Wilma Lee Will Be Missed

We lost one of our great classic bluegrass and country music stars today, Wilma Lee Cooper. Here she is with her husband Stoney and The Clinch Mountain Clan:



Wilma Lee and Stoney began recording in the late 1940s, then performed regularly on the Opry from 1957 until Stoney passed away in 1977. She was known as "The First Lady of Bluegrass" and continued to perform until she had a stroke while performing on stage at the Opry in 2001. The doctors said she would never walk again but she fought tooth and nail and regained use of her legs a few years later. She died today in her home of natural causes.



Rest in peace, Wilma Lee. I hope that Stoney met you on the other side with a song. You really do make a lovely couple.



Until next time,
x's and o's,
Eartha

Happy Birthday George

I had to take a moment and leave a little birthday tribute to George Jones today. It's his eightieth birthday today! That would make him thirty four years old in this video.

The man singing there with him is also quite awesome. He's George "Georgie" Riddle and because everything seems to be six degrees from Patsy Cline these days, he and George Jones both performed at that last concert that Patsy ever did.

And along with George, this song is also dedicated to my buddy Sara and her Mister who were here for moonshine and a real live possum at our house around this time last year. And heck, I just realized that a lot of things in my life somehow always revolve back around to moonshine, possums and Patsy. I like that.

Here's a toast to "The Possum" George Jones and to evenings with white lightnin' and enormous possums in the driveway:

The Search Goes On

Sorry for missing our scheduled Sunday episode of Pam's home movies. We're still on the frantic hunt for Skippy Lou. Today is her birthday and on Friday, her Mom starts chemotherapy.

If you're praying folks, pray for a miracle. And if anyone has any media contacts (TV, newspapers, blogs - local or national) please let me know. We had the following local coverage from one news station but due to the tennis matches, it came on right before midnight instead of the three earlier time slots when people would have seen it. We really need media coverage right now. And reinforcements. Skippy Lou has been missing for a month tomorrow and though we have possible sightings, she isn't home yet.



x's and o's,
Eartha

Patsy's Things

Hey buckaroos! I've got a special treat for you today. Would you like to peek into Patsy Cline's jewelry box?

Now I wish that I could say that I found these items while rambling about in my attic but sadly, I had to photograph them through dimly lit plexiglass for you at Willie Nelson's museum. More on the museum coming up later in the week but here's a quick peek at their Patsy display. What fascinated me most was her jewelry box and the contents donated with:





Love these dice earrings



And the little horseshoes


These cute little wagons didn't appear to be jewelry - maybe just little trinkets? And I'm not sure if the guns and holsters are brooches or maybe diaper pins. I've seen vintage diaper pins just like these before. The exhibit wasn't labeled very well so it's anyone's guess...


Here's Patsy and Charlie on their wedding day:


And here you can see the whole display including her gold jacket and beautiful gown:



And I love these two shots of her:




This photo is said to be one of the last ever taken of her on the night that she died.

These items were donated by Patsy's husband, Charlie. On a related note (and talk about dream finds) did you know that Marty Stuart once found Patsy's makeup case at an antique store in the eighties? He got it for a mere seventy five dollars! You can read about it here. It was in a local exhibition recently and I missed seeing it by one day. I got my dates mixed up and by the time I got there, it was gone. I was so sad!

Hey, maybe Marty will invite me over to see it one day. With how odd this year has been, one just never knows. If he does, I'll be sure and get photos for you!

Until next time,
x's and o's,
Eartha