Country music composer remembered

By By Carl Fitzgerald / special to The Star
Aug. 8, 2003
Redd Stewart, the pioneer composer and singer who co-wrote "Tennessee Waltz," has died in Louisville, Ky.
Stewart, along with his band-leader boss, Pee Wee King, co-authored the waltz classic in 1948 while they were traveling from Texas back to Nashville, where they lived for 10 years while King and his "Golden West Cowboys" appeared on Nashville's Grand Ole Opry. Redd Stewart joined the band in 1937, later replacing then-newcomer Eddy Arnold, who was King's vocalist.
King and Stewart also co-authored the million-seller song "Slow Poke" in the early 1950s and their own recording with RCA surpassed the million mark. King and Stewart along with Chilton Price wrote the standard "You Belong to Me."
Stewart told me in an interview in the 1970s, "Pee Wee and I wrote the lyrics down to Tennessee Waltz' on an old large matchbox that was empty, in the glove compartment of our vehicle." Stewart was King's lead vocalist for more than 50 years. Hamasa Temple Shriner James Skelton said, "Redd and Pee Wee were real buddies, as well as business associates. Their group, including the Collins Sisters dancers helped our Jimmie Rodgers Memorial Foundation shows a lot in the late 1970s."
Stewart's first country song to gain recognition was Ernest Tubb's World War II classic, "Soldier's Last Letter." Stewart was a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame in Nashville and was also noted as a reading musician, writing his own music and playing guitar and violin.
King died in March 2000. Darlene Collins Stewart, Redd's wife, reportedly died a week prior to Redd's death.

Franklin County

PROGRESS 2024: Veteran Spotlight – Mousey Brown

News

Russellville First Baptist Church receives historical marker

Franklin County

PROGRESS 2024: Meeting a higher standard – Russellville High School JROTC

News

RCS BOE announces new superintendent  

News

Miss Dream Girl Pageant names winners

Franklin County

First Metro Bank hosts FAME Girls’ Ranch donation drive

News

PCHS holds annual Shelby Grissom Memorial Fashion Show

Franklin County

PROGRESS 2024: VFW Post 5184 – ‘No One Does More For Veterans’

Features

Supporting students’ futures

Features

Red Bay Garden Club discusses amaryllis planting

Franklin County

UA announces local students for fall 2023 President’s, Dean’s, graduation lists

News

School news

Franklin County

PROGRESS 2024: Veteran Spotlight – Troy Oliver

Franklin County

Appropriations bill passes, allots more than $3 million for new Russellville library/multipurpose center 

Franklin County

Franklin County Cattlemen’s Association names Cattleman of the Year 

Franklin County

Franklin County votes: Unofficial March 5 primary election results 

Franklin County

Funding for new Russellville library, multipurpose community center expected this week

Features

Faces of Franklin County: BTCPA

News

GFWC Russellville Book Lovers Club sponsors downtown art crawl

Franklin County

PROGRESS 2024: Veteran Spotlight – Cody Bragwell

Franklin County

42nd annual Miss RHS pageant names winners 

News

Miss RHS pageant takes place Friday

Franklin County

Political announcement: David Hester speaks about run for reelection as county commissioner

Franklin County

BTCPA auditions for final production of season take place March 3-4 

x