Saturday, November 5, 2011

Happy Birthday & Congratulations to Stonewall Jackson

Happy Birthday greetings go today to Grand Ole Opry star Stonewall Jackson, who on Sunday November 6 will be celebrating his 79th birthday. And along with the birthday wishes, congratulations also go to Stonewall, who tonight will be celebrating his 55th year as a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

From the Country Music Encyclopedia, I offer to you this biography of Stonewall:

"Stonewall Jackson is known as a longtime star of the Grand Ole Opry and as a staunchly hard country singer. Jackson's father, Waymond, claiming to be a descendant, had planned to name his third son after Confederate general Thomas "Stonewall". The elder Jackson, a railroad engineer, became injured in a work-related accident and died shortly before the birth of young Stonewall. Nearly destitute, his mother took her family and hitchhiked to Georgia to work on a brother-in-law's farm. After she remarried, Stonewall suffered years of physical abuse at the hands of his stepfather. At fifteen Jackson ran away to enlist in the army, lying about his age. The truth surfaced and he was discharged. At seventeen he enlisted in the navy for four years. In 1954 he returned to Georgia to work as a sharecropper, saving some $350 of his pay to finance a move to Nashville.

His career got off to a storybook start. Two days after his twenty-fourth birthday, Jackson drove his gray 1955 Chevrolet pickup into Nashville and walked uninvited that day into the offices of Acuff-Rose Publications. His singing and songwriting impressed Wesley Rose enough that Rose helped Jackson gain an audition the following day for the Opry's George D. Hay and W. D. Kilpatrick, who gave him a contract without the benefit of a label or hit record. On his third day in Nashville, November 9, 1956, he appeared on the Opry's Friday Night Frolics program and became a member of the cast.

Ernest Tubb, who met Jackson onstage at that first Friday night broadcast, took the young singer under his wing, buying his first stage clothes, giving him the opening berth on his road show, and steering him to Columbia Records. His first hit came in 1958-59 with 'Life to Go' written by George Jones, with whom he was then touring. His next hit, 'Waterloo' was a #1 country hit for five weeks in the summer of 1959 and crossed over into the Billboard pop charts (#4), generating bookings on such pop TV programs as Dick Clark's American Bandstand. Hot on the heels of his successes 'Life to Go' and 'Waterloo', Stonewall Jackson was named Most Promising Country Male Star by Cash Box. Other Top Ten hits in the sixties include 'A Wound Time Can't Erase' (#3, 1962), 'B.J. the DJ (#1, 1964), 'Don't Be Angry' (#4), and 'I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water (#8, 1965). He's also known for his pro-Vietnam War hit 'The Minute Men (Are Turning in Their Graves)'. He left Columbia in 1973 for MGM Records, where he logged his final chart hit, 'Herman Schwartz,' that year. Jackson and his Minute-Men band (including son Turp on drums) occasionally tour and still keep their weekend Opry appearances. His autobiography, 'From the Bottom Up' was published by L. C. Parsons in 1991."

In 1977 Stonewall was presented the Ernest Tubb Memorial Award for his contributions to country music. By the end of his charted recording career, Stonewall had placed 44 singles on the Billboard country charts.

When Stonewall joined the Opry, he was part of the youth movement that was started by Opry manager Dee Kilpatrick. Others who joined the Opry during the same time period were Porter Wagoner and the Everly Brothers.

Stonewall was one of the Opry artists who were fired from the Opry on December 6, 1964 for failing to meet the Opry's appearance requirements. Stonewall was gone from the Opry for almost four and a half years, rejoining the show on May 10, 1969.

Stonewall made news in 2006 when he sued the Grand Ole Opry for $10 million in compensatory damages and $10 million in punitive damages, claiming age discrimination. As a member of the Opry for over fifty years, he believed that management was reducing his appearances in favor of younger artists. In his court filing, Jackson claimed that Opry general manager Pete Fisher stated that he did not "want any gray hairs on that stage or in the audience, and before I'm done there won't be any." Fisher was also alleged to have told Jackson that he was "too old and too country." The lawsuit was settled on October 3, 2008 for an undisclosed amount and Stonewall returned to performing on the Opry.

On the night that Stonewall Jackson returned to the Opry, on May 10, 1969, he was on the 7:00 segment hosted by Roy Acuff. Others on that segment included Jean Shepard and Leroy Van Dyke. Stonewall sang "Don't be Angry" and "Angry Words" during that half hour. On the 2nd show that night, he appeared in the 10:15 segment, again hosted by Roy Acuff and sang "Angry Words".

If there was ever a country singer, it was Stonewall Jackson. He had a distinctive voice and you knew a Stonewall song the minute it came on. Many of his songs had a honky-tonk beat to them. Pete Fisher was right was he said Stonewall was "too country."

I could never understand, with the number of hit records that Stonewall had, why he never received more recognition in Nashville, or on the award shows. And with his career accomplishments, in the opinion of this writer, Stonewall should have been in the Country Music Hall of Fame long ago. Yet, he has never received even serious consideration. Some of it could be that he was not a trailblazer in music and outside of his first few hits, he never had any crossover appeal. I think the other more recent reason is because of the lawsuit against the Opry. Gaylord is a big supporter of the Hall of Fame and I think people remember. Politics is in play many times with Hall of Fame voting and with the lawsuit, I think any chance Stonewall had pretty much went out the window.

But in my opinion, Stonewall was one of the great classic country music singers of all time and I am glad he is back on the Opry, although with reduced appearances, and I congratulate him on 55 years of Opry membership and send along my best wishes on his 79th birthday.

14 comments:

  1. When one is true to his roots and feelings.He cannot be change.I Love Country Music not today's music.Mikey Derrick Sr.

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  2. Fred in Bismarck here:

    I hear you talking, Mikey D. I got on board c. 1954, and was just getting comfortable when "pop" country came along. Stonewall was one of those who helped bring it back (for a while). God bless him -- and he still finds his way onto my turntable and CD player every so often when nobody else will do!

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    1. I love to sing the old country myself and may never get to be on the list in Nashville or in the hall of fame anywhere but ill never stop singing it or trying the new music I am not at all into , stonewall has been a favourite of mine for many , many years and its in my blood to like nothing but country music , its just a darn shame things aren't run the way they used to be for new comers to the music business . all I have been able to do is cover songs of which I take no claim too nor do I try to sell , its not right to do this without giving proper share to writers or musicians but I know of many who do and there is no way to make them pay its not right. I have lots of exposure to many radio stations world wide and I do think that is ok because it keeps those songs and writers songs alive as a result of not allowing this some songs are only exposed when some big important singer sings them once again this keeps the songs hidden until they decide to sing them once again keep them alive I say but what more can I do or say im just a poor guy
      wilfred saulnier

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  3. I was born in 1965, and I don't have much use for most of what has been recorded since I was born, so, I'm with you!

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  4. My favorite country music has been and always will be hillbilly,bluegrass and the like.Some of the modern country singers I like are Vince Gill,Marty Stuart,Travis Tritt,Alan Jackson,Ricky Scaggs,Hank Jr.,George Jones.Keep playing the oldies.

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  5. I was just looking up Stonewall Jackson and we also Love traditional country music. I would like to know tho whether he is still alive or not. I read the info I found but no date was given about his death. Can anyone please give me any details. Thank you.

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  6. give me country....only true country...todays country is "mostly" standaed type..most country is now on Tru Country--Brady, TX

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  7. I worked as a demo singer in Nashville during the 70's and 80's. Absolute best job in the world. And, the old country songs from the 50's always fascinated me. So, I'm not speaking here from any biased point of view. However, what's out there now is not country by any stretch of the imagination. It's a combination of various types of music, mostly rock, aimed at the almighty dollar. That's life. Time marches on. BUT, I just wish the current crop of Nashville producers and artists would stop classifying their brand of music, Country. From a purely historical point of view, neither the music or the artists of this era qualify for that category re: the introduction of using 'strings' on country songs and the, so called, cross over records or the country rock sound of today. Not my opinion. Just facts.

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    1. I am a virtual unknown but ever day I try to keep singing I neber stop , I have never been discovered by anyone even though I did spend a few sat. evenings singing on their jamboree on C.K.D.Y. years ago late 1960s there about and now im in my mid60s I still think there should be NO age discrimination any wheres that's not what life is about we all get older, I sing a lot of stonewall jacksons songs I love his style of talent and music keep going stonewall your very luckey to have done the work you have........wilf

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  8. Hank Williams Sr., Stonewall Jackson, Patsy Cline, Johnny Horton, Jim Reeves, Eddie Arnold, Elvis, Jimmy Dean, Merle Haggard, Red Foley, and Red Sovine are and always will be my favorites.Stonewall You're all we got left. Modern Country isn't even in the ballpark. I'm an old time musician myself at 55. Can't help but think of that great old tune "Hillbilly Heaven" See ya all there. Thanks for the music.
    Ramblin George Watson

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    1. Well if we get denied here we likely won't there and all will be revealed there,. No hiding any feelings .....best wishes. ...wild saulnier

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  9. I am 70 in feb 16 2019 I remember lots of old songs I do sing on many stations im on international 40 list at number 32 for singing my women ,my women ,my wife , an earlier song I would love to make it to number one I don't have a song of my own I can likely write myself a great song but to put it to a tune well that's not so easy but I belive if I had been born say 20 years earlier and had the funds to get to Nashville and could be heard things may have been different for me why might that be so maybe because the people in charge were different minded old school if they liked you they liked you today you must be still in diapers world wide before they will except you I do agree that younger folks should be excepted as well like anyone but hear me well there is a lot of talent being lost dismissed because they overlook them by age ...Wilf

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  10. it would be a great honour to be able to have stonewall Jackson a friend hes a great singer in my mind right up there with the rest of the stars I have allways dreamed of being a country star as well I have performed at an event here in nova scotia with the nova scotia country music hall of fame and wasn't asked to follow up in any other events , I have many very good cds out that the radio stations are playing and have been asked by them and some fans to do more but somehow im not by certain peoples standards good enough to be put in registration as a singer here in nova scotia hall of fame i have sung lots of songs every sense I was 6/7 years old until today its in my blood each place has its rules and regulations and its good too , but in some places they tend to make it soo hard its impossible to get involved and if you do they exclude you anyways and im wondering now if they judge you by wealth and social status , well im a singe i do exams for radio ( ham radio )my wife Ethel and i are members of the nova scotia folk art society in Lunenburg n.s. are excepted by them and are somewhat active in the community being disabled slightly we tend to limit our activities until were able to but all in all there seems to be no reason for some things that go on in the music business at times ...Wilf

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  11. I remember well Stonewall Jackson. I was born In Dawson, Ga, he Moultrie, Ga. Loved his name, loved his singing. Don’t Be Angry With Me Darling, Wounds Time Want Erase

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