Last Goodbyes: Opry Manager, Singing Cowboy

March 31, 2009 — Hal Durham, who spent 15 years as the manager of the Grand Ole Opry; and Monte Hale, one of the singing, silver-screen cowboys of the mid-20th century; are among a handful of important music figures who took their final curtain call during the month of March.

Among the deaths not previously reported on GAC:

• Hal Durham passed away in Florida over the weekend, according to The Tennessean. He took over as the Opry manager in 1978 and handled the job until 1993 following a run as an announcer that gave him a total of 32 years with the radio show. Among the Opry members added during his watch: Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Ricky Skaggs, Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Alan Krauss and John Conlee.

• Monte Hale, who had roles in about three dozen western movies, died Sunday in Studio City, Calif., The Los Angeles Times reported. Monte was a western hero during the 1940s, right alongside such notable stars as Roy Rogers, Eddie Dean and Gene Autry, whose western museum counted Monte among its founders.

• Record producer and executive Aubrey Mayhew died March 22 in Nashville, according to The Dallas Morning News. He formed Little Darlin’ Records during the mid-1960s and signed Johnny Paycheck, whose first recordings he produced. Some of the song titles alone bear witness to the gritty, dark nature of the material, which remains a favorite among hard country fans. They include "It Won’t Be Long (And I’ll Be Hating You)," "He’s In A Hurry (To Get Home To My Wife)" and "(Pardon Me) I’ve Got Someone To Kill."

• Ted Jarrett died March 21 of liver failure, The Tennessean reported. The African-American songwriter was an essential figure in Nashville’s under-recognized R&B business during an earlier era, and he authored "Love, Love, Love," a 1955 hit by Country Music Hall of Famer Webb Pierce.

• Capitol Records executive Alan Livingston died March 13, according to Rolling Stone. He ran the label during the period when two of its acts, the Beatles and the Beach Boys, were at the top of the pop heap. He also allegedly had a hand in instigating the building of the Capitol Tower, the first round office structure in the world. Among the country acts who recorded hits in the now-legendary studios on the ground floor: Merle Haggard, Glen Campbell, Buck Owens and Tennessee Ernie Ford.