Jody Rainwater Dies

Charles Johnson, aka Jody Rainwater, died in a hospice unit of a hospital in Richmond, Va., Dec. 24.

Johnson, 92, a longtime radio personality, was also a booking agent and performer, playing bass for several bluegrass bands, notably Flatt & Scruggs.

Johnson, as Rainwater, was the voice of WSVS-AM in Crewe from 1952 to 1984, but only after he gave up booking and playing bass for Flatt & Scruggs, where he was known for his comedy bits, novelty songs and his well-known “I’m Waiting To Hear You Call Me Darling.” But he gave up touring at the behest of his doctor, and at WSVS, Johnson elevated bluegrass, including having Flatt & Scruggs based there for three months.

“As a child growing up in Nottoway County, you knew Jody Rainwater,” friend Christopher Gowin told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “He was a member of that generation of radio personalities that woke you up every morning and left you with memorable quotes to keep you moving throughout the day.”