sevier County Tennessee where he was born on December 26, 1911. He later joined Roy Acuff’s Band the Crazy Tennesseans which later became “The Smokey Mountain Boys.  among them Roy Acuff's Crazy Tennesseans, later to become the Smoky Mountain Boys.

When Roy Acuff Joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1938, Bashful Brother Oswald as Mr. Acuff was with him as a member of the Crazy Tennesseans. Oswald remained with the Smokey Mountain Boys until Mr. Acuff’s death on November 23, 1992.

After Mr. Acuff’s death, Oswald and fellow Smokey Mountain Boy Charlie Collins continue to perform both on the Grand Ole Opry and at the Opryland Amusement Park.

Bashful Brother Oswald passed away from Natural Causes on October 17, 2002, at the age of 90.

MACK MAGAHA: Another notable country music personality resting here at Forest Lawn is Mack Magaha, a talented and very popular Nashville Fiddle Player.

Mack began his career in 1955 when he joined  Don Reno and Red Smiley as a member of the Tennessee Cutups performing throughout Southwest Virginia, North Carolina and upper East Tennessee. In 1964, he joined Porter Wagoner's Wagon masters and later became a regular performer on the Grand Ole Opry and at the Opryland Theme Park. Mack was known as Nashville's Dancing Fiddle Man died at the age of 74 and is buried in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Goodlettsville, Tennessee

JOHNNY “LONZO” SULLIVAN: One of the most popular acts on the Grand Ole Opry was the duo known as “Lonzo and Oscar.”  Originally formed in 1945, there were several combinations of the duo. The longest running and most popular combination were brother Johnny “Lonzo” Sullivan and Rollin “Oscar” Sullivan. The pair recorded a novelty song which became extremely popular called, “I’m My Own Grandpa.”

This version of Lonzo and Oscar were together from 1950 until Johnny’s death at the age of 49 in 1967.

There are a number of other Country Music Personalities buried here at Forest Lawn including:

“COUSIN JODY” James Clell Summey was the first dobro play for Roy Acuff's Band "The Crazy Tennesseans." He went on to perform with Grand Ole Opry Stars Lonzo and Oscar. It was then that he developed his character "Cousin Jody," who became one of the first comedy acts on the Grand Ole Opry.  He paved the way for other comedy acts on the Opry like Rod Brassfield and Cousin Minnie Pearl.

JOE EARL STUART: Joe Earl was one of Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys and later worked with Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. He also performed most Friday and Saturday Nights on the Grand Ole Opry

LITTLE ROY WIGGINS: Little Roy was one of the best steel guitar players in the business. He is is best known for his work with Eddy Arnold. As Eddy Arnold's first hire, he developed a signature "ting-a-ling" sound that helped make Arnold the most popular country entertainer for a period.

HERMAN HARPER: Herman Harper was a pioneer in the world of Gospel Music. He was known for his deep base voice and was an erly member of the Oak Ridge Quartet. He was also a long time performer on the Grand Ole Opry as a member of the Carol Lee Singers.  Herman was the founder of the Gospel Music Trust Fund. He also created Harper and Associates which was one of the leading talent agencies that specialized in Gospel Music.

DON HELMS: Don Helms was one of the Most accomplished steel guitar players in Nashville.  He played on recordings for such artists as Loretta Lynn, Stonewall Jackson and Lefty Frizzell.

I couldn’t leave the Goodlettsville Area without traveling a few miles up the road to the graveyard at the Luton’s United Methodist Church. Resting at the top of the hill overlooking the church and graveyard is the grave  of everybody’s favorite grandpa, Grandpa Jones.

LOUIS MARSHALL “GRANDPA” JONES: Grandpa Jones was one of the Grand Ole Opry’s most popular and beloved performers. His down to earth, unassuming personality made endeared him to anyone who met him.

Grandpa got his nickname in 1935 when he was only 22 years old. Seems early in his career he portrayed a grumpy, cranky attitude. Even at 22 he sounded like a grumpy old grandpa. Fellow entertainer Bradley Kincade started calling him grandpa. The nickname stuck and he became Grandpa Jones for the rest of his career. Eventually he embraced the character and began dressing the part.

He began performing on the WLS Barn Dance and later moved to WLW in Cincinnati where he met fellow Kentuckian Merle Travis. His association with Travis led him to sign a recording contract with King Records.

His performing and recording career was interrupted when he enlisted in the Army during WW II.  When his military service ended in 1946, he resumed his career by joining the Old Dominion Barn Dance which was broadcast on WRVA in Richmond, Virginia.

After a short time in Richmond Grandpa moved to Nashville and made his first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry in March of 1946. Grandpa Jones used the clawhammer style of playing the banjo and adapted that style to record such hit songs as “Are You From Dixie,” “Night Train to Memphis,” “Eight More Miles to Louisville,”  and probably his best known hit, “Mountain Dew.”

In the fall of 1968, Grandpa became a charter member on the long-running television show Hee Hawl He also played banjo, by himself or with his close friend and neighbor David "Stringbean" Akeman. A favorite skit had off-camera cast members ask, "Hey Grandpa, what's for supper?", in which he would describe a delicious, country-style meal, often in a rhyming, talking blues-style!

For more than 50 years Grandpa Jones performed on the Grand Ole Opry and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1978.

In January 1998, Grandpa Jones his just finished his performance on the Grand Ole Opry, when he suffered a stroke. He was transported to a local hospital and later transferred to a nursing home. Everybody’s favorite Grandpa passed away on February 19, 1998. He was 84 years old. He is resting with his wife Ramona at the Luton's United Methodist Church in Goodlettsville, Tennessee.

This wraps up my Visit to Goodlettsville, Tennessee. Next time I am heading back in the City to visit one of the Largest and most star-studded cemeteries in Music City.