Jim Flynn (March 24, 1938 – May 8, 2019) was an American
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
songwriter.
[
] Flyn joined the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
and was part of "
Operation Gyroscope Operation Gyroscope was a United States Army program implemented between 1955 and 1959 during the Cold War that modified the replacement system so that entire divisions were rotated out of overseas service together rather than as individuals. The pr ...
" deployed to
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
as part of the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
efforts. As a
civilian
Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not "combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant, b ...
, he returned to Lewiston and worked his way through business college. Later he became a high school teacher and sports coach, then selling textbooks to public schools. Flynn began writing story songs on video sharing sites such as
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
.
Early life
Flynn was born in
Lewiston, Maine
Lewiston (; ; officially the City of Lewiston, Maine) is List of cities in Maine, the second largest city in Maine and the most central city in Androscoggin County, Maine, Androscoggin County. The city lies halfway between Augusta, Maine, August ...
to Lawrence and Katherine (McIlroy) Flynn. He is the fourth of five sons. He grew up in
Monmouth, Maine and Lewiston, where he was a member of a high school choral group.
In 1956, Flynn joined the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
. He was part of "
Operation Gyroscope Operation Gyroscope was a United States Army program implemented between 1955 and 1959 during the Cold War that modified the replacement system so that entire divisions were rotated out of overseas service together rather than as individuals. The pr ...
", and ultimately was deployed to
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
as part of the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
efforts of post-
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Flynn served as a
radio operator. In 1957, he took part in a
quartet
In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments.
Classical String quartet
In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...
known as "''Tune Toppers''" that enjoyed moderate success and was featured in the ''10th Infantry Division Band and Chorus'' in
Würzburg
Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River.
Würzburg is ...
. The Band and Chorus was disbanded in early 1958 and Flynn was
honorably discharged in June 1959, three years after his enlistment.
As a
civilian
Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not "combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant, b ...
, Flynn returned to Lewiston and worked his way through business college, at what was then called the "''Auburn Maine School of Commerce''." Flynn planned to become a
business education teacher. While in college, Flynn worked as a
DJ at
WLAM
WLAM (1470 AM) is a radio station broadcasting an oldies format. Licensed to Lewiston, Maine, United States, the station serves the Lewiston-Auburn area. Established in 1947, the station is owned by Robert Bittner through licensee Blue Jey Broad ...
,
Lewiston-
Auburn
Auburn may refer to:
Places Australia
* Auburn, New South Wales
* City of Auburn, the local government area
*Electoral district of Auburn
*Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region
*Auburn, South Australia
*Auburn, Tasmania
*Aub ...
,
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
. After three years at the Auburn Maine School of Commerce, Flynn transferred his credits to
Husson College
Husson University is a private university in Bangor, Maine. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and as of Fall 2020 had a total enrollment of 3,476 students, including 799 graduate students in master's and doctoral programs.
Husson Un ...
in
Bangor, Maine
Bangor ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Penobscot County. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's 3rd-largest settlement, behind Portland (68,408) and Lewiston (37,121).
Modern Bangor ...
. Flynn graduated from Husson in 1964 with a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in business education. With his degree, he became a high school teacher and sports coach. In 1965, a new revised
GI Bill
The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, bu ...
was passed, and Flynn earned a
master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. in
secondary school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...
administration
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal
** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...
from the
University of Southern Maine
The University of Southern Maine (USM) is a public university with campuses in Portland, Gorham and Lewiston in the U.S. state of Maine. It is the southernmost of the University of Maine System. It was founded as two separate state universitie ...
,
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
-
Gorham campus, in 1974.
He left school teaching when he was offered a job by
Southwestern Publishing selling textbooks to
public schools
Public school may refer to:
*State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government
*Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England and ...
in
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
,
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
,
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
, and
.
[ ]
Songwriting career
Flynn was known in the
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
country music circle for his songwriting.
Flynn wrote his first song in 1960. It was recorded by a group called "The Citations." Flynn received his first songwriting contract from
Jimmie Davis
James Houston Davis (September 11, 1899 – November 5, 2000) was an American politician, singer and songwriter of both sacred and popular songs. Davis was elected for two nonconsecutive terms from 1944 to 1948 and from 1960 to 1964 as the ...
, former governor of
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
and a member of both the "
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum" and the "Country Music Songwriters Hall of Fame." Davis did not record Flynn's song, but his encouragement motivated Flynn to keep writing. Gene Hooper cut one of Flynn's songs in 1974. The song was called ''"Caroline Stood by Me,"'' and it became a "pick hit of the week" on Maine's biggest country music station,
WPOR
WPOR is an FM radio station in Portland, Maine that broadcasts a country music radio format. It is owned by Saga Communications. It broadcasts at 101.9 MHz.
History
WPOR has had the same format since it signed on as an FM simulcast of 1490 WPOR ...
. Since then, there have been many
cuts of Flynn's songs by various artists, mainly the country
genre
Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...
. Flynn's writing skill has been recognized by many local and national news organizations.
Flynn's song, "Time I Change My Name to
Hank,", stayed on the ''European Country Music Charts'' for sixteen weeks in 2005.
Flynn was affiliated with
BMI and registered a number of his songs with them.
Philosophy
Flynn's
philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
was that he was a "small frog in a small pond," and he found enjoyment in knowing people were enjoying his music. On video sharing sites such as
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
, Flynn's songs have found moderate success, having been played over 500,000 times, as of December 2011. Flynn's songs are played regularly by various artists on independent country stations.
Flynn enjoyed writing story songs, and songs that pull the listener in. The song he believed to be his best is "MegaFlight," which discuses how it would be if it where possible to visit lost relatives and friends in heaven. The song tells the story of a man who was married to a woman that died in childbirth. In the song, the unnamed man goes to an airport to inquire about purchasing a jet ticket to heaven for him and his young child.
Flynn also wrote songs in other styles, such as "The Ballad of
L.L. Bean
L.L.Bean is an American privately-held retail company that was founded in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean. The company, headquartered in the place in which it was founded, in Freeport, Maine, specializes in clothing and outdoor recreation equipment. ...
".
Awards and achievements
Flynn was noted for his song writing ability.
In the 2005 Down East Country Music (DECMA) awards, he won first place in the "Best Folk Songwriter" category for the song "The Ballad of
L.L. Bean
L.L.Bean is an American privately-held retail company that was founded in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean. The company, headquartered in the place in which it was founded, in Freeport, Maine, specializes in clothing and outdoor recreation equipment. ...
", and took second place in two other songwriting categories. In 2006 he wrote a song titled, "The Opening Act," which later became the title track to child performer Brian Wardwell's first album. At the DECMA "Legends Show", Flynn was awarded a Founders Award for his efforts in behalf of the Maine country music community.
Notes and references
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flynn, Jim
Songwriters from Maine
1938 births
People from Lewiston, Maine
Living people
Musicians from Maine
United States Army soldiers
Husson University alumni
Schoolteachers from Maine
People from Monmouth, Maine