Country singer dies aged 74 as tributes pour in for star

Wesley Ryes sang it with such economy of words and purity of feeling that it remains one of the most underrated masterpieces in country music history, according to many country fans.

The song also carried a subtle political undertone, as it was released in the midst of the Vietnam War. One lyric mentions “soldiers from Fort Campbell who tell him that they ‘hate that war in Vietnam.’”

This line has often been cited as a rare example of the anti-war sentiment that quietly surfaced in country music during the late 1960s, a time when few artists in the genre openly addressed such themes.

Odd jobs in Missouri

Then came a quiet downturn in the early 1970s, when the hits stopped coming and a disillusioned John Wesley left Nashville for odd jobs in Missouri. Perhaps he had simply gotten too much, too soon.

But through the 1970s and ’80s, Ryles’ career blossomed. With songs like “Fool,” “Once in a Lifetime Thing,” “Liberated Woman,” “Louisiana Rain,” and “Always on My Mind,” he became a trusted voice for those who felt too deeply to say it out loud.

But for those who worked beside him, John Wesley Ryles was even more than a hitmaker. To many, he was the heart of Nashville’s harmony. From the late 1980s onward, his unmistakable voice graced countless records as a session vocalist, blending so seamlessly with stars like Mark Wills and KContinue reading…