Re: Reflections on Jim's legacy and how it has been mishandled
Larry, everything you said is very true, I'm sorry to say. Jim's legacy could have been handled properly, but of course, that never happened. The lust for money and the greed that consumed these people destroyed everything that should have been. It's true that the people who were responsible for protecting Jim's legacy were too self centered and more interested in enriching themselves than doing the right thing by honoring Mary's wishes. It is tragic how we can put our trust in people who can very well betray us in the end. It's a terrible shame that so much of Jim's music is in the public domain, and that his early songs are being re-released over and over by people looking to make a fast buck, with no care or consideration to the artist himself or his true fans. This has been going on for way too long, and I guess it will probably continue. However, I do take comfort in knowing that there are many people in this world that truly love Jim and really care about his legacy and the wonderful recordings that he left us. As for doing justice to Jim's music, and producing many great CD's of unreleased material, we have you to thank for all of it. Any Jim Reeves fan that has heard these CD's can tell right away that they were a labor of love by someone who really cares. I believe that Jim and Mary would be proud of the way his great songs are being presented in all the wonderful Voicemasters releases. It's just heartbreaking to think how much more Jim's fans could be enjoying if the people who were entrusted to preserve Jim's legacy had done what they were supposed to do. Instead, the greedy lawyers and the hoarders who own many rare Jim Reeves items are the ones who won out in the end. It's a real tragedy.
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