On this day (October 11) in 2019, pedal steel guitarist Richard “Sonny” Curtis died in Somerset, Kentucky, at age 83 following a battle with Alzheimer’s. A longtime member of George Jones’ backing band the Jones Boys, Curtis also lent his skills to Tammy Wynette, Charley Pride, Minnie Pearl, and more.
He was survived by Barbara, his wife of 19 years, and son Rick. Today we’re highlighting Sonny Curtis’ many contributions to country music on the seventh anniversary of his passing.
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Who Was He?
Very little official information is publicly available on Sonny Curtis. According to a March 2023 social media post from Facebook user Cindy Manzi, he was born in 1935 and grew up in Chillicothe, Ohio.
Curtis received his first steel guitar as a gift from his sister upon his 1954 graduation from Chillicothe High School. He went on to make a name for himself on the Ohio music scene, playing rockabilly and country music in the mid-to-late 1950s.
At some point, Curtis linked up with fellow Ohio native Bobby Bare, known for songs like “Marie Laveau”, “Detroit City”, and “500 Miles Away From Home”. The duo played together in local bars.
Sonny Curtis Hated the Pedal Steel at First
Per his official online biography, it wasn’t exactly love at first sight (sound?) for Sonny Curtis and the instrument that made his career.
He hated the sound of the pedal steel guitar until just before he graduated from high school. Apparently, an encounter with steel guitarist Bobby Irwin changed his mind. Curtis then dove headfirst into learning the instrument — with the strings on backwards because no one showed him the correct way.
The Jones Boys
Sonny Curtis’ long, illustrious career began in 1964, when word of his talent reached the legendary George Jones.
Jones hired Curtis to play with his backing band, the Jones Boys. Like Buck Owens’ Buckaroos and Merle Haggard’s Strangers, the “He Stopped Loving Her Today” crooner never performed without the Jones Boys.
You can hear Curtis on the majority of Jones’ early albums. That’s also him on the intro to Johnny Paycheck’s breakout 1968 hit “A-11”. (Paycheck was also a member of the Jones Boys during the 1960s.)
[RELATED: Watch George Jones and Johnny Paycheck Perform “The Race Is On” in the Early 60s]
When Jones married fellow country star Tammy Wynette in 1969, Curtis would continue playing with both musicians.
After their divorce in 1975, he stuck with Wynette for an additional five years.
Sonny Curtis released one solo album, Reflections, in 2002.
Featured image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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