Country Star Faron Young Couldn’t Do This Today

Classic country stars have always been a rowdy bunch. Johnny Cash smashed the footlights at the Grand Ole Opry. Hank Williams showed up too drunk to perform many times. So did George Jones. The Possum was also know to fire a few pistol shots into the floor of his tour bus. Johnny Paycheck fired a shot at a guy in a bar and did some prison time. Don't even get me started about Willie Nelson and his weed. But perhaps the strangest arrest come in 1972 and involved Faron Young and a spanking.

Faron had a big top five hit in 1972 titled "The Little Girl of Mine". When he appeared in concerts, Faron would find a little girl in the audience and bring her on stage and sing the song to her. Disaster struck that year in Clarksburg, West Virginia as he was ready to sing the tune in concert.

He tried to get a six year old girl, Nora Jo Catlett, to come on stage but she refused which made Faron mad. He would later claim she spat at him. At any rate he did turn her over his knee and spanked her right in front of the audience. Needless to say her parents were very upset and took out a warrant.

Faron Young was found guilty in front of a Wood County West Virginia Justice of the Peace and fined $24.00 and $11.00 court costs. Can you imagine if anything even close to this happened today? Somebody would do serious prison time or be sued for more than the $3,500 Faron Settled with Nora Jo's parents for.

Here's Faron doing the tune at a later concert in front of a more co-operative youngster.