Nashville Scene 12-18-25

WITNESS HISTORY

This distinctive suit, from Little Jimmy Dickens’s extensive wardrobe of Nudie’s Rodeo Tailors pieces, is embellished with rhinestones and embroidered motifs to represent his biggest hit, “May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose,” from 1965.

From the exhibit Sing Me Back Home: Folk Roots to the Present

artifact: Gift of Marty Stuart, Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation, and Loretta and Jeff Clarke. From the Marty Stuart Collection. artifact photo: Bob Delevante

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Join us in celebrating their legacies.

COMMEMORATING MANY OF THE IRREPLACEABLE FIGURES NASHVILLE LOST IN 2025

A BELOVED East Nashville singer-songwriter. A fix-it man known as the “Music City MacGyver.” The former president of the NAACP’s Nashville branch. The co-owner of The 5 Spot. The co-owner of Vinyl Tap. A onetime Hee Haw star. A character actor from the Ernest universe. Two of the women

behind Sperry’s Restaurant. Public servants, journalists, athletes, chefs and entrepreneurs. This is just a small selection of the many Nashvillians, former Nashvillians and other locally significant figures who died over the course of 2025. In our annual In Memoriam

issue, the Nashville Scene’s staff and contributors — along with other community members we’ve reached out to — remember some of the irreplaceable figures who passed away over the past year.

JOHN CARNEY JR.

Former TBI director and DA

Before John W. Carney Jr. became the director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, he held nearly every leadership role in the bureau, starting as a criminal investigator. By the time he retired in 2021, he had served 48 years in law enforcement and prosecution, including a stint as district attorney general for the 19th Judicial District serving Montgomery and Robertson counties.

A native of the New Providence area of Clarksville and graduate of Clarksville High School, Carney earned a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University and doctor of jurisprudence degree from Nashville School of Law. During his time as DA, he pioneered the use of therapy dogs to help victims and witnesses through stressful parts of legal proceedings. He also led a drug task force and led the establishment of both the Montgomery County and Robertson County child advocacy centers.

During his time at the TBI, he led drug trafficking investigations and was tasked with Secret Service details protecting Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, among others. He also developed the TBI’s current motto: “Guilt shall not escape nor innocence suffer.” His legacy will also live on through the On Wings of Love program to remember homicide victims during the Christmas season. He was a Vanderbilt University football player, and his pallbearers were his teammates. —HANNAH HERNER

THE REV. DR. CHARLES KIMBROUGH

Pastor, veteran, former NAACP Nashville branch president

The Rev. Dr. Charles Kimbrough dedicated his life to service of all kinds. Born in Prospect, Tenn., during segregation, he fought for civil rights through the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, establishing chapters throughout Illinois and Tennessee. He simultaneously led the towns of Sparta, Ill., and Watertown, Tenn., as a pastor.

Before fighting for equality on the homefront, he served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. His six years of service awarded him the Bronze Star, the Korean Service Medal and the Purple Heart. Kimbrough went straight from the battlefield to the classroom, studying biology at Tennessee A&I State College (now Tennessee State University).

Kimbrough first joined forces with the NAACP during his time at the Tuskegee Institute’s veterinary school (now Tuskegee University), where he earned a doctorate in veterinary medicine. He was present at the 1963 March on Washington and the second Selma to Montgomery

march in 1965. He also helped activists Roy Wilkins and Althea Simmons spearhead the NAACP’s National Voter Registration Project. In 1973, Kimbrough became the NAACP branch president in Nashville and served until 1980. The chapter awards a Charles E. Kimbrough Medal of Honor each year. Kimbrough died on March 1, a few weeks shy of his 98th birthday. —RIA SKYER

ROBERT WADE MOXLEY SR.

Trailblazer, engineer, businessman

In 2002, in recognition of his long and groundbreaking career with the Tennessee Department of Transportation, Robert Moxley was presented with the Distinguished Career Service Award of Excellence. The crystal was inscribed: “For Exemplary Service and Dedication That Inspires Others.”

The path to that recognition began with his engineer’s degree from Tennessee A&I State College, now Tennessee State University (where he also played football), and his first position with TDOT as an engineer building roads and bridges. He was soon named TDOT’s first director of the Minority Small Business Development Program. In that role, he helped minorities, military veterans and women advance their businesses statewide to economically enhance their communities and their companies. Later he became the first assistant to the commissioner in charge of implementing civil rights laws across the state. Upon “retirement,” he founded Moxley and Moxley Construction Company. —KAY WEST

FRANK NICELEY

Tennessee General Assembly stalwart, Strawberry Plains native

Frank Niceley — a Republican former member of both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly, representing his beloved Strawberry Plains and its environs off and usually on for 24 years — died on his tractor.

Niceley was one of those unique creatures whom state legislatures seem to attract (or create). His voice — sometimes pitchy in that high, lonesome way our friends from the more mountainous third of our state sometimes get, and at times gravelly in the way your country granddad got — was always in the middle of saying … something. Niceley was a character, that’s for sure. He had good stories that told some kind of truth, even if they were half-made-up. For better or worse, he was a throwback to a different era of state-level lawmaking. He came from a time when legislators’ more controversial (or tangential) statements would be filtered through the newspapers and then defended or lambasted by the acid pen of the editorial page. He was kind and gracious in person, even if he said oddball things. (Like when he said homeless folks could look to the example of Adolf Hitler as someone who turned his life around after living on the streets. He did, for the record, note Hitler’s life was ultimately “unproductive.”)

Niceley was gregarious: It could be hard to find him in his own office, because he spent time sitting in his colleagues’ offices instead. He could also buck his own party. He was proud of getting through a bill that allowed for

industrial hemp production, and he decried toll roads. Ultimately, his opposition to school vouchers was his final stand against the new orthodoxy of his party. He was defeated in a primary and went back to the farm, where he died — on his tractor — from a heart attack in June. He was 78.

—J.R. LIND

RANDALL WYATT

Longtime criminal court judge, teacher, father

Those who knew Randall Wyatt described him as you might hope a judge would be: fair, gentle, wise and patient, as well as someone who treated everyone with respect. One of the longest-serving criminal court judges in Nashville history, he earned high praise from his colleagues. Current Davidson County District Attorney Glenn Funk even called him the “best person I’ve ever met.”

A graduate of Father Ryan High School and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Wyatt worked as a police officer while earning a bachelor’s degree at Middle Tennessee State University, then a law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School. After a short stint in the FBI in Minneapolis and Detroit, he returned to Nashville to work as assistant district attorney. He spent eight years in General Sessions Court and 35 years in Criminal Court, and taught in the evenings at Aquinas University.

Wyatt was married to Kay Kohl Wyatt for 58 years until her death in 2022. The pair had five children and 13 grandchildren. When he ran for General Sessions judge, the slogan for his campaign was simple: “Just ask anybody who knows him.”

—HANNAH HERNER

KATHLEEN COTTER

Businesswoman, cheese expert, friend

After a short stay in hospice when her pancreatic cancer returned, Kathleen Cotter died in June at the age of 54. First diagnosed in 2023, Cotter faced her battle with her trademark good humor and fighting spirit.

I first met Kathleen back in 2009, when we were both regulars at the bar of Tayst, Jeremy Barlow’s restaurant right around the corner from my house. Kathleen was a dedicated turophile and taught me more about cheese over glasses of happy-hour wine than anyone I’ve met before or since. She soon began supplying cheese to Barlow and storing the inventory for her virtual cheese shop, The Bloomy Rind, in Tayst’s refrigerators. She expanded her business and hosted Southern Artisan Cheese Festivals, becoming the go-to expert on all matters cheese-related in Nashville. She loved sharing her passions, from new creameries she had discovered to social causes that she cared deeply about. She was sharp-witted and unafraid to speak her mind, but you didn’t want to get on

her bad side — though few did, given her amiable nature.

Kathleen volunteered for the Nashville Farmers Market, was a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier and chaired Generous Helpings (twice!) for Second Harvest. I’ll miss her as a knowledge resource and a cheese sherpa, but most of all as a friend. —CHRIS CHAMBERLAIN

DAREK TANNER

Canvas founder, LGBTQ community leader Darek Tanner was the kind of soft, empathetic person whom others would trust to tell about their wins and losses. He also had fierceness that could activate if someone was being disrespectful at the gay bar he founded, Canvas.

I met Tanner while I was writing about the bar’s move to East Nashville in 2022 after 11 years on Church Street. It was clear he was passionate about the space he had created. In response to just one question about the business, he talked for more than six minutes. His work stemmed from his own wounding as a young gay person in rural Southern Illinois in the 1980s. For Tanner, his work was all about giving people something he wished he could have had as he came of age. He was exceedingly proud of the art in the space and the church-style lighting, homages to Church Street and to the things he still valued from his Christian upbringing. Canvas was active in fundraising efforts for HIV prevention and LGBTQ political candidates. When Tanner died suddenly in late 2024, hundreds praised his special ability to cultivate queer community.

—HANNAH HERNER

ERNEST WILLIAMS III

Philanthropist, financial adviser

So often were they spoken in one breath — with unanimous reverence for their leadership and philanthropy — that the names of Ernie and Jerry Williams became almost comically confused throughout their 56-year marriage. So for anyone who has ever paused to recall which name belongs to the elegant red-haired former doyenne of Leadership Nashville (Jerry) and which name belonged to her fly-fishing, flip-phoning and trivia-loving value-investor husband (“The Ernie,” who died in November at 84), one eulogy provided this tip: Think of them together as “Anonymous.”

That’s because Nashville will never know the extent of generosity — generosity of both mentorship and money — that Ernie and Jerry have quietly poured into the city. That is, until Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum chief executive officer Kyle Young unmasked Ernie’s anonymous philanthropy. When the museum was still struggling to break even after its 2001 move downtown, longtime board member and trustee Ernie seeded an endowment that helped transform the landmark into an engine of Nashville’s economic development. While Young guarded the secret for two decades, he finally spilled the beans at Ernie’s funeral. To a packed St. George’s Episcopal Church, Young confessed, “It was Ernest Williams III who was there for us long before others came to the table.” —CARRINGTON FOX

TRISH THOMAS

Restaurateur, equestrian, mother

Patricia Porter was born in Nashville, grew up in Columbia and got her degree in special education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. When she met him, her future husband Al Thomas was working in a restaurant there. How was she to know that it wasn’t just a college job for Al as he was getting his degree in hospitality management, but something deeply embedded in his DNA? Or that a clubby, iconic pub/steakhouse in Nashville would eventually bring her back to where she started? In the first 10 years of their marriage, the couple moved 17 times around four states, pursuing Al’s career. They returned to Nashville in 1995, and in 2000, they purchased the then-26-year-old Sperry’s from Al’s father Houston Thomas and uncle Dick Thomas.

The couple built their home in Bellevue on 16 acres, where Trish, an accomplished equestrian, was able to tend to her horses — and raise her two daughters to saddle up and take the reins. When not at the stables or astride a horse, she found joy in, on or near the water — bass fishing on Center Hill Lake, trout fishing in the Caney Fork River and pulling in the big ones while on an offshore boat.

Though Trish was not on site at the restaurant around the clock (as her husband typically was), the original Sperry’s, its expansion to Cool Springs and the addition of other concepts were all led and grounded in family. Her warmth, kindness, generosity and grace were the cornerstones of the hospitality the restaurant is loved for, as ever-present as the signature Green Goddess dressing, crab cakes and prime rib. —KAY WEST

JUDITH BRANDON THOMAS

Sperry’s co-founder, radio pro, singer Born in 1926, in an era when professional working women — particularly married ones — were a rarity, Judith Thomas excelled at many roles. Senior class president of Ward-Belmont School, she entered Vanderbilt University, then married Marion “Dickey” Thomas Jr. a week after graduation.

A music lover and talented singer, she first hung her stylish hat at WKDA radio, multitasking as traffic manager and vocalist for the station’s on-air jingles. She moved to WSM radio in 1963, serving as assistant to the program director and coordinating public affairs talk shows. Retirement from WSM didn’t suit her, so she took a job at BMI, where she was assistant to the performance rights organization’s powerful president Frances Preston, with a front-row seat on Music Row during a period of remarkable growth. In the mid-’70s, Judith and Dickey teamed with Dickey’s brother Houston Thomas and his wife Sue Thomas to open Sperry’s Restaurant in Belle Meade. A skilled home cook, Judith delighted in contributing to the first menus of the iconic Nashville steakhouse. —KAY WEST

STEVE TURNER

Visionary, veteran, philanthropist

Innovator, philanthropist and visionary — all

words that captured the late Steve Turner. Born in Scottsville, Ky., Turner was the youngest child of Dollar General founder Cal Turner Sr. and his wife Laura. He grew up admiring the closeness of small towns and the sense of community woven into everyday life. In Scottsville, as a young man, he met his future wife Judy, and the two felt an immediate spark.

After graduating from Vanderbilt University, Turner served in the U.S. Army. When his service ended, he returned to Scottsville and began his career, first at Dollar General and later at Farmers National Bank. In 1986, Steve and Judy moved to Nashville and quickly saw opportunity. Inspired by their love of European urban living, they worked to draw residents downtown — even transforming a historic Second Avenue building into their home. Turner continued that push to build community. In 2000, he founded M Street Enterprises and helped transform The Gulch into the vibrant neighborhood it is today. Turner approached philanthropy with equal energy. He championed major initiatives and served on numerous nonprofit boards. He chaired the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and sat on the boards of the Frist Art Museum and the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. He also chaired the building committee for the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, home to the Laura Turner Concert Hall. Beyond the arts, he served on Vanderbilt University’s Board of Trust and held roles with the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, Cumberland Region Tomorrow and the Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee. Turner leaves behind a city profoundly shaped by his vision, generosity and belief in the power of community. —JANET KURTZ

ELMER DENZEL “SANTA” IRWIN

Santa’s Pub owner, gentleman, grandfather

There are a few rules at Santa’s Pub: You can’t curse on the karaoke mic, and there will be no fighting. It’s cash-only and beer-only. Elmer Denzel Irwin — best-known as “Santa” — believed hard liquor is sure to lead to fighting, and cursing in front of a woman is disrespectful. “Respect women or find another bar,” he’d say. Born in Franklin, Irwin grew up one of 10 children on Nolensville Road, not far from where Santa’s Pub stands today. He was a U.S. Army veteran and had a series of professions throughout his life — including ambulance driver, Pentecostal preacher and, for 45 years, owner of a house-painting business. Santa’s Pub,

which opened in 2011 and became one of the best-known dive bars in the country, was actually a retirement project for Irwin and his wife Angelina, whom he was first engaged to in 1969 and later married in 2016.

Irwin has 18 grandchildren who call him Santa, but many others have considered Irwin and Angelina like family. (That includes celebrities including Kacey Musgraves, Jon Bon Jovi and Ed Sheeran, who have also been patrons.) Known to help people down on their luck, Irwin was often called “the real Santa.” —HANNAH HERNER

JERRY WAYNE PEEK

Business owner, gay community stalwart I never went inside Watch Your Hat and Coat Saloon. I was at Lipscomb then. All we could do was to stand across Second Avenue, hoping to get a glimpse of the drag queens, whom we’d never seen before. I’ve seen a lot more since then.

Jerry Peek, who died on Nov. 4, had shown all of us a lot. He and his partner, Joe Heatherly — they’d been together for almost 54 years when Jerry died — were involved in the beginnings of Nashville’s gay community. A lot of young LGBTQ people know nothing about Jerry, but they should.

When Watch Your Hat and Coat Saloon opened in 1970, it was a standard country-Western bar. It was just down the hill from the courthouse, and Metro Mayor Beverly Briley was a patron. (No big surprise there.) Jerry had a chat with the mayor and the Metro chief of police. It became a gay show bar — something Nashville had never seen before.

Jerry founded the Miss Gay America Pageant, which continues to this day. After Watch Your Hat and Coat Saloon burned in 1972, he and Joe went on to start gay bars in Printers Alley. Then they went on to start the Cabaret on Hayes Street. (At 25 cents a beer, I knew it well.)

When Jerry was living in Los Angeles, he became friends with Frances Scribellito. She got pregnant, and Jerry took her to the hospital. She died in childbirth. The hospital people assumed that he was her husband, so they gave the baby to him. No gay man could adopt anybody then, and Jerry named him Eric. He and Joe, Jerry’s grandson, his granddaughter and their extended relatives are still dear friends. A close extended family, even in a straight family, seems to me to be a remarkable thing. —JOHN BRIDGES

JAMIE CLAY VANCE

Counselor, advocate

Among Kentucky native Jamie Vance’s colorful post-college jobs as a young man seeking himself out West: long-haul 18-wheeler truck driver, ranch hand and outdoor adventure guide for at-risk youth. He knew the challenges facing those youth personally, having struggled with addiction until committing to recovery in his mid-20s.

It was then that he found his lifelong calling and career, starting as a counselor and business development officer at Cumberland Heights, which segued to setting up his private practice and working for mental health start-up com-

panies. In recent years, Vance partnered with the Bradford Group of Atlanta and Nashville to found Healthy Minds, a concept he developed to deliver outpatient psychiatric and counseling services to patients throughout Middle Tennessee. As recognized and accomplished as he was professionally, Vance was most personally rewarded by the services he rendered “for fun and for free” within the recovery community.

—KAY WEST

MEG GIUFFRIDA

Restaurateur, entrepreneur, mom Giuffrida was one of those Nashvillians who it seemed like everyone knew. That’s in part because she did so many things in and for the community. Before East Nashville was the destination it is now, she opened and cooked at The Red Wagon Cafe on Woodland Street, making brunch dishes people continued to crave decades after it closed. She cooked at The Turnip Truck, The Stone Fox and at the Martha O’Bryan Center, where she made more than 800 meals a day for those in need. She opened Cherry Street Eatery & Sweetery inside the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, hiring women from Thistle Farms to help her behind the counter.

Giuffrida made things with her hands that you didn’t eat too, including colorful skirts with George Washington’s head in profile. It wasn’t unusual to see her at a show at the old Family Wash, sitting in the back row, knitting in time to the music. Her last years were spent fighting breast cancer, once in 2022 and again in 2024, but she made time to jump in the kitchen at Bastion to cook Cambodian recipes for the Slow Noodles cookbook launch. While she embraced being a Renaissance woman, the job she loved most was raising the son she shared with musician Paul Burch. Her Instagram handle summed her up best: @henrysmom. —MARGARET LITTMAN

MALCOLM

Teammate, father, badass chef Chef Devin Malcolm was a beloved father, partner and teammate. He joined the Acme Feed & Seed team more than a decade ago, and was a badass chef. He could power through hundreds of tickets without panic, all while live music blared into the open kitchen. Chef Devin kept a strong, focused and quiet demeanor during service, but once the tickets cleared he was a big softy who was quick to smile and cut up, proud of the hard work of his teammates in the kitchen. The love for Chef Devin was overwhelming, as expressed by his three sons and co-worker:

DEVIN

PHOTO COURTESY OF COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME

STEVE TURNER

DEVIN MALCOLM

PHOTO: ANTHONY SCARLATI

“I miss Dad everyday,” says Declan, his youngest. “He may be gone, but I’ll carry his love through every day I live. Goonies never die.” “I’m grateful for the time spent together in the end,” says Benett, his oldest, “and wish we could play one more round of Swedish.” Ethan, sous chef at Redheaded Stranger and his middle child, says, “I’m proud to follow in my father’s footsteps, and just want to carry on his legacy. I hope his knives stay sharp forever.”

“He loved cooking, his family, the Celtics and Wu-Tang,” says fellow Chef Jeremy Wyatt. “Of all the souls I’ve encountered on this ride, Devin’s was perhaps the most human.”

—LAUREN MORALES, ACME FEED & SEED COO

DONALD MAIN

Chef, musician

People who knew Donald Main were probably familiar with at least one of his two great talents, and you were likely to have encountered him for the first time either in a kitchen or on a stage. As a longtime chef at restaurateurs Vicki and Rick Bolsom’s Cakewalk Cafe and Tin Angel, Main created menus that were steeped in oldschool classic dishes, updated for the times and featuring local produce before farm-to-table was de rigueur. His culinary career began during high school in Massachusetts and continued at a restaurant in the Hudson Valley before he struck up a professional relationship with the Bolsoms that lasted more than two decades.

If you didn’t know Main from his work in the kitchen, you were probably familiar with his other career as a singer-songwriter and keyboard player. He released three studio albums and had a five-year stint as one of the founders of popular local club band The Saints. In a town where the old trope is that everyone is a “singer/ server” or “songwriter/cook,” Donald Main was the rare talent who genuinely excelled on both sides of the slash. —CHRIS CHAMBERLAIN

ROBERT MCNEILLY III

Grandfather, steward, banker

When Rob McNeilly died in January, he left legacies across Nashville rare for any one individual. Born and raised in Nashville, he had a dedicated career steering SunTrust Bank into a regional powerhouse as Nashville CEO. His friends, family and colleagues attribute McNeilly’s success to the core skills he possessed less commonly found in the banking profession — warmth, humor, personability. If he had a professional struggle, it was retiring — something he tried twice before being lured back into senior executive positions at Synovus and Bank of Tennessee; at the latter, he served as Middle Tennessee president late in life. He filled his free hours with activity, family and deep community involvement, specifically as a leader at St. George’s Episcopal Church and on various Nashville nonprofit boards, including the Nashville Public Education Foundation and Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee. He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Caroline Tate McNeilly, and their large and tight-knit family, including three children and seven grandchildren. —ELI MOTYCKA

DAISY KING

Chef, cookbook author, TV personality

Very few people leave a significant impact on a community over multiple generations like Miss Daisy King. A legend in the food industry in Nashville and Franklin, King died in March at 80 years old. She was known for dishing up true Southern classics.

Her career began as a caterer, and in 1974 she opened a tea room in Franklin and later in Nashville with the financial backing and encouragement of friends Calvin and Marilyn LeHew. The LeHews pushed King to pen her recipes and release the first of her 14 books. She served her food in various capacities through the years, including at her final venture, Miss Daisy’s Kitchen in Franklin. She was a regular TV guest and speaker throughout the Nashville area, sharing her journey of preserving and serving Southern-staple dishes. —BROOKE O’DELL

HENRY RODES HART SR.

Businessman, philanthropist, lifelong learner

The former CEO of Franklin Industries was known in the community for much more than his prominence as the leader of the largest local supplier of industrial and agricultural minerals. In 2006, Henry Rodes Hart Sr. sold the company, which was started by the Rodes family in 1911. He was a principal at HSD Holdings later in life. But it was his generosity to education and arts organizations, among others, that earned him the most recognition.

Along with his wife Patricia Ingram Hart, who preceded him in death, Hart endowed multiple chairs across the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and Peabody College of Education and Human Development, and underwrote two scholarships. He chaired Vanderbilt’s Shape the Future campaign, which raised $1.94 billion, and in 2018 he was named a Vanderbilt University Distinguished Alumnus. He was a founder of the Nashville Symphony and a supporter of the Nashville Zoo. —NICOLLE PRAINO

MICHAEL ALAN ZIBART

Book industry veteran, publisher, beloved friend

Michael Zibart was a lifelong Nashvillian whose influence on the book world reached far

beyond the city he loved. He grew up in the family business of Zibart’s Bookstores, which helped shape Nashville’s cultural life for nearly a century, and spent his career carrying this legacy forward. After graduating from Vanderbilt University in 1969, he joined Ingram Book Company, where he became an executive vice president.

In 1988, Michael launched BookPage, a book review magazine he created with characteristic vision and an innate knack for connecting with people. Nearly 40 years later, BookPage remains a beloved and respected publication for more than 400,000 readers across the country. He never hesitated to blend business with friendship in ways that contributed to his success.

Known as much for his signature style of bow ties and seersucker suits as he was for his generosity and hospitality, Michael always made an impression. And he loved a party. For years, he and his wife Margaret threw a not-to-be-missed Southern Festival of Books carport barbecue, where visiting authors mingled with Nashville’s literary community. At the legendary BookPage holiday lunch — where the guest list was a mix of employees, family, neighbors and vendors — “lunch” was defined loosely, often lasting well past dinner.

For nearly 30 years, Michael was my boss, mentor and dear friend. He taught me that putting people first isn’t just good business — it’s the whole point. He cared deeply about everyone he knew and wanted the best for them, whether securing a favorable interest rate or mixing the perfect cocktail. Michael leaves behind a remarkable legacy in the book industry and an even greater one in the lives of those lucky enough to know him. He will be dearly missed. —ELIZABETH GRACE HERBERT, BookPage PRESIDENT

CHRIS “SPEEDY” KRANTZ

Bartender, restaurant manager, industry expert

When his family announced that beloved bartender, restaurant manager and spirits representative Chris “Speedy” Krantz had “lost his battle with depression” on May 28 at age 50, it was a stark wakeup call to many members of the local hospitality community. From his time working as part of the most amiable bar team in Nashville during the heyday of Rumba on West End, to his move to front-of-house at Chauhan Ale & Masala House and Whiskey Kitchen, to climbing the ladder from brand representative to market manager for Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, Krantz always had a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye.

He was instrumental in growing Uncle Nearest in Tennessee, challenging legacy brands that held firm grips over valuable real estate in service wells and on liquor store shelves, and his frequent public tasting events introduced a host of new fans to the brand’s story. Krantz leaves behind a wife and two daughters, and his legacy includes a crucial reminder: Someone may seem cheerful, but we need to keep checking in. Though he seemed immune to industry stress, he clearly fought hidden battles. Hopefully, the next generation will honor Speedy by taking care of each other. —CHRIS CHAMBERLAIN

BARRY BURNETTE

Grocer, entrepreneur, humanitarian

For many who live on the city’s West Side, The Produce Place is more than a grocery store. It’s a lifeline, and that’s thanks to Barry Burnette, who died this year at 67. Burnette opened The Produce Place in 1988 as the city’s first natural food store in an open-air market on Murphy Road. The Sylvan Park staple evolved over time, emphasizing locally sourced and organic foods, way ahead of its time. Purveyors of hemp products noted that Burnette put their products on shelves even as others feared possible repercussions. He gave countless kids in the neighborhood their first jobs, teaching them about responsibility, respect, customer service and community. He also helped them out when needed. When one kid was incarcerated, Burnette and other staff wrote to him, and after his release Burnette brought him back to work. Says one mother who asked not to be identified: “I don’t think [our son] was the first troubled kid to work for Barry, but I know that he, and we, will always be grateful to Barry for not just hiring him but for giving him a second chance and for believing in and seeing what was the best in our son.”

—MARGARET LITTMAN

DUNCAN CALLICOTT

Cheekwood leader, landscape architect, garden enthusiast

Duncan Callicott’s life revolved around plants. And he himself was a native species to Nashville.

Callicott attended Robertson Academy and Montgomery Bell Academy, and began his studies at Vanderbilt University before transferring to the University of Georgia, where he earned a degree in landscape architecture. He stuck around the university, serving as the landscape architect before coming back to home soil to work for the Tennessee Department of Conservation (now the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation). Callicott was known for his work at Cheekwood Botanical Garden, where he served as executive director from 1979 to 1983. For the rest of his career, he worked in private practice — but he also spent lots of time designing and redesigning his own garden and hosting friends and family there. The foliage was sparse when Callicott died in December of last year, so his wife Virginia and two daughters held another celebration in the garden in the spring.

—HANNAH HERNER

JIM AYERS

Shrewd businessman, banking titan, philanthropist

Born in Parsons, Tenn., banking titan Jim Ayers rose from humble roots. At only 8 years old, he began shining shoes for 10 cents a pair, kicking off a lifetime defined by drive and business instinct. By 10, he was spending weekends on a tractor at a family farm to earn extra money, and he later spent a summer selling Bibles for the Southwestern Company.

Ayers graduated from Memphis State University with a degree in accounting. After college, he moved his young family to Birmingham, Ala.,

DAISY KING

PHOTO: ERIC ENGLAND

where he built a successful career as a salesman for Ortho Novo. When his father died, he moved the family back to Tennessee to be closer to his mother. He joined Care Inns, an assisted living facility company, as controller. He quickly rose through the ranks, earning a reputation as a leader who could turn the company around — a path that ultimately took him to the top job. From there, Jim opened his own nursing home in Parsons, which turned into American Health Centers with 40 facilities across Tennessee.

In the mid-1990s, Ayers shifted careers and sold his nursing homes to focus on banking. His first acquisition was Farmers State Bank. Not long after, he bought First National Bank of Lexington, Tenn., and renamed it FirstBank. He served as CEO and later moved into the role of executive chairman after taking the company public in 2016.

Ayers’ philanthropy largely defined his legacy, much of it carried out alongside his wife Janet, through the Ayers Foundation. For more than two decades, the foundation has supported more than 20,000 rural Tennessee students by helping them create plans to reach their goals. His generosity also shaped major institutions across the state, including the Ayers Institute at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, the Jim Ayers Medical Tower at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the Ayers Children’s Hospital in Jackson, Tenn., and the Ayers Institute for Teacher Learning and Innovation at Lipscomb University. Ayers leaves behind a statewide legacy of opportunity, service and deep investment in the people and communities of Tennessee.

—JANET KURTZ

THOMAS G. ANDREWS

Gentleman, husband, investor

Thomas Andrews died at the very end of 2024, after a full life lived. An Alabaman in Tennessee, he became a pillar in Nashville’s business community and social life, spanning churches, concerts and country clubs.

An Army veteran, Andrews excelled in investment banking with historic Nashville firm JC Bradford & Co. and its successors Paine Webber and UBS. His family remembers Andrews for a wide range of interests and experiences, including passionate support for the city’s entertainment and arts offerings, specifically opera, theater and jazz. A large family of three children and eight grandchildren grew alongside Andrews and his wife of 61 years, Milbrey Waller Andrews. —ELI MOTYCKA

JONATHAN

DOUGLASS ANDREWS

Buyer, businessman, organizer of fun

Jonathan Douglass Andrews was both Old and New Nashville — and he seamlessly, gracefully, buoyantly wove together the two. Born smack dab in the middle of the baby boomer generation, he followed the traditional Belle Meade schooling path: Parmer School, The Ensworth School, MBA and Peabody Demonstration School, then headed west for college at Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes College).

On his return, Andrews joined the family busi-

ness, McClure’s. (Like the best fashionistas, one name was sufficient.) Founded by Andrews’ maternal grandfather as a fabric store in Hillsboro Village, McClure’s grew up to be a statement boutique department store adored for its quality, breadth of choices and personalized service. Andrews was the dress-coat-and-shoe buyer, and his impeccable taste and gift for imbuing classic style with a contemporary edge created loyal shoppers who knew they would find just what they were looking for — even when they weren’t quite sure what that was.

In 1992, he changed course and co-founded Lam-Andrews advertising agency. Off the job, he was the connector and curator of fun, gathering family and friends for bicycling, beaching, water skiing, lake hangs, lively discussions and music appreciation. —KAY WEST

DAVID LAKE KENDALL

Belle Meade Cafeteria owner, sportsman Gubernatorial inauguration dinners, the Swan Ball, the CMA and Johnny Cash were among David Lake Kendall’s high-profile catering clients. From the kitchens of Harpeth Hall, Montgomery Bell Academy and The Ensworth School, he fed the children born of the manor. But his most unique and enduring food service was provided from the buffet line and in the two dining rooms of a Nashville dining institution where time stood still — The Belle Meade Buffet Cafeteria.

In the meat-and-three realm, the cafeteria followed the tried-and-true formula of — as late, great Scene editor Jim Ridley once described it — all things buttered, fried, creamed and mashed. Where it differed was in execution. Patrons walked their tray through the line, choosing their meat and sides, plus a slice of pie, then handed the tray to a bow-tied waiter to carry to their table. This custom created considerable confusion and some discomfort for first-timers. Many Belle Meade residents who dined weekly at the cafeteria also rode with Kendall as members of the Hillsboro Hounds and The Mells Foxhounds; in 2021, he was bestowed the honor of Master Emeritus of The Mells Foxhounds.

—KAY WEST

FLEMING SMITH JR.

Architect

Fleming Smith Jr. — a co-founder of Nashville-based design firm Gresham Smith and a highly influential member of the nation’s architecture profession in the 1970s through the early 2000s — died this fall at 89. Known as “Flem,” Smith and Batey Gresham Jr. founded what was then called Gresham and Smith Architects in 1967. Today, Gresham Smith annually ranks among the nation’s top 200 design firms in terms of revenue.

Smith served several professional organizations, including the Tennessee chapter and the Middle Tennessee chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the Nashville Healthcare Council, the American Association for Hospital Planning, Leadership Nashville, the Nashville Unit of the American Cancer Society, the Nashville Downtown Rotary Club and Battle Ground

Academy. In 2023, Gresham Smith established the Flem Smith Mentorship Program to honor Smith.

Smith’s philosophy was simple: “Throughout my career, I’ve strived to remain creative and willing to explore new ideas. If you give your best, whatever rewards are appropriate in life will come to you.”

—WILLIAM WILLIAMS

MARTIN JEROME “JERRY” STROBEL

WSM radio manager, ball player, Pappy

During his 30-year tenure with the Grand Ole Opry — from 1970 through 2000 — Jerry Strobel did everything except sing onstage, though it was often said by those familiar with his clear, bright, classically trained tenor that one of the greatest voices at the Opry was in the wings or backstage. Among Strobel’s positions were media and communications, promotions, operations and eventually Opry House manager. During baseball season, the small television in his office was always tuned to a game, and other fans of the sport knew they could wander back there to catch an inning or two.

Strobel’s love of the game began while he was growing up in Germantown, blocks from minor league park Sulphur Dell, where he and his younger brother Charlie could often be found when they could scrape up the quarter admission. When he wasn’t at Assumption Catholic Church doing everything from painting walls to assisting with mass, Jerry was playing ball. He often joked, “If it rolls or bounces, I can play it.”

The Father Ryan graduate went on to Vanderbilt, joined the baseball team and became one of the original Vandy Boys.

A gregarious man rarely seen without a smile on his face, Strobel loved events that brought people together. He was a founder of Oktoberfest (Nashville’s oldest festival) and Fan Fair (now CMA Fest). A natural people person, Strobel was well-suited to marry into another well-known Nashville Catholic family — the Holzapfels. Strobel’s wife Pat was one of 15 children; the couple had six children and 17 grandchildren, to whom he was simply Pappy.

—KAY WEST

MICHAEL KILBANE

Journalist, TV veteran, reliable friend

On the afternoon of June 3, 2025, they pushed a half-dozen tables together in the center of Dalts for the biggest gathering of Nashville TV veterans in years. We were there to raise a glass and speak tribute to Michael Kilbane, someone the viewers never would have recognized — yet they all owe him a mighty debt.

On the flow chart, Kilbane was an assignment editor. But that title doesn’t begin to explain his vital role. He had a Rolodex as deep as the

Atlantic, and an understanding of Nashville history and culture that could have translated into a Ph.D.-level course. Kilbane would connect the dots on news stories before anyone else was even beginning to look at relationships, conflicts or potential corruption. And he could get people to talk, a priceless talent for which there is no substitute. The greatest words you could hear from Kilbane on the phone or on a barstool were, “I think I’ve got a story for you.”

After stints at WSMV and WKRN, he took his talents to Diamond P Sports, and for the last 18 years of his life, Metro Nashville Network (aka Channel 3). Vanderbilt fans knew him by name as an usher at all sorts of sporting events. Even the NFL counted on Kilbane’s reliability and precision. He wore the orange sleeves at Titans games that signaled to referees to go to commercial break. Michael Francis Kilbane “went to break” on May 26, 2025. At 62, he was far too young to die, but I know for sure that he had truly lived.

—DEMETRIA KALODIMOS

LULU ROMAN

Entertainer, singer, Hee Haw star Lulu Roman appeared on the first episode of Hee Haw when CBS launched it in 1969 as a country counterpart to Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In. And she appeared on its last when the syndicators finally gave it up in 1993. She wasn’t on every episode in between: After a 1971 drug arrest, she was dropped from the cast. But she got clean, found Jesus and convinced the producers to let her return to the Kornfield in 1973. Brash and brassy at times and with perfect deadpan timing at others, memorable in supporting roles and bold enough to carry the lead, she was the kind of versatile cast member sketch shows love to have.

An orphan who went unadopted, Roman struck out on her own as an adult, developing a nightclub act in which she was billed as “The World’s Largest Go-Go Dancer.” She was very popular in Dallas, where she worked in clubs owned by Jack Ruby. She was spotted by Buck Owens, who became a friend, and it was Owens who pushed for her inclusion in the Hee Haw cast.

In her later years, Roman added gospel singing to her repertoire, and she recorded with many of country’s leading lights (including Dolly Parton). She was inducted into the Country Gospel Hall of Fame in 1999. Roman died in April at age 78. —J.R. LIND

LULU ROMAN

CHRISTINE FRENCH CULLY

Literacy advocate, editor-in-chief of Highlights

For many years, copies of Highlights magazine were found in the waiting rooms of every pediatrician’s office, keeping anxious parents and feverish children occupied long before eyes were glued to tiny screens. During her decades with the company — starting in 1994 — Christine French Cully rose to editor-in-chief and steered the beloved and venerable publication into modern times. She guided the company’s expansion from one magazine to three, launching High Five, a publication designed for preschoolers, and Highlights Hello, a magazine for babies and toddlers.

Cully personally oversaw the company’s longstanding tradition of answering every letter received from a child — more than 35,000 annually — and in 2021, she authored the book Dear Highlights: What Adults Can Learn From 70 Years of Children’s Letters.

She moved to Nashville in 2018, where she provided literacy tutoring to public school children in Nashville. —KAY WEST

JAMES CARLYLE “JIM” EAST

Father, writer, newspaperman

Jim East brought wisdom and experience from a bygone era. A dyed-in-the-wool print journalist, he moved between newsrooms in Virginia, Louisiana and California before finally landing in Tennessee. Here he covered the city with broad range at the The Tennessean, retiring from the Nashville paper in 2002. His pen stayed active in Franklin, where East kept writing for Franklin’s Review Appeal and the Williamson Home Page.

He loomed large as a keeper of old-school media discipline, accuracy, honesty and commitment, and reserved special attention for his dog Patches. East died in February at 81, leaving behind a son and extended family. —ELI MOTYCKA

DOLORES SEIGENTHALER

Singer, radio personality, wife of John Seigenthaler Before she became Mrs. John Seigenthaler in 1955 — in those days, married women were typically identified by their husband’s name — she was Dolores Watson, a popular vocalist of stage, radio, recording and nascent television. Born in Kentucky and raised by her mother in Georgia, she pursued a professional singing career from a young age. Winning the Southern Radio Queen Contest, she came to Nashville in 1946 to sing with Owen Bradley’s dance band at the Club Plantation. Hired by WSM radio in 1948, Watson — described by Nashville Banner entertainment columnist Red O’Donnell as a “comely carooneress” — was the featured singer on WSM’s Sunday Down South, broadcast nationally on NBC Radio. In 1950, WSM launched Nashville’s first television station, and she was on its daily morning show The Waking Crew and Sunday night’s Music City USA, and remained in high demand for radio shows.

In 1953, a cub reporter for The Tennessean was assigned to cover a Centennial Park bandshell Father’s Day concert where Watson was performing. John Seigenthaler was so taken

with Dolores Watson he finagled a blind date. It wasn’t until later he discovered how blind it was — Watson thought she was meeting a Tennessean photographer, not a reporter. Despite having recorded “Better Dead Than Wed” for Decca Records in 1950, Watson agreed to a second date; the courtship led to marriage. She continued singing until the birth of their son, future newsman John Michael Seigenthaler, and she wound down her career to raise him. She was ever by her husband’s side as he built a legendary career in journalism, and her classic beauty, grace, elegance and radiant smile endeared her to all she met, all over the world. After John’s death in 2014, she brought the same warmth to her volunteer work with Room In The Inn and Ladies of Charity. —KAY WEST

JAMES PRATT

Reporter, storyteller, breaker of news

I remember James Pratt this way — dressed in a baggy gray suit, along with a nice shirt and tie and worn penny loafers, hanging out in a press conference in the very back row, not asking anything. The reason he’s not asking is because he’s the very reason for the press conference — either on his own, or with a byline shared with another good Tennessean reporter, he has authored a top-of-the-fold piece about the person featured at the press conference that has caused them to come and explain. Pratt has nothing more to ask. He knows who’s done what. This was repeated time and again. It was his reporting on the failure of the Butcher banking empire in the ’80s and the shenanigans of Nashville Mayor Bill Boner shortly afterward that brought him most acclaim. He began at the paper as a copy editor, but as they say, cream rises. After his time at The Tennessean, Pratt went to work for Sen. Jim Sasser in D.C., jumped over to be comms director for the Senate’s budget committee, spent some time at the well-connected Ingram Group, and then founded his own government relations firm.

My most distinct recollections of James came while I was a reporter at the Nashville Banner, competing against him. We weren’t supposed to fraternize with the enemy, but he was such a great guy who loved to tell a story that ended with a big laugh. He took it all seriously, but at another level he loved to make fun of it all. He had a great mind, and when you saw his byline, you could do nothing else at that moment but read what he’d written. —BRUCE DOBIE

it comes to character-actor uniqueness. One of the key members of the Worrell ensemble, longtime Nashvillian Bill Byrge, died in January at age 92.

Born in East Tennessee’s Campbell County, Byrge — better known to movie fans as the nearly silent Bobby — spent most of his life in the Nashville area. After appearing alongside fellow beloved Music City funnyman Gailard Sartain in the “Me and My Brother Bobby” series of local commercials, Byrge landed a role in the short-lived children’s sketch series Hey Vern, It’s Ernest! From there, Byrge was formally inducted into the Worrell family, making small but always memorable appearances in four of Jim Varney and company’s Ernest movies. —LOGAN BUTTS

CANDANCE “CANDY” MCCAMPBELL

Reporter, editor, business pioneer

The eldest of eight siblings, Candy McCampbell was an aunt to many. A 1968 alumna of the University of Tennessee, she served as editor of the school newspaper there. Having started her career at The Tennessean just out of college in 1969, she became a trusted adviser to legions of young journalists and peers as the most tenured professional in the organization.

McCampbell could perform most every task at the paper, including writing features and personal finance stories and editing the city and real estate sections. She ultimately became The Tennessean’s first business editor. She was proudest of helping break the news in 1985 that the Saturn Corp. would open a car-manufacturing plant in Tennessee.

McCampbell was a trailblazer for women journalists and is remembered as someone who took her work very seriously without taking life too seriously. Thirty-three years in journalism was enough for McCampbell, who would go on to volunteer her time at Second Harvest Food Bank and the Frist Art Museum information desk. —HANNAH HERNER

JACK CORN

Photojournalist, educator, husband

Jack Corn was a documentarian, spending more than 70 years using photography to capture everything from Appalachian coal mining to country music. A U.S. Air Force veteran, Corn received early training from the Air Force photo school at Lowry Air Force base in Denver. In 1953, he began work as a staff photographer for The Tennessean, where he worked for 23 years, eventually becoming chief photographer. During his time at the newspaper, Corn photographed twin boys born without a test for phenylketonuria (PKU). As a result of his photo story, Tennessee lawmakers passed legislation requiring that all babies undergo PKU testing at birth.

Corn dedicated much of his career to educating future generations of photographers. He spent two years teaching photography at Nashville State Technical Institute (now Nashville State Community College). He spent 11 years working in the photojournalism department at Western Kentucky University, then joined the staff at the Chicago Tribune as a consultant for the photo department, later becoming director

of photography.

He contributed freelance work for a variety of publications, including The New York Times, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, The Philadelphia Inquirer and the U.S. Information Agency as well as hundreds of textbooks and anthologies. He garnered numerous local, national and international accolades for his work.

Corn died in July at 96 years old at his home in Millersville, Tenn. He is survived by his wife of 73 years, Helen Floyd Corn. — JULIANNE AKERS

DENNIS WILE

Photographer, father

Dennis Wile grew up in Baltimore, but he moved to Nashville to attend Vanderbilt University. At Vanderbilt, he was a member of the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity, and he graduated with a degree in French. After graduation, he taught school as part of the VU program in Marseille, France, where he studied photography at Université de Luminy — perhaps taking after his father, who was a field photographer in World War II.

When Wile returned to Nashville, he continued photography — a pursuit that lasted for the next 50 years. His work included portraits, among them notable Tennesseans like William Eggleston and Johnny Cash. His photography appeared in the most high-profile publications in the world — Vogue, The New York Times, GQ and National Geographic among them.

In his later years, Wile lived at the senior residential facility Leah Rose. With the assistance of his daughter Jen, Wile photographed and interviewed residents of Leah Rose in 2024. Wile is survived by his children Geoffrey Wile and Jennifer Wile, his grandchildren Katie and Charlie, and his brother Geoff Wile. His work remains online on his Instagram account (@denniswilephoto).

—LAURA HUTSON HUNTER

LANE WRIGHT

Actor, director, dedicated member of the theater community

Nashville’s theater community lost one of its greatest champions when Lane Wright died suddenly in August at the age of 69. A native Nashvillian, Wright graduated from Lipscomb University in 1977 and went on to earn a master’s in theater from the University of Memphis. Over the next 40-plus years, he performed with virtually every company in the area, and also directed a number of notable productions. Standing 6-foot-7, Wright didn’t exactly blend into a crowd. And yet his kind and gentle spirit made him a safe and comforting presence in any room. A dedicated keeper of local theater history, he maintained a meticulous archive of playbills and news clippings. When Phil Perry — his best friend of more than 50 years — died in May, Wright put together a thoughtful celebration that revealed as much of his own legacy as that of the man being honored.

“Lane wasn’t someone you only saw when he was onstage,” says Nashville theater artist and activist Shawn Whitsell. “He was always showing up in the audience. He understood the importance of lifting up and celebrating his peers.

BILL BYRGE

Character actor, comedian, friend of Ernest

The Ernest P. Worrell acting troupe rivals the regulars of Scorsese and the Coen brothers when

BILL BYRGE

He was as deeply committed to supporting the Nashville theater scene as an audience member, as he was as an actor and director. Whether I was onstage at TPAC with a big cast of well-respected actors or doing my one-man show at the Darkhorse, Lane was there. He did that for so many. It wasn’t just because he loved theater, but because he believed in us. Our theater community is missing a gem.” —AMY STUMPFL

PHIL PERRY

Beloved actor, loyal friend

A beloved pillar of the theater community for more than three decades, Phil Perry passed away in May at the age of 69 following a brief illness. Originally from Dayton, Ohio, he graduated from Lipscomb University in 1977 and would spend the next 30-plus years pursuing his passion for the arts. He was among the founding members of the Nashville Shakespeare Festival and performed regularly with Nashville Children’s Theatre, Chaffin’s Barn Dinner Theatre, Nashville Rep, Actors Bridge Ensemble, Boiler Room Theatre and more. Fellow actors remember Perry’s kindness and unfailing good humor, which set the tone for many a rehearsal room. But while known for his sweet disposition, he wasn’t afraid to cut loose. (A 1993 production of Cintra Wilson’s XXX Love Act remains the stuff of local theater legend.)

Perry and his devoted wife Lee Ann Dixon left Nashville in 2017, moving first to Fernandina Beach, Fla., and later to Dalton, Ga. But Perry maintained close ties to Nashville, and especially with his best friend of more than 50 years, Lane Wright — who followed Perry in death just a few months later.

“What always struck me about Phil onstage was his way of bringing that sweet-faced and even-keeled ‘everyman’ to every show he did,” says Nashville stage veteran Brian Webb Russell. “He was an outstanding ensemble member and team player — always present, always focused, always on top of everything. But this was also true offstage. The words most often used to describe Phil were kind, gentle, pleasant and affable. I truly don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say anything disparaging about the man, and that’s a rarity for the often-lofty personalities you’ll encounter in the theater.” —AMY STUMPFL

KIM FOWLER

Music publicist, friend

Before she was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s in 2017, Kim Fowler was known for her bright smile and warm, self-effacing charm. In her years as a music publicist at Sugar Hill Records, as well as Universal Music Group via Mercury Nashville, she worked with everyone from Shania Twain to Dolly Parton. In 2007, she founded her own management company, Two Dog Media.

She spent her final days at The Barton House Memory Care in Nashville. A GoFundMe account organized by her siblings quickly raised more than $50,000 as her friends and music industry colleagues assembled around what they knew would be her final days.

Kim died on Sept. 18. She is survived by her

sister Paige, her brother Shawn, and a legion of friends and supporters who will always remember her warmth and sharp wit. As Shawn wrote in a Facebook post just after her death, “It’s been a long goodbye for many years, but it doesn’t make it any easier.” She was 58.

—LAURA HUTSON HUNTER

DAWNA KINNE MAGLIACANO

Comedy scene pioneer, visual artist

Nashville is home to a thriving comedy scene, and up-and-coming performers have Dawna Kinne Magliacano to thank for much of its success. Magliacano moved to Nashville from New York City in 2000. She soon set up Tuesday night shows at Zanies featuring an improv comedy troupe called The Skeleton Crew, made up of local stand-up comedians and thespians. The weekly show maintained a residency at Zanies for nearly a year and garnered a loyal local following, creating an accessible platform for new comedians in a scene that largely catered to long-established acts and veteran performers. During this time, Magliacano took young comics under wing. She guided them through the ins and outs of the industry, whether it was touring, having headshots taken or writing bios.

“Without her, Nashville comedy would not be what it is today,” local comedian Chad Riden said in an Instagram post shortly after Magliacano’s death in October.

A lifelong artist, Magliacano later transitioned into visual arts full time. She spent her days crafting in various mediums including sculpture, painting, quilting and printmaking. Along with her husband Joe Magliacano, she opened Acorn Haven Studios in Rutherford County, hosting workshops and open studios for artists of all skill sets.

—JULIANNE AKERS

TOM TURNBULL

Ceramicist, teacher

Tom Turnbull was born to be a potter. His father, James Turnbull Sr., founded Standard Ceramic Supply Co. in Pittsburgh just a few years before Tom was born. Tom enriched this background by studying under potter Charles Counts, who was a student of both Appalachian folk art and the German Bauhaus movement. Tom returned to Pittsburgh for a time before finally settling in Nashville, where he founded Mid-South Ceramics in 1986. That community eventually evolved into The Clay Lady’s Campus, which remains a vibrant part of Nashville’s artistic community.

Tom died in June at age 73. He is survived by his siblings Joanne Turnbull and Jim Turnbull, as well as his three grandsons. His work remains archived at turnbullpottery.com. —LAURA HUTSON HUNTER

SKIP CAUTHORN

Musician, politico, communicator

It’s a rare gift to turn talking into a livelihood; Skip Cauthorn made the most of his gift. Journalist, press secretary, public relations pro, speechwriter, entertaining co-worker — these were the many sides of a man central to Nashville’s media landscape in the 2000s and 2010s. Cauthorn was a musician too, and a general lover of music,

specifically the city’s own brand of guitar-driven country and bluegrass.

Cauthorn worked at The City Paper before diving headfirst into politics, spending almost a decade steering state Capitol dealings as the Tennessee General Assembly press secretary for leading state Democrats during the then-Gov. Phil Bredesen’s administration. Cauthorn’s respect for an independent press won him esteem in newsrooms and press offices, summed up by his personal philosophy on journalism and life: “Don’t lie, don’t hide and be nice.”

He died in Nashville in October at age 52, survived by his parents, brother and nephews.

—ELI MOTYCKA

LARRY CANTRELL

Record-breaker, one-man team, minister

The TSSAA record books show that Goodlettsville High School won the 1984 state title in boys’ track and field. But really, Larry Cantrell won it. And not in the way we usually mean it. It’s not just that Cantrell was a star who carried his team to victory. Cantrell was literally the only Trojan who competed in the state meet that year — Larry Cantrell, as a junior, won the state team track title completely on his own. He won the long jump and the 100-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter dashes. He’d won the sprints the year before as well, and would win them all again as a senior — that particular triple was rare then and is all but unheard of now. He also won the long jump a second time as a senior. He set state records in the 400 and the 100 too, and even more remarkably, with all the advances in training and technique, those marks stood until 2019 and 2023, respectively.

After high school, Cantrell ran for the Uni-

versity of Alabama, where he was a two-time All-American. Cantrell, who died in January at age 57, came back to Nashville, where he spent his life as the preaching minister and development director for Nashville Inner City Ministry. J.R. LIND

DICK BARNETT

Champion, hall-of-famer, trailblazer

Tennessee State University has a rich history of legendary athletes like Wilma Rudolph and Ed “Too Tall” Jones. Dick Barnett, who died in April at age 88, also belongs on the Tiger Mount Rushmore.

The smooth-moving shooting guard was the best player for a TSU program (then known as Tennessee A&I State College) that won three consecutive NAIA national championships in the late 1950s, becoming the first historically Black college to win an integrated men’s basketball championship. Barnett was named MVP at two of those tournaments and was voted a “Little College” All-American for all three seasons. Those TSU teams were inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. But that wasn’t Barnett’s final stint with an iconic squad. During his time in the NBA, Barnett was also a key member of the famed early ’70s New York Knicks, winners of the 1970 and 1973 NBA titles — still the most recent championships for Madison Square Garden’s finest. The 1968 all-star had his number retired by the Knicks in 1990, and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame for a second time (this time as an individual player) in 2024. LOGAN BUTTS

BOB MASON

Superfan, coach, veteran

No matter where Bob Mason’s journey took him, he always ended up back at Lipscomb. After a brief stint with the Lipscomb men’s basketball program, Mason transferred to the University of Tennessee before serving in the Korean War. He eventually found his way back to Lipscomb, this time at the academy, where he spent five years as an assistant basketball coach for the high school team.

Mason’s athletic endeavors continued as

DICK BARNETT PHOTO:

DECEMBER

he became a basketball referee for the Brentwood-based Ohio Valley Conference before working his way up to the Southeastern Conference. Along the way, his passion for the Bisons never wavered. No matter the sport, the time of year or the day of the week, if you were attending a Lipscomb athletics event, you would most likely find Bob Mason courtside, greeting everyone in the building. Mason died at age 96 in September. LOGAN BUTTS

ROBERT BARNES

All-American, “founding father” Long before the NCAA Tournament appearances and the NBA draft picks, Robert Barnes helped put Belmont men’s basketball on the map. Barnes was arguably the first great player — a “founding father,” as the school has called him — for what has become a program with a deep history of success.

One of just three Bruins to have their jerseys retired, Barnes became the first Belmont player to be named the conference player of the year in 1956 and was a two-time Chuck Taylor All-American. Despite all the notable alumni to follow in his high-top footsteps, he still holds the program career scoring average record with a 28.2 points per game mark across three seasons. Barnes also ranks third on Belmont’s all-time scoring list with 2,305 points. The Belmont Athletics Hall of Famer died in August at age 91. LOGAN BUTTS

BOB DUDLEY SMITH

Multi-sport athlete, local legend, veteran Bob Dudley Smith, who died in October at age 95, is among the best athletes to ever come out of Nashville. The local was a three-sport athlete at West End High School, starring in basketball, baseball and tennis — and he would go on to compete at higher levels in all three. Smith turned down a contract with the Boston Red Sox minor league organizations to accept a dual basketball-baseball scholarship from Vanderbilt, one of the first basketball scholarships given out by the Commodores.

During the 1951-52 season, Smith led Vanderbilt to its first SEC tournament championship, earning all-conference honors along the way. Following his Vanderbilt tenure, Smith played three years in the baseball minor leagues prior to his service in the Korean War. Later on, he even spent years on the senior men’s tennis circuit, playing in tournaments around the world. Smith was named one of Vanderbilt’s 100 greatest athletes of the 20th century and was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2011. LOGAN BUTTS

BILLY LYNCH

Public servant, teammate

Billy Lynch’s impressive quality of work with six mayors during a 45-year public service career with the Metro Nashville government was surpassed only by his sincerity and his passion for his hometown. Lynch variously served the city’s fire, human resources, public works, codes and sheriff’s departments during a career marked by a singular desire to help Metro function more effectively. His work ethic

and positivity earned him robust respect from thousands of Nashvillians.

At Father Ryan — where Lynch was inducted into the school’s athletics hall of fame — he excelled in football, basketball and baseball, earning all-state recognition for the Irish during their 1963 Clinic Bowl Football Championship season. Lynch also played a role in supporting the integration of sports in Nashville and Tennessee as a student-athlete at Father Ryan in the early 1960s. During Lynch’s senior year, the Father Ryan boys’ basketball program welcomed Willie Brown and Jesse Porter, believed to be the first Black students to participate in sports at segregated schools in Tennessee — and two close friends of Lynch’s. “All Billy has ever wanted to do was serve the people of Nashville,” then-Mayor Karl Dean said when Lynch retired. “And he has done so in a way that has made me and five mayors before me very proud.”

WILLIAM WILLIAMS

ROY KRAMER

Commissioner, athletic director, leader

A Maryville native and Maryville College graduate, Roy Kramer was a standout lineman on the school’s football team and was a wrestler as well. In 1974, Kramer was named NCAA National Coach of the Year after guiding the Central Michigan Chippewas to a 12-1 record and the Division II National Championship.

He became Vanderbilt’s athletic director in 1978, helping revitalize the school’s athletic program by overseeing major facility upgrades, merging men’s and women’s athletic departments, and steering the Commodores into a more modern era of campus athletics. He served as SEC commissioner from 1990 to 2002, guiding a conference expansion from 10 to 12 teams with the addition of Arkansas and South Carolina. He also created the SEC football championship game.

On the national level, Kramer was the architect and founding chairman of the Bowl Championship Series, which determined the national championship in college football and laid the groundwork for the modern playoff system.

“Roy Kramer will be remembered for his resolve through challenging times, his willingness to innovate in an industry driven by tradition,

and his unwavering belief in the value of student-athletes and education,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a release following Kramer’s death in December.

Among the many honors Kramer accrued over the years, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2023, the Vanderbilt Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008 (as an inaugural member) and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1989. JOHN GLENNON

TODD SNIDER

The Slacker Dylan

Beloved East Nashville singer-songwriter and recording artist Todd Snider passed away on Nov. 14 from complications related to pneumo-

nia. He was 59 years old.

Snider was one of the leading songwriters of his generation. The dean of American rock critics Robert Christgau once described him as “the finest natural comedian in music,” and humor was one of Snider’s primary lyrical devices. But he used humor in an artful and entertaining way to address serious matters, as well as life’s absurdities. His performances were famous for the hilarious stories he told between songs.

“John Prine is a titan, and [Snider] belongs in that league,” Christgau says of Snider. “And to say somebody is in John Prine’s league is to say he’s some kind of a fucking genius.”

Prine was an important mentor to Snider, and his breakthrough album East Nashville Skyline was released on Prine’s Oh Boy label. That album put East Nashville on the national radar. After its release, Snider became East Nashville’s unofficial ambassador to the world, often acting as personal tour guide for visiting journalists from national magazines and major dailies.

In a career spanning more than three decades, Snider released 15 studio albums — eight of which were on his own Aimless Records label — and numerous live recordings. He also released two studio albums and one live double album with his jam-band supergroup Hard Working Americans. Snider’s final album High, Lonesome and Then Some was released exactly three weeks before his death and debuted at No. 45 on the Billboard 200 album chart, the highest position on the chart by any album in his career.

DARYL SANDERS

RAUL MALO

A legendary voice, an American story Days after a pair of rollicking concerts in his honor at the Ryman, The Mavericks’ frontman Raul Malo died Dec. 8 from the cancer he’d been treated for over the past year-and-a-half. Only in September did the progression of his illness lead the beloved country-rock-and-more band to cancel its remaining tour dates. Malo leaves behind wife Betty Malo and their children, his longtime

ROY KRAMER

TODD SNIDER

RAUL MALO

bandmates, many other friends and family and a legion of fans. He was 60 years old.

Malo grew up in Miami, born to parents who came from Cuba, and he developed a deep love for quintessential American music from the mid-20th century (including vocal pop, country and rock ’n’ roll) as well as Latin music from a wide variety of cultures. The Mavericks got their start in Florida clubs in the late 1980s with a charismatic style that caught the attention of Nashville record execs, and they rose to fame in the country world before dissolving around the turn of the millennium. Malo built up a solo catalog, but the band eventually reunited, recording and touring steadily over the past decade-and-a-half.

Among other noble endeavors, Malo lifted up rising artists, like Cuban rock band Sweet Lizzy Project, whom he helped to make a home in Nashville. He and The Mavericks continued to explore their Latin heritage, and their 2020 Spanish-language album En Español became a fan favorite and enjoyed chart success. “The Mavericks are very much an American story — and not only with our Latin roots, but because it’s such a mixture of cultures and styles and genres,” Malo told the Scene’s Brittney McKenna in 2022. “I love that our trajectory in our career is confusing.” —STEPHEN TRAGESER

MAC GAYDEN

Hit songwriter, pioneering slide guitarist Legendary songwriter and guitarist Mac Gayden died of Parkinson’s disease April 16 at his home in Nashville. He was 83 years old.

A Nashville native, Gayden was one of the leading figures in rock and R&B coming out of the city in the 1960s and ’70s. He was a member of three of the most influential bands in Nashville history — Charlie McCoy and the Escorts, Area Code 615 and Barefoot Jerry — and also released a number of well-regarded solo albums.

“A great writer, guitar player, singer and a great friend through the years,” says McCoy. “The memory of his contributions will live forever, just like his great songs.”

Gayden was best-known as the principal writer of the pop and R&B standard and perennial hit “Everlasting Love,” which he co-wrote with Buzz Cason. U2, Gloria Estefan, The Box Tops, Odessa, Huey Lewis and the News, James & Bobby Purify and Joe Simon are among the artists who recorded his songs.

Gayden was a dynamic rhythm guitarist, but he really made his mark as a slide player, pioneering the technique of playing slide with a wah pedal. He debuted the sound on the first Barefoot Jerry album and hit the Top 40 with it on J.J. Cale’s hit “Crazy Mama.” He also played on recordings by Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Linda Ronstadt, Simon & Garfunkel, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Loudon Wainwright III, Tim Hardin and John Hiatt.

After being honored as an official “Nashville Cat” by the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in 2014, Gayden was one of the Cats featured in the museum’s acclaimed exhibit Dylan, Cash and the Nashville Cats: A New Music City, which debuted in 2015. —DARYL SANDERS

STEVE CROPPER

Legendary guitarist and producer, original M.G.

You could spend a day listing Steve Cropper’s monumental achievements as a guitarist, songwriter and producer and not tell the full story of his impact on contemporary pop music.

Cropper, who died Dec. 3 at 84, was a vital member of music communities, first in Memphis and later in Nashville. He began playing guitar at 14, and cited Billy Butler, Lowman Pauling of The “5” Royales and Bobby “Blue” Bland’s guitarist Wayne Bennett as prime influences. Not only did Cropper, keyboardist Booker T. Jones, bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn and drummer Al Jackson Jr. make studio magic as instrumental combo Booker T. & the M.G.’s — they also backed a host of Stax artists on immortal recording sessions and live dates. Cropper’s technically astonishing and incredibly imaginative solos and riffs enhanced classics performed by Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Carla Thomas, Eddie Floyd and Wilson Pickett among many others, and he co-wrote classics like the M.G.’s instrumental “Green Onions” and Redding’s “Mr. Pitiful.”

While some purists groused about his par-

sitting in on violin — his primary instrument — with a blues band at a biker bar outside Atlanta. Lawing moved to Nashville in 1984 to pursue a career in music. He worked with country duo The Kendalls for approximately two years, then joined rising roots-rock group Walk the West. He was also a member of The Cactus Brothers, the country-rock outfit that began as a side project for members of Walk the West. After The Cactus Brothers disbanded in the mid-’90s, Lawing joined roots rockers Bonepony and recorded and toured with them for a decade. He also worked as a sideman and session player over the years with a number of artists, including Lucinda Williams, Hank Williams Jr., Deana Carter, Kevn Kinney and The Shakers.

“The beauty of Tramp was whatever needed to be played, he knew how to dial it up,” says John Goleman, his longtime friend and former bandmate in Walk the West and The Cactus Brothers. “That is what attracted me to him the very first time I saw him play.” —

DARYL SANDERS

MARTHA MARION SHARP

Songwriter, pioneering A&R maestro

Unlike many of the dreamers who come to Nashville to be a songwriter, Martha Sharp made some mailbox money. Many of her compositions that charted were pop hits recorded by pop artists. As with legions of women in those days, Sharp’s entry to the music business was as a secretary; she took that position for producer Jimmy Bowen at the Nashville division of Elektra Records in 1978. In 1983, she was promoted to the A&R department, and in 1984, she was named the label’s vice president of A&R — one of the first women to assume a VP role at a major Music Row label.

ticipation in The Blues Brothers, those gigs with John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd helped introduce Memphis soul and its players to a new generation of fans. Cropper’s career included collaborations with Pops Staples and Albert King and producing albums like John Prine’s 1975 landmark Common Sense. One of Cropper’s frequent collaborators and best friends in his final Music City period was songwriter, producer and instrumentalist Jon Tiven, whose collaborations included 2011’s Dedicated: A Tribute to The “5” Royales and 2024’s Cropper solo LP Friendlytown

“Our live gigs were spectacular,” Tiven recalls. “Lincoln Center in the rain, Jack Daniel’s Distillery in Lynchburg where the power went out — all quite eventful. … But every time we were in a room together it was special.”—RON WYNN

TRAMP LAWING

Improvisational genius, member of Walk the West and The Cactus Brothers

Multi-instrumentalist Michael “Tramp” Lawing died of esophageal cancer on March 28 in Henderson, Ky. He was 60 years old. His family called him Mike, but in Nashville, where he lived and worked for 20 years, Lawing was known as Tramp. He got his nickname as a teenager,

She was also the first to recognize a raw talent singing under the name Randy Ray at the Nashville Palace. Sharp signed him to the label, renamed him Randy Travis and put him on the path to superstardom. Several years later, Sharp saw Faith Hill singing backup for Gary Burr at The Bluebird Cafe and signed her to a recording contract. Sharp was also involved with the Warner careers of Highway 101, Carlene Carter, The Forester Sisters, Crystal Gayle, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, John Anderson, Gary Morris, Holly Dunn, Travis Tritt and the company’s other stars of that era.

In a tribute to Sharp on Instagram after her death, Randy Travis wrote: “Martha Sharp believed in me and fought to have me heard. She was a warrior for me and allowed my 40-year career to take flight soon after she came to hear me sing at the Nashville Palace. … When we spoke the week before she passed, her parting words were, ‘We sure had fun, didn’t we?’ My debt of gratitude owed to Martha Sharp can never be repaid.”

BEN VAUGHN

—KAY WEST

Warner Chappell Nashville CEO, big-dreaming music publisher

In a 2020 interview with Billboard, Thomas Rhett simply described Ben Vaughn as “a dreamer.” Rhett would know, since Vaughn signed him to his first publishing deal while

STEVE CROPPER PHOTO COURTESY OF MUSICIANS HALL OF FAME

Vaughn was still a student at Belmont University. Working with Rhett at multiple stages of his career was one in a long list of achievements for Vaughn, who spent a decade at publishing company Warner Chappell Nashville before he died in January. At Warner Chappell, Vaughn championed some of the most notable songwriters in the realms of country music, Americana and contemporary Christian hitmaking: Kacey Musgraves, Chris Stapleton, Zach Bryan, For King & Country, Dan + Shay, Liz Rose and more. Prior to his award-winning run at Warner Chappell, Vaughn was executive vice president and general manager at EMI Music Publishing, making him the youngest person to run a publishing group in Nashville. Before that, he started his own publishing venture while still enrolled at Belmont. In continued praise shared with Billboard in 2020, Rhett added: “There is not a goal that is too high to attain. If I said, ‘Hey, man. It’s probably crazy to think we could get this song cut by an artist in Australia,’ Ben would be on a flight to Australia the next day to figure out how to make it happen.” —MATTHEW LEIMKUEHLER

LESLY SIMON

Masterful country music promoter

Lesly Simon worked her way up the Music Row career ladder, discovering new music, promoting radio airplay and supporting her artists, peers and even her competitors. She served on the board of directors for Country Radio Broadcasters and was a leader in many other industry groups. As the vice president of promotion for Arista Nashville/Sony Music Nashville, she helped the label rack up more than 40 No. 1 singles on the Billboard and Mediabase country charts. She later became general manager of Garth Brooks’ Pearl Records and Trisha Yearwood’s Gwendolyn Records.

Music Row noticed all that hard work. Simon was named to Billboard’s Country Power Players list in 2018. In 2020, after more than two decades in the music industry, she pivoted but didn’t slow down. Always a lover of good design, she launched Colgan Simon, a Florida interior design firm with her friend Tyler Colgan, and started a residential real estate division of the company. Simon died in March after seven years undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

MARGARET LITTMAN

ROBERT AUSTIN BEALMEAR

Educator, architect, friend to jazz Nashville jazz won’t find many personalities like Robert Austin Bealmear. Known by everyone solely as Austin, he was a skilled percussionist and an outspoken supporter of the entire arts community. Bealmear, who was 80 when he died in December 2024, was also a gifted and accomplished architect. His many projects included contributing to the design of the law school at his alma mater, Washington University in St. Louis. While a student, he’d go to class during the day and catch top acts in clubs or participate in jam sessions at night. One of his fondest memories was of the time he and his friends hosted Thelonious Monk after a performance at a party in their apartment; Bealmear

recounted the experience in a 2017 interview with Student Voice at MTSU, where he taught interior design.

My greatest memories of him center on his involvement with Nashville’s improvisational community. Bealmear worked with players including John Richards, Vassar Clements and Victor Wooten, and he participated in jam sessions and hosted other events. Austin was the son of a war correspondent with the Associated Press and flexed his own journalistic muscle in endeavors like his long-running column for Nashville Musician and his radio show Jazz on the Side. He insisted on accuracy in both historical perspectives and performance assessments. No matter how much he might support or appreciate a player’s efforts, he wouldn’t hesitate to offer criticism. As his longtime friend and musical companion Kevin Madill said in Nashville Musician, “Jazz and Nashville didn’t have a better friend.” —RON WYNN

QUITMAN DENNIS

Saxophone virtuoso, early Nashville rocker

Saxophonist Quitman Dennis passed away Jan. 26 after a lengthy illness at age 83.

“Top of the heap,” says keyboardist Bill Aikins, a longtime friend and former bandmate. “Quitman was the best reed player that I ever played with. He was also an outstanding electric bassist.”

Dennis was born in Memphis and grew up in Nashville. He played tenor sax in a number of Nashville rock bands in the late ’50s and the early to mid-’60s, including The Sliders, The Gators and Charlie McCoy & the Escorts, with whom he learned to play electric bass. In 1968, at the invitation of engineer Brent Maher, Dennis, Aikins and a few other Nashville musicians moved to Las Vegas to become the studio band at United Recording Studios. Sessions with Bobby Darin led to Darin hiring them to be the rhythm section in his 16-piece band, with Dennis on bass and serving as music director.

In 1975, Dennis moved to Los Angeles, where he renewed his focus on saxophone and flute. During that period of his career, he recorded with a number of stars including Jackson Browne, B.B. King, Joan Armatrading, Delaney Bramlett, Dolly Parton and Mac Davis. In the late ’70s, he spent a year-and-a-half touring with Armatrading.

Dennis moved back to Nashville in 1982 and continued his session work into the mid-’90s. During that period, he recorded with Etta James, Waylon Jennings, Rodney Crowell, Little Milton, Ronnie Milsap, Dan Seals and Alabama, among others. —DARYL SANDERS

CARL DEAN

Businessman, longtime husband to Dolly Parton

Audiences who watched Dolly: A True Original Musical were charmed by the depiction of Carl Dean, a quiet and simple man who loved Parton long before the world caught on to her magic. It must have been emotional for Parton to watch the performance from the wings just a few months after his death.

Parton and Dean met at a laundromat in 1964

and married two years later. The pair were great friends and stayed that way throughout their 60-plus-year marriage. Dean rarely made a public appearance. The Nashville native owned an asphalt business and preferred to work on the pair’s ranch and in real estate. There’s very little public information available about Dean, but Parton reveals pieces of their relationship in her works. Dean is on the cover of Parton’s fourth album, My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy (1969). He also has a section in the Dolly Parton Experience museum, which opened in 2024 at Dollywood. The 2025 single “If You Hadn’t Been There” was dedicated to him.

“It makes me happy when he says in the show, ‘Hello, I’m Carl Dean,’ he gets applause,” Parton recently told People. “When I watch the show, it’s healing in a way. It’s almost like he was never gone. So now he’ll always be here, too.”

HANNAH HERNER

RAY SISK

Songwriter, Bobby’s Idle Hour fixture

Ray Sisk was a kind, charismatic soul and a true friend to many. He had a rare gift for making people feel valued, and his presence brought warmth and light wherever he went. A talented songwriter, Ray not only created memorable music, but also lifted up countless others in our community, always offering support, encouragement and a generous spirit.

At Bobby’s Idle Hour, his absence is felt every day. We miss his laughter, his stories and the easy way he brought people together. Ray helped shape this place with his heart and his music, and those of us who shared time with him will carry those moments forever. Though he is no longer with us, we continue to honor him in the songs we sing, the friendships we nurture and the community he helped build. Ray’s memory lives on in the love he showed and the lives he touched. We miss him deeply, and we will carry on his spirit with gratitude. —

HALEY PFEIFFER, LOYAL BOBBY’S PATRON

TRAVIS COLLINSWORTH

Co-owner of The 5 Spot, bassist, “the professional one”

For the past two decades, small venue and bar The 5 Spot has played a big role in making — and keeping — East Nashville a creative hub. That’s thanks in large part to co-owner Travis Collinsworth, who died of cancer in April at 47. Todd Sherwood, Collinsworth’s partner in the business since they took the reins from their then-bosses William “Bones” Verheide and Diane Carrier in 2005, describes Travis as “the professional one in our duo,” who handled things like hiring and managing staff and paying bills and taxes while Sherwood focused on booking and maintaining the sound system.

Sherwood posits, only half-jokingly, that those responsibilities might be the reason for the gruff exterior Collinsworth seemed to have until you spent a little time with him. He was an active musician, who for the past decade played bass in Jerry Garcia tribute outfit Hooteroll? during their long-standing biweekly gig at Acme Feed & Seed. Despite the constant challenges of

running an indie venue, Collinsworth’s love for and dedication to making The 5 Spot part of the community was vital.

“[Until recently] we were only hiring local musicians,” Sherwood recalls. “So he would always let people go off on tour, and we’d try and do our best to make sure that they would have a job when they got back, after being gone for a week to six months or whatever. Our door staff and bartenders were all musicians, and we’d see them on Saturday Night Live and late-night shows, and we would always have the band stop and we’d turn the TVs up so we could watch everybody. And then they’d come back and they’d be sitting at the door.”

—

STEPHEN TRAGESER

JILL SOBULE

Trailblazer, troubadour, force of nature

Jill Sobule teasingly called herself a “two-hit wonder,” referring to “Supermodel,” featured in the movie Clueless, and “I Kissed a Girl” — the latter is one of the first songs about an openly gay relationship to reach the Top 20 on a Billboard chart. She recorded it at Alex the Great in Nashville with longtime collaborators Robin Eaton and Brad Jones, with whom she would go on to write and record dozens of songs.

Busking in the street got the Colorado native a gig at a local nightclub when she was studying abroad in Spain, inspiring her to drop out of college and pursue music. When she died in a house fire in May at age 66, she was staying with friends in Minneapolis, on her way to perform in Denver. Over the course of her prolific, ever-shifting career, Sobule visited Nashville often to write and record, or just to visit old friends, showing up and moving on as she wove the musician’s life across borders.

People use the phrase “a force of nature” to describe Jill, and I get it. She crowdfunded her albums before Kickstarter and GoFundMe were around. She wrote and performed a successful one-woman musical called Fuck 7th Grade and never apologized for being her singular self. I saw her a lot growing up and remember being somewhat intimidated. The last time I saw her was about a year ago in Milan, Italy. Alone and feeling lonely, I picked a restaurant at random and sat at the bar. I heard the woman sitting next to me really laying into a guy for being condescending. It was Jill — always a force of nature. —

MALCOLM MOUTENOT

DAVID BRIGGS

Keyboardist, arranger, publisher, studio owner

Keyboardist-arranger David Briggs, one of the giants of Nashville music, died of cancer on April 22 at age 82. Producer-bassist Norbert Putnam, Briggs’ longtime friend and former business partner, ranks him alongside Floyd Cramer and Hargus “Pig” Robbins as one of the three greatest keyboardists in Nashville history.

“He was an excellent keyboard player,” says Putnam. “He probably played on more country sessions than anyone but Pig.”

Briggs wasn’t limited to country, and played on many R&B and rock sessions. He first found fame in the early ’60s as a member of the original Muscle Shoals rhythm section. Then at the

end of 1964, Briggs — along with Putnam and drummer Jerry Carrigan — was enticed to bring the hit Muscle Shoals sound to Nashville. That began a two-decade run as one of Nashville’s most in-demand keyboardists, a stretch in which he averaged 420 sessions a year, often as session leader. Briggs recorded with many of the biggest stars in popular music, including Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, B.B. King, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Linda Ronstadt, Dan Fogelberg, Joan Baez, Al Green, Joe Cocker and Bob Seger. He also was a member of the Grammy-nominated session supergroup Area Code 615.

In addition, Briggs distinguished himself as a studio owner and music publisher, co-founding Quadrafonic Studios and Danor Music with Putnam in the late ’60s. After they sold Quadrafonic in 1979, Briggs opened House of David studios, which he operated until his death.

Briggs was honored as a Nashville Cat by the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in 2011 and featured in their Dylan, Cash and the Nashville Cats exhibit. He is a member of the Musicians Hall of Fame and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. —

DARYL SANDERS

JONATHAN MAYERS

Bonnaroo co-founder, passionate booker and record collector, friend

Jonathan Mayers was not only a co-founder of the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, a cultural force that continues to shape the lives of generations of Nashvillians and millions of people from all over the world — he was also a humble, kind and generous leader and friend. He was not only a meticulous and ambitious visionary who helped bring Outside Lands in San Francisco to life — he was also an avid record collector who traveled the world in search of the rare gems that enriched his diverse collection. He researched it, chased it, collected it and lived it.

Owning these diamonds was fun, but for Mayers, the search was the main part of the joy. He was a dreamer and a bold risk-taker, unafraid to pursue ideas that others might have considered impossible. He understood what fans wanted because he was a fan first and foremost. From his early days as a Jazz Fest intern, to booking Tipitina’s in New Orleans straight out of college, to becoming one of the most influential promoters in the nation, he never lost his passion for what music and community could create together. —KEN WEINSTEIN

MIKE BORCHETTA

Longtime music exec Music industry executive Mike Borchetta passed away June 14 at 84. Over his storied career, Borchetta became a titan of his field, promoting artists such as The Beach Boys, Glen Campbell and Dusty Springfield. By the time he moved to Nashville in the early 1980s to work as an independent promoter, Borchetta was already a veteran of the industry, having launched his career at Capitol Records in Los Angeles at age 19. In the late 1980s, decades into a legendary run, Borchetta was named vice president of promotion at Curb Records. At Curb, Borchetta cemented his status as a kingmaker when he

took a chance on a then-unknown singer from Louisiana named Tim McGraw.

After the executive’s passing, McGraw recalled Borchetta’s decision to sign him on the spot during a once-in-a-lifetime meeting.

“I came to Nashville the day my hero Keith Whitley died — on a Greyhound bus with only the clothes on my back, a guitar and a big dream,” McGraw wrote. “About as green as they come. I was able to get a meeting with [Borchetta] while he was working at Curb Records. I will forever be grateful for his belief in me.”

Several of Borchetta’s children followed in his footsteps. Scott Borchetta, founder of Big Machine Label Group, got his start working in the mailroom of his dad’s company and helping him promote country singles. “Watching my dad, I learned what worked and what didn’t,” Scott Borchetta told The New York Times in 2011.

BOBBIE JEAN SAWYER

STACY WIDELITZ

Acclaimed composer

During its 56th annual run in September, the Nashville Film Festival conferred an honor tinged with emotion: Chrystal Grainger, Tom Pino and Colleen Francis’ original song “The Weight” from the film Faithful Defenders was given the inaugural Widelitz Music in Film Award. The honor was named for my friend Stacy Widelitz, a longtime festival supporter and former board member as well as a lauded film and television composer and street photographer. He died in June at 69.

He often said in his mischievous manner, right up to the week of his death, that he had “a lucky life with no regrets.” The New York native, who moved to Nashville in 2000, first gained national attention for composing the theme to The Richard Simmons Show, which launched in 1980. Among Widelitz’s many other achievements, he co-wrote “She’s Like the Wind” with his longtime friend Patrick Swayze for the film Dirty Dancing. Widelitz was nominated for an Emmy for his work on ABC’s World of Discovery

“Stacy truly changed my life for the better,” shares Brian Owens, former artistic director of the Nashville Film Festival. “He was my friend

and mentor. Through his music, photography and kindness. I do my best to be how he saw me.” —DOVE JOANS

SANCHEZ HARLEY

Producer, arranger, player, entrepreneur Sanchez “Chez” Harley helped steer gospel music toward the future in Nashville in the 1980s and ’90s. He was born and raised in Baltimore, where he stood out as a clarinetist and saxophonist in the city’s Frederick Douglass High School band. Harley came to Tennessee State University on a scholarship for his bass clarinet skills and played in TSU’s jazz ensemble and in the school’s famed marching band, the Aristocrat of Bands. In the ’70s he played and sang in Bottom & Co., a funk group that was signed to Motown Records.

After working as an arranger with producer Norbert Putnam on a series of albums that includes The Addrisi Brothers’ self-titled 1977 release, he branched out into production. His production style became one of the linchpins of modern gospel and contemporary Christian music, and he lent his touch to records by performers like Peabo Bryson, Hezekiah Walker & the Love Fellowship Crusade Choir, Shirley Caesar and Aretha Franklin. As he told writer Tim Dillinger in 2003, “I always wanted to arrange and do horns and strings, but work in Nashville for an African American was limited. I matriculated to producing to create work as an arranger.” Harley died on June 15 at age 73.

EDD HURT

OSCAR J. “TREY” BISHOP III

Musician, educator, scene ambassador extraordinaire

One of my favorite things about going to MTSU in the Aughts was meeting many, many extraordinarily creative people. A big bunch of them made a home base in a house near campus, where they hosted shows (sometimes broadcast live using student radio station WMTS’ remote rig), briefly ran an underground pizza kitchen and worked on music with the various bands they’d reconfigure themselves into. It wouldn’t be right to call Trey Bishop the

ringleader of the group sometimes known as Sauce Juice — these folks were way too egalitarian and collective-oriented for something like that — but his good-natured enthusiasm was magnetic and made him a great ambassador. You didn’t have to live with Trey or his compatriots to feel like you were part of something more than a routine college happening when you came to a show or put on a burned CD that he pressed into your hand. (Trey was a central figure in groups including Dead Hippies and Baby Teeth Thieves; other bands that grew from the collective and continued after the group moved its base to Nashville included Evil Bebos, Heartbeater and The Ascent of Everest.) Trey left Middle Tennessee years ago, but according to tributes after his death in June at age 39, he kept using that spirit for good. He leaves behind his fiancée, his parents and sisters, an array of students who’d been in his sixth-grade class in Glendale, Ore., and a wealth of friends and acquaintances whose lives he made a lot brighter.

STEPHEN TRAGESER

JOSHUA WOLAK

Singer-songwriter, bringer of Genuine Joy

It’s hard to find a musical project with a more appropriate name than Genuine Joy, the moniker Joshua Wolak used in recent years. The Michigan-born Belmont philosophy graduate had a strong connection with acoustic music, especially bluegrass, and developed outstanding mandolin chops. He toured extensively as a member of bands like the rollicking and acerbic Angus Whyte and the Irish Rednecks and folk-popsters Humming House. Later he also designed games for Ravenchase Adventures, a company that organizes custom scavenger hunts, escape rooms and more.

He drew on the strength of an astonishing variety of friends across music and arts scenes in Nashville and beyond — the release party for Resolution, his 2018 debut album as Genuine Joy, featured a string quartet, a chorus and a dance company. In 2019, he was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. During more than five years of surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation, Wolak kept shining his dazzling, charismatic light on friends, family and collaborators. —

STEPHEN TRAGESER

JAMES ROBERT FARMER

A Nashville musician ahead of his time

In many ways, James Robert Farmer, known by many close to him as Bob, was years ahead of the rest of Nashville’s music scene. Farmer played guitar in Scatter the Ashes as a youngster during the early Aughts. They were a Music City post-punk band who signed with storied indie Epitaph in 2003 — something that doesn’t seem all that unusual today but was newsworthy at a time when few local rock bands toured outside the region.

He stepped into the role of frontman in Mother/Father, the band that emerged in the wake of Scatter the Ashes’ breakup. He served their complex and emotionally rich songs with vocals influenced as much by Sam Cooke and other dynamic soul singers he loved deeply as

STACY WIDELITZ

by ’80s synth-pop icons like Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan or his experimental hero Peter Gabriel. That finely tuned voice is just one part of the legacy Farmer left when he died at age 40, but it was one of the things that would have made later musical projects like Adorations and KROVI stand out in any town at any time.

STEPHEN TRAGESER

FRANK BUMSTEAD

Founding partner of FBMM, widely respected entertainment businessman

Over the past three decades, a large number of prominent entertainment industry entities in the Nashville area and beyond have trusted Music City firm Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy to handle their business management. Per reports, that’s included artists as diverse as Taylor Swift, Kesha, Luke Combs, Pearl Jam and the estate of Tom Petty. Frank Bumstead, who died in July at age 83, was already well-seasoned when he and his fellow co-founders — Mary Ann McCready, John McCarthy and the late Chuck Flood — came together as FBMM in 1990.

“Frank was brilliant, passionate and a role model to all of us at FBMM,” the firm’s CEO Jamie Cheek said in a release. “His expertise in investments and finance was key to FBMM’s ‘edge’ over the years and why we called him our ‘secret weapon.’ Frank was one of a kind, and we will continue to honor the legacy he instilled of hard work and dedication.”

In addition to his business savvy, Bumstead is remembered for his service on the boards of directors of multiple business and charitable organizations. Among other accolades, he was recognized by the T.J. Martell Foundation with the Frances Preston Outstanding Music Industry Achievement Award, and he received Nashville Opera’s Francis Robinson Award for significant contributions to the arts. The Country Music Association gave him the William Denny Award for a lifetime of dedication and distinguished service to the association’s board. —WILLIAM WILLIAMS

SALLY TIVEN

Revered musician and songwriter

There are some people you wouldn’t want to be around too much, despite them being great musicians. Sally Tiven was a premiere player, but her passing in July at 68 was a huge blow to those of us who’d had the chance to spend any time with her. Teamed up with her husband Jon in playing, production and writing, she participated in several superb contemporary blues and soul recordings, including playing guitar on B.B. King’s “All You Ever Give Me Is the Blues” and bass on Wilson Pickett’s It’s Harder Now and Don Covay’s Adlib

The Tivens met in New York in the late ’70s, and Sally became part of Jon’s group The Yankees. They married in 1979 and worked together on a host of topflight releases, including recordings by Syl Johnson, Garnet Mimms, Willie Jones, Bebe Buell and Little Milton. Sally was also a versatile songwriter; among others, Shemekia Copeland cut her “Married to the Blues,” Irma Thomas recorded “Tryin’ to Catch a Cab in the Rain,” Huey Lewis and the News did “He Don’t

Know,” and Buddy Guy recorded “Heavy Love.”

Sally Tiven was equally dedicated to education, and when the family moved to Nashville in 2002, she became very involved in the Nashville Adult Literacy Program, teaching those unfamiliar with English how to read, write and speak it. —RON WYNN

JEANNIE SEELY

Country legend

Jeannie Seely — the forever blonde, forever bold, forever young, forever stylish, forever sassy, Grammy-winning member of the Grand Ole Opry — knew how to make an entrance. Her first song was co-written with Randy Newman while she was briefly pursuing a music career in Los Angeles. In 1965, she moved to Nashville and was hired as Porter Wagoner’s “girl singer.” She made her Opry debut in 1966 and became a member in 1967 — the first Opry member from Pennsylvania. This was when the Opry was still at the Ryman and all the female artists had to crowd into the women’s restroom backstage to change clothes and do their hair and makeup because there was no dedicated dressing room for them.

She was the first woman to wear a miniskirt

on the Opry stage, and the first female member to host a half-hour segment of the program — a milestone that took an act of God to finally occur in January 1985. An unexpected snowstorm closed roads all over the city, and Seely was the only member in the building when it was time for the live broadcast to begin. She didn’t miss a beat.

She could interpret and deliver a song like nobody’s business, rival stand-up comedians with her witty repartee, and offer unique social commentary known around the Opry as Seely-isms. She knew a million stories but kept all the racy secrets. Seely’s dressing room was always open; she was a champion for women and raucous with her Opry gal pals.

Jeannie Seely also knew how to make an exit. She was 84 when she made her last Opry appearance on Feb. 22, and her last Sundays With Seely radio show on SiriusXM aired four days before her death Aug. 1. Though she didn’t quite make it to the official 100-year anniversary of the Opry on Nov. 28, she did leave this world holding the record for the most appearances on the show — that’s 5,397.

—KAY WEST

MICKEY GRIMM

Percussionist, teacher, friend

The irrepressible Mickey Grimm, one of our community’s most unique drummers, moved to Nashville in the 1980s from Evansville, Ind., and quickly began a career that lasted more than 40 years as a performer, arranger and session player. Mickey recorded and toured with hundreds of artists across all styles, including Roy Acuff, Bonepony, Amy Grant, Over the Rhine, Jill Sobule, Steve Winwood, Dizzy Gillespie — and with his wife Molly Felder and fellow musician Bill DeMain, Nashville icons Swan Dive.

Mickey captivated everyone he met with his talent, imagination and childlike sense of wonder. Over the years, Mickey and his family called three unique communities home: Nashville, beautiful Whidbey Island, Wash., and the historic arts community of New Harmony, Ind. There Mickey set the Guinness World Record in 2009 for the longest drum roll, raising money to repair the town’s clock tower!

Mickey was adored by his students, fellow players and companions. Meeting him would lighten your outlook for the day and a lifetime. He was a true eccentric, in the best Charles Dickens sense. And he was, as Dickens would say, “as good a man as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world.” —KRISTI ROSE AND FATS KAPLIN

KRISS FAMOUS

Widely traveled, widely respected musician Kriss Famous was The Stuff, period — soulful multi-instrumentalist, sublime vocalist. R&B gesticulation over “jazz hands,” all day and forever.

As a kid, I would often see Kriss in the sadly long-gone Madison Music, a real old-school store run by the late, great bassist Sam Pugh. He was a member of local legends Past, Present, Future, led by James “Nick” Nixon. (Anita Poulton would call the store to make certain her son wasn’t out Running. Sam, laughing, would reply: “Yes, ma’am. He’s still here.”)

So many amazing working musicians would come through the store. Legends too: James Brown bassist Sweet Charles Sherrell and drummer Jimmy Otey, who also played with Little Richard. Sometimes Leon Russell and Edgar Winter. Wayne Moss! And more. These Heavies all knew Kriss. The familiarity and respect those folks showed him? They already knew, and made me want to understand.

Have you seen clips of a tuxedoed Kriss Famous soulfully singing as part of David Allan Coe’s show? Imagine what a certain demographic of Coe’s audience must have thought. He was giving them something they didn’t know they needed. I once played on the same bill with Kriss at the Black Elks Club on Jefferson — a humbling experience to begin with, given that venue’s history. We did our thing immediately following him, singing “Little Wing.” Shit!

He was working on a trilogy of spiritual jazz recordings around the time of his passing. Would love to be able to put ears on that. Kriss had recently become a grandfather for the first time, too. It saddens me that the New One won’t

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know him further in real time.

There was a time when Nashville celebrated its eccentrics and unique talents. Kriss Famous was both. These Ones gave us permission to be Ourselves. RIP, Raymond Ellis Holford, aka Kriss Famous. Peace to his family. Superman Junior, Hell Yeah! —STEVE POULTON

MARK VOLMAN

GOAT pop songwriter, professor, The Phlorescent Leech

“Are you ready for The Phlorescent Leech and Eddie?” It was 1972 when Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan sang that line, and the world clearly wasn’t ready. It probably still isn’t ready for the duo of Flo & Eddie. Volman, who passed away in September at 78, had gone through the music-industry wringer with his bandmate and their previous group The Turtles. That band wrote a few perfect pop songs and shaped the popular vocal styles of the ’60s and ’70s. By the time the pair became Flo & Eddie, they were operating on an art-pop level that still feels ahead of the curve. They spent the ’80s untangling an ugly legal mess that would change the course of hip-hop and shape our understanding of intellectual property.

Volman eventually earned multiple degrees and brought his depth of experience to Nashville in the new century, dropping nuggets of wisdom on a generation of undergrads at Belmont, while spending summers on allkiller no-filler ’60s revival tours called Happy Together. Volman leaves a catalog that is heavy on The Greatest Songs of All Time and long on How Is This Not a Classic deep cuts, wide with wit and kindness — a testament to the joy, beauty and hilarity at the heart of rock ’n’ roll.

SEAN L. MALONEY

ROBBY TURNER

Nashville’s “Man of Steel,” a once-in-a-generation pedal-steel player

Casual readers may not recognize the name Robby Turner, but for decades they’ve heard his prodigious steel-guitar playing. Turner, a second-generation steel player raised by members of Hank Williams’ Drifting Cowboys band, contributed to some of the most celebrated acts in Nashville and beyond. He played in The Highwaymen’s backing band, joined the The Chicks on a globetrotting tour, contributed to Sturgill Simpson’s debut High Top Mountain and sat in on sessions where Chris Stapleton captured country music magic with his game-changing album Traveller. And the list only begins with these contributions. Dig deeper into Turner’s credits to hear his additions to Paul Simon’s Songs From the Capeman, Barry Gibb’s Nashville-cut duets album Greenfields, and Love Story, an album from Antioch rapper Yelawolf. Turner also released two solo albums, including the aptly titled 1996 debut Man of Steel He was a go-to player for Waylon Jennings and, in later years, his son Shooter Jennings, a recording artist and sought-after producer in the Americana scene. Turner died Sept. 4 at age 63. “A once in a lifetime talent and the funniest guy I ever met,” Shooter Jennings shared via X

after Turner’s death. In three fitting words, he added, “What a player.” —MATTHEW LEIMKUEHLER

BRETT JAMES

Prolific songsmith, beloved mentor

On Sept. 18, songwriter and producer Brett James died at age 57 when the small plane he was piloting crashed in North Carolina. James’ wife Melody Carole and her daughter Meryl Wilson were also killed in the crash.

To say James was a prolific songwriter would be an understatement. He earned his first No. 1 in 2001 with Jessica Andrews’ “Who I Am.” Many more hits would follow, including Kenny Chesney’s “When the Sun Goes Down,” Martina McBride’s “Blessed” and Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus Take the Wheel,” which landed James a Grammy for Best Country Song. In 2020, James was named a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. During the induction ceremony in 2021, he dedicated his award to his fellow songwriters.

James, who was also the CEO and owner of the music publishing company Cornman Music, was a dear friend to fellow artists and songwriters and an advocate for his artistic community, frequently mentoring young writers and playing in songwriter rounds. Singer-songwriter Caitlyn Smith, who signed her first publishing deal with James in 2010, called James her “mentor, champion and big brother.”

“We dreamed together, wrote so many songs together, made a record together, played dozens of rounds together, spent countless nights out laughing and singing and having fun,” Smith wrote. “I’ll forever picture him dancing with a rum in his hand.” —BOBBIE JEAN SAWYER

JOE GLEAVES JR.

Drummer and stage tech, loyal friend, Big Joe

Joe Gleaves Jr. passed away on June 11 at age 62 following a brief illness. Known as “Big Joe” to all his friends, Gleaves was a drummer and stage tech who was a mainstay in the Nashville metal and hard rock scenes from the early ’80s until his death. A graduate of McGavock High School, he grew up in a musical family. Both his father Joe Sr. and mother Jeannie were musicians. Gleaves played in a variety of bands over the years, most notably with the power trio Ruckus from the late ’80s till the mid-’90s, but also with lesser-known bands such as Speedlimit and Suckerpunch.

In the mid-’90s, Gleaves shifted into concert production, working for a number of production companies, including Studio Instrument Rentals and Crew One. He ran backline at Bonnaroo for many years, and worked concerts for an array of hard rock and metal stars including Metallica, KISS and Foo Fighters.

“If I was going to describe him with just a few words — big dude with a big smile and an even bigger heart,” says close friend and former bandmate Gary Sinz.

“He was just the best and most loyal friend you could ever have,” adds legendary Nashville metal guitarist Mike Simmons. —DARYL SANDERS

FREDDIE NORTH

Nashville soul ace

Commercial success is often far from the best indicator of someone’s importance, and that’s especially true when discussing the vibrant Nashville R&B scene of the ’60s and ’70s. A prime example is vocalist Freddie North, who passed Oct. 15 at 86. North was a fine singer whose career started with vocal group The Rockies. There were so many outstanding soul groups and performers when North’s career began that breaking through nationally was extremely tough. Still, he was very popular on the local and regional scene. North also did a lot of vital work in the sales and promotion department for Ernie Young’s two record labels Nashboro and Excello. He would even occasionally appear on local TV show Night Train, which sadly was never able to get the syndication muscle and push that later made Soul Train a national institution.

North did enjoy one huge ’70s hit: 1971’s “She’s All I Got” has the hard-edged vocal flair of a great soul tune and the lyrical hooks and twists of a classic country song. It was co-written by Jerry “Swamp Dogg” Williams and Gary U.S. Bonds, and reached No. 10 on the R&B charts. It even cracked the edges of the Top 40 at No. 39 — thanks in part to North getting a break when Billy Sherrill delayed the release of Johnny Paycheck’s version, avoiding a radio battle.

North left the world of secular music in the late ’70s and eventually became pastor of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church near Murfreesboro before retiring in 2018. But thanks to the efforts of Michael Gray and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, North got to relive his soul music exploits for a new audience in 2019, serving as a panelist for a discussion about the golden days of Excello. —RON WYNN

DENIS SOLEE

A modest king of jazz reeds

Many truly great artists are hesitant to boast about their accomplishments. That includes remarkable instrumentalist and educator Denis Solee, who died Oct. 15 at 83. He could deliver memorable solos with flair and soul on any reed instrument, though he once sent me a note saying he found the term “multi-instrumentalist” a bit pretentious.

A fixture in Nashville since the early ’70s, Solee played in every conceivable musical setting: symphony orchestras, big bands and small combos, as well as in commercials, TV shows and Broadway plays. A small sampling of places you could hear his brilliant playing includes The Gloryland Band and the Nashville Jazz Orchestra and various groups led by close friend Beegee Adair, as well as projects by Ray Charles, Chet Atkins, Garth Brooks, Béla Fleck, Amy Grant and Roy Orbison. Solee was also heavily involved in the Nashville Jazz Workshop, whose co-founder Lori Mechem paid tribute to him on the organization’s website.

“When Roger and I first opened the Nashville Jazz Workshop in 1998, it was Denis who started writing for all the ensembles we programmed — from Charles Mingus, Art Blakey, and Herbie Hancock ensembles to our Afro Cuban and Brazilian groups,” Mechem wrote. “His arrangements are now part of NJW’s leg-

acy. … He actually helped build out the Neuhoff location, whether painting, constructing a new stage, or making things in his own garage that he thought we needed. It was his home, and he loved teaching and performing there. The students he encouraged and mentored received a deep, deep understanding of what it took to be a well-rounded musician and a good human.”

RON WYNN

RILEY CORCORAN HEDRICK

Co-owner of Vinyl Tap, encourager of a deep love of music

Riley Corcoran Hedrick was a true Nashville treasure. A sixth-generation Nashvillian, she grew up in East Nashville’s Rosebank neighborhood surrounded by a large, close-knit family whose laughter and love shaped her generous spirit. From a young age, she was a devoted reader, returning every year to To Kill a Mockingbird and drawing inspiration from its lessons of compassion, fairness and courage.

Her bond with her son Todd was built on music and curiosity. She took him to more than 100 concerts, encouraged his record-buying habit, and never told him to “turn it down.”

That love of music became the foundation for Vinyl Tap, which Riley helped Todd bring to life. With her guidance, business savvy and endless encouragement, the store became a welcoming East Nashville hub: a place alive with records, conversation and community that reflected her warmth.

Riley also had a remarkable 32-year career with Jack Daniel’s and Brown-Forman, helping create the Jack Daniel’s Invitational BBQ Championship that draws 40,000 people to Lynchburg every October. She shared an adventurous life with her husband Dan, traveling across the U.S. and Europe, sailing in the British Virgin Islands and spending peaceful days in their wooded Goodlettsville home, surrounded by nature. She cherished her granddaughter Amelia, sharing books, music and long late-night conversations. Riley’s sharp wit, kind heart and generous nature inspired all who knew her. Through Vinyl Tap, her family and the many friendships she

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RILEY CORCORAN HEDRICK

nurtured, her spirit lives on, leaving Nashville richer, kinder and more joyful in her memory.

CAROLINE BOWMAN-SCHNEIDER

BILL IVEY

Key early director of the Country Music Hall of Fame, whose résumé went platinum

A bespectacled Bill Ivey arrives in Nashville in the early 1970s carrying credentials as a “folklorist.” He goes to work in the library at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Within a year, they realize what they got, and he is named director of the entire place.

Country music is about to explode. And Ivey — with the aloof air of an academic and a zest for understanding the city’s weird, small-town Southern politics and society — starts building bridges. Rough-and-tumble Music Row is connected with the chamber of commerce, bank boardrooms, the city’s newspapers and a few important Belle Meade socialites. Within years, the Hall of Fame’s artistic and cultural influence was set ablaze.

People noticed. One was the president of the United States. Bill Clinton, who was under siege by Republicans over at the National Endowment for the Arts, tapped the politically safe Ivey to become the endowment’s new chairman. The prestigious National Academy of the Recording Arts and Sciences made him chairman also.

Ivey’s résumé had gone platinum.

Bill often shared his cosmically big-picture understanding of Nashville with me. He could connect the dots better than anyone. I remember one time sliding into a booth with him at the old Sunset Grill. Five martinis later, and I am not exaggerating, a notable blues singer fell into Bill’s embrace in the booth. I left, but not before watching a fair amount of the kissy-kissy action.

Note to St. Peter: Dust off the gin bottle. There was a wild man in there. —BRUCE DOBIE

Trailblazing attorney, social justice advocate, beloved Germantown resident

Dot Dobbins, the second of seven children of an ordained minister/editor father and educator mother, didn’t become a lawyer to get rich, but rather to sharpen the skills she would need to devote her life to social justice — especially issues that affected women. That spark was lit during the great upheavals of the ’60s and ’70s. Upon graduating from Southern Methodist University in 1969, Dobbins worked for a year in welfare services in Dallas and then became a resident adviser to disadvantaged teenage girls in a Job Corps program in New Jersey. Entering Vanderbilt Law School in 1971, she was one of a dozen women in a class of 150.

What further distinguished her was her fierce commitment to serving those in need. She started working for the Legal Aid Society the summer after her first year at Vanderbilt, and after passing the bar, she was a staff lawyer for the nonprofit for 13 years, heading the family law unit. Dobbins was especially attuned to domestic violence and worked with the YWCA to establish the city’s first domestic violence shelter. Serving as general counsel for the Tennessee Department of Human Services from 1987 to 1990, she counted as one of her proudest achievements the passage of uniform child support laws in Tennessee.

She entered private practice with former law school classmate Irwin Venick in 1993 and continued her work in the public sector. Retirement in 2015 freed her for more time to volunteer, particularly with the Alternatives to Violence Project. She was a founder and valued member of Germanton Commons co-housing community.

Walking her dog in the neighborhood, she was struck by a vehicle and killed. Five months later, family, friends and neighbors gathered to plant a bald cypress tree in the Memorial Garden of Morgan Park, near the site of the accident, to honor her enduring impact on Nashville. —KAY WEST

WILLIAM COOPER

Lawyer, brother, “stickler for the law”

He was the Cooper who never ran for office. His two brothers were mayor and congressman — their father was governor — but William mainly practiced law in Nashville.

William was not political, and that’s a compliment. He was achingly sincere and a brilliant student, though he struggled to relate to other people. He would say, “You can call me Bill, but my friends call me William.” He might have been mildly autistic, but being born in 1952, such a diagnosis was exceptionally rare at the time.

He immersed himself in litigation, hobbies, Sunday school class and the stock market. He was a stickler for the law. Super supportive of his brothers’ political careers, he kept every newspaper clipping. He wrote letters-to-the-editor when they begged him not to.

Magna cum laude at Harvard, he attended his 50th reunion last year with a bad cough. Afraid it was COVID, he learned it was stage 4 lung cancer. He had never smoked.

Attorneys like William are hard to love, but he was a small foundation stone of our government of laws, not of men — even when they were his brothers. —FORMER U.S. REP. JIM COOPER

BARBARA KURLAND

“Mother of Second Avenue,” mayoral candidate, business owner

Barbara Kurland may not have won her election when she ran for Nashville mayor in 1971 — the first woman to do so — but some locals call her the “mother of Second Avenue.” She came to Nashville with her husband Shelly in 1964 when he started a position at Peabody College. He went on to be a session musician and arranger for many titans of country music.

Barbara’s campaign held two major objectives: federally mandated busing, and desegregation in public schools. These points were enough to make her the least popular candidate, not necessarily because of gender. And though she never ran for office again, the Metro government accomplished her goals within the following year. After her short-lived career in politics, she opened businesses in Franklin and Nashville. The New York native also enjoyed a good show or art exhibit, but her heart extended especially toward dogs. Kurland died in February at 95 years old.

In the obituary she wrote herself, she calls her children “her major contribution to the world,” citing their work for charities, unions and social causes. “If I never did anything to save the world,” she wrote, “at least I produced the people who will take over and do it.” —RIA SKYER

CHARLIE SOUTHGATE

Grandfather, fix-it man, “Music City MacGyver”

“Charlie Southgate, in many people’s estimation, is still a wizard,” wrote the late Scene editor-in-chief Jim Ridley in 2010. “At 66, he’s among the last of the mechanical savants who can fix most any kind of vintage motorized apparatus, using knowledge seemingly absorbed and transmitted through his grease-blackened fingertips.”

In that profile, Ridley deemed Southgate, the owner of East Nashville’s Inglewood Machine and Cycle, the “Music City MacGyver.” Southgate, who died in June at age 81, was beloved for his deep and unmatched knowledge of motorcycles, but also for his enduring generosity. Friends and family describe a man who regularly refused payment for services, his workshop strewn with countless tools and papers, phone numbers scribbled wherever there was a bit of space for writing. He was also thrifty, frequently reusing the same Captain D’s coupon and refurbishing old parts and tools for new uses.

In a written tribute, his grandson Nick describes a talented, championship-winning racer who settled into a prolific career building and repairing motorcycles. Longtime friend Bubba Boswell puts it plainly: “Most notably, he had a profound affection for the people of Nashville.” —D. PATRICK RODGERS

ROBERT CONNELLY

“Firefighter’s firefighter,” thrill-seeker, family man Bobby Connelly was addicted to action. Whatever he was doing, he gave it his all — running marathons, biking, skydiving, coaching, rappelling and, most of all, saving lives and fighting fires. The native Nashvillian had just turned 22 when he joined the Nashville Fire Department in November 1959, one month before

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his son Mike was born. He put out his last fire on Jan. 31, 2013, and retired that February.

In those 53 years of service, he climbed the ranks from firefighter to assistant engineer to engineer to captain and, in 1999, to district chief. He was posted at several halls around the county, but his favorite was the busiest and most storied: The Bottoms on Fourth Avenue South, where he did his rookie training. The Schermerhorn Symphony Hall now sits on that property; District 9 moved up the hill to a newly built hall on Second Avenue South, from where Connelly made his last call.

During his tenure, the “firefighter’s firefighter” could always be found at the hottest part of any fire, his helmet and jacket black with soot. He was the model for the sculpture of the firefighter in the city’s 9/11 memorial, and in 2014, Station 9 was renamed the Bobby Connelly Station. As fully and fiercely as Connelly fought fires, he loved even more fully and fiercely. One of his outgoing messages on his phone was, “If someone hasn’t told you today they love you, I love you.” He meant it.

During the last two weeks of his life at hospice center Alive, more than 100 people a day came to visit, and at the end of each day, he’d say, “That was such a great day.” At Connelly’s memorial service, his daughter Connie told the packed sanctuary at Judson Baptist Church his last words were, “I love you with all my heart.” The song he insisted be played in its entirety, to the last soaring note, was Whitney Houston’s recording of “I Will Always Love You.” There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. —KAY WEST

DR. HAROLD JORDAN

Mental health professional, advocate, VUMC’s first Black resident

It wasn’t so long ago that Vanderbilt University Medical Center hired its first Black resident — that trailblazer was Dr. Harold Jordan in 1964. Jordan knew he wanted to be a doctor from a young age, but his follow-through was better than most, especially considering the barriers he’d have to break to achieve that dream. He followed in the footsteps of his great-grandfather, a Meharry Medical College graduate and the first Black doctor in Troup County, Ga. Jordan also attended Meharry Medical College after earning his undergraduate degree from Morehouse College and served in the Tennessee Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve.

Jordan met his wife Geraldine, then a nursing student at Meharry Medical College, while the pair were hiding during a bomb threat to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speaking engagement at nearby Fisk University. The two got engaged outside of her dormitory and went on to have four children — two sons and two daughters.

During his career, Jordan held esteemed positions as the first Black commissioner of the state’s mental health department (now known as Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services) and the head of Meharry’s psychiatry department for 18 years. VUMC has a lecture series focused on diversity and inclusion each year bearing his

name. He’s also the inspiration for the Harold Jordan Center, a state-run facility serving people with intellectual disabilities facing criminal charges.

—HANNAH HERNER

JANE FILDEY TUGURIAN

VUMC staple, miniature schnauzer owner, “tiny but mighty”

Before she turned 6 years old, Jane Fildey had spent nearly three years with her sister and parents in a Japanese prison camp in the Philippines, a dire consequence of her father’s work as a missionary in China. Little could faze her after that, and she was forever known as a force to be reckoned with.

Back in the States, the family settled in Oberlin, Ohio, where Jane graduated high school and college. She moved to Nashville in 1966, a single mother of two young children. She began her 43-year career at Vanderbilt in the Dean of Men’s Office in Kirkland Hall (now the Office of Student Life), continued at the Economics Department and the graduate school of management (now the Owen School of Management) and culminated at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She was executive assistant to three consecutive vice chancellors of health affairs — Dr. Vernon Wilson, Dr. Ike Robinson and Dr. Harry Jacobson — but it was widely known at the medical center that despite the titles, tinybut-mighty Jane Tugurian ran the place. From organizing world-class events to helping people navigate the hospital to the installation of a balloon arch at Children’s Hospital, she got it done.

Along with three generations of family and a multitude of friends, she is survived by Marlene Dietrich, the last in a long line of miniature schnauzers.

—KAY WEST

ARVILLE WHEELER

Pediatric hematologist, educator, tennis player

As a pediatric hematologist, Arville Wheeler was not someone parents hoped to see. But his gentle spirit made scary experiences more tolerable. The blood disorder specialist was a mainstay for many years at Overall and Strayhorn in Nashville, now known as Old Harding Pediatric Associates. Prior to that, he earned his B.A. and medical degree from Vanderbilt University and served a stint in the U.S. Air Force. He performed his residency at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and went on to complete a fellowship training in pediatric hematology there. He later worked in partnership with the children’s hospital at Vanderbilt, focusing on pediatric patients with blood disorders while serving as a mentor for medical students and residents.

Wheeler was born in Kentucky and grew up in Massachusetts. He and his wife Beth married in 1957, and the two were something of a science power couple. Beth worked at the Davidson County Medical Auxiliary and the Cumberland Science Center (now Adventure Science Center), where she created the Health Learning Lab. The pair also loved tennis, and Arville played the sport with his friends well into his 80s. Beth and Arville had three children, eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. —HANNAH HERNER

RON SANFORD

Event producer, LGBTQ activist, beloved friend

“That’s how we put on Pride, was dollar by dollar by dollar,” LGBTQ activist and event producer Ron Sanford told the Scene in 2021. “And that’s how we took care of our sick. If we — our own people — would not have come in and done the things that we did, there would have been thousands and thousands more that died.”

With his longtime friend Mark Middleton — better known as legendary local drag queen Bianca Paige — Sanford founded the Bianca Paige Awareness Network (later the Bianca Paige Foundation). Through the foundation, the duo raised money for organizations dedicated to LGBTQ outreach as well as HIV/AIDS research and treatment. Middleton died in 2010, but Sanford soldiered on in his advocacy work, spearheading the effort to rename Carney Street, now known as Bianca Paige Way.

In recent years, Sanford lived in the Dominican Republic, where he owned and ran Punta Cana’s Paradise Garage, a gay club “where Punta Cana’s most beautiful women are men.” He fell seriously ill this fall, but — according to a friend who organized a GoFundMe campaign on Sanford’s behalf — he hesitated to share details, as he didn’t want his friends to worry on his behalf. He died in November, joining his friend Bianca as a late legend in Nashville’s queer community. He was 62. —D. PATRICK RODGERS

ALICIA SEARCY

Fashion lover, nonprofit founder, inclusivity advocate

Alicia Searcy’s impact on inclusive fashion will long be felt in Nashville. Born in the ’60s to a French father and Cuban mother, she was a proud New Yorker, a quick-witted, unapologetic lover of fashion with signature purple hair who self-described as “hell on wheels” (a reference to her wheelchair). Born with cerebral palsy in a time when people with disabilities were either underrepresented or institutionalized, Alicia was determined to be heard.

She formed the nonprofit Fashion Is for Every Body in 2016 with her friend Krystle Ramos. The organization seeks to expand inclusion, accessibility and awareness of all body types while building confidence through the transformative power of fashion. The annual runway show has become a staple in Nashville’s fashion scene and features top designers dressing professional and amateur models of all ages, sizes, gender identities, races, sexual orientations and physical abilities. Alicia also partnered with students at Vanderbilt to write a guidebook for future designers to utilize, ensuring her mark on Nashville’s accessible fashion continues.

Alicia is survived by her husband of 35 years, Clint Searcy. She was an observant Wiccan, visual artist, journalist and phenomenal cook. But at her core, she was an

ALICIA SEARCY

WILLIAM “RIDLEY” WILLS II

Philanthropist, prolific author, Nashville historian Nashville lost one of its great chroniclers this year with the death of William “Ridley” Wills II. His absence reverberated through the city’s literary and philanthropic circles, where he devoted his time, talent and treasure to the countless nonprofits he and his wife Irene championed.

A seventh-generation Nashvillian, Wills attended the now-shuttered Parmer School and graduated from Montgomery Bell Academy. At Vanderbilt University, he played on the Phi Delta Theta intramural football team before joining the swim team, where he became a standout athlete and ultimately team captain. After earning his degree, he served two years in the U.S. Navy. When his tour ended, he returned to Nashville and joined his father, Ridley Sr., at the National Life and Accident Insurance Co.

Wills built a successful career there before pivoting toward what became his true calling: writing. His love of Nashville and its history fueled a prolific four-decade literary career. He produced, on average, a book or pamphlet each year, beginning with a lifelong collection of Nashville postcards. His first book, The History of Belle Meade: Mansion, Plantation, and Stud, became an immediate success. He followed it with works including Old Enough to Die about the Bostick family; Tennessee Governors at Home; Gentleman, Scholar, Athlete: The History of Montgomery Bell Academy; and many others.

A devoted philanthropist, Wills led major capital campaigns for the Belle Meade Historic Site and Montgomery Bell Academy. He served on numerous boards, including the Tennessee Historical Society, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Downtown Presbyterian Church, the Montgomery Bell Academy Board of Trust, the Cumberland Museum and Science Center, and the YMCA of Middle Tennessee.

He leaves behind a city shaped by his generosity, his curiosity and his unwavering commitment to preserving Nashville’s stories. —JANET KURTZ

MARJORIE HUTCHISON

Fortnightly Club head, piano player, teacher

For nearly 75 years, thousands of sixth-grade boys and girls of a certain demographic participated in a peculiarly Nashville tradition known as the Fortnightly Club. Founded in 1935 by Hank Fort, the rite of passage taught ballroom dancing and socialization skills one evening every other week for several months. It’s doubtful that many from the classes of the ’80s and afterwards used their foxtrot expertise, but no girl will ever forget the boys’ sweaty hands, and no boy will forget the extreme height differentials at that awkward developmental stage. Margie Hutchison took over the Fortnightly Club in 1967 and ran it for 43 years. She was practically born for the role — taking piano, ballet and tap lessons since she was 5 years old, accompanying the choral group and all school assemblies at Hillsboro High School, where she was also captain of the cheerleaders and prom

queen her senior year. She had a lifelong career with children, teaching kindergarten at Westminster Presbyterian and later at St. George’s. She played the piano for pageants and at plays for all the classes, and taught private piano lessons for children and teens at home. During her tenure leading Fortnightly, some of the earlier traditions — notably the dance cards — were retired, but the dress code (dresses for girls, coat and tie for boys) never wavered, and the waltz was taught until the last.

—KAY WEST

ANNETTE ESKIND

Philanthropist, education champion, inaugural Board of Education member

The loss of Annette Schaffer Eskind in July shook the philanthropic community of Nashville. Raised in Boston, she became a force for education after benefiting from extensive education herself. She earned a graduate degree from Boston University’s School of Social Work and later pursued a master’s, during which she met her future husband, Irwin Eskind.

After Irwin completed his residency and military duty at West Point in 1956, the couple moved to Nashville. With two young sons, Annette quickly recognized the city’s lack of public kindergarten options. She pushed for change, and her advocacy drew the attention of Metro’s first mayor, Beverly Briley, who appointed her to the inaugural Metro Nashville Board of Education. Eskind played an active role serving in numerous other public services such as the Nashville Board of Parks and Recreation, Alive Hospice’s advisory board, Nashville Repertory Theatre, the Nashville Ballet, the Council of Jewish Women, Alive Hospice, the League of Women Voters, the W.O. Smith School of Music and the Bill Wilkerson Speech and Hearing Center. She also helped found the Tennessee Performing Arts Center.

She and Irwin also championed numerous Vanderbilt University initiatives, including the creation of the Annette and Irwin Eskind Family Biomedical Library and Learning Center and the Vanderbilt Eskind Diabetes Clinic. Annette was also the recipient of numerous civic awards for her contributions to Nashville’s welfare.

—JANET KURTZ

MORGAN BAINE

Sober living leader, Healing Housing’s “heartbeat,” Phoenix Recovery founder

Morgan Baine dedicated her career to addiction treatment. The work hit close to home since she herself had benefited from such programming. After living as a resident in a Healing Housing home in the Nashville area, she spent five years working for that organization, which has three sober living homes and 28 beds as well as a Franklin-area outpatient program. She was described as the “heartbeat” and “walking encyclopedia” of the program.

During her tenure, Baine also opened Phoenix Recovery, a 10-bed sober living and recovery program for women. Phoenix Recovery abides by the ethos of “loving accountability,” which combines compassion with responsibility. Baine died at the age of 31, leaving behind a 13-year-

old son and her fiancé, Logan Terry.

Healing House received thousands of dollars in support following Baine’s death. Terry, who also works in the addiction recovery space, plans to open a sober living home for women and children in Baine’s honor. —HANNAH HERNER

DAVID BODENHAMER

Room In The Inn pillar, biker, recovery leader

Through his tenure at Room In The Inn, David Bodenhamer filled many official roles, and even more services of hospitality, mentorship and support. He came to the campus in 2009 to work at the Guest House, a partnership with the Metro Nashville Police Department to welcome the publicly intoxicated as an alternative to jail. It was there that Bodenhamer — himself on a journey of recovery — found his ministry, offering a place to heal and hope to take it not one day, but one minute, at a time.

As he segued through different positions, he led recovery meetings, helped run the education program as it expanded, became a strong presence in the day center — often the first person to open the door in the morning — and quietly resolved many conflicts. He frequently shared his musical gifts, and as a passionate biker, he organized a Homeless Benefit Ride with his Soul Seekers Motorcycle Ministry. Not only did he forge hundreds of friendships from all walks of life, he also met his beloved wife Kelly at Room In The Inn. After Bodenhamer’s death, staff and guests gathered in the Room In The Inn building to enjoy his favorite food (strawberry shortcake) and tell stories, play music and share memories of his generosity.

—KAY WEST

SUSAN O. BINNS

Addiction recovery services pioneer, community leader, mentor

Susan Binns started one of Nashville’s first sober living communities for women. At one time, YANA (You Are Never Alone) recovery houses had five locations and housed 40 women. She brought lived experience to her role, having been sober since her 1979 stay at rehab center Cumberland Heights. Shortly after leaving Cumberland Heights, she began working in addiction treatment, and she later earned her licensed alcohol and drug abuse counselor certification. Binns also helped found a self-policing organization for sober living houses, the Tennessee Alliance of Recovery Residences. Described as blunt, brash and direct, Binns was a mentor to many in their own sobriety journeys. She threw a party to celebrate her 40th year of sobriety in 2019. In all, she helped start 13 treatment programs or sober living houses in Nashville and earned a lifetime achievement award from the Tennessee Association for Addiction Professionals in 2024. —HANNAH HERNER

ERIN WALSH DAUNIC

Youth worker, inspiring friend, chief development officer of STARS Nashville

As news of Erin Daunic’s death spread through Nashville, it was as if someone in every corner of the city wept — so deep and wide

was her reach throughout the city that the New England native had called home since receiving her master’s degree in education from Vanderbilt. Her entire career was serving youth, starting with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee, then kids in recovery at Community High School, and finally the last 16 years of her life as the chief development officer at STARS Nashville.

Daunic created friendships, built relationships, sparked joy and inspired action among her colleagues and those of her husband, sportscaster Willy Daunic. She connected with everyone: her children’s friends, the parents of her children’s friends, teachers and coaches, neighbors, owners of businesses she frequented, artists, musicians, athletes and even random strangers, including her Lyft driver she invited to one of her “epic” Thanksgiving dinners.

Spontaneous, emotional, funny, touching tributes were penned and posted on social media, referencing her effusive personality, ebullient spirit, genuine empathy, positive energy, abiding and unconditional love of her family, incomparable hostessing, rock-solid loyalty and love of baseball. One friend noted there was not an empty seat or dry eye in the OZ Arts building, where her celebration-of-life service was held. Another pointed out on Instagram the beautiful synchronicity of Daunic’s passing on the feast day of Mary Magdalene, a day when the world “attunes their hearts and attention to her life, lived in service to helping others awaken to their own magnificent light!” —KAY WEST

SARAH BEST

Attorney, teacher, Vanderbilt grad Clarksville native Sarah Best is remembered for her sharp intellect and the impact she had on her students at Pearl-Cohn High School. The Vanderbilt graduate was working as an associate at law firm Wilkinson Stekloff in Washington, D.C., at the time of her death on Jan. 29. Best was on board American Airlines Flight 5342 when it collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter shortly before 9 p.m. above the Potomac River, killing 60 passengers and four crew members. Best was 33.

She graduated as valedictorian from Northeast High School in Clarksville in 2009 and enrolled in Vanderbilt, graduating summa cum laude with a double major in neuroscience and classical languages in 2013. She then taught high school for several years in Middle Tennessee before attending the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she graduated summa cum laude and was a senior editor of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review —NOAH MCLANE

ROSEMARIE KALIL

Weight Watchers leader, motivator, lecturer Over her 45 years helming Weight Watchers of East and Middle Tennessee, Rosemarie Kalil is responsible for the shedding of thousands of pounds, an achievement that began with her own 70-plus-pound weight loss following the births of three children. Enthused by the Weight Watchers program and inspired by founder and fellow New Yorker Jean Nidetch back in 1963, Ka-

lil became one of WW’s most successful weight management lecturers in Long Island. She was recruited to lead programming in the South and in 1968 moved her family to Tennessee, becoming director of Weight Watchers Nashville. Before widely available internet access, in-person weekly meetings were the rule, and the weigh-ins (conducted privately) were key to accountability. But whether members lost, gained or had reached a plateau, Kalil and her boundless enthusiasm, energy and sense of humor made the meetings in the little building on Thompson Lane fun, and she kept her people motivated. No one wanted to disappoint Rosemarie. I know firsthand: After two pregnancies resulting in two babies in less than two years, I was one of her people. I lost nearly 20 pounds and gained a lifelong appreciation for Rosemarie Kalil. —KAY WEST

CHARLIE HARRIS

Writer, father, “You Are So Nashville If …” all-star “You are so Nashville if you’ve developed a hierarchy of every Kroger in town.” “You are so Nashville if your governor doesn’t have a stance on [insert issue] at this time, but he would like you to watch this video of him riding a tractor.” “You are so Nashville if they 12South’d your Five Points, so you 86’d yourself from the area.” These are just three of native Nashvillian Charlie Harris’ many, many submissions to the Scene’s “You Are So Nashville If …” contest over the years. One of his entries, in 2018, even landed on the cover as our first-place submission.

Harris died in June at age 42 after a battle with cancer, leaving behind a wife and a young daughter. A talented food writer who later transitioned into the legal field, Harris is described by his loved ones as “one of the world’s more introverted extroverts,” known for his love of themed parties and Halloween costumes and his unimpeachable taste in books, food and music. His friends also speak of his kindness and gentleness: “He was inclined to satire,” his obituary notes, “but not to cruelty.” —D. PATRICK RODGERS

VIRGINA TRIMBLE RITTER

Victims’ rights advocate, tireless justice seeker, mother of Marcia Trimble

Virginia Trimble, a 36-year-old middle-class Green Hills housewife, became Nashville’s most famous mother on Feb. 25, 1975, when her 9-year-old daughter Marcia disappeared while delivering Girl Scout cookies in the neighborhood. Marcia’s body was found 33 days later on Easter Sunday; it was another 33 years before Jerome Barrett was identified as the perpetrator and convicted of her murder.

The search held the entire city suspended in hope and fear. Parents and children never forgot those days, nor Ritter’s tireless work for justice. Her torment identified Ritter the remainder of her life, but she turned the unspeakable tragedy into a calling as a victims’ rights advocate, reaching out to other families with missing or murdered children. In 2015, former Gov. Bill Haslam presented Ritter with the Powerhouse Award from the victims’ rights nonprofit You Have the Power.

Upon Ritter’s death, the Metro Nashville Police Department posted a tribute: “Virginia Trimble’s kindness, support and closeness to generations of MNPD homicide investigators will not be forgotten.” Former MNPD Chief Mickey Miller, who famously described the crime as when “Nashville lost its innocence,” served as an honorary pallbearer at Ritter’s funeral. —KAY WEST

JENNIFER ALEXANDER

Poet, The Contributor vendor, friend

One of the last disagreements I had with my friend and longtime Contributor vendor and writer Jennifer Alexander was over food stamps. She’d amassed more cash on her EBT card than she would ever use. She offered to take me shopping for necessities, and was angry that I’d declined. Jen had not been homeless for a couple years; she’d had an apartment, and while it wasn’t perfect, she was stable.

I told myself I refused because I respected Jen’s opinion so much that I feared even her critique of my shopping cart. Honestly I wasn’t at a point in my life where I should’ve been turning down free food or kindness. But I told myself Jen couldn’t know that. She had a sharp, critical eye and saw symbolism in everything. Everything she created, whether an intricate cross stitch or a poem, was painstakingly put together. She assumed and expected the same of other artists and writers — and she’d scoff when my interpretation of a given book or work didn’t match her expectation.

At Jen’s memorial service in early October, a couple dozen folks gathered at her sunflower-adorned gravesite at Hills of Calvary Cemetery to say a few words. She’d passed a couple weeks prior at age 74 after a liver cancer diagnosis and brief time in hospice. She had requested to be cremated and laid to rest at Hills of Calvary alongside the city’s indigent burials, joining other former Contributor vendors and people who lived on the streets. She chose “Funkytown” by Lipps Inc. for the service’s processional music.

Jen was an award-winning poet, a somewhat absent mother for various reasons, a prolific artist and crafter, and a lover of baseball. She adored The Contributor, where she published poetry and sold newspapers, and Open Table Nashville, where she had close friends who walked with her in times when she needed it most. Her son Joshua Frost was the only child of five she remained connected to in late life, and while it was an unsteady relationship, he says he is grateful that she found a way to cope with the things life threw her way. He says finding any way to connect with her was “always worth the fight.”

A few in attendance had met Jen only once or twice. A member of a food pantry described Jen purchasing hundreds of dollars in groceries when it was struggling. A neighbor said Jen offered her a trip to the grocery store while she was pregnant. Each attendee came to pay their respects to a woman who, not having known them at all, had reached out and offered to buy them groceries.

In days after, I realized I had missed my op-

portunity to accept her kindness along with her judgment. It can be tough to field criticism from our friends, but take this advice: It’s not that hard to just let your friend buy you groceries.

—AMANDA HAGGARD

JAMES “BUSTER” DEPUE

Longtime cook at The Gold Rush and Nations Bar and Grill, keeper of the bean roll

There was an era of Nashville’s music scene when if you went to hear live music, you were on the Rock Block (aka Elliston Place). And as sure as you were to drop into the Exit/In, you were sure to walk across the street and order a bean roll at The Gold Rush.

Legend has it, the keeper of the bean roll was James “Buster” Depue, who died just before his 61st birthday earlier this year. Depue was longtime cook at The Gold Rush and oversaw the evolution of the bean roll from a relatively modest-size dish to something late Scene editor Jim Ridley once called “a burrito the size of a bean-filled tube sock.” In October 2024, Depue estimated that he had made between 475,000 to 525,000 bean rolls in his lifetime. After The Gold Rush closed in 2019, Depue went to work at Nations Bar and Grill. On Friday nights his new employer would offer the bean roll as a special and a nod to The Gold Rush crowd, who loyally followed Depue west. On Facebook he posted: “I was the last one to walk out [of The Gold Rush], the last one to lock the door when it closed. [It] broke my heart, crushed my world. I carry on the legacy of the original bean roll.” —MARGARET LITTMAN

CRAIG FISHBURN

Charismatic man on the scene, beloved friend Entering Maryville College as a freshman in the fall of 1982, I ran fortuitously straight into Craig Fishburn, who I couldn’t then have known would become one of the really important people in the story of my life. Craig was born and raised in the Nashville of the 1960s and ’70s, but he could just as easily have inhabited the frontier era of Andrew Jackson and John Donelson. A proud denizen of Flatrock, Craig was the real Nashville deal — a whiskey-bent scholar, heretic priest, hippie philosopher and genteel Southern madman.

He could be found nightly for years holding court at The Gold Rush, and later the Red Door and other South Nashville bars, expounding on a wide range of topics with eloquence, wit and insight over Maker’s Mark and iced tea. The host of many a legendary party and the Neal Cassady for many a Grateful Dead road trip, Craig was charismatic, obstinate and occasionally volatile, but a loyal and generous friend whose passing feels epochal. Throughout the years, the mountains he loved always beckoned, and he spent his final days back in Maryville, Tenn., where our friendship began. He was unforgettable and irreplaceable, and he casts a long shadow.

ROBERT LOGUE

UNHOUSED NASHVILLIANS

Homelessness outreach nonprofit Open Table Nashville provided the following list of 126 names of unhoused Nashvillians who have died in 2025 as of Dec. 5. It includes people who were homeless at the time of death as well as those who might have been temporarily or permanently housed but also had a history of homelessness. Some information, like full names or ages, may have been unavailable. The Annual Homelessness Memorial takes place Dec. 20 at Riverfront Park and may include additional names and updated information. Maurice Adams, 59; Jennifer Alexander, 74; Linda Amos, 75; Jimmy Andrews Jr.; Jimmy Dean Ashworth, 55; Beth Bacon, 72; Raymond Bain, 67; Andrew Barksdale, 45; Shelley Denise Bass, 40; Harry Beard, 74; Cortez Bell II; Jovan Blackman, 37; Thomas Bolton, 70; Yvonne Decarlos Bostic, 55; Jerry Bowen; Larry Wade Boyd, 70; Sherrod Burnett Sr., 58; Gary Campbell, 74; John A. Carter, 50; David Church, 65; Racheal Marie Clark, 30; James Lloyd Clark, 74; James Curie Clifford, 61; John Coleman, 48; Evonne Cornwell, 60; Mark Crites/Kilgore, 56; Jerry Crutcher; Patricia Davis, 57; James Denton; Darlene DeRosa, 65; William Diviney, 68; John Doe; Sherry Donoho; Marion Duerkson, 60; Lamelle A. Evans, 53; Lamelle A. Evans, 53; Travis Finch; Debra Flynn, 68; John Franklin, 59; Cartel K. Galloway, 21; David Galloway, 69; Darin Gassaway, 30; Teresa Glenn, 60; Missy Gouch, 39; Brenda Gregory, 72; Rocky Harper, 61; David Harris, 78; Christopher Harrison; Wiliam Henry Head Jr., 56; Douglas Henson, 69; Christopher Herbert, 40; Angelica Hernandez, 36; Richard Higgins; Randall Hogan, 67; Mark Holt, 55; Randy Honea, 66; Ricky Hudgens, 68; Billy Glynn Huffman, 73; Tadarius Hunt, 30; DeeAngelo Hunter, 48; Steven Hymes, 42; David Jacobsson 60; Christopher Jenkins; Laron Johnson, 54; Joe Johnson, 65; Natasha Jones, 44; Patrick Killian, 64; Charles Kimbro, 89; Kelton King, 43; James Earl King, 56; Dennis Ledford, 53; Dean Levinsohn, 69; Greg Lewis, 69; Curtis Livingston, 44; Brent Lovely; John Manasco, 78; Nicholas Marrone; Bobby Mayes; Jesse James McAdoo III, 66; John McKinnie Jr.; Curtis McNeil; Jennie Meadows, 68; Gary Melton, 65; Ricky Merryman; Donald Milburn; Tamika Mitchell; Deonte Morris; Otis Murphy; Marilyn Ann Musser, 63; Author Nall, 45; Johnda Nottingham; Christopher Owen; Michael “Scottie” Parker, 65; Donald Parker; Edward Parsons, 68; Jack Phillips Jr., 64; Charles Walter Pope, 60; Taylor Powell, 29; Labar Pratt; Contessa Previtera; Wendall Quarles, 63; Greg Rivers, 45; Aaron Robison; Susan Rocha, 70; Dana Roland; Thurston Rucker, 57; Jerry Salazar; Julie Savoy, 53; Brian Smith; Valenna Spikes, 44; Anquenette Stanton, 46; Ray Stevens, 61; David Suddeth; Brenda Taylor, 62; Johnnie Taylor, 30; Inez Turley, 66; Alice Turner, 72; John Welch; Jessie Whitworth, 43; Joseph Williams; Zachary Williams, 48; Joseph Williams, 40; Willie Paul Windom, 56; Leslie Woodard Taylor III; Diane Yates, 68; Alex “Detroit.” ▼

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From platinum-selling chart-toppers to underground , household names to undiscovered gems, Chief’s Neon Steeple is c bringing the very best national and regional talent back to Broadway.

N h t ons, t a s, eeple committed to mmi

DECEMBER LINE UP

12.1 Mo Pitney, Wyatt McCubbin, Drake White: A Benefit For Rahab House

12.5 Pickin’ Party w/ Dan Tyminski, Phillip Lammonds, Kevin Mac

12.6 The 12th Annual Christmas at Buddy’s Place w/ JP Burr, Walker County, Adam Hambrick, and Tana Matz

12.10 Andy Griggs

12.11

Ashley McBryde: The Redemption Residency **SOLD OUT**

12.12 Ashley McBryde: The Redemption Residency **SOLD OUT**

12.13 Christmas with Julie Roberts

WRITERS’ ROUNDS AT CHIEF’S

Chief’s

12.14 A Hannah Dasher Christmas

12.16 Chief’s Outsiders Round w/ Skyelor Anderson & Ben Kadlecek and Guests Cay Aliese, Julie Eddy, Kinsley, Chloe Lawson

12.17 Uncle B’s Damned Ole Opry Xmas! w/ The Band Loula, Belles, WHYNOT

12.18 A Very Merry Brassfield Christmas

12.20 Not Quite Brothers

12.21 Christmas with Emily West

12.30 Buddy’s Place Writer’s Round (and Buddy’s Birthday!) w/ Alyssa Bonagura, Karli & James, Dan Smalley

FIND REDEMPTION ON THE 5TH FLOOR OF CHIEF’S BROADWAY’S FIRST NA-FORWARD BAR REP YOUR

THROUGH DEC. 20

ART [FRESH TO DEATH] FRESH FROM THE COOP

Coop is one of Nashville’s longest-lived curatorial cooperatives, and they’ve been bringing unique visual arts programming ever since they started organizing displays at their first location in The Arcade way back in 2010. Like all of the city’s most consistently compelling visual art locales, Coop is an artist-run space, and their annual new-member exhibitions are always a highlight of Nashville’s year-end art calendar. This installment of the annual display includes work from artists like Ter Carter, Téa Chura, Brandi Coates, Paz Suay, Bailey Walters and Courtney Gatewood. Sarah Bogdal’s detailed linocut prints will be familiar to mavens of Nashville’s small-press scene, where Bogdal has made herself known. John Holmes’ new media work explores intimacy and alienation with his interactive, tech-centric installations.

JOE NOLAN

THURSDAY / 12.18

MUSIC

[SPEED, WEED AND ALCOHOL] TOMMY WOMACK ALBUM RELEASE

Thursday night at The ’58, indie-rock singersongwriter Tommy Womack will celebrate the release of Live a Little, his excellent ninth studio album. It’s a powerful artistic statement about dying and living, which he addresses with both irony and humor. His use of irony is especially evident on the album’s first single “Just Another Shooting,” a commentary on school shootings written from the perspective of a die-hard gun owner. His twisted sense of humor shines brightest on the punkish “Horny Mormon,” a hilarious take on the worldly desires of Mormon missionaries that’s already a fan favorite. Womack plans to perform those two songs and four or five others from Live a Little at the release show. “I’m really sweeping the floor and cleaning up the house with the new record,” he tells the Scene. Womack recorded the album in Brooklyn with producer Eric Ambel, who will sit in on guitar with Womack at the show. They’ll

be joined by David Harvard on guitar, Dan Seymour on bass, Mary Hull on keys, Womack’s son Nathan on drums and longtime collaborator Lisa Oliver-Gray on backing vocals. In addition to the new material, Womack’s set will include “Sweet Hitchhiker,” a deep cut from his first solo album, as well as a couple of songs from his work with Government Cheese.

8 P.M. AT THE ’58 AT EASTSIDE BOWL 1508A GALLATIN PIKE S., MADISON

DARYL SANDERS

THEATER

[A NASHVILLE CHRISTMAS]

KINDLING’S VERY SPECIAL HOLIDAY SPECIAL

Still looking for the perfect holiday treat? Or maybe just a well-deserved break from all the hustle and bustle? Kindling Arts has you covered this weekend with the return of its Very Special Holiday Special. This year’s installment is co-directed by Kindling’s marvelous Daniel Jones and Emma Supica (East Nashville Facebook Page: The Musical), and is based on the original concept by Jessika Malone and Daniel Carter (the creative minds behind Kindling’s Bar

Fight!). Once again, audiences can look forward to a screening of The Muppet Christmas Carol, with live performances from local favorites like Supica (as Gonzo the Great), Seth Nathan Green (Nashville’s very own Kermit) and Cammie York (as Rizzo the Rat). But this year’s show also features a special “deleted scene,” featuring Miss Piggy (played by none other than Hannah Dorfman, of Amm Skellars fame). Plus, there’ll be an appearance by everyone’s favorite curmudgeons, Statler and Waldorf. Weird, whimsical and very Kindling, it’s sure to be a fun night out. But keep in mind that Kindling’s Very Special Holiday Special is intended for ages 21 and up, and not appropriate for little ones. AMY STUMPFL DEC. 18-20 AT THE DARKHORSE THEATER 4610 CHARLOTTE AVE.

[SNOOPER TROOPERS]

MUSIC

SNOOPER W/CITRIC DUMMIES & FAMILY DOG

There’s always room in punk for acts with a hyper-referential, tongue-in-cheek theme to their work. I first checked out Minneapolis’ Citric Dummies when I saw the title and cover of their 2023 LP Zen and the Arcade of Beating Your Ass, a clever nod to Hüsker Dü’s 1984 double album Zen Arcade and the masterwork from Cleveland’s 9 Shocks Terror, Zen and the Art of Beating Your Ass. The latest release by these Dummies is another sly grin called Split With Turnstile, proving again their knack for crafting relentlessly catchy thrash without taking themselves too seriously, much like Circle Jerks, Adrenalin O.D. or the aforementioned 9 Shocks. If hijinks are your thing, Thursday’s show marks the final Snooper gig of 2025, a big year for them as they dropped their sophomore album Worldwide this fall before a tour with The Hives. This might be your only chance to see Snooper and their collection of stage props and costumes in a room as small as The End. Local openers Family Dog put out my favorite 2025 EP by a Nashville punk troupe in July, before releasing Familial God earlier this month. The Dog’s second release is another rabid scorcher drenched with guitar feedback and dissonant dissent.

P.J. KINZER

8 P.M. AT THE END

2219 ELLISTON PLACE

FRIDAY / 12.19

FILM [I KNOW THREE KINDS OF KARATE] HOLIDAY CLASSICS: HARD EIGHT

There’s a good reason why you don’t hear much about Paul Thomas Anderson’s featurefilm directorial debut Hard Eight — one of two films about the bond between a gray-haired vet and a struggling young upstart (both adapted from shorts PTA did years before) that he dropped in 1997. Originally titled Sydney, it stars PTA regulars Philip Baker Hall and John C. Reilly as a rambling, gambling man and the promising hustler he takes under his wing. Anderson locked horns with the movie’s backers over the final cut, eventually convincing them to release his cut under a different name. Despite

featuring budding big names Gwyneth Paltrow (as Reilly’s love interest) and Samuel L. Jackson (as a shady antagonist) in the supporting cast, the $3 million neo noir was dumped in theaters, making a paltry $222,806. Anderson got the last laugh later that year when his second film, ’70s porn odyssey Boogie Nights, won over critics and audiences. But local PTA fans can see where it all began at the Belcourt this weekend — in glorious 35 mm! Visit belcourt.org for showtimes. CRAIG D. LINDSEY

DEC. 19 & 23 AT THE BELCOURT

2102 BELCOURT AVE.

FILM

[YOU WANT THE MOON?] HOLIDAY

CLASSICS: IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE

When was the last time you watched Frank Capra’s timeless 1946 masterwork It’s a Wonderful Life? No matter how you answered that question, it’s never too soon for another viewing. Based on Philip Van Doren Stern’s 1943 short story “The Greatest Gift” — itself inspired by Dickens’ A Christmas Carol — It’s a Wonderful Life follows banker and family man George Bailey through an existential crisis, as he contemplates suicide and wonders if his hometown Bedford Falls might be better off without him. On paper that’s relatively dark framing for a holiday classic, sure, but it also makes for a singularly relatable premise. In our most lonesome moments, who among us hasn’t

wondered, Am I really making a difference? Do I really matter? Has my life passed me by? And besides, it’s ultimately a joyful film, full of delightful vignettes and genuinely hilarious quotes. (I will never not guffaw at Donna Reed’s Mary shouting up the stairs, “He’s making violent love to me, mother!”) Between now and Christmas Eve, you have more than a dozen opportunities to catch IAWL in the Belcourt’s 1925 Hall, where Jimmy Stewart’s megawatt charisma will come pouring off the screen. If you’ve seen it a hundred times, go remind yourself why institutions like the American Film Institute consider it not just the best Christmas film of all time, but also one of cinema’s greatest works — full stop. And if you’ve never seen it before? I’m envious that you get to experience it for the first time. Visit belcourt.org for showtimes. D. PATRICK RODGERS

DEC. 19-24 AT THE BELCOURT 2102 BELCOURT AVE.

MUSIC

[ROCKIN’ AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE] TIM CARROLL’S ROCK ’N’ ROLL HAPPY

HOUR

After more than a dozen years, indie rocker Tim Carroll’s weekly Rock ’n’ Roll Happy Hour shows at The 5 Spot are a Nashville institution. Every Friday, with a few exceptions, Carroll serves up two-and-a-half hours of original blues-derived, punk-informed, guitar-driven rock ’n’ roll. One of the city’s most enduring yet under-recognized

rock artists, Carroll is a prolific songwriter — John Prine recorded one of his songs — and recently released his 19th studio album Keep Coming Back, which features 11 tracks ranging from incendiary to majestic. Lyrically, the album is a mix of love songs and social commentary. “I’m really happy with it,” Carroll tells the Scene “I think it’s a bunch of good songs, and I’m playing well. I feel like I’m still evolving, you know, and getting a little better at the writing and the playing.” Out of the “43 or 44” songs he performs each week, Carroll says he’ll be playing seven songs from Keep Coming Back at this Friday’s happy-hour show. He will be accompanied by Dave Coleman on bass and Sam Skorik on drums. DARYL SANDERS

6 P.M. AT THE 5 SPOT

1006 FOREST AVE.

REVUE

MALE

[THE GIFT OF DANCE] A NOT SO SILENT NIGHT WITH RANCH HANDS COWBOYLESQUE

Sometimes the best Christmas gift you can give is not a physical gift at all, but rather an experience. And Ranch Hands Cowboylesque promises to be a memorable experience. For the past month or so, the shirtless cowboy show has transformed into A Not So Silent Night. The performance is relatively similar to the usual one, except they replace the cowboy hats with Santa hats, and “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)” with “Dick in a Box.” Ranch Hands Cowboylesque always does it their way — in variety-show fashion, infusing music, comedy and even line dancing to break up the sexier dances. The pants stay on, so you may even be able to bring your mother or grandmother. (Talk about family fun.) Friday is the penultimate chance to see the group this year. The Nashvillefounded troupe is now touring and has expanded its local presence with brunch shows in 2025. Next year is bound to be even bigger.

HANNAH HERNER

8:30 P.M. AT CANNERY HALL 1 CANNERY ROW

SATURDAY

/ 12.20

[HO-HO-HO]

FILM

HOLIDAY CLASSICS: DIE HARD

The “Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?” debate is so boring. It takes place at a literal Christmas party. Oh, you don’t think Die Hard is a Christmas movie since it isn’t about the spirit of Christmas or doesn’t feature Santa himself, or whatever your argument is? You’re so brave for that unique take. Regardless of whether it’s a holiday classic (it is, and the Belcourt agrees), it is a pitch-perfect action movie. Even now, nearly 40 years later, as a non-’roided-up, everyman hero and a loquacious, Shakespearean villain (RIP Alan Rickman) have become clichés, Die Hard still rips. Yippee-ki-yay, melon farmers.

LOGAN BUTTS

8:20 P.M. AT THE BELCOURT

2102 BELCOURT AVE.

PHOTO: ANGELINA CASTILLO SNOOPER

Saturday, December 20

HOLIDAY POP-UP

Free Photos with Santa

10:00 am · THE MUSEUM STORE

Saturday, December 20

HOLIDAY POP-UP

Sugar Cookie Decorating

11:00 am · RED ONION

Saturday, December 20

SONGWRITER SESSION

Bobby Tomberlin

NOON · FORD THEATER

Saturday, December 20

POETS AND PROPHETS

Steve Earle

2:30 pm · FORD THEATER

Sunday, December 21

MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT

Jeremy Lister

1:00 pm · FORD THEATER

Saturday, January 3

Local

Jamie Floyd NOON · FORD THEATER

Sunday, January 4

SONGWRITER SESSION

MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT

Colin Linden

1:00 pm · FORD THEATER

Wednesday, January 7 PANEL DISCUSSION

Star of the Show

My Life on Stage

12:30 pm · FORD THEATER

Saturday, January 10

SONGWRITER SESSION

Bryan Simpson

NOON · FORD THEATER

Tuesday, January 13

WRITERS ROUND The Heart Wranglers

4:00 pm · CMA THEATER

right!  Choose  up  to  5

THURS, 12/18

MUSIC

[BAG OF TRICKS] THE LEMONHEADS

Stephen Malkmus famously name-checked Smashing Pumpkins and Stone Temple Pilots in Pavement’s 1994 indie-rock hit “Range Life,” a song that helped define the landscape of that long-ago moment. Malkmus didn’t mention The Lemonheads, another band making waves then with their 1993 album Come on Feel The Lemonheads and songs like “Into Your Arms” and “Big Gay Heart.” Led by guitarist and singer Evan Dando, The Lemonheads played in a hybrid style that combined power pop with mainstream 1970s rock and traces of country rock. “Big Gay Heart” sounds like Gram Parsons had thrived into the ’90s and advised Dando on the arrangement. Compared to, say, Pavement’s country-rock explorations on 1995’s Wowee Zowee, The Lemonheads’ take on the style came across as somewhat more subdued and straightforward. Their 2025 full-length Love Chant — the band’s first album of original material in nearly 20 years — is a return to form that suggests Dando, who is 58, picked up some rock ’n’ roll tricks along the way. The album’s “Cell Phone Blues” and “Roky” are among the band’s best tracks to date. One thing rock ’n’ roll teaches you is that being straightforward can be a strategy. Erin Rae and Paperview open at The Basement East on Saturday. EDD HURT

8 P.M. AT THE BASEMENT EAST 917 WOODLAND ST.

MUSIC [SPIRITS REJOICE] GLOBAL ABACUS GARAGE

I don’t know about y’all, but here at the assend of 2025, my nerves are feeling a bit frazzled. Accepting the things we can’t change and what not, but holy shit could the universe dial it back just a smidge. There’s a lot going on, and we’re

gonna need some big, big vibes to redirect all that frazzled energy. Cue Global Abacus Garage, an improv outfit that pairs four horn players with four dancers and some electronics to explore the intersection of sounds. Danny Kaye singing about choreography this ain’t, but it does feel like the right way to warm up your noggin before solstice. It might not be Mingus’ eggnog recipe, but blending trombone, horn, reedless tenor sax and bass clarinet should have the same delirious effect at the darkest time of the year. On Saturday, Global Abacus Garage will be joined by fellow inner-space explorers Jules Belmont and Thayer Sarrano. SEAN L. MALONEY

7 P.M. AT THE STUDIO NASHVILLE 3723 CHARLOTTE AVE.

SUNDAY / 12.21

MUSIC [SPECIAL WAYS] EL DEBARGE

DeBarge’s 1983 album In a Special Way might be one of those great albums that tend to be overlooked by listeners who equate commercialism with selling out. In a Special Way is a record I came to late, though I’d heard “Time Will Reveal” and “Love Me in a Special Way” on the radio in 1983 and 1984. Those songs were the album’s big hits, but it was the spare, weird funk — part Prince-style rhythms and part Steely Dan chord changes — of tracks like “Need Somebody” and “Be My Lady” that wormed their way into my brain. Singer, songwriter and funkpop auteur El DeBarge appeared on In a Special Way with five of his siblings, and his solo work might also be somewhat neglected. His lucent, high tenor helped propel DeBarge’s music into the stratosphere, and you can hear him in great form on 1994’s Heart, Mind and Soul — gorgeous

The Rip Taylors, Gremlins, secondSELF, SINKERS, and B.O.A.

BOBBY BARE JR.

Logan mac & jd graham

THE BAND SOLSTICE w/ LENOX HILLS

Eric Cannata & Airpark

Abbdavv

Rodriguez & Daron

Support LOCAL INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM

pop that’s more idiosyncratic than you might expect. In the album’s “Can’t Get Enough,” El DeBarge sings, “I can’t believe the freaky things you did with me,” and the album is a classic. The great R&B singer makes a two-night stand at City Winery. EDD HURT

DEC. 21-22 AT CITY WINERY

609 LAFAYETTE ST.

MONDAY / 12.22

COMEDY [BAH, HUMBUG!] DRUNK DICKENS PRESENTS: A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Few literary characters have been portrayed more often than Ebenezer Scrooge. Through the years, audiences have debated just who has offered the best — or most memorable — approach. Was it the classic Alastair Sim? Perhaps George C. Scott, Michael Caine or maybe Mr. Magoo? Well, Third Coast Comedy Club is giving us a whole new crew of Scrooge contenders this month as Drunk Dickens presents A Christmas Carol. The setup is simple — each week, five professional actors present a one-act (mostly scripted) version of Charles Dickens’ beloved ghost story. But each performance features a new, totally unrehearsed Scrooge, who just happens to be drunk. Adapted and directed by Kevin Fox, the cast features improv pros like Jarvis Bynum, Caroline Conner, Erica Elam, Scott Elam and Margaret French. Third Coast’s musical director Alex Dolezal also is on hand to provide fabulous live piano accompaniment. And upcoming Scrooges include Maggie Thompson, Seth Nathan Green and Gabe Cyrus. Every show promises to bring its own brand of merriment, so God bless us, every one! AMY STUMPFL

ONGOING MONDAYS THROUGH DEC. 29 AT THIRD COAST

COMEDY CLUB

1310 CLINTON ST.

FILM

[THE JAILS AREN’T BIG ENOUGH] HOLIDAY CLASSICS: AMERICAN GANGSTER

The Belcourt’s upcoming screening of American Gangster pulls off the hat trick of being not only

the latest Music City Mondays and Pizza and a Movie selection, but also a part of the theater’s current Holiday Classics series. After all, Ridley Scott’s fact-based 2007 crime epic — with Oscar winners Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe facing off as a Harlem drug lord and the cop who goes after him — has several scenes that take place during the holidays. Most of them go down around Thanksgiving, from Harlem gangsters giving out frozen turkeys to a Turkey Day montage that includes Josh Brolin’s dirty cop getting a live bird on his doorstep before his car explodes. Does that make it a Thanksgiving movie? Is there even such a thing? As always, it’s up for debate. But if you decide to make this nearly three-hour saga of power, drugs and bloodshed one of those seasonal comfort watches you get in this time of year, we won’t judge. CRAIG D. LINDSEY 8:10 P.M. AT THE BELCOURT 2102 BELCOURT AVE

TUESDAY

ART [ROTE-SCOPE]

/ 12.23

KAYLA JONES PULIDO: ROTE

Neue Welt is the best gallery in Nashville when you’re craving the concrete assurance of formalist sculpture, and curator Mauro Antonio Barreto is ending the year on a strong note with a display by Richmond, Va.-based artist Kayla Jones Pulido. Rote walks the line between learning and ignorance, tracing a liminal space where logic might be baffled by the fantastic even as dreams are unwound with fundamental mathematics. How do we formulate the meaning of knowing in an endlessly complex world when our systems of learning are mechanical and overly specialized? Pulido explores questions about truth and meaning by deploying an array of materials and found objects in combinations that are by turns elegant and ironic, familiar and strange. JOE NOLAN THROUGH DEC. 26 AT NEUE WELT 507 HAGAN ST.

KAYLA JONES PULIDO: ROTE

YOU GAVE ‘EM SOMETHING TO ‘ BOUT !

CONGRATS

TO OUR TACO WEEK 2025 CHAMPIONS

1ST PLACE : FAMILY TACOS

Birria & Pastor Perfect Match

One famous birria taco and one traditional pastor taco served with cilantro, onions and a cup of consomé.

2ND PLACE: PUNK WOK

Resting Beach Face

Our riff on a Baja-style taco with tequila & beer battered mahi and a bunch of other cool stuff.

3RD PLACE: FEDERALES

TACOS & TEQUILA

Lamb Quesabirria with Consomé

Made with tender lamb, slow-cooked in a savory adobo sauce, and loaded with gooey melted cheese.

TO ALL OF OUR PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS, DEDICATED READERS AND TACO LOVERS FOR MAKING #SCENETACOWEEK25 SUCH A SUCCESS!

THANKS TO ALL OF OUR PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS

1 Palm Sunday remnant used on the first Wednesday of Lent

4 Milky Way maker … or Milky Way object

8 Cereal option

14 Word with brain … or body?

15 Company behind National Pancake Day

16 “You can’t be serious!”

17 La ___, Bolivia

18 Practices on the court

20 Hose fillers

22 “___-high by the Fourth of July” (corn farmer’s adage)

23 “Uh-uh”

24 Isolated

26 Deep cut

28 November honoree, informally

29 Shows exasperation, in a way

31 Two-cent pieces?

33 Burden

34 Mega Man console, informally

35 Comedian Costello

36 Pollen producer on a flower

38 Time off, perhaps?

41 Where someone might keep a tab on you?

42 Make it

43 Those in charge: Abbr.

45 Assail

48 Bewilder

50 One serving a queen, perhaps

51 Spicy cuisine

53 Little squirt

54 Certain bra spec

56 Sound from Peppa of kids’ TV

58 Part of Q.E.D.

59 Props for one’s performance

62 Nonhuman source of spam

64 Like a premium plan for an account user, maybe

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE

F

Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 9,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/ wordplay. Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/ studentcrosswords.

65 The Israelites’ golden calf, e.g.

66 Neckwear that can’t be laundered

67 Annoy

68 Takes from

69 Subject discussed in — and also hidden in the name of — the 2019 documentary “Third Eye Spies”

35 Some unpleasant things to step on with bare feet

37 Many a rescue dog

38 Shock

39 So cute

40 Caves

42 What something a magician holds might disappear into

44 One with secrets

45 Undeserved reputation, informally

1 Maps or Notes, e.g.

2 They’re known for their bark

3 Flavor of Frangelico liqueur

4 Whiffs, say

5 Spa sound

6 Cheat, informally

7 Mooches

8 He smashed his tablets in anger

9 Speech fillers

10 Nobel Prize category, for short

11 Actor J.B. of “Curb Your Enthusiasm”

12 Cut (off)

13 Map miniatures

19 Things caddies carry

21 Freaks out

24 Sign of a packed house

25 Brightest star in Cygnus

27 Eerie forest sound

30 Kyoto cash

32 Root on

46 Make hard to read, in a way

47 Packs

48 Common serving of lobster

49 What this puzzle’s sets of shaded squares resemble

52 Optimist

55 Word aptly filling the blanks of this verb: SE_ _A_E

57 Bit of praise, humorously

60 English letter that looks like the Greek rho

61 Cry, cry, cry

63 Start to fall, say

IN THE CHANCERY COURT FOR DAVIDSON COUNTY, TENNESSEE

FOUR SEASONS HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, Plaintiff,

v. Docket No. 25-1215-IV

HERMAN H. HIGA

Defendant

ORDER OF PUBLICATION AND PUBLICATION NOTICE

Pursuant to Tenn. Code. Ann. §§ 21-1- 204 and 205, appearing from allegations of the Complaint for Monetary Damages and Judicial Foreclosure filed on August 28, 2025, by the Plaintiff Four Seasons Homeowners Association, whose attorney is David M. Anthony, Exo Legal PLLC, 901 Woodland Street, Nashville, TN 37206, and the Motion for Service by Publication filed in this cause, being duly sworn to or from affidavit, that Herman H. Higa, the Defendant, cannot be served with the ordinary process of law for the following re ason: X non-resident of Tennessee X after diligent inquiry the whereabouts of the defendant cannot be ascertained X judicial and other attachments will lie against the property of the Defendant in the State of Tennessee It is therefore ordered, that said Defendant enter an appearance 30 days after the last publication and file an answer to the complaint, or judgment by default may be taken against Defendant for the relief demanded in the complaint. A copy of this order is to be published for four consecutive weeks in the Nashville Scene.

The last known addresses for this defendant are: 327 Summit Ridge Circle, Nashville, TN 37215; and 8524 Via Mallorca, Unit G, La Jolla, California 92037. Date: November 26, 2025

By: Maria M. Salas, Clerk and Master

David M. Anthony (BPR # 19951) Exo Legal PLLC

P.O. Box 121616 Nashville, TN 37212 (615) 869-0634

Attorneys for Plaintiff

NSC: 12/4, 12/11, 12/18, 12/25/25

answer to the complaint, or judgment by default may be taken against Defendant for the relief demanded in the complaint. A copy of this order is to be published for four consecutive weeks in the Nashville Scene. The last known addresses for this defendant are: 327 Summit Ridge Circle, Nashville, TN 37215; and 8524

Via Mallorca, Unit G, La Jolla, California 92037. Date: November 26, 2025

By: Maria M. Salas, Clerk and Master

David M. Anthony (BPR # 19951) Exo Legal PLLC

P.O. Box 121616 Nashville, TN 37212 (615) 869-0634

Attorneys for Plaintiff

NSC: 12/4, 12/11, 12/18, 12/25/25

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