The only time I'm aware of that Jim drew the line was when he was home visiting family. A neighbor of one of his sisters asked if he would sing in her church (for free, of course), Reeves politely informed her he would be happy to do that -- but NOT NOW. He told her to write his office and ask to be put on his schedule.
On the other hand, Hank Cochran told me that when he and Jim used to go bar hopping, they would be sitting there and somebody would accost Jim and want him to sing. And if he had his guitar handy, which he often did, he would sing a few songs at the table for whomever was within earshot. He also, of course, enjoyed getting up and "jamming" at jazz (and other) clubs, like he would do in Nashville's Printer's Alley the night he followed Roger Miller to the stage.
When Jim died, his loss was felt not only on an emotional level but financially as well. Because he had supported the ladies' golf association in San Antonio, Texas -- the one town in the world that Mary Reeves told me was Jim's favorite. They had close friends there and went there many times, and of course Jim had found a ranch he wanted to buy nearby just days before his death. Reeves would bring his band and do fundraisers for San Antonio and when he was killed, members of the Pro Golfers Assn. sent reps to his funeral.
Gee, that doesn't sound like Jim had a "black heart" after all, does it? Yet that's what Michael Streissguth claimed in his book on Reeves (among other outrageous and baseless assertions).
1
Responses « Back to index | View thread »
TO RETURN TO THE JIM REEVES WAY, CLICK ON JIM'S NAME AT TOP OF PAGE