Richard David “Dick” McVey, age 73 of Hendersonville, TN passed away September 14, 2022. was born February 25, 1949 in Pemberton, WV. to the late Richard Gullie McVey and Dorothy Mentz McVey.
“Dick” as he was known to family and friends, grew up in the small community of Pemberton, West Virginia near Beckley. After graduating from Mullens High School, he worked on the Mine Safety Team which won numerous awards. Following his time working for the mining company, he attended Mid-America College of Funeral Service obtaining his degree in Mortuary Science before returning to his home and working for Calfee Funeral Home and Rose & Quesenberry Funeral Home’s among others.
Throughout his life, Dick had a love for music, and always had a band or musical project going on the side. The draw of music eventually culminated in taking his band on the road full time in 1978 and a move to Nashville in 1981. He got his big break with Little Jimmy Dickens after only three weeks of arriving in Nashville. After getting his start with Little Jimmy Dickens, he continued playing the Opry, backing many of the country music stars of the day. His last performance on the Opry was in 2003 with Holly Dunn. In the early 2000s, his focus turned to the management and production side, producing and mixing on numerous projects as well as working on the booking, promotion, and management side for several acts.
For the last 20 years he worked with dear friend, Travis LeDoyt, managing and producing a show centered on the early days of Elvis Presley’s career. He was very proud of a referral service he started in the early 1990s, helping get musicians connected with jobs in the music industry. Dick’s ties to the music industry allowed him to travel the world, and he also became an accomplished photographer over his career. In 2021, he became a published author, releasing his book titled “Appalachian Dreamer”, of which he was very proud. Above all, he will be remembered as a family man and great friend.
Dick is survived by his wife, Charmaine McVey; children, Richard David (Jennifer) McVey II, Robert Joseph McVey, Chrysten Elizabeth (Carter) Simpson, Courtney Leigh McVey, and Ryan Edward McVey; sister, Frances Ann Stacy; grandchildren, Sarah McVey and Sean McVey; and four-legged family members, Jarvis, Sammy, Ali and Jane.
A celebration of Dick’s life will be conducted at 1:00 pm, Tuesday, September 20, 2022 in the Chapel of Sumner Funeral & Cremation Lakeside. The family will receive friends from 11:00 am until 12:45 pm, prior to the service at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the America Heart Association by visiting
www.heart.org/donate
.