A Toast to Jeremy Tepper

Remembering one of alt.country’s most influential and important figures

June 18, 2024June 18, 2024 Jim Caligiuri 3 Comments Bill Kirchen, Billy Joe Shaver, BR5-49, Buck Owens, Del Reeves, Don Walser, Jeremy Tepper, Jim Lauderdale, Junior Brown, Kay Adams, Kelly Willis, Laura Cantrell, Marty Stuart, Nick Lowe, Red Simpson, Rig Rock Deluxe, RIP, Son Volt, Steve Earle, The Bottle Rockets, the Yayhoos

There was quite a disturbance in the force Friday night when Laura Cantrell posted on Facebook that her husband, Jeremy Tepper, had passed away from a heart attack that day.

“I am heartbroken to share the news of the passing of my husband, Jeremy Tepper, who died suddenly today of a heart attack here in Jackson Heights,” she wrote. “Jeremy was an amazing, unique person, a loving father, son, brother, and friend who was close with so many of you, especially his many friends in the music world. We will share more soon about plans to celebrate his life, but we are devastated by this unimaginable loss and ask for privacy and time to grieve.”

Tepper was only 60. One of the most loved, and as program director of the SiriusXM channel Outlaw Country, he was one of the most important figures among those who work in the alt.country/Americana music scene.

I don’t remember how I met him, but it’s easy to recall Jeremy as a go-getter. He approached me when I was at CMJ New Music Report in the early and mid-1990s. He ran a magazine for the jukebox industry. He was in a country band, the World Famous Blue Jays, and had a record label, Diesel Only, that released music from the downtown New York City country music scene on 7” singles. (perfect for jukeboxes). I was writing about country and roots music in a weekly column and I wrote about a few of those singles in CMJ, proud to be a tiny part of the scenery that included acts like the Blue Chieftains, 5 Chinese Brothers, the Surreal McCoys, and Tepper’s band. I was invited to a party at his place once, and I was amazed by two things: the jukebox in the living room (stacked with Diesel Only records), and the pictures on the wall of Jeremy with a wide array of country music stars. This guy was serious.

After I moved to Austin in 1995, we lost track of one another. I’d see him occasionally at South By Southwest but we were just passing through. His later work on SiriusXM and the now infamous Outlaw Country Cruise should not be overlooked. But there’s one Diesel Only release that I want to point out because I think it’s a masterpiece. One that to my ears is as important as almost any alt.country record released in the 90s. Not only that but Rig Rock Deluxe (A Musical Salute To The American Truck Driver), produced by Tepper, is easily the best country compilation of all time. And why not? It’s got tracks from Buck Owens, Red Simpson and Junior Brown, Marty Stuart, Kelly Willis, Billy Joe Shaver, Son Volt, Steve Earle, Don Walser, Del Reeves and Jim Lauderdale, the Yayhoos, Bill Kirchen, Kay Adams and BR5-49, Nick Lowe, and the Bottle Rockets.

Sad to say I have to no idea where my copies of this are, and there isn’t much from it available to stream online. For sure, country songs about truck driving might seem like a narrow niche, but the songs on this compilation are presented with an insane amount of love and verve. It’s obvious on every song the artists are REALLY enjoying themselves, a reaction I’m sure that comes from working with Jeremy (nickname/trucker handle: rig rocker) whose love for this type of music was infectious and true. The album’s last track, a version of the classic “6 Days On The Road,” features Dale Watson, Wayne Hancock, Rosie Flores, Toni Price, Kim Richey, Jon Langford, and Lou Whitney.

Tepper went on to bigger, more influential things, but this one sparkling moment in his career should not be forgotten.

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