NASHVILLE, TN (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Chet Flippo, a noted long-time music journalist who helped to bring country music into the mainstream, died on Wednesday in Nashville, after an illness. He was 69 at the time of his passing.
A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Flippo started his career with Rolling Stone after a stint in the U.S. Navy and before he graduated from the University of Texas, Austin, becoming a contributing editor at the magazine.
In 1974, Flippo became the New York bureau chief for Rolling Stone and then, in 1977 when the magazine moved New York, he became senior editor. Flippo was a particularly passionate advocate for country music and helped to bring the genre into focus for a more pop-oriented mainstream audience.
After leaving Rolling Stone, Flippo spent a five year tenure as Billboard's Nashville bureau chief and most recently spent the last 12 years as Editorial Director at CMT and CMT.com.
Flippo also penned several influential books over the years, including "Your Cheatin’ Heart: A Biography of Hank Williams" and "On the Road with the Rolling Stones" as well as other books about Graceland, Paul McCartney and David Bowie.
He is survived by his sister Shirley Smith and brothers Bill and Ernest Flippo. His wife Martha Hume Flippo, also a music journalist and author, died in December 2012. – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
