Newspaper Page Text
HARRIS BLACKWOOD
Columnist
‘Hugh Baby’
was hip
’til the end
H ugh ly from cool. Jarrett injuries Hugh was he died quintessential- sustained May 31 in
an auto accident in March. He had a
life that had brushes with greatness.
He also had his fair share of dry
But the hip
that made him a
star in the early
days of rock ‘n’
roll kept him ever
cool.
Hugh was a
member of the
Jordanaires, the
legendary gospel
group
became Elvis Presley’s first backup
singers. Hugh was the bass singer
and in Elvis’ early appearances on
the “Ed Sullivan Show,” he is
always standing over Elvis’ left
shoulder. He sang the “doo-wahs
and “ahhs” along with the hand
claps and finger snaps.
He also appeared with the
Jordanaires in two of Elvis’ early
movies, “King Creole” and “Loving
You.
Hugh left the Jordanaires and got
into radio in a big way. He was host
of a nightly rock ‘n’ roll show on
WLAC in Nashville, a 50,000-watt
station that could be heard over
most of the Eastern seaboard. Hugh
called himself “Hugh Baby,” a name
that stuck with him the rest of his
life.
He held “Hugh Baby Hops,” live
events at places like bowling alleys
and roller rinks where he’d come
and play records. He drew such
crowds that the fire marshal had to
limit the number of people inside.
Hugh came to Atlanta for a job at
WPLO, which at that time was a
rock ‘n’ roll station. Not long after
coming to Atlanta, the station
switched to country and Hugh was
out of the rock and roll picture.
Years later, Hugh came to
Gainesville where he had a daily
show on WLBA, which was then a
country station. The show before
him was hosted by Joel Williams,
who remembers that Hugh was
often late.
“How am I doing so far?” Hugh
would ask as he came through the
door.
Hugh made a few regional and
national television movie appear¬
ances over the years.
My favorite was a 1989 episode
of “In the Heat of the Night,” where
he played an ailing rich guy whose
daughter, played by Mary Crosby,
eventually killed him.
Hugh became the second actor to
be killed off by Mary Crosby, the
same woman who shot J.R. on
I Dallas. »!
Hugh and I got to know each
other when he was host of a gospel
music show on WGGA. I was doing
the afternoon show with Bimbo
Brewer. Hugh called me “Mr.
Bubba” and I called him “Mr.
Baby. M
I took Hugh to lunch several
times and he told me story, after
story of the old days with Elvis and
music and show business. Hugh was
always concerned about hair. Most
of his on top had left and he relied
on a hairpiece.
a Is all that your real hair?” he
once asked me. I told him yes.
Hang on to it for as long as you
can,” he advised me.
Hugh was always hoping for a
bigger comeback, but it never hap¬
pened. He did get an invite to a
1997 event in Memphis marking the
20th anniversary of Elvis’ death. He
sang again with the Jordanaires and
got a photo with Priscilla Presley,
before the plastic surgery.
In recent years, he found a radio
home at WWEV, a Christian station
in Cumming.
I considered Hugh a friend and
will treasure the memories. I’ve met
more famous people than Hugh
Jarrett, but never anyone cooler.
Harris Blackwood is the author
of “When Old Mowers Die.” His e
mail address is harrisb@forsyth
news.com. v i t
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Forsyth County News—Sunday, June 8,2008
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Photos/Kristen Berry
4
Poet Laure-Anne Bosselaar reads to students during a recent visit at West Forsyth High School. Bosselaar was among
several authors who participated in the year-long Visiting Writers Series organized by English teachers at West.
Writers Series brought bards, storytellers
By Kristen Berry
For the Forsyth County News
Words flew off the pages at West Forsyth
High School this academic year.
In what became known as the Visiting
Writers Series, several authors including
Joshilyn Jackson (“The Girl Who Stopped
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West students listen during Bosselaar’s reading. Among other authors students
heard from this year were George Singleton and Georgia writer Joshilynn Jackson.
Wild ends run on show
By Ben Holcombe
Associate Editor
JuSges spoiled Wild Honey’s
hopes of winning CMT’s music
competition show “Can You
Duet? M
But if it’s any consolation —
and in parting, it almost never is
— at feast they were really nice
about it.
Wild Honey, a country duo
comprised of Forsyth County
native Victoria Gibson and Ruth
Collins from Fredonia, N.Y., fin
f
Swimming,” “Gods in Alabama”) and Chelsea
Rathburn, (“The Shifting Line”) visited West
students to share excerpts from their books and
talk about their writing careers along with the
many challenges, triumphs and disappoint¬
ments.
The series, coordinated by teachers from
the English department, started Oct. 12 and
ished sixth in the show, airing
Friday nights on CMT.
The duo’s run ended on song¬
writer’s night which originally
aired May 30, when pairings per¬
formed original songs for the
three-judge panel and a “live *•
audience at the Wildhorse Saloon
in Nashville.
Wild Honey played “This Is
What Love Looks Like,” a song
about a woman walking away
See SHOW, Page 3B
t
continued through the end of the school year.
“I think West Forsyth High School is doing
a phenomenal job at promoting poetry and
writing,” said West literary teacher, John Bush.
Poetry at Georgia Tech and the Margaret
Mitchell house are the institutions making all
this available to us and so easy for us to
accomplish. A big thanks and handshake goes
to them.”
Most recently, the series featured poet
Laure-Anne Bosselaar and short story author,
George Singleton.
Bosselaar captivated students and faculty
alike in February with the animation of a sto¬
ryteller as she read poems from several of her
published books, including “Small Gods and
Grief,” which won the Isabella Gardner Prize
for Poetry.
Bosselaar was bom in Belgium in 1945 and
was raised in a nunnery from the age 4 until
she ran away at 17.
Bosselaar teaches at Sarah Lawrence
College and the University of Southern Maine
and also conducts writer’s conferences across
the country.
Students asked the author questions about
everything from her fluency in French and
Flemish to her writing process.
Kimber Lawson, a junior at West, said:
H Ms. Bosselaar’s visit was one of the most
passionate and genuine experiences I have
had.
“Her presence infused the room with a
sense of connection, understanding, and possi
See WORDS , Page 3B
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Victoria
Gibson,
right, and
Ruth Collins
finished
sixth in
CMT’s music
competition
show “Can
You Duet?”
Photo/
Submitted