John King 1947-2010

Kingsport native, and my high school biology lab partner, Johnny King, died Tuesday after a short illness. John was a great drummer and great friend. He played drums on the platinum award winning Steve Miller album "The Joker" and during his career played with everyone from Elton John to the Beach Boys.

John went to the doctor Oct. 3 with a chest cold. X-rays revealed he had stage 4 kidney cancer. He died three weeks later without suffering.

Here is a link to The Joker video.

There's been controversy over the years about the word "pompatus" in the lyrics. John told me he thought Steve Miller just made it up. I found this online story about how actor Jon Cryer tracked down the meaning in the nineties after starring in a movie called "The Pompatus of Love."

The Grand Ole Opry Comes to Kingsport - 1935

Click here to see what the 1935 Opry show might have been like.

Here are the Fruit Jar Drinkers from 1955.

And here are Sam and Kirk McGee from a 1967 show.

Here's another act that may have performed in Kingsport that night, the Crook Brothers, from 1966.

D-B Teacher Caricatures - from Class of 1960's 50th Reunion

How many can you identify?
(These are life size! Click to enlarge)

1953 Kingsport News (the morning paper) comics

The Andy Griffith Show premiered Oct. 3, 1960

Everett Greenbaum and his writing partner Jim Fritzell wrote three dozen scripts for the show. Everett essentially created the character of Gomer Pyle.