Hargus “Pig” Robbins, a Country Music Hall of Fame member, has reportedly passed away unexpectedly at the age of 84.
According to Variety, Hargus “Pig” Robbins played piano on thousands of Nashville sessions. He previously played piano on Bob Dylan, Patsy Cline, and George Jones classics. His first major hit as a session man was notably when he played on Jones’ classic White Lightning. He also played on Cline’s I Fall to Pieces, Crazy, and Back in Baby’s Arms. Between 1963 and 1979, Robbins recorded eight studio albums
What was also extraordinary about Robbins was that he was blind. He lost his sight when he was a toddler due to an accident involving his father’s knife. Other musicians he worked with are J.J. Cale, John Hartford, Alan Jackson, Merle Haggard, Roger Miller, David Allen Coe, and Moe Brady. He played on Miller’s Grammy Award-winning Dang Me in 1964. He was awarded the Musician of the Year by the Country music Association in both 1976 and 2000. Pig was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Family in October 2012.
Speaking about Hargus “Pig” Robbins’ accomplishments throughout the years, Kyle young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, stated, “Like all successful session musicians, Pig Robbins was quick to adapt to any studio situation. He worked quickly with perfection less a goal than a norm. And while he could shift styles on a dime to suit the sing and the sing, his playing was always distinctive. Pig’s left hand on the piano joined with Bob Moore’s bass to create an unstable rhythmic fore, while the fingers of his right hand flew like Brits across the keys. The greatest musicians in Nashville turned to Pig for guidance and inspiration.”
Variety reports that the cause of Hargus “Pig” Robbins’ death has yet to be disclosed.
Hargus ‘Pig’ Robbins Opened Up About Losing His Sight At A Young Age
Variety reports that Hargus “Pig” Robbins previously spoke about the accident that left him blind as a child. “I stuck a knife in one eye. The other went out from sympathetic infection.”
From there, Hargus “Pig” Robbins went on to attend the Tennessee School for the Blind. By the age of 7, he took up an offer to take piano lessons. However, he tended to avoid the teachers at all cost. “They had these practice rooms and I’d get as far away from the teacher as I could.”
Hargus “Pig” Robbins also revealed that he received his nickname “Pig” from constantly playing around the fire escapes at school. “When I’d come out and be real dirty from all the soot, the supervisor would know exactly where I’d been. And she said, ‘You’re as dirty as a little pig.’”
