Faron Young

by Frank M. Roberts

February 2016

An oft-asked question is - of all the people youve met, do you have a favorite? I'm not sure if they are seeking my opinion about their musical talents or, what it was like visiting with them.

Well, one of the best singer/songwriters in the field of country music was Faron Young and, as far as the other side of the coin is concerned, he is top of the list.

He appeared once, sometimes twice a year at a Virginia Beach nightclub called Michaels, owned by Mike Christian who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. When he got out he had accrued enough money to open up his own place. Country music was his thing and, in those days I was reviewing the efforts of visiting stars in Hampton Roads, and Michael's was a regular stop. He bought in some good people. Faron, of course, was a regular guest.

When I hear the old-timers of this genre talking about people in the business, his name invariably comes up and, invariably, they will say something like - "I have a story about Faron, but I can't talk about it in public." He was a 'wild man' who got involved in more strange doings. For instance - oops - can't talk about that in public.

I remember one time he was in Mike's office fussing with an airline representative about a ticket problem. Boy, he gave him/her a lot of 'what for'. While he was fussing the representative out, he looked at me with a big ---- - eating grin.

In 2000 he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame for his line of hits in the '60s and '70s. He was categorized as a honky-tonk singer. After those decades, he achieved success as a businessman. He owned an office building, and a music publishing company.

As far as singing is concerned he was peerless. Minnie Pearl put it succinctly, saying that Faron "can take a show away from anybody he wants to, when he wants to. Few acts could touch him."

Faron, who was born in Shreveport, was the youngest of six kids. And, it was at an early age when he drove his siblings up the wall - in a nice way. Sister Dorothy remembered, "he sang all the time, he nearly drove us crazy." She added, "he was good from day one."

The singer's first audience? The family's cows. (He really 'moo-ved them). He appreciated their attentiveness, saying that he would sing a Hank Williams Sr. song, "and they'd just sit there chewing their cuds and looking at me."

His first human audiences came when he was still in high school and fronted Webb Pierce's band. At 19, he signed a contract with Capitol Records. On one hand, his music was on Billboard's charts; at the same time, he was enjoying (?) the rigors of basic training. He describes how he felt when he got his draft notice: "I cried like a rat eating a red onion." Well, not everything he said made sense.

At that time, Eddie Fisher was also in the Army, spending most of his time as a uniformed entertainer. When Fisher was discharged, Faron stepped up.

In a manner of speaking, he stayed in uniform as he dubbed himself, 'The Singing Sheriff' and, as such, he starred in four western flicks.

Among his many hits, these were some of the most popular: "If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin'), "Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young," and, of course, "Hello Walls."

He and his wife, Hilda Macon, daughter of an Army master sergeant, were wed 32 years before it was divorce time. They had four children.

He was noted for making hits of songs by unknown songwriters such as Willie Nelson, Don Gibson, and Bill Anderson. At one time, he had a great opening act - Elvis.

In the '90s the mod country crew was taking over, and he was bitter about the old-timers being put on the back burner. He retired in 1994, then suffered many health problems.

While he was an outspoken character, he made a few enemies but, he was well known for his generosity. His philosophy was, "it don't hurt you to help someone." While he was helping others, he was not helping himself. Drinking was a major problem and, there were enough family problems to create alienation among the Young family.

On Dec. 9, 1996 he put a .38 caliber pistol to his head. He died the next day.

--- A note about Michaels. His Virginia Beach club was one of the most successful in Hampton Roads. After his death, his daughter, Debbie took over but, the club went downhill and out of business. Mike died in a fire - from falling asleep while smoking a cigarette.

* * * *

Our future leaders - college students? Er - Ten per cent of college students believe that Judge Judy was on the Supreme Court. I know one of the schools - Duh University.

Here's one for those who are brighter than the above mentioned collegians: If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter 'A'? One thousand.

You will love this, especially if you're one of 'them'. "What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers have in common? They were all invented by women.

What's the only food that doesn't spoil? Tell you what, honey -- it's honey.

And - er - what's up doc? Mel Blanc was allergic to carrots.

Finally, watch your party guests. I don't know how this was figured out, but somebody found out that 40% of all people who come to a party snoop in your medicine cabinet.

And, if you have a science class, see how smart your teacher may be. There is a common everyday occurence that's composed of 59 per cent nitrogen, 21 per cent hydrogen, and 9 per cent dioxide. Putting it politely -- it's passing wind or, as they say in Iceland - el fart-o.