George Strait’s longtime manager Erv Woolsey and Ace in the Hole Band fiddle and mandolin player Gene Elders both died on March 20, 2024. Woolsey was 80; Elders was 66, according to Bluegrass Today. Strait mourned them as a longtime friend and a brother in the band. The circumstances of Woolsey’s death were reported, but the sources cited here do not establish a cause for Elders’s death.
Two different roles in George Strait’s career
Woolsey helped shape Strait’s path from the band’s early Texas performances to a major-label release and a long career. Elders contributed as a musician, playing fiddle and mandolin with Strait’s Ace in the Hole Band.
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Erv Woolsey: manager and advocate
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum traces Woolsey’s connection with Strait to 1975, when he heard Strait lead the Ace in the Hole Band at the Prairie Rose, the dancehall Woolsey owned in San Marcos, Texas. Woolsey later helped secure an MCA release for “Unwound,” which reached No. 6 on the country charts, according to the Hall of Fame. He left MCA in 1984 to manage Strait.
The Hall of Fame’s CEO, Kyle Young, said, “Without the savvy and determination of Erv Woolsey, we may never have heard of George Strait.” The Academy of Country Music also recognized Woolsey’s work and influence in its 2024 remembrance.
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Gene Elders: fiddle and mandolin
Elders joined the Ace in the Hole Band in 1984, KSAT reported, and played fiddle and mandolin. Strait’s archived newsletter also lists Elders as a fiddle player in the band. Elders’s role was onstage and musical; Woolsey’s was management and career advocacy.
What is known about their deaths
Both men died on March 20, 2024. Woolsey died at 80 in Clearwater, Florida, after complications following surgery, according to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and the Academy of Country Music. The Bluegrass Today remembrance reported Elders was 66. The sources cited here do not establish a cause of Elders’s death, so it should not be inferred from Woolsey’s circumstances.
Strait’s tributes
In a statement reported by KSAT on March 22, 2024, Strait described Woolsey as “My manager for around 45 years and most importantly my friend for even longer.” That figure is Strait’s own approximation of their management relationship. Strait also said of Elders, “Me and the band won’t ever be the same without our brother Gene.” The KSAT report captured the distinct losses: a longtime manager and friend, and a fellow band member.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A shared date, different legacies
Woolsey and Elders died on the same day, but their contributions to Strait’s career were different. Woolsey’s influence began before he became Strait’s manager, extending from hearing the band in 1975 to helping its leader reach MCA. Elders joined the band in 1984 and spent decades contributing as a player. Strait’s statements remembered both the personal bond and the separate work each man brought to his career.
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