VERN GOSDIN GAVE UP HIS DREAMS TO SELL GLASS FOR A LIVING — UNTIL NASHVILLE REBAPTIZED HIM AS “THE VOICE” AND WITNESSED HIS TRIUMPHANT RETURN. BUT HIS ULTIMATE FINALE NEVER REACHED THE SPOTLIGHT. In the dawn of the 1970s, Vern Gosdin turned his back on the industry. He moved to Georgia and started a glass business. He believed his musical chapter had closed. Yet, he never let his guitar leave the passenger seat of his truck. Nashville, however, hadn’t forgotten him. By the sunset of the ’80s, he had conquered the charts with 19 top-10 hits and three No. 1 anthems, earning a title that commanded pure respect — “The Voice.” Even the legendary Tammy Wynette admitted he was “the only soul who could ever stand toe-to-toe with George Jones.” By 2009, at age 74, Gosdin was still crafting melodies and polishing his tour bus for a massive appearance at CMA Fest. But just three weeks before his grand re-emergence, a stroke stole it all away. He passed away quietly in his sleep. That tour bus never pulled out of the driveway. What was the spark that drove Nashville’s most humble legend to attempt one last comeback — and why did the world only realize what they had lost after the silence fell?
Vern Gosdin Walked Away From Music, Found Success, and Almost Returned One Last Time For a while, it really looked like Vern Gosdin had closed the door on country music…