Danny Dill

Danny Dill enjoyed one of the most remarkable second acts in country music history -- after splitting with wife and longtime Grand Ole Opry duet partner Annie Lou Stockard, he abandoned his career as a performer in favor of composing and crafted some of the most indelible songs in the American roots music canon, most notably "Long Black Veil" and "Detroit City." Born Horace Eldred Dill in Huntingdon, TN, on September 19, 1925, he launched his performing career as a teen, singing and playing guitar on a series of radio stations including WTJS in Jackson, MS; KLCN in Blytheville, AR; WNOX in Knoxville, TN; and WMC in Memphis, TN. In 1944 Dill signed on with famed country comedian Whitey Ford -- the so-called "Duke of Paducah" was also responsible for suggesting his new hire change his name to "Danny." In addition to talents including Salty Holmes, Barbara Jeffers, Jack Kenndal, and Ralph Caputo, the Ford road show included 18-year-old Annie Lou Stockard, whose sweet, innocent voice harmonized perfectly with Dill's own crystalline vocals -- off-stage, they began dating and soon married. When Ford headlined Nashville station WSM's celebrated Grand Ole Opry radio showcase in 1946, Annie Lou and Danny proved such a hit that the couple remained with the program for more than a decade. For a time, the duo also headlined their own WSM program, broadcast live each weekday morning at 5:30 a.m. In addition to their work with Ford and on the Opry, Annie Lou and Danny were featured on Hank Thompson's 1948 program Smoky Mountain Hayride, and served as regulars on Eddy Arnold's CBS series Hometown Reunion. The couple also toured in support of Ernest Tubb, and while Annie Lou soon curtailed her travel commitments to raise their daughter, Danny continued with Tubb on his own, even...