W.S. HOLLAND
W.S. (Fluke) Holland was born in Saltillo. At age 10 he moved to nearby Sardis. Holland's music career began in 1954 at Sun Records in Memphis when he was drummer for Carl Perkins. Holland played on all of Perkins' Sun releases including the original Blue Suede Shoes, which was the first record to go to number one on all three charts. He was also drummer on the Million Dollar Quartet session, which consisted of Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis. They also toured as a package group for two or three years.
In 1960 Holland joined Johnny Cash, and The Tennessee Two became The Tennessee Three. He played on all of Cash's hits including Folsom Prison, I Walk the Line, and Ring of Fire. He was the first drummer to play a full set of drums on the Grand Ole Opry. In addition to being the first country act to play Carnegie Hall, Holland and the Johnny Cash Show also performed for four United States presidents and the Queen of England.
Holland remained with Johnny Cash as drummer and tour manager until 1997 when Cash retired due to illness. Cash nicknamed Holland Father of the Drums. He has been inducted into the Rock-A-Billy Hall of Fame in Jackson. He has received Grammy Awards for Blue Suede Shoes and Ring of Fire.
Holland continues to tour worldwide doing Johnny Cash tribute shows. I've been doing this for 54 years, and I'm going to do it another 54, Holland said.
RANDALL WALLACE
Randall Wallace is an American screenwriter, producer and director. He was born July 28, 1949 in Jackson, and he visits relatives in Henderson and Chester counties every two or three years. Wallace's mother, Evelyn Page, who is from Henderson County, resides in Lynchburg, VA.
Wallace was nominated for an Oscar for the Best Original Screenplay with his script for Braveheart. He also has written, directed, and/or produced several television shows and movies
MURRAY FRANKLIN 'BUDDY' CANNON
Born in Henderson County, Murray Franklin ('Buddy') Cannon, 61, played electric bass guitar in Grand Ole Opry star Bob Luman's band in the early '70s. He also played bass guitar in Tillis' band and wrote for Tillis.
Two years ago Cannon was named Producer of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards show. Cannon has helped launch the careers of stars such as Shania Twain, Sammy Kershaw and Billy Ray Cyrus.
Cannon has received gold album awards for several songs, produced an album on Willie Nelson, and he wrote a song for George Strait called Give It Away, which was named the Song of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards show in Las Vegas last year. It was also voted the Song of the Year at the Country Music Awards show in Nashville last November. Recently Cannon completed a Kenny Chesney album, and he is producing an album on Ash Bowers from Henderson, Tennessee, which will be released in early 2008.
CYNTHIA RHODES
Cynthia Rhodes, dancer/actress/singer/songwriter, was born in Nashville. She resides in Chicago and has roots in Henderson County.
Rhodes garnered her first non-dance-related role in Michael Crichton's science fiction thriller Runaway, opposite Tom Selleck, Kirstie Alley, and Gene Simmons. Her highest profile role was her character Penny Johnson in the hit movie Dirty Dancing, opposite Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze.
Her talents as a dancer were seen in music videos such as Woman in You by the Bee Gees, and Don't Mean Nothing by Richard Marx. In 2002, Rhodes co-wrote the smooth jazz track, Perfect Day with husband Richard Marx for trumpet virtuoso Chris Botti's holiday album titled December.
Henderson County lays claim to a well-known screenwriter, a professional dancer, and many songwriters, producers, and musicians who were born in Henderson County or who have relatives they visit in this county.
WHITNEY DUNCAN
When she's not writing, recording, performing, or on a radio tour, Whitney Duncan, 24, enjoys visiting her parents in her hometown of Scotts Hill.
At age 15, Duncan began making trips to Nashville to pursue a career in country music. Duncan was influenced by the music of Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Shania Twain.
She co-wrote the song, My World Is Over. Kenny Rogers heard the song, and in the summer of 2004 a video with Rogers was shot on St. Simons Island, Ga. Duncan toured with Rogers in the summer and fall of 2004.
Duncan is working with Mark Bright and John Shanks, who won a Grammy for Producer of the Year in 2005. He produced Kelly Clarkson, Bon Jovi, Celine Dion, and Melissa Etheridge.
The greatest thing that happened from being named one of five finalists on the Nashville Star show last year was that I made fans who are still my fans today, Duncan said.
Currently, Duncan is on a national radio tour promoting her new single, When I Said I Would. It's going great, Duncan said. I've literally been gone 7 weeks every single day.
Recently Duncan cut a holiday song, All I Want for Christmas Is You, first written and recorded by Mariah Carey.
LARRY CAMPBELL
Larry Campbell is a multi-instrumentalist who has been a studio musician, recording music with other artists on their albums, and a respected sideman, performing as a backup musician in clubs and concert venues since the seventies. He moves freely between rock, blues, country, folk and Celtic, playing guitar, fiddle, mandolin, pedal steel, cittern, dobro and banjo. In 2005, he released his first solo acoustic guitar album called Rooftops.
Campbell has had extensive experience as a studio musician. Over the past few years he has recorded with Levon Helm, Judy Collins, Linda Thompson, Sheryl Crow, B.B. King and Willie Nelson.
As a sideman, Campbell is probably best known for the time spent in Bob Dylan's band. Campbell was a member of Bob Dylan's Never Ending Tour band from March 1997 until November 2004
Since his departure from Dylan's band, Campbell has continued to make guest appearances with various artists including Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris and Roseanne Cash. In September Campbell won the Lifetime Achievement, Instrumentalist award at the 2008 Americana Music Awards show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
My wife and I are working on our own CD, which should be completed by late December, and I'm working with Phil Lesh."
Campbell, who was born in 1955 in New York City, likes nothing better than visiting his property in Henderson County, the home of his vocalist/actress wife. What I want to do more than anything is just spend a few weeks down there (in Henderson County). I hope the opportunity arises soon!
RAYMOND PARKER CREASY JR.
Musician Raymond Creasy, 56, plays banjo, fiddle, guitar, flute, harmonica and mandolin. He was born in Jackson and grew up in Lexington and Sardis.
Named Tennessee state banjo champion for two consecutive years, Creasy performed with the late Carl Perkins, and he has worked in Nashville and hosted his own television show in Albuquerque, N.M.
I started making records in the early 1970s, and I have cut over 14 albums, Creasy said.
Creasy performs in Branson, MO., mostly at Silver Dollar City. He has a recording studio beside his home near Mountain View, Ark., where he makes his own music videos. A recent video is titled Fusion.
Creasy has 2 new CDS, one of which is a live CD, Free Form, cut with his wife, Sue. He also has a new DVD and 10 new videos on YouTube of the new live CD. I did a banjo anthology CD recently due to the many requests for me to do this, Creasy said. I went back over 30 years to my first solo record in 1978."
The last one was recorded in January of this year. There are 15 songs covering 30 years, from 1978-2008. The title of the album is Rippling Banjo Fingerworks, in honor of the late Delores Ballard, a writer for The Jackson Sun, who used that phrase when writing an article about Creasy.
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