After Herb Shucher (who did a tremendous amount to help Reeves) got fired, except for a very brief period, Jim did not have a manager per se. Though one could call Dean the road manager in the sense he helped with the logistics, such as when the bus broke down or they needed to get Jim on a plane to go somewhere. Dean also carried the cash in a gym bag underneath his underwear, so it was inconspicuous.
When the men were at home in Nashville, Dean had little time to spend with his wife, Bobbie, or their two daughters, because Jim was forever recruiting him to go out on the town with him and keep him company. Leo used to do that, but when Dean came along Jackson thankfully turned over the responsibility to Manuel, saying he served his penance.
Unlike most other Nashville stars at the time, Jim kept his band on salary; he did not pay them per show. Therefore, they were "on call" anytime he wanted to summon them, whether it be for business or pleasure. In this respect, Jim was very unfair to his band members who, after all, had private lives too.
In my book I also tell how Jim would pay his band Christmas bonuses, then demand they return half of the money. The men ended up having to pay taxes on the whole amount (while Jim got the tax write-off).
As you can see once again, Jim Reeves was a man of many contradictions.
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