Ronnie Edward Cribbs

LHS '65

? - June 26, 2024

Ronnie Edward Cribbs, age 77,  passed away peacefully on the morning of Wednesday, June 26, 2024, at his home in Woodville, Alabama.

    He was born at the Huntsville Clinic in Huntsville, Alabama to Opal Edward Cribbs and Edith (Ray) Cribbs . He graduated from Lee High School in 1965 and married his beloved wife Belinda Love (Gross) Cribbs in 1967. He retired from Dunlop Tire and Rubber and worked with his eldest son at his roofing company until 2013.

    Ronnie and his wife have been members of West Huntsville Baptist Church since 1972 where Ronnie was a children’s church teacher/director, a deacon, and a bus pastor. He is also remembered for his puppeteer ministry work. Ronnie was member of the Christian Motorcycle Association (CMA) and known to be an avid Alabama football fan.

    He is remembered to be man full of faith and love for his family who enjoyed the simple pleasures of life like walking his service dog whom he shared a special bond. He was known as Papa Ronnie or the nickname Pepperoni by his grandkids.

    Ronnie is survived by his wife Belinda, a brother, Scott Cribbs (married to Ginger Cribbs); two sons, Charlie (Married to Theresa Cribbs) and Daniel, six grandchildren, thirteen great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.

    Hazel Green Funeral Home is honored to serve the family.

    Details at: http://www.hazelgreenfuneralhome.com/notices/Ronnie-Cribb

The Wayback Machine

"Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs" - Marty Robbins

Another LP album I selected from the Columbia Record Club was the classic done by Marty Robbins. I previously wrote that I was lucky enough to see Marty Robbins perform "El Paso" live at the Grand Ole Opry on a trip my family made to Nashville shortly after it was released. I am sure this album's repeated playing was associated with that trip.

Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs is the fifth studio album by Marty Robbins, released on the Columbia Records label in September 1959 and peaking at number 6 on the U.S. Pop Albums chart. It was recorded in a single eight-hour session on April 7, 1959, and was certified Gold by the RIAA in 1965 and Platinum in 1986. It is perhaps best known for Robbins's most successful single, "El Paso," a major hit on both the country and pop music charts, as well as for its opening track, "Big Iron".

AllMusic gave the album four-and-a-half stars, calling it "the single most influential album of Western songs in post-World War II American music." It is included in every revision of the list of 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Years after the album's release, members of the Western Writers of America chose six of its songs as being among the Top 100 Western Songs of all time. Three of them were written by Robbins: "El Paso," "Big Iron," and "The Master's Call."

Martin David Robinson (September 26, 1925 – December 8, 1982), known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and NASCAR racing driver. Robbins was one of the most popular and successful country and western singers for most of his nearly four-decade career, which spanned from the late 1940s to the early 1980s. He was also an early outlaw country pioneer.

Born in Glendale, Arizona, Robbins taught himself guitar while serving in the United States Navy during World War II, and subsequently drew fame performing in clubs in and around his hometown. In 1952, he released his first No. 1 country song, "I'll Go On Alone". Four years later, he released his second No.1 hit “Singing the Blues”, and one year later, released two more No. 1 hits, "A White Sport Coat" and "The Story of My Life". In 1959, Robbins released his signature song, "El Paso", for which he won the Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording. The song began Robbins' association with western balladry, a style which would become a staple of his career.

I plan to write about 78rpm records next week and I wonder if any of you remember the fate of many of those records and what led to their destruction. If you know what I am referring to, please share your comments using the form below.

Last Week's Questions, Answers, 

And Comments

Sandra Stephenson Presley, LHS ‘67, "Thank you so much for keeping us all in one place, and taking your time for these interesting articles that bring back so much of our lives together, many memories.  Also, I found your youtube on our precious classmates who lost their lives in the military...when I first heard of those I was a friend with it broke my heart.  Keep up the work and God Bless!"