SANTA CLARITA, CA –July 25, 2017–Lisa Hamblen Jaserie, CEO of Hamblen Music Company, singer/songwriter, and a former Top 10 recording artist, died at her home in Santa Clarita, CA on Tuesday morning, (7/25/17), surrounded by members of her family. She was 79. A lifelong resident of the Los Angeles area, Lisa lost a battle with pulmonary fibrosis, according to her son, Bill Lindsay.
Born Obee Jane Hamblen, January 1, 1938 in Los Angeles, to Stuart and Suzy Hamblen, she was a member of the Hollywood Presbyterian Church from childhood throughout most of her young adult life. Even from the early age of six, she was a featured singer on her father’s radio shows, “Stuart Hamblen and His Lucky Stars,” “Covered Wagon Jubilee” and “The Cowboy Church of the Air,” which aired over the years on most major stations on the west coast, including KFWB, KNX, and KCLA.
Obee, her sister Veeva, and mother, Suzy Hamblen, have the distinction of being the very first artists to sing and record the world renowned hit song, “It Is No Secret (What God Can Do)” a song written by her father, Stuart Hamblen. This song has been recorded by greats such as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Mahalia Jackson, Bill Gaither, and the Cathedrals, (just to name a few); with the latest being recorded by The Booth Brothers, https://itun.es/i6dP6KN. “When my mother heard this cut by The Booth Brothers for the very first time, all she could say was, ‘Oh wow! Really WOW!’ She then added that this was one of the best recordings of “It Is No Secret” that she had ever heard,” her son Bill quoted and then added, “and believe me, she had heard them all!” Obee and Veeva’s recording of “Open Up Your Heart (And Let the Sun Shine In)” reached No. 7 on the Billboard top 100 singles chart in 1955, when both girls were in their late teens. Stuart produced the track and wanted children’s voices, so he recorded his daughters singing slowly at 33 rpm, then sped up the playback to 45 rpm for the single release. It was the first time sped-up voices were used in a pop recording, and that in turn was an inspiration for The Chipmunks’ sound and run of hits in the late ’50s and ’60s.
Obee graduated from Hollywood High School in 1955, and attended UCLA, where she majored in interior. In 1959, she met and married her first husband, William Walter Lindsay, and adopted the first name of “Lisa”. After marrying, Lisa worked as a Kelly Girl with the renowned temp employment agency; she also worked with her parents at the Hamblen Music Company, initially based in Hollywood. The company relocated its headquarters to Santa Clarita in 1974 where she took on the role of treasurer for the company, and in 2008 became the music company’s CEO. Back in May of 1966, Lisa remarried, to Joseph Jaserie. She also raised champion Peruvian Paso horses on her parents’ ranch in Santa Clarita, and rode in the Rose Parade for more than 25 years.
Lisa also appeared in several of Bill Gaither’s Homecoming videos, and one of her favorites was the one taped on the grounds of the Billy Graham Library, “The Old Rugged Cross.” Her son Bill recalls this trip as “quite the whirlwind adventure” as the two of them not only spent time in the recording, but Lisa was able to also spend time catching up with old friends at the Billy Graham Evangelical Association, including Cliff Barrows, George Beverly Shea, and Franklin Graham.
For the last decade, instead of retiring, Lisa served as Hamblen Music Company’s CEO, and devoted most of her free time to family and activities boosting William S. Hart Park. “The Bible never talked of retirement, so she was under the impression that there was always something to do,” Bill Lindsay said. “That’s one of the reasons she was the boss of a music company when most other people would have retired.” Hamblen Music Company remains family-owned, with Bill Lindsay now assuming its leadership.
She was preceded in death by her second husband Joe Jaserie, August 2012, and son Chris Jaserie, October 2016. She is survived by her sons Bill Lindsay, Tampa, FL; and Bob Lindsay, Edmonton, AB, Canada; daughter Kim Jaserie, Santa Clarita, CA; daughters-in-law Michelle Lindsay, Tampa; and Rhea Lynn Jaserie, Las Vegas, NV; 11 grandchildren; and 2 great-grandchildren.
Memorial Services will be held at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, in the “Church of the Hills” on Saturday, August 12 at 12:30 p.m. The address is 6300 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles 90068. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made “In Memory of Lisa Hamblen Jaserie” to the Billy Graham Evangelical Association by phone at 877-247 2426, online: https://billygraham.org/checkout/give-honor-memorial.php or by mail at 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, NC 28201.
Contact: Bill Lindsay, 813-545-8133, bill@hamblenmusic.com Hamblen Music Company, est. 1954 http://www.HamblenMusic.com.
