The Case for Johnny & Jack

Note: John Sturdivant, Jr., Johnnie Wright's grandson responds: AMEN!!! Thanks for all the kind words and it is time for Johnnie and Jack to be in the Hall of Fame. You know it is a little known fact about Johnnie that they mentioned at his Birthday celebration that he scored a number one as a writer, musician, and artist... That is a pretty amazing feat for that time. Also to be recognized for his song writing by a lot of artists not only in country music but in other genres as well. Thanks again for your statements and we will be behind you all the way. You know years ago Alabama recognized the Anglin Brothers and put them in the Alabama Music Hall of Fame for their contributions. Johnnie Wright is long over due for his accomplishments. If you don't mind I will close with some more facts about the duo that was sent regarding his Birthday Celebration.

JOHNNIE WRIGHT born in Mt. Juliet, TN was a member of the legendary duo Johnnie and Jack, who had hits such as "Poison Love, Ashes of Love, Good Night Sweet Heart, and Down South In New Orleans" to name a few. Johnnie, Jack Anglin, and Jack's brother Jim together composed hit songs (As Long As I Live, Searchin' for a Soldiers Grave, What About You, Down Where the River Bends ) that were recorded and performed not only by Johnnie and Jack but also others like Roy Acuff , Ralph Stanley, Bob Dylan, the Desert Rose Band, New Riders of the Purple Sage, and Waylon Jennings. After Jack Anglin's untimely death in a car accident on the way to Patsy Cline's funeral in 1963, Johnnie started his solo career and scored a #1 with "Hello Vietnam" which was recently in the movie Full Metal Jacket. His musical journey started in 1936 and still occasionally performs with his wife Kitty Wells. Johnnie pioneered Country Music performing in one room school houses, touring with Roy Acuff in their tent shows, and then went on to be the first Country Entertainers to perform on Broadway. Not to mention being the mind behind the career of Country Music Hall of Famer Kitty Wells known to the world as "the Queen of Country Music". His success in Country Music as a singer, songwriter, booking agent, promoter, publisher and manager, as well as his love for it, is hard pressed to be matched by anyone else in the business. He has helped so many in this business it would take hours to tell all the stories ... for example, Johnnie took Hank Williams home to Alabama the night he was fired from the Opry. He encouraged Chet Atkins to play the guitar when Chet was playing fiddle in his band. Johnnie Wright is "Country Music" and has been at it longer than just about anyone on the face of this planet and on May 13, 2004 he celebrates his 90th Birthday.

The Case for Johnny & Jack

Each year at this time I start thinking about who might be elected to The Country Music Hall of Fame. Since they worried they’d never get Willie Nelson to show up in person about ten years ago, the Hall has typically announced as early as June and as late as September the latest addition(s) to country music’s most elite fraternity.

Predicting who makes the Hall of Fame is a lot like a horse race. It took Minnie Pearl five or six ballots before she made it in 1975. Why did Dolly Parton go into the hall a full four years ahead of her mentor Porter Wagoner? And why did it take eight classes of inductees before the Original Carter Family found its place in the hall in 1970?

The answer is simple: politics.

Word was for a time a particular former record company said he’d never allow Webb Pierce into the hall as long as he was alive. Webb went into the hall the year after that same person died – 10 years after Webb was dead and gone.

There have been campaigns to make the hall (Brenda Lee, Sam Phillips, George Morgan), diatribes when someone was passed over for the hall (Porter Wagoner’s memorable rant from the Grand Ole Opry stage about Sam Phillips comes to mind) and pushing and proding by other artists (Eddy Arnold on behalf of Vernon Dalhart, Minnie Pearl for Rod Brasfield and most memorably Ernest Tubb who said he’d resign his membership if Hank Snow wasn’t inducted.)

And still, The Country Music Hall of Fame and its mysterious band of electors continues to confound country music purists.

It took the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to embarrass the Country Hall by inducting piano great Floyd Cramer first before country embraced the late piano great last year.

Over the last four years, the hall has done a lot to remedy some of the grossest oversights: The Louvin Brothers, Carl Smith, Porter Wagoner, Don Gibson, Faron Young, Webb Pierce, The Delmore Brothers. And still there comes to mind plenty of worthy inductees who have yet to receive their call from the hall (Jean Shepard, Ferlin Husky, Pop Stoneman, DeFord Bailey, Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper).

And what about the sidemen who have been completely ignored: Bashful Brother Oswald, Buck Graves, Don Helms, Don Rich, Hank Garland, Little Roy Wiggins, Billy Byrd, Shot Jackson, Paul Warren – can anyone argue their influences? Not to mention perhaps the two most influential women never inducted into the Hall of Fame: Mildred Acuff (who helped build Acuff-Rose into the most powerful publishing company any music has known) and Louise Scruggs (whose management of Flatt & Scruggs, including appearances at the Newport Folk Festival, on the television series The Beverly Hillbillies and recording of materials by Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, resulted in a generational folk music revival.)

But for far too many prospective inductees, time has run out… the greatest generation of country music entertainers is gone. Neither Webb Pierce, Faron Young, Roger Miller, Conway Twitty, Johnny Bond, Rod Brasfield, Lester Flatt nor Floyd Cramer lived to see their induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Both Patsy Montana and Tammy Wynette were inducted less than six months after their deaths and Marty Robbins and Bill Carlisle died less than six months after their inductions.

That’s why it’s time to do the right thing: induct Johnny & Jack in 2004.

Three years ago when the Hall was in its brother phase (The Louvin Brothers, The Delmore Brothers, The Everly Brothers all were in the class of 2001) it passed over Johnny and Jack.

It’s a shame that the two things best remembered by this phenomenal duo are the car accident that took Jack’s life on the way to Patsy Cline’s memorial service in 1963 and Kitty Well’s springboard to fame as a member of the Johnny & Jack show. Industry insiders considered it suicide when Johnny gave Kitty (his wife) billing over Johnny & Jack – a move that may explain why after more than 40 years, Johnny & Jack have yet to get their due.

Johnny and Jack recorded scores of classic songs including “Oh Baby Mine,” “Down South in New Orleans,” “Stop the World and Let Me Off,” “Crying Heart Blues.” In fact, more than half their hits were top ten records. Their two best remembered songs “Poison Love,” (which led to membership on The Grand Ole Opry) and “Ashes of Love,” are regarded as all-time classics.

Along the way Johnny and Jack did two stints as members of the Grand Ole Opry – leaving famously in 1964 when the Opry demanded a cut of their bookings – the Louisana Hayride and Knoxville’s Mid-Day Merry-Go-Round.

But perhaps their most enduring contribution to country music is the famed “rhumba beat” which they introduced.

After Jack died, Johnny continued his partnership with wife Kitty Wells and son Bobby Wright. He continued to record and scored a #1 record with the Tom T. Hall penned record “Hello Vietnam.” That Johnny and Kitty managed to keep a family oriented traditional country music show on the road for more than 60 years is worthy enough in itself. Even today, after “retiring” four years ago, Johnny and Kitty are gearing up for their second Canadian tour in as many years.

A few weeks ago Johnny Wright celebrated his 90th birthday. Always content to stand in the spotlight of his famous wife, Johnny and Jack have earned their induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Let Johnny enjoy the moment while he still can.

Craig