Corki Casey O’Dell, Musicians Hall of Fame Guitarist, Dead at 80
Pioneering guitarist Corki Casey O’Dell, a member of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Duane Eddy’s band the Rebels, and herself an inductee into the Musicians Hall of Fame, died Thursday, May 11th, in
Born Vivian J. “Corki” Ray Casey, she was called the “First Rock & Roll Sidechick” by the Musicians Hall of Fame, according to Music Row, when she was inducted in 2014 – along with Barbara Mandrell and Nashville session guitarist Velma Smith – as the organization’s first three female inductees. The ceremony marked the first time in five decades that she and “Rebel Rouser” hitmaker Eddy had performed together.
In the late Fifties, O’Dell was among a contingent of rock & roll performers in
Casey married Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Kenny O’Dell (“Behind Closed Doors,” “Mama, He’s Crazy”) almost 50 years ago and they moved to