Guitarist Tim Krekel Dies at 58

Songwriter/guitarist Tim Krekel passed away June 24 at his home in Louisville, Kentucky after his health deteriorated following surgery for abdominal cancer, Reuters reports. He was 58. During his career, Krekel performed with Jimmy Buffett, Bo Diddley and Kris Kristofferson, serving as Buffett's lead guitarist during the late '70s and early '80s and appearing on the album Son of a Son of a Sailor. Krekel released his first solo album Crazy Me in 1979, his official site writes. Artists like Canned Heat and Rick Nelson also covered Krekel's songs. Krekel was diagnosed with cancer in March 2009, and his condition worsened over the past few months.

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Song Stories

“(We're Not) The Jet Set”

George Jones and Tammy Wynette | 1973

George Jones and Tammy Wynette were still married when they recorded the tongue-in-cheek "(We're Not) The Jet Set." The lyrics, written by Nashville songwriter Bobby Braddock, who also penned Wynette's "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" and Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today," make fun of the good life by declaring, "We're not the Jet Set/We're the old Chevrolet set." Braddock recalled that while writing the song, he needed the name of a city that evened out the rhyme he had with "Riviera" and "Missourah." “I got out a Rand McNally atlas," he said. "In the first part are the maps. The last part is an alphabetical listing of cities. I wanted a rustic, small-time sound. I went to the listing for Missouri. And I found 'Festus.' I loved the sound of it."

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