Charles Carnelison

May 24, 1947-August 22, 2021 Bluegrass preacher Charley Carnelison grew up in Hollister, Missouri, and was living in Springfield when he began his recording career. When he was eighteen, he joined Jack Keithley's band, the Ozark Country Boys, before forming a duo with Johnny Holt a few years later. Carnelison and Holt played on the radio locally in the Branson area, and recorded together over the course of several years. Carnelison's signature song is a gospel tune called "20-20 Vision," which bears a striking similarity to a secular heartsong recorded by Gene Autry way back in 1954 (and more famously in a bluegrass arrangement by Jimmy Martin) though he say he copyrighted his own version in 1967, first recording it in 1972. Mr. Carnelison cut several albums and published a collection of bluegrass gospel songs as well as a book of regional Ozark folklore. Eventually he quit performing due to hearing loss, but Carnelison and his band 20-20 Vision were still performing locally well into the 21st Century, with a presence on Facebook and podcasting as well.