Country Musician. Born Ramsey Dorris Hughes, he was called “Randy” by friends and family. He was a highly respected recording session guitarist playing for several country music artists including Cowboy Copas and at times, singing with groups. He married Cowboy Copas’ daughter, Kathy. After deciding that he could do more than just play a guitar in a country band, he made a career change to managing country artist’s careers. In 1959, Patsy Cline became one of his clients. After taking basic flying lessons, he purchased a yellow Piper PA-24 Comanche to fly his clients from one show to another. He reasoned that purchasing the plane would be to his client’s advantage; they would arrive faster for their performances, thus not have to depend on slower cars for transportation. On March 3, 1963, several country music stars including Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, and Hawkshaw Hawkins had performed for three benefit concerts at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall, Kansas City, Kansas. After finishing the 8 PM show, many of the artists and crew spent the night in town planning to return to their homes the next morning including Hughes, but his flight plans were changed as by daylight the area was fogged-in. The following morning, the weather was not much better and everyone’s impatience had heightened; this time using a plane for transportation was proving to be a disadvantage. After deciding who was going by car, his plane was loaded with Patsy Cline, his father-in-law Cowboy Copas, and Hawshaw Hawkins. Although he was not trained to fly in pouring rain with instruments, he continued the flight as planned even after receiving bad weather advisories. He had phoned his wife in Tennessee learning that “the storm had passed”. His flight plan was to hop from one small airport to another small airport, while waiting for storms to clear the area before taking off for the next short haul. Landing about 4:30 PM, the plane made it as far as Dyersburg, Tenn., northeast of Memphis and just east of Arkansas. The group had the chance to stay free overnight at the local motel there but declined the offer even with reports of bad weather ahead. In heavy rain and early evening darkness, the plane crashed on March 5, 1963. Patsy Cline’s recovered wristwatch had stopped at 6:20 PM. The location of the crash was just west of Camden, Tennessee in a hollow along a ridge line in a heavily wooded area known as Fatty Bottom, near a fire tower off Mule Barn Road in Sandy Point, about 5 miles west of the Tennessee River. The crash site was located the next morning by searchers. All aboard the plane had died instantly. Being a close-knit family, the entire country music industry was greatly impacted by this incident. Hughes and country singer Ferlin Husky had started a publishing company. After Hughes death, Husky insisted that Kathy Copas Hughes, who had no publishing experience, retain half the company. That insistence meant she kept half the proceeds from Husky’s country and gospel smash hit “On the Wings of a Dove”. Hughes’ widow used that money for college tuition for herself and two sons. Country singer Jack Anglin, who was killed in an auto accident on the way to Patsy Cline’s funeral; Hawkshaw Hawkins; and Cowboy Copas were all buried within days of Hughes in the same cemetery.