Edd Cisco, 71, pioneer of Rockabilly music and former Carroll County radio disc jockey, died Thursday, September 20. Funeral services were conducted Sunday in the chapel of Dilday Funeral Home in Huntingdon.

Mr. Cisco, a resident of Westport, will be remembered for his 20-year career as a popular country music disc jockey of McKenzie radio stations WHDM and WKTA, now know as WWYN 107.

Edd began his music career by forming a three-man band with the late legendary Rockabilly singer Carl Perkins and musician Albert Hall. Edd was the singer and rhythm guitar player for the group. The band played regularly over WJTS in Jackson, as well as performing during many other shows and contests.

In 1951, Edd was drafted into the Army, where he served his country until 1955. After receiving his discharge, he returned home to start a new band, which eventually led them to Chicago. Once there, famous country music entertainer Hank Snow changed Edd's name to Eddy Starr.

Edd later rejoined Carl Perkins, playing rhythm guitar in live performances on many of his records. Edd and Carl teamed up frequently with Johnny Cash, a rockabilly pioneer who ultimately was inducted into both the rock and roll and country music halls of fame. Edd's musical ability has been immortalized in the recordings of both Cash and Perkins.

Edd also performed over the years with other country music greats, including Porter Wagoner, Marty Robbins, Hank Snow, Ernest Tubb, Carl Smith, and George Jones.

During his years working as a DJ, Edd dedicated himself to raising money for many of his favorite charities, including the cancer society, heart association, and children with disabilities.

Mr. Cisco had endured a number of heart operations over the years. One of the operations damaged the nerves that control the vocal cords, paralyzing his voice and effectively ended his singing career. For the past eight years, he has been in the concessions business with his youngest daughter, Bev, at Huntingdon Flea Market and Reed's Auction sales.
     

Gleason native Gordon Stoker, along with the singing group, The Jordonaires, will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on Thursday, October 4. Stoker, age 77, joined the group in 1950, two years after the group was originally organized. He joined as a piano accompanist but in 1951 took over duties as first tenor of the group.

The Jordanaires have recorded  and performed with a who's who of entertainers. They performed on the Grand Ole Opry in the early '50s. That's where Elvis Presley heard the group on WSM radio. The Jordonaires recorded many songs with Elvis. They also added their voices to recordings by Eddy Arnold, Patsy Cline, Marty Robbins, Conway Twitty, Ricky Nelson, and almost every major name in both pop and country music during the 50s, 60s, and 70s. They have performed on approximately 2.6 billion records sold.

Their accomplishments include a CMA Masters Award, a Superpickers award by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Some of the top records include work with Jimmy Dean's "Big Bad John", Jim Reeves' "Four Walls", Loretta Lynn's "Coal Miner's Daughter", Patsy Cline's "Crazy", Rick Nelson's "Travelin' Man", Conway Twitty's "It's Only Make Believe", Johnny Horton's "Battle of New Orleans." 

The Jordanaires are credited with  using the "numbers systems" before anyone else. Group member Neal Matthews developed it in 1955 for speed in their background work. Today, it is used worldwide in the music business. 

"Since 1961, only 74 individuals, duos or groups have been elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame.. With the special induction of 10 members along with our regular inductions for 2001, we are able to significantly increase the breadth and range of honorees in the Country Music Hall of Fame," observed CMA Executive Director Ed Benson. "Recognizing them during a special celebration event affords us the time necessary to honor their extraordinary contributions to Country Music with participation from the entire industry."
 

Mrs. Rosa Brawner painstakingly crafts her one-of-a-kind United States flag lapel pins. The pins are on sale for a dollar each with proceeds going to buy toys for economically disadvantaged children.

Mrs. Rosa Brawner never expected her avant-garde United States flag lapel pins to be such a success. The design came into being when her husband, Bob, asked if she had any red, white and blue ribbon on hand in her supply of sewing goods.

She had plenty of narrow satin ribbon in red and white, and recalled she had started some quilt blocks that included a navy fabric with a pattern of white stars. She ripped out some of the navy pieces from the quilt blocks and sewed alternating red and white sections of ribbon onto the small block of fabric. She and Bob wore the lapel pins to a meeting and she made more of the pins for her daughters.

"The more I made the more I wanted to make," she says. She made pins for friends and sewed 135 more to be sold at $1.00 each at the Singing in the Park festival to raise money for Brotherly Community Services of McKenzie. Monies earned by the organization are used to purchase Christmas presents for needy children.

With all 135 of the pins sold, Rosa and other workers at the event took off their pins and sold them as well, for a total sale of $141.00 toward a brighter Christmas for local children.

She went home that evening and made more pins. The pins are still for sale, and Brotherly Community Services is still accepting donations of money and toys.

Says Rosa of the one-of-a-kind pins, "They don't all look the same but they are all made with love for humanity."