Posted in: Country by William J Felchner on June 24, 2009 | 0 Comments
Country music autographs can be very valuable. Patsy Cline, Hank Williams Sr., Jim Reeves, Jimmie Rodgers, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Cowboy Copas often top the list.
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Country music collectors love their autographs. Here are seven legendary country music performers whose autographed material can bring top dollar in today’s marketplace.
Born Virginia Patterson Hensley in Winchester, Virginia, on September 8, 1932, Patsy Cline scored her first charted single, the haunting “Walkin’ After Midnight,” in 1957. Her subsequent hits included such standards as “I Fall to Pieces” (1961), “Crazy” (1961) and “She’s Got You” (1962).
On March 5, 1963, while returning home from a benefit concert in Kansas City, Kansas, the 30-year-old Patsy Cline, along with fellow country music performers Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins and pilot/manager Randy Hughes, lost her life in a tragic plane crash near Camden, Tennessee.
Hiram King “Hank” Williams was born in Mount Olive, Alabama, on September 17, 1923. A prolific songwriter, the fabled “Hillbilly Shakespeare” recorded eleven number one hits in his abbreviated career, including such gems as “Lovesick Blues” (1949), “Why Don’t You Love Me?” (1950) and “Cold, Cold Heart” (1951).
The 29-year-old Williams – suffering from drug addiction and alcoholism – died in the backseat of a Cadillac on January 1, 1953. His son, Hank Williams Jr., later followed him into country music stardom.
James Travis Reeves was born in Galloway, Texas, on August 20, 1923. Known for his smooth, velvety voice, “Gentleman Jim” recorded a number of country music hits, including “Mexican Joe” (1953), “Four Walls” (1956), “He’ll Have to Go” (1959) and “I Guess I’m Crazy” (1963).
On July 31, 1964, 40-year-old Jim Reeves, along with manager and pianist Dean Manuel, died in a single-engine plane crash while en route from Arkansas to Nashville, Tennessee. Reeves, a licensed pilot, had been at the controls when his Beechcraft Debonair encountered a violent storm.
James Charles Rodgers was born in Meridian, Mississippi, on September 8, 1897. Known as “The Father of Country Music” (as well as “The Blue Yodeler” and “The Singing Brakeman”), Rodgers is duly recognized as one of the first country/western music superstars. From 1927 to 1933, Rodgers recorded such classics as “Blue Yodel No. 1″ (1927), “In the Jailhouse Now” (1928), “Train Whistle Blues” (1929) and “Pistol Packin’ Papa” (1930).
Suffering from tuberculosis, the 35-year-old Rodgers – in New York City for a recording session – died of a lung hemorrhage on May 26, 1933.
Country Music’s Jimmie Rodgers (not to be confused with pop singer Jimmie “Honeycomb” Rodgers) rarely comes up for sale in the autograph field. Snaring a coveted Rodgers autograph years ago was country music singer and collector Marty Stuart, who acquired his from a fan in Mississippi. A signed 1920s Oscar-Schmidt Company-made guitar once owned by Rodgers is on display at the Mountain Music Museum in Bristol, Tennessee. The guitar’s owners, naturally, call it “priceless.”
Elvis Aaron Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, on January 8, 1935. Although known as “The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Presley is duly recognized for his many contributions to country music as well. As such, Presley was inducted into Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame in 1998.
On August 16, 1977, the 42-year-old Presley – who had successfully fused country, rockabilly and rhythm & blues – died of a heart attack in Memphis, Tennessee.
J.R. “Johnny” Cash was born in Kingsland, Arkansas, on February 26, 1932. An early artist for Memphis-based Sun Records, Cash’s many hits included “I Walk the Line” (1956), “I Got Stripes” (1959), “Ring of Fire” (1962) and “A Boy Named Sue” (1968).
In ailing health, the 71-year-old Johnny Cash died at Baptist Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, on September 12, 2003. Less than four months earlier, Cash’s second wife, June Carter Cash, had passed away at age 73.
Johnny Cash autographs are not rare, but the huge demand is always there. Collectors love the vaunted “Man in Black,” and are willing to pay top price for signed items.
Lloyd Estel Copas was born in Jefferson Township, Ohio, on July 15, 1913. A one-time vocalist for Pee Wee King and His Golden West Cowboys, Copas recorded such hits as ”Filipino Baby” (1945), “Tennessee Moon” (1948), “Candy Kisses” (1949) and “Alabam” (1960).
The 49-year-old Cowboy Copas – one of country music’s hardest working performers – died on March 5, 1963. He perished in the same single-engine plane crash that took the lives of Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins and Randy Hughes.
Cowboy Copas autographs are somewhat rare. Many collectors pursue them because of Copas’ tragic link to the equally ill-fated Patsy Cline.
Auction results courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries and R&R Enterprises Autograph Auctions.
