Posted by Rodney James on November 26, 2014, 8:33 am
How did jr become a legend other than the obvious sheer quality of his voice? What came together to make the legend?
Fascination little site below suggests some points -
ow to become a legend | 2KnowMySelf www.2knowmyself.com/how_to_become_a_legend
Re: JR -a legend
Posted by Paul on November 26, 2014, 11:24 am, in reply to "JR -a legend"
Hey Rodney,
Wow...what a heavy duty question and right before the big holiday week-end in America when everybody is thinking about "black Friday" and perhaps turkey and other goodies etc etc. and not necessarily JR. I look forward to reading the views of JR's fans from across the world especially Africa and the far east. How one defines legend will probably dictate the nature of the answers. Legend perhaps meaning "celebrity,dignitary luminary, marvel, phenomenon,superstar,sensation" etc. etc. In about 1976, a LP was released called "Jim Reeves-A Legendary Performer".The liner notes were written by Pee Wee King and he stated that "because Jim Reeves is an international historic idol and is a tradition around the world,he is a legend in country music".And he went on to state that because of the visions and dreams he had he is a legend,a true perennial.He was imaginative,creative,fanciful,human ,honest and had an insight into peoples' hearts and souls because he cared and he sang to each of us on a individual basis. Enough said I think!. Enjoy your holiday week-end. Cheers.
Re: JR -a legend
Posted by Larry Jordan on November 26, 2014, 1:23 pm, in reply to "Re: JR -a legend"
The way in which Jim achieved international star status -- in an age before satellites and the internet made possible instantaneous global communication -- is told in great detail in my 672-page book, "Jim Reeves: His Untold Story."
But briefly put, Jim was a forward-thinker with a vision and a game plan. T. Tommy Cutrer, his closest friend in Nashville (and whose friendship with Reeves dated back to Louisiana days), said Jim was one of the true business people in the music industry. He knew what we was going to be doing five years from now. He had a plan for his life.
This is also seen in the fact that from the early days, Jim and then Mary saved everything. Casual letters, etc., to document his career.
Ted Staples, who befriended Reeves even before Jim got on the Hayride, and was to have spent that weekend with Jim and Mary at the end of July 1964, still marvels at what a visionary the singer was.
As someone observed, while Eddy Arnold amassed a lot of money in the bank, had he lived, Jim would have OWNED the bank.
Reeves did Pee Wee King's television show and confided early on that he wanted to develop his own style so that "Jim Reeves music" could be featured by his band even after his voice gave out. So he envisioned himself a perennial force in the entertainment industry. On one of the early dance hall gigs, amidst singing western-style music, Jim had his band play "Danny Boy" while he strode up to the microphone and sang it with such power and beauty that the noisy crowd fell into awed silence. Though he was not yet in a position in his career to be able to record pop songs, he knew the direction he wanted to move in -- and demonstrated it to his musicians that night.
Jim also had many conversations about his life's plan with his Hollywood publicist/paramour, Bea Terry -- whom, as I reveal for the first time in my book, helped guide him in the right direction. At the end he wanted to buy a ranch in Texas (which he had put money down on just before he died), and "only play the big dates." But he was also intending to do a network TV show and had brought orchestra leader Bill Walker over to the States from South Africa to help him.
Jim's fascinating life story is truly remarkable, with its various twists and turns. But he always had a vision. And that's the stuff from which legends are made.