Drummer Mark Laws, who played with Little Jimmy Dickens, dies in Cumberland Gap shooting
Drummer, producer and band leader Mark Steven Laws was shot to death May 25 in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee.
Officers from the Claiborne County Sheriff Department have arrested Laws' stepson, Maxwell Madon, 25, and charged him with criminal homicide, Claiborne County Sheriff Bob Brooks told WRIL-FM.
Laws, 62, was pronounced dead at the scene, WRIL-FM reported. He founded The Curve Recording Studio and worked with some of the biggest names in country music. He played drums for Little Jimmy Dickens, Bill Carlilse, Larry Cordle and Pam Perry.
For the past five years, Laws had been working with American Idol alum Alex Miller (who was on the television show's 19th season) as a drummer and band leader. Miller is a recording artist for Billy Jam Records.
'I'm just heartbroken," Miller said. "A true friend is something rare and special. Mark will be missed beyond words. I ask that folks keep his family in their prayers.'
Laws was known in the music community as a good guy.
"Mark was a good dude," Stephanie Harris Bastin wrote on Facebook. "He was like family. Genuine. Good hearted. Prayers for all his friends, family, and bandmates. This is a huge loss for so many."
Another Facebook friend, Ashlee King, wrote: "I have been trying to wrap my head around this and try to find the right words, but I can't. Yesterday we lost a great guy, good friend, band mate and drummer. I have known Mark S. Laws since I was 12 years old. He always had a smile on his face and loved doing what he did."
Laws made a name for himself drumming for the Renfro Valley Barn Dance band.
In the 1980s, he invited Larry Cordle to appear on the barn dance program. Cordle is the well-known songwriter who wrote "Murder on Music Row" and was the leader of the bluegrass band "Lonesome Standard Time.
"They had a fantastic band," Cordle said in a text to The Tennessean. "I became a semi-regular for two to three years there. Mark was really good to me. I had a standing invitation, when I was up that way on the road, that I could stop by, get paid, get a room and a meal and come on back to Tennessee the next day. It was great for me and provided much needed gas money when I was hung on one-off shows up that way.
"Mark was always really kind to me and put me on a pedastal that I'm sure I didn't deserve to be on. I had not seen him since that band dissolved years ago, but I will miss him. He was a great professional, who I enjoyed knowing so much. God rest your soul Mark. Until we meet again."
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Laws worked with Bill Carlisle, Larry Cordle, Pam Perry and others
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Carrie Underwood Shares Photo Updates on Adorable New Family Member
Carrie Underwood Shares Photo Updates on Adorable New Family Member originally appeared on Parade. Carrie Underwood is quite the animal lover and just can't stop collecting new pets. The American Idol winner turned judge has three adopted dogs that she likes to share with fans. The first two, Zero and Penny, she's had for years. Then, in 2023, she added Charlie to the mix. They've also started taking in farm animals and have plenty of room to do it since Underwood and her family live on 400 acres in Tennessee. The latest additions to her furry family are two adorable lambs named Cuz and Baby J, who have been born on the farm. On Thursday, June 5, the "Jesus, Take the Wheel" singer shared two new photos of the lambs on her Instagram stories—and they are beyond cute. The first photo shows both of the babies enjoying some time in the pasture, while the second photo is a close-up of Jamal a.k.a. Baby J, who is about two weeks old now. Baby J from Carrie Underwood's farm is growing so fast! — Who Said What? (@whosaid_what4) June 6, 2025 Just a couple of weeks ago, Underwood shared the first photos of Baby J when he was first born. She chose the name because he was born on American Idol finale night, the same night Jamal Roberts took the crown. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Carrie Underwood (@carrieunderwood) It's great to get an update on Baby J and see how much he's grown in just two short weeks! 🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 Carrie Underwood Shares Photo Updates on Adorable New Family Member first appeared on Parade on Jun 5, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
Kelly Clarkson Says This 'American Idol' Alum's Refrigerator Looked Like It Belonged to a 'Serial Killer'
Kelly Clarkson won the first season of American Idol The competition show's second season came down to Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard Clarkson laughs about discovering that Aiken, a then-new friend, was serious about his fridge organizationKelly Clarkson likes organization, but she knows someone who takes it to the next level. Speaking with the cast of Ballerina, the daytime host brought up the subject of pre-fame jobs. Norman Reedus admitted that he previously worked as a cleaner and he's still "kind of anal about stuff like that." "You would look at me and never think that, but like, my refrigerator, the yogurts have to be right there in order. I'm that guy. You would never know," Reedus told the group. The admission prompted Clarkson to recall an incredibly tidy friend whom she "used to mess with." "He looked like a serial killer with his refrigerator," she said, revealing that friend was none other than fellow American Idol alum Clay Aiken. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "He was on Idol, the same show I came from, and I went to his house, and I was like, 'The hell?' He had everything so and just to f--- with him, I moved everything around." Clarkson said the prank "did mess him up," but asserted, "It did look like a serial killer lived there, how his refrigerator looked!" Aiken appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show in December 2024, where Clarkson momentarily forgot that he didn't win his season of the singing competition show. He then gently reminded her he was the runner-up of season 2. Realizing her mistake, the 'Since U Been Gone' singer immediately — and hilariously — turned to the camera to rectify it by apologizing to Ruben Studdard, 46. 'So sorry, Ruben. I totally remember that,' she said, inspiring laughter from both the audience and Aiken. 'Look, I'm 42, bro. Okay, like, I forgot,' the host joked as Aiken reassured her: 'It's been 20 years. We are both getting older.' Clarkson continued, 'Yes, and I kind of feel like for some reason in my brain movie, y'all are on different shows." Aiken later joked that Studdard will certainly contact him about Clarkson's mix-up. 'He will be calling me,' the singer joked to the host, 'without question.' Read the original article on People
New York Times
21 hours ago
- New York Times
It's Piña Colada Weather
I started drinking piña coladas as a child. They were alcohol free, obviously, and my parents allowed me to order as many of them as I wanted at Frankie's, our local red-sauce Italian restaurant. Why did a red-sauce spot in metro Atlanta serve piña coladas? I don't know. But I was hooked from that first sip — and I still am. I simply love coconut in every iteration, even its divisive seltzer form. (A coconut La Croix sipped right out of the fridge is so life-affirming, don't @ me.) Piña coladas taste exactly how the best summer days feel: sweet and sunny and easygoing. I would love to solely dedicate this newsletter to the cocktail, but I've been instructed by my editor, Mark, to include food options as this newsletter is apparently about dining. You win, Mark. When in search of a piña colada, a bar espousing tiki culture is usually your best bet. That's what brought me to Tiki Chick, an airy corner spot that looks like it just washed up onto Amsterdam Avenue, though it's been around since 2019. It's from the same restaurant group behind Jacob's Pickles, so expect a fair amount of kitsch and the inappropriate use of pickle juice. You're going to be tempted to order the restaurant's viral pickle painkiller. But it's actually too pickle forward — and this is coming from someone who swears by the pickle brine margarita. Just stick to the piña colada served in a tall, curvy glass and made with two kinds of rum. It put me into a bit of a tipsy stupor that even a saucy and surprisingly affordable ($5!) hot honey chicken sandwich with an appropriate amount of pickles on it couldn't ward off. Then again, what's better than riding the subway with a bit of a buzz going? 517 Amsterdam Avenue (West 85th Street) Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
