Leon Rhodes | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1932-03-10)March 10, 1932 Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | December 9, 2017(2017-12-09) (aged 85) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Guitar |
| Years active | 1948–2014 |
| Formerly of | The Texas Troubadours The Opry Band Hee Haw band |
Leon Rhodes (March 10, 1932 – December 9, 2017) was an Americancountry music musician. A guitarist, he primarily played behindErnest Tubb as part of the Texas Troubadours and later was ahouse band member for the television programsGrand Ole Opry andHee Haw. Rhodes also played as asession musician for various country singers such asWillie Nelson,Waylon Jennings,Loretta Lynn,George Strait, andJohn Denver, among others.
Rhodes was regarded as one of the foremost country guitarists of his era for his quickness and accuracy. During his time with the Troubadours, Rhodes developed recognition as Tubb would often introduce him by name prior to hisguitar solos.[1]
Leon Rhodes was born on March 10, 1932, inDallas,Texas. He was born into a musically inclined family as his father, James Edward Rhodes, played the guitar andharmonica while his mother, May Rhodes (née Meharg), was apianist. Rhodes began to teach himself to play guitar at the age of ten.[2] Rhodes and his family werePentecostalists, and he played at dances for his church.[3]
When Rhodes was 16 years old, he was hired for his first job in the music industry as a member of "The Big D Jamboree" radio program on Dallas stationKRLD. He received his first recording opportunities in the 1950s, when he worked as asession musician for fellow TexansLefty Frizzell andRay Price. Rhodes also played at the Silver Spur Club and theLonghorn Ballroom for ownerJack Ruby, the man later known for killingLee Harvey Oswald in the wake of theassassination of John F. Kennedy.[1][4]
In 1959, Rhodes played a set at the Longhorn Ballroom prior to an evening performance at the venue byErnest Tubb and the Texas Troubadours. One of the Troubadours, steel guitaristBuddy Emmons, asked Rhodes to play in Tubb's style and invited him to work with the band inNashville. Rhodes initially turned down the offer but eventually agreed to partake in a two-week tour with the band. By 1960, he was hired as the lead guitarist for the group. He toured with the Troubadours for 200 to 300 days a year and recorded with them. Rhodes was credited on 12 Tubb albums, includingThanks a Lot (1964) andMy Pick of the Hits (1965). Rhodes also backed Tubb onMr. and Mrs. Used to Be, a 1965 collaborative album withLoretta Lynn. In 1966, Rhodes and several of his Troubadour bandmates worked withWillie Nelson on his albumCountry Favorites – Willie Nelson Style.Another Story, the final Troubadours project involving Rhodes, was released in 1967 and was the band's most successful studio album as it peaked at sixth onBillboard magazine'sTop Country Albums chart. Rhodes left the Troubadours in December 1966.[3]
A week after departing the Texas Troubadours, Rhodes joined thehouse band for the Nashville-based television programGrand Ole Opry in 1967. At the time, Jimmy "Spider" Wilson was the only other guitarist on the staff, and other contemporaries during his arrival included pianist Jerry Whitehurst, bassist Roy Huskey, and fiddler Ed Hyde. Rhodes was already familiar with most of the artists on the show from his time touring with Tubb.[3]
In 1971, Rhodes joined the house band for the Nashville-based television showHee Haw, working concurrently with hisOpry stint. On March 16, 1974, during the opening of the newGrand Ole Opry House, Rhodes played for a crowd that included U.S. presidentRichard Nixon and First LadyPat Nixon.[2] The same year, he played bass guitar forWaylon Jennings onThe Ramblin' Man, which peaked at third on the country charts. Between 1975 and 1976, Rhodes appeared on two albums for Buddy Emmons, his original Troubadours scout.[5]
In 1981, Rhodes played bass forJohn Denver's albumSome Days Are Diamonds,B. J. Thomas'sSome Love Songs Never Die, andDon McLean'sBelievers. In 1983, Rhodes worked withGeorge Strait onRight or Wrong, a country chart-topper that received aplatinum certification from theRecording Industry Association of America.[5]
In 1991, Rhodes departed from theHee Haw staff after spending two decades on the show.[3] In 2003, Rhodes and several other longtime staff members were fired byOpry manager Pete Walker in an attempt to reinvigorate the show's popularity with an appeal to younger audiences.[6] In 2014, Rhodes retired from his music career and was subsequently honored by theCountry Music Hall of Fame and Museum in its "Nashville Cats" series.[1]
Rhodes met his wife, Judith Arndt Rhodes, while touring with the Troubadours – the two were married in January 1965. Rhodes had eight children. At the time of his death, he had 25 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.[1][2] Rhodes was raised in aPentecostalist family and remained aChristian throughout his life.[3]
Rhodes died on the morning of December 9, 2017, at his home in theNashville neighborhood ofDonelson. His death was mourned online by country musiciansCharlie Daniels andElizabeth Cook, among others.[7]
Rhodes has been considered one of the greatest country music guitarists of all time due to his stint backingErnest Tubb with the Texas Troubadours and his decades-long career as a sideman and session musician in Nashville.Vince Gill said that "Leon Rhodes can play circles around most guitar players."[6]Eddie Stubbs said of Rhodes and the Troubadours that "they were what every hillbilly band at the time wanted to be, but wasn't."[1]
Rhodes was given the Super Picker Award byThe Recording Academy in 1976 and was honored in a joint resolution in theTennessee General Assembly authored by state representativeBen West Jr. in 2010.[2][8]