Obit: 'Pavarotti of the Plains' Don Walser, Dead at 72

He didn't play accordion (as far as I know), but he did make fantastic music. Now the amazing yodeling cowboy from Texas, Don Walser, has joined Buck Owens for that big roundup in the sky. Don died Wednesday at age 72.

Built like a barn and nicknamed "the Pavarotti of the Plains," he sang like an angel. I had the pleasure of watching Don perform several times -- including at The Hole in the Wall in Austin, Texas, when TDA played the South By Southwest festival for the first time -- and got to talk with the great man, who was just as nice as he could be. The country music world will miss this great and humble performer.