
DID YOU KNOW.....?
Since Leo Jackson died on the 4th of May 2008, the fan club has frequently received requests from fans for unknown or rarely published information and/or stories about Jim Reeves and the people who were associated with him. The 'DID YOU KNOW?' section has been added to the website today and there will be regular updates and the newest entry will appear on top.
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did you know that Jim wasn't the first to recognize the pop
potential of the song "Missing You"?
The song was written in 1955 by Dale Emerson Noe and Woodrow Wilson
'Red' Sovine. The initial copyright listed both names, but subsequent
copyright documentation listed only Noe, indicating that Sovine had
little or nothing to do with the original song except record it and get
his customary cut of the action which was commonplace at the time.
"Missing you" was released as the B side of Sovine's Decca single
D-29755, the A side of which featured a duet with Webb Pierce of "Why
baby why?". The single reached no.1 on the Billboard country charts and
remained there for 25 weeks.
Fast forward to 1961 and pop singer Ray Peterson who had already had 2
RCA Victor hits "The wonder of you" & "Tell Laura I love her",
changed labels to the Dune label and had another hit "Corinna, Corrina"
which reached the no.9 spot in the Billboard Top 40. His final Dune
chart entry (Dune 2006) in Sept. 1961 was "Missing you", given the full
pop orchestrated arrangement, and the single reached no.29 in the Top
40 remaining there for 3 weeks. He recorded without success for Uni,
Decca and Cloud 9, but by the mid-70's his career wound down. He was
eventually ordained at a non-denominational church in Houston and spent
the rest of his life dividing his time between music & faith.
He died in 2005.
Jim gave the song his own stamp of approval when he recorded it at his
final session on July 2nd 1964 alongside two Cindy Walker songs. It was
one of the songs featured on that most majestic of his albums "The Jim
Reeves Way" (LSP2968) released in February 1965. The song's chart
potential wasn't realised until some 7 years later when it was released
as a single (74-0744) in June 1972 and by August it was in the
Billboard Country Music Charts for a total of 14 weeks reaching no.8.
The song was also recorded in June 1968 by West Coast country singer
Wynn Stewart for his Capitol album "In love" (ST-113). The writer of
the song Dale Noe played guitar on the session. He had been for a time
a regular member of Stewart's band, being a very accomplished lead
guitarist.
Dale Noe's excellent songwriting credentials included "Angels don't
lie", "Missing angel" & the 1960 demo "My hands are clean."
Among his 32 published songs, he attained 3 BMI Awards, the two
aforementioned Reeves recordings and "It's such a pretty world today."
He died in 2004.
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did you know you shouldn't always believe what you
read in "BILLBOARD" magazine?
In the Country Music Corner of the May 11th 1963 issue of Billboard
magazine, edited by Bill Sachs, we read:
"Ray Baker, manager of Tuckahoe Music Inc., and Open Road Music Inc.,
both with offices in Madison, Tenn., reports that One-Four-Two Music of
London is repping the firms' catalogs in the British Isles...."
The music publishing firm of 142 Music was owned by Philip Solomon who
was about to become legendary as the promoter of Jim's ill-fated Irish
tour which was to commence just 3 weeks after the above appeared.
Fast forward to the May 6th 1972 issue of the magazine, to an article
headed "U.K. Decca's Nice into own operation." After 21 years with the
Burlington-Palace Music Group, (a subsidiary of Decca Records), General
Manager John Nice was leaving the company to form his own company
Valentine Music. He had become manager of Burlington Music in 1956 and
general manager in 1959 on the formation of Palace Music. Burlington
had played a very generous & supportive role to the Official
Fan Club during its lifetime, especially thanks to John's successor
John Merritt.
On February 23rd 2013, after over 40 years, David Bussey made contact
with John Nice, now in retirement in his eighties. In their
conversation he asked if during John's tenure with Burlington, 142
Music had ever had the rights to administer the Jim Reeves catalogues
Open Road, Tuckahoe, Acclaim & Maree in the United Kingdom. He
confirmed that Phil Solomon & 142 Music had never had any
contractual rights to the Reeves catalogues which had been handled
exclusively during his time by Burlington Music.
In November 1968, Mary Reeves visited London,
having taken legal action against Phil Solomon. No reports of this
appeared at the time and it would appear that the matter was settled
out of court. It is not known if the case involved publishing matters
or the recovery of unpaid monies from the Irish tour.
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did you know Jim intended giving up professional
singing at the end of 1963, according to an interview he did in 1960?
Jim should have been on top of the world when he attended radio station
WSM's Ninth Annual National Country Music Festival on 4th
& 5th November 1960 in Nashville. For the first time WSM
officials had dropped the words "disc jockey" from the festival's
title. In Billboard's 13th Annual Disc Jockey Poll, he had taken top
honours and been voted "Favourite Male Singer of 1960" as selected by
US & Canadian country & western dj's, and had "The Best
Single Record of 1960" with his smash "He'll have to go." Chet Atkins
was voted "Country Man of the Year."
Considering Jim had probably had his best year financially since his
start in the business, his reply to a reporter's question certainly
wasn't one of his most positive replies. "I'll always want to
sing, but I plan to retire professional singing in about 3 years.
Singing for a living is not as easy as it looks - or sounds."
The interview was most likely conducted on November 4th at the 5-30pm
Reception-Buffet in the Andrew Jackson hotel ballroom where the Sponsor
was RCA Records & hosts were Chet Atkins & Steve
Sholes.
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did you know the Browns had a
country hit in 1964 with "Then I'll stop loving you", written by Jim
and recorded by him in the Spring of 1953 at the KWKH studio in
Shreveport? Session musicians are unknown, but likely to be those who
backed him on "Mexican Joe" in the January of that year. The 2004 3cd
set of "The Abbott Tapes - historical recordings" contains the master
(take 3) from box 4, a workpart take from box 6 and 2 takes from box
10. Fabor Robison produced the session. The song was released as the B
side of Abbott 160.
The Browns version was recorded on February 7th 1964 with 3 guitarists - Jerry Reed , Jerry Kennedy and Velma Smith. We don't know who played the vibrant 12 string which is dominant on the recording. Also on hand were Henry Strzelecki - bass, Kenneth Buttrey - drums and Pig Robbins - piano. Chet Atkins produced.
It was released as the A side of the single (47-8348) in April 1964
with the John D. Loudermilk song "I know my place" as the flip.
It entered the country charts on May 30th 1964 where it remained for a
total of 17 weeks reaching no.20.
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
DO YOU KNOW THE REAL STORY SURROUNDING THOSE 1961 OIL WELL INVESTMENTS?
In 2007 Ken Nelson's autobiography was published entitled "My first 90 years plus 3." His name & significance will only be known by those fans interested in the history of country music. He never quite received the fame & recognition he deserved, as Nashville was only ever his second home with Hollywood being his first homebase. From 1951 when he became director & producer of Capitol Records Country Music Dept., until his retirement in 1976 after 28 years service with that company, he was a high profile figure in the country music business, producing transcriptions, pop & country records and albums of over 200 artists.
He was a co-founder of the CMA and served two terms as its president. In 2001 he he was finally inducted into Nashville's Country Music Hall of Fame. He passed away 7 years later, aged 96.
His 352 page autobiography, an excellent read, reflects his renown, honesty and respectability. In the chapter 1961-1970, he relates on page 181 the story of his connection with Alex Zanetis & the oil well deals.
"It was either Chet or Owen who recommended that I invest in oil wells with them, and Owen's brother Harold, Jim Reeves and a couple of other people. Because of my past experience, I was a bit reluctant but they assured me that the East Central Developing Company of Flora, Illinois was a reputable firm, owned and managed by Alex Zanetis. Alex was an aspiring songwriter with whom Chet and Owen were well acquainted. We each invested $1,500 in two wells; the Lynn Pearce Lease, and the Sam Howell Lease. But you can bet your boots, I didn't tell our President, Glenn Wallichs, about these wells. Both wells paid off handsomely until they went dry, a few years later."
This account of an event is totally at variance with another more recent account by an author, who while recounting the lifestory of Alex Zanetis, took delight in referring to him as a "hustler - selling stock in oil wells." He suggests that the deal always benefitted Zanetis and not the investors he mentions - Jim Reeves, Chet Atkins and Anita Kerr. No reference to Ken Nelson or the Bradleys. He finishes the paragraph with an incongruous quote from singer Dottie Dillard which has little relevance in the author's continued attempts to besmirch and denigrate the name and reputation of Alex Zanetis. His telling of this story smacks of journalistic licence sourced from tittle tattle, with no hint of any sort of research.
Permission to reprint from Ken Nelson's "My first 90 years plus 3", available as a hardback book & e-book, from Dorrance Publishing Co. Inc - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Irving
Berlin is widely regarded as the greatest American songwriter. Jim
recorded 4 of his songs. But did you know that he took the liberty of
recording one of those songs with just the chorus? In 1912 Irving
Berlin wrote his first ballad "When I lost you" in memory of his wife
who had tragically died after only 5 months of marriage.
When Jim recorded the song on 18th December 1963 for the "Moonlight
& Roses" album, he neglected to sing either of the two verses
of the song, but sang only the chorus and after the musical bridge he
repeated half the chorus, making the song a respectable two minutes and
twenty seconds. It is interesting to note yet again he just had to add
his musical imprint by changing the word "angel" in the last half
chorus!
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did
you know that the song "Blue Christmas" was one of Jim's
favourite Christmas songs? On October 19 and 25, 1962 Jim Reeves
recorded 11 Christmas songs. One of the songs he chose to record was a
song he liked called "Blue Christmas."
The song had been written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson and first
recorded by Doye O'Dell in 1948. Three artists recorded the song in
1949 - bandleader Hugo Winterhalter and his orchestra, bandleader Russ
Morgan and his orchestra, and Ernest Tubb. On August 26th 1949 Ernest
Tubb recorded the songs "Blue Christmas" & "White Christmas".
Interestingly, the backing singers listed as The Three Troubadettes,
consisting of Evelyn Wilson, Alcyone Bate Beasley & Dottie
Dillard. The songs were released on Decca single 46186 which got to
no.1 in the country charts Christmas of 1949, and again at Christmas
1950 & 1951 when it again reached the top 10. On September 9th
1950, the same backing group appeared on the Ernest Tubb recording of
"Christmas Island" & "C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S" (Decca single 46268),
only this time called the Beasley Sisters.
In an interview I did with Burton Harris, he mentioned he heard Jim
sing "Blue Christmas" on several local shows at Christmas 1951. As
Ernest Tubb sang an extra verse in his version of the song, it can be
surmised that Jim had sung that extra verse too.
Jim did not include the extra verse in his rendition of the song when
he sang it in the Christmas episode of the ABN JIM REEVES SHOW on
December 25th, 1957. Elvis Presley had reluctantly recorded the song in
September 1957, and discarded the extra verse Ernest Tubb had included.
According to reports by Gordon Stoker and Millie Kirkham and mentioned
in Don Cusic's book "Elvis in Nashville", Elvis did not want to cut the
song, even though he was a fan of Ernest Tubb. When RCA ordered him to
do the song, he told the background singers to "do something stupid
behind him." Elvis sang it in an unsual way too, which the record
buying public liked very much! The song was released as a double-sided
promotional single for the "Elvis' Christmas Album" released on Oct 15,
1957 and has since sold 13 million copies. It is the best-selling
Christmas/holiday album of all time in the United States!
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did you know that in
April & May 1964, correspondence was exchanged between Jim
Reeves & a Canadian promoter with regard to a possible show in
Ontario in September of that year? Reeves had stated he "might consider
a date in September."
This was to be an ambitious and unique affair in that it would feature
solely 6 male & female duet artists who performed and recorded
regularly together in a duet capacity, as the promoter called it "a
once in a lifetime show." He had already approached and spent
considerable time discussing the feasibility of such a show with the
other artistes who, bar Jim, had all given it their thumbs up.
Jim Reeves & Dottie West, scheduled as headliners of the show,
were flying high at the time with their hit duet single "Love is no
excuse" (RCA8324) which had ENTERED the country charts in March 1964
and would REMAIN there for almost 6 months. Each of the other artistes
had enjoyed duet chart single success & had albums that were
selling well in that area.
The promoter was well aware that "the risk on this package is
extensive", but was happy to press ahead. Capacity of the venue was
5000 & they could run two shows per night. Budgets would
certainly be tight with 6 stars to pay. He threw the ball firmly into
Jim's court. "Jim, it is all up to you as regards a date, & as
regards whether we can afford to purchase this package."
Whether Jim finally condescended to agree to the September date, we
just don't know, but one thing we can surmise, that had this show ever
taken place, it would have been tremendous.
Documents
courtesy: Frank Anderson
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did you know that Jim recorded the song "Beatin' on the Ding Dong", written by Bob and Idell Shelton, after he heard the Shelton Brothers perform that song at a show? Bob and Idell Shelton specialty was writing novelty songs. Bob was member of the Shelton Brothers, they performed regularly on the Big D Jamboree and on the Louisiana Hayride.
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did you know that Jim Reeves gets a mention in a new book "ELVIS IN NASHVILLE"? Don Cusic, one of the premier historians and writers on country music, author of 25 books including 2 novels, has written an excellent 297 page book (published by Brackish Publishing, Nashville) on the connection between the musical career of Elvis Presley and the city of Nashville where he recorded over 260 songs in the RCA Studio B between 1956 and 1971.
Almost one third of the book comprises serious research detail, sources, bibliography, all Nashville recording sessions plus the most indispensable of all, an index. There are 7 mentions of Jim, merely name checks, but in 'Chapter 7 January - March 1960' we learn more detail on the very first session Elvis did in Nashville on Sat. 20th March 1960 & Sun. 21st March 1960, after being discharged from army service only 15 days earlier.
The writer talks of the top secret nature of the session and how the musicians were told they were playing on a Jim Reeves session. (editor's note: Did anyone tell them they would be playing all night long??) Elvis must have been a little rusty as he only managed to put down 6 songs in the 11 hour session (2 before midnight & 4 after).
Musicians on the session were the customary A team players - Hank Garland (guitar), Bob Moore (bass), Floyd Cramer (piano), Buddy Harman (drums) and 2 members of Elvis' old band, Scotty Moore & D.J. Fontana, plus the Jordanaires on backing vocals. Also present were RCA executives, Steve Sholes, Chet Atkins & Bill Bullock, Col. Parker, his assistant Tom Diskin & the Hill & Range publisher's representative Freddy Bienstock.
Obviously the secrecy of the event wasn't watertight, as a reporter from the Nashville Tennessean and about a dozen teenagers had gathered outside the studio!
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Most
UK and European fans of Jim Reeves are well aware of the connection
between Jim & the Irish singer Larry Cunningham whose sad
passing was reported on the fan club website on 29th September 2012.
They know of how Larry calmed the storm when Jim took umbrage to an out
of tune piano and cut short his act during the 1963 Irish tour. They
know of his 1974 albums of Jim's songs on his 2 volumes of "Larry
Cunningham remembers Jim Reeves" on Release Records BRL4048 &
BRL4068. They know how Larry Cunningham & the Mighty Avons
entered the British Singles Chart on 10th December 1964 with their
single on King KG1016 "Tribute to Jim Reeves" which remained in the
charts for 11 weeks peaking at no.40.
But did you know that Larry Cunningham achieved more than twice the
Irish Chart entries of his idol Jim Reeves? Between 1965 and 1984 Larry
had 25 entries in the Irish Chart while Jim only had 11 chart entries
between 1962 and 1967. Larry had hits with "Tribute to Jim Reeves",
"Fool's Paradise", "Snowflake", "There's that smile again", "I guess
I'm crazy" and "Don't let me cross over". Among the 25 hits he only had
2 no.1's - "Lovely Leitrim"/"There's that smile again" and "Slaney
Valley".
Among his 11 entries, Jim had no.1 hits with "Welcome to my world", "I
love you because" and "I won't forget you".
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Vis-a-vis a recent item in "Did you know..?" taken from the personal
diary Mary Reeves kept during the European tour in April 1957, when she
recounted the sterling efforts of herself and Bonnie Brown to attend a
church service in Germany on Easter Sunday, April 21st 1957, we print
five further excerpted selections from her diary, reproduced in her own
words with her own spelling.
The troupe left Nashville on Sunday 31st March at 7.05 AM and arrived
in Akron, Ohio where they played two shows. Then they drove to Trenton,
New Jersey. On Monday 1st April they were at McGuire Air Force Base.
From there they flew to Newfoundland, arriving around 10:20 PM.
(paraphrased)
MONDAY, APRIL 1st 1957 (McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey):
"Jim very sick, smallpox vac. (vaccine) & almost pneumonia -
Jim went to A.F. Dr." (Air Force Doctor)
MONDAY, APRIL 1st 1957 (Harmon Field, Newfoundland):
"Jim was real sick. Took him to hospital in Army ambulance. Will be
O.K. now."
Note: That day the party were still en route from the States. They
didn't arrive in Germany until the 2nd.
TUESDAY, APRIL 2nd 1957:
"Left Harmon Field, Newfoundland at exactly 12:00AM - Midnight - On our
way to Prestwicke, Scotland - nine hours without landing. We didn't
land at Prestwicke. The weather was cloudy so couldn't see land. Passed
over London and on to Frankfort."
MONDAY, APRIL 15th 1957 (after performance in Karlsruhe previous day):
"Last night we ate in Karlsruh O.C. (Officer's Club) banquet style. Our
seargent for the date was a Negro from Washington, D.C.. He ate at the
same table with us. The Negros have it made. They are accepted in every
society and have it better than they have ever had it. The German girls
like the Negro men. We have seen several couples at our shows. Negro
G.I. and German white girl - of course, they have access to all cafes,
hotels, etc. which I suppose is very good."
MONDAY, APRIL 22nd 1957:
"Real pretty day. Jim & I went to snack bar and ate breakfast about 12.00. Everything else was closed because it was still a holiday for the Germans. Walked some in the sunshine. Went to O.C. (Officer's Club) and played pool & shuffle board & ping pong. Stayed all afternoon. Had fun."
Courtesy: Frank C. Anderson
Highly recommended: Bear Family 2001 cd (BCD 16491 AH) "
"5000 miles away from home - Nashville stars in Germany 1957" featuring
9 tracks by the artistes on the tour, including 2 by Jim - "Have I told
you lately that I love you?" & "Courtin' in the rain". Although
a very rare amateur recording and extremely short by Bear standards
(24mins. & 19 secs.), plus a 28 page booklet by noted writer
Colin Escott (18 pages of rare photos), to a Reeves collector it's well
worth the investment. AdD
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did
you know that in just a few short months, at the end of 2012, 82% of
Jim's RCA recorded material (a total of 282 songs) will be out of
copyright in the U.K. where a 50 year copyright ruling exists in music
recordings (unlike the U.S. where it is 70 years) However the songs
themselves (i.e. words & music) have a 70 year copyright so
that songwriters and music publishers must receive their due payment of
royalties.
The situation is now ripe again for overseas operators and their pseudo
record companies to base themselves in the U.K. to plunder and milk the
Reeves scene still further with their rehashes and doctored tracks
which they insist the fans should own in this supposed lucrative market
they believe to be everlasting.
To this end, anyone who feels a desperate need to play with or release
out of copyright material in order to cash in on the U.K. pot, can now
do it. You no longer have to be a musical genius or record producer to
achieve your goal - just a computer and the requisite software will
suffice.
But remember, if you produce more than 50 copies, the mechanical
copyright people will demand their slice of the action!
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
(You can Google for "Kane Mark VI Dead Reckoning Computer" and find pictures of the device on Ebay and an interesting article about this kind of aviation "computer" in Wikipedia. - Arie)
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did you know that the very first single by Jim to be released in the UK in March 1954 on the London label was not "Mexican Joe", his US country chart topper, but "Bimbo" c/w "Gypsy heart" (HL-8014)? It was issued in both 45 & 78 rpm format. This was not the first Abbott single to be released outside the U.S.A. - that fell to Mitchell Torok's "Caribbean". Between March and July 1954 Jim had 4 single releases on the London label. After "Bimbo" came "Mexican Joe" c/w "I could cry" (HL-8030), "Butterfly love" c/w "It's hard to love just one" (HL-8055) and "Then I'll stop loving you" c/w " Echo Bonita" (HL-8064). It would seem that Fabor Robison had signed a 10 year deal with London Records (UK Decca's US arm) for worldwide exclusivity to Abbott releases (excluding the U.S.A & Canada).
In total, 9 of Jim's 14 Abbott single releases were released on London in the UK up to December 1956.
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did you know that during the 1957
European tour, while in Germany, Mary Reeves and Bonnie Brown made
quite an effort to attend a religious service?
On Easter Sunday April 21, 1957, Mary got up at 5:15 AM with the
intention of going to outdoor sunrise services with Bonnie at the
football field near the American military base where they were staying.
They tried to call a taxi to transport them from their quarters to the
football field, but soon learned that taxi service did not begin until
8:00 AM. So, then they called the U.S. military motor pool, and a car
was sent "right over". Unfortunately, the driver was German and spoke
no English. They could not tell him where they wanted to go, so he
ended up taking them back to the base. This was okay, as it turned out,
because they were too early for the service, anyway. Mary and Bonnie
had the driver drop them off at the Officer's Club, somehow
communicating to him where to stop. While there, the two women drank
some coffee.
At 6:30, the German driver picked them up again and this time he was
able to drive them to their intended destination for the Easter
services. From the document ( a small diary kept by Mary) used for
this, it is unclear how he knew where to go the second time.
When Mary and Bonnie arrived, frost covered the seats, and Mary wrote
that she and Bonnie "almost froze" outside during the service.
After it was over, Mary wrote that it was a "good service" and that she
and Bonnie walked back to the Officer's Club, where they ate breakfast.
After their meal, they returned to their quarters, and Mary went back
to bed, staying there until around noon.
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
If you ask Jim Reeves fans about the makers of his guitars, most would reply that Jim played either a Martin or a Rickenbacker. But did you know that he also owned a Gibson J-200 guitar?
Orville Gibson founded the company which makes Gibson mandolins, guitars, and other instruments in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1902. In 1938, Gibson began production of it's J-200. "J" was for Jumbo, because of the large size of the guitar body, and "200" because $200 was the original cost of the guitar.
The Gibson J-200 had a big, booming sound which was good for chording during live performances. It also had a sweet, clear sound for individual notes.
During Jim Reeves' time in Nashville (1955-1964), many musicians played Gibson instruments. Among them was early Nashville guitar virtuoso Hank Garland (1930-2004). Hank played on several of Jim's studio recordings.
On 27 March 1957, Jim Reeves bought a Gibson J-200 from Hank Garland. Jim paid $209.02 for the guitar.
There are several photos of Jim and his J-200, and even some video of Jim playing the instrument. One unpublished studio photo has Jim seated, minus his hairpiece, proudly displaying the J-200 for the camera.
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did you know that the poem recited by Jim in the "Count your blessings" corner of his ABN Radio show entitled "Footprints on the sands of time" was not called that at all, even though it was rightfully credited to Longfellow, the original writer? The original 9 verse poem was written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882) and drastically cut to just a 3 verse taster of verses 7, 8 & 9. Verse 8 contains the immortal words - "Footprints on the sands of time".
The poem's correct title is "A Psalm of Life - what the heart of the young man said to the psalmist". It was first published in the "Knickerbocker Magazine" in October 1838 and also appeared in Longfellow's first published collection "Voices in the night".
Please click here to read the poem
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
1. Cindy Walker 17 songs
2. Nellie Smith & Leona Buttrum 9 songs
2. Al
Courtney
3.
Alex
Zanetis
4. Harlan Howard 6 songs
4. Anton de Waal 6 songs
4.
Taffy
Kikillus
5.
Roger
Miller
5. Gilbert
Gibson
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did you know that in Jim's day, chart longevity was commonplace. Jim occupied the number 2 spot in Cashbox magazine's statistics table of "Most weeks at Number 1 by Record" with his song "He'll have to go" which spent a phenomenal 16 weeks in the number 1 spot in 1960.
Ferlin Husky occupied the number 1 spot in the table, also in 1960, with his Capitol smash hit "Wings of a dove" which hit 19 weeks. Ferlin also pipped Jim in the total number of weeks the song had in the Cashbox Country Singles Charts, by 37 weeks to 34.
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did you know that Tom Perryman in an interview with me, published in the the fan club magazine in 1993, revealed that for Jim to get his RCA contract, he cut "I've lived a lot in my time" and some other songs on tape for RCA to listen too. RCA didn't use that recording but re-cut it, with the same arrangement.
DID
YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Jim replied in a letter that he was proud to have the baby named for him, but states he never particularly liked the name. He also states he was in the hospital on August 9th for some needed surgery.
Jim Reeves toured Oklahoma regularly. He had performed there almost 10 months earlier, at the Bamboo Theatre in Enid, October 13th, and at the famous Cimarron Ballroom in Tulsa, October 14th, 1961 and again on June 23rd, 1962.
DID
YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Jim had to keep detailed records of his income and expenditures for income tax purposes. Long after the taxes were paid, the records remain. It is interesting to see some of the things Jim spent his hard-earned money on. Here are a very few items listed as expenditures from Jim's personal records from 1955.
-Jan. 3, 1955- $$6.53 at Sears in Shreveport, La. for "wardrobe"
-Feb. 9, 1955- $21.00 to see The Harlem Globetrotters in Shreveport, La. for "promotional expense" (The Harlem Globetrotters are a highly skilled, comedic professional basketball team.)
-April 2, 1955- $631.06- to Abbott Record Co,- Hollywood, Ca.- for "Advertising, Posters, Prints, Pictures, etc."
-May 2, 1955- $100.00 at Longview, TX to Sherman Sparks- for "drums"
Courtesy: Frank C. Anderson
DID
YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did you know that Jim Reeves performed on two segments of The Grand Ole Opry on October 13, 1956?
Jim hosted the Prince Albert portion of The Opry from 8:30 til 9:00, and was scheduled to sing three songs: "According to My Heart", "It Is No Secret", and "My Lips Are Sealed". Also appearing on the Prince Albert portion with Jim that night were The Old Hickory Singers, Rose Maddox, Del Wood, Minnie Pearl, and Chet Atkins.
Later, on the final segment from 11:30 til midnight, when the sponsor was Jamison, Jim was scheduled to sing, "According to My Heart", "Each Time You Leave", and "Bimbo", which was the closing number for The Opry that particular Saturday night. The other performers for Jamison were The Old Hickory Singers, Jimmy Newman, Benny Martin, Goldie Hill, Sam and Kirk McGhee, Lew Childre, Del Wood, and The Fruit Jar Drinkers.
(The above listed information has been taken from the original souvenir program. The Country Music Foundation released an album with live recordings: JIM REEVES - LIVE AT THE OPRY. Included is the gospel song "When God Dips His Love In My Heart", erroneously dated on October 12, 1956. From various documentation in my own collection I have reached the conclusion that Jim Reeves had switched songs after the copies of the program had been printed. One must never go blind on printed information, it may not contain all the facts. The Nashville Tennessean's radio log for WSM Radio that evening, lists Jim Reeves only at the 8.30 segment. The reason for this is that the logs usually only listed the artist who hosted each segment.)
DID
YOU KNOW THAT ...?
DID
YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Here is an excerpt, all in Mary's words and spelling, from Monday April 22, 1957: "Real pretty day- Jim & I went to snack bar & ate breakfast about 12:00. Everything else was closed because it was still a holiday for the Germans. Walked some in the sunshine. Went to O.C. (Officer's Club-FCA) & played pool & shuffleboard & ping pong. Stayed all afternoon. Had fun. Played theater in Langerkof. Went to bed early."
Courtesy: Frank C. Anderson
DID
YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did you know that Blue Boy member Bunky Keels was married to a British girl? When the Blue Boys toured the British Isles in 1965, they and Mary Reeves visited this girl's family which is from Gillingham. They all went to an authentic British pub, Turk’s Head, at Winchester Road in Twickenham, Greater London. It was featured in the Beatles' movie " A Hard Days Night" and was owned by an aunt of Mrs Bunky Keels.
DID
YOU KNOW THAT ...?
DID
YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did you know that Royce Glenn Sutton, a famous Nashville songwriter and record producer, was a performer on KGRI during Jim Reeves' tenure at the station? This was mentioned in the book " How Nashville became Music City USA - 50 years of Music Row" , written by Michael Kosser and published in 2006. Certainly Mike Curb gives it a glowing review when he says: " Kosser's book is the most complete documentation that's yet been written on the incredible impact that Music Row has made on American pop & country music." Reeves is mentioned nominally 8 times, but it is the 9th time on page 128 that is the revelation:
" Another great songwriter from this group was Royce Glenn Sutton, who grew up in a sawmill town called Chireno, Texas, just outside Nacogdoches. Later he moved to Henderson, Texas, where one of the announcers at radio station KGRI, was Jim Reeves. He started writing songs as a child, about " horses & saddles & stuff" , and at the age of 16 he got a fifteen-minute radio show on Saturdays. And Jim was the announcer in the booth. He woud write up requests at home, from family, or somebody at school. His theme song was the old Bob Wills' song " I bet you my heart I love you" ."
The following pages to 137 deal with Glenn Sutton's career. He had 485 songs on BMI, including classics such as " Almost Persuaded" , " I Don't Wanna Play House", and " What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me)" .
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did
you know that Jim Reeves played in a semi-professional baseball
tournament in the summer of 1942?
The Hughes Tool company had a semi-pro baseball team in Texas during
World War II. Jim pitched for the Hughes Tool team. In mid-summer 1942,
the Hughes Tool team went to the Texas State Tournament of semi-pro
baseball. The tournament was held for more than two weeks in Waco,
Texas, and was sanctioned by the National Semi-Pro Baseball Congress.
Jim was scheduled to play for Hughes Tool.
Jim's own Player's Pass from this tournament has survived and is in
Frank C. Anderson's collection.
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Jim Reeves used to do the song " Chew Tobacco Rag" on the live shows at the Reo Palm Isle in Gladewater, Texas. Unfortunately no tape recording of Jim singing that song survived. The song was first recorded by Billy Frank Briggs, who also wrote it, on the Liberty label in 1950.
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
In December 1980 the Billboard magazine reported that Jim Reeves Enterprises had two Jim Reeves album projects in the can; a show taped live at the 'Grand Ole Opry', and a Christmas album based on a network radio show broadcasted live by Jim Reeves from WSM-AM Studio C.
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
On
Sunday March 20, 1960 a group of musicians gathered for a recording
session at RCA's Studio B. Some of them were initially told
they
were hired for a Jim Reeves session. Besides guitarist Scotty Moore,
drummer D.J. Fontana and the vocal group Jordanaires, members
of
the famous Nashville A team studio musicians were present: pianist
Floyd
Cramer, guitarist Hank Garland, bass player Bob Moore, and drummer
Buddy Harman. It turned out to be the first Elvis Presley recording
session after Elvis left the Army. RCA kept the recording session
secret for fear of disturbances by thousands of fans turning up at the
studio to see their favorite artist.
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Jim's
motto was : " A stranger to me is just a friend I haven't
met" .
Jim admitted he had adapted it from Wil Rogers whom he had
admired in his youth.
William
Penn Adair " Will" Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15,
1935) was a
Cherokee cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator,
vaudeville performer and actor. One of Will Rogers's most
famous
lines, " I have never yet met a man that I didn't like," was
part of a
longer quotation and it originally referred to Leon Trotsky: “ I bet
you
if I had met him and had a chat with him, I would have found him a very
interesting and human fellow, for I never yet met a man that I did not
like. When you meet people, no matter what opinion you might have
formed about them beforehand, why, after you meet them and see their
angle and their personality, why, you can see a lot of good in all of
them."
Trotsky
was a Bolshevik revolutionary and Marxist theorist. He was
expelled from the Communist Party and was eventually assassinated in
Mexico by a Soviet agent in August of 1940.
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did you know that in September 1959, Jim Reeves signed a new five year contract with RCA Victor? Negotiations for the contract were done by Jim's manager Herb Shucher and the then New York based RCA official Steve Sholes, with whom Jim had inked his original RCA Victor contract in Nashville in 1955.
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did you know that after attending a Jim Reeves show in Calgary, Canada, Canadian songwriter and artist Ray Griff presented Jim Reeves with a song he had written; " Where Do I Go From Here" ? Jim Reeves recorded the song an invited Ray to come and record in Nashville. Soon after Ray arrived in Nashville, Jim Reeves got killed in an air crash.
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did you know that when RCA released a Jim Reeves record, Jim bought a few hundred to a thousand copies of that record and mailed them, at his own expenses, to radio stations for promotion?
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did you know that Jim Reeves had blue eyes and brown hair, was 5 foot
and 11 inches tall , and weighted 190 pounds in March 1961?
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did you know that Jim 's great-grandmother from his mother's side, Martha Adams was a native Indian from the Choctaw tribe? On one occasion at a concert Jim proudly mentioned he was a part Indian. Jim's great-grandfather Wyat Woodruff Adams - and his wife Martha lived in Sevier County, Tennessee. Their son Lorenzo moved to East Texas and got married. One of his 8 children was Jim's mother, Mary Beula Adams.
Jim had good reason to be proud to be part Indian. During the American
Revolution, most Choctaws supported the Thirteen Colonies' bid for
independence. The Choctaws and the United States agreed to nine
treaties. Three treaties were designed to remove most Choctaws west of
the Mississippi River. They were the first Native Americans to walk the
Trail of Tears. With ratification in 1831 of the Treaty of
Dancing Rabbit Creek, those Choctaws who lived in the newly formed
state of Mississippi were the first major non-European ethnic group to
become U.S. citizens. During the American Civil War, the Choctaw in
both Oklahoma and Mississippi mostly sided with the Confederate States
of America.
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did you know that in a letter to Doris and Elmer Gath, of March 30th, 1960, Jim wrote: " We have had 53 inches of snow this winter. A record. I hope I'm not around when a new record is set. I hate snow and rain" . (courtesy by Doris Gath)
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did you know that on August 8, 1959 Jim had re-joined the Grand Ole Opry as a member after 16 months of absence? The Opry rules dictated that a member had to perform at the Saturday Night Grand Ole Opry 26 weeks per year. As a consequence, occasionally when Jim was on tour with the Blue Boys, he had to return to Nashville to perform at the Opry on Saturday night, and return to his band the next day and continue the tour. Because of the usually high travel expenses and lost income for not being able to do shows at the weekend, and the little money the Opry paid, many country music stars who were riding high in the charts and cashing in on the popularity at shows, decided to discard their Opry membership. During that period of 16 months, Jim Reeves performed at least twice at the Saturday Night Grand Ole Opry and at some Friday Night Frolic shows too.
a
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did you know that Jim celebrated his 39th Birthday in South Africa in Johannesburg on August 20th, 1962, at the start of a South African tour. Chet Atkins, Floyd Cramer, the Blue Boys and Dick O'Shaughnessy were participants of the show. Jim gave himself a birthday present, he talked by telephone to his wife wife Mary and secretary Joyce.
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did you know that, according to Wikipedia, " Goodnight, Irene" is a 20th century American folk standard, written in 3/4 time, and was first recorded by American blues musician Huddie 'Lead Belly' Ledbetter in 1932?
The lyrics
tell of the singer's troubled past with
his love, Irene, and express his sadness and frustration. Several
verses make explicit reference to suicidal fantasies, most famously in
the line " sometimes I take a great notion to jump in the
river and drown," which was the inspiration for the
1964 Ken Kesey novel Sometimes a Great Notion. In 2002, Lead Belly's
1936 Library of Congress recording received a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.
On January 9, 1958 Jim Reeves recorded the song for his album 'GIRLS I HAVE KNOWN' .
DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?
Did you know that within 24 hours after returning from a successful tour of South Africa, Jim Reeves and the Blue Boys left for a tour which ended with a 2 week engagement at the Mint Club, Las Vegas, at the end of September 1962?
DID YOU KNOW THAT JIM REEVES AND GINNY WRIGHT ALMOST RECORDED A SECOND DUET?
Did you know that Jim Reeves and Ginny Wright almost recorded a second duet after their hit “ I LOVE YOU" ? They were to record “ I’M IN HEAVEN" , and even practised it at Jim’s house, but when Ginny arrived at the recording studio, Tom Bearden instead of Jim, was her recording partner. Fabor Robinson and Jim Reeves had some disagreements earlier that day and Fabor decided to replace Jim Reeves with Tom. It is Ginny Wright's opinion that the record had a much smaller success than it would have had, if Jim had sang on it.
DID YOU KNOW THAT JIM REEVES WAS ONCE WAS MEMBER OF A TRIO?
At the start of his singing career , Jim was member of a trio, he was known as Sonny Day, the two other members were Fred Ledbetter, aka. Cole Knight, and Al Courtney. They performed locally and occasionally on radio.
DID YOU KNOW THAT ON 3 DECEMBER 1959, JIM REEVES PERFORMED AT A CAMPUS?
Did you
know that on December 3, it was 50
years ago that Jim Reeves, and some other country acts entertained at a
banquet in the Vanderbilt University in Nashville. It was the first
time that Grand Ole Opry artists appeared on the campus.
DID
YOU KNOW THAT JIM RECORDED A CHRISTMAS SONG WHICH IS KNOWN BY TWO
TITLES?
Did you
know that Jim Reeves recorded a
Christmas song which is known by two titles? 'Mary's Boy Child' is a
1956 Christmas song, written by Jester Hairston. It was first recorded
by Harry Belafonte in 1956, for his album An Evening with
Belafonte. The song was also recorded by Mahalia Jackson in
1956 but titled as 'Mary's Little Boy Child'. Jester Hairston is given
credits for text and music for both titles by the US Copyright office.
On the 'Twelve Songs of Christmas' album, the song is listed
as 'Mary's Little Boy Child' on the US version, and 'Mary's Boy
Child' on the UK release.
Jim Reeves recorded 11 Christmas songs in two sessions on 19 and 25
October 1962. They first appeared on a South African Jim Reeves album;
RCA 31.672 'MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM JIM REEVES', due to Jim's huge
popularity there after a very successful tour in that
country. Click
here
to read about more
about the South African
release.
Jim recorded the song 'Silver Bells' on 5 July 1963, to make it a
twelve song album for Christmas 1963 release in the USA.
DID YOU KNOW THAT ON 15 OCTOBER 1955 JIM REEVES PERFORMED ON THE "OZARK JUBILEE" TV SHOW?
On 15th of
October 1955, Jim Reeves sang "Yonder
Come A Sucker" on what likely was his very first appearance on the
"Ozark Jubilee" television show. The show was hosted by Webb
Pierce, who replaced Red Foley. This was the first of quite a
few appearances in that show, which was renamed "Country Music Jubilee"
in July 1957, and "Jubilee USA" in August 1958. In
June 1958 Jim replaced Red Foley as host for a few
weeks.
DID YOU KNOW TOM PERRYMAN WAS THE FIRST WHO PLAYED JIM REEVES' RECORD AM I LOSING YOU?
Did you know that Tom Perryman was the first deejay to play Jims "AM I LOSING YOU" record? Jim had recorded the song earlier that evening in RCA Studio B and took an acetate record of it to Tom, who played it at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning at his all night show at WSM Radio. The song was the biggest self penned hit for Jim Reeves.
DID YOU KNOW JIM REEVES HELPED A BLIND GIRL?
As was his custom after a performance, Jim Reeves was signing
autographs. The autograph line moved along, and when it became her
turn, a woman asked Jim if he would autograph a photo for her blind
niece. Of course, he did.
Later, there was an article about this particular blind girl in her
hometown South Carolina newspaper. She was ten years old, and had been
blind from birth. Her eyes were "undeveloped". Recently, her
left eye had begun to shrivel, both eyes hurt, and the headaches she'd
been having were blamed on her eyes. Her doctors decided that the best
thing to do would be to remove her eyes and replace them with plastic
ones. The article was published on the day of her surgery.
Besides mentioning that the girl attended the school for the deaf and
blind in Spartanburg, the article also told about her singing in church
the previous Sunday, how she loved to play house and play with her
dolls, and that Jim Reeves was her favorite singer. She said that she
had an autographed picture of Jim which she treasured.
Near the end of the article, the girl's mother said that her daughter
wanted a braille watch, but the family had been unable to find one for
her.
A disc jockey at a small radio station in the blind girl's hometown cut
out the article and sent it, along with a letter, to Jim Reeves. The DJ
wrote that the little girl loved the songs by "My Jim Reeves", as she
called him. The DJ asked Jim to send the girl a card or "...a small
record with you saying a prayer for her recovery."
Jim responded to the DJ's letter about the little blind girl by going
beyond what had been asked of him. Although it took several weeks, Jim
did what the girl's parents had been unable to do: he found and bought
the little blind girl a braille watch and had it sent to her.
DID YOU
KNOW THAT JIM REEVES SOLD PUZZLES?
Along with the photos and tourbooks and songbooks which Jim Reeves sold
at his performances, he also sold puzzles. Inside a tiny envelope with
"Jim Reeves and The Blue Boys" printed on the outside, was a paper "T"
puzzle. The puzzle consisted of several odd-shaped pieces of paper with
the object of the puzzle being to arrange the pieces to form the letter
"T". In October, 1962, Jim ordered 3,000 of the puzzles from a printer
in California
DID YOU KNOW THAT JIM BULLEIT HELPED TO BOOK JIM REEVES ON THE LOUISIANA HAYRIDE IN 1951?
Jim Bulleit helped to book Jim Reeves on the Louisiana Hayride on July 14, 1951? In January 1951, KWKH hired Jim Bulleit, who had started his own Bullit record label in 1946, as a full-time artists' service representative. In 1952 Jim Bulleit quit and moved back to his family in Nashville. In the brief period he was at KWKH, he had helped to book several important acts such as JIM REEVES, Slim Whitman, and the Wilburn Brothers.
This very interesting and important information had first been published in a 1995 Ph. D. dissertation "LOUISIANA SATURDAY NIGHT: A History of Louisiana Country Music" by Steven R. Tucker, and quoted in the book "LOUISIANA HAYRIDE - Radio & Roots Music Along the Red River" by Tracey E. W. Laird, which was published in 2005. I sincerely hope that this info is useful for a Jim Reeves biographer who, for a number of years, has been struggling to finish his book and apparently is quite unaware of this information.
DID YOU KNOW THAT THE FIRST 'THE JIM REEVES SHOW' WAS BROADCAST ON OCTOBER 7, 1957?
Did you know that the first 'The Jim Reeves Show' was broadcast on 7 October 1957 over ABN ? It ran for 21 weeks on weekdays (105 one hour episodes) till 28 February 1958. The ARMED FORCES RADIO AND TELEVISION SERVICE is known to have transcribed 74 condensed episodes of 25 minutes each on 16" discs for transmission to American Forces serving abroad.
DID YOU KNOW THAT IN 1965 JIM REEVES' FANS COULD LOOK FORWARD TO A BOOK ON JIM'S LIFE?
Did you know that Jim Reeves' fans could look forward to a book on Jim's life? In April 1965 Mary Reeves reported in an interview that she soon would begin work on the book. The title would have been derived from the conversation Jim was having with the tower at the Nashville airport at the instant the plane went down.
DID YOU KNOW THAT ....?
Did you know that on May 26, 1962, Jim Reeves appeared on the Harvey's Record Department portion of the Grand Ole Opry. He sang both sides of his new RCA Victor release, "Adios Amigo", and "A Letter To My Heart." The single was offered free along with an autographed photo of Jim, with each purchase from Harvey's of Reeves' album, "He'll Have To Go." Harvey's is a well known department store in Nashville.
DID YOU KNOW THAT EDDY ARNOLD REPLACED JIM REEVES ON ONE EPISODE OF THE ABN 'THE JIM REEVES SHOW' ?
Did you know that Eddy Arnold replaced Jim Reeves on one episode of the ABN 'The Jim Reeves Show'? Jim reported ill with the flu and Eddy Arnold was invited to replace him. It must have sounded funny to the audience to hear Eddy, "The Tennessee Plowboy' making jokes about situations in Jim's birthplace, Carthage, Texas.
DID YOU KNOW THAT ....?
Did you
know that in April, 1957 RCA Victor artists
Jim Reeves, Del Wood, Hank Locklin, Janis Martin, The Browns, and the
Wagonmasters embarked on a European tour, giving approximately 30
concerts for both military and civilians. Before leaving for Europe,
they did two shows, one in the armory at Akron, Ohio and
one in Toledo. And they also appeared on the
NBC-TV's TONIGHT show.
DID YOU KNOW THAT JIM REEVES PERFORMED OTHER ARTIST'S SONGS BEFORE HE HAD HIS OWN SONGS?
In 1952, a year before
Jim Reeves had his first hit record, he performed the popular songs of
the day which had been made famous by established singers. To help him
remember the lyrics to the songs he performed, he carried a little
black notebook which contained the typed and hand-written words to many
songs.
Within the notebook are the words to many country and western songs,
but also there are several "pop" songs as well. The notebook is
arranged alphabetically by song title. The first song in the
notebook is the same song which Jim recorded about eight years later
for his RCA LP, "The Intimate Jim Reeves": "Almost".
The established artist who had more songs in Jim's book than
any other was Hank Williams. Hank was still living at the time, and his
popularity was reflected by all the aspiring artists like Jim Reeves
who performed Hank's songs. The following Hank Williams songs were in
Jim's song notebook in 1952:
1. Baby, We're Really In Love
2. Cold, Cold Heart
3. Half As Much
4. Hey, Good Lookin'
5. I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You
6. I'm Sorry for You, My Friend
7. Jambalaya
Jim also performed songs by Eddy Arnold, Lefty Frizzell, Carl Smith,
and several other country music singers, as witnessed by their songs
appearing in Jim's song lyric notebook.
DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that the Vickers Viking airplane in which Jim Reeves, Chet Atkins, Floyd Cramer and the Blue Boys were flown during their South African Tour in 1962, has been preserved. A two part article about that tour by Mr. David Davies, was published in the latest two issues of the fan club magazine. Mr. Davies mentioned several incidents with the airplane during that tour. In January 1963, the airplane was put on the roof of a petrol station near Johannesburg. It was removed and taken to the Jan Smuts airport for restoration in March 1987 where it still stands as a tatty hulk.
DID YOU KNOW THAT THE ABN RADIO JIM REEVES SHOW WAS ALSO TRANSMITTED IN EUROPE?
Did
you know that the US ARMED
FORCES RADIO TRANSCRIPTION SERVICE produced 25 minutes
editions of the ABN RADIO JIM REEVES SHOW for transmission on
AFN radio stations outside the USA? The program was broadcast in Europe
too and attracted little or no attention from the then few
European Jim Reeves fans. It did not got mentioned in any of
the European 'Hillbilly Music' magazines of that era or in
any other European country music magazines since. Possibly the 'pop'
content of the programs was the reason for this.
DID YOU KNOW THAT JIM REEVES WAS A DEPUTY SHERIFF?
C.V."Buster"
Kern was the sheriff of Harris County,
Texas (Houston is the county seat) from 1949 until 1972. Sheriff Kern
had a custom of deputizing celebrities who visited Houston. He
presented them with gold deputy sheriff's badges. Among the celebrities
who became Harris County deputies and received gold badges were actor
James Cagney, comedian Milton Berle, Elvis Presley, and Jim Reeves.
During a visit to Houston in March,1960, Jim was made a deputy by
Sheriff Kern. The badge which the sheriff gave to Jim reads, "Deputy
Sheriff, Harris County, Texas, Jim Reeves". Jim also received a
matching pair of cuff links (with the Harris County Sheriff's logo) at
the time. The Badge and cuff links have survived, and are in a private
collection.
In a photo taken on the occasion, Jim is wearing the black and white
houndstooth coat which can be seen on the " Gentleman Jim" LP, among
others. Sheriff Kern is placing the badge on Jim's left coat lapel, and
Mrs. Kern is standing between the two men.
On the back of the picture, in Jim Reeves' handwriting, is the
following caption:
"Sheriff Buster Kern pinning badge on Jim Reeves deputizing him as a
member of the Harris County Sheriff's Dept. Mrs. Kern looks on.
Houston, Texas, Rice Hotel, Thursday March 24, 1960."
DID YOU KNOW WHICH COUNTRIES CONTRIBUTED THE MOST TO JIM REEVES ROYALTIES EARNINGS IN 2004?
Did you know which
countries contributed the most to Jim Reeves royalty earnings in 2004?
Here is the list of the top eight countries and their percentage of
royalty contributions to the Reeves estate as published by a Nashville
newspaper:
1. United Kingdom - 24.7 %
2. Canada - 8.5 %
3. South Africa - 4.6 %
4. Australia - 4.6 %
5. Germany - 2.1 %
6. New Zealand - 1.7 %
7. India - 1.2 %
8. Ireland - 1.2 %
DID
YOU KNOW THAT JIM REEVES WAS TO BE INTERVIEWED FOR HIS BIOGRAPHY?
Did you know
that Jim Reeves was to be interviewed for his biography during a two
week period in November or December 1964? In January 1964, he
had written to a Florida promoter and tentatively set up the
appointment for two weeks of meetings for the promoter to
work on the book. The promoter had previously handled
promotion for Tennessee Ernie Ford, Eddy Arnold, Tex Ritter and 50
other entertainers.
DID YOU KNOW THAT MARY REEVES HIRED SOMEONE TO PROMOTE THE JIM
REEVES MUSEUM WHEN IT FIRST OPENED?
Fredda Lee was employed to publicize the new Jim
Reeves Museum at Nashville, Tennessee. She went to to television and
radio stations all across America. In the early 1980's, Fredda logged
thousands of miles working for Mary by talking about the museum devoted
to Jim.
Almost everywhere she went to be interviewed about the museum and Jim
Reeves, whether it was a radio station or a TV station, her promotional
work was recorded. Now, almost 30 years after the Jim Reeves Museum
first opened, many of those audio tapes and video tapes still survive.
Unfortunately, The Jim Reeves Museum itself has not survived.
DID YOU KNOW THAT JIM REEVES RECEIVED A CERTIFICATE OF
APPRECIATION FROM THE COUNTRY MUSIC ASSOCIATION?
Jim Reeves and several other country music performers
participated in a couple of C&W shows sponsored by The Country
Music Association. The shows were intended to promote country music.
Afterwards, Jim received a certificate from the CMA, dated February 22,
1964, "...for his generous contribution of time and talent in our
mutual cause for the broader acceptance and progress of country music."
The certificate was signed by Frances Preston, as Chairman of the Board
of the CMA. It was also signed by the then President of the CMA, Tex
Ritter. As many fans know, Tex and Jim were both natives of Panola
County, Texas.
DID YOU KNOW THAT JIM REEVES MADE A PILOT FOR A TV SHOW?
During Jim's time as a professional singer, several country
music performers had television programs. Pee Wee King was a TV pioneer
in 1947 with his TV show in Cincinnati. Red Foley's nation-wide show
began in 1955. Tenn. Ernie Ford's show originated in California in
1956. "Eddy Arnold Time" was filmed in Chicago in 1955. Flatt and
Scruggs had their TV show beginning in the late 1950's. Jimmy Dean's
first program was in the '50's. Porter Wagoner's show began in 1960.
The Wilburn Brothers Show started in 1963.
All of these country music shows enjoyed varying degrees of success
either on a network basis or in syndication. Yet, the pilot for The Jim
Reeves Show did not sell. From the documents which survive, it seems
that there was little or no interest in Jim's show among TV executives
or advertisers.
One possible explanation for the failure of The Jim Reeves Show pilot
to sell has little to do with Jim Reeves himself. The format of the
pilot, it's production values, and the general show environment may
have caused it to go unsold.
Jim Reeves was a major star and was quite popular by the time the pilot
was made, so it seems doubtful that he was the reason the show was
rejected. If you compare Jim's pilot with the successful TV shows of
his contemporaries, there are some differences, however.
On the successful country music shows of the day, almost all of the
music was performed live using singers and musicians, and very little
lip-synching. Jim just talked and lip-synched. Most of the other shows
had an ensemble-like cast: the star, the musicians, and often a
comedian. Jim's show had Jim and a couple of guests. The guests also
lip-synched their songs. There was often lively, humorous interaction
between the cast members throughout these other shows. Jim talked to
the camera or introduced his guests. Most of the other shows had
relatively higher production values than Jim's show. The other guys had
nicer sets, better visuals, etc. Jim had a slide projector, slides, and
a screen.
It is unfortunate that a performer of Jim's stature did not have a
better media vehicle to take him before the TV public. If only...
If Jim had performed his songs live with The Blue Boys; if there had
been a first class TV "set"; if he would have used a comedian, such as
Archie Campbell or Minnie Pearl; if...
But it happened the way it happened. And the powers that be were not
interested.
DID YOU KNOW THAT JIM REEVES WAS AN OUTSTANDING PLAYER ON HIS CARTHAGE, TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL TEAM?
Did you
know that Jim Reeves was
an outstanding player on his Carthage, Texas high school baseball team?
Although he was 85 years old at the time, Jim's coach, Mr. E. B.
Morrison, remembered Jim well when asked about him. "Jim Reeves was one
of my players. He was an all-state pitcher." said Morrison.
In those days, "The boys didn't get letters for playing baseball. I did
have three boys who won all-state honor for baseball and did receive
awards. They got little gold baseballs."
Jim Reeves won his little gold baseball in 1941, and it was engraved to
him and recognized his outstanding achievement. That particular little
gold baseball has survived and is in a private collection.
DID YOU KNOW THAT JIM REEVES GAVE A NEW RCA TELEVISION TO AN ELDERLY LADY?
On October 21, 1963, an 81 year old woman living in Houston, Texas
wrote a letter to Jim Reeves asking for his help in obtaining a
television set. She did not ask Jim to buy her a TV and give it to her
for free. Apparently, the woman's reasoning was that since Jim "worked"
for RCA, he might be able to help her get an RCA TV at a discount. She
wrote: "I can
pay by the month a small amount...I was hoping that you could get one
cheaper than I can."
It appears that Jim soon contacted the RCA distributor in Houston and
made some secret arrangements to surprise an old woman.
On October 30, 1963, one of the female employees from the Houston
distributor delivered a brand new RCA TV and TV stand to the elderly
lady's modest home, set it up, and showed her how to operate the TV.
In his letter to Jim, an employee of the Houstion RCA distributor wrote
that the elderly lady who received the gift from Jim "...was thrilled
beyond words."
DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that after
Jim Reeves appeared on Lawrence Welk's television program in 1958, Mr.
Welk sent Jim a thank you note?
In his thank you note to Jim Reeves, Lawrence Welk expressed his
appreciation to Jim for appearing on his TV show. Welk said that they
"all" enjoyed Jim's performance. And Welk further said: "...your
wonderful cooperation made it a pleasure to work with you."
An interesting feature of Lawrence Welk's personal stationery is a
silhouette of Welk and his accordion standing in a champagne glass with
bubbles all around.
DID YOU KNOW THAT JIM REEVES HAD AT LEAST THREE MANAGERS?
Did you
know that Jim Reeves had at least three
managers? Early in his career when he was with Abbott Records, Jim
signed a management contract with Fabor Robison, owner of Abbott
Records. After the acrimonious split with Robison, Jim next hired Herb
Shucher to manage his career. By that time, Jim had signed with RCA
Records. The business association between Jim and Herb lasted a few
years, but was eventually dissolved. Many fans may not know that Jim
had a third manger by the name of Jim Barry. Barry's tenure as Jim
Reeves' manager was short. The few photographs of Barry taken with Jim
show Barry dressed in a dinner jacket and wearing a bow tie, which is
quite similar to the attire worn at the time by his boss.
DID YOU KNOW THAT CHEYENNE HAD ORIGINALLY ANOTHER NAME?
Did you know
that when one day
Mary Reeves bought a Collie and called him Tango. Jim was out on a tour
and when Mary phoned him and mentioned the name of dog. Jim told her
that he didn't like that name. They decided that since he was in
Cheyenne, Wyoming, the dog would be called Cheyenne instead.
DID YOU KNOW THAT JIM REEVES RECEIVED AN AGRICULTURE CLASS AWARD?
Most fans
are aware that Jim Reeves grew up on a farm in Texas, but did you know
that Jim received an award while in high school for his work in an
agriculture class? In 1940 Jim received a certificate of achievement
from his high school chapter of the Texas Future Farmers of America for
his outstanding work in class. The certificate still exists and is part
of major private collection of Jim Reeves memorabilia.
DID
YOU KNOW THAT JIM WORE A HAIRPIECE?
Most Jim
Reeves fans know that he wore a
hairpiece. The hairpieces which he wore during the last few years of
his life were top quality, coming from a California maker.
However, some of his earlier "rugs" did not look so good. In fact, one
hairpiece in particular may have played a small part in Jim's missing
out on what could have been a significant career advancement.
In 1957, Jim's hit record, "Four Walls", opened many doors for him. One
door led Jim to New York City and a meeting with talent agents from an
internationally known agency and representatives of corporate America.
The purpose of the meeting was to introduce Jim to the corporate reps.
Unfortunately, the meeting did not go well for Jim. Later, in his
analysis of the meeting, one of the agents stated some reasons why he
thought Jim was passed over, and the hairpiece was mentioned. The agent
suggested that Jim get a new and better-looking hairpiece.
It is clear from the surviving documents that the hairpiece was only a
minor factor in the New York meeting not going well. But it appears
that from the time of the meeting onward, the quality and appearance of
Jim's hairpieces improved. He seems to have heeded the advice of the
New York talent agent.
DID YOU KNOW THAT JIM REEVES HAD MORE THAN ONE SECRETARY?
Did you know that Jim Reeves had more than one secretary? Most
long-time fans are aware that Joyce Gray (later Joyce Jackson) was
Jim's secretary for several years. But before Jim hired Miss Gray to
take care of the office work of correspondence, filing, typing, etc.,
another woman had those responsibilities. Although it was only for a
short time, Shirley O'Daniel handled the secretarial work before Joyce
Gray took over.