We lost another Great Talent on Nov 17th when 75 year old Don Gibson closed his song book and went home. I don’t imagine Don considered himself a poet? But he was. His poems put to music were as good as Robert Frost. Henry W Longfellow or Walt Whitman.
Don Gibson was born in Shelby, N.C. on April 3rd 1928. He said he loved music from an early age and was influenced by Red Foley and Tennessee Ernie Ford. He formed a band in high school called the “Son’s Of The Soil”.
Now that’s about as ground level as it gets. It seems to me if your band has a connection to the earth you might have an idea or two about what makes the world go around? And that could be a big help writing down to earth songs.
Don worked night clubs in and around Knoxville and at some point Wesley Rose caught one of Don’s performance’s and signed him to a writing contract. Rose brought Don to Chet Atkins who signed him to RCA Records.
As the world knows now Don Gibson had great writing ability and had written “OH Lonesome Me”. Don’s writing ability was like no other artist. He wrote with a feeling that touch’s people down deep inside making a person say to themselves, why didn’t I think of that?
Don Gibson was always two days and three miles ahead of us and that included every song writer in Nashville. Don put poems to music so the rest of us “Folks” could get in touch with our feelings. He wrote we identified with the songs meaning. The song “Legend in my time” has a line that goes like this. If they gave gold statuettes for tears and regrets I’d be a Legend in my time. A statue is a three dimensional work of art as a representation of that person.
When Don wrote” Legend in my time ” he wrote it in three dimension’s putting the message across knowing he and every one of us had, had some regrets in our life, so much so we would all be “Famous” if for no other reason than for the the dump and stupid things we have done.
It’s been said he wrote “Oh Lonesome Me” and I can’t stop loving you” in Nashville and I’ve heard he wrote them Knoxville in a trailer park when he worked at WNOX. No matter where he wrote the songs no other country artist has written two hit songs in one day.
Many of Don Gibson’s songs have been recorded by other artists. Faron Young and Patsy Cline both had hits on “Sweet Dreams”. When Don recorded “Oh Lonesome Me”. in 1957 it went to No. 1 and was the beginning of “The Nashville Sound”.
He had other hits: “Blue Blue Day”, “Sea Of Heartbreak”, “Lonesome No. 1″ and others. With Fame came problems, alcohol and drugs Don Gibson had his share with both.
With a successful second marriage he got back on track and turned his personal life into as much success as his writing.
In his Lifetime Don Gibson charted 82 songs, three went to No. 1: “Oh Lonesome Me”, Blue Blue Day” and “Woman ( Sensuous Woman)”. He was inducted into the Nashville song Writers Hall Of Fame in 1973 and inducted into The Country Music Hall Of Fame in 2001. Over One Hundred and Fifty artist have recorded “I Can’t Stop Loving You”. Including “Elvis” and Ray Charles. The most Famous being Ray Charles – the song became a smash hit for Charles. Both Ray Charles and Don Gibson received a Gold Record for “I Can’t Stop Loving You”. We will miss the talents of Don Gibson and the Heavens will be just a little dimmer because another Star is gone.

-Widmarc Clark