Dennis Wilson is a backup singer in the country music’s unofficial capital, Nashville, Tennessee. In the book Real Country Humor Wilson tells a true story about a friend of his who sings professionally at funerals and weddings.

Sometime back this friend got a call from a lady whose husband had died of a heart attack. She said, “I heard you sing at my cousin’s funeral, and I wondered if you’d sing at my husband’s funeral. He just died.”

Wilson’s friend said, “Yes, ma’am, that’s what I do. Did you have anything particular in mind?”

She said, “Well, it was so sudden and I’m so upset, I haven’t been able to think straight.”

“What was something he really liked?” his friend asked, and she finally thought long enough about it to come up with “Jingle Bells.”

“Yes, that’s it,” she said. “He re…