CLICK HERE to order and download a copy of Barbara's full length CRS interview with Kix for $8.

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March 9, 2009 �€� If ever you could count on someone, you can certainly count on Barbara Mandrell. The day after her father died last week, she refused to cancel an appearance at the Country Radio Seminar in Nashville, where she not only chatted with Kix Brooks for over an hour, but carried on with a sense of humor and style.

Others have backed out of more lucrative engagements for less significant reasons than the death of a loved one. And family friend Clint Higham told Barbara�€™s daughter, Jaime, that no one with CRS would be offended if she didn�€™t feel she could make the "Life Of A Legend" discussion. Barbara didn�€™t even consider backing out.

"I told my daughter to give me the phone," Barbara recounted, "and I told Clint, I said, �€�I will be there because my daddy told me to be there.�€™ And he told me years ago to be here."

Barbara�€™s father, Irby, managed her career for more than 35 years, booking her even before she was a teenager and coaching her on everything from stage presence to business conduct. The Mandrell family, including Barbara�€™s sisters Louise and Irlene, scheduled Irby�€™s funeral for Sunday.

But even amidst the grief last week, the show still had to go on. And it wasn�€™t because Barbara was being heartless. Showing up on Thursday is what Irby would have expected.

"He had open-heart surgery three times in his life," she told attendees. "Either the first or second time, they were getting ready to do the operation, and I was scheduled to go to London. And I said, �€�Well, obviously, I�€™m not going to London.�€™ And I began to speak of something else, and he said, �€�Oh yes, you are.�€™ He said, �€�When you make a commitment or an agreement with someone, you honor that. They�€™re counting on you.�€™ He said, �€�The deal is, Barbara, in your life, if you�€™re not in the hospital or in the grave, in the ground, you do what you said you would do. You be there.�€™"

In that earlier instance, Barbara literally boarded the plane to London at the same time her father�€™s surgery was beginning. This time, she knew she needed to be at CRS, where she talked with Kix about everything from her early years to joining the Country Music Hall of Fame.

"She is not wanting to make this a somber appearance," Kix noted in his introduction.

And she did not. Dressed in a gray pantsuit, Barbara told jokes, turned the tables by asking Kix questions and made a point of praising radio. Despite the enormity of the moment, she dabbed at her eyes just twice �€� and one of those times, she was talking not about her father, but about her late friend Patsy Cline.

Barbara is "one of the classiest ladies I�€™ve ever met in my life," Kix said. She�€™s "not just really important to country music �€� she is important to gospel music, she is important to America, she�€™s important to entertainment, she�€™s important to people. She�€™s an inspiration on every level."

Barbara�€™s Hall of Fame induction will occur in May. She�€™ll join the Hall alongside Roy Clark and session musician Charlie McCoy.

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TheTennessean.com - MANDRELL, Irby Matthew Age 84 passed to his heavenly home, March 5, 2009, after a short stay at Baptist Hospital for respiratory distress and emphysema. He is survived by his wife, Mary, of 61 years; his three daughters, Barbara, Louise and Irlene; and seven grandchildren. His musical career spanned more that 60 years as he managed the careers of Barbara, Louise and Irlene. He was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas and played guitar and sang from a very early age. His musical travels took him to Fairfield, Illinois, where he played at a church and met the niece of the pastor of the church, and fell in love with her. They moved to Texas where he became a policeman, and his three daughters were born. Then they moved to California and he opened a music store with a partner, Bill Hendricks. His daughters were exposed to music at an early age and had instruments available to them, as they became proficient on many of them. Then they moved to Tennessee where his career as a manager really took off as he was very successful in directing the careers of his very talented daughters. He is preceded in death by his two brothers and one sister. He served bravely in the U.S. Navy during WWII as a corpsman and later entertained for the military all over the United States and 21 foreign countries. His love of country music and the legions of fans he came in contact with was ever apparent. A Celebration of Life Service will be held 3 p.m. Sunday, March 8th at the Forest Lawn Funeral Home chapel with Ron Cook, Pastor Paul Bane and family members officiating. Interment will follow at the Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens on Monday. Serving as pallbearers will be Barbara Mandrell Dudney, Louise Mandrell Haywood, Irlene Mandrell, Matthew Dudney, Nicole Shipley and Deric Boyer. Greeters will be Jim Brady, Ken Dudney, Jaime Dudney, Nathan Dudney, Vanessa Boyer, Christina Pincus, Christy Sutherland Dudney and Hannah Menefee. Family will receive friends Saturday, March 7th from 4 - 6 p.m. at Forest Lawn and 2 - 3 p.m. Sunday. FOREST LAWN FUNERAL HOME, (615)859-5279.

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IRBY MANDRELL, FATHER AND LONGTIME MANAGER OF BARBARA MANDRELL, PASSES AWAY AT THE AGE OF 84

March 5, 2009

Irby Matthew Mandrell (84) passed away today in a Nashville hospital after a brief stay. His family is grateful for and humbled by the outpouring of concern.

Irby lived a long, productive and happy life. A devoted husband, father and grandfather, Irby will be dearly missed by all.

Irby played a key role in Barbara Mandrell's life and career as her manager for more than 30 years. "It's been all about daddy and me," Mandrell recently stated at a press conference announcing her as one of the newest members to be inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Mandrell continued, "This is me being honored and this is Irby Mandrell being honored, because he earned it... It's immeasurable the amount of joy I feel and I am even more grateful to be able to share this honor with my daddy, Irby Mandrell."

QUOTE FROM BARBARA MANDRELL REGARDING HER FATHER IRBY:
"Our family and some friends were standing around my daddy's bed at Baptist Hospital when he passed peacefully on to his heavenly home. I'm speaking for all of my family, especially my sisters Louise and Irlene, when I say he was our hero and we will miss him always."--Barbara Mandrell.

Visitation will be held at Forest Lawn Funeral Home in Goodlettsville, Tennessee
3/7--Saturday visitation: 4 p.m.-6 p.m.
3/8--Sunday visitation: 2 p.m.-3 p.m.

More information will be passed along as it is received.

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March 5, 2009 — Barbara Mandrell’s father, Irby, who played a huge role in her landmark career, died Thursday at Nashville’s Baptist Hospital, two days after he was first hospitalized.

No cause of death was announced for the 84-year-old, who played a significant role in Barbara’s life, not only as a parent but also as her manager. He began mentoring her in the business while she was still in school and continued to oversee her career even when she reached her peak in the early 1980s when she became the first person ever to win the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award twice. He also had a hand in the careers of Barbara’s two sisters. Louise enjoyed a successful run of hits as a country artist in the mid-1980s, and Irlene spent some time as a cast member on "Hee Haw."

"Our family and some friends were standing around my daddy's bed at Baptist Hospital when he passed peacefully on to his heavenly home," Barbara said in a statement. "I'm speaking for all of my family when I say we love him and will miss him dearly."

Irby was on hand when Barbara was announced last month as one of the 2009 inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame. She made a point during the ceremony of thanking him personally for his guidance.

"It’s been all about Daddy and me," she said. "In 1970 when we got our first bus — that bus that was made in 1948 — I thought it was the most beautiful bus in the world. And [he] drove it, usually only about 10 or 12 hours — sometimes 14 or 16, sometimes 24 hours — and I’d sit and talk to [him], and we’d talk about someday we’d get a new bus."

Ultimately, she got a new bus, a bundle of hit records and an NBC variety series, "Barbara Mandrell & The Mandrell Sisters."

"Daddy all the way taught me — first booked the dates, went out and worked them with me, got me there, but he wore many, many hats," Barbara noted. Her Hall of Fame honor "is me being honored, and this is Irby Mandrell being honored, because he earned it."

Visitation will be held at Forest Lawn Funeral Home in Goodlettsville, Tenn., from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. The funeral is slated for 3 p.m. Sunday.

Barbara was slated to appear Friday at the Country Radio Seminar, where she is to be interviewed by Brooks & Dunn’s Kix Brooks. A spokesman for the CRS announced Thursday that despite her personal tragedy, Barbara intended to honor the commitment.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Irby Mandrell, Barbara Mandrell's father and longtime manager, has died in a Nashville hospital. He was 84.

A spokeswoman for the country star said the elder Mandrell died Thursday at Baptist Hospital after a brief stay.

Barbara Mandrell said recently that her father's support was unwavering when she began her musical career as a child, even starting the Mandrell Family Band to help her realize her dream.

He attended a news conference last month announcing his daughter as 1 of the newest members to be inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Barbara Mandrell said in a statement that family and friends were at his bed when he "passed peacefully on to his heavenly home."

A funeral service will be held Sunday at Forest Lawn Funeral Home in Goodlettsville.

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