Don Byers’ Music Career Leads to Induction into Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame

Don Byers of Blairsville will experience a highlight of his country music career on November 27 when he is inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame. This signal honor, received two days after celebrating Thanksgiving 2010, will be a time of thanks for him and his family and friends as this country music artist is recognized and honored for significant contributions to the corpus of country music.

William Wordsworth (1770-1850). English poet, penned some words that seem appropriate to the occasion of Don Byers’ honor and recognition:

“Another race hath been, and other palms are won.
Thanks to the human heart by which we live,
Thanks to its tenderness, its joys and fears,
To me the meanest flower that blows can give
Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears.”

In the composition and performance of some of his country music songs, it seems to this writer that Don Byers has touched on the “tenderness…joys and fears” of the human heart, and has been able to capture in his music “Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears.” That is one of the characteristics of country music: seeking out the depths of feeling of “the human heart,” and being able to express in both words and music some of the deep-seated emotions of the human condition. Hearty congratulations to this Union County citizen whose talents and productivity in country music are recognized.

Last week’s column saw the beginning of Don Byers’ career even in school years in Union when he was voted “most talented male” in the Class of 1960, Union County High. In his US Army stint, he joined up with others to form “The Strangers,” gaining notable popularity in Japan and in military venues.

Once out of the Army, he returned to Georgia and throughout the mid-sixties he began to play part-time in several Atlanta clubs. By 1970, his Atlanta showings had gone full-time and he joined the music union, appearing in several area nightclubs with the Blue Cockatoo his favorite. He met Tony Romano, a Hollywood stunt-man, actor and singer who assisted Don with recording “It’s Only a Paper World” and “A Few of the Things I Remember.” Both songs were played frequently on radio throughout the southeast.

He met and aligned with a “rockabilly” singer named Buddy Knox. It was Buddy who encouraged Don to take his instrument and introduce his talents to the right people in Music City, USA, Nashville and the famous “Grand Ole Opry.” By 1973 Don Rogers was living on Old Hickory Lake at Nashville in a houseboat, and touring in both the United States and Canada. Some of his musical associates with whom he played were Bobby Bare, Conway Twitty, Larry Gatlin, Del Reeves, Joe Stampley, La Costa and others. It was during this period that he wrote songs and music for Tree Publishing and Roger Miller Music, Next came his association with the Acuff-Rose Publishing Company who put up the necessary investment for studio production with the notable Welden Myrick band.

I asked Don what it was like being in Nashville. He replied, “I was sort of flabbergasted that I made it that far! The music business was run like a country store back then. I could stop on the street and have a chat with my hero Chet Atkins (a very laid-back and humble man), and did so quite often. Several of us hung out at a place called the Burger Boy Drive-In where Waylon Jennings and Tompall Glasser shot the pinball machines…I remember sitting there and jamming for hours with fiddle player Benny Martin. And I was being published by Acuff-Rose, the same folks who published some of my heroes: Hank Williams, Roy Orbison and Mickey Newberry.”

He mentioned, too, the feeling of camaraderie, the air of creativity, of someone sharing a “song gig” in progress, of the fellowship and excitement.

The year 1975 was likewise successful. He was associated with Tom Jennings, brother to the famous Waylon Jennings. They toured in the states and Canada and made their Great Britain debut. Byers says that “It’s Only a Paper World” was received well in Great Britain and had much air play there as well as in the United States. It was while touring Great Britain, Scotland and Ireland that Byers became interested in his family roots and genealogy, seeking out places where his ancestors originated.

By 1980 disco music had become the popular mode. Don Byers returned home, giving time and attention to other interests and especially to family. Although music has always been either a part-time or full-time pursuit, vocationally, Don went to college and studied social work, becoming a social worker for several years. He attributes much of his success to friends Mickey Newbury, songwriter, and Herb White (Georgia Public Broadcasting), both of whom encouraged him in his career. Through their interest, he continued to write songs and music and make recordings. In the 1990’s, he enjoyed sharing the stage with Georgia musicians Larry Jon Wilson and Gove Scrivenor, both with exceptional acoustical talents.

Don Byers playing instrument on lawn of Mock House, Museum Annex

Union County Historical Society, Blairsville, Georgia

When he came to retirement years, he returned with joy to the mountains. He has written Byers and Mauney family histories, served on the Board of the Union County Historical Society, and joined in musical entertainments at the Old Court House and on the lawn of the Mock House Annex. I asked him if he had ever written a song on the theme of our beloved mountains. He has done some on the theme of going home. Among them is the beloved “Blue Ridge Mountain Sunday Morning.”

He and his wife Nami enjoy their home on High View Drive, Blairsville. Their one son, Nick and his wife Jo Helen have two children. Branson, 15, and Olivia, almost 11. Don’s grandchildren attend Woodward Academy in Atlanta. Don expresses justifiable grandfatherly pride in their achievements, both of whom show musical promise. Branson is studying piano and Olivia is studying both piano and violin. Both grandchildren are budding artists. One of Branson’s creations was displayed in the High Museum of Art this year and Olivia, as well, shows great promise in artistic creations. This talent, Don notes, comes from their great grandmother, Japanese artist Mari Ishii.

Our heartiest congratulations are extended to Don Byers upon his reception into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame.

c2010 by Ethelene Dyer Jones; published Nov. 25, 2010 in The Union Sentinel, Blairsville, GA. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Country Music Artist Don Byers Tapped for Atlanta Counrty Music Hall of Fame

“Autumn leaves were falling
Down in Adams Park
We sat and watched the river
‘Til it was almost dark
And there were children playing
They never noticed you and me
Down in Adams Park
Where time was always free.”
------cDon Byers (used by permission)

Perhaps you’ve heard “Adams Park” played and sung by country music performers. Maybe you did not know that a Union County born-and-bred artist named Don Byers wrote both the words and the music to the song. Not only “Adams Park,” but many others, among which are “It’s Only a Paper World,” “A Few of the Things I Remember,” “Facing the Music,” “Forgotten Tracks,” “For What It’s Worth,” and “The Troubadour,” to name a few.

Recently Union County’s Don Byers received a letter notifying him of a signal honor coming his way on November 27, 2010. The letter read, in part:

“In recognition of your contributions and achievements in the Music Industry, the Awards Committee and the Executive Board of the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame have selected you to be honored at the 29th Annual Awards Celebration to be held at the Holiday Inn Select-Perimeter, 4386 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road, Atlanta, GA 30341 on Saturday, November 27, 2010.”

Established in 1982 by John L. (Johnny) Carson (1933-2010) and Phyllis A. Cole, the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame seeks yearly to recognize outstanding persons in the field of country music composition and performance. It is a distinct honor to be tapped for inclusion into the Hall of Fame. Awards have for twenty-nine years been given to many in Georgia who have contributed to this genre and have helped in perpetuation of our country folk ways and culture.

Our hats are off in salute and congratulations to Don Byers who is being recognized for his artistry, talent and dedication to country music. He hails from a long line of Union County people who have contributed much to the upbuilding of our county from early days to the present, and we’re sure, even into the future. He was born in 1943 in Murphy, North Carolina, son of Ralph C. Byers and Alice Mauney Byers. His parents brought Don up in the Ivy Log Community of Union County. Early on, he showed interest in and propensity for playing the guitar. He says of his legacy:

“One of my grandfathers was a fiddler and the other was a banjo player. My neighbor, Billy Burnette, taught me my first guitar chords about 1952 when I was nine. I began writing songs when I was about ten years of age. My country music heroes back then were Hank Williams and Chet Atkins.”

By the time Don Byers was in high school, he was playing for school events and teaming up with classmates to play and sing. He also wrote songs during his school years, but he says the words to most of them have been lost or otherwise not kept for posterity. When he graduated from Union County High School in 1960, he had been named by his peers, “Most Talented Male Student.”

He recalls that he played solo for school events and back-up for various singing groups. He and Patsy Colwell (Davenport Phillips) did duets—Don on guitar and Patsy on piano. His friend, Wendell Patterson and Don, with whom he still plays, were often paired with their stringed instruments arrangements. He remembers that he and Wendell provided musical accompaniment for a vocal group composed of singers Gwen Brown, Anita Collins and Kathleen Garrett. One of the most famous of the high school groups as they entered that momentous year of 1960 was “The Trio” with singers JoNeal Collins, Jackie Lance and Sandra Richards. In 1959, they won first place in the school-wide talent show. Little did those schoolmates/classmates or Don Byers himself realize that the honor would one day be extended to recognize him as a productive and notable member of the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame.

Straight out of High School, Don joined the Army. He soon found his niche in service as an entertainer.

Don Byers, US Army, 1961 in Zama, Japan

"The Strangers" Music Group - Japan, 1961
(l-r) Ray Lambright; Don Byers (kneeling); Tom Zawlock (drums); Tom Montgomery

In 1961 he became a member of the rock-and-roll instrumental group known as “The Strangers.” Don is quick to emphasize that his Army group was not the same as the later “Strangers” which featured the Merle Haggard band. At the tender age of 17, and in his army time, he was soon conducting interviews, playing in stage shows, providing music for dances, and otherwise taking his artistry in country music to wherever he happened to be stationed. He was in Japan for a stretch of time and noted that American country music was very popular there. He remembers that wherever “The Strangers” were booked, he often had to sign autographs for fans. That popularity was somewhat foreign to a shy, country-bred lad on his first major thrust out into the vast world of entertainment and meeting people of different cultures. His work in service was with the US Army Security Agency. He did classified work with the Navy and Air Force.

He states that the members of “The Strangers” —(Rockin’) Ray Lambright (Army), Tom (Monty) Montgomery (Navy), Thomas (Ski) Zawlocki (Navy) and himself, Don Byers (Army), who played for military and civilian clubs in the Tokyo and Yokohama area of Japan, were reunited about five years ago by internet. Ski from Washington state unfortunately died about two years after their internet reunion. Ray and Monty returned to their native state of Texas and both became ordained ministers of the gospel. Monty attended one of Don’s Old Courthouse on the Square concerts in 2008. These Army/Navy buddies like to say “we will always be friends, and will also always be “Strangers.”

[Next: Stay tuned for more on the life and career of Don Byers, Music Hall of Fame Awardee]

c2010 by Ethelene Dyer Jones; published Nov. 18, 2010 in The Union Sentinel, Blairsville, GA. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Ivy Log as a bustling settlement

"It is evident and conceded that the center of activity of early Ivy Log was near the mouth of Ivy Log Creek. Here creaked the Casteel Mill. Here rang the iron foundry operated by R. W. Roberts and last by David Thompson prior to the Civil War. Here was Hunt and Cooley's store. Here Lovell made chairs. Here George Patterson fashioned hats from lambs' wool. Here was a school on the east side of the creek. Here is the Casteel Cemetery, numbering twenty-four graves, not far distant from the pioneer cabin site. Here on the west side is unmistakable evidence of a church--a cemetery where forty or more are sleeping that last, long sleep. Today in this vicinity all is quiet and still, save the murmur of waters, the sighing of the wind in the pines and the night bird's croon--a requiem for the slumbering pioneers awaiting the resurrection."

The above is from the pen of Union County Historian, Mr. Edward S. Mauney, written in 1948, and reproduced in the compendium entitled "Sketches of Union County History III" edited by Teddy J. Oliver and published in 1987. Mr. Mauney's history of Ivy Log is on pages 85-87 of the book. If you have a copy available to you, please read his flowing language and listing of people who made up the early census records of that north central district of Union County numbered Militia District 843.

"Here creaked the Casteel Mill," Mr. Mauney wrote. Barney Casteel not only established a mill for the convenience of settlers in Ivy Log District, but he also served as a minister of the gospel and as a "practical doctor." This designation probably indicates that he knew the value of herbs as medicinal plants and could prescribe certain treatments for common diseases. This first Casteel family migrated from East Tennessee. Mr. Mauney writes that they lived in their covered wagon under a large tree "for a season until a cabin could be hewn from the primitive forest."

Barney Casteel was listed as 63 years of age in the 1850 Union County census, and his wife, Mary, was 60 that year. His native state was Tennessee and hers was Virginia. Among their known children were James who married Minta Ellege. Robert married Nancy Simpson. Hastings married Sarah Lance. William married Emily Rabun. John G. Casteel married Rachel Byers. This couple had three children who became doctors- Dr. Lewis Casteel, Dr. William J. Casteel, and Dr. Van D. Casteel. John Casteel became a judge. The other four were Lafayette, Robert, Mary and Adelaide.

In the Ivy Log District are two Casteel Cemeteries. The one known as Casteel Cemetery No. 1 has one marked tomb with the name Ann Casteel, 1833-1861. She may be a daughter of the first settlers, Barney and Mary Casteel. Also buried in the Casteel 1 cemetery, according to Historian Mauney, are George Patterson and his wife, without marked stones, the "hatter" or milliner of Ivy Log District. Mauney states that this family lived at "the Ned Chastain place," and were the forebears of most of the Pattersons in Union County. Casteel 1 cemetery has at least fifteen unmarked graves.

An interesting story is told of the Casteel 2 Cemetery which is located south of Casteel 1 and across Ivy Log Creek from the first burying ground. None of the graves in this cemetery have stones with names. But buried apart from the graves which were of the early Casteel family and their descendants is a known grave, though unmarked. It is that of Gentry Taylor who met his death in 1876. He was killed at a moonshine still because he resisted arrest. The community, due to the circumstances of his business and his death, would not allow him to be buried in the Antioch Church Cemetery. His final resting place was at the Casteel 2 Cemetery, but distant 50 feet east of the other graves in the cemetery.

Mr. Mauney touches on moonshining as a business in his history of Ivy Log: "From many a sheltered nook on the tiny streams rose wisps of smoke that gave evidence of the pioneers brewing their own spirits without fear of God or man, in the days when it was not considered a sin. But they were rigid in their belief of honesty. One patriarch [was] "churched" for taking whiskey from his own "stillhouse" that belonged to someone else" (p. 87).

Space precludes telling of other early settlers, but family names passed to the present generations show that many hardy settlers had children in subsequent generations that made this mountain district and other parts of Union County their permanent home.

For example, there was Robert B. Conley and his wife Susan Kincaid Conley who migrated from Clear Creek in Buncombe County, NC to the Chester District of South Carolina and then to Ivy Log. But tragedy came to them on the move from South Carolina. Their young son, John Lawrence Conley, age two, died at the Tugaloo River at the South Carolina line. They brought the little corpse on into Georgia and buried him at the first cemetery they found on their route within Union County, Old Choestoe. This family lost another son, Elisha, in the Battle of Chickamauga during the Civil War.

Solomon Chapman and his wife, Adeline Odom Chapman were early Ivy Log settlers from Wilkes County, NC. Reece Creek in Ivy Log was named for early settler John Reece. And the list goes on.

Mauney ends his Ivy Log history with these pensive words: "Today the crude wheels and the distaffs are still. The hands that turned them are mouldered to clay. Today there is a new generation - their descendants - living in a bustling world of modernization." He wrote that in 1948. What would he say today? Housing developments extend even to tops of high hills and roads are busy with traffic all hours of the day and night. Small farms have virtually disappeared but some corporate farms are master producers of the products they specialize in. And, dotted here and there throughout the district are spires of churches with modern buildings, begun as log cabin places of worship by the early settlers. The one-room school houses are no more, long since consolidated into the modern graded school complexes at the county seat of Blairsville. Someone aptly wrote: "The only thing certain is change."

c 2007 by Ethelene Dyer Jones; published June 28, 2007 in The Union Sentinel, Blairsville, GA. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.