Roy Lee Harmon

I just took Roy Lee Harmon to task for his take on The Beatles in 1964. That's a long time ago, and when I said, "So sorry, Roy Lee Harmon," it wasn't with any terrible derision or brusqueness. What's it to me, after all, if Roy didn't like The Beatles? In fact, it's more curious and interesting to have someone dismiss a phenomenon, when obviously all the facts aren't in, and time does tell. He could have played it middle-of-the-road and thereby been safer, and consequently more boring.

My post was prompted by that, the bold derisiveness of his comments. He was so instant to dismiss them, and even used over-the-top words like "stupid," "idiotic," and "psychotic" to describe a group that he had to have known only a very little about. I think that's very curious. He seemed to be a guy lamenting what he saw as a cultural slide, one more nail in the coffin of a more respectable, demure culture. Screaming teenagers don't inspire confidence, I suppose.

I decided to Google Mr. Harmon, and, guess what, no big surprise, he has passed away. And not recently either, but 1981. (So, that's what you get when you blog on articles over 40 years old; the authors are retired or dead.) Here's his obit.

He died at the age of 80, was from Beckley, West Virginia, and is described as a poet, politician and newspaperman. He was the author of six books of poetry and was state Poet Laureate for 41 years! 41 years?! In his last book, published in 1978, he spoke of his death to come: "[T]he shadows darken, my old eyes dim, and I believe that somewhere just around the bend I shall encounter Death the Dark One. And when that happens, I shall thank God of all creation who has allowed me to live so long in my beloved hills of West Virginia and write my poems."

He worked at The Raleigh Register and retired from newspapers in 1965. So our article, the Beatles article in question, was right there at the edge of his career, virtually. One more year on the job and he would have pulled out his hair when The Monkees came along!

Mr. Harmon's published books included "Hillbilly Ballads," "Around the Mountains," "Up the Creek," "Unto the Hills," "Rhymes of a Mountaineer" and "Roses in December." He was a lifelong member of the Poetry Society.

Burial was to be in Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens in Prosperity.

This could very well be my last post on Roy Lee Harmon, although I'm real tempted to write one or two more. Stay tuned!