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Johnny Bush, the country singer-songwriter best known for
writing Willie Nelson's hit "Whiskey River," has died. He was 85.
Bush's manager confirmed his death to Rolling Stone and his date
of death was listed as Oct. 16 on his website.
A cause of death was unannounced by his manager but Houston
Chronicle reported that the entertainer died of pneumonia.
Bush, who was a good friend of Nelson's was popular in his hometown
of Houston, where the honky-tonk performer often performed for crowds. His website
states that his next show was scheduled to take place in the Lone Star State on Nov. 8 but
had been rescheduled to March 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Born Johnny Bush Shinn III on Feb. 17, 1935 in Houston, the performer was
known to his audiences as Johnny Bush due to a television announcer's flub
when he was 17, his website states.
The entertainer got his start in the music industry thanks to Nelson,
who helped him land a job as a drummer in Ray Price's band.
His debut single, "Sound of a Heartache," was released in 1967
and received praise from Nelson, who described him at the time as a "great singing talent."
Bush penned "Whiskey River" in 1972, which became a global hit upon
Nelson's release of it one year later on "Shotgun Willie."
The performer, who played the guitar, fiddle and the drums, was also known for
his national hits "Undo the Right" and "You Gave Me a Mountain." The latter
reportedly earned him the nickname of "Country Caruso."
Bush's singing career was briefly stunted by vocal issues which were determined
to be a result of a neurological disorder. This led him to receive vocal and
speech therapy, according to Rolling Stone, and thanks to Botox injections in
2002 his signature honky-tonk voice was restored.
In 2001, the National Council of Communicative Disorders and the American
Speech-Language-Hearing Associated honored Bush with their Annie Glenn Award. H
e was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2003 with Kris Kristofferson
and Lefty Frizzell. Two years later, Broadcast Music, Inc. also awarded him with
the Million-Air Award for "Whiskey River" reaching 1 million spins. Most recently,
he was the first recipient of the Ameripolitan Founder of the Year Award in 2014.
Tanya Tucker once called Bush one of Texas' "best honky-tonk heroes" and had the
opportunity to perform with Bush during her teenage years. The two performed
"Big Big Love" together in honor of his 60th year in the business
in Fort Worth, she said.
In 1968, Nelson discussed his bond with Bush.
“It seemed that one day I had never heard of Johnny Bush and then on the next
day I had always known him,” Nelson wrote in 1968. “We’re that good of friends.”
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