Bill McElhiney

William Krohmer McElhiney (May 20, 1915 – February 9, 2002) was an American musical arranger, trumpeter, band leader, and musical director who was based in Nashville, Tennessee.

As a performer, his most notable contribution was the signature trumpet parts on Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire".

He got his start touring with big-band swing bands in the 1930s.

By the mid-1950s, McElhiney had relocated to Nashville where he was a member of WSM's staff orchestra and the leader of an all-star band of modern jazz musicians.

He worked Nashville as a trumpeter and band-leader in the 1950s and 1960s.

He was a trumpeter in the orchestra assembled by Owen Bradley to create the Nashville sound on Jim Reeves' recordings.

Reeves' biographer noted that, unlike many session musicians, McElhiney and the others could read music and helped contribute to the Reeves' sound: "The sound they achieved was wonderful."

Perhaps the most familiar piece of music McElhiney contributed to was "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash.

McElhiney teamed with Karl Garvin to provide the signature trumpets so prominent in the recording.

He was one of the most prominent musical arrangers in Nashville during the 1960s and 1970s, doing arrangements for Brenda Lee ("I'm Sorry"), Patsy Cline, Roy Orbison, Danny Davis, Marty Robbins, and Dolly Parton.

In the late 1960s, he assumed a position previously held by Owen Bradley, the prominent role as the musical director for Nashville's legendary WSM-AM radio, home of The Grand Ole Opry.

Cash was reportedly inspired to add horns to "Ring of Fire" after hearing Bob Moore's 1962 instrumental hit "Mexico" which featured a similar trumpet performance by McElhiney and Garvin.

"Bill McElhiney and his Orchestra" released an album in 1963 (MGM 4135) entitled ''New Sound in Bluegrass!

Bluegrass Banjo with Strings''.

The Nashville Banner wrote: "The banjo with its backdrop of strings is an innovation in this field of bluegrass, and one that will certainly become as popular as its creator."

The album teamed McElhiney with bluegrass banjo artist Bob Johnson.

McElhiney and his Orchestra followed up with a second album later in 1963 titled Instrumental Golden Giants.

As McElhiney's reputation grew, he was called on to arrange recordings for many of Nashville's top recording artists and for pop artists visiting Nashville.

His works as an arranger include the following:

He was honored as Best Arranger of the Year at the 1972 Billboard Country Music Awards.

He also served as musical director at Nashville's WSM-AM radio.

McElhiney was originally from New Orleans.

At the 1972 Billboard Country Music Awards, he was honored as the Best Arranger of the Year.

In 1988, he was credited with arrangements on k.d. lang's album Shadowland.

He worked with other major talents, including Ray Charles, Floyd Cramer, Marty Robbins, and Perry Como.

McElhiney suffered from Alzheimer's disease in his later years.

He died in 2002 at age 86 in Diamondhead, Mississippi.