Joe Leonard Tribute to Buck Griffin

I've just had an email from Lin/Kliff record owner Joe Leonard paying tribute to the great Buck Griffin. It reads as follows.

"Buck died February 14 in a hospital in Sayre, Oklahoma from heart failure and emphysema which he had suffered for several years. He had been living in Erick, Oklahoma and burial services were held today, February 17, at a cemetery there. He is survived by two daughters, Linda of Hutchison, Kansas and Rita of Las Vegas, Nevada. I was saddened to hear about his death, (he was 86), but I knew he had suffered a lot in recent years. He was among the first country singers I signed to LIN records in the early 1950's and we worked together for many years thereafter. As a singer and songwriter I placed him the same league as Hank Williams and when I placed his contract with MGM records I anticipated that they would groom him to be Hank's successor. The MGM releases received excellent reviews and press support but we found that their radio station promotion was very poor. As a result, they lost a chance to have a truly great star and hitmaker. Thousands of his fans, however, never gave up and he will always be remembered as a country legend." Joe Leonard.