Individual Details

James Ledford Herron, 67, of Oakman, passed away Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009, at his residence.
Funeral services will be Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009, at 1 p.m. in Kilgore-Green Funeral Home Chapel with burial in Fairview Cemetery. Kilgore-Green Funeral Home will direct.
Visitation will be today, Dec. 9, from 6 until 9 p.m. at the funeral home.
He was the bus driver for Kenny Rogers for 23 years, and other entertainers since 1977.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Stancil and Mary Bell Herron; brother, Troy Wayne Herron; and infant sister, Joann Herron.
Survivors include his son, Lynn Herron of Madison, Tenn.; brothers, Jack Herron and his wife, Judy, of Oakman, and Jerry Herron of Pelham; and former wife, Willine Herron, of Madison, Tenn.
Great-Great Grandson of Willoughby and Mary Polly Preuit Winchester.
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JASPER, Ala. — James Ledford Herron wasn't a household name for country music fans, but he was on a first-name basis with country stars such as Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton.
Herron, an Oakman native, spent 30 years driving tour buses for entertainers. When they heard that he passed away Dec. 6 at age 67, a number of famous musicians, including Rogers and Parton, sent flowers for his funeral.
Don Warden, Parton's road manager, was among the Nashville insiders who came to Kilgore-Green Funeral Home on Thursday to pay his respects. Warden, like most others in Nashville, only learned Herron's last name this week despite being friends with him for 25 years.
"In Nashville, he's 'Ledford.' He's a very popular guy in Nashville. Everybody knows him," Warden said.
Warden played steel guitar for Porter Wagoner before joining Parton in 1974. He met Herron when he became Parton's part-time bus driver.
At the time, Parton hadn't hired a full-time driver because she wasn't touring extensively yet. Herron, who was working full-time for Rogers, drove for her when his schedule allowed.
Ledford was always Warden's first call when Parton needed a driver.
"She liked Ledford so much that she was pleased when he could go with us. In fact, if somebody else was driving, she would whisper to me, 'Couldn't you get Ledford?'" Warden said.
Joey Hemphill, son of gospel singers Joel and LeBreeska Hemphill, also attended Herron's funeral. Herron joined the Hemphills' coach company as a driver in the mid-1970s when Hemphill was a teenager.
He said he has fond memories of the many miles he traveled with Ledford behind the wheel.
"He was the same around everybody. It didn't matter if they were a superstar. He didn't have any pretenses. He was just who he was and you either took it or you didn't," Hemphill said.
Herron spent time driving for Eddie Rabbitt, Ernest Tubb and a number of others. However, his long-time and favorite employer was Rogers. Herron was Rogers' driver for 23 years.
"He said he was going to stay with Kenny until his toes were turned up," said Willine Herron, his ex-wife.
Debbie Cross met Herron in 1982 while working for Rogers' former promoter and booking agent. Cross said she'll always remember Herron for his photographic memory.
"If I got lost anywhere, I'd call Ledford and he would say, 'Now there used to be a BP station right there...' He was amazing with directions and remembering things. He could tell you how many miles it is from one city to the next without even looking at a map," Cross said.
Cross also recalled that Herron had uncanny luck. He could walk into a casino and pick the machine that would hit the jackpot.
One time in Las Vegas, he played slots in a hotel's casino while his room was being readied. He called Cross to give her updates on his winnings, which quickly reached over $1,000
"I called the girl I dealt with back and said, 'If you don't hurry up and get his room ready, you're not going to have any money left in your casino because Ledford's on a run,'" Cross said.
Ron Avis, who also drove for Rogers, got his start as a bus driver because of Herron. Avis was living on the streets and struggling to find steady work when Herron met him. He found him a job at a bus garage and later recommended him for driving jobs with the stars. Avis later became a driver for Randy Travis, with whom he also co-wrote several songs.
Avis worked with Herron for five and a half years on Rogers' tour. They also drove together with Eddie Rabbitt. Avis said Rabbitt wrote his hit song "Driving My Life Away" for Herron.
"He (Rabbitt) came off the bus one day, patted Ledford on the shoulder and said, 'Ledford, you've just given me a wonderful idea for a song,'" Avis said.
Health problems forced Herron to retire in 2007. Since then, he has split his time between Oakman and Nashville. He was hoping to return to Rogers' tour in February just to ride along and be with his friends again.
Rogers' music played in the parlor for an hour prior to Herron's funeral on Thursday. Herron's family also placed a number of his personal photos of Rogers and his children on a table in the lobby. Included in the collection was photos of "The Rifleman" Chuck Connors and TV western star Clint Walker taken on the set of "The Gambler."
Rogers sent flowers to Herron's funeral and is expected to make a donation to a local soup kitchen in his honor.
Russ Jeffers, who met Herron in the 1980s after buying a tour bus, said family and friends will always remember Herron as a giver.
"I've seen him take people into a man's place of business and say, 'Give this man a job. He needs one.' He'd do it in such a good way that the guy running the business would give the kid a job because you just couldn't say no to Ledford," Jeffers said.

Birth	1942	Oakman, Walker County, Alabama
Marriage	23 Dec 1985	Alabama - Living
Death	6 Dec 2009	Oakman, Walker County, Alabama
Obituary	9 Dec 2009	Jasper, Walker County, Alabama
Burial	10 Dec 2009	Fairview Freewill Baptist Church Cemetery, Walker County, Alabama

Spouse	Living
Child	Living

Father	Joseph Stancil Herron (1921 - 2006)
Mother	Mary Bell Worthington (1924 - 2007)
Sibling	Living
Sibling	Troy Wayne Herron (1946 - 1995)
Sibling	Joann Herron (1952 - 1952)
Sibling	Living

Notes