Chet Flippo obit

CHET FLIPPO, one of the most respected music journalists of the modern era, died today in Nashville. Most recently the editorial director of CMT and CMT.com, Flippo was a steadfast champion of the best of country music as well as an intrepid chronicler of rock and roll. The Fort Worth, Texas, native and Vietnam vet became a bureau chief at Rolling Stone in 1974, while still attending graduate school in journalism at the University of Texas; he quickly established himself as a powerhouse there, becoming a senior editor in 1977 and profiling such giants as John Lennon, Bob Dylan, The Who, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Dolly Parton and The Rolling Stones. His book about the latter, On the Road With the Rolling Stones, brought readers as close as humanly possible to the band's crazed, kaleidoscopic life on tour. Another of his books, Your Cheatin' Heart: A Biography of Hank Williams, helped frame the modern understanding of the legendary singer-songwriter's importance to country. Flippo arrived at CMT in 2001 and penned the Nashville Skyline column for its website, endeavoring to keep the country form he so loved true to its roots. He received the Country Music Association's 1998 CMT Media Award and the Charlie Lamb Award for Excellence in Country Music Journalism. His wife of many years, Martha Hume Flippo, died in December, 2012. "Chet kept everybody honest," writes CMT President Brian Phillips in a moving statement, calling the esteemed writer "a stoic Texan, fiercely loyal and intensely private. He was honest to the core and widely regarded as a bit enigmatic, even among his closest colleagues. For all, it was a terrific privilege to work with Chet Flippo." (6/19p)