It was reported this morning that long time Grand Ole Opry Staff Band member Jimmy Capps had passed away at the age of 81.
Jimmy Capps was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He began playing the guitar at an early age, as well as listening to the Grand Ole Opry. By the age of 12, he was being featured on various radio stations in the North Carolina area.
In 1958, he had the opportunity to audition for the Louvin Brothers. According to Jimmy, "When I auditioned for my job with the Louvin Brothers, their current guitar player (Paul Yandell, who had been drafted into the Army)) had heard me working with a duet in North Carolina who sang all the Louvin Brother's songs, so I knew all the intros and turnarounds to their songs. He'd heard me play and recommended me to the Louvin. So I went to Burlington, N.C. and after their show, we went back to the hotel and I auditioned. I did all their intros and turnarounds to the songs they auditioned me with and they seemed to like me okay. But their guitar player noticed I didn't use a thumbpick...he then asked me if I could play "Malaguena"? I told him, "No I couldn't".
Charlie Louvin spoke up and said, "Well ... Ira and I very seldom sing "Malaguena" anymore ... so, we're gonna hire you anyway! Thanks to Charlie ... I guess I owe my whole career to him. That one split-second decision that he made is the reason I am here. That decision made all the difference in my life."
Jimmy Capps made his first appearance backing up the Louvin Brothers on the Grand Ole Opry in 1958 and in 1967, he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry Staff Band. Since then there have been many changes in the Staff Band, but Jimmy always survived the changes.
In addition to his work on the Opry, Jimmy was a noted studio musicians who played on over 250 recordings. Among the hits were "Stand By Your Man," "He Stopped Loving Her Today," "The Gambler," "The Rose," "16th Avenue," "Elvira," "Here In The Real World," and the list goes on and on and on. It's hard to find a hit record out of Nashville that Jimmy was not a part of.
Jimmy was the recipient of numerous awards over the years and was featured on many television shows, including over 20 CMA Award Shows, Country's Family Reunion, and more recently as the guitar playing sheriff on Larry's Country Diner.
Recently, Jimmy wrote his autobiography, The Man In Back, and the musicians room at the Grand Ole Opry was named in his honor. The only award missing was election to the Country Music Hall of Fame and I am sure that will come sooner rather than later.
Jimmy Capps was truly a legend and will be missed by many. Our thoughts and prayers to his family and close friends.
From all accounts, he was a gentle soul. May he rest in peace and may his family and friends find comfort and peace in the days ahead.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry. I think of Don Gibson finally coming back to the Opry and at the instrumental break yelling, "CAPPS!" I think of the glory days of the staff band with him and Spider and Harold Weakley and Weldon Myrick and Joe Edwards and Jerry Whitehurst and the others. May he rest in peace, and may his friends and family find comfort.
ReplyDeleteMichael,
DeleteI couldn't agree more about the band. I know we have had the discussion here many times that since those guys were together as the staff band so long and backed up the artist that didn't carry a full band, the sound got stale. I can understand some feeling that way but it was about 1980 that I started doing anything possible to be near a radio on Friday and Saturday night to hear the Opry. Naturally, I loved the Smoky Mountain Boys, the Rainbow Ranch Boys, the Second Fiddles, the Gems, the Country Boys, the Minute Men, the Po Folks and all the other road bands. But I also loved to hear Charlie Walker, Ray Pillow, Jan Howard, Stu Phillips, Roy Drusky, Ernie Ashworth, George Hamilton IV and others come out and work with that staff band you named. It was a great sound to me and I never thought they sounded the same with the range of artist they were backing up and the different song styles they were playing. Don't forget Leon rounding out those guitars and the Davis brothers! That time through the 80's is still my favorite time to go back and listen to in my collection of tapes I made from live broadcasts. Most of them were still there as we started attending the Opry regularly in the 90's. Great memories.
We never got to meet Jimmy Capps but we did see him on the road a few times with the Country Family Reunion Road Show. I have that book but have not started reading it but I'm looking forward to it. Loosing Jimmy really hits hard because Tommy White is about all that is left that goes back to the time of those legends we have lost. It's a real good thing that Bill, Jeannie and Connie still have mostly a full band!
On another note, did you see where the Hall of Fame is laying off about 170 and will bow be closed until the end of July?
Jim
Knightsville, IN
Jim, I remember one time one of the artists came out and told Ralph Davis to hit a chord. Ralph asked which one. The singer said, "Any of them." Ralph did and the singer started singing. They could do just about anything, and did.
DeleteThey also were part of the show in their own right. The Goo-Goo Twins were Hairl Hensley and Harold Weakley, and when Harold died, Ralph began doing the commercial; when he retired, it was Carol Lee. There are parts of the show we can't have back, and I get that. But there are parts that aren't hard to recreate, and I hope Dan Rogers understands that that part of the Opry's past also should be part of the Opry's future.
Michael,
DeleteRemember how Billy Grammer would come out and set down and say something like "I'll start it off and you guys just follow me"? and they would.
There are a few LP's running around with the band too.
The Grand Ole Opry Staff Band and the Carol Lee Singers from 1980 consists of Herman, Dennis, Carol Lee, Norah Lee, Glen and Ralph Davis, Harold Weakley, Sonny Burnette, Billy Linneman, Joe Edwards, Jimmy Capps, Spider Wilson, Leon Rhodes, Jerry Whitehurst and Weldon Myrick! That's the band! Nice photos of each on the cover. This is where "A Song Holy Angels Cannot Sing" came from. Roy Acuff would ask then to do that and I think I have it somewhere on tape.
Grand Ole Opry Staff Band and Carol Lee Singers "Showtime" was from 1983 and feature all the same folks.
Before those there was an LP on MEGA Records from 1975 titled Steel Guitars of the Grand Ole Opry: Sonny(Burnette), Hal(Rugg) and Weldon(Myrick). You should see the head of hair Hal and Weldon had!
I'm sure there are more out there but we just happen to have these three.
How I wish we would have had one earlier like the night we were backstage or at some of the shows. I think the only two we met and got autographs from was Joe and Leon.
Jim
Knightsville, IN
Sad sad news. We loved Jimmy Capps. He was such a quiet influence of country music and all the accolades he received were so well deserved. We were fortunate to meet him 3 times and had him autograph his book for us. The book "The Man in Back" is a wonderful read. The tributes now being made by so many in the music industry speak volumes about the wonderful person he was. Condolences to his family and friends and all of those who love country music. (from anonymous in PA)
ReplyDeleteI have not seen anything on the Grand Ole Opry page.
ReplyDeleteA very very sad day in Country Music. You'll be missed Jimmy. RIP. Bob
ReplyDeleteTruly a star even though he was sitting in background. Gosh, it just can’t be as good without Jimmy being there. It hits so hard ever time we lose a great one and this time is no exception. The stage in heaven added another angel yesterday.
ReplyDeleteThe New York Times did a marvelous job on the obituary--much more than I expected: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/04/arts/music/jimmy-capps-dead.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage§ion=Obituaries
ReplyDeleteThanks Michael. Bob
DeleteThe death of Jimmy Capps, a 60 year veteran in Country music, and at age 81, is a prime example of the CMA needing to add additional categories or a few extra inductions each year into the Hall of Fame. There’s no reason this legend should not have already been enshrined, and enjoyed the honor while alive.
ReplyDelete