Mr. Stuart H. "Stu" Basore's Obituary
Legendary, award-winning steel guitarist, Stuart H. Basore “Stu” passed away on February 05, 2018, from Lewy Body Dementia complications.
Stu came to Nashville in 1963 to pursue his dream and passion of playing music. He began playing the steel guitar at the age of 11, and although he studied at the Honolulu Conservatory of Music in Denver, Colorado, he was essentially self-taught.
Stu was born to Floyd Campbell and Grace Eleanor Ulrich Basore on May 3, 1937 at Fort Monroe, Virginia. As the son of an officer in the U.S. Air Force, Stu considered himself a “military brat” and traveled throughout the United States and France. Along the way, he made life-long friends in the music business. His family settled in Aurora, Colorado, which he called home. Before coming to Nashville, Stu served his country in the U.S. Air Force from 1956 to 1960. In addition to mastering the steel guitar, Stu was an accomplished Dobro player. Stu’s other hobbies included fishing, golfing, and spending time with family and friends, especially “The Waking Crew” musicians and their families.
In addition to his parents, Stu is preceded in death by his sister, Ruth Wilson; brothers, Floyd L. and Terry K. Basore; and brother-in-law, Robert M. Stavinoga.
Stu is survived by his wife of 52 years, Marsha Gray Basore; daughters, Kelly B. Milam and Rebecca Michelle (Michael Wayne) Martin; and grand-daughter, Margaret K. Milam “Maggie”. Also, many nieces, nephews, sisters-in-law, and brothers-in-law.
Across the many decades of Stu’s professional music career, he performed with many great artists, such Tex Ritter, Kitty Wells, Johnny Wright, George Hamilton IV, Connie Smith, and Marie Osmond. He performed on the Grand Ole Opry, the Porter Wagoner Show, the Afternoon Show, and the Waking Crew. As a session musician, he recorded on the albums of many country greats. Most notably, you can hear Stu’s steel guitar sound on Dolly’s hits “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You.”. His stylings may be heard on several commercial “jingles”, and movie soundtracks such as C.W. Coop, W.W. & The Dixie Dance Kings, and Nashville. He also recorded the song “Jammin’ with Jimmy” that serves as the Grammy-award winning soundtrack for the animated short film For the Birds. Not limited to country music, Stu recorded with legendary jazz artist, Louis Armstrong on his solitary country and western album, and even toured with the alternative rock band, Ween.
Among Stu’s other esteemed accomplishments were hitting not one, but two Holes-in-One, receiving the Reunion of Professional Entertainers (ROPE) Lifetime Achievement Award in Country Music in 2005, and surviving cancer for 20 years. Ultimately, his greatest accomplishments included being a loving, faithful husband to Marsha, an honest, steadfast father to Kelly and Michelle, and a dedicated and caring Grampster to Maggie. He was our Hero!
Spring Hill Memorial Funeral Home and Cemetery, located at 5110 Gallatin Rd., Nashville, TN 37116, will host Stu’s celebration of life. Visitation with the family will be on Friday, February 9th from 11am-2pm and 5pm-8pm and one hour prior to service time. Pastor Mark Caulk of Stafford, VA, will perform the funeral service on Saturday, February 10th at 10am, followed by graveside burial.
The family respectfully requests that memorial contributions be made to either the American Federations of Musicians, Local 257, Musicians Relief Fund, P.O. Box 120399, Nashville, TN 37212 or Alive Hospice, 1718 Patterson St., Nashville, TN, 37203.
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