WELCOME TO THE HOMEPAGE OF THE JIM REEVES FAN CLUB

THIS WEB SITE WAS  ENDORSED BY JIM'S LEAD GUITAR PLAYER THE LATE LEO JACKSON

 

Our objective is to promote the music of Jim Reeves and keep the memory of him alive. Also, we supply the members with a quarterly fan club magazine of 12  pages, full of interesting articles, album reviews, photos, etc.

The fan club was founded as THE NEW DUTCH JIM REEVES FAN CLUB by Arie den Dulk and the late Bert Bossink in 1975. For the first two years we catered only to Dutch speaking fans, but since the closure of the British Jim Reeves Fan Club in 1977, we have two editions of the club magazine, one in Dutch, the other in English. Some years ago we changed to our present name. For nearly  as for more than 44 years it has  been the only, and longest running Jim Reeves fan club.

Our approximately 250 members live all over the world, but 80% are Europeans. We have members in the USA, Canada, South Africa, Australasia, India and Japan.

On this website we'll put various information such as discographies, newspaper cuttings and photographs from my own and other collections. Any material from visitors to this site is welcome.

If you wish to join the fan club or would like to know more about it,  or have any questions,  please write to: The Jim Reeves Fan Club. Or you may send mail to our postal address, which is:  

 

Jim Reeves Fan Club
Postbus 66
2280 AB Ryswyk
The Netherlands

 

20 AUGUST 2022

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIM REEVES!!!

Today would have been  Jim Reeves' 99th Birthday. 

 

31 JULY 2022

58TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF JIM REEVES AND DEAN MANUEL

 

Today will be the 58th anniversary of the death of Jim Reeves. Although Jim's voice is stilled, we can still enjoy his wonderful voice by listening to his recordings on various media. In another 50 years people will still enjoy listening to his original recordings.

Floral tributes have been put on their graves.

Click here to  view the pictures.

 

 

 

22 JUNE 2022

FAN CLUB MEMBER KURT ROKITTA DIED AGED 76

We learned that fan club member Kurt Rokitta, one of the first and  respected Jim Reeves discographers,  died on May 30 at the age of 76. He produced his first Jim Reeves recording sessions discography for the German country & western magazine 'Country Corner' in 1974. He continued extending it with adding RCA/BMG overdubbed recording sessions, in the 1990s. I have had the privilege to work with him on his finest work,  the discography of the Bear Family JIM REEVES 16 CD set.

picture: courtesy of Eimbert van den Oetelaar

 

4 MAY 2022

LEO JACKSON REMEMBERED

Leo Jackson died  on May 4, 2008. A floral tribute from the fan club has been put on his grave.    

Please  click here to  read about it

 

 

2 MAY 2022

JAMES KIRKLAND DIED AGED 87

James Kirkland,  the last living member of the Jim Reeves' Blue Boys, died at his home in Athens, Texas, on April 29.Services for James Kirkland, 87, of Athens, are scheduled for 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, May 3, 2022, at Hannigan Smith Funeral Home with Pastor Jonathan Lilley officiating. Interment will follow at 3:00 p.m. at Corinth Cemetery in Linden, Texas.
 

You can read an obituary  here.

16 APRIL 2022

UPDATE

I got back home after  surgery two weeks ago. I had a tumour on one of my kidneys which was the source of my health problems. I am recuperating and  everything looks going fine. I will be back with my usual fan club activities very soon. 

I wish you all a Happy Easter.

4 APRIL 2022

NEW JIM REEVES ALBUM RELEASES

To view a larger size picture of it - click  here

Courtesy - Peter Atkinson

 

13 MARCH 2022

The iconic Ernest Tubb record shop  on Broadway, is to close this Spring. The record shop opened in 1947 and moved to its current location in 1951. It is also the home of the "Midnight Jamboree" on Saturday nights following WSM Grand Ole Opry on Saturday nights. Another Nashville landmark, where once Jim Reeves played after performing on the Opry, will close down and could be torn down and replaced by something not connected to Nashville Music.    

 

 17 DECEMBER 2021

I received the book about Anita Kerr, written by Barry Pugh. I always wanted to know more about  the life and career of Ms Kerr, who is 94. Although you will not find  information about Jim Reeves which had not been  published before, Jim Reeves fans may still find it very interesting reading about this remarkable woman.  Anita Kerr, together with Chet Atkins and Owen Bradley, is responsible for the creation of the Nashville Sound.  You can order a copy of the book on Amazon.   

 

 11 DECEMBER 2021

DID YOU KNOW JIM REEVES WOULD HAVE RECORDED THE SONG "THE ANGEL AND THE STRANGER" IF HE HAD NOT PERISHED IN THE AIR CRASH?
 

When Jim Reeves died in a private air crash on July 31st, 1964, The New Musical Express of 7 August 1964 carried a tribute article by Andy Gray and Derek Johnson: "Tragedy of JIM REEVES: ambition to tour Britain dies with him." In the article Pat Campbell, head of Jim's RCA label in Britain reported: "This week Jim was due to visit the RCA studios in Nashville to record a Christmas song titled: "The Angel And The Stranger". It had been written by a Brighton lady and Jim thought it was good."  The US Catalog of Copyrights tells us that lyrics & musical arrangement are by Freda Anne, pseudonym  of S.A. Beecher Stevens. Pat Campbell apparently misinformed the interviewers,  the composer of the song was a male, and  he certainly didn't live in Brighton, but in London.

The British duo THE BACHELORS recorded that song and put it on the B-side of "Long Time Ago", it was released as a single in November 1963.  No doubt Jim's recording of that song could have climbed the charts that Christmas.    

 Click here to listen to the Bachelors rendition of the song on Youtube.

 

6 DECEMBER 2021

Grand Ole Opry star Stonewal Jackson died on December 4, 2021, at the  age of 89, of vascular dementia. Stonewall Jackson, Mac Wiseman, and Jim Ed Brown performed at a show at the St. Joseph's Hall in Omagh, Northern Ireland in October 2008. I had the pleasure of meeting and talking to these three giants of country music from the 1950s and 1960s before and after the show.  I recorded their memories about Jim on a tape recorder. Both Jim Ed Brown and Mac Wiseman preceded Stonewall in death. 

 

21 NOVEMBER 2021

19 NOVEMBER 2021

11 NOVEMBER 2021

 22ND ANNIVERSARY OF THE  DEATH OF
MARY REEVES
 

Today we remember the 22nd anniversary of the death of Mary Reeves.  For almost 35 years Mary nursed, promoted and especially protected the image of 'Gentleman' Jim Reeves.

We will pay tribute to her by publishing parts of one or two radio interviews with her, and  pictures of Mary and some fans, in the next few days. 

 

9 NOVEMBER 2021

 

 MARY REEVES INDUCTED TO THE MUSICIANS HALL OF FAME

 

SOURCE Nashville held its 18th Annual Hall of Fame Awards virtually from the MUSICIANS HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM in Nashville on September 22. Co-hosted by Grand Ole Opry member Jeannie Seely and Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame Awards inductee, Shannon McCombs, this year’s event posthumously inducted twenty female trailblazers in the country music industry, one of the inductees is Mary Reeves.

Presented by Springer Mountain Farms, the event was produced by Erica Rosa and Sheree Spoltore. A video of the ceremony is available on SOURCE Nashville’s YouTube channel.

Founded in 1991, SOURCE is the longest running organization for women in the music industry in Nashville, and is dedicated to fostering relationships and opportunities for its members through continuous education, networking, and community service initiatives.

We are glad Mary Reeves got this award. Not only Mary managed and promoted the Jim Reeves recordings through "Jim Reeves Enterprises", she also was an international ambassador for country music.

NOTE: The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum should not be confused with the Country Music Association Hall Of Fame.

Click here to watch the 2021 SOURCE Hall of Fame Virtual awards Youtube video clip.

Click  here  to watch the Mary Reeves Davis - 2021 Source Hall of Fame Inductee Youtube video clip.

26 OCTOBER 2021

 THE DUTCH NPO RADIO 5 EVERGREEN-TOP1000 HITPARADE 2021

This year The Evergreen Top 1000 will be broadcast again on Dutch NPO Radio 5, from Monday 22 November till and including Friday 26 November, from 06.00 hours till 20.00 hours Central European Winter Time.

Last year, six Jim Reeves records entered the  Evergreen-Top1000 Hitparade.

Voting will commence on Saturday October 30 and will close at Friday 5 November.  During that week only recordings from artists on which listeners can put their vote, will be played. Jim Reeves is among some other word famous artists such as Simon & Garfunkel, The Eagles, Bee Gees, Frank Sinatra, ABBA, Rolling Stones, Julio Iglesias, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, The Kinks, and Julien Clerc.
 

 

 

 

 

10 JUNE 2021

NEW JIM REEVES ALBUM RELEASES

To view a larger size picture of it - click  here

 

4 MAY 2021

LEO JACKSON REMEMBERED

Thirteen years ago, on 4 May 2008, Leo Jackson died, aged 74. He played lead guitar for Jim Reeves on many hits of Jim Reeves. We lost a good friend but  he still  posthumously lives on through  the many hours of  record interviews and Jim's  records.

Picture: courtesy of Ronnie Light.

 

8 APRIL 2021

MARY REEVES DAVIS POSTHUMOUSLY TO BE INDUCTED TO THE NASHVILLE 18th ANNUAL SOURCE HALL OF FAME AWARDS.
 

This year SOURCE posthumously honors and celebrates the historic achievements of those "Women Behind The Music" that have paved the way for others in the country music industry.

The SOURCE Nashville 18th Annual Source Hall of Fame Awards will be held virtually this year and will posthumously induct 20 female trailblazers, it was announced yesterday. Details of the induction ceremony will be released in the coming weeks. The Source Hall of Fame Awards ceremony will resume in-person on August 23, 2022.

Among the 2021 inductees is Mary Reeves Davis (Jim Reeves Enterprises).
 

10 MARCH 2021

DID YOU KNOW THERE'S A SONG WRITTEN & RECORDED ABOUT THE DEATH OF A DOG CALLED CHEYENNE?

To read more about it - click  here

 

 

17 FEBRUARY 2021

Jim Reeves' recording of "The Blizzard" had reached position 20 of the Australian 2UE OFFICIAL TOP 40 CHART, of June 3, 1961. It had entered the chart four weeks earlier.   

 

To view a larger size picture of it - click  here

Picture, courtesy of Dominiqe Anglaris

 

1 JANUARY 2021

 

25 DECEMBER 2020

 

12 DECEMBER 2020

 

18 NOVEMBER 2020

17 NOVEMBER 2020

STEVE MCQUEEN FEATURES A JIM REEVES SONG IN TWO OF HIS FIVE MOVIES SERIES FOR THE BBC, "SMALL AXES".

On November 22, BBC ONE will air Steve McQueen's movie "RED WHITE AND BLUE", the story of Leroy Logan, a West Indian officer isolated in an unwelcoming white police force. There's a lot of music from the Sixties featured in it, including Jim Reeves' recording of "This World is not my Home" .

To read more about it - click  here

 

16 NOVEMBER 2020

SIR KEITH STARMER PLAYED A  JIM REEVES RECORD ON THE FAMOUS BBC RADIO 4 PROGRAM "DESERT ISLAND DISCS".

Today, Sir Keir Starmer, who is the leader of the Labour Party in UK, was a guest on the famous BBC Radio 4 "Desert Island Discs". Among the tracks he played  was a Jim Reeves song. It was his mum’s favourite song - "WELCOME TO MY WORLD". (With our thanks to Wallace Thompson for mentioning it)

You can listen to a pod cast of the program  here

 

7 NOVEMBER 2020

NEW JIM REEVES ALBUM RELEASES

To view a larger size picture of it - click  here

 

29 OCTOBER 2020

DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN LISTEN TO A LIVE RECORDING OF JIM SINGING "FOUR WALLS" AND "WAITIN' FOR A TRAIN", PERFORMED AT THE FIFTH ANNUAL JIMMIE RODGERS CELEBRATION, IN MAY 1957?

To read more about it - click  here

 

27 OCTOBER 2020

DID YOU KNOW THAT BEAR FAMILY RELEASED A 3-DVD SET OF  "COUNTRY STYLE USA", INCLUDING 2 EPISODES WITH JIM REEVES?

To read more about it - click  here

 

11 OCTOBER 2020

NEW JIM REEVES ALBUM RELEASES

To view a larger size picture of it - click  here

 

6 SEPTEMBER 2020

BILL PURSELL DIED, AGED 94

William “Bill” Pursell, died of COVID-19 Thursday 3 September in Nashville at the age of 94. He was born on June 9, 26 in California and moved from there to Nashville at the invitation of Eddy Arnold.

The very first Jim Reeves RCA recording session Bill played piano was on June 4, 1961. Jim Reeves recorded "What Would You Do?", Stand At Your Window" , and "Somewhere Along The Line". Bill would play on the very last RCA sesion on July 2, 1964 too. Songs recorded were "In The Misty Moonlight", "Missing You", and "Maureen".

 

20 AUGUST 2020

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIM REEVES!!!

Today would have been  Jim Reeves' 97th Birthday. 

 

 JIM REEVES' DRAFT REGISTRATION CARD

 

 

Please note, the Draft Registration Card had been issued by the Local Board, 1st Nt'l Bank Bldg. Carthage, Texas, on June 30, 1942. ( The clerk made an error and wrote down 1922) Jim wrote down the correct date of Birth, August 20, 1923, but wrote down Logansport, Louisiana, as his Birthplace! Either his Birth certificate was not issued after his birth, or it got lost, for sometime in 1940  the need to have a replacement Birth certificate made arose. In that one, Logan, Texas was named as Jim's Birthplace.  Jim was on born at a farm near Galloway, Texas. That area was also considered to be "Logan".

Logan, also known as Mount Pleasant, a rural community sixteen miles east of Carthage on Farm Road 31 near the Louisiana state line in eastern Panola County, was first settled before the Civil War. A post office, named Logan for nearby Logansport, Louisiana, operated at the community from 1900 to 1910. In the mid-1930s Logan had a church, a school, and a cemetery; its reported population in 1936 was ten. The school was consolidated with those of Carthage during the 1940s. (source: Texas State Historical Association)  Lani Arnold, Jim's nice reported: "Jim’s birth place is in the Galloway community. Which is by the Logan community. Our great grandfather donated land for the Adams cemetery which is where my grandparents and some family members are buried". Note the signature of Travis Reeves. Jim's middle name is "Travis". 

 

12 AUGUST 2020

AN EARLY PICTURE OF JIM REEVES

An early picture of Jim Reeves, together with three Douglas brothers; Norman, Calvin, and Lorenzo. Probably taken in East Texas, likely during World War II, because of the uniform worn by one of the Douglas brothers.

 

8 AUGUST 2020

DJ BILL MACK DIED AGED 88

On July 31, former DJ Bill Mack died age 88 of COVID-19 complications and "underlying health issues". According to his family he had been diagnosed with COVID-19 two days prior. He was an American country music songwriter, singer, and radio host.

During his career in broadcasting, he interviewed Jim Reeves at KENS, San Antonio, Texas on October 20, 1961. The interview ran for about 50 minutes. Bill used a portion of the interview in an hour long tribute to his friend Jim, on KCUL, Fort Worth, Texas,  shortly after Jim's death.

In the week of October 9 - 13, 1972, Ralph Emery did five, one hour tributes to Jim Reeves, with special guest Mary Reeves. Besides Jim Reeves songs, Ralph played a large number of interviews between Bill Mack and Jim Reeves, some of which he had not used himself. I presume 40 minutes of the original tape had been used for that program.

Our fan club magazine printed transcriptions of both the Ralph Emery show, and the 50 minute recording. These show the craftsman ship of Bill Mack.
 

 

 

11 JULY 2020

GARY WALKER DIED AGED 87

Nashville song writer Gary Walker, passed away on July 8. Gary wrote the song "According to my Heart" which Jim Reeves recorded twice, the  December 23, 1955  was not released by RCA but the July 18, 1956 recording was released on single and later on the Camden label with the same title.

I met Gary twice in Nashville, in 2001 and 2003. An interview I did with him was published in our fan club magazine.

Gary was a  nice and kind person. He gave me personally some copies of Jim's Camden album which had his song on it, and signed these, to distribute to a few fan club members who attended one of our fan club meetings.

We kept in touch and a very recent letter from him will be published in the next issue of the fan club magazine.

3 JULY 2020

HUGH DOWNS DIED AGED 99 

Hugh Downs, an Emmy award-winning broadcaster whose career spanned 50 years in radio and television has died at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona.

In 1963, Hugh Downs did a number of radio commercials for a Reader’s Digest LP album; "THE WORLD OF WONDERFUL MUSIC" which were pressed on an LP disc. In one of the commercials he interviewed Jim Reeves about what the term country music means and what Jim looked for in a song he was going to record. Jim's answer to the last question was "Simplicity". Hugh mentioned that he was going to play Jim's recording "May The Good Lord Bless And Keep You", which was included on the album, after the interview. The interviews were to be broadcast in the week of April 1, 1963.

You can listen to the interview which runs for three minutes, courtesy of Eimbert van den Oetelaar, here.

 

 

12 MAY 2020

JIM REEVES MENTIONED IN WSM OPRY LETTER OF OCTOBER 1957

The ABN JIM REEVES RADIO  SHOW was mentioned in the October 11, 1957 issue of the WSM Grand Ole Opry letter. The JIM  REEVES SHOW was first broadcast on  the ABN  Network on October 7, 1957. Each show ran for an hour, five days a week. Some were edited down to approximate 25 minutes, and were later pressed onto 16"transcription discs. These discs were played at Armed Forces radio stations, all over the world.  The program featured  special guests, mentioned in the Opry letter, such as Marty Robbins, and Faron Young. Only a few 16"transcription discs of the show have survived outside archives. They do not feature any of the above mentioned special guests. 

To view the newsletter - please click  here

 

4 MAY 2020

LEO JACKSON REMEMBERED

Twelve years ago, on 4 May 2008, Leo Jackson died, aged 74. He played lead guitar for Jim Reeves on many hits of Jim Reeves. We lost a good friend but  he still  posthumously lives on through  the many hours of  record interviews and Jim's  records.

Picture: courtesy of Ronnie Light.

 

 

18 APRIL 2020

A TELEGRAM FROM JIM REEVES

This picture shows a telegram from Jim Reeves to someone named Bill Berton in Washington, D.C. It is telling Bill that Jim and Faron Young will be available for consultation, on March 28th and 29th 1962, probably for a show. Jim Reeves performed in Huntsville, Alabama from March 27th-31st, 1962. I couldn't find any information of Faron Young's whereabouts for those two days in trade periodicals such as Billboard or Cashbox.

10 APRIL 2020

A TOP 20 RADIO SURVEY FROM WCMS RADIO, NORFOLK, VA. DATED MARCH 18, 1956

Fan club member Dominique Anglares sent a Top 20 radio survey from March 18,1956. The song "If You Were Mine" is sitting on the number 12 position. Please note that the Porter Wagoner song "What Would You Do?", listed on the number 15 position, is not the Jim Reeves composition, but a religious song.     

To view the listings - please click  here

 

12 MARCH 2020

CORRECTIONS MADE IN LIST OF TRANSCRIPTION RECORDS

I have updated the list of PET MILK SHOWS in the listing of transcription records, I deleted Pet Milk show 239, and corrected the listing of show 237.   I also added the complete track listing of Pet Milk show 251.

To view the listings - please click  here

 

12 FEBRUARY 2020

NEW JIM REEVES ALBUM RELEASES

 

 

To view a larger size picture of it - click  here

 

7 JANUARY 2020

DID YOU KNOW THAT JIM REEVES RECORDED A SONG FOR HIS "TWELVE SONGS OF CHRISTMAS" ALBUM WHICH HAD NOT BEEN COPYRIGHTED ?

To read more about it - click  here

 

 

6 JANUARY 2020

NEW JIM REEVES ALBUM RELEASES

 

 

To view a larger size picture of it - click  here

 

1 JANUARY 2020

WE WISH ALL JIM REEVES FANS A HAPPY AND BLESSED NEW YEAR!

 

23 NOVEMBER 2019

11 NOVEMBER 2019

 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE  DEATH OF
MARY REEVES
 

Today we remember the 20th anniversary of the death of Mary Reeves.  For almost 35 years Mary nursed, promoted and especially protected the image of 'Gentleman' Jim Reeves. Lani Arnold, Jim's niece, has continued  protecting that image since Mary's death. Despite attempts by some quarters to change that image into a different one, the real fans of his music proudly stick to the 'Gentleman Jim Reeves' one.

 

 

In April 1995, fan club member Eimbert van der Oetelaar met Mary Reeves at the Jim Reeves museum  in Madison, Tennessee. She signed the above featured picture which he had bought at the museum shop.  Eimbert presents  on Friday nights from 22.00 to 23.00 hours CET, a  weekly Jim Reeves program on  Radio Extra Gold .  Each week it features one side of an RCA Victor album. 

 

 

25 OCTOBER 2019

NEW JIM REEVES ALBUM RELEASES

 

 

To view a larger size picture of it - click  here

 

22 SEPTEMBER 2019

NEW JIM REEVES ALBUM RELEASES

To view a larger size picture of it - click  here

 

17 SEPTEMBER 2019

 

PBS TV SERIES "COUNTRY MUSIC" BY KEN BURNS SHOWN ON US TV.

Country Music, the latest project by pre-eminent filmmaker Ken Burns, premiered September 15 on PBS in the United States. It will explore the origin and many dimensions the uniquely American genre. The eight-part docuseries is divided into two-hour episodes, which will air over the course of two weeks.

PBS will broadcast Country Music on local stations and offer free live streaming on PBS.org and the PBS Video App. The program will begin at 8/7c each night and re-air immediately after.

The first two episodes have been aired this week, the third one this evening, and the fourth one tomorrow September 18th. The last four episodes will be aired next Sunday September 22nd till Wednesday September 25th.

There has been some discussions on forums about if Jim Reeves would be mentioned in the program and what pictures/film clips of him could be seen.

The fourth episode, "I Can’t Stop Loving You (1953 – 1963)", will be aired tomorrow. At about 70 minutes into the program, four pictures  taken at a Jim Reeves recording session at Studio B are shown, and part of the soundtrack of "Four Walls" is being played. No information about Jim Reeves was given. 

In terms of length of time spent on artists in this episode, Johnny Cash ranked highest, at some distance followed by Patsy Cline and the writing duo Boudleaux and Felice Bryant.

In the episode "The Sons and Daughters of America (1963 – 1968)" to be aired on Sunday September 22nd,  probably some more pictures/footage and information about Jim could be included.

It has been suggested that this series will be aired by BBC4 at the end of October or early November.

To visit the PBS website and read more about the program, click here

 
 

20 AUGUST 2019

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIM REEVES!!!

Today would have been  Jim Reeves' 96th Birthday. 

 

3 AUGUST 2019

Brenda Cassel, one of the daughters of Dean and Bobbi Manuel,  reported that her mother was cremated and was laid to rest besides her father Dean, on May 16th. Then after her dates were added.

picture: courtesy of Brenda Cassel

31 JULY 2019

55TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF JIM REEVES AND DEAN MANUEL

 

Today will be the 55th anniversary of the death of Jim Reeves. Although Jim's voice is stilled, we can still enjoy his wonderful voice by listening to his recordings on various media. In another 50 years people will still enjoy listening to his original recordings.

Floral tributes have been put on their graves this morning.

 

18 MAY 2019

DID YOU KNOW THAT IN EARLY 1957, RCA RELEASED A SPECIAL PROMOTION DISC  FEATURING FOUR RCA RECORDING ARTISTS, INCLUDING JIM REEVES AND ELVIS PRESLEY?

To read more about it - click  here

 

4 MAY 2019

LEO JACKSON REMEMBERED

Eleven years ago, on 4 May 2008, Leo Jackson died, aged 74. He played lead guitar for Jim Reeves on many hits of Jim Reeves. We lost a good friend but  he still  posthumously lives on through  the many hours of  record interviews and Jim's  records.

Picture: courtesy of Ronnie Light.

 

3 MAY 2019

MRS. BOBBI MANUEL, WIDOW OF DEAN MANUEL, DIED AGED 82.

Mrs. Barbara Lee Brake Manuel (Bobbi), aged 82, the widow of Dean Manuel, passed away Saturday April 27, 2019 in Redlands, California.

Brenda Manuel Cassel, one of her two daughters, sent a letter to me last night: "It is with great sadness that I write to tell you that Mom has passed away. She became ill with pneumonia and was in the hospital in Redlands, CA; she died April 27th and thank goodness- I was with her. She was an amazing woman and mother who gave Lynnie and me a lifetime of sweet precious memories; we will miss her every day. She thought so fondly of you and the work you do with remembering Jim and my father. She appreciated it so much, as well as your friendship. Her ashes will be interred at Spring Hill, next to our dad; she requested no funeral or service. Family and close friends will gather at a later date for a Celebration of Life."

Bobbi was born December 5, 1936 in Springfield Missouri to the late Claude Brake and Annabel Stubbs Felkner Brake. In addition to her parents she is preceded in death by Dean Manuel, husband, James Brake, brother, and Anne Brake, sister.

She is survived by daughters, Brenda Cassel (Tom) and Lynn Norris, grandchildren Tristan Cassel, Kellyn Cassel, Justin Norris and great granddaughter Emilee Norris.

Dean Manuel was Jim Reeves' manager and piano player, who died with Jim Reeves in a plane crash near Brentwood, Tennessee on July 31st, 1964. Dean Manuel, whose full name was Dockie Dean Manuel, was buried at Spring Hill Cemetery in Madison, Tennessee.

Brenda mailed a few pictures for posting on this website.
 

"Mom & Dad had no official wedding photos; but this one is right about the time, or shortly after they married. How gorgeous they both were!"
 

"This is Mom's last really good photo from last Easter."
 

The fan club sent our sincere condolences to both of her daughters and families.

 

You can read her obituary and tributes here . 
 

 

15 APRIL 2019

"NEW" JIM REEVES TRACKS, WHICH HAVE NEVER BEEN COMMERCIALLY RELEASED, HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED ON THE DIGITAL ARCHIVE SECTION OF THE COUNTRY MUSIC FOUNDATION'S WEBSITE.

For a number of years, usually around the date of Jim's Birthday, some never before commercially released Jim Reeves recordings surfaced. Unfortunately that stream is drying up. 

Recently, the Country Music Foundation  are releasing various  recordings from their archive, which includes recordings and performances by Jim Reeves. The CMF has released  an  album of Jim's Grand Ole Opry performances, a number of years ago. They also have uploaded  episodes of the Prince Albert portion, including performances of Jim Reeves, to the  digital archive section of their website. More recordings from the CMF archives are being digitized and uploaded to the digital archive section. Very recently, the Biff Collie collection has been digitized and uploaded.  There are several interesting recordings featuring Jim Reeves.  

INTERVIEWS - BIFF COLLIE

There's a 5 minute slot on Jim Reeves, in the first 90 seconds, Eddy Arnold talks about having just come from the site of Jim Reeves plane crash, then Jim Reeves talks about being in the music business for eleven years, Jim talks about cutting his first record and not making any money, he talks about his second record going number one, he talks about wanting to be a baseball player as a child, playing in college, and playing pro ball for three years for the St. Louis Cardinals. Jim talks about wanting to get back into the radio business, recently having purchased a station, and finishes with telling Biff a fishing story. The first part of The Eddy Arnold segment will be familiar to many fans, we finally knows it was aired live in the Biff Collie Show. You can listen to it here.
 

VARIOUS INTRODUCTIONS  - BIFF COLLIE

Jim Reeves can be heard introducing Biff Collie's program at the very end of the introductions: "This is Jim Reeves at Collie's Corner. Have you had your Biff today?"  You can listen to it here.

THE RED FOLEY SHOW
 

The archive contains one episode of the Red Foley Show with a 3 minute portion in which Red Foley introduces Jim Reeves, and Jim talks about trading baseball for music and sings "Anna Marie". A very nice performance of that song by Jim. The date and episode number are unknown. Jim recorded the song at RCA on September 3, 1957.  You can listen to it  here. 
 

31 JANUARY 2019

HAROLD BRADLEY, FAMOUS COUNTRY MUSIC GUITARIST, DIED AGED 93.

 

Harold Bradley, famous country music guitar player, and once member of Nashville's  "A" team, died peacefully in his sleep this morning.  One of his daughters contacted me this morning with the sad news.

Harold first played guitar at a Jim Reeves recording session on July 5, 1963, when Jim  recorded  only one song, 'Silver Bells'  for the  US  release of the 'Twelve Songs of Christmas' album. The previous year, TEAL RECORDS released an eleven song version of that album. 

Harold played from then on, on all of the Jim Reeves studio recording sessions, including the two very last ones for RCA, at July 2, 1964.

Commencing in December 1970, Harold also played  on  Jim Reeves' RCA overdub sessions until 1975.  

 

22 JANUARY 2019

MAXINE BROWN, LAST SURVIVING MEMBER OF THE BROWNS, DIED AT AGE 87

Maxine Brown Russel, who was the last surviving member of  the famous trio 'The Browns', died in Little Rock, Arkansas, yesterday from complications of heart and kidney disease. She was 87 years old.

The Browns, Jim Ed, Maxine and Bonnie, began their recording career with  FABOR RECORDS in 1954. On their first recording session, they recorded two songs, one of them was "Looking Back To See"  which was a minor hit. Jim Reeves played rhythm guitar on that session. The Browns joined Jim Reeves on a number of tours with  "The Fabor Robinson String Music Show".   In her autobiography "Looking Back To See" she remembers those tours and her memories about Jim Reeves.

I talked and corresponded with her after her book had been released and she told me a few other interesting stories about Jim Reeves and other participants of those tours.   

In 2011, Maxine recalls her fond memories on the Great Jim Reeves in an article on her website. Click here to read it.

 

1 JANUARY 2019

W E WISH ALL JIM REEVES FANS A HAPPY AND BLESSED NEW YEAR!

 

26 DECEMBER 2018

JIMMY WORK, SONGWRITER OF 'MAKING BELIEVE' DIED, AGED 94

Fan club member Frank C. Anderson mentioned that 'The Tennessean' newspaper reported the death of songwriter Jimmy Work. He died at his home in Dukedom, at the border of the states of Kentucky and Tennessee on December 22nd. In 1955 he wrote the song 'Making Believe', which was first recorded by Kitty Wells.  It reached the number 2 spot in the charts. Many artists record the song. Jim Reeves recorded it sixty years ago, on December 9, 1958, and it was included in the album 'Songs to warm the heart'.  

25 DECEMBER 2018

We wish all Jim Reeves Fans a Merry Christmas!

 

23 DECEMBER 2018

CHRISTMAS TIME AT THE HOME OF JIM AND MARY REEVES

Two pictures taken at their home at Christmas time.

Click here to  view the pictures.

 

24 NOVEMBER 2018

SIX JIM REEVES SONGS IN THE DUTCH NPO RADIO 5 EVERGREEN-TOP1000 HITPARADE 2018

There are 6 Jim Reeves hits in the Dutch NPO RADIO 5 EVERGREEN TOP-1000 HITPARADE of 2018.

No. 67 (62) Distant Drums
No. 114  (66) I Love You Because
No. 115 (73) He'll Have To Go
No. 203  (120) Adios Amigo
No. 301  (302) I Won't Forget You
No. 449 (413)  Welcome To My World

The number in  brackets is the position of the song in the 2017 EVERGREEN - TOP 1000 HITPARADE 

The EVERGREEN - TOP1000 HITPARADE has been compiled from a NPO RADIO 5 listeners poll and is being transmitted from Monday 26 November till and including Friday 30 November, between 06.00  hours and 20.00 hours CET.
The program can be listened  here ( click on "live luisteren") .

11 NOVEMBER 2018

 19th ANNIVERSARY OF THE  DEATH OF
MARY REEVES
 

Today we remember the 19th anniversary of the death of Mary Reeves.  For almost 35 years Mary nursed, promoted and especially protected the image of 'Gentleman' Jim Reeves. Lani Arnold, Jim's niece, has continued  protecting that image since Mary's death. Despite attempts by some quarters to change that image into a different one, the real fans of his music proudly stick to the 'Gentleman Jim Reeves' one.

In April 1995, fan club member Eimbert van der Oetelaar met Mary Reeves at the Jim Reeves museum  in Madison, Tennessee. An article about the meeting appeared in issue 63, June 1995,  of the Jim Reeves Fan Club magazine. Eimbert presents  on Friday nights from 22.00 to 23.00 hours CET, a  weekly Jim Reeves program on  Radio Extra Gold .  Each week it features one side of an RCA Victor album. 

5 OCTOBER 2018

IRISH TELEVISION WILL BROADCAST A JIM REEVES TRIBUTE ON OCTOBER 16th, 2018

'Opry le Daniel' is a pre-recorded music series which was made at Big Mountain Productions make for Irish broadcaster, TG4. One episode in the series is 'A Tribute to Jim Reeves'. The program will be broadcast on TG4 on Tuesday 16th October 2018 at 9.30pm, Irish time.  It is presented by Daniel O'Donnell and features Scottish artist Al Grant, and Irish artists Patrick Feeney, Tony Kerr and Matt Leavy.

The main body of the TV show is comprised of a live concert which we recorded in May, with Irish & British artists performing their favourite Jim Reeves hits in front of a live theatre audience.  The show also includes a short video insert, with the founder of the Irish Country Music Association (Roger Ryan) charting some of the highlights of Jim's career.

 

 

21 AUGUST 2018

NEW JIM REEVES ALBUM RELEASES

To view a larger size picture of it - click  here

 

20 AUGUST 2018

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIM REEVES!!

JIM REEVES FAN CLUB 95th BIRTHDAY MEETING

Today would have been  Jim Reeves' 95th Birthday.  On Sunday 14 October we will have a 95th Birthday celebration at a fan club meeting, probably in Hilversum. Details of when and where will be mailed to those fans who wish to join us in the 95th. Birthday celebrations. Special guest will be Henk Brederode. 

 

LARGE COLLECTION OF JIM REEVES' LIVE RECORDINGS, PICTURES, AND PRINTED ITEMS ON US WEBSITE

I presume the best way to celebrate Jim's Birthday at home is to play his records or watch his only movie "Kimberley Jim'.

There's one website where one can listen to a large number of live recordings, view pictures of Jim Reeves in Nashville, view Hatch Show Print Posters of shows Jim performed in, and view a number of  Souvenir Programs of Grand Ole Opry Shows in which Jim performed. It is just if Jim is giving us fans a Birthday treat, because it is FREE OF CHARGE!!

Go to the digital archive of the Country Music Hall of Fame at http://digi.countrymusichalloffame.org/ and click on what you wish to visit, then put the name of JIM REEVES in the search box and you will be presented with a selection of items you can view or listen to !

  

1 AUGUST 2018

FLORAL TRIBUTES FOR JIM REEVES AND DEAN MANUEL

 

31 JULY 2018

54TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF JIM REEVES AND DEAN MANUEL

Today will be the 54th anniversary of the death of Jim Reeves. Although Jim's voice is stilled, we can still enjoy his wonTderful voice by listening to his recordings on various media. In another 50 years people will still enjoy listening to his original recordings.

Floral tributes have been put on their graves this morning.

 

15 JULY 2018

NEW JIM REEVES ALBUM RELEASES

To view a larger size picture of it - click  here

 

13 MAY 2018

DID YOU KNOW JIM REEVES PERFORMED AT THE  GRAND OLE OPRY ON JANUARY 5, 1957?

To view it - click  here

 

4 MAY 2018 (updated May 5, 2018)

LEO JACKSON REMEMBERED

Leo Jackson, who played lead guitar for Jim Reeves,  died 10 years ago, today. A floral tribute from the fan club will be put on his grave today.  As soon as we receive a picture of the floral tribute, a link to it will be put on this website.    

Please  click here to  read about it

 

29 APRIL 2018

LESS LEVERETT'S  GRAND OLE OPRY PICTURES (1960-1992) WILL BE FEATURED IN A NEW EXHIBITION

91 Year old Les Leverett was the Grand Ole Opry's official   photographer from 1960 to 1992. Les wrote a letter to me yesterday,  informing me that tomorrow, April 30, opens an exhibition of his work, including some pictures which has never seen before. The new exhibit "Family Reunion: The Opry Photo Album 1960-1992 will run to October 31 and will be staged at the Acuff House, a home built for country music legend Roy Acuff, built on the Opry grounds, who lived there from 1983 till his death in 1992.

Mr. Leverett did not mention if any of his photographs featuring Jim Reeves will be featured in that exhibition.  Fans will likely remember a picture of Jim Reeves and his dog Cheyenne. That picture was originally a black & white photograph. Less did such a wonderful job hand colouring that picture. It was first used for the front cover of the album LSP-3987 A TOUCH OF SADNESS , which was released in 1968.  In 1975 RCA France used a cropped version  with enhanced colour of that picture for the front cover of a Jim Reeves compilation album "Blue side of Lonesome" .

 

 

To view a larger picture of the cover of the French album   - click  here

13 APRIL 2018  

DID YOU KNOW  JIM ONCE SENT A TELEGRAM TO BOB LUMAN AT THE SHOWBOAT HOTEL?

Jim sent a telegram to Joyce Gray (Jackson) so she would send a demo record of 'SHEPARD OF LOVE' to Bob Luman at the Showboat Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

To view it - click  here

 

1 APRIL 2018

(reposted with the correct url)

PICTURE OF MARY REEVES ON 'THE  NASHVILLE TENNESSEAN' ARTICLE ABOUT THE 1968 GRAMMY AWARDS

Go to Photo #11 on the slide show and you will see John Hartford. In the background, on the left side, you will see Jim Ed Brown, Bud Logan, who was Mary's fiancée at the time, and Mary Reeves.

The 10th annual Grammy Awards dinner and show took place in the National Guard Amory in Nashville on February 29, 1968.

The coveted awards also were presented at simultaneous banquets in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. The event here was presented by the Nashville chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, with Buddy Killen as president of the local chapter. The festivities were broadcast by WSIX but not televised.

To read about it in the Tennessean and view the slide show- click  here

 

31 MARCH 2018

 

 

 

29 MARCH 2018

DOTTIE WEST HAS BEEN ELECTED TO THE COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME

Ricky Skaggs, Dottie West and Johnny Gimble are this year's inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Dottie West wrote the song IS THIS ME? which Jim Reeves recorded on November 22, 1962. It became a No. 3 hit. Jim Reeves helped to secure a recording contract with RCA. Dottie recorded two duets with Jim Reeves on December 17, 1963; LOVE IS NO EXCUSE, and 'LOOK WHO'S TALKING', in a session in which the song A NICKEL PIECE OF CANDY also was recorded.
 

Dottie West died as the result of a car accident on September 4, 1991, at the age of 58.
 

To read about it in the Tennessean - click  here

 

19 FEBRUARY 2018

The disgusting recent attack  on an American Jim Reeves Forum  indicates  total ignorance of those who were around a long time ago and accuses any visitor to the Dutch site of being a party to "Puerility." This site does not attract the childish or tout the trivial. It's been around just as long as that authoritarian "ONLY" site.

This site makes regular contributions of new information about Jim Reeves through our "Did You Khttp://jimreevesfanclub.com/blueside.jpg">here

Every year, we make sure that flowers are placed on the final resting places of Jim and Mary Reeves.  Interesting and informative articles relating to Jim Reeves appear on this site, and especially in our printed fan club magazine. All this is done without promoting any items for sale. The only thing we promote is Jim Reeves.

 

24 FEBRUARY 2018

 

DID YOU KNOW LEO WAS 14 YEARS OLD WHEN HE AUDITIONED FOR JIM REEVES?!
 

In an interview with Leo Jackson,  which was filmed at the porch of the Jim Reeves Museum in Madison,Tennessee, for the British TVS television program "Gentleman Jim Reeves", Leo was asked when and how he met Jim Reeves. Leo told that he was short of his 15th Birthday when he was auditioned by Jim Reeves at the house of the Ross family.

If what Leo said is to be believed, and we have no reason not to believe him, citing his birth year as circa 1938, then it casts doubts on his stated birth year of 1934. It is known Jim Reeves bragged on the fact that Leo was only 15 when he joined him, but it was never taken seriously by authors and historians, and no proof of this was ever found.

Birth certificates are surely in the possession of members of Leo's family, which will shed more light on the mystery. One thing is certain - the debate is set to linger on.

 

21 FEBRUARY 2018

DID YOU KNOW THAT AFTER JIM'S DEATH, BRITISH AND CONTINENTAL JIM REEVES FANS CORRESPONDED WITH RELATIVES OF JIM AND MARY REEVES?

To read about it - click  here

 

6 February 2018