Longtime Nashville music executive Al Cooley died on Thursday (June 9) at age 76.

He is perhaps best known for his tenure at Combine Music, the publishing home of such Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame members as Dennis Linde, Kris Kristofferson, John Scott Sherrill, Bob DiPiero, Larry Gatlin and Bob Morrison, among others.

Cooley was also an authority on the career of Elvis Presley and had an encyclopedic knowledge of popular-music history, particularly Nashville’s. He was one of Music Row’s great characters and an intense music enthusiast. These qualities made him successful.

“He was the classic picture of a song plugger,” recalls former Combine writer Woody Bomar. “When he believed in a song he was relentless until he got it from the writer’s room to the radio.”

Born Al Bianculli, he was raised in the Bronx and retained a strong New York accent throughout his Music Row career. He first came to Nashville as a music journalist. Cooley was the editor of Zoo World: The Music Megapaper. Published in 1972-75, the bi-weekly periodical was designed as a competitor to Rolling Stone. He profiled the “Nashville underground” in a 1973 edition of Zoo World. In 1975, he wrote liner notes for Billy Swan’s album Rock ’N’ Roll Moon.

His outgoing personality appealed to the industry leaders on Music Row. He was hired by Combine in 1976, and became its widely liked song plugger. He advanced at the publishing company throughout his decade there. The staff songwriters included Bomar, Swan, Thomas Cain, Tony Joe White, Pat McManus, Debbie Hupp, Patti Ryan, Mark Germino and Tim Krekel, as well as the Hall of Famers listed above. Cain became a BMI executive. Bomar now runs Green Hills Music.

Among Al Cooley’s many accomplishments was giving future star Kathy Mattea her first recording sessions by hiring her as a Combine demo singer. In 1981, he helped David Ross launch MusicRow magazine as the periodical’s first columnist. He remained at Combine until 1986, when it was sold to SBK Entertainment (the catalog now resides at EMI).

Cooley also had stints at the MTM Music Group and at MCA Music Publishing. In 1991, he became the A&R Director at Atlantic Nashville Records. The company succeeded with Tracy Lawrence, Neal McCoy, Confederate Railroad, Robin Lee and John Michael Montgomery. He became vice president at the label in 1994.

In 2004, Cooley was named Manager of Koch Nashville’s publishing division. Koch/Audium was associated with such artists as Robert Earl Keen, Dean Miller, Gene Watson, The Tractors, Daryle Singletary, Dwight Yoakam, David Lee Murphy and John Anderson.

Cooley retired, but continued to be involved in the music business as a repertoire consultant for Tracy Lawrence and other acts.

In recent years, Al Cooley had been battling cancer. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Nashville pop star Jim Seals died on Monday (June 6) at age 80.

He was famed as half of the 1970s pop duo Seals & Crofts, who scored with such big hits as “Summer Breeze,” “Diamond Girl” and “Get Closer.” Seals sang lead in the act. He wrote the duo’s lyrics and co-wrote its melodies with partner Darrell “Dash” Crofts.

Both of them grew up in West Texas and began playing music together as teenagers. Jim Seals was born in 1941 into a highly musical family. His father was a musician in a western-swing band. Older cousin Johnny Duncan (1938-2006) became a 1970s country star.

Uncle Chuck Seals (1922-1997) co-wrote the country standard “Crazy Arms.” Younger brother Dan Seals (1948-2009) had pop hits as half of England Dan & John Ford Coley, then became a major solo country star of the 1980s. Another brother, Eddie Seals, performed music, comedy and impressions in the popular Printer’s Alley nightclub act Eddie & Joe. Older cousin Troy Seals has been elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Nephew Brady Seals gained fame in the country band Little Texas and has become a well-regarded solo artist.

At age 9, Jim Seals won the Texas State Fiddle Championship. By the time he was in junior high, he had mastered saxophone and guitar, as well. He made his disc debut in 1958 with a pair of instrumental singles.

The rock & roll group The Champs was on tour enjoying the chart-topping success of 1958’s “Tequila” when a dispute broke up the band. Seals and Crofts were recruited to become replacement members. When the tour ended, they moved to L.A. to continue performing and recording with The Champs.

Seals began to blossom as a songwriter. His “It’s Never Too Late” was recorded by Brenda Lee as the B-side of her chart-topping “You Can Depend on Me” smash of 1961. His songs were also recorded by The Knickerbockers, Gene Vincent, Rick Nelson, and Lenny Welch, as well as The Champs.

The band was an instrumental act that showcased Seals’ sax honking. But both he and Crofts wanted to sing, as did newer member Glen Campbell. They departed The Champs in 1965. By then, Jim Seals had recorded four more solo singles that went nowhere. After leaving the band, he took work as a session musician and played in several pop bands in L.A.

In the late 1960s, Seals and Crofts teamed up with a trio called The Day Sisters and formed a Vegas act called The Dawnbreakers. The group recorded for Dunhill Records, but the label never issued anything. The mother of the Day sisters was a key figure in the emerging Baha’i religious community in Southern California. Both Seals and Crofts were converted to this faith.

Crofts switched from playing drums to learning mandolin. He and Seals began writing and singing pop tunes, backed simply by guitar and mandolin.

Seals & Crofts debuted as a duo in 1969. They began to record their soft, folkie, exotic, acoustic sound on two small-label albums in 1970. They signed with Warner Bros. Records the following year.

Their songs’ lyrics, written by Seals, reflected their faith. The Baha’i religion, founded in Persia, espouses universal brotherhood and fosters complete equality of the sexes and all races. The sect’s peace-and-love beliefs and gentle mysticism were evident in such tracks as “Summer Breeze” and “Hummingbird,” which became career-launching hits in 1972-73. Seals sometimes even quoted verbatim from Baha’i scriptures in his lyrics.

“Diamond Girl” and “We May Never Pass This Way Again” became two more pop hits for Seals & Crofts in 1973. Like their predecessors, they became even bigger smashes on the A/C charts.

Seals & Crofts became a big-time touring attraction, assembling a large band, traveling in private jets and employing a huge entourage. The shows incorporated their tuneful hits, plus hoedown fiddling from Seals, humorous songs, romantic testimonials, jazz instrumental solos and spotlight moments for backup vocalists. After the encores ended and the applause faded away, the men would return to the stage for “firesides.” These were no-microphone chats about their faith with whoever stayed behind to listen. Seals & Crofts were never evangelists. The rap sessions merely shared the Baha’i message of love and tolerance.

The duo’s progress was derailed in 1974. Seals & Crofts wrote and recorded “Unborn Child” as an anti-abortion single that year. Fearing controversy, many radio stations refused to broadcast it. Momentum was regained the following year with “I’ll Play for You.” A Greatest Hits album was issued in 1975, and it sold two million copies.

The comeback was solidified with 1976’s “Get Closer.” The duo’s artsy sound was updated with more thump in the production and an injection of soul from a third vocalist, Carolyn Willis from the hit-making R&B trio Honey Cone. The result was the biggest hit of their career. The films One on One (1977) and Foolin’ Around (1980) featured Seals & Crofts soundtrack songs. The 1977-78 premiere season of TV’s The Paper Chase used their “First Years” as its theme song.

In 1977-78, Seals & Crofts continued to be mainstays on the A/C charts with the hits “Goodbye Old Buddies,” “My Fair Share” and “You’re the Love.” But interest began to fade, and the albums of 1979 and 1980 failed to sell. Warner Bros. dropped the duo, and the two parted ways.

Seals continued to write songs, but moved to Costa Rica to operate a coffee plantation. Dash Crofts moved to Nashville and embarked on a solo career. The duo appeared at Baha’i gatherings and reunited for a tour in 1991-92.

Jim Seals had been living in Nashville on and off for several years before he officially relocated in 2004. A second Seals & Crofts reunion resulted in the 2004 album Traces. Jim and younger brother Dan Seals began to co-write songs, record and perform together in Music City. Dan was also a Baha’i. His cancer diagnosis and subsequent death in 2009 ended the brothers’ partnership.

“Summer Breeze” was revived by The Isley Brothers. The Voltage Brothers brought back “Get Closer.” “We May Never Pass This Way Again” was a high-school graduation favorite for many years. All of the Seals & Crofts hits became oldie airplay evergreens.

A stroke in 2017 brought Jim Seals’ performing days to a close. No cause of death was given at the time of his passing on Monday. He is survived by his wife Ruby Jean and by children Joshua, Juliette and Sutherland.

Deborah McCrary of the acclaimed soul/gospel/Americana group The McCrary Sisters, has passed away at age 67.

She and her three sisters — Ann, Regina and Alfreda — rose to become the most important Black female group in Nashville music history. Deborah McCrary was the low-harmony voice in the quartet and a beatific stage presence.

The McCrary Sisters have released five albums, serve in the “house band” at the annual Americana Awards ceremonies, are first-call session vocalists and have backed a who’s-who of popular music, including Elvis Presley, Stevie Wonder and Isaac Hayes.

The McCrarys are Nashville natives, the daughters of The Rev. Sam McCrary (1913-1991). He was a founder of the legendary and highly influential gospel quartet The Fairfield Four. Deborah and her sisters were steeped in that music from childhood.

As teenagers in the 1960s and 1970s, the sisters sang in Nashville’s BC&M Mass Choir. Deborah McCrary Person became a nurse and worked as such for most of her life. Younger sister Regina sang backup for Bob Dylan in 1979-85, while older sister Ann became prominent as a studio backup vocalist on numerous recording sessions for Christian-music stars. In 1988, Ann McCrary issued her solo CD What Is This?

The sensational sibling-harmony singing of the four sisters was first showcased on disc with the 2010 album Our Journey. Deborah sang lead on the record’s traditional tune “Dig A Little Deeper.” The McCrary collections All the Way and Let’s Go followed in 2013 and 2015. The sisters published their book Cooking With Love in 2015.

Meanwhile, a host of music greats sought them out as backing vocalists. The McCrarys have recorded with Sheryl Crow, Mike Farris, Carrie Underwood, Margo Price, Keb’ Mo’, Miranda Lambert, Mary Gauthier, Buddy Guy, Yelawolf, Allison Russell and Gary Nicholson.

On stage and/or recordings, they have also backed such stars as Delbert McClinton, The Black Keys, Martina McBride, Eric Church, Patty Griffin, Buddy Miller, Jonny Lang, Robert Randolph, The Winans, Donnie McClurkin, Rosanne Cash, Hank Williams Jr., Dr. John, Widespread Panic, Maren Morris, Lee Ann Womack, Ray Stevens, Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, Steve Earle and Gregg Allman, among dozens of others.

They’ve been featured on television specials aired by the networks PBS, ABC, BET and CMT. They’ve entertained at numerous music festivals both in the U.S. and abroad. They’ve sung everywhere from The Country Music Hall of Fame to Saturday Night Live, from the Grand Ole Opry to Madison Square Garden, from The White House to the Ryman Auditorium.

In 2017, they resurfaced on their own with a live album. Deborah co-wrote that record’s track “Let It Go.” Rounder Records signed the group and issued A Very McCrary Christmas in 2019.

Deborah McCrary Person had experienced some strokes in recent years. She died on Wednesday, June 1.

A visitation will be held on Friday, June 10 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Highland Hills Funeral Home (2422 Brick Church Pike, Nashville). A service will take place on Saturday, June 11 at 12 p.m. at St. Mark’s Baptist Church (3903 Milford Rd., Nashville), following another presentation at St. Mark’s at 11.

Hotshot guitar picker Thom Bresh, who scored a top 10 country hit with 1976’s “Home Made Love,” has died at age 74.

Bresh was widely admired as a showman by his peers. In addition to his dazzling instrumental skills, he was a fine humorist, a songwriter, an impressionist, a designer of guitars and a TV personality. He was the son of Country Music Hall of Fame member Merle Travis (1917-1983), whose guitar legacy he carried forward. On disc, he collaborated with Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed, Hank Thompson, Lane Brody and Steve Wariner, as well as his father.

Following her 1947-48 liaison with Merle Travis, Bresh’s mother Ruth Johnson married photographer Bud Bresh. They raised Thom as their son in Southern California. As a young man, Thom Bresh learned that Travis was his biological father, but he vowed out of respect to not speak of it until after Bud Bresh’s death (in 1987).

He was precocious as a musician, initially performing at age 3. By age 7, he was working as a juvenile stunt man in cowboy movies. He first entertained as a musician on TV at age 11 in Los Angeles.

During his high school and college years, Thom Bresh studied music theory and orchestrations. He appeared on stage in productions of the musicals Finian’s Rainbow, The Music Man and Harvey. He performed in a rock band called The Crescents, which charted with its instrumental “Pink Dominos” in 1964. At age 16, he appeared with western-swing bandleader Hank Penny in Las Vegas.

In 1971, he recorded the topical single “D.B. Cooper Where Are You” for Kapp Records. He next signed with MGM for a flurry of singles in 1974. He hit pay dirt on Farr Records with “Home Made Love,” followed by “Sad Country Love Song” (1976).

Bresh relocated to Nashville, signed with ABC-Dot and issued two albums and six singles in 1977-79. These included a remake of Merle Travis’s co-written “Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! That Cigarette” (1978), on which Bresh included 13 celebrity impersonations. All of his best remembered discs were produced by Jimmy Bowen. Thom Bresh was nominated as the ACM’s Top New Male Vocalist in 1977.

He hosted a Canadian TV series titled Nashville Swing. He also branched out into record production. His 1981 work with his father, Travis Picking, was nominated for a Grammy Award. He also produced Lane Brody’s 1983 recording of “Over You,” which occurred on the soundtrack of Tender Mercies and was nominated for an Oscar. He and Brody charted with a 1982 duet on Liberty Records, “When It Coms to Love.”

In the 1990s, Thom Bresh became popular in Europe. He opened for Brenda Lee in Las Vegas and appeared on the national television shows of Rich Little, Dinah Shore, Lee Greenwood, Barbara Mandrell and Mike Douglas. In 1996, he issued his instrumental CD, Wires to the Wood.

Thom Bresh became a producer/director for music videos, concert TV specials and home-video packages. He also designed several guitar models and was featured in the pages of Guitar Player and similar publications. Bresh was particularly noted for his double-sided stage guitar, dubbed Dualette. One side had steel strings, while the other was in a classical mode with nylon strings.

In the 2000s, Bresh became widely respected as a Nashville guitar instructor. He also indulged his passion for photography.

Thom Bresh was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus in 2021. He died on May 23. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.