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Paul "Butch" Gibson

Original Saxophonist, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs 
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As read by Robert Lee, Arts in McNairy Boardmember
June 8, 2018


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In January 1964, Life Magazine reported it this way: “In 1776 England lost her American colonies. Last week, the Beatles took them back.”  It was a bloodless coup which would later be called “The British Invasion,” and the Beatles were just the tip of the iceberg. Between 1963 and 1967 a steady stream of British acts would dominate the American popular music charts. The unparalleled success of acts like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Who, The Yardbirds, The Hollies, Cream, The Kinks and a host of other British bands, would make an indelible mark on music history. The big bang of rock ’n’ roll had originated right here in our own backyard under the influence of R&B inspired country boys like Perkins and Presley, hopped the Atlantic, and came roaring back in force with a refreshed and reenergized sound that sparked the imagination of America’s youth, not to mention the rest of the world. It made culture observers and music critics wonder out loud if the heyday of American rock ’n’ roll music had finally come to its bitter end.

But Memphis wasn’t dead yet. Amid the disorienting chaos of the British Invasion, a new sound emerged from the storied studios of Memphis, Tennessee. A little known group with a Mexican-American bandleader went into Sam C. Phillips Recording Studio, the successor of Sun Records, and cut a single that was released in 1964 by the small Memphis-based XL Label. An immediate sensation, the single was picked up by MGM, and shot to the top of the charts. That record was “Wooly Bully” and the band was Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. Among other things, it served notice that American music would not go quietly into the night; our creative energies were not yet depleted; we still had something to say musically. 

“Wooly Bully” sold 3 million copies internationally and spent 18 weeks on the Hot 100 chart in 1965, at the height of the British Invasion. It was named Billboard’s Number One Record of the Year and propelled Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs into stratospheric success. “Wooly Bully” would become one of the most recognizable songs of the 1960s, covered and recorded by countless other bands, and featured on dozens of movie soundtracks from Fast Times at Ridgemont High, to Full Metal Jacket, to Mr. Holland’s Opus. 

This brief history is probably not news to most people, but what has not yet been fully acknowledged is the role one McNairy County native played in the success of “Wooly Bully” and subsequent hits by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. A Google search for “best rock ’n’ roll sax solos,” or the equivalent, invariably turns up “Wooly Bully” on multiple lists ranking the most influential saxophone solos of the rock era. It’s undeniable that the sax performance on that record invests the simple tune with an infectious energy and if the solo verse doesn’t make you want to get up on your feet and dance, you need to check your pulse. That little piece of musical artistry was created and performed by a kid from Adamsville, Tennessee.  A kid named Butch Gibson.

Paul “Butch” Gibson grew up on North Maple Street, a few blocks from downtown Adamsville, where his parents Dink and Mary Francis Gibson were woven into the fabric of the civic and business community running the local hardware store. His mother was a pianist who played for family gatherings and church choir; the Gibson home was always full of music. The big band swing that his parents favored was always on the radio or turntable at home, and this will probably account, in part, for Butch's early interest in saxophone. But the spirited gospel music he heard as a youth also comes through loud and clear in the soulful style he lent to the music he performed with various R&B and rock ’n’ roll bands over the years. 

Butch’s earliest musical memories involve his parents investing in piano lessons which didn’t quite take. He preferred noodling around on the keys to the formality of music lessons and the limits of the written page didn’t make much sense to him. So he learned to play piano by ear. A pivotal musical moment came early for him when, at five years old, his mother dressed him up in a cowboy outfit and signed him up to sing in the annual harvest festival. He performed “Ghost Riders in the Sky.”  When he unholstered his six shooters at the end of the song and fired off an eye-opening round of caps, the crowd went wild. He got a standing ovation and Butch was hooked.  

A few years later when Adamsville was resurrecting the school band program under the direction of a Oscar Ozols, Butch’s parents insisted that he give it a try.  Of course, his interest and aptitude for music had not escaped their attention and he was excited about the opportunity. Butch says he believes that musicians don’t always choose their instruments, sometimes the instruments choose them, and that’s exactly what happened that fateful day he went to see what school band was all about. The minute he walked through the door of the auditorium, a gleaming alto saxophone in a green, velvet-lined case called to him. That alto would become his primary instrument and he still owns it today, occasionally dusting it off and playing a little for his own enjoyment. He would later acquire the tenor sax he played on "Wooly Bully", and refine his skills on keyboards. Adding guitar and bass to the list of instruments he could competently play, made him a versatile choice for a variety of musical situations and foreshadowed his success on the Memphis music scene. 

At only 14 years of age, Butch joined his first band, the Superchargers, a group of Savannah boys including Larry Roser on drums and Larry “Boo” Rogers on keyboards. They had to pick Butch up for gigs and rehearsals since he was too young to drive. Shortly thereafter he was off to boarding school where he formed his own band called The Combo. The new environment exposed Butch to different musical influences and allowed him to further expand his musical skills and tastes. Several of his classmates and musical collaborators brought strange and wonderful new sounds to his attention. The records his deep-fried Louisiana friends spun echoed some of the big band jazz styles he grew up loving but infused the music with the passion of gospel, and the pain of the blues. Slim Harpo, B.B. King, Howlin’ Wolf, Bobby Blue Bland, and James Brown became some of his primary influences during this time and he naturally gravitated towards R&B from that time on.  

When Butch landed in Memphis for college, he soon hooked up with Joe Davis and the Allstars, a band fronted by the dynamic vocal trio, the Avantis. The group was a popular regional act, touring and performing throughout the Mid-South. The Avanti’s cut “Keep on Dancing” at American Studios and the tune became a big hit for the Gentrys. The groups lead singer, Billy Young, later joined the popular vocal group The Ovations. But Joe Davis knew Butch was not entirely happy with the style of music they were making together—he knew Butch loved R&B. Joe arranged for them to go check out a new R&B act which was beginning to make some waves on the Memphis music scene. 

The flamboyant Domingo “Sam” Samudio was a recent transplant from Dallas, Texas, by way of Louisiana. He had come to Memphis with a group called the Nightriders which had disbanded just months after arrival, stranding Sam without a band. He had quickly recruited a couple of new players and renamed the band Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. It was about this time that Butch showed up to check out the new R&B outfit. He sat in with the band who didn’t yet have a sax player, and they hired him on the spot.  

Butch was able to step seamlessly into the role, primarily playing sax but also doubling on organ in live performances so Sam could get out front and entertain the crowd. He could, in fact, play every instrument in the band except drums, which came in handy on the road and in the studio.     

Through most of 1963 and 64 Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs were playing club dates in and around Memphis, trying out new material on live audience and honing their sound. It was an incredible mix of talent. The Pharaohs combined the gritty sound of Memphis blues and rock, with Sam’s Tex-Mex conjunto roots and Butch’s flare for R&B. They quickly became one of the hottest bands in Memphis. When they went into the studio to cut a single, the recording techs suggested they do the tune that was most popular with their nightclub following. Hully Gully, a basic pop tune by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, always got a good response, but you can’t just record someone else’s material. They started with the same simple 12 bar blues progression for a foundation, rewrote the lyrics, and replaced “Hully Gully” with the name of Sam’s cat, Wooly Bully. Of course, they brought their own unique sound to bear on the tune too. Sam, counted them off, "Uno! Dos! One, two, tres, cuatro!” and the Pharaohs stepped into rock ’n’ roll history. They did three takes of “Wooly Bully” that day, but it was the very first one that made it to the final record. Sam didn’t like the count off on the record, but the sound engineers instincts were to leave it as it was. And a good thing too, it’s one of the quirks that makes that track so memorable.   

Butch recalls that before Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs went into the studio to cut “Wooly Bully” they were barely scraping by playing for a few dozen people nightly in Memphis clubs. A month later they were playing a sold out coliseum in Atlanta with the Beach Boys. It was the beginning of a meteoric rise that would take Sam, Butch and the Pharaohs from Alaska to Florida, from Maine to Southern California and all points in between. Hitting the road in support of a top 10 record would mean touring Europe and playing places like Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. It would mean playing in front of 50,000 people at a Seattle arena. It would mean appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show, Hullabaloo and Dick Clark’s Cavalcade of Stars. It would mean touring and sharing the stage with the likes of Ike and Tina Turner, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, and one of Butch’s musical heroes, James Brown, just to name a few of the more notable artists. When asked what that must have been like, Butch simply said, “We had a great time.”  I’ll bet they did! 

After recording two albums and charting several more hits with Sam and the Pharaohs, Butch drifted away from the music business but continued to play and sing on occasion. His last professional experience in the music industry was with a gospel group called the Confederates who worked for several years around the Mid South and opened for the Blackwood Brothers at Memphis’s famed Ellis Auditorium.  

These days Butch lives in Foley Alabama where he is currently finishing up doctoral studies in Education. It will be his 5th degree. He is retired from a successful career with DuPont and found yet another calling as an advocate for the unique educational needs of children living in poverty. He successfully passed his love of music on to his children and grandchildren. One of his daughters is a band director, his grandson plays drums for a country band, and one granddaughter is a multi-instrumentalist and first chair violinist in her local pops philharmonic orchestra.  

Butch still enjoys music and still plays it occasionally. He says he believes all music has dignity and value and should be respected on its own terms. That pretty succinctly describes the mission of the McNairy County Music Hall of Fame, and we are delighted to have the opportunity to share some of Butch’s incredible musical story with you tonight. It’s a long way from Adamsville, Tennessee to the Hollywood Bowl and Butch has made the trip in style. He speaks with great affection about his McNairy County roots and credits those who mentored him in music with his success. And in turn, we feel a sense of pride that a man of such grace and humility would be an ambassador for our community and our cultural traditions in the highest reaches of the music industry. It’s quite an honor for us to know that one of the most iconic saxophone performances of the rock ’n’ roll era has its roots in the band program of a local public school. And that, folks, is a lesson in the value of music education.    

In summing up his biography for this occasion, Butch concluded with a favorite quote from Sam the Sham. He says Sam used to close out all of their shows by saying a few heartfelt words of wisdom to the audience. So, perhaps it is fitting tonight that we wrap Butch’s induction up with the words of Domingo Samudio, who offers this sage advice to one and all:  
 

That old clock on the wall done caught up with us all, and we’re going to roll out of here like a hole in a donut.
And remember, you’ve got to be yourself, or else you’ll wind up by yourself.
And like the old gypsy woman told me, life is short and talk is cheap, don’t make promises you can’t keep.
And you know I love you baby, cause if I don’t love you, grits ain’t groceries, eggs ain’t poultry, and The Mona Lisa was a man.

That about says it all. It is my distinct honor to induct Paul “Butch” Gibson into the McNairy County Music Hall of Fame in the class of 2018. 

Wayne Jerrolds

Legendary Fiddler, Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys
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As read by Billy Wagoner, County Historian and Class of 2017 Inductee
June 8, 2018

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Any credible list of Southwest Tennessee’s most well known and beloved musicians would find Wayne Jerrolds near the top. If you’ve never heard of Wayne Jerrolds, we’d like to know what rock you’ve been hiding under for the last 60 years. 

Wayne’s incredible journey in music begins in places like the Tennessee River bottom where he learned fiddle from some of this region’s best old-time masters, and a little meeting house at Burnt Church,Tennessee where he’s played piano in the worship services for over fifty years.  It’s a journey that has taken him to the heights of the music industry, performing and recording with some of the most recognizable names in American music history, and putting him in the spotlight of some of the country’s most storied stages. It’s a journey that has been marked by milestones such as television and movie appearances, Nashville recording sessions, fiddle championships, and success as a songwriter and even an inventor. But most importantly, as far as we are concerned, it is a journey that is still unfolding and always bringing Wayne Jerrolds back home with his fiddle.      

Some may be surprised to learn that Wayne, like his 2018 Hall of Fame classmate David Killingsworth, wasn’t too interested in fiddle at first. He’d seen the kids in marching band playing at parades and ballgames, and he thought he might like to give it a go.  He was disappointed to find that his family didn’t have the resources for one of the expensive brass instruments the band required.  Marching band’s loss was bluegrass music’s gain. Whether it was her intuition about Wayne’s talent, or the fact the family had already produced a couple of good fiddlers, including an uncle and great uncle on the Kiser side, Wayne’s mother bought him a $15 fiddle and he never looked back. 

There were no fiddle lessons available in Hardin County at that time so, as a young teen, Wayne did the next best thing; he sought out the best fiddler he knew and pestered him into teaching him. Wayne acknowledges renowned Hardin County fiddler, Hardin Qualls, as his first musical mentor. The two spent hours playing together on the river bank or in the Tennessee river bottom, and it’s not revealing anything Wayne hasn't already told in public to say that Mr. Qualls was a willing participant in this arrangement, just as long as the whiskey held up. That’s right, Wayne paid for his lessons primarily in alcoholic beverages. Anybody remember the old tune, “Give the Fiddler a Dram?” That’s not just a folk tune, that’s a real life story starring Wayne Jerrolds and Hardin Qualls.  

That was just the beginning. Wayne soon found his way to McNairy County where he encountered some of the best fiddlers he’d ever heard. He befriended the legendary, Elvis Black, and was astounded with the blind fiddler’s musical virtuosity. Wayne studied Black carefully and still loves to play some of the old tunes he first learned from Elvis almost 60 years ago.  He was impressed by Arnold English and the Dixie Hayriders, who everyone said were just as good as Flatt and Scruggs. Arnold’s fiddle style became another early influence. Wayne absorbed the dance fiddle styles of the inimitable Pap Whitten, and had the opportunity to work with Pap on and off over the years in various outfits. He formed a special bond with the charismatic Waldo Davis, and even took the aging fiddler and radio personality into his home late in Waldo’s life. From Davis he learned not only a few good fiddle licks, but also what it meant to be a total entertainer. In each of these instances, Wayne picked up a little piece of McNairy County which still inform his creative choices until this very day. In fact, it’s not stretching the point to say that Wayne learned the mechanics of playing a fiddle as a youth, but he learned something more meaningful about the heart and soul of music making from these McNairy County masters. And it showed. 

Wayne won his first fiddle contest at only 19 years old. He bested the competition at a regional show in Savannah, and went on to win the Mid South Championship in Memphis that same year. This was the beginning of a string of contest wins that is literally too long to recite if we used the rest of Wayne’s allotted time to name the titles one by one.  Here is a brief sampling: Wayne Jerrolds’s name appears on the Tennessee State Championship fiddler’s trophy 13 out of the 17 times he competed for that title—he finished 2nd the other 4 times; he is a 10 time Mississippi State Fiddling Champion, and a 3 time Alabama State Champion. As previously stated, the Mid South and other regional titles he has captured number in the hundreds, and Wayne lost track years ago of the exact number of contest wins he can claim.  At some point you just quit counting.

His early musical prowess was noticed by more than fiddle contest judges. Wayne’s success got him noticed first in the Memphis music scene where he spent several years working for the Ivers & Pond piano company while playing gigs at night. Around that time he played fiddle for Marlon Grissom and the Silver Heel Cowboys and was enlisted as a pianist by rockabilly, country, and broadcast pioneer Eddie Bond to appear on Bond’s first TV show on WHBQ Memphis. Eddie Bond and the Stompers would record a portion of the audio program at Sam Phillips’s studios and appear live on air, in what was one of the most popular regional programs of its day. After leaving Bond’s Stompers, he became a journeyman musician playing fiddle, piano, or about anything else that was needed, primarily in Memphis restaurants, and a little later, closer to home in Jackson, Tennessee. The money was better and the hours more agreeable. Just so you understand something about Wayne’s versatility as a musician, he was primarily playing ragtime piano and dixieland during this period of his career.   

Wayne moved to Birmingham to take a job as the fiddle player for WBCR, channel 6’s, popular music and variety program, The Country Boy Eddie Show. As part of the house band he played the popular morning program and toured the station’s viewing area doing live concerts to promote the show and WBCR’s other programs. His time in that band overlapped with that of a young female singer by the name of Wynette Byrd. Some of you may recognize that name. If not, the rest of the story goes like this: After leaving Birmingham, Wayne was back in Tennessee when he first heard “Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad” on the radio. At the time Wayne remarked to a friend, “That sounds just like Wynette Bird,” and in fact it was. The song peaked at number 3 on the country charts in 1967 and became the first top ten hit for Tammy Wynette. Only later did Wayne learn that Wynette Byrd had adopted the stage name Tammy when she arrived in Nashville, something he had heard her mention, years before in the Country Boy Eddie Band.  

Back in Savannah, Wayne opened a successful music store which supplied two generations of regional musicians with everything they needed to make music, while he continued to make appearances by invitation, compete in contests, and play other select events. By that time he could afford to be choosey. He auditioned for the Ted Mack show in 1968 which earned him an appearance on the nationally syndicated program that launched the careers of entertainers such as Pat Boone, Gladys Knight, and Anne Margaret. Wayne cut a number of records in Nashville, most notably with the Warrior River Boys out of Tuscaloosa Alabama. During his tenure with that band Wayne had the opportunity to play twin fiddle with two other fiddle legends, Al Lester and Merle “Red” Taylor. 

No stranger to the camera, Wayne was invited to make an appearance in the Bing Crosby production of “A Real American Hero,” a made for TV movie about another local hero, Sheriff Buford Pusser. Wayne, his brother Bobby Jerrolds, and a other local musicians contributed to the soundtrack and performed alongside Brian Dennehy who portrayed Sheriff Pusser.  

Such opportunities have been plentiful in a career that spans some 60 years. At one time or another Wayne has shared the stage with a diverse group of artists including the likes of Loretta Lynn, Hank Thompson, Carl Perkins, Carl Mann, and a list of bluegrass musicians that sounds like you’re reading straight from the rolls of the Bluegrass Hall of Fame. 

But one invitation probably says all you need to know about how highly regarded Wayne is among his musical peers. Shortly after revered fiddler Kenny Baker left his 20+ year tenure with Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys, Wayne got a call from Mr. Monroe himself. Monroe invited Wayne to join Buddy Spicher on a twin fiddle set at a show down in Mississippi. It was an audition of sorts, and Mr. Monroe was impressed. He said he’d call later in the week. Wayne still had a business to run so he went back to Savannah and back to work.  A week or so later when Monroe finally got in touch, Wayne learned that he’d missed several calls—Wayne had kept the Father of Bluegrass in suspense while he was out tuning pianos! Fortunately, it didn’t seem to bother Mr Monroe. He invited Wayne to play a little show the following evening in Nashville. So, the second time Wayne Jerrolds ever played with Bill Monroe, it was on the Grand Old Opry stage, if you can imagine that. And it wouldn’t be the last time. Wayne would spend time touring with Monroe as a Blue Grass Boy—and later doing fill in work for him—making national television appearances, playing concerts and festivals from coast to coast, and playing the Opry somewhere between 50 and 75 times. Wayne was also invited to play for Bill Monroe’s Centennial Celebration at the Bluegrass Hall of Fame where he joined a number of other former Blue Grass Boys in paying tribute to Monroe’s lasting legacy.     

Wayne has also had success as a songwriter. His tune Blue Savannah Waltz was recorded by none other than Bill Monroe, as well as the Flat River Boys on the Bell Buckle label. A number of well known bluegrass and country artists including Bobby Osborne and Jimmy Campbell, among others have also recorded his songs and Wayne has enjoyed a successful songwriting partnership with Jake Landers, who many remember as the writer of the “Walk Softly on this Heart of Mine” which was a hit for both Bill Monroe as well as the Kentucky Headhunters.   

And finally, no bio of Wayne Jerrolds would be complete without pointing out that he is also an inventor. That’s right, an inventor. For those of you who don’t know, as often as not when Wayne is on stage these days, you’ll find him playing an instrument of his own invention. He calls it the Fiddolin, and as the name suggests, it’s half fiddle and half mandolin. Wayne holds a US patent for the instrument. So, not only has he created a lot of great music, he’s even created a new kind of instrument on which to make it.

There is much more to be said about Wayne Jerrolds’s life and career in music, and one might think Wayne could easily live out his days resting on his laurels, but that’s just not his style.  Wayne is still taking every opportunity to make music with friends and family. He enjoys playing with his daughter Paula, and granddaughter Lourdes, as much he ever enjoyed playing in the national spotlight. He picks with various combinations of friends at festivals, benefits, and contests, and makes regular appearances on The Johnny Daniels show in Nashville and Freedom River on the local cable station. Of course, you can find his playing that old piano at his home church every Sunday morning he’s in town. In a recent interview for the International Rockabilly Hall of Fame Wayne said he’s enjoying it more than ever. “These are the good old days,” he said, “If I don’t do what I really enjoy doing now, well then, the joke will be on me.”  We are fortunate that what Wayne Jerrolds enjoys doing most is making good music. 

The Savannah Bluegrass Festival and the park which hosts it is fittingly named for Wayne Jerrolds. An image of Wayne in action, graces a beautiful mural in Savannah’s downtown district. It is his hometown’s way of paying homage to the musical legacy of one of its favorite sons, who is, unquestionably, one of the finest musical talents Hardin County has ever produced. Those of us on this side of the river, feel a certain sense of pride and ownership in that legacy as well, and Wayne would be the first to agree that if there are two places on this earth that have shaped and nurtured his music they would be Hardin and McNairy County, Tennessee. Wayne’s induction into the McNairy County Music Hall of Fame is our way of honoring his incredible musical legacy; it is our way of showing appreciation for a fine Southern gentlemen who has given us a lifetime of musical memories. And for that we are truly grateful.  

It is my great honor to call Wayne Jerrolds my good friend, and to induct him into the McNairy County Music Hall of Fame in the class of 2018. 

Benny Coley

Beloved and Accomplished Regional Mandolinist 
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As ready by Jeff Coley, son of Benny Coley
June 8, 2018 


Benny Coley’s induction into the McNairy County Music Hall of Fame will hopefully be a highlight of 2018 for him, but this year marks another milestone anniversary for Benny Coley—and for this community. The first time Benny played music in this building at one of Earl Latta’s garage jams was in 1948. That means when he straps on that mandolin in a few minutes, it will make this a 70th anniversary celebration of Benny Coley making music at the Latta.  Let that one sink in; 70 years and still going strong. In the creative longevity category, Benny Coley takes first prize! 

It is fitting that this annual event, the McNairy County Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony, is held in what is now considered one of the best rural cultural centers in the state of Tennessee. It’s important to acknowledge, as Arts in McNairy always has, that this building has deep roots in our region’s music culture. By now, the history of the Latta building, and the music events that were staged here, have been well documented and most people have some idea what took place on the premises during the 1940s and 50s. The Hall of Fame inductions and tribute concert, as well as several other Arts in McNairy programs, are meant to pay honor to that heritage, but it is rare that we have an occasion to recognize a musician who is so personally and intimately connected to the musical heritage of the Latta building.  Benny Coley, who is honored this evening by the Hall of Fame, is one such individual.

One of the most iconic images of the twentieth century, as far as the documentation of local music making is concerned, is a 1949 photo of a big jam at the Latta Ford Motor Company—presumedly for Ford’s 1950 new model year rollout. It’s probably not necessary to point out that the photo was made in this very room. Of the 21 musicians visualized on the stage, 7 are distinguished members of the McNairy County Music Hall of Fame, and tonight we will make it 8. Stanton Littlejohn, Arnold English, Elvis Black, Waldo Davis, Arlis “Bo" English, Carl Perkins, and Pecks Boggs have all been inducted in previous classes, and this evening we are proud to add another topnotch mandolin picker to their number: Mr. Benny Coley. 

Benny grew up in the north McNairy and Chester County area in a musical household.  His mother was a skilled pianist who played by ear and Benny inherited the music bug. Like his mother, he was self-taught, but he preferred stringed instruments. He first learned to pick an old guitar owned by the Coley family, but when he heard the Louvin Brothers, it was Ira Louvin’s mandolin that really spoke to him. He started asking around and someone in the neighborhood fished a used mandolin out of the attic and Benny paid $2.50 for it. He was hooked. Some of his family likes to recall—you can get the details verified by Benny—how he acquired a new and better instrument. When he was still just a kid, he reportedly hitchhiked to Henderson, Tennessee to purchase a new mandolin on an installment plan. How’s that for industrious? He didn’t have a ride or enough money, but he still came home with a new mandolin. He would make good use of it too. 

Benny was a quick study and was soon playing along with his mother and other family members on familiar hymns and old time favorites. While he was away serving his country in the US Navy, Benny even had the family ship his instruments so he could keep up with his musical development.  

But it wasn’t just his family that was musical. The musical landscape of Southwest Tennessee in the 1940s was brimming with good pickers who were always on the lookout for a place to play. Benny, like so many others, learned much of his repertoire and technique through the time honored method of pickin’ on the porch or at schoolhouse jams and community dances with neighbors and friends. A frequent visitor at the Coley home in those days was a gifted young guitarist by the name of Carl Perkins—some may have heard of him. One family member recalled that it was his sister Myra’s fried chicken, biscuits and gravy, more than Benny’s mandolin, that kept Carl and Jay Perkins coming back to Bethel Springs but that one is still open to debate.  As previously mentioned, Benny was a regular at the Latta jams and other area music events during that period where he established a reputation as a reliable mandolin and guitar picker, as well as a good vocalist capable of singing close harmony with a strong tenor voice—more of the Louvin Brothers influence. He played for a time in a local band called the Boys From the Tennessee Hills, which also happened to be one of hall of fame member, Arnold English’s, first bands.   

After his time in the Navy, Benny moved to Madison County, where he renewed a number of friendships and musical collaborations. Good musicians were in constant demand during the heyday of regional radio programming and they made good use of Benny’s talents. He had been a frequent performer on the popular Hayloft Frolic broadcasted from WCMA in Corinth, and after his move to Jackson, became a regular on WTJS Jackson’s long-running Farm and Home Hour program. In that setting Benny crossed paths and had the opportunity to play with many of the region’s best known entertainers as well as national acts who appeared on those programs. Of course, being in close proximity to all those musicians also meant that Benny picked up a variety of other gigs. Of course, he continued to play at contests, community jams, and music jamborees around the region. 

A photo from the Jim Bailey Collection of the Jackson Sun depicts one such occasion. The image was featured in “Go, Cat, Go,” Carl Perkins’s autobiography. The candid shot was taken as a group of local musicians played a hardware store grand opening in Jackson, Tennessee.  In the foreground you see a young Carl Perkins—he would have been about 19 or 20 at the time—and his brother, Jay Perkins, just over his left shoulder. Guess who else is in the photo? You got it, Benny Coley on mandolin, as well as McNairy County neighbor and friend, Lindsey Patterson, on rhythm guitar. Also featured in the image is well known deejay and songwriter, Ramsey Kearney, a Hardeman County native. A funny aside about this photo: one of the organizers of the McNairy County Music Hall of Fame was touring the new Legends of Tennessee Music exhibit at the Carnegie Center in Jackson a few months back. The tour guide paused in front of an enlargement of this very image, and noted that it was an early photo of the two eldest Perkins brothers being backed by “unknown musicians.” When our man from McNairy County pointed out and named every “unknown musician” in the photo, the tour guide exclaimed, “Wait a minute? Benny Coley? The same Benny Coley who plays mandolin at the Old Country Store?  I know him!” Benny might not have been famous when this photo was taken in the early 1950s, but Jackson, Tennessee sure seems to know who he is now! 

In later years Benny gravitated toward gospel while retaining his love of traditional old-time music. It’s worth noting at this point, that every letter of nomination received for Benny—and there have been many—mentioned the depths of his faith, the strength of his character, and the christian example he sets for his family and friends. So, the transition to gospel music was quite natural for him. He joined a southern gospel group called the Jubilaires, in which he sang and primarily played guitar. From 1972 until 1983 he became an integral part of the Pierce Family, a regionally popular bluegrass/gospel group that suited Benny’s tastes and abilities perfectly. The Pierce Family crisscrossed West Tennessee and North Mississippi playing churches, meetings, and community events. Benny sang and played both guitar and mandolin, but always seemed to shine most when he and Freddie Pierce did the old Louvin Brothers material.

In 1991 Benny became a charter member of the Jackson Area Plectral Society, a nonprofit agency devoted to the preservation of West Tennessee’s rich old-time string music heritage. Needless to say, Benny was, and is, regarded by the Plectral Society members as a living example of what is best in our shared musical heritage. He is still active with the Society today, and you can often find him pickin’ at the Old Country Store, Jackson IHOP, Perkins Restaurant, or anywhere else the Society is sponsoring a jam around the Jackson area.  

Benny also continues to volunteer his time and talent for community benefits, veterans programs, churches, and nursing home residents. At 87 years of age he is still eager to learn and improve his music even though he is regarded by everyone who knows him as a respected elder statesman and ambassador of West Tennessee’s old-time, bluegrass, and gospel traditions.           

The last half of the twentieth century produced an astounding number of fine musicians from Southwest, Tennessee, some who have gone on to enjoy international fame and fortune. Benny Coley will be the first to tell you that he never got rich or famous playing the mandolin or singing gospel tunes. No, his personal accomplishments are of a different kind; his was a calling of a higher order than crass materialism or fleeting notoriety. Benny has continued to make quality music for an incredible 70 years in his native region, setting untold thousands of toes tapping and putting smiles on innumerable faces. Through 7 decades of making music and making friends, he has succeeded in bringing glory and honor to his Lord and making his family as proud as any man ever could. He has influenced and inspired countless young musicians to reach for higher levels of musicianship, and maybe more importantly, higher integrity. Quite simply, Benny Coley is counted among West Tennessee’s most prized musical treasures. His life serves as an example of what christian character combined with the pursuit of musical excellence is supposed to look like. And that’s something all the fame and fortune in the world could never buy. Are we ever lucky that a man like Benny Coley called this place home.    

It is my distinct honor to induct Mr. Benny Coley into the McNairy County Music Hall of Fame in the Class of 2018. ​

David Killingsworth

Multi-instrumentalist and Music Heritage Preservationist 
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As read by Shawn Pitts, Arts in McNairy Cultural Heritage Arts Committee Chair
June 8, 2018

David Killingsworth is recognized here tonight as one of McNairy County’s most accomplished musicians and heritage preservationists, but he is due double honor as a recently retired Lieutenant with 33 years service in Tennessee Highway Patrol. Including his time with the Selmer Police Department, David has served the public as a law enforcement officer of the highest integrity for over 40 yeas. That, within itself, deserves a round of applause. 

I had the pleasure of informing David about his selection for the Hall of Fame a few weeks ago.  At that time, I promised him that we wouldn’t make a big deal out of his induction, but I lied. Those of you who know David well, will understand the reasons for my deception. The bigger fuss you make over David Killingsworth, the less he likes it, and I was seriously afraid that he would not attend this event unless downplayed it. So David, I’m sorry for that, but I’m glad you’re here.  

You see, everyone here would agree that David’s induction is well earned and perhaps some would even argue that it is long overdue—everyone, that is, except David. When I told him about his nomination he said, and I quote, “I don’t belong in there.” But we all know that David’s extraordinary gift for music makes him a once in a generation kind of musician—one with the kind of talent that could have taken him anywhere, had he chosen that path in life. We must respectfully disagree with Lieutenant Killingsworth, that he does in fact belong in the McNairy County Music Hall of Fame. And we gratefully acknowledge a “day job” (if you can call law enforcement a day job) that kept him patrolling the streets and highways of McNairy County, almost always nearby with a fiddle, or mandolin, or some other musical instrument at hand. 

David Killingsworth grew up in the Chambers community of eastern McNairy County where he was encouraged in musical pursuits from an early age. His mother was a pianist, and his maternal grandfather and great grandfather, as well as a few uncles, and other family members were musicians. Fiddle seemed to run in the family, so David was surrounded by music most all of his young life. But he began to show a more serious inclination toward music around age twelve when he approached his mother about getting his first real musical instrument. He had already picked out something that fascinated him, and it was—you guessed it—a set of bagpipes. He also liked the sound of a bulge, if bagpipes were out of reach. His parents wisely steered him toward something a little more conventional and he wound up with a guitar instead. He would have to delay his bagpipe aspirations for a few years, but he was well suited to the six string and eagerly began to learn the basics.  

His grandmother knew enough to get the new guitar in tune—or at least close—but they had a neighbor who had more experience with stringed instruments. They knew Mr. Ocie Humphrey could play about anything and he agreed to help tune David’s new guitar and show him a thing or two. It was a fateful meeting. As David recalls, it was at Mr. Humphrey’s house that he first saw a beautiful little instrument that somewhat resembled a guitar, but was closer in size to a fiddle. When David asked about it, Mr. Humphrey picked up the mandolin and did a brief demonstration. It was a defining moment for the young picker. He fell in love with the sound of a mandolin on the spot. These days, David is probably best known as a fiddler, so some may find it surprising that he considers himself a mandolin player and prefers it to all other instruments he has since mastered—and that is a lengthy list that even includes Native-American style flute. No kidding.   

Mr. Humphrey began to tutor the budding young talent in mandolin and some fiddle but, unfortunately, Ocie Humphrey passed away a little over a year after he began mentoring David. Even so, David soon found he didn’t have to look very far to find others to support his musical development. His mother encouraged his growing interest in music and even learned to pick a little mandolin herself, while his father hauled him around to shows before he was old enough to drive. Brother Steve would join in the fun several years later, becoming an accomplished bassist. Aunt Shelby Fisher was also an early musical collaborator. She had also picked up on the family’s enthusiasm for string music and would often accompany David on guitar. Shelby and David learned together providing even more motivation and something every young musician needs: the opportunity to hone their skills playing with others.

At this point, David was showing more than a little promise as a musician. He had added banjo to his arsenal, and bass fiddle came easy to him since he was already familiar with fiddle and mandolin. He had quickly become a one-man string band. He was good—really good—and everybody knew it. Before long, people outside the family started to notice. Around this time a young fellow from Savannah came to the Killingsworth home to tune the family piano. Anytime anything remotely musical was happening David was interested. He struck up a conversation with the piano tuner—or more likely knowing the two, the piano tuner struck up a conversation with him—and they found they had a common interest in bluegrass and old-time string music. They played a few tunes together that day and formed a friendship and musical bond that has resulted in many collaborative efforts over the years, much to the delight of local music fans. That piano tuner was Wayne Jerrolds, of course, and somebody else may have a thing or two to say about him a little later on. For my part, I’ll just say that I think it’s most fitting that two good friends and a pair of the best musicians this end of the state has ever produced are being inducted in the Hall of Fame together this evening.

Somebody else who noticed David’s tremendous potential when he was still just a teenager was Hall of Fame square dance fiddler, Pap Whitten. Pap had his own local following and was much in demand all over the region, playing as many as three dances a week for over fifty years. Nothing improves a young musicians chops like regular work, and boy, did Pap ever provide that! He recruited David primarily to play banjo, but as a multi-instrumentalist he was a versatile addition to Pap’s band. Pap had two sons, Wayne and Ronnie—also tremendously gifted musicians who were alternating on guitar and piano among other instruments—and the Whitten brothers were close to David’s age, so it was a good fit. This began yet another long musical association between David and the Whitten family that has provided some great musical memories for local and regional music fans over the years.

When he wasn’t playing locally, David was impressing his fellow musicians and audiences elsewhere. As an enrollee at UT Martin, David quickly got the attention of professor Walter Darrell Haden who moonlighted as a singer/songwriter and acted as the chairman of the Tennessee Arts Commission’s Folk Arts Panel—as it was then called. Haden knew the real deal when he heard it. He snapped David up and the two performed together during David’s college years, most notably on The Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree. Many will remember that the Jamboree was a kind of afterparty for the Grand Ole Opry, broadcast live on WSM from Ernest Tubb Record Shop on Nashville’s famed Lower Broad. David would go on to play the Roy Acuff Theater and the fabled Station Inn in Nashville, as well as countless other venues, festival and events, sharing the stage with notables such as Charlie Louvin, Kenny Baker, Josh Graves, Kurt Stephenson, Babe Lofton, Tom Jackson, The Crook Brothers, Ramona and Grandpa Jones, Grand Ole Opry pioneer, Fiddlin' Sid Harkreader and even, once, the legendary Bill Monroe.  

But it was always here, at home, that David found his most devoted following and his highest musical calling. It is sometimes said that certain people are born out of time—that they have “old souls.” In my estimation, that description suits David Killingsworth to a tee.  Even as a young man, he was drawn to the old tunes and the people who played them. He made a habit of seeking out this area’s best old-time pickers in an effort to study and emulate their styles and document their repertoires. He had the foresight to know that many of the older tunes and styles would die with the passing of another generation. David would spend countless hours playing and recording in the homes of the area’s older musicians. George E. Knight was a particularly important influence during this time period and David found a kindred spirit in Keith Emmons who frequently accompanied him as both a close friend and accomplished guitarist. They sought out Dixie Donnell, Jim Frank Whitaker, Hardin Qualls, Gyle Higgins, and a lengthy list of others artists from the older generations. Along the way, David became a living repository of this region’s musical traditions complete with an encyclopedic memory for old-time tunes. He hauled a clunky 8mm video camera around to local dances and community jams to capture live performances. With an ever broadening musical circle and voracious appetite for traditional music he met Fred Prentiss at Eastview who introduced him to Hall of Famer Stanton Littlejohn. David was the first, outside of the Littlejohn family, to recognize the significance of an inauspicious looking stack of dusty acetate discs. He made the first extensive transfers of those discs to tape which became instrumental in their preservation. If you haven’t heard, Mr. Littlejohn’s recordings have been recognized as cultural treasures by the Tennessee Arts Commission, Center for Popular Music, and the  American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, who have invested heavily in their preservation. All this is to say that David Killingsworth, understood the depths and monumental importance of our region’s musical heritage long before the rest of us, and what’s more, he took decisive steps to see that it was preserved for future generations. If we have had any success in preserving and promoting this community’s traditional music, it’s because David Killingsworth led the way. 

Time does not permit us to recite the entire resume of each inductee, and in David’s case it might be pointless. Let’s just put it this way: if there was traditional music being played anywhere in this region at anytime in the last fifty years, odds are, David was a part of it at one time or another.  Along with Wayne and Ronnie Whitten—and later Hall of Famer Billy Wagoner—David was instrumental in founding the Adamsville Bluegrass Jamboree. He was a frequent performer at that event, as well as the Murray Hill Jamboree, the Eastview Jammin’ Jamboree, the Savannah Bluegrass Festival, and he has played everything from weddings, to funerals, to who knows how many front porches, and all for the sheer joy of making music.

And that’s David’s secret—the joy of music. People sometimes wonder what makes certain musicians distinctive. They ask how two fiddlers can play the same notes, of the same tune, and yet sound so different? Joy is the answer.  And no one invests music with greater joy than David Killingsworth. Now I will admit, if you met him on the street for the first time, you probably wouldn’t say, “now there goes a great big ole bundle of joy!” But when you hear him play, it’s more than evident that music is David Killingsworth’s native language, his way of speaking joy into a harsh and often unforgiving world. Joy comes pouring out of the f-holes of his fiddle and mandolin. It reverberates off the head of his banjo and flies—straight for your heart—from the frets of his guitar. David told me recently that he loves to see folks smile and forget about their troubles for a little while and he believes his music often has that effect on people. Boy, is he ever right about that. I am just glad that David recognizes the true power of his prodigious musical talent and the effect it has on the rest of us. 

David will tell you that there are better musicians, that there are those who play more skillfully or with better technique, and he may be right. But what they can’t do is play with David Killingsworth’s heart. They don’t all imbue a simple, ancient tune with such tender emotion, or a breakdown with such intense exhilaration. They don’t all play with that intangible something that lingers with you long after the last note fades.  They simply don’t play in a way that makes the joy of music so accessible to the listener, but this is the only way David knows to do it. We are exceedingly lucky to bear witness to such a great and responsibly exercised gift of music that continues to bring joy into the lives of so many. We can only say thank you to David Killingsworth.      

And we are equally lucky that David’s sweet mother put the kibosh on the bugle and bagpipes. But on that note, I must report that David finally did get a set of bagpipes a few years back, so yes, joy sometimes even sounds like a cat caught in a wood chipper—no disrespect intended to David or our Scottish brethren

It is my great privilege to count David Killingsworth a friend, and my distinct honor to induct him into the McNairy County Music Hall of Fame in the class of 2018.  

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