X. LINCOLN

LINCON, XWent peacefully to be with the Lord at his home in Nashville, TN, the morning of October 3, 2013, surrounded by his family as he finally lost his battle with liver cancer. Writer of John Anderson's "Goin' Downhill," X was born Billy Lee Tubb in San Antonio, TX, April 12, 1937, and attended school in the Fort Worth area until his family moved to Tennessee, where he attended Donelson High School. Upon returning to Texas at age 16, he teamed with brother Glenn Douglas Tubb and cousin Justin Tubb to form a rockabilly combo they named The Tubb Brothers. They set out playing clubs, radio and TV from Austin to Fort Worth and, at one point, even joined a circus headed for Florida where they slept in the back of a truck for 3 months. Back in Fort Worth, X began recording on the King label under the name Ronny Wade.

Drawn once again to Nashville, he continued to record while playing the nightspots. A regular at Tootsie's, he picked up stints as vocalist/guitar player for such traveling artists as Earnest Tubb, Roger Miller, Sheb Wooley, Bob Luman, and other Opry acts for whom he penned top 20 hits. He performed on the Ed Sullivan Show with Hank Williams, Jr. and, as bassist, joined Willie Nelson (on guitar) for Bobby Sykes. In 1962 he hired on as bassist/vocalist/comic to front Leroy Van Dyke's band, The Auctioneers, making numerous TV appearances, a movie, and multiple European tours. During this time he took the stage name X Lincoln, signed a writing deal with Combine and later with House of Cash, and charted a few records of his own on Dot. The '70's brought more session gigs and tours as bassist/road manager/bandleader with artists Sammi Smith, George Jones, Deborah Allen, Dianne Sherrill and Saundra Rucker, and a legal name change in 1976. Late in 1981 he hit the road with the John Anderson Band, from which he retired in 2000 as a veteran of countless more media appearances and tours. X was also the writer/co-writer of cuts by Conway Twitty, Leroy Van Dyke, Justin Tubb, and Sammi Smith, as well as a popular parody of "Green, Green Grass of Home." During rare periods off the road in the '80's and '90's, he enjoyed volunteering with his wife to help produce the Summer Lights Festival and the Italian Street Fair. An avid golfer, he excelled as a guest in the Jim Hall Celebrity Golf Tournament and appeared in Al Geiberger's Mr. 59 Celebrity Golf Challenge, as well as distinguishing himself in many other golf fundraisers and club tournaments. He is survived by his wife Connie Smith Lincoln of Nashville; daughter Victoria Leigh Tubb and grandsons Bryce Louis Planchard and Jesse Drew Planchard, all of Walhalla, SC; sisters Sherry Tubb Dozier and Loretta Tubb Jordan of Hendersonville, and Marietta Tubb Raiber of Florida; brother Glenn Douglas Tubb of Nashville; stepdaughter Lynda Joyce Kerney of Palm Desert, CA; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. A memorial jam session will be held at Musicians' Local 257, 11 Music Circle North, Nashville, on Sunday, October 13, 2013. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to assist a few beloved family members with travel expenses Donations may be sent to: http://www.gofundme.com/4n07vs.