For decades, people who have known and loved country music will tell you that there is something special about their music. Some say that the magic of country music arises from its purity and from the hearts and souls of country’s singers and musicians. They create the spirit of the music that moves these fans like no other art form could.
Country music arose outside of the concrete jungles and factory yards, beyond the shadows of skyscrapers and shopping centers. Country musicians rarely attended prestigious music schools or took formal lessons in music theory—they felt the music instinctively. And their lives were immersed in music. When country music was just beginning to form out of the spiritual and popular styles of the day, music and dance was one of the primary forms of entertainment. It was played at parties and get-togethers. But it was more than just a form of entertainment. Most folk and country musicians, whether consciously or subconsciously, recognize music is transcendental. It played—and plays—a central role in worship services, for instance. Music rang out when people woke up, it surrounded them when they worked. They sang at happy occasions; they sang at sad events. They sang when loved ones died.
Of course, genetics may have played a role. The music that soared above the hills of Appalachia and echoed through the hollows has a texture that represented the Irish and Scottish roots of the folks who settled that rugged land. It was in their blood and in their bones. You might say it was in the souls of those people, too.
Eventually, these songs reached the ears of city people, who might not have known anything about the spirit-soothing nature of music but knew a thing or two about turning music into money. Cities—including Nashville, Knoxville, and Bristol, Tennessee; Branson, Missouri; and Shreveport, Louisiana—became music hubs, distributing the sweet, lonesome sounds of what was starting to be referred to as “country and western” music to places across the nation and around the world.
There’s something else that traveled along with the twang of the banjos and strum of the guitars, something that proved country music was spirit-filled in more ways than one. Stories of spirits and ghosts came right along with the music: tales of witches and witch dances, and stories of ghost riders and demonic honky-tonkers. As some of the great practitioners of country music shuffled off both the musical and mortal stage, fans, friends, and family began to offer their own accounts of encounters with the spirits of these singers and pickers.
This wasn’t a surprise for me. While researching my previous book, Haunted Rock & Roll, I realized that spirituality and rock music are deeply connected and this connection often reflects the culture of its musicians and fans. But it goes beyond rock music. Music in itself is a spiritual act, one that involves every part of the musician and fan’s being—body, mind, heart, and spirit.
In the following pages, I hope you will discover that the connections between song and spirit, music and mind are just as deep and just as true in country music. The same Irish, Scottish, and German settlers, who brought their folk tunes and melodies with them as they tamed the rugged Appalachian wilderness, also brought tales of ghosts and banshees, elves and fairies. Ghosts and witches, spooks and spirits also lie at the heart of Appalachian folklore. Are those beliefs and tales the reason for the long history of ghost stories in country music and country musicians? It’s possible. In this book, we may not encounter an elf (but definitely an Elvis) or fairies, but we will read about ghosts of country musicians who continue to haunt mansions and recording studios.
We’ll also read about ghosts that seem to stalk famous country stars. Loretta Lynn, the Coal Miner’s Daughter, is easily one of country’s most ghost-stalked stars. She is a sensitive soul whose contact with the supernatural goes back to her childhood in the coal mining region of Kentucky; however, Lynn’s paranormal experiences became more frequent and more dramatic after she bought one of Tennessee’s most haunted plantations, the site of tragedy, misfortune, and conflict.
There were others. Some of these country stars bought nightclubs that were plagued with supernatural activity and others played in haunted halls and spirit-filled stadiums. If you ask some fans and stars, several centers of country music—whole towns and cities, in fact—are haunted from city limit to city limit. We will visit those haunted locales, too.
So, that’s all there is to it? Country music ghost stories are just superstitions mixed with fairy tales from the old country? Maybe not. Paranormal researchers and ghost hunters have been hot on the trail of these ghosts, and they offer evidence that spirits really do walk the halls of some of country and western music’s most famous hangouts. These researchers usually conduct their investigations after receiving tips and leads from credible witnesses who have had spooky encounters with some of country music’s biggest stars. We’ll meet some of these ghost hunters ahead, as well as bring you accounts of people who have witnessed country music’s supernatural side—and they tell us their encounters are not folklore or ghostlore; they witnessed real supernatural activity.
Just a few notes before we start. As with any business or home, haunted properties may change hands. Bars with a ghost or two lurking about may change owners, or, sadly, be torn down. Haunted houses may be sold. Country music stations with a paranormal past may change frequencies and formats, too.
Please remember, too, that many ghost stories remain an oral tradition. That means that often the exact details of the story do not jibe with historical events. I have tried to make those corrections, but some mistakes may still slide by. I apologize for those errors. Also, in order to hear some of these pieces of ghostlore, you often have to be in the location or part of that community where they occur. Despite my best efforts to tell every country music ghost story, I may have missed a ghost story about your cherished star or favorite haunted honky-tonk. It was unintentional. Please let me know if I did, though—this project was so much fun I’m always up for a sequel!
While I have tried to keep this material as contemporary, as all-encompassing, and as relevant as possible, these changes are inevitable.
It’s equally important to note that some of the people who own these establishments may not mind a ghost hunter or ghost-hunting group investigating the property. Some of the spook-filled spots that I have encountered while researching this book even host tours. Others may not be so paranormal research–friendly. To add a third layer, some people who are happy to reveal their property’s supernatural legacy may sell to new owners who want to maintain their privacy. If you are using this book as a guide to haunted properties in country music, please respect the privacy of owners and always ask permission before you begin a ghost-hunting adventure.
My father always said you should fear the living rather than the dead. I think he’s right. The living, after all, have access to lawyers.