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 it wasn't just twenty first century authors still hoping for mileage in their conspiracy theories, or the vast numbers of Americans who are still convinced of suspect plots or cover ups, who continue to give credence and debate to the legend of John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (JFK), 35th President of the United States who was assassinated on the streets of Dallas, Texas, on Friday, November 22nd 1963?

Four days after the event, almost 50 years ago, songwriters were already seeking to cash in on the tragic event. Songwriter Bobe Wes (1928 - 2002), writer of "Railroad bum" & "You're slipping away from me", had already been hard at work on his compositions "Beloved John F.K." and "Sad day in Dallas" which he copyrighted and published on November 26th 1963. The copyrights were renewed 28 years later in 1991, but despite the writer's affiliation to ASCAP, there is no record there of the 2 songs. It is not known if the songs were ever commercially recorded.

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 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 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 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.

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.

"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.

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 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 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.

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!

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".

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 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 Jim Reeves had a kind of computer when learning how to navigate an airplane across the sky?

When Jim was learning to fly an airplane, he had to learn how to navigate: to move the aircraft through the sky from one place on the earth to another. One tool he used to help him do this was a Kane Mark VI Dead Reckoning Computer, manufactured by Kane Aero Company of Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA. Although the word "computer" was used in the name, the meaning was different then than it is today. Today, to most people, a computer is a PC or a Mac. Jim's tool, his "computer", was essentially a circular slide rule made of anodized aluminum. The copyright date on Jim's device is 1957.

"Dead reckoning" is a method of determing the position of an airplane (in this case) by charting its course and speed from a previously known position. Today, satellite navigation (GPS) has made dead reckoning obsolete for many pilots.

The owner's manual (last date 1960) to Jim's Kane Dead Reckoning Computer explains some of the uses of the device. "The circular slide rule of the computer enables the pilot to solve problems involving time, speed, distance, and fuel consumption." "Solution of wind vector triangles is accomplished on the face of the computer using the rotating compass ring and plotting disc."

Jim's 1950's aviation "computer", its imitation leather carrying case, and the original owner's manual have all survived in excellent condition.

(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 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).

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.

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 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 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 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.

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 Reeves performed on two segments of The Grand Ole Opry on October 13, 1956?

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 Mary Reeves kept a diary of the 1957 European tour? She wrote from the time the troupe left the US until the time she arrived home in Nashville.

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 Jim was not the first artist to record or release his song "Need me" in 1957? That privilege fell to Dot artist Jimmy Newman at a session in March of that year, when he recorded the song at the Owen Bradley studio, among 3 titles for consideration as a single release. Alas "Need me" was unissued. The A side of the single on Dot 15574 was the James Joiner song "A fallen star" which went to no.2 on the Billboard Country Charts.

However, Jimmy must have liked the song, for he re-recorded it in June/July of that year and this time it was released in August on Dot 15627. Jim Reeves did not record the song until 26th June 1957 for his pop orientated album "Jim Reeves" (LPM-1576) released in October.

DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?

Did you know that Jim's 1960 Cadillac Eldorado Seville is still for sale? James Newberry, who used to have one of the largest Jim Reeves collections, bought the car out of the Jim Reeves Estate from the late Ed Gregory. The car was beautifully restored but is currently believed to be in storage and for sale. Perhaps one day it will turn up in the Swedish Jim Reeves museum? That museum has a few original parts of that car on display.

DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?

Did you know that Mary Reeves once revealed that Jim Reeves had recorded 5 songs in the Jim Beck studio in Dallas? It can be confirmed that these 5 songs, all written by Jim Reeves, were recorded in March or April 1951.

It is known that Jim entered a talent show on the Big D Jamboree in Dallas around the same time and was beaten by Jimmy Lee Fautheree.

DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?

Did you know that the 19-26 July 1967 issue of the Irish magazine 'New Spotlight' mentioned in an article that Jim Reeves had said he would have liked very much to have recorded popular Irish songs on an album?

DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?

Did you know that Jim Reeves was among other country artists such as James O'Gwynne & Webb Pierce who sent a supportive tape recording to a deejay who was the organiser of 'Operation Leaky Arm' in May 1959? As that title suggests, it was all about promoting a blood-donor campaign due to be held for several days in the following month in Michigan's largest prison.

DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?

Did you know that Jim Reeves performed a few times the 'PET MILK' sponsored portion of the WSM 'FRIDAY NIGHT FROLIC' radio program between October 1959 and March 1962? The program took place in WSM's studio C in Nashville. In 1964 the program moved to the Ryman Auditorium and changed its name to 'FRIDAY NIGHT OPRY'.

DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?

Did you know that Jim Reeves participated in the 1956 'MARCH OF DIMES' campaign which was to arouse interests for the fight again infantile paralysis? A blue-and- white Pullman train called the 'RCA VICTOR STARLINER' and on board as many as 20 great RCA Victor recording artists, visited 12 major cities in 10 days. The artists would visit deejays and do interviews only. Besides Jim Reeves, famous artists such as Eddie Fisher, Vaughn Monroe, Eddie Arnold, Homer and Jethro participated part or all of the trip. During the journey, Jim Reeves met Herb Shucher who would become his personel manager a few weeks later. The train reached its final destination Philadelphia on January 21.

DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?

Did you know that December 14, 1961 was proclaimed JIM REEVES DAY by the Mayor of Henderson, Texas in honour of hometown lad Jim Reeves? The highlight of the day was an appearence by Jim in the Henderson High School Auditorium.

DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?

Did you know that Jim Reeves and a friend visited a record shop in Longview, Texas in May 1955? There Jim took the latest Johnny Cash record out and both listened to 'Cry, Cry, Cry'. Jim told the friend: "Watch that boy, he'll be the next superstar in country music".

DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?

Did you know that on September 6, 1958 Hank Snow introduced Jim Reeves at the Prince Albert Tobacco portion of the Grand Ole Opry: " And ...our very special guest.....back after a long absence.....JIM REEVES!" Jim then sang his latest RCA record " Blue Boy" , and his greatest hit until then, "Am I Losing You" on the broadcasted portion of the show.

DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?

Did you know that on January 26, 1956, Jim recorded for RCA in Nashville, between 19:00 and 22:00 hrs. his last four selections for his debut album " SINGING DOWN THE LANE" .

Just a few blocks away in Bradley's Film & Recording Studio between 19:15 and 22:15 hrs. another fellow Texan, by the name of BUDDY HOLLY, made his debut session for DECCA Records, recording four titles.

DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?

According to Mary Reeves, Jim was working at a tyre establishment in Shreveport, Louisiana, when they first met at a dance in Marshall, Texas in 1947. He was also playing professionally baseball for the Alexandria Aces in the Evangaline league in Louisiana at the time.

DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?

Did you know that Jim Reeves played a show in Dessau Hall, near Pflugerville, Texas, probably in early 1953? The house band, who backed him at the show were three very young musicans, Justin Tubb, the son of Ernest Tubb, and his cousins Douglas Glen and Billy Tubb. They had worked hard to learn the songs Jim had put on ABBOTT records. Jim sang only Ernest Tubb songs in the first part of the show, because he expected they would not know his songs, but certainly Ernest Tubb's songs. When he learned they did know his songs, he sang only his songs in the second part of the show.

(With permission from the author, from Ronnie Pugh's book " Ernest Tubb: The Texas Troubadour" .)

Did you know that 4 Blue Boy members played together on STARDAY album SLP-138 NASHVILLE STEEL GUITARS? Dean Manuel on piano, Leo Jackson on guitar, James Kirkland on bass, and Mel Rogers on drums accompanied steel guitar players Pete Drake, Don Helms, Little Roy Wiggins, Jimmy Day, Dick Stubbs, Al Petty, and Herb Remington. The recording engineer was a former member of Jim's earlier band " The Wagonmasters" . The album was released in 1961 and re-released as STARDAY NLP-2017 in 1965. It's a great country music album, which should not be lacking in the collection of Jim Reeves' fans who appreciate the Blue Boys for their musical craftmanship.

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 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 Werly Fairburn recorded the song " I GUESS I'M CRAZY" in 1955 and performed it at the Louisiana Hayride. Jim apparently liked it and recorded it a few months before he died, at RCA Studio B in Nashville on 18 May 1964 between 6:00 and 9:30 pm. Chet Atkins produced the session. Session details are: Jim Reeves on vocal, Jerry Kennedy on guitar, Wayne Moss on guitar, Bob Moore on bass, William Ackerman on drums, Hargus Robbins on piano, Bill Pursell on vibes and strings section, and the Anita Kerr Singers on vocals.

DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?

Did you know that in 1959 Jim Reeves didn't spend New Year's Eve at home but was on tour with other Grand Ole Opry artists? Jim Reeves, Kitty Wells, Johnny and Jack, Hank Locklin, Cowboy Copas, and possibly some other Opry members on December 29th performed in the Sioux City Municipal auditorium. On December 30th they did a show in Lincoln, Nebraska and on December 31st one in Omaha, Nebraska and January 1st in Wichita, Kansas; and on January 2nd in Topeka, Kansas. On January 3rd, the troupe, consisting of Jim Reeves, Kitty Wells, Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, and other Opry members, performed in the Kansas Memorial Building. It is very likely on each of the dates, there was a different set of Grand Ole Opry artists.

DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?

Did you know that on Monday September 10th, 1962, Jim Reeves and The Blue Boys performed two shows at 7:00 and 9:30 pm, at the Andrew Lewis High School, Salem, Virginia, in aid of the Fort Lewis Rescue Squad?

Some of the songs performed were; 'He'll Have To Go', 'Four Walls', 'Wheels' - by Leo Jackson, 'Danny Boy', 'Stand At Your Window', and 'I'm Gonna Change Everything' .

DID YOU KNOW THAT ...?

Did you know that the writer of 'Goldmine In The Sky' was so pleased with Jim's performance of the song that he wrote Jim a letter?

The western song, 'Goldmine In The Sky', was written by Nick and Charles Kinney, and published in 1937. Gene Autry recorded it, and starred in the movie by the same name in 1938.

Twenty years after the song was first published, Jim sang it on his ABN network radio show. At that time, the song was having a bit of a revival, having been recorded by Pat Boone and others. Since the song selection for Jim's show included older standards as well as then-currently popular songs, 'Goldmine In The Sky' fit in both categories.

Nick Kenny wrote to Jim," I was in the audience...the other morning, when you and the Anita Kerr singers gave that beautiful rendition of my song, 'Goldmine In The Sky.' I have never heard it done better and I am sorry you didn't record it just the way you did it the other morning."

Nick also could not pass up the opportunity to pitch a couple of his songs to Jim in the same letter.

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.

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.

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.

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.

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, 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 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.

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 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.

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.

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 REEVES HAD A "RUN-IN" IN PRINTER'S ALLEY?

DID YOU KNOW THAT JIM REEVES ENJOYED NASHVILLE'S MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL?

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 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 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 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.

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 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.

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.

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 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? 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 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.

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.

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? 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.

DID YOU KNOW THAT JIM REEVES HAD A "RUN-IN" IN PRINTER'S ALLEY?

DID YOU KNOW THAT JIM REEVES ENJOYED NASHVILLE'S MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL?