Welcome to my new Author Blog. Obviously, you're a Jim Reeves fan, or you wouldn't have arrived on this page. Whether you have already bought and read my new book, "Jim Reeves: His Untold Story," or are contemplating its purchase, I realize you may have questions about it. I've also released some new music on Jim over the years on the VoiceMasters label, but until now had not really engaged fans in a dialog about this. So despite my disdain for blogs, I decided to create this spot on the world wide web where Jim's fans could come to engage me in online conversations specifically about my book and the CDs. (For general discussions about Jim, please see my wife's site at: www.jim-reeves.com)
I've spent many years researching the life of Jim Reeves, and recently released a 672 page biography on him which runs about 314,000 words. Even though my book is virtually a day by day account of his fascinating life — based on more than 500 interviews plus Jim's own diaries and private correspondence — there were photos I couldn't run, and stories I couldn't tell, simply due to space limitations. A number of fans around the world have asked me if I had plans to share any of this with them, and the answer is yes.
As I've tried to explain to various journalists who have interviewed me about my book, for a lot of fans, Jim Reeves is not a dead artist. Thanks to the magic of recording, which makes his artistry indelible, we are able to continue to enjoy his timeless voice singing unforgettable songs. As the years have rolled by, and so many new artists have surfaced in his wake, it has become even more apparent that Gentleman Jim was a singer without equal. Naturally people are curious to know what the man was all about. He was such an extraordinary individual that it has become a hobby of mine to study him. In so doing I have made many wonderful friends, had some incredible experiences, and gained important insights into humankind.
Although my book will be going into a second printing at some point, that won't happen for awhile. So in the meantime this website is your chance to interact with me regarding what is in the book. Ask questions, comment, complain, tell me what's on your mind. If you have some new information, recordings, or photos to share on Jim, by all means let me know that too. You can email me directly by clicking HERE.
If you are a Jim Reeves fan, you really need to read my book. If you can't afford to buy a copy, contact your local library and ask them to order it. Or download the eBook version. And let me know your feedback. I'll be adding new material here as the mood strikes me, so come back often.
— Larry Jordan
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Loved the book. Well written in great detail. My question is the missing briefcase and money. Was it ever recovered ? You mentioned that might of be of a sensitive nature.
ReplyDeleteJohn Savoie
Roanoke, IN
my name is bill altman I am 54 yrs old me and my brother mike grew up with jim reeves ,our father lykesland altman was a big jim fan he absolutely loved him .we have all great memories of our dad playing the guitar and singing jim reeves . I just was thinking of my dad and missing him terably,our dad passed away in oct of this year. thank you jim reeves for all of our memories,...BILL ALTMAN Tacoma washington
ReplyDeletemy brother mike and I grew up listening to jim reeves our dad lykesland altman played the guitar and sang songs of jims and of cours mike and I are big fans of jim reeves today I am now 54 my brother mike 53 , our father passed away in oct of this year and I just wanted to say that we love and miss dad very,very much. thank you jim for the memories BILL ALTMAN Tacoma Washington
ReplyDeleteMy dad was Herb Shucher.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to talk with you. Please send me an email to: larrynjordan@gmail.com Thanks!
DeleteLarry ,
ReplyDeleteI am a 51 year old white male who first heard Jim Reeves songs when i could only have been 4 years old. I am a committed fan of Jims and I feel like I am grieving still the loss of this great man. I am also impressed with your knowledge of him and your relationship with Mary. How fortunate you are to have befriended her. I envy you and would love to talk to you about Jim someday in person. There is so much you could tell me. I am well into your book and have a tough time putting it down. I was only 2 years old when he died and I feel angry and sad about the crash even now. No words can describe the loss to the world and especially me. When I listen to the song , is it really over it truly blows me away what this man could do with every word he sang. I have read comment after comment on youtube after listening to his songs and so many people have it right when they say " there will never be anyone like him and there hasn't been in the 50 years he's been gone. We got ripped off July 31 1964
Steve S.
Larry ,
ReplyDeleteI am a 51 year old white male who first heard Jim Reeves songs when i could only have been 4 years old. I am a committed fan of Jims and I feel like I am grieving still the loss of this great man. I am also impressed with your knowledge of him and your relationship with Mary. How fortunate you are to have befriended her. I envy you and would love to talk to you about Jim someday in person. There is so much you could tell me. I am well into your book and have a tough time putting it down. I was only 2 years old when he died and I feel angry and sad about the crash even now. No words can describe the loss to the world and especially me. When I listen to the song , is it really over it truly blows me away what this man could do with every word he sang. I have read comment after comment on youtube after listening to his songs and so many people have it right when they say " there will never be anyone like him and there hasn't been in the 50 years he's been gone. We got ripped off July 31 1964
Steve S.
Larry, I was four years old when Jim and Dean passed away. I first heard Jim's voice when my parents bought The Best of Jim Reeves album around 1970. After hearing him sing I bugged them to buy more albums, and when I was old enough to earn my own money, I bought every Jim Reeves album I could find, which I managed to wear out by listening to them relentlessly. I know that I drove my friends and family crazy with my obsession I still listen to him. I bought your book recently and I can't help but feel profound loss and sadness when I think of how he died. I suppose it's moot to think of all the what-ifs. What would today's music be like if he had lived. I realize that most everyone who aspired to be a country music star had to have been influenced by his music. I am a musician and I can appreciate Jim's clever turn of phrase, Dean's great piano playing, and the quality of Leo Jackson's guitar playing, as well as the other Blue Boys. I am grateful for Jim's music and how your book brought me closer to a man that I admire and only wish that I had met him personally. Perhaps I have, and that's why I feel a kinship with him. Thanks. Anthony Huff
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your book after waiting 11 years from California to Nashville
ReplyDeleteIn 1963, I was 10. During September/October, I played with a little girl who came from a wealthy family in Dallas. I remember how fascinated I was that her grandmother had a custom casket lined with her wedding dress. - We lived in Tucson Country Club. My friend's mother was in the Mafia. That was not an uncommon occurrence. Joe Bonanno lived in Tucson. She would make/received strange phone calls about "blue boys" and discuss longitudes and latitudes. We used to listen in on the extension and play "spy games" based on her conversations. Her mother found out about what we were doing and tried to kill her daughter. The daughter fled. I received a call from an older boy who lived in the same neighborhood. I believe he was the son of the mother's psychiatrist. He knew my friend. He told me to stay in the house. This was on a Sunday. Just as I was about to tell my parents, the police called and told them I would have to be put under 24 hour guard. I remember my mom saying, "What in the world did you do?" I had no idea that this was about those strange phone calls. In less an hour, the police rounded up the woman by the golf course, three streets away from where I lived. She had a revolver and was purportedly on her way to my house to kill me. The police told my parents the CIA needed to talk to me to see what I had overheard. Two men, with CIA credentials, came to the door and asked my parents to speak with me alone. I told them what I remembered. They told me she was working with them (the CIA)and had had a mental breakdown. They told me the "blue boys" were blue Cadillacs from Canada that had parts of IBS from Turkey strapped to the undercarriage of the cars. She was tracking them as they came back into the country. (Decades later it came out that Khrushchev had made a deal with Kennedy to get IBMs out of Turkey in exchange for removing them from Cuba. Very smart to tell a kid part of the truth, but not the whole truth.) I asked why they would be working with someone in the Mafia. They seemed surprised I knew that. They said that not all of the Mafia was bad and that sometimes they do things for the government the CIA can't do. They then asked me if I love my country. I said I did and they told me I must never tell anyone what I had heard or what they had told me. - My friend was not in school the following Monday. I was worried about her so I went to her house. A female guard opened the door. I could see that every bit of the furniture in the living room was gone. She said the family had decided to move to Jamaica and I would not be able to see my friend. Interestingly, my friend showed up two years later in my 6th grade class. We never spoke about the incident. - After seeing the JFK movie in 1991, I came to believe my friend's mother was working with the CIA to plan the Kennedy assassination. I assumed the "blue boys" were cops. Now I'm wondering if all this had to do with Jim Reeves. Was his band known as the "Blue Boys???"
ReplyDeleteLove Jim Reeves. He is the greatest.
ReplyDeleteDo you know of Joyce Jackson or Bea Terry are still alive?
Bea Terry died years ago. As of this writing Joyce Jackson is still alive.
Delete