Lawrence Lupkin
From:
Brooklyn, New York, USA
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Posted 23 Aug 2004 9:04 am |
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As reported in The New York Times today:
August 23, 2004
William York, Bass Player for Hank Williams and Others, Dies at 85
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATON ROUGE, La., Aug. 22 - William York, a musician and comedian, known as Lum, who played with Hank Williams and other country music stars, died here on Aug. 15. He was 85.
His death was confirmed by the Green Oaks Funeral Home.
Mr. York, a native of Elmore, Ala., was a bass player with Williams and his Driftin' Cowboys band in the 1940's. He also played with other stars, like Marty Robbins.
Mr. York was a member of the Driftin' Cowboys from 1944 to 1949, including Williams's 1948-49 residency at the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport.
Mr. York said Williams paid him $20 a week and room and board, which Mr. York said was a lot of money back then.
"Lovesick Blues" in 1949 took Williams to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Mr. York and the Driftin' Cowboys stayed behind in Shreveport.
Mr. York later got a job in Nashville but returned to Shreveport because he didn't like it.
Lefty Frizzell's band hired him in 1952. He later played with Mr. Robbins and George Morgan.
After his stint with the Driftin' Cowboys and others, Mr. York played with pop and bluegrass bands. He also worked for the East Baton Rouge School Board.
He played at the Old South Jamboree in the 1960's and 1970's and the International Folklife Festival in Washington in 1986.
Mr. York switched to playing the spoons in 1998 after a heart attack forced him to stop performing on the upright bass. In recent years he played spoons with Hank Williams Jr., Hank Williams III and Jett Williams.
His bass and comedian costume are in the Hank Williams Museum in Montgomery. He was a special guest at the museum's opening in 1999.
Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Nita York.
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