Facebook Sign Or View Our Guestbook

Don Chapel Amburgey
and Virginia Eloise Unknown

Don Chapel
Lloyd "Don Chapel" Amburgey
Don Chapel
Lloyd "Don Chapel" Amburgey
Lloyd Franklin "Don Chapel" Amburgey; b 2 Aug 1931 Neon, Letcher Co KY d 6 Dec 2015 Nashville, TN; buried Middle Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery, Nashville, TN; s/o Robert Humphrey Amburgey and Gertrude Quillen. Lloyd Franklin "Don Chapel" Amburgey m. Virginia Eloise Unknown. Children of Lloyd Franklin "Don Chapel" Amburgey and Virginia Eloise Unknown;

1. Donna Amburgey (aka Donna Chapel); Occupation, musician / entertainer.

2. Mike Amburgey (aka Mike Chapel)

3. Robert "Robbie" Amburgey b 1982

4. Alison Leigh Amburgey (female) b 1987


Lloyd Franklin Amburgey
and Tammy Wynette

Lloyd Franklin "Don Chapel" Amburgey; b 2 Aug 1931 Neon, Letcher Co KY d 6 Dec 2015 Nashville, TN; buried Middle Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery, Nashville, TN; s/o Robert Humphrey Amburgey and Gertrude Quillen. Lloyd Franklin "Don Chapel" Amburgey m. to Virginia "Tammy Wynette" Pugh b 5 May 1942 Itawamba Co MS d 6 Apr 1998 Nashville TN; buried Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Nashville TN; d/o William Hollis Pugh and Mildred Faye Russell. (Lloyd divorced her after a 3 year marriage. No children).

Thanks to Lloyd "Don Chapel" Amburgey for submitting information for this family. You are greatly appreciated.


Songwriter / singer / entertainer, Don Chapel. His songs have been recorded by Tammy Wynette, Conway Twitty, David Houston, Jack Green, Jerry Lee Lewis, Charlie Louvin, Lynn Anderson, George Jones, Melba Montgomery, Webb Pierce, the Osborne Brothers, Ernest Tubb, Johnny Paycheck, Johnny Bush, Ray Price, and many others.

Don is the brother of the late Jean Chapel, the "queen of rock-a-billy,. Don's songwriting mentor, and her daughter Lana Chapel, is also a singer - songwriter and musician. Don's other sister, Minnie, recorded and performed with Bill Carlisle, plus the original trio sisters Jean and Martha.

Don is the father of country music star Donna Chapel, and brother of Martha Carson, the "first lady of country & gospel music. He was the first country musician husband of Tammy Wynette, (giving her that great "show" name), and getting her first recording contract with epic records, and producer Bill Sherrill.

Don Lloyd Chapel and daughter Donna Chapel were the other two-thirds of the Tammy Wynette road shows for the first two years and were a vital part of her early success. Don was also her manager both in the studio and on the road, as well as band leader and leading male vocalist on the show.

She recorded several of his songs - 'Together We Stand - Divided We Fall", "Joy", "My Heart is Soakin' Wet", "All Night Long" and others.

Don's son, Mike Chapel is also a singer - musician - producer of the Chapel family.

Don performed on the Grand Old Opry, made television appearances in Nashville, across the country, Canada and England. Don is a recording artist on epic records.


Obituary: Lloyd Franklin Amburgey
AKA Don Chapel
2 Aug 1931 - 6 Dec 2015

Nashville songwriter Don Chapel, an Air Force veteran whose songs were recorded by an array of Country Music Hall of Fame members, died on Sunday, 6 December, 2015 after a battle with heart and lungs complications. He was 84.

Mr. Chapel, born Lloyd Franklin Amburgey, had songs cut by George Jones, Lynn Anderson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Charlie Louvin, Webb Pierce, Ray Price, Ernest Tubb, Conway Twitty and Tammy Wynette, whom he was briefly married to in the 1960's.

Mr. Chapel’s biggest hit, “When the Grass Grows Over Me,” was cut by Jones, among others. With his songwriting career, Mr. Chapel started a proud family tradition of working in Nashville's music industry. But his grandson, a music and technology entrepreneur, Michael Amburgey said the family would best remember Mr. Chapel for his support no matter their interest.

"Obviously his strong points were in creativity and music, and while music played a huge role for him, he was a cornerstone for our family in supporting and fostering all of our endeavors – music, technology, sports, entrepreneurship, teaching," Amburgey said. "He wanted to support whatever was interesting to us, whatever our passion was."

Mr. Chapel was born into a musical family with sisters who sang and formed their own Gospel music group. After serving in the Korean War, as a staff sergeant in the Air Force, Mr. Chapel launched his career as a songwriter. His songs were recorded by more than 50 members of the Grand Ole Opry.

He was preceded into death by his parents, Robert and Gertrude Amburgey, and his siblings Irene Cosse, Opal Calongne, Bertha Woodruff and Conley Amburgey.

Mr. Chapel is survived by his wife Virginia Eloise Amburgey, and his children Donna Cuno, Lloyd Amburgey, Gary Lehnertz, James Amburgey, Robbie Amburgey, Alison Garland and stepchildren Janet, Hazel, Terry, Gail. Mr. Chapel is also survived by his brother Glen Amburgey and grandchildren, Caren, Amy, Dan, Gina, Michael, Michelle, Tyler, Hayden, Maddie, Nicole, Matthew and Joshua.

His tombstone has his birth name on it.


| Home | Links | Email | Search |
| Facebook | Guestbook | What's New |
Go Back Copyright © Annette Potter Some Rights Reserved Go Forward