Jon Corneal
(1946- ) a musician, was born in Lakeland, Florida in 1946. He became an accomplished drummer in the rock and roll scene in Central Florida during the early 1960s. Corneal played in such bands as the Dynamics and the Legends, and with other musicians such as Carl and Gerald Chambers, Gram Parsons, and Jim Stafford. At the age of seventeen, Corneal moved to Nashville where he met Chet Atkins, Roy Acuff and numerous other stars in the Grand Ole Opry. After appearing in the movie, “Country Music, USA,” (1965), Corneal toured with the Wilburn Brothers, Kitty Wells, and Connie Smith. In 1967 Corneal moved to California, becoming an important ingredient in the newly forming “country-rock” genre. Reuniting temporarily with Gram Parsons, Corneal played for a time with the International Submarine Band and the Flying Burrito Brothers, before returning to Nashville. Before eventually returning to Florida in the 1980s, Corneal remained as a tenuous link between the California rock scene and Nashville. Along the way, Corneal played with numerous individuals including Loretta Lynn, Gene Clarke, Warren Zevon, and the Glaser Brothers.
Subjects: Central Florida Youth Music Scene early 1960s, Auburndale, Florida, Leroy Collins, Spessard Holland, Bobby Braddock, Jim Crow conditions in the South, Jim Stafford, Gram Parsons, “Cousin Jake” Tullock, Earl Ball, Nashville Music Scene 1960s, Roy Acuff, Chet Atkins, Grand Old Opry, Wilburn Brothers, Kitty Wells, Connie Smith, Texas Music Scene, Loretta Lynn, “Music City, USA,” 1965, Don Helms, Hank Williams, Hank Snow, Bob Wills, Roy Clark, Glaser Brothers, LA Music Scene, International Submarine Band, Flying Burrito Brothers, Joni Mitchell, David Crosby, Gene Clark, Troubadour, Jackson Browne, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Debbie Corneal, Limousine Cowboys, Charley Pride.