Johnny Maddox, a legendary ragtime pianist who was a mainstay at the Diamond Belle Saloon for 16 years, died Tuesday in Gallatin, Tennessee. He was 91.
Maddox had an illustrious career, first taking his brand of old-time piano public in the late 1930s. He recorded numerous hit songs and is the only ragtime pianist to have a Hollywood Walk of Fame star.
Maddox went on to record nine gold records and sell more than 11 million records. He worked with stars such as Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Eddie Arnold, Andy Griffith, Lawrence Welk and W.C. Handy – to name a few.
Maddox announced plans to retire in 1992, but was convinced by Rod Barker, president and CEO of the Strater Hotel, to take up a residency at the Diamond Belle Saloon.
Barker said Thursday it took years of coercing for Maddox to come to Durango.
“He was a legend,” Barker said. “I thought it’d be really fun to get him in the Diamond Belle.”
It took several years, but one day, after Barker had given up hope, Maddox called him and said he was ready to play the Diamond Belle.
“He came out (in 1996) and absolutely loved playing the Diamond Belle,” Barker said. “I said, ‘That’s what I’ve been telling you for years.’”
For the next 16 years, Maddox would spend his summers in Durango, playing the Diamond Belle for 12-week stints, six days a week, for gigs that would typically last four to five hours.
As he became older, Maddox would bandage his fingers to power through the long nights.
“This is one of the places he played the longest,” Barker said. “We were his place.”
In 2012, in a story about Maddox’s last shows in Durango, he told The Durango Herald, “If you have one table listening to you, you owe them your attention.”
When Adam Swanson was about 12 years old, he discovered Maddox’s music and convinced his parents to take a family trip from Michigan to Durango to see Maddox play.
“I just loved the way he played the piano,” Swanson said. “He was so unique and authentic to the ragtime era. People followed him all over the country for 75 years to hear him play the piano. It made you feel good.”
During that family trip, Swanson played some tunes on the piano, catching Maddox’s attention. The two instantly became friends and maintained a mentorship relationship that lasted until Maddox’s death.
“I knew he was ailing badly, so I hopped on a plane to Tennessee to see him because I had a feeling it would be the last time,” he said. “And I’m so glad I went and said a proper goodbye.”
Swanson went on to attend Fort Lewis College, majoring in music. This summer, Swanson, 26, moved back to Durango and has taken up Maddox’s place at the Diamond Belle.
“He can make a piano knit a pair of socks,” Maddox said of Swanson in 2012.
Maddox was born Aug. 4, 1927, in Gallatin, about 30 miles northeast of Nashville. His great-aunt, Zula Cothron, encouraged Maddox to learn ragtime piano.
He has played with countless famous musicians and appeared on television. He recorded hit songs that included “The Crazy Otto Medley,” “St. Louis Tickle” and “San Antonio Rose.”
“The Crazy Otto Medley” was on the Billboard charts for 20 weeks, peaked at No. 2 for a seven-week period and became the first million-plus selling all-piano record, selling more than two million copies.
In 2011, Maddox received the Tennessee Governor’s Arts Award. The Tennessee Arts Commission, which oversees the award, said, “Johnny Maddox of Gallatin, (is) one of the most highly regarded ragtime pianist(s) of the last 60 years, who has made hundreds of recordings and sold more than 11 million records.”
Barker said staff and customers at the Diamond Belle drew the renowned musician back each year.
“He was just a wonderful person,” Barker said. “There’s just so many memories.”
jromeo@durangoherald.com
