Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 22, 1995 TAG: 9511220088
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: MARTINSVILLE LENGTH: Medium
Eanes died at the Blue Ridge Rehabilitation Center in Martinsville.
He wrote and sang such songs as ``Missing in Action,'' ``I Cried Again,'' and ``In His Arms I'm Not Afraid'' during a career that spanned more than 60 years.
``In His Arms I'm Not Afraid,'' one of Eanes's latest gospel recordings, was performed Saturday on The Nashville Network by Ricky Skaggs, said Eanes' sister, Inez Shorter.
``He never got rich; he was just a plain country boy who made and sang great music but did not reap the monetary benefits,'' Shorter said.
Eanes, whose real name was Homer Robert Eanes Jr., was born in the Mountain Valley section of Henry County. He lived in Collinsville.
He started playing country and bluegrass music for audiences when he was 9 years old, joining his father's band. He later played with Roanoke group Roy Hall and the Blue Ridge Entertainers, the Blue Ridge Mountain Boys, the Foggy Mountain Boys and the Shenandoah Valley Boys.
His professional career began with the Blue Ridge Entertainers in the 1940s, Eanes said in a 1978 interview with the Roanoke Times & World-News.
His 1951 war song, ``Missing in Action,'' sold a half-million records and earned him a trip to Nashville and a recording contract with Decca Records. In 1958, he signed a contract with Starday, recording such bluegrass standards as ``Little Log Cabin in the Lane'' and ``I Wouldn't Change You If I Could.''
During the mid-1960s, Eanes participated in one of the first outdoor bluegrass conventions, held at Cantrell's Farm near Fincastle. In later years, he attended the Old Fiddlers Convention in Galax.
He recorded an album titled "When the Cool Water Flows" at a Salem studio in 1978.
Eanes made several tours in England, Scotland, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium and other European countries, and in 1988 released an album called ``Reminiscing.''
Staff writer Betty Hayden contributed information to this story.
by CNB