Posted by Larry Jordan on August 11, 2014, 8:22 pm
Bill Black, who says he has "presented country music radio shows here in Scotland for the past 40 years and grew up on Jim Reeves music," presently hosts "Bill Black's Classic Country" show being broadcast over 8 community radio stations. He recently presented a one hour special remembering Jim Reeves.
Here is a link to Dropbox where you can hear the show. It includes a couple of promotional messages Jim recorded plus interviews with Leo Jackson, singer Clodagh Rodgers and Tommy Hill (though Bill misidentifies him as Buddy Killen. But I know Tommy's voice, and Buddy was a friend of mine, so I assure you I am correct about this).
Bill also used four VoiceMasters/H&H tracks I produced -- the new overdub of "I Fall To Pieces" featuring Kenzie Wetz; a selection from the Nashville Symphony concert Reeves did in 1961 and which made its premier on VoiceMasters years ago; the new version of "Distant Drums" in which I brought in Steve Patrick to play trumpet; and "Adios Amigo," another new overdub that features Steve plus Spanish style accordion played by Jim Frazier, who also helped arrange the song.
Of particular interest are the emphatic defenses of Jim expressed by Leo and Clodagh Rodgers. I am glad Mr. Black included these because they are typical of the sort of statements I heard during the 13 years I researched my book, "Jim Reeves: His Untold Story." Countless times, people defended Jim against a lot of the scurrilous rumors about his supposed ill temper, etc. They did so very bluntly as you will hear.
The show is worth a listen (though the audio quality is not great).
Click the link below to hear the show from Scotland. This proves again that the overdubs we're releasing on Jim are really reaching the world!
Larry, I listened to the program and enjoyed it. If I heard her correctly, Clodagh Rodgers said Jim played the piano while she sang on stage? Is that true? I don't believe I was aware that Jim played piano.