PORTER TUBB's MUSIC BLOG: JEAN SHEPARD, HAWSHAW HAWKINS, SR. & JR., & FERLIN HUSKY

By now, you may have guessed that my favorite music is traditional country music and bluegrass. Whenever I think of the state of country music over the past couple of decades, I cringe, yet I bite my tongue and dare not comment fully. Maybe, when I'm old, rich and famous, I will. (Doubtful the rich and famous part will happen; the old part is well underway!)

I seem--AM--addicted to YouTube, but maybe that's not a bad addiction. Last night, I came across a clip from 2000 of two country stars of Yesteryear--Jean Shepard and Ferlin Husky--singing a classic country tearjerker, "A Dear John Letter," a number one hit for them 47 years previous. I've never been a fan of Husky--who broke out with "Gone" as "Terry Preston" in the early 50s, went on to do comedy songs under the pseudonymn, "Simon Crum" and whose biggest hit was the religious anthem, "Wings Of A Dove".

But I have always admired Jean Shepard. Jean broke out around 1953, right after Kitty Wells scored big in 1952 with "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels," the answer song to Hank Thompson's "The Wild Side Of Life." (Ironically, Jean Shepard was discovered by Hank Thompson, who helped her get on Capital Records.) Jean's first big hit was the aforementioned "A Dear John Letter," a duet of sorts with Husky doing a recitation, in '53. It went to #1 on the country charts and #5 on the pop charts. Interestingly, since she was 20 at the time and considered a minor, her parents had to sign over "rights" to Husky so they could tour.

Jean had a few hits in the following years, most notably, "Second Fiddle To An Old Guitar" and, in 1960, married rockabilly/country star Hawkshaw Hawkins, who stood six-feet-six and combined blues, boogie and honky tonk...and was a snappy dresser, too! Tragically, he died on that ill-fated flight in 1963 with Patsy Cline and Cowboy Copas. Jean Shephard was pregnant at the time with their son, who'd be named after his dad, and his biggest hit, the classic "Lonesome 7-7203" had just hit the charts three days before his death. (See related post, "The Second Day The Music Died".)

After Hawkshaw's death, Jean carried on, had a few hits, including Bill Anderson's "Slippin' Away," but was never a mega-star. Still, she is an active member of the Grand Ole Opry and seems to be really respected by young and old in the cast. Plus, her voice is still strong and she's kept it country.

So here's to Jean Shephard, now 75, even Ferlin, who's 83, and the other older country artists who are still out there playing state fairs and, in Jean's case, reminding Opry fans that TRUE country still rocks!

Jean Shephard: "Just Give Me Love"