The Blog of Death

in 1957 it was either elvis presley or don gibson, even today i still listen to don gibsons songs,i think every one holds a memory.
favourites.........lonely street, its too soon to know, heartbreak avenue, and a little known song called good morning dear
dave jones

The first time I heard Don sing back in 1958 I was hooked and nothing has changed thru the years. The all time favorite has to be the one and only "I Can't Stop LOving You". "It's Too Soon To Know", the powerful "Legend In My Time", "Blue Blue Day", "Sweet Dreams", the list goes on and on. He never sang a bad song. This man had more talent in his little finger than most people do. No one could play a guitar quite like Don. Lord will he be missed!!!

I used to be a Webb Pierce man. Then I heard Don Gibson. The man literally never wrote a bad song. Not once. The only man I respect more is George Jones but that's just because I am so damn jealous of that voice. Give me some Don Gibson, a barstool and some cold beer and I am one happy fellar. I betcha right now, ol' Don is playing guitar with Roy, Johnny, Hank and Chet in a honkytonk in heaven.

It was 1962 and I was in the eighth grade and my mom sent me away for the summer to Reno, Nevada to live with my uncle and make a man out of me. I worked all day at his shop, and after work was over had nothing to do, but listen to music. I heard this guy who reminded me of Elvis, but with more soul, and I instantly became hooked. I still listen to Don Gibson at 57, and he is my all-time favorite country singer. They don't make 'em like that anymore.

No one could sing gospel songs as good as Don Gibson. His "My God Is Real" album is awesome; especially the song "Satisfied". He was one of my very favorites. We lost a great talent when we lost Don Gibson. But he left us with some of the greatest music ever. I can't say enough about Don Gibson. I wish I could have met him.

One of the nicest, soulful, creative writers ever. I'm glad to have crossed paths with such a creative person. Wonderful, touching music. We are all blessed because of his life.

I've listened to, and sung songs written by Don gibson for over 30 years, and never grown tired of them. My father, a lifelong fab, died in December last year, I can't listen to some of the songs now without bitter\sweet memories, a trademark of the writing talent Gibson had to make you feel such empathy. A great loss to music, he was an unassuming giant in his field.

Don,together with Elvis and Jim Reeves is my favourite singer of all times.Miss him a lot.Always great to listen to his beautiful songs.

My very first 45 rpm record, bought in 1959, was "Oh, lonesome me". In 1979 I wrote him a letter telling how much his songs had meant to me, and he sent me a very nice personal letter, a signed photo and his latest album! He is still my absolute favourite.

I first heard Don Gibson On the Ralph Emery (Midnight show)on WSM in Nashville. I had just been assigned to the 799th A.C.& W. station at Joelton, TN. Loved his voice nad music. Later was a disk jockey at a base radio station in Northern Newfoundland, you can Bet the troops heard a lot of "That Gibson Boy" album. I Like all his music but was attracted to one "It Didn't Work Out Did It" I Think he never got the acclaim he should. Miss him much

Wanted too see if anyone knows of a place where all of Dons songs are listed?

Thank goodness Dad heard that Ralph Emery show! I grew up on country (thank you, Pop) and Don Gibson was and is my all time favorite. Like the others here I found his songs simple yet moving. The melodies are haunting and I think his voice was fantastic... so smooth and soulful. He IS a legend to me. I only wish I could get a copy of the album "I Wrote a Song" on DVD! Apparently RCA isn't letting that one out. :(

Don Gibson was possibly the most underated country music artist of all time. A lot has been said about the many people who covered his songs, but even the great Patsy Cline & Ray Charles couldn't do a Don song like Don could. His voice & guitar playing were unique, and his recorded works one of the great bodies of work in 20th century music. Simply wonderful!

for Jerry Swanson, as posted in March, you might try the following:
http://www.lyrics007.com/Don%20Gibson%20Lyrics.html
His music is timeless and sure miss him.

For Dennis moore, Thanks for the information on Dons Lyrics.I had forgotton how many he wrote.

sad to know that don is no more liked all his memorable song a legend in his time.

hope to hear from u soon as don gibson was n still is my greatest singer.

i first heard don on sunday morning radio forces
favourites i was 9 years old in the mid 1950s
just one time sold me on to country music for life

"i wrote a song" is one of the unsung masterworks of country music--in an era (i.e., early 60's) when the pedal-steel reigned, it is a spare, understated tour de force of sheer talent. gibson discarded all the usual bells and whistles on this album, depending instead on his songwriting skills, mellow voice and 12-string virtuosity--i.e., sheer talent--distilling his best songs down to their bare essence, in a way that's never been done before or since. it's an album i still savor, 40-some-odd years later.

yeah, it's an artifact from my childhood, obscure and unrecognized, but so what? i'll gladly stack it up against any collection of work by any contemporary "country" artist you could possibly name.

Grand Ole Opry for 25 years, loved Don Gibson, worked many, many shows with Don and played for him on many. An absolute Legend and a giant talent. Wonderful memories. Ron Elliott, steel guitar player

First heard 'Just One Time' which really turned me on to Don Gibson, it's still my favourite. His song-writing, singing and recordings were tops. Greatly underestimated here in the UK. Saw him at Wembley C&W Festival, wish I'd have gone backstage.

Don Gibson was,very simply,an American Treasure!he was a TREMENDOUS country western artist and he wrote my favorite country/western song of all time,my favorite that will 'ever' be, ' I CANT STOP LOVING YOU',in 1958.I have played RAY CHARLES genius version of this song for 45 years,and it bring tears to my eyes to this day! as it always will! i can remember singing this song walking through the woods in Hudson NY when i was 9 years old ! DON'S version of the song he wrote,is equally great, and i,for 45 years,enjoyed 'both' versions...and Don further went on to write songs for 4 of my 'ABSOLUTE' favorite singers, ever, namely :the great PATSY CLINE,JOHNNY CASH, RAY CHARLES,ELVIS PRESLEY ! Folks, it doesnt get better than this ! Don was a legend in the most 'unforgettable ' era of country music history, that wondrous time CIRCA 1955---1963, when 'all' the greats were still with us ! Don, enjoy that beer, buddy, with our old friends, Patsy, Elvis, Johnny,Roy,Hank and Ray !

lifelong fan ... BRAD SAVAGE

Thank You so much for writing : ' I CANT STOP LOVING YOU !'

As I listen to Don singing "Streets Of Laredo" while writing this, it saddens me that he remains the most underrated country singer of all time. His plaintive baritone singing sad songs with that cry in his voice grabs my heart. I hope his greatness will be discovered by the masses again. He has always been my favorite country singer.

His arrangements were amazing. The grooves are so tight and there is always something fantastic happening in the sonic landscape start to finish. Among the best recordings I have ever heard.

He was a genius. Have you ever heard "I can mend a broken heart"? He truly was a Legend in his time and his Legend still lives on...

Sea of heartbreak is one of the best songs of all time, I remember seeing him on Hee Haw.

anyone interested there are some postings on youtube by Don perhaps some of you could post more. He was the greatest as far as songwriter and singer even better,

I first heard Don while riding the school bus in 1958. I became an instance fan. I think I have all of his songs. Bear Records of Germany is putting all the old greats on CD's. Don is the GREATEST!!!! wcubschaefer@aol.com

Every song I have heard Don Gibson sing and play means so much.What a song writer,What a voice.My late brother and I used to play and sing his songs in the early 60s. I still play his songs,[I will Always,Sea of Heartbreak,Oh Lonesome Me,Have Myself a Party,Cant stop Loving You,Sweet Dreams,Etc,Etc,[to name but a few],He will always be a legend In My Time.From all his Fans in the UK,Don is Country Music.The Greatest.

My father was a big fan of Don, I grew up in the 1960's listening to hits like 'Sea of heartbreak' , 'oh lonesome me', etc. One song my dad really love was 'Oh such A Stranger', my dad passed away a year after Don, I still listen to Don with bitter sweet memories, he was master of the simple, but very effective lyric and melody. 'Worth it all , it was worth it all'. Great man, great songs, great loss.

I am only 23 years old but after hearing Don Gibson I can't stop listening to him. He was indeed a "Legend in his Time" and he would be a legend today. Simple Words - Powerful Emotions. Though he sings sad songs they have a joyful beat to them. I prefer him over Elvis and all other country artists.. He is the best country artist. I like all his songs, especially "Sea of a Heartbreak". He has not gotten the recognition he deserved but he is the best.

I didn't know this site was here. So glad to find it. I just happened upon it. I'm always googling something that I want to know about him. I'm working here in my office, listening to hours and hours of his music, as I always do, and just wondered what he had passed away from, so I googled and found this and that. I have been totally in love with Don since way back in the 50's. Heard him lots in the late 40's as he and I were from the same area. He was a few years older than I was. I grew up in Gastonia, 20 miles from Shelby, and where he used to sing, with his band, on our little local radio station. I don't think it got out much farther than Gastonia and Shelby. Charlotte probably had us overpowered. But, we were glad to hear Don any way we could. Even on my 45's played on my little suitcase record player that Santa brought to me one Christmas. All of these years later, here I am still playing and loving his music. There will absolutely never be another one like him. Once in a lifetime does someone of his caliber come along. Maybe some day, if we keep this up and his name in the media, other people will discover him and appreciate him as much as we of his greatest fans do. What else does a person have to do to be elected into the CMHOF? I couldn't believe it took them so long. Especially with some of those elected ahead of him.
As Ray Price, another one way overdue for his election, said the night he was inducted, "It's About Time".
What I don't understand is if they could induct 12 the year they inducted Don, then why couldn't they have inducted him in a previous year when they inducted just 1 or 2 or 3??. It would have been a wonderful tribute for him, to know how much he was loved by his fans. Something just AIN'T right here. He could have enjoyed the recognition for a little longer. And who, pray tell, has ever contributed more than Don did to keep country music country? Those in the know in Nashville, even say so.
I don't think his music will ever be dated. It still sounds like it did to me years and years ago. Of course, that might just be me. It's too bad young people this day and age can't listen to it. They don't have a clue who Don Gibson is. But some of those freaky names my grands come up with around me, they know all about. I don't even let them play that head banging stuff around me. I will never forget Don and how much I have always loved listening to him singing and picking. Yes, he was a great guitarist as well as singer. I have always been able to understand every word he sings. Can't say that about some.
If anyone out there has any idea about where I could purchase DVD's with Don in them, I would appreciate you sharing the information with me. I miss seeing him. I wish all of the time that I had the foresight to tape some of the shows I saw him on.

To say Don Gibson was underrated is an understatement. I'm a life-long country music fan but never heard Don sing until just a couple years before he died while I was in my car. It was "Woman Sensuous Woman." I searched an 80 mile radius for nearly a year before I found it on one of his DVDs. Sad to say that I no longer listen to the so-called country music they call hits played by tone-deaf DJs on the radio. The songs they grind out now all sound the same. Don's songs has meaningful lyrics and great music.

The time: July, 1976, mid afternoon
The place: Dirt road in north Missouri
The Age: 14 yrs old
The Event: Driving an old pickup pulling a hay wagon
The Song: Sea of Heartbreak
The Radio Station: KWMT, Fort Dodge, IA
The Memory: all of it, when I hear Sea of Heartbreak again... the sound and feel of the truck, the sight of the cloud of dust behind, the smell of freshly baled hay. And that peaceful, easy feeling of all's right with the world at just that time and that place.

DON GIBSON WAS A LEDGEN IN HIS TIME ,A QUIET ,ROMANTIC GUY, AS A WRITER ,AN POET OF KENTUCKY, WAS GLAD TO KNOW HIM. LOVE HIS SONG IN DECATED ION WAS SEA OF A HEART-BREAK WILL ALWAYS LOVE HIM .

I've just come across this site and am so pleased to know there are so many others who feel as I do about Don Gibson, his awesome talent and incredible ability as a guitarist. His beautiful voice makes every song he sings believable. It seems incredible, but here in Australia, where I am, I haven't come across anyone who even knows who Don Gibson is... My greatest regret is that I never got to see him in person, and there are no DVDs available of his performances. My tribute to him is to visit Shelby for a week in November 2008 for the fifth anniversary of his death, to see where he was born and grew up, and is finally at rest. I hope when I get to Nashville I'll find a way to actually get to Shelby. I know there's a bus to Charlotte, but that's about it. I'd love to hear if there are any conducted tours that go there.

What a pity Don didn't re-record his early songs as he matured and developed his own distinctive style. I still enjoy playing the early Sons of the Soil, and King Cotton Kinfolk songs.

I am a great fan of Hank Snow .Hank , like other singers , covered Don Gibsons songs.I was going through a lot of Hanks songs and was amazed that he had covered Legend in My Own Time.Now I love every song that Hank has sung through his long career and Legend was no exception.However, no one ever sang this song like Don Gibson.He was a unique song writer and a great singer .

since i was a kid i grew up with a diverse taste in music from some classical to rocknroll and country thanks to my Dad

when my dad died i was going though some of his music and i came across some tracks of Don's and i was hooked again i remembered them being played on my dads stero and they brought back some good memorrys my favs are Sea of heart break and Just one Time great tunes

great memorries thanks Don Gibson

Hank Snow also had a big hit with "Moving On" and Don had a great verson that had much more soul than Hanks did.Jerry Swanson S.L.O. California

Don did a wonderful job on "Moving On" another song he shared with Hank Snow.

If you want to hear a classic, get the Roy Orbison CD "Roy Orbison sings Don Gibson" released on 1/1/67(you can still find copies). It was recorded forty years ago, and is as fresh as yesterday.

There has been so much said about Don and country music, rightfully so. I am a child of Rock-n-Roll growing up in the fifties listening to Elvis, Johnny, Jerry Lee, Roy, Buddie ets. etc. But my favorite song being played on the station along with songs by the above mentioned was Oh, lonesome me. It was a monster early rnr hit. I had no clue that Don was a local. I lived in Charlotte at the time. Over the next 40 years I would run into him a few times and he was a very friendly guy. When you go over the list of hits he wrote it is simply incredible one guy had that much talent

I visited Shelby, NC, last week on the fifth anniversary of Don Gibson's death on 17 November 2003. It was my personal celebration of his life and incredible talent. When the Don Gibson Theatre opens, hopefully next year, I iwll be there. If you can possibly visit Shelby, go to the Sunset Cemetery and see the green marble monument Don's wife, Bobbi Gibson, has erected in his memory. Words can't do it justice. You have to see it to believe it. Believe it's well worth the visit.

my mother catherine porter hambright dated him he was a wonderful person and singer.i grew up in shelby .