Cecil Dean Reynolds

b. 27 January 1932
  • Cecil Dean Reynolds was born on 27 January 1932 in Houston, Harris County, Texas.
  • He was known as Dean and "Deanie-Bird" as a musician.
  • The following appeared on 1960 in Willie Nelson's 2012 memoir Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die: Musings from the Road: I went to Nashville because Nashville was the marketplace, and if you wanted to succeed in country music you had to go to Nashville — so I went to Nashville. I drove there from Houston in a ’51 Buick. I had been teaching guitar at Paul Buskirk’s music studio. I taught a class where I had about twelve full-time students. I loved teaching guitar. I could play pretty good, so I would knock out a few blues licks to impress the class, then jump into Mel Bay’s book and teach little fingers to play. It was and still is a great way to teach. By the time you went through the first book, you had learned a lot about reading music, and I was learning as much as I was teaching. . . . [in 1960] I had just recorded “Night Life” with Paul Buskirk’s band. He was the best rhythm guitar player I had ever heard. Dean “Deanie Bird” Reynolds played great upright bass, and I played lead guitar. I had also just written “Family Bible,” which was recorded by Claude Gray. I sold the song for fifty dollars, because I needed the money to pay my rent. The song went to No. 1 on the Billboard charts. So when I hit Nashville, I had a record and a No. 1 song.
  • He married Jacqueline Sue Fundis, daughter of Laurie Josiah Fundis and Leola Frances Stuemky, on 10 March 1967 in Wharton County, Texas.
  • The following appeared on 8 May 1981 in.
  • The following appeared on 10 May 1981 in The Pittsburgh Press: . . . Nelson also has a new album on the marker, "Willie Nelson: Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (Columbia FC 36883). . . .
         Nelson's new album is a sequel to his "Stardust." which told the world that he could sing all-time favorites of past decades as well as he can handle country.
         And althought most people will associate the old favorites on the new album with heavy brass and wood in the big band heyday or with soft strings in the crooner era, Nelson is one of those people who just can't help being original.
         So what he does is do 'em all with an acoustic band at Mickey Gilley's studio in Pasadena, Texas. . . .
         Backed by his own super guitar picking, he is assisted by near-jam-session string work from Johnny gimble on fiddle; Bob Moore and Dean Reynolds on upright bass; Paul Buskirk on mandolin, and Freddie Powers on acoustic guitar. . . .
  • The SSDI lists Kennard, Houston County, Texas, as the last residence of record of Cecil Dean Reynolds.
  • Cecil Dean Reynolds died on 25 December 1995 at age 63 in Smith County, Texas.
  • He was interred at Calvary Cemetery, Trinity County, Texas.
  • Last Edited: 30 Dec 2016

Family: Jacqueline Sue Fundis b. 3 September 1940, d. 19 December 2016