Riggs later performed in Las Vegas and New York before settling in Nashville in 1987, appearing at Cajuns Wharf before holding court at the Stockyard from 1988 to 1997. "It was the best night out anywhere in Nashville," says Webb, who saluted Riggs in his recently published book Tunesmith. "He was so generous in bringing other people onstage, so it was always a forum for new talent. I remember how a waitress would put down her tray and start singing, and he'd say, 'This is Grace from Podunk, Ark.,' or someplace like that. Then there were times when someone like Jerry Lee Lewis came in and played. And the house band was clearly the best band ever, anywhere. I went every chance I got. Once he knew you, you were special folks and had to be seated ringside and attended to and introduced to everybody."

Popovich was frequently among those seated ringside. "Without ever having a record out, [Tommy] had an underground following and friends from all over the world, whom he'd met when Nashville was in its heyday and tourists rolled in during their annual trips," he says. "But it was a great place to hang out and hear people who didn't have deals--and Tommy, of course. He'd sing blues, New Orleans classics, current country covers. He did a monster version of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes 'If You Don't Know Me By Now,' not to mention his hilarious one-liners. It was the best live show in Nashville at one time."

Changes inevitably came to the Stockyard, and Riggs and the band were dropped. But even though his final stand in Nashville was a weekend gig last year at the Broken Spoke, Riggs' June benefit--dubbed the "Butterbeanefit," after his signature song "Just a Bowl of Butterbeans"--fittingly was held at the Bullpen. Among those who performed were Bryan White, Lori Morgan, Sammy Kershaw, Jeannie Seely, Diamond Rio's Dana Williams, and the Memphis Horns' Wayne Jackson. Not present but donating silent auction items were Webb, Vince Gill, Dolly Parton, Tim McGraw, Bill Anderson, Steve Wariner, and Ray Stevens.

"They raised a lot of money, which helped his spirits in a way you couldn't put a price on," said Riggs' daughter Kelly Hollowell. "He was touched and surprised by the outpouring of love and support."

Popovich says it was the best he ever sang. Bryan White says it was "like Tommy never missed a beat." Hollowell notes that Riggs had been writing in bed the last few months and emceed only a couple shows in his wheelchair, "but they didn't care: It was his voice and personality that they wanted."

White was just one of the many performers whom Riggs had befriended and spotlighted at the Stockyard over the years. "I used to hang out there when I first moved to Nashville, because Tommy would let me go up and play," he says. "Nobody knew who I was, and he was one of the first people to really believe in me as a singer--and [he was] a super nice guy and really great person."

One of the most celebrated songwriters in American pop music extols the merits of Riggs the songwriter. "He was an excellent songwriter, who unfortunately didn't get the attention," Webb says. "I love some of his tunes to this day, like 'Love's Last Stand' [a hit for Donna Meade, who alternated sets with Tommy at the Bullpen]. But he was a tremendous singer: I couldn't believe the big voice that came rolling out of him.

"I'm going to miss him. I don't know what else to say."

I too always went to the Stockyard to hear Tommy whenever I was in Nashville. Yes, he really was that good, and yes, he opened his arms to everybody.