OT: Faron Young, Just Out Of Reach

Folks, I started a new thread with this song.

It appears that Faron Young first recorded Just Out Of Reach in 1952 or 1953.

Great version from a legendary C & W artist.

Dean
Just Out Of Reach

Faron was a hell raiser. I had heard he and George Jones used to fight backstage t the Opry and other venues. Rollin around on the floor, going at it !!

That would have been fun to see, Slim.

Dean

No more Country Music anymore. Watched part of CMT Music Festival the other night and had to turn the channel. It all sounds the same with the performers dressed like they can't afford good clothes. Just plain stinks. Thank goodness for Willies Roadhouse on Satellite Radio.

I heard him sing at the Days of 76 in Deadwood South Dakota in the mid seventies.First concert I ever attended.My how time flies.

(quoted from post at 08:42:11 08/11/18) Folks, I started a new thread with this song.

It appears that Faron Young first recorded Just Out Of Reach in 1952 or 1953.

Great version from a legendary C & W artist.

Dean
Just Out Of Reach

Click to expand...

Farron was a good customer and friend of mine. I met him a a bar on Music Row back in the 70s. He was past his prime career wise by then but was still quite a character. Usually would see him and Charley Dick (Patsy Cline's husband) out bar hopping. I sold him (and many others) tshirts and merchandise to sell on the road at shows. Met alot of the "old timers" but they are just about all gone now. Only one I still sell in country music is Loretta Lynn.

Faron Young was one of a large group of country artists who grew up in and around Shreveport: Young, Jim Reeves, Johnny Horton, Floyd Cramer, Nat Stuckey, Claude King, the Wilburn Brothers, Webb Pierce, James Burton. They formed the nucleus of the headliners of the "Louisiana Hayride", the Shreveport venue that launched the careers of these and other stars, including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, George Jones, Slim Whitman, Red Sovine and others. Hank Williams was not a native of Shreveport (though Hank Jr. was born here), but he spent a lot of time here singing at the Hayride.

Ironically, though the Hayride gave Elvis his first big break, he greatly contributed to the death of the Hayride by splitting the audience. By the time Elvis ended his two-year contract with the Hayride it could never regain the traditional country fans that formed its original base.

An interesting story is that Faron Young was dating a local beauty named Billy Jean Jones, but he made the mistake of introducing her to Hank Williams. Story goes that at some point Hank pulled a gun on Faron and informed him that from that point forward, Billie Jean was no longer Faron's girl. In 1952 Hank and Billie Jean married at a small town east of Shreveport, then again on stage at the Hayride--twice. Hank died a few months later, and Billie Jean set her sights on Johnny Horton. They married and remained here until Horton's death in the 1960s. Billie Jean used to be quite the sight about town, tooling around in her big white Excalibur. She lived next door to a friend of mine for many years, but has since moved into a local nursing home.

Faron was quite a ladies' man--threats on his life notwithstanding. A former girlfriend of mine was attending an event where Faron was present. He spotted her and approached with some line or the other. He then asked her how old she was; she told him "sixteen". He smiled and handed her a quarter. "Call me when you're eighteen", he said.