Country music's beloved "Jolly Green Giant," Jack Greene, 83, died at his Nashville home March 14, 2013, due to complications from Alzheimer's disease, according to emerging reports.
Born Jan. 7, 1930, Greene was a longtime member of the Grand Ole Opry, as well as a talented lead vocalist, drummer and guitarist.
"(Greene) was one of the format's true stylists, especially in the mid to late 1960s," Billboard Country News Editor Chuck Dauphin told Examiner.com on March 15. "'There Goes My Everything' was a keystone part of the 'Nashville Sound' in that era, as well. Even into his 80s, he still sounded as timeless as ever, and was always very supportive of the newer artists that played the Opry -- something he no doubt learned from watching Ernest Tubb."
According to information from Greene's official website, his first job was on WGAP Radio in Maryville, Tenn., his hometown. But he made the move to settle in Music City in 1959 in the name of country music.
As a musician, he worked eight years with the Peachtree Cowboys from Atlanta, Ga., before forming The Tennessee Mountain Boys. Not long thereafter, he became the drummer for the late Ernest Tubb in the Texas Troubadour Band in '62. For five years, Greene toured throughout the U.S.with Tubb, where he began to develop a fan following all his own for his music.
As a recording artist for Decca Records, Greene landed nine No. 1 singles, including "There Goes My Everything," "What Locks The Door," "You Are My Treasure," "Until My Dreams Come True," "Back In The Arms Of Love," "Love Takes Care of Me," "Lord, Is That Me?" and "Statue Of A Fool." He also scored two No. 1 albums, "There Goes My Everything" and "All the Time," the former of which stated at the top of the country charts for a full year.
In the early 1970s, Greene experience a career renaissance with duet partner Jeannie Seely. The pair recorded the No. 2-ranked "Wish I Didn't Have To Miss You," as well as hits that included "There's A Lot About A Woman A Man Don't Know," "What In The World Has Gone Wrong With Our Love" and "Much Oblige." Moreover, their stage show was reportedly among the biggest country acts of that decade.
Greene went on to record for MCA Records through 1976, in addition to scoring minor hits on the Frontline, EMH and Step One labels in the 1980s, including the top-30 "Yours For the Taking" in 1980. A three-time CMA Award winner and the first to receive the "Male Vocalist of the Year" CMA trophy, Greene became an Opry member in 1967 and continued to perform on the hallowed stage until his retirement in 2011.
LeeAnn Lallone, who served as Greene's manager before becoming his caregiver in more recent times, posted a loving farewell in honor of Greene via her Facebook page. It reads, in part, as follows:
"This is a time that I have dreaded, saying goodbye to such a wonderful and dear friend. Jack Greene has always and will always hold a very special part of my heart. He has been a dear friend and we have been through so much together these last many years. I enjoyed the pleasure of acting as his manager for all these years and then his caregiver as his health started to fail. It was a pleasure to take this journey with him for the last part of his life."
Funeral arrangements for Greene had not been announced at this writing.
- Video bonus: To see a circa 2008 video of Jack Greene performing one of his No. 1 classics, "Statue of A Fool," please access the clip embedded with this post.
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