Jack Barlow

Jack Barlow, Country Music Star and Native of the Quad-City area. Age 87, born, Jack Harold Butcher, peacefully departed this life on July 29, 2011, at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Tennessee. He was preceded in death by his parents, Harold and Jennie Hyink Butcher of Muscatine; daughter Shane Humphrey of Bettendorf; and sister, Lorraine Hoyt of Muscatine. He is survived by his wife of 24 years, Dianne Gobelet of Linden, Tenn., and brother, Keith Butcher of Muscatine; daughters Sherry McGuigan of Fla., and Jacque Mayberry of Tenn.; sons Kelly of Miss., Mike and Beau of Tenn., and Cole Butcher of Ill.; 12 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Jack was born in 1924, in Moline. After serving in the Navy on a destroyer during WWII in the Pacific theater, Jack returned home to the family farm and soon after began his career in radio as a disc jockey on KWPC in Muscatine. He was hired by WQUA Radio in Moline in 1950 and became a renowned DJ and country music entertainer in the mid-west. During the mid 1960's, Jack's career took off as a singer/songwriter and recording artist when his first hit song, "I Love Country Music" was released which topped the charts at number one. Jack moved to Nashville in 1967 where he continued singing Country Music and appeared with such great artists as Johnny Cash, George Jones, Lefty Frizzell, Dottie West, Patsy Cline, Mel Tillis, Porter Waggoner, Chet Atkins, Boots Randolph, and many more. Jack went on to record 4 albums and numerous singles including "Catch the Wind" which reached the top 10 on Billboard's Top 100. Jack made many appearances at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville; the Landmark and Golden Nugget in Las Vegas; the Montreal World's Fair, and other country music venues. He also appeared in several movies. In 1972, in addition to his singing career, Jack recorded a memorable commercial for Big Red Chewing Gum. He continued recording commercials for many years and was the voice for several national brands including Busch Beer, Budweiser, Chrysler, Dollar General, Kraft, Uncle Ben's Rice, Dodge Trucks, K-Mart, and Kellogg's. A memorial tribute to Jack Barlow, "the big man with the great big voice", will be held on August 13 from 5-9 p.m., at Harpeth Hills in Nashville, Tenn. The public is welcome.