Backforty Bunkhouse Newsletter - Backforty Bunkhouse Productions

Backforty Bunkhouse Newsletter
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Joe Baker, Publisher
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Published by Joe Baker
Cowtown Society of Western Music Heroes
Academy of Western Artists Disc Jockey of the Y ear
Cowtown Society of Western Music Disc Jockey of the Year
Western Swing Music Society of the Southwest Hall of Fame
Membership Director—Cowtown Society of Western Music
Board of Directors—Cowtown Society of Western Music
Seattle Western Swing Music Society POWS Hall of Fame
Backforty Newsletter—CSWM‟s Publication of the Year 2009
The Western Swing Society Sacramento CA Hall of Fame
Totsie Slover, Editor
Joe Baker's Top 20 – November, 2009
Western Swing
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
Academy Western
Artists
Rebecca Linda Smith, Jesus Grace
Darrell McCall, Keeping With Tradition
Johnny Rodriguez/Johnny Bush, Texas Legends
Wendell Sollis, The Sidekicks
Cornell Hurd, American Shadows
The Desperados, Lucky Seven
Jerry Webb, There‟s A Song In That
Saddle Cats, Herdin‟ Cats
Johnny Lyon, Wynn Stewart Favorites Vol.#2
Brady Bowen In My Spare Time, Vol.#5
Liz Talley, More Than Satisfied
Hank Stone, Somewhere In Texas
Willie Nelson, Willie & The Wheel
Les Gilliam, Oklahoma-1955
Ron Knuth/Chris Reeves, Things That Swing
Danny Edwards, Where‟s The Country
Stephanie Davis, Western Bling
Billy Mata, This Is Tommy Duncan Vol.#1
Dave Caley, It‟s A Long way Back
Hot Club Of Cowtown, Wishful Thinking
Backforty Roundup Vol.# 43
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Rich Flanders, Ride Away
Chuck Woller/Deborah Liv Johnson, Desert Moon
Wylie & Wild West, Christmas For Cowboys
Joe Herrington, Shalako
Gil Prather, Last Of The Border Cowboys
The Buckarettes, Cowgirl Serenade
Prescott/Masterson/Hollenbeck, Ranchlife101
Bob & Johnny Boatright, Lost Trails
Belinda Gail/Curly Musgrave, Forever West
Gary McMahan, Goin‟ My Way
The Texas Gypsies, Texas Gypsies
Chuck Cusimano, Wind Blow My Blues Away
Backforty Roundup, Vol.#43
GENE AUTRY-AMERICAN
HERO
Born: Orvin Gene Autry
Born Sep 29, 1907 in
Tioga, TX
Died Oct 2, 1998
What a great American success story.
Dugg Collins
Gene Autry was more than a musician. His music, coupled with his careers in movies and on radio and television, made him a part of the mythos that has made up
the American identity for the past hundred years John
Wayne with a little bit of Sam Houston and Davy Crockett all rolled into one, with a great singing voice and an
ear for music added on. He defined country music for
two generations of listeners, and cowboy songs for
much of this century, and American music for much of
the world. He was country music's first genuine "multimedia" star, the best known country & western singer
on records, in movies, on radio, and television from the
Western Music/Cowboy Poetry
early-'30s until the mid-'50s. His 300 songs cut between
1. Charming Billy, Frank Fara-Patty Parker
1929 and 1964 include nine gold-record awards and
2. Ken Cook, Cowboys Are Like That (Poetry)
one platinum record; his 93 movies saved one big
3. Bar D roundup, Vol.#4,Various Poets (Cowboy
chunk of the movie industry, delighted millions, and
Poetry.com)
made millionaires of several producers (as well as Autry
4. Jeanne & Jerome, You Are The Rose Of My Heart himself); his radio and television shows were even more
5. Stardust Cowboys, Ridin‟ Back To You
popular and successful; and a number of his songs out6. Flying J Wranglers, My Adobe Hacienda
side of the country & western field have become Ameri7. Stephanie Davis, Western Bliss
can pop-culture touchstones.
Joe Baker‟s Backforty Bunkhouse Show is broadcast on 100,000 watt KNMB, 96.7FM “New Mexico Bear” & 100,000 watt KWMW, 105.1FM, “Regional
Radio W-105” every Saturday morning 6 am to 10 am in Ruidoso, New Mexico covering New Mexico & West Texas. Member: Western Music Broadcasters Association (WMBA). Also available „Streaming live‟ 24/7 on the internet at W-105
1
The biggest selling country & western singer
of the middle of the century was born Orvin
Gene Autry on September 29, 1907 in the
tiny Texas town of Tioga, the son of Delbert
and Elnora Ozmont Autry. He was first
taught to sing at age five by his grandfather,
William T. Autry, a Baptist preacher and
descendant of some of the earliest settlers in
Texas, contemporaries of the Houstons and
the Crocketts (an Autry had died at the
Alamo). The boy's interest in music was
encouraged by his mother, who taught him
hymns and folk songs, and reading psalms
to him at night. Autry got his first guitar at
age 12, bought from the Sears, Roebuck
catalog for eight dollars (saved from his work
as a hired hand on his uncle's farm baling
and stacking hay). By the time he was 15,
he had played anyplace there was to perform in Tioga, including school plays and the
local cafe, but made most of his living work-
cancer. Autry's father
began drifting away
soon afterward, and he
became the head of
the family and the main
supporter of himself,
two sisters, and a
younger brother. In
early December of
1929, Autry cut his first
six sides for ARC. The
music was a mix of
hillbilly, blues, country,
yodel songs, and cowboy ballads. His breakthrough record, "That
Silver-Haired Daddy of
Mine," co-written by Autry and his friend Jimmy Long one night at
the railroad depot, was released in 1931. The song had sold
30,000 copies within a month, and by the end of a year 500,000
had been sold, an occasion that American Records decided to
mark with the public presentation of a gold-plated copy of the reing for the railroad as an apprentice at $35 a month. Later on, as cord. Autry received a second gold record when sales later broke
a proper telegraph operator, he was making $150 a month which, one million. And that was where the notion of the Gold Record
Award was born. The record also led him into a new career on the
in those days, was a comfortable income in their part of Texas.
radio as Oklahoma's Yodeling Cowboy on the National Barn
Dance show sponsored by WLS out of Chicago. It was there that
He was working the four-to-midnight shift at the local telegraph
office in Chelsea, Oklahoma one summer night in 1927 when, to Autry became a major national star his record sales rose assisted
break up the monotony, he began strumming a guitar and singing by his exposure on radio.
quietly to himself. A customer came into the office; rather than
During the early years of his career, Autry took a number of imporinsisting upon immediate service, he motioned for Autry to contant collaborators and musicians aboard. Among them were Fred
tinue singing, then sat down to watch and listen while he looked
over the pages he was preparing to send. At one point, the visitor Rose, the songwriter (later responsible for "Your Cheatin' Heart")
asked him to sing another. Finally, after dropping his copy on the with whom he collaborated on many of his hits; and fiddle-player
Carl Cotner (who also played sax, clarinet, and piano), who becounter, the customer told Autry that with some hard work, he
came his arranger. Autry had a knack for knowing a good song
might have a future on the radio, and should consider going to
New York to pursue a singing career. The man, whom Autry had when he heard it (though he almost passed on the biggest hit of
recognized instantly, was Will Rogers, the humorist, writer, movie his career), and for knowing when a song needed something extra
in its arrangement, but it was Cotner who was able to translate his
actor, and one of the most popular figures in the entertainment
sensibilities into musical notes and arrangements. Mary Ford,
world of that era.
later of Les Paul fame, was in Autry's band at one time, and in
Autry didn't immediately give up his job, but just over a year later, 1936, Autry signed up a 17-year-old guitar player named Merle
Travis, the future country star and songwriter.
he was in New York auditioning for a representative of RCAVictor. The judgment was that he had a good voice, but should
stay away from pop hits, find his own kind of songs and his own
sound, and get some experience. He was back six months later,
on October 9, 1929, cutting his first record, "My Dreaming of You"
and “My Alabama Home," for Victor. Two weeks later, Autry was
making a demo record for the Columbia label of Jimmie Rodgers'
"Blue Yodel No. 5." Present that same day in the studio were two
up-and-coming singers, Rudy Vallee and Kate Smith. Autry found
himself being pressured to sign an exclusive contract with Victor,
but chose instead to sign with the American Record Corporation.
Their general manager, Arthur Sattherly (who would later record
Leadbelly, among many other acts), persuaded Autry that while
Victor was a large company and could offer more money and a
better marketing apparatus, he would be lost at Victor amid its
existing stable of stars, whereas ARC would treat him as their
most important star. Additionally, Sattherly through a series of
arrangements involving major retail and chain stores across the
country now had the means to get Autry's records into peoples'
hands as easily as Victor.
His first recordings had just been released when his mother,
who'd been ill for months, died at the age of 45, apparently of
By the early '30s, Autry became one of the most beloved singers
in country & western music. By 1933, he was getting fan letters by
the hundreds every week, and his record sales were only going
up. Autry's career might've been made right there, but fate intervened again that year, in the form of the movie business. The
western especially the "B" western, the bottom-of-the-bill, lowbudget action oater had been hit very hard by the coming of
sound in the years 1927 to 1929. Audiences expected dialogue in
their movies, and most western stars up to that time were a lot
better at riding, roping, and shooting than reading lines. Not only
did producers and directors need something to fill up the soundtracks of their movies, especially on the limited budgets of the Bwesterns, but something to substitute for violent action, which was
being increasingly criticized by citizen groups.
Cowboy star Ken Maynard, who was a great trick rider and stuntman but no singer, had tried singing songs in a few of his movies,
and the producers noticed that the songs had gone over well despite his vocal limitations. Maynard was making another western,
In Old Santa Fe (1934), for Mascot Pictures, and producer Nat
Levine decided to try an experiment, putting in a musical number
2
sung by a professional. By sheer chance, the American Record
Company and Mascot Pictures were locked together financially,
though indirectly, and with the help from the president of ARC,
Levine was steered toward Autry.
Cowboy, later retitled Under Western
Stars when it became
the debut of Roy
Rogers.
A phone call brought the young singer and another ARC performer multi-instrumentalist/comedian Smiley Burnette out to Hollywood, where, after a quick meeting and screen test, the two
were put into In Old Santa Fe. Autry had only one scene, singing
a song and calling a square dance, but that scene proved to be
one of the most popular parts of the movie.
After eight months of
legal sparring, Autry
was left enjoined
from making live appearances. Republic,
however, found itself
Levine next stuck Autry and Burnette into a Ken Maynard serial,
with an uprising of
Mystery Mountain, in minor supporting roles. But Autry's next ap- theater owners and
pearance was much more important, as the star of the highly suc- chains on its hands
cessful 12-chapter serial The Phantom Empire. Perhaps recogwithout a guarantee
nizing that Autry was no "actor," and that he had an audience of
that they would have
millions already, he, the writers and the producer agreed that he
any Autry movies to
should simply play "Gene Autry," a good-natured radio singer and release, the studio's
sometime cowboy. The success of Autry's early films was not
entire annual distribution plans were jeopardized. By the fall of
enough to save Mascot Pictures, which collapsed under the
1938 the two sides had come to terms, with raises for Autry and
weight of debts held by Consolidated Film Laboratories, which did freedom from the most onerous clauses in his old contract. DeMascot's film processing. In 1935, Consolidated forced a merger spite his best efforts, however, he couldn't help the theater owners
of Mascot and a handful of other small studios and formed Reover the block-booking policy, for it was now entrenched in the
public Pictures, with Consolidated's president Herbert J. Yates at industry and an integral part of Republic's business plan.
the helm. Republic thrived in the B-movie market, ultimately dominating the entire field for the next 20 years. And central to Repub- Meanwhile, his recording career continued, often in tandem with
lic's success were the westerns of Gene Autry.
the movies. Whenever Republic could, they licensed the rights to
whatever hit song Autry had most recently recorded to use it as
His first starring western for the newly organized Republic Picthe title of his newest picture when they did this, they always
tures, Tumbling Tumbleweeds (released Sept. 5, 1935), which
charged the theater owners somewhat more for the film, and they
also included the singing group the Sons of the Pioneers, was a
paid it, because the song had "pre-sold" the movie to the public.
huge hit, and was followed by Melody Trail, The Sagebrush Trou- The songs kept coming, sometimes out of the movies themselves,
badour, and The Singing Vagabond, all released during the final
and not always his own: Autry's friend Ray Whitley had written
three months of 1935. Autry settled into a schedule of one movie "Back in the Saddle Again" for a 1938 George O'Brien western
every six weeks, or eight-per-year, at $5000 per movie, and a
called Border G-Man, and when Autry was looking for a theme
formula was quickly established. The production values on these song for his own radio show, he went back to Whitley's song,
movies were modest, in keeping with their low budgets and tight
made a few changes, and recorded it himself. Along with "That
shooting schedules, but within the framework of B-westerns, and Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine," it was the song he would be most
the context of their music, they were first-rate productions. By
closely associated with.
1937, and for five years after a string that was only broken when
he enlisted in the Army during World War II, Autry was rated in an Autry's career was interrupted by his service in the military during
industry survey of theater owners as one of the top ten box-office World War II, but when he returned to the recording and movie
attractions in the country, alongside the likes of James Cagney
studios in 1945, he resumed both his singing and film careers
and Clark Gable. Autry was the only cowboy star to make the list, without skipping a beat. He was still a name to be reckoned with
and the only actor from B-movies on the list.
at the box office, although he was never again ranked among the
top-ten money-making stars of movies. The cultural dislocations
For Republic Pictures, his movies were such a cash cow, and so caused by World War II and their effect upon rural and small-town
popular in the southern, border, and western states, that the tiny
America, and on the movie business, as well as the impending
studio was able to use them as a way to force "block booking" on arrival of television, had shrunk the B-movie market to a shadow
theater owners and chains; that is, theaters only got access to the of its 1930s glory. His movies still made money, however, and he
Autry movies scheduled each season if they bought all of Repub- kept making them right into the beginning of the 1950s, after
lic's titles for that season. It was Autry's discovery of this policy
which he moved into television production. Autry had already be(which, in fairness, was practiced by every major studio at the
gun buying up radio stations before the war, and by the early '50s
time, and led to the anti-trust suit by the government that ultihe was owner of several television stations, a studio, and his own
mately forced the studios to give up their theater chains) in early
production company, where he made his own television program
1938 that led to his first break with Republic. The problems had
as well as others that he owned.
been brewing for some time, over Autry's unhappiness at never
having gotten a raise from his original Mascot-era $5000-perHis singing career was bigger than ever, however. Even before
movie deal, and contractual clauses which had never been exer- the war, Autry had occasionally moved away from country music
cised, but worried him nonetheless, giving Republic a share of his and scored big, as with his 1940 hit version of "Blueberry Hill,"
radio, personal appearance, and endorsement earnings. After
which predated Fats Domino's recording by 16 years. After the
trying unsuccessfully to work out the problems with Yates, Autry
war, he still did cowboy and country songs such as "Silver Spurs"
walked out of the studio chief's office and thereafter refused to
and "Sioux City Sue," sprinkled with occasional folk songs and
report for the first day's shooting on a movie called Washington
pop numbers. In 1949, however, Autry scored the biggest single
3
hit of his career and possibly the second or third biggest hit song
"Swingin' West"- Mike Gross
ever recorded up to that time with "Rudolph the Red-Nosed ReinWVOF-FM
deer," a song by Johnny Marks that Autry had recorded only reNovember 1, 2009
luctantly, in a single take at the end of a session. That same year,
he cut "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky," a number by a former forest
Songs
ranger named Stan Jones, which became both a country and pop
music standard, cut by everyone from Vaughan Monroe to
1. Over the Hill- River Road Boys
Johnny Cash.
2. Brownsville- John England & Western Swingers
3. California Mountains- The Stardust Cowboys
By the mid-'50s, Autry's career had slowed. Rock & roll and
4. Are You Teasing Me- Bobby Flores
rhythm & blues were attracting younger listeners, and a new gen- 5. Southern Hospitality- Cornell Hurd Band
eration of country music stars, heralded by Johnny Cash and
6. Feelin‟ Blue for Texas- Marshall Ford Swing Band
Marty Robbins, were beginning to attract serious sales. Autry,
7. Tacos, Enchiladas and Beans- Buck Pizzarelli & West Texas
then in his forties, still had his audience, but he gradually receded
Tumbleweeds
from the limelight to attend to his burgeoning business interests.
8. I Can Almost Tell- Rich Lester
He died October 2, 1998.
9. Night Coach Out of Dallas- Jake Hooker
10. Crystal Canyon- Patty Parker
Bruce Eder
duggcollins.com
Albums
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Houston- River Road Boys
Western Bling- Stephanie Davis
This is Tommy Duncan- Billy Mata & Texas Tradition
Herdin‟ Cats- The Saddle Cats
Now Playing! Willie and the Wheel- Willie Nelson & Asleep at
the Wheel
6. Last Call for Heartaches- Price Porter
7. Diggin‟ Up Bones- Buck Pizzarelli & West Texas Tumbleweeds
8. Open That Gate- John England & Western Swingers
9. Lost Along the Way- Jake Hooker
10. Legendary Western Swing- Pat Jacobs & the Over the Hilll
Gang
swinginwest.com
Graham Lees Top 10 Songs and Albums
HWD Radio - United Kingdom
Top Ten CDs
Time Jumpers - Jumpin‟ Time
Bryan Ragsdale - Where Cowpokes Grow
Stephanie Davis - Western Bling
Gretchen Peters & Tom Russell - One To The
Heart, One To The Head
Dave Stamey - Come Ride With Me
John England & Western Swingers - Open That Gate
Bobby Flores - Too Many Rivers
Eli Barsi - Darn Hard To Tame
Bob & Johnny Boatright - Lost Trails
Janet McBride - Still Lovin‟ The Ride
Bill McCallie’s Cowboy Jubilee Radio Show
Classical 90.5 WSMC-FM Chattanooga, TN
Well the leaves are changing here in Southeast Tennessee and it resembles an artist pallet of colors. I've been playing guitar on the
Southern Belle Riverboat for a little over 18
years now and it's always enjoyable to travel
down the "Grand Canyon" of the Tennessee
River and see all the trees changing colors...every color in the rainbow. Speaking of rainbow, we had a
rainbow of music on the Cowboy Jubilee Radio Show this month.
We started off the month with the Beaumont Rag from the fiddle
of Natalie McMasters. Fiddlin' Barbara Lamb fiddled her way
through "Tonight I feel Like Texas" and dobrologist Jerry Douglas
picked the dobro on "Passin‟ the Bar" to round out a nice set.
Don Walser sang and Ole Tennessee Ernie Ford song called the
"Shotgun Boogie" and I noticed he had the "Who's Who" of western swing accompanying him....Cindy Cashdollar on steel, Jason
Roberts and Johnny Gimble doing the fiddle work with Floyd
Domino on Keyboards.....talk about a million dollar band!
Since Rich O'Brien will be entered into the Western Music Hall of
Fame in November, we did a whole segment about Rich. We
featured several of his tunes from several CD's......."The Old Spinning Wheel," "Under the Double Eagle," "Wheels," "Waltz for
Bridget" and "The Theme from Gunsmoke" were featured. I did a
bunch of Red Steagall this month. You know Red is just so consistent in the quality and content of his work, it's easy to pick out
things the listeners will enjoy. Red's "One Empty Cot in the Bunkhouse," "Dodge City," "The Lantern on the Wagon,” "Dear Mama,”
Top Ten Songs
Ray Sanders - My Special Angel
Dave Stamey - Used Rough
Bobby Flores - My Life‟s Been A Pleasure
Palo Duro - Navajo Trail
The Stardust Cowboy - Ridin‟ Back To You
Journey West - Call Of The Canyon
TJ Casey - Corrine Corrina
Dave Stamey - If I Had A Horse
Jeanne & Jerome - That‟s What I Like About The West
The Flying W Wranglers - Stampede
graham@grahamlees.co.uk
A-10 Etcheverry, Creative Achievement Award Winner
Cowtown Society of Western Music 2009 - CrayolaCowboy.com
4
“I'm a Cowboy" and "Panhandle Wind" were all spotlighted on the
show. Nashville songbird Carolyn Martin sang "When You're
Smiling," Jody Nix did "Play Me Something I Can Swing To" and
Bobby Flores did "My Life Has Been A Pleasure." Dave Stamey's
"Somebody Needs To Go Back Home" has been one of our most
requested songs over the past several months while Curley Musgrave and Belinda Gail hit the spotlight with "Roly Poly” from their
"Forever West" CD. Waddie Mitchell's cowboy poem "Harsh
Words'' was really a nice lead in to the inspirational of one show
and cowboy poet J B Allen's version of the ole public domain
song converted into a poem, "I'd Like To Be In Texas For The
Round Up In The Spring" really was nice for a lead into Red's
"Wagon Tongue." R W Hampton did the honors on one show with
his "I Believe" and his "This Ole House" cut. I played several cuts
from Suzy Bogus' "Swing." “Straighten Up and Fly Right" and
"Jumpin‟ Into Spring" were taken from the "Swing" CD. I interspersed several cuts from the In Cahoots Band and from Fletcher
Bright and the Dismembered Tennesseans this month so as to
promote our 16th Annual Live Cowboy Jubilee Radio Show. Next
month I'll do some songs about trains and try to work in some of
Joni Harms songs as I really enjoy her, as do our listeners.
We broadcast The Cowboy Jubilee Radio Show each week from
WSMC 90.5 fm Public Radio and stream to the internet at
www.wsmc.org. We are on from 6pm to 7pm each Sunday. We
are a 100,000 watt station and we're located in beautiful downtown Collegedale, Tennessee...where the air always smells like a
big oatmeal cookie.
That's about all the news that's fit to print.......remember, as Mark
Twain once said "It is noble to do good...but it is nobler to teach
others to do good...and a lot less trouble"! Ride safe!
billmccallie@gmail.com
Sundays at 6:00 pm - wsmc.org/webstream.html
Cowboy Bill’s Top 10 Playlist
Top 10 Most Requested Songs
October is turning into my favorite month
of the year. Well, maybe second to December when we have Christmas. None
the less, in October, there were cowboys
everywhere at the 3rd Annual Georgia
Day of the Cowboy on October 3rd at Horsetown East in Snellville, Georgia. There were gunfights by Los Pistoleros, trick
horses (starring Albert Lloyd and his horse “Tiger”), special appearance by Wild Bill Elliott look-a-like (Ronnie Aycoth), Native
Americans (including special guests “Deerhunter” & “Curly Bear”)
and plenty of Cowboy music by The Atlanta Country Music Hall of
Fame. There was plenty of vittles and good cheer and everything
was cowboy. Check out the picture with the Cowboys and Indians.
On October 10th we had a blast doing a Wild West Show on
Wagon Wheel Weekend at The Rock Ranch in Barnesville, Georgia. The Rock Ranch is owned by S. Truett Cathy, founder of
Chick-Fil-A and their mission is to unite families with the land. Los
Pistoleros and The Traveling Cowboy Band performed cowboy
songs, train robberies and gunfights for close to four thousand
attendees.
We‟re getting ready for The Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame
Awards which will be on November 28th. We will host a Cowboy
Showcase which will include many Cowboy Artists. More on that
next month.
Until then, we want all you pards out there to stay warm, keep
your powder dry and keep it cowboy. Just remember, there‟s the
right way, the wrong way and the...Cowboy Way!!!!
As always, we continue to get CDs from many artists and groups
and we welcome them all. If you want to send us your CD, we are
at:
The Cowboy Way Show
146 Hwy 139 #230
Monroe, Georgia 30565
Our top ten playlist for November, 2009 is:
1. Remember Me…Liz Masterson
2. Just One More Night…Lamar Hunter
3. In Old McGee Canyon…Dave Stamey
4. The Farmer And The Lord…Cowboy Bill & Rhonda Carrier
5. Cowpoke…Keeter Stuart
6. Be My Cowboy…Lynn Anderson
7. Jesus And Roy…Marvin O‟Dell
8. Cross The Brazos At Waco…Billy Walker
9. Doc Holiday Lives On…Frank Brannon
10. You Can‟t Put A Brand On Me…Curly Musgrave & Belinda
Gail
wilrand@comcast.net
Cowboy Poetry
at the BAR-D Ranch
by Margo Metegrano, Editor,
CowboyPoetry.com
Some of the year's most popular
events take place in December, including the Larry Chittenden
Cowboy Celebration in Anson, Texas; Michael Martin Murphey's
Cowboy Christmas Ball at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City; the 21st Annual Cowboy Christmas Poetry Gathering in Wickenburg, Arizona; and California's
11th Annual Monterey Cowboy Poetry & Music Festival.
Top cowgirl poet Doris Daley will be in Monterey (along with Don
Edwards, Hot Club of Cowtown, Sons of the San Joaquin, the
Gillette Brothers, Dennis Gaines, Pat Richardson, Jess Howard,
Waddie Mitchell, Lacy J. Dalton and others; December 1113, www.montereycowboy.org).
Doris Daley's recent poem offers a fine way to bid farewell to the
year:
Goodnight to the Trail
Come with me to a place out west
Where all who trod are Nature's guest
5
Waynetta’s Roundup on LIVE365
Waynetta Ausmus
KJIM, 1500AM Sherman/Dennison, TX
We'll ride to the top of a piney crest
And gaze at the valley below.
Come with me where the cattle graze
We'll tighten our cinches and gather the strays
Leather's creaking, the hills are a-blaze
And the night might bring some snow.
Ride with me as the sky turns gold
Hear the cattle bawl and the magpie scold.
Pull up your collar 'cause the wind is cold,
Coffee'll taste good tonight.
I wish my pen could find the wings
To soar with rhyme when the nightwind sings
But words are often feeble things
To get that job done right.
But the rhymes won't come; my pen is dry
No poem could capture this sweep of sky
Let's hit the trail and say goodbye
To this patch of God's good clay.
So mount up, Joe, let's ride for home
The range wants to sleep 'neath its starry dome
The wind and sky can finish this poem,
We'll call it quits for today.
So ride with me as the light turns pale
See the moon come up, hear the coyotes wail
Supper's waiting, and we say to the trail,
Good night, Old Friend, good night.
© 2009, Doris Daley, All rights reserved
Doris Daley returns to the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in
January, 2010, her eighth invited appearance there. Her latest
CD, Beneath a Western Sky, includes the poem above. It's available for $15 (US), $20 (CDN) plus postage from Doris
Daley, Fiddle DD Enterprises, Box 103 Turner Valley, AB
TOL 2AO; www.dorisdaley.com.
Find more about hundreds of cowboy poets and Western musicians at CowboyPoetry.com. It's an on-going gathering, with continuous news, features, poetry, lyrics, gathering reports, and an
extensive event calendar. Come on by and stay a while.
margo@cowboypoetry.com
Fred Berry
Tom Burgess
Mary Corley
Mark Giles
Briggs Hill and his family
Marian Howell
Dennis Ivey
Mel McDaniel
Joe Paul Nichols
Walter Pate
Jim Quisenberry
Connie Stom
Ed White
Jimal Bible
Joyce Collins
Jim Cox and Family
Paige Haas
Howe‟s twin grandbabies
Mary Hunter
Bill Lister
Bob Nible
Rich O‟Brien
Lyall and Donna Paulson
Louise Rowe
Mike Ward
Oct. 4, 2009
Open That Gate - John England and the
Western Swingers
The Chauffeur And The Professor - Jerry
Clower
Hey Good Lookin! - Larry Wilder
Wild West Is Going To Get Wilder - Michael Martin Murphy
Let My Pony Run - Due West Trio
Purt Near! - Larry Maurice
Five Foot Two - Ken Overcast
First Light - Audrey Hankins
Night Birds - Royal Wade Kimes
Spellbound On The High Lonesome - Donna Hatton
If I Hadn't Seen The West - Joyce Woodson
Oct. 11, 2009
Warmth of Mexico - Geronimo Trevino III & The Geronimo Band
Born To Be A Cowboy - RJ Vandygriff
Revelation 22:16 - Doc Mayer
The Lone Ranger Way - Hank Cramer
Chipmunk & The Bear - Choogie Kingfisher
West Of Yesterday - Don Edwards
Two Steppin' Texas Blue - Joni Harms
My Box - Jerry Clower
The Bear Paw Song - Ken Overcast
Grandma's Homemade Aprons - Yvonne Hollenbeck
Timber Trail - Larry Wilder
Yep - Rod Nichols
Outlaw - David Comstock
Tougher Horses - Geff Dawson
Timber Trail - Larry Wilder
Meet Jake - Doris Daley
Play List KJIM, 1500 AM, Sherman/Denison, Tx.
The Inventory - Jerry Clower
Too Far Back To Texas - Ken Overcast
Brothers Stay Together - Ken Cook
There Ain't No Quit- Bill Barwick
Crackerbarrel Stories - Doc Mayer
Cowgirl Way - Terry Taylor
Cowgirlography - Juni Fisher
Ride On - Barry Ward
Stackin' Hay - Jerry Schleicher
Old Town - John England & the Western Swingers
10-25-09
Charlie And The Boys - Sons of the San Joaquin
Down the Trail to San Antoine - Billy Cate
Back Riding In Fall - Mason Tibbs
Dallas And Ft. Worth - Texas Gypsies
Goodbye Cowboy - Monty Teel
I Leave My Troubles At The Old Corral - Vince Crofts & Mindi
Reid
Texas In Your Swing - Liz Talley
Mustang - Rusty Feathers
The Gift - Belinda Gail
Jingle Jangle Jingle - RW Hampton & Don Edwards
2nd Babylonians 3:8 - Bob Upchurch
Pancho Villa Slept Here - Way Out West
waynettawwr@aol.com
6
7
UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND ARTS OF
OKLAHOMA - CHICKASHA
primitive cultures, in the 1980s he returned to the western swing
scene with The Texas Playboys.
Bass player Louise Rowe, whose experience with country and
western swing spans six decades and intersects with top artists,
will be featured. She too is a member of The Former Texas Playboys. The only female musician Bob Wills ever hired also is the
CHICKASHA – Seven accomplished musicians with serious
youngest and only female sibling of the famous Seven Rowe
country music chops and dozens of albums between them have
Brothers. At 18, she was hired as a singer, but has built her long
joined as The Former Texas Playboys. Together they will perform
and illustrious career playing bass and writing songs. Her most
for charity here in the first-ever Black Tie & Boots Ball, staged by
recent album was the 2008 release, I Still Cry.
Former Texas Playboys Join
For USAO Scholarship Event Dec. 18
Performer Chuck Hays, who now is a leader in the western swing
movement, is a former member of The Texas Playboys. Born in
Braggs, Okla., Hays worked in the aeronautics industry until his
love for western music overtook his career.
Hays served the Air Force in Korea then settled in California, performing with Jim Reeves, Patsy Kline, Lefty Frazell, Tex Ritter and
other high profile entertainers in the 1950s. He played for years
with the Pee Wee Whitewing Gold Coast Playboy Band and later
for the legendary Tommy Duncan Band. Eventually he was honored to join the Bob Wills Band in 1969. He was named to the
Western Swing Music Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Pioneers of
Western Swng Music Hall of Fame in 1999. He was named to the
Western Swing Music Society of the Southwest Hall of Fame in
2000.
the USAO Foundation to raise money for scholarships at the University of Science and Arts.
The youngest surviving member of The Texas Playboys is Oklahoma guitarist Joe Settlemires, who performs with The Former
Texas Playboys but maintains a regular job teaching music at the
Featured are country music legends Bobby Koefer, Louise Rowe, University of Science and Arts, where he leads the popular USAO
Chuck Hays and Joe Settlemires, along with Monte Gaylord,
Showband. A noted musician in his own right, Settlemires has
Wayne Gasson and Chad Maines, each with impressive album
been inducted into four musical halls of fame, including three
and performing credentials.
western swing organizations. Settlemires arranges all the music
and directs the Showband with the assistance of his wife, Donna.
Tickets for the Dec. 18 premiere event are $75. Tickets may be
purchased online at www.usao.edu or by phone with credit card
Settlemires began playing professionally at 14. He toured for
at 405-574-1213.
years with Bob Wills, Willie Nelson, Red Foley, Tex Ritter, and
many others. He has played behind Bob Hope, Della Reese,
“We hope to stage a spectacular and fun musical event,” said
Loretta Lynn, Harold Bradley, Howard Roberts, Pat Martino, and
musician-educator Joe Settlemires of USAO, “but it‟s also a ball, his band was featured with the Oklahoma City Symphony. Setwhere guests will be invited to take the dance floor and enjoy the tlemires‟ students are associated with some of the biggest names
music with their feet.”
in music. He has taught at Oklahoma Christian University and has
been teaching since 2001 at the University of Science and Arts of
The ball begins at 7 p.m. in the USAO Student Center Ballroom.
Oklahoma. In 2006, the Oklahoma Legislature recognized Joe for
50 years of leadership and service in the Oklahoma music indusAll-star members of the Former Texas Playboys include Bobby
try and education. He has two recent jazz albums out, “Canadian
Koefer on steel guitar, Louise Rowe on bass, Wayne Gasson on Sunset” and “Sugarfoot Rag,” which features Vince Gill and Harkeyboard and Joe Settlemires on guitar.
old Bradley.
Bobby Koefer is called one of America‟s most unique steel guitarists. He plays a 1953 stand-up, Fender, triple neck steel guitar. Being self-taught has resulted in a very versatile singular
sound and an unorthodox technique. Musician friends say he
prefers old, rusty strings. Rumor was that he buried his steel for
several years in his backyard in Alaska.
Koefer toured for years with Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys. There he worked for two years with musicians like Eldon
Shamblin. He played for shows that featured Milton Berle, Perry
Como, the Grand Ole Opry and more. He has worked with such
legends as Marty Robbins, George Morgan, Patti Page, Lefty
Frizzell, Ferlin Husky, Rex Allen, Tex Ritter and Jim Reeves.
While he moved to Alaska and spent 20 years learning about
Settlemires‟ newest album, Joe Settlemires and Northfield Swing,
will be released later this year. It features Chickasha vocalist Kristen Killion and singer Hank Adam Locklin. Settlemires plays every
year with The Former Texas Playboys at Bob Wills Days in Turkey, Texas.
Fiddle player Monte Gaylord is no stranger to Chickasha. A star
performer with Alan Jackson, Brooks and Dunn and others celebrities, Gaylord performed with the USAO Showband during its
2006 spring concert. Video of the concert is available at usao.edu/
news in USAO TV under "Showband Spring Concert."
Gaylord's musical career started at age 18, but he started playing
at 4. Gaylord has played for three U.S. presidents, toured with the
8
band, Asleep At The Wheel, and was with Clint Black for seven
years. More recently, Gaylord has traveled the world playing with
the Franklin Graham Festivals in South America, Japan, China
and Korea. In Oklahoma, he was named the Oklahoma State
Fiddle Champion 15 times.
Pianist Wayne Glasson started playing piano by ear at age 7.
During his school years, he played for various school and community events along with his dad and other area musicians. He
was playing professionally at 18.
Glasson played the Longhorn Ballroom for Dewey Groom in the
1970s and became friends with many of the great western swing
musicians. Next he played for 20 years with the Texas Rhythm
Band. He has played for Steve Wariner, Louise Mandrel, Leon
Rausch, Frenchie Burk, Jeanne Pruitt, Gene Watson, the late
Gary Van, Gary Stewart, Johnny Paycheck, Freddie Fender, Del
Reeves and Boxcar Willie.
In 1996, Glasson joined a group of former Texas Playboys called
the Texas Playboy Reunion Band. Since April, 2000, Wayne has
been playing with the Former Texas Playboys at the Bob Wills
Days celebration in Turkey, Texas. Glasson has played for audiences from the Cain‟s Ballroom in Tulsa to the Lincoln Center in
New York to the 2008 Presidential Ball in Washington DC. Glasson has been named to five different halls of fame for his musical
accomplishments.
Ken Bass - KALH - Variety 95.1
Serving
Alamogordo - La Luz - Holloman AFB &
Tularosa, NM
Liz Talley - You Can't Take The Texas Out Of Me
Red River Mudcats - Texas Eagle
Rhonda Vincent - Last Time Lovin' You
Johnny Lyon - Big City
Gringo Kings - Did I Go Crazy
Marcia Ball - Louella
JB & Moonshine Band - I'm Broke
Zona Jones - Day Off
Jack Blanchard and Misty Morgan - Shadows Of The Leaves
Josh Turner - Why Don't We Just Dance
Rio Grand - Painted Pony
Rex Foster - Slow Down (Texas Style)
J D Newbury - Beer Makes You Lean
Albert & Gage - Hell Or High Water
Curtis Potter - When The Neon Lights Come On
Manning-Dixon - Cold As Her Heart
Patty Parker - She Rode A Horse Called Buttermilk
Pat Jacobs & OTH Gang with PJ Babcock - I Can't Give You
Anything But Love
Dave Caley - Let's Chase Each Other Around The Room Tonight.
kalhlp@earthlink.net
Jacques Dufour
Rockin' Boy Saloon
Every Sunday on www.lyonpremiere.com
Pam Tillis/John Anderson - Life Has Sure
Changed Us Around
Paul Evans - It's All Or Nothin'
Stephanie Davis - Soon
Poker Alice - Switzerland-The Sun
Vince Gill - Little Brother
Michael O‟Neill - Hello Neighbor
Stephanie Raymond - Take My Hand
Lee Dinwoodie - Paycheck To Paycheck
Joe Nichols - She's All Lady
Dayna Lane - I'll Keep Believing
Perley Curtis - Just Another Trucker
Steve Holy - Might Have Been
Frank Fara - Charming Billy
The youngest member performer at the big Chickasha event is 26 Kata Hay - Along The Navajo Trail
-year-old drummer Chad Maines from Lubbock. He also plays
Deborah Liv Johnson/Chuck Woller - Cold Blue Steel
guitar, bass, mandolin and sings. Currently touring with three dif- Whiskey Jack - Tumblin' Tumbleweeds
ferent groups -- the Texas Country Band, Brian Milson and the
Kelly Pickler - Best Days Of Your Life
Short Road Band, and a blues band, 108 E Broadway – Maines
Deanne Moore - How You Say Goodbye
travels constantly. His wildlife management degree will be used
Nicki Gillis - Remember Me
“someday” he says, but for now music is his passion.
Point Of Grace - I Wish
All-star musicians known together as The Former Texas PlayKevin Bickley - France-Respect Your Elders
boys will perform on Dec. 18 to raise money for scholarships at
Tennessee Stud-France-I'll Stay Me
the University of Science and Arts. The band features countryDagousket Ramblers-France-Si Si Si Senorita
swing-jazz legends, clockwise from top left, Bobby Koefer, Monte Miss Lauren Marie-Cheaters Cheat
Gaylord, Wayne Glasson, Joe Settlemires, Chuck Hays, Louise
Rhythm Train-Switzerland-My Little Black Book
Rowe and Chad Maines. Tickets are $75 to benefit the USAO
Dustbowl-Greece-Moonshine Jack
Foundation Scholarship Fund.
Jason Roos-Country Way Of Life
CONTACT ERIC FEUERBORN, News Bureau, 405-574Jamie O'Neal-Soldier Coming Home
1362, efeuerborn@usao.edu
RANDY TALLEY, Public Relations, 405-574Merci pour l'écoute - Thanks for listening
1337, rtalley@usao.edu
country@lyonpremiere.info
9
LEESWINGS TOP CDs
Kountry Korral Magazine, Bennerstigen
120, Sala Sweden
CDs
01 - Bill Dessens - I´ve Waited A Lifetime
02 - Bonebrake Syncopators - That Da Da
Strain
03 - Deborah Liv Johnson & Chuck Woller - Desert Moon
04 - Gaylynn Robinson - Love & Heartache
05 - Heybale - The Last Country Album
06 - Jake Hooker - Lost Along The Way
07 - Kelli Grant - Swings & Sings
08 - Louise Rowe - My Time With Bob
09 - Seven Rowe Brothers Band - 70 Years Celebration
10 - Stardust Cowboys - Ridin´ Back To You
11 - Stephanie Davis - Western Bling
12 - Texas Swing Band - Welcome To Texas
SONGS
01 - Grits And Gravy Blues - Brady Bowen & Swing Country
02 - Hang Your Head In Shame - Texas Swing Band w/Jerome
Stubbs
03 - Honeysuckle Rose - Joaquin Murphey w/The Plainsmen
04 - I Still Cry - Louise Rowe
05 - Keeper Of The Flame - Gaylynn Robinson
06 - Mr. Record Man - Heybale w/Redd Volkaert
07 - Seven Come Eleven - Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
08 - Silver Lake Blues - Bill Dessens
09 - Stranger - Elizabeth McQueen & Jason Roberts
10 - Talkin´`Bout You - Jake Hooker
11 - Talkin´`Bout You - Stephanie Davis
12 - Three Little Words - Bonebrake Syncopators
Around The Campfire
Rather than list CD's this month, I thought I
would list what I feel are 10 of the best single
songs released in recent months. I hope you
enjoy this list which is in no particular order:
1. Bronc To Breakfast - Tom Hiatt
2. There's A Rodeo Behind Us - Bill Barwick
3. The Adobe Walls - Gary S. Pratt
4. Never Come Again - Kerry Grombacher
5. Itty Bitty Outlaw - Cora Rose Wood
6. Used Rough - Dave Stamey
7. Drift Along, Lonely Cowboy - Don Edwards
8. Calloused Hands And A Soft Heart - Prickly Pair
9. Cookie, Cowboy Fortuneteller - Jennifer Lind
10. Cold Blue Steel - Deborah Liv Johnson
Marvin O'Dell
Around the Campfire
HeartlandPublicRadio.org
Real West from the Old West AM1230 KOTS
Top 20 CDs in no particular order
In My Spare Time Vol. 5 – Brady Bowen
Gone For Colorado – Juni Fisher
Festival Favorites – Bobby Flores
Ranch Life 101 – Prescott, Masterson & Hollenbeck
This Is Tommy Duncan Vol. 1 – Billy Mata
Appaloosa Moon – Tom Hiatt
Songs Of Moon Mullican – Cornell Hurd Band
Bar-D Roundup Vol. 4
Bar-D Roundup Vol. 3
News From BobWills.com
Hello again from down in Austin.
It makes me very pleased to say the recent
benefit for Louise Rowe was a roaring success.
The big event was held in the legendary
Broken Spoke dance hall in South Austin on
November 3rd. Al Dressen did a great job of
organizing the show and Linda Branson took care of the silent
auction. Wow, what a lineup of talent graced the stage in the 4
hour show. Al did the first set with folks like Alvin Crow, Rick
McCrae, Danny Levin and Kaz Kazanoff in the band. The great
Herb Remington was there as well as my favorite piano player,
Floyd Domino. The talented Dick Gimble played a set with his
very talented daughter, Emily on the piano
and it was followed up
by a fine set with the
Billy Mata band. I was
the MC for the final set
with a great bunch to
back me up. Louise
didn‟t want to be left
out, so she played her
unique stand-up bass
for that show. We had
a who‟s who of fiddle
players show up and
play…Alvin Crow, Rick
McCrae, Elana James,
Howard Kalish and the
incredible youngster,
Ruby Jane. Lots of
good singers…Justin
Trevino, Bobby Flores,
Jim Gough
Jerry Lightsey, Janet Lynn
and Louise‟s daughter, Marcy to name a few.
All in all, it was a great evening, for a great cause. Be sure and
include Louise in your prayers, she‟s a real trooper and will most
certainly beat these health problems.
Bob Wills Radio recently featured an interview I did years ago with
Bob‟s first girl singer, Laura Lee McBride. We have some great
guests scheduled in the weeks just ahead. Folks like Floyd Domino and Mary Ann Price. You‟ll also hear an interview with the
young fiddler from north Texas, Brady Bowen. So log in often and
tell your friends about Bob Wills.com. Happy Trails,
Jim Gough
jimgoughmrtexas@aol.com
Western Jazz – Tommy Thomsen & The Wills Point Playboys
One Life To Live – Linda Lee Filener
More Than Satisfied – Liz Talley
You Are The Rose Of My Heart – Call Of The West
Willie & The Wheel – Willie Nelson & Asleep At The Wheel
Ridin‟ Back To You – Stardust Cowboys
Timeless – The Quebe Sisters Band
Last Of The Troubadours – Don Edwards
Somewhere In Texas – Hank Stone
The Sidekicks – Wendell Sollis & The Sidekicks
Desert Moon – Chuck Woller & Deborah Liv Johnson
RealWestOldWest@live.com
10
Louise Rowe, Texas Playboy, Fundraiser
By Gaylynn Robinson
The fantastic evening of extraordinary music made it impossible
for Louise to remain passive. It was inevitable she would join in
on stand-up bass.
To those who
know Louise, this
was predictable. A
real highlight of the
night was when
Louise‟s daughter
Marcy sang. She
made her mama
proud and rightly
so.
The evening‟s musical bliss rose in a
Louise and her stand-up bass
crescendo with an
all-star lineup of top musicians. Justin Trevino sang his heart out
and eloquently reminded everyone about the power of prayer. He
then followed up with an astounding rendition of "How Great Thou
Art” Little Liz Talley entertained the crowd with her swinging version of “Roly Poly”. Gathered on stage was a powerhouse of top
gun players: Howard Kalish, Buddy Boehm, Elana James, Brent
Wilson, Jim Gough, Doug Davis, Billy Curtis, West Starr, John
Chandler, Terry Hale, Harold Pollard, Lonnie Atkinson, Jerome
Stubbs, and Ruby Jayne.
Then, like a bolt of lightening Bobby Flores transmuted the whole
event into another heighten state of musical nirvana when he took
control of the stage. With his soulful vocals and fiddle chops that
are second to none, Bobby tore down the house. When you have
three exceptional fiddlers like Bobby Flores, Howard Kalish, and
Elana James on stage together the joint starts smokin‟ baby and
that ain‟t no lie!
Thanks to everyone who made it out to support Louise. The audience yielded a who‟s who of leading Austin Talent with the likes of
Redd Volkaert and Cornell Hurd. Artists that couldn't be at the
event such as Bobby Koefer, Dale Watson, Cindy Cashdollar and
Bad Bob Rohan donated their music and items for the silent auction. Most of the artists participating at the event donated auction
items also. Strait Music reciprocated in turn for Louise's longtime
patronage by donating a guitar which everyone signed.
Linda Branson organized a successful silent auction and DJ, Ted
Branson did his best to promote the event. Last but not least, big
thanks to James & Annetta White for graciously opening the legendary doors of The Broken Spoke for the event.
I guess with every fundraiser there's always a concern that you
could have raised more money. But one thing is certain, the outpouring of love and support shown for Texas
music legend, Louise
Rowe, was priceless. It
kind of makes one believe that real American
values; real Texas values, still exist. Did I
mention that true American spirit was alive and
well at The Broken
Louise & Al Dressen
Spoke on Tuesday,
November 3, 2009? Well, it certainly was and if you missed it,
you missed something very special.
In light of current events, it's not surprising some of us often reflect upon
the America of the past; when a hand
shake and your word meant something. Well, I am happy to report that
true American spirit was alive and well
at Louise Rowe‟s Medical Fundraiser.
On November 3, 2009, a gathering of
musicians and music lovers gathered
together under the roof of The Broken
Spoke in Austin Texas. Louise Rowe,
Texas Playboy, had a fundraiser and
friends, along with musicians came
together on her behalf.
Bob Wills & Louise Rowe
The evening commenced with a bang when Louise's good friend
and former bandleader, Al Dressen revved up his Super Swing
Review Band featuring Herb Remington, Paul Glasse, Floyd
Domino, Janet Lynn, Danny Levin, Erik Hokkanen, Mark Kazanoff, Brent Wilson, Neal Clausnitzer, Rick McRae and Alvin Crow.
The band provided some great music that set the tone for the rest
of the night.
Marshall Ford Swing Band followed with a heaping portion of
Gimble family genes. As bandleader Dick Gimble mused to the
crowd, "I grew up being known as Johnny Gimble's son and now I
am known as Emily Gimble's dad". Well, either way, Dick Gimble
is just about the smoothest bass player, fretless bass player that
is, that I have ever heard. Dick's daughter, and Johnny's granddaughter, Emily, exhibited her incredibly gifted music genes on
the 88's. Both Dad and daughter have superb vocals. Lead guitar was more than adequately taken care of by guitar virtuoso
Rick McCrae. Herb Steiner added his steel licks to enhance the
brew. Fiddler and vocalist Elana James added even more stunning vocals and riffs to the incredible set of songs. The young
drummer with this group was equally impressive. I was fortunate
enough to get to sing "Time Changes Everything" with them. It
was like driving a Cadillac; smooth and luxurious. Jerry Lightsey
added his stupendous vocals rounding out the set.
At that point, the evening seemed unbeatable. We could have all
packed up and gone home completely satisfied. Then something
supernatural transpired. A cool Texas breeze meandered threw
the place materializing nice looking gentlemen in Stetson Hats,
Western attire and cowboy boots. It was as if we had all been
transported back in time to a Bob Wills & The Texas Playboy
show circa 1953. Billy Mata and The Texas Tradition captured
the stage and blew everyone's mind. These guys blessed the
evening with some of the most phenomenal music I have heard in
a long time. Dick Gimble was a stand-in for Billy's bass player
who wasn‟t able to make the event. Billy and the boys exemplify
what it means to be Texan and I can't think of a more appropriate
name for those gentleman than, The Texas Tradition. They make
Texas proud. Billy's a one-of-a-kind artist. He and his band are
in perfect synch. The artistry of this band is beyond belief. They
don‟t just perform the songs they paint images with every note
they play. By the time Billy finished, the crowd had pretty much
reached Western Swing nirvana. Louise remarked to me it was
like listening to Bob Wills & the boys when she was playing with
them. I don‟t think Billy and The Texas Tradition could receive a
better compliment than that.
Love from Texas,
But the night had yet even more to offer. There is really no other
way to explain it but to say it was pure magic. A magic achieved
Gaylynn Robinson
when the air is charged with positive and loving thoughts that give
way to an altruistic vibration that brings out the best in everyone.
11
infogaylynn@gvtc.com
A Prickly Situation
By Julie Carter/ Cowgirl
Sass & Savvy
There he was, standing in all his
glory, and his underwear, with his
glow-in-the-dark white skin glaring in
the late afternoon sun. His spindly
cowboy legs were still in his boots
and his hat and sunglasses were in
their places. He was holding his
clothes in his right hand and a set of broken bridle reins in the
other.
His wife had been doing chores at home. That was the deal. With
23 head of horses on the place, give or take a few depending if
anyone had hauled any off to the sale, or drug a few home, there
was never any shortage of work to be done - feeding or riding.
Each afternoon she takes on the feeding duty while he saddles up
a young, green horse to put some miles on before sunset.
It is a good life for them, but it also keeps any dull moments from
finding their way to the ranch. The wife looked up from her work
when a pretty bay Hancock filly came in a high lope up the road,
still wearing a saddle but without the reins on the headstall and
worse yet, without her rider. Trying not to let fear overcome her,
the wife ignored the alarms going off in her heart and in her head.
She and the ever-present dog jumped on the Polaris Ranger and
zoomed off to find the missing cowboy on the mountain.
Calling his name as she searched the hillsides, she soon heard
him holler back at her. As she drove up on the scene, her first
words were, "What in the hell are you doing?" This, by the way, is
a phrase of standard dialogue if you are married to a cowboy and
one that both parties will use with wild abandon. There is no good
answer to that question in a situation like this, but the cowboy
gave it his best effort.
"The filly spooked and when she jumped, I hung a spur in her
accidentally," he said "She really went to bucking, and was really
getting with it. Then all of a sudden, a rein snapped. I tried to pull
her around with the other rein to get her stopped," he said. "But it
broke, too. Then she was really getting with it and well, she just
flat bucked me off."
His wife was obviously concerned for him, as he wasn't a kid anymore and those hard landings take their toll. However, she was
somewhat more concerned about why he was standing there on
the hillside half naked. Asking about the obvious seemed called
for. "So why are you walking home naked?"
"She bucked me off in a prickly pear cactus," he said as he turned
to reveal millions of cactus spears sticking in the backside of his
body. It took his wife and daughter the better part of six hours to
tweeze the cactus spines out of his back, arm, leg, head and
other assorted assaulted spots. The pain finally did subside.
However, the humiliation of his plight over those broken bridle
reins will last for as long as anyone remembers the story. I'm just
doing my part.
2008.
Juan Raul Davis Rodriguez was born December 10, 1951, in Sabinal, Texas . Rodriguez grew up with a large family living in a
shanty town 90 miles from the Mexican border. He was given a
guitar when he was seven and, as a teenager, he sang with a
beat group. His troubles with the law included goat rustling (he
barbecued the goats).
A Texas ranger, who heard him singing in his cell, found him a job
at the Alamo village and he drove stagecoaches, rode horses and
entertained tourists. Tom T. Hall recognized his talent and employed him as lead guitarist with his road band, the Storytellers.
Rodriguez was signed to Mercury Records, who particularly liked
the way he could switch from English to Spanish. Rodriguez went
to number 9 in the US country chart with his first release, "Pass
Me By," in 1972 and he then had three consecutive number 1
records, "You Always Come Back (To Hurting Me)," "Riding My
Thumb To Mexico" and "That's The Way Love Goes." He wrote
many of his songs and occasionally wrote with Hall.
In 1975, Rodriguez had more number 1 country records with "I
Just Can't Get Her Out Of My Mind," "Just Get Up And Close The
Door" and "Love Put A Song In My Heart." In 1977, he had a Top
10 country hit with a revival of the Eagles' "Desperado." He
moved to Epic Records in 1979 and found success with "I Hate
The Way I Love It," with newcomer Charly McClain. Rodriguez
moved to Capitol Records in 1988 and had a country hit with a
classy ballad, "I Didn't (Every Chance I Had)." He then had a further four minor hits with Capitol over a two-year period; "I Wanta
Make Up With You," "You Might Want To Use Me Again," "No
Chance To Dance" and "Back To Stay."
Rodriguez‟s 1994 album, “Run For The Border”, was filled with
songs of desperation - a few new and some re workings of his
former big hits. He was involved in a fatal shooting in August
1998, when Israel Borrego was shot by Rodriguez in South Texas.
The shooting was declared as “self defense” and Rodriguez was
acquitted.
Rodriguez is working on another comeback. He just recorded a
new album with Johnny Bush for Heart of Texas Records in
Brady. The album titled “Texas Legends” puts the two legendary
Country Music entertainers together for the first time on a project.
Willie‟s Place on XM Radio is currently using the project in heavy
rotation due to the initial response that they have received from
“Texas Legends.”
“I am looking forward to coming back to Llano,” Rodriguez said.
“This is actually my fourth appearance working for the Llano
Country Opry. We always enjoy the great folks there...and the
great bar-b-que!”
Other entertainers on the show will include Jade Cienega, Rance
Norton, Kimberley Murray, Allison Crowson Collins, Kelly Weiershausen, Justin Trevino, Bode Barker, Sammy Geistweidt, Shane
Lively, Don Ricketson and Bucille Snotgrass. Tracy Pitcox will
MC the shows.
For more information about the Llano, Marble Falls or Mason
Country Opry shows, log on to
Julie can be reached for comment at jcarter@tularosa.net
www.heartoftexascountry.com.
Country Music Superstar Johnny Rodriguez
The Llano Country Opry
will be staged on Saturday,
November 14, at the Lantex
Theater in downtown Llano.
The show begins at 7:30 PM.
Tickets are $15.00 per person and are available at the
Llano Chamber of Commerce, Llano National Bank,
Lively Computers in Kingsland or KNEL radio in Brady.
Call (325) 247-5354 for tickets.
Country Music Superstar
Johnny Rodriguez will headline the Llano Country Opry. Rodriguez makes a return appearance after selling out the show in
All Things Country Top 10 CDs
Rowena Muldavin
1. Ron Williams - The Longer You're Gone
2. Teri Joyce - Kitchen Radio
3. James Hand - Shadow On The Ground
4. Starline Rhythm Boys - Masquerade For
Heartache
5. Liz Talley - More Than Satisfied
6. Tony Booth - The Essential Tony Booth
7. The Silver Screen Cowboy Project
8. Vance Lane - Texas Two Step
9. Cornell Hurd - Songs of Moon Mullican
10. Dale Watson - Truckin' Sessions, Vol. 2
rowena@hpr.org
12
Cade’s Cadence
(Watch yer step!)
In the name of Fairness
Earlier this year my 5 year daughter
attended cheerleading camp at the
Sealy High School. She had been looking forward to it for awhile
but after the first day she was a little disheartened. “Did you not
have fun?” I asked her. “Yes,” she replied, “but I didn‟t get a spirit
stick.” The next day I picked her up and got there in time to watch
and saw what the big deal was; at the end of the day all the kids
would sit down on the floor and the cheerleaders would announce
who had showed them the most spirit that day and then would
hand out spirit sticks. Everyone would clap and the child, beaming
with pride, would take their spirit stick and sit back down. Well
once again my little girl didn‟t get a spirit stick and I could see it
was starting to get to her. I encouraged her though and said “You
just have to try harder and show them that you have spirit.” Well
on day three I picked her up and still no spirit stick and on the ride
home she broke out into tears, she tends to take things to heart a
trait my wife says she gets from me. “There‟s still tomorrow,” I told
her, “I‟m sure you will get one.” “No I won‟t,” she said “Everyone
has gotten one but me and I was trying my hardest today!” “Well,”
I told her, “I bet they are saving the best for last. Try hard again
tomorrow and you will get one.” Now I didn‟t know for a fact if all
the kids received one or not but I sure was hoping and on day
four, the last day, she received one and boy was she proud.
At what age do we allow our kids to taste failure? Should we shelter them for the first four or five years of their life or should we
expose them and let them begin to form calluses? I myself would
like to shelter my kids as long as I can but I also know that the
world can be a cruel and cold place and I want them to be thick
skinned and tough enough to be able to walk through the briar
patches of life when they have to. I‟m all for fairness and I think
we should keep things pretty fair for our young ones. We certainly
don‟t want them to get discouraged but I am sometimes concerned that we may be starting to lose our competitive edge “In
the Name of Fairness.”
If the winner of the race receives a trophy does that also mean
the last place finisher should receive a trophy as well? Some may
say, “Well, we have to be fair to everyone.” But if we do that we
are actually being unfair...unfair to the winner and unfair to the
loser? Now I understand that some people are blessed with more
talent than others which gives them an advantage but talent alone
won‟t take you to the winners circle. Anybody who has competed
in sports knows this. Take Tuff Hedeman for example. Tuff wasn‟t
the most talented bull rider going down the road and he‟ll tell you
that himself. Tuff did however try harder than anybody else. In his
career Tuff rode some of the rankest bulls that ever chewed cud
and has four world championship buckles to prove it, three PRCA
and one PBR. I think, “In the Name of Fairness,” everybody
should have their chance. That is the American dream is it
not? We can‟t however constantly be stopping the game to readjust the rules or the score “In the Name of Fairness.”
This also speaks to state this country is in right now. Do we take
the dollar from the feller who has worked hard to earn it and share
with the one who has not? I think Adrian Rogers a prominent
Southern Baptist pastor, conservative and author said it best.
“You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the
wealthy out of prosperity. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government
does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people
get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half
is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the
idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going
to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning
of the end of any nation.”
I guess for me it‟s a matter of simple math you can‟t multiply anything by dividing it whether that be money, talent or “These United
States.”
cade@cadeschallacowboypoetry.com
Texas County Line TV
show expands coverage in
East Texas
The weekly Country Music television show, Texas County
Line, today announced expanded coverage in the East Texas area. Beginning on November 7th, the program will be aired each Saturday at 6pm on KYTX
TV, the CBS affiliate Channel 19. It will also continued to be aired
on MYTX TV Channel 18, but will move to 3:30pm Sundays. CBS
19 is seen in more than 500,000 households in East Texas on
Cable, Dish Network and DirecTV.
The show features Traditional Country, Western Swing and Cajun
Music performed at venues from throughout Texas. Nationallyknown artists, including; Ray Price, Willie Nelson, Gene Watson,
Bill Anderson, Bob Wills‟ Texas Playboys and others have been
featured. Many locally-known singers and bands have also been
included.
The program is hosted by actor Emmy-nominated actor Brad
Maule. Mr. Maule appeared as “Dr. Tony Jones” on General Hospital for 22 years. He was also featured for a number of years as
Ashley Simpson‟s father on Seventh Heaven.
Mr. Maule is currently a member of the faculty at Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches. “We‟re trying to do our part to keep
this wonderful music alive. For the most-part, you don‟t hear or
see what we call „Classic Country‟ on many radio or TV shows
these days. Our audience response has been amazing, which
tells us that there are lots of folks out there who still want to hear
and see what we‟re offering,” Maule said.
Texas County Line is also carried on U.S. stations and cable systems in Nashville, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Waco, Temple
and Dallas-Fort Worth.
Beginning in early 2010, the show will air overseas in; Germany,
Northern Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Lichtenstein,
Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia,
Montenegro, Kosovo, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France,
Spain, Italy and Poland
For more information, please visit www.TexasCountyLine.tv or
phone the Nacogdoches headquarters for Texas County Line Productions, Inc., at 936.569.8650.
13
www.TexasCountyLine.tv
We look forward to seeing you at the
Western Music Association Showcase and Awards Show
Albuquerque, NM, Nov. 11-22
7. Kevin Davis - When they Call out my Name
8. Jimmy Permenter & The Burning Timbres - Bull Dressed as a
INTERNET RADIO??? You've got to Cowboy
9. The Stringbenders - Tonight We Ride
be kidding! More fun than a fifty
10. Allan Chapman - Gardens of Gethsemane
gallon drum of drunken monkeys!
News From the Back Porch
Thanks Y‟all and be sure to join us on the INTERNET for the
Howdy Buckaroos and BuckaRalphs Back Porch Radio Show!
rettes! Me and Tamara are comin‟
at ya LIVE from sparklin‟ downtown
tamaraboatright@hotmail.com
San Augustine, Texas each and
every week on Monday, Wednesday
The messenger…Rhonda Craig
& Friday nights 7 til 9 pm CST and
from Enid, OK
we do it all through the magic wand of the INTERNovember 09
NET! Whoa....wait just a doggone minute there, Ralph! The
Why do I love to dance?
INTERNET, you say? Yep, your computer. Your laptop. That box
I love to dance…but why do I love to
you have in your home or haul around in your truck, you know?
dance?
The computer you play solitaire on and keep track of the feed bills
Why do we want to get up and move to
with.
the music when we hear it?
Well, now you can also listen to some of the finest WESTERN/
Because our creator made us that way
COWBOY, WESTERN SWING & TEXAS HONKY-TONK MUSIC
folks!
on the PLANET with the computer! How? Well, gosh, its as simThe bible teaches that dancing is to worple as a commode lid!
ship God, celebrate life, good fortune, and victories! Are those not
Just LOG ON, go to, click on, browse this website and you will get terrific reasons to dance? (There are book chapter and verses for
these if you need them) And to think…I almost missed out on one
WESTERN music as if by magic! www.blogtalkradio.com/
of the biggest blessings God has provided for us…DANCING.
ralphsbackporch
How did I almost miss out on the blessing of dancing?
It's like turning a dial on an old timey radio. We step back in time Well, I grew up in a small town in OK where we attended a tiny
little church. We didn‟t have a preacher, couldn‟t afford to pay one,
to where there are NO rules, no right and wrong way, we're live
so men of the congregation took turns teaching a bible lesson on
so...if we mess up, you hear it on the air, and best of all, WESTERN STARS sit down with us via the telephone and clue us in on Sunday mornings.
Friday nights at the Hut
all the good stuff happening in their lives just like we were all sitBut
on
Friday night in our little town everyone took their kids and
tin‟ around on the back porch sippin‟ iced tea and playing music.
went to the American Legion Hut where we danced into the night
Whoooo-eeeeeeeeeee, it don‟t get much better than that, does it? to a band, consisting of a fiddle, guitar and a stand up bass. The
Western music, cowboy poetry, some joke tellin‟, and GOOD RA- older gentlemen danced with the little girls and patiently taught
them how to dance while the women danced with the little boys
DIO!
So, pardners, come in from the cold and sit back, relax and LOG doing the same. Everyone danced with each other 2-stepping,
waltzing and jitterbugging. At some point during the evening „a
ON to the....INTERNET for your weekly does of Western music
square‟ would be called to which my mother would be delighted.
and talk!
She loved to square dance.
Thanks and we'll see y‟all on the net!
When the kids got tired we went to sleep in the corner on all the
piled up coats.
Back Porch Picks in no particular order!
1. Paul Bogart - The Cowboy Way
I loved Friday nights. It was so much fun for the whole family.
2. Kail Mantle - No Mares
My mother loved Friday nights. It was her night to let the worries
3. Richard Lee Cody/Mary Kaye Knaphus - It's Been Awhile
and cares that poverty creates melt away.
4. Tim Hus - Cattlerack Cowboy
Friday night’s dancing condemned
5. Mack Abernathy - Pocket Rocket Ranger
I remember well when the Revival Meeting was launched for our
6. AW Love - West Texas Dreams
little church by a preacher in a near-by town. It was his mission to
badbob1026@aol.com
14
set our feet on the straight and narrow path and away from of the
American Legion Hut. First on the list, we needed to be taught the
EVILS of dancing. Most of the membership engaged in the Friday
night community dance. There was no alcohol…at least none in
sight, so the problem was not the place where we were dancing…
it was the DANCING itself.
Tobe, my Sunday school teacher was particularly targeted because he took the tickets at the door of the dance and helped run
it. Tobe refused to buy into the teaching about dancing being sinful…so after he had been inundated with much preaching, brow
beating, and threatening (which did not deter him from his Friday
night dancing activities) the new preacher instructed the congregation that fellowship must be withdrawn from Tobe. No one was
to have anything to do with him. He was actually being thrown
out! And…they did it!
Mother stopped...or did she?
My mother was aghast but had no say in the matter. Seeing what
happened to him, stopped the Friday night dance outings at our
house…after all mother didn‟t want her children to be led astray
by this DANCING or ostracized as was Tobe. Mother stopped
dancing at the American Legion Hut but she never stopped dancing. Her new dance hall was our kitchen, dancing to the music of
Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys who were broadcast daily at
noon when we were home from school to eat lunch. I loved to
watch my mother laugh and smile, doing her jig in the kitchen to
“Take Me Back to Tulsa.”
I stopped …or did I?
Not surprising, I too bought into the „dancing is a sin‟ teaching for
many years.
I slipped around, as kids will, in high school and danced because
my friends did. I still loved to dance and missed it. I married a
man who didn‟t dance for the same reasons. We certainly didn‟t
want our children to be led astray so never allowed them to dance
either.
I Saw the light
Thirty years later, after extensive bible study and soul searching, I
made a difficult decision to refute the teachings of the religious
zealots who had put man made constraints on dancing, labeling it
as sin. I came to believe their teaching to be contrary to what the
bible actually had to say about dancing!
Mother’s Blessing
Mother was in very ill health but still alive when I boldly proclaimed that we were going to take dance lessons. She said
“Rhonda, if I had not stopped dancing I would not be sick today.
You go dance and don‟t stop. Don‟t worry about how well you
dance. The folks on the dance floor don‟t care how you are dancing. The ones sitting down can‟t do that dance or they wouldn‟t be
sitting down. So you go dance like no one is watching and have
fun”. Mother didn‟t know it but her words were my final emancipation..
Dancing... Again
It was like we were dating again when we started going dancing.
We had new life.
Free at last…free at last …Thank God almighty I‟m free at last…
My husband and I started dancing and have not stopped for almost 20 years! I know my mother is pleased that I have been
reunited with the music, western swing, and the dancing, that
brought her so much pleasure.
What a blessing dancing has been… and I almost missed
it.
The elixir of life…that‟s dancing & Western Swing music (second
only to coffee)!
In fact, I have asked my husband to promise, if the Dr. tells him I
have died, to run get the recording of „Big Ball‟s in Cowtown‟ and
play it immediately in my presence. If my feet don‟t twitch then go
ahead and bury me because I really am dead!
My wish for you
In this life, when you get the choice to sit it out or dance…I hope
you dance!
Serving with joy,
The messenger….Rhonda
rhondacraig@suddenlink.net
Rick Huff’s - Best Of The West Reviews
The Old West Trio
"Ridin' Back To Yesterday"
On their ride back to yesterday, this group still
manages to take enough "today" with them to
keep it jazzy, frisky and smile-makin' !!
The Old West Trio is made up of Steve ("SW")
Johnson on vocals & lead guitar, Steve ("SK") Ide on vocals and
rhythm guitar and Leslie (no intials they've confessed to) Ide on
vocals and upright bass. They are augmented on various tracks
by Thom Bentley (guitar/mandolin), Carl Finnegan (guitar), Jim
Donnell (mandolin), Ronnie Elkan (fiddle) and Blackwood Tom
Schmidt (clarinet). This latter artist's performance on the song
"He's A Cowboy" is reminiscent of Larry McWhorter's work on
R.W. Hampton's original "Travelin' Light." In fact much of the arranging and composing of the 14 original works here seem crafted
to instill a comfortable familiar feel.
Picks include the title track
about giving up city battles for
boots and saddles, "Cowboy
School" (on-the-job reining),
"Coyote Serenade" (coyotes,
three part harmony, you get it),
"Dance Hall Annie" (with a
different outcome from the
bulk of the type) and "I Want
To Live Out West" (obviously
inspired by the famous Roy
Rogers/Sons Of The Pioneers yodel treatment of "Texas Plains").
There is one song here ("Quick Nick") that some may find a tad
indelicate, but lighten up! It's still fun!
A good test of Western Music prowess is taking themes that have
been written to death and giving them a fresh spin. These folks
manage it throughout for a very enjoyable ride.
CDs: $10 plus $2 s/h through www.oldwesttrio.com or from Old
West Trio, 6281 Pikes Peak Circle, Garden Valley, CA 95633
Email info@oldwesttrio.com and phone (530) 642-2280
- Rick Huff
15
bestofthewest@swpc.com
Join Joe Baker and the Backforty Bunkhouse Radio Show
Saturday morning from 6:00 AM til 10:AM
KWMW 105.1
Or on the net at BackfortyBunkhouse.com
With the best in Western Music!
Tri-Son News
Biggest Little News Sheet In Country Music (Since 1963) • November 2009 Issue
_________________________________________________________________________________
Loudilla and Kay Johnson • P.O. Box 40328 • Nashville, TN 37204 • Ph. 615-371-9596
_________________________________________________________________________________
Tootsie Bess, Charlie Daniels, Ernest Tubb, Dolly Parton, and Kid Rock will be added to The Music City Walk of Fame Nov. 8 in downtown
Nashville. The ceremony, sponsored by Great American Country (GAC), is free and open to the public. The Music City Walk of Fame is an
official project of Music City, Inc., the charitable foundation of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau (NCVB), and is produced with the
support of presenting sponsor Gibson Guitar and sponsors GAC, the City of Nashville, and Metro Parks.
The lineup for The 43rd Annual CMA Awards grew even stronger with the addition this week of Martina McBride, Kid Rock, and Jamey Johnson. The Judds, Kris Kristofferson, and Lee Ann Womack are in as presenters. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will host the show live
from Nashville, Nov. 11 on ABC.
Toby Keith took America by storm with the No. 1 debut of his new CD, “American Ride,” on Billboard’s Top Country Albums Chart . two
weeks on Billboard's and Country Aircheck/Mediabase's single charts with the title track.
Keith’s America's Toughest Tour presented by Ford F Series marked the ninth straight year the hard-touring artist crosses the one million ticket
threshold. His recent performance at Lucas Oil Stadium (home field of the NFL's Colts) in Indianapolis to kick off the 82nd National FFA Convention sold out , smashing previous FFA attendance records by more than 7,000 tickets.
Earlier this year Keith made his annual visit overseas to forward operating bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, performing for U.S. troops as part of
his seventh consecutive USO Tour. So while Keith is no stranger to world travel, the tour this month is his first foray into Europe as a touring act.
Promoted by Live Nation International, concerts kicked off Nov. 9 in Scotland, and continues through Northern Europe, ending Nov. 22 in Norway.
On Dec. 11 Keith returns to the Spektrum arena in Oslo to join an elite group of artists performing at the 16th Annual Nobel Peace Prize Concert. The performances will be broadcast to a worldwide audience.
Kenny Rogers will launch his 28th annual Christmas & Hits Tour Nov. 27 in Bossier City, LA. The 20-city tour, with guest, Rebecca Lynn
Howard, will wrap Dec. 23 in Westbury, NY and is sponsored by World Vision, the Christian humanitarian organization working in nearly 100
countries to serve the poor and those in need.
News Briefs: Billy Currington will perform during the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. The Today Show's Matt
Lauer, Meredith Vieira, and Al Roker will co-host the NBC broadcast. ••• Thea Tippin‟s 14-song CD, My Way, will be available Nov. 12. The
Nippit Records CD includes guest vocals from Billy Dean and Aaron Tippin. ••• Joe Diffie releases his first-ever live album, Live at Billy Bob‟s
Texas Nov. 17. ••• Kitty Wells and Johnny Wright celebrated their 72nd wedding anniversary Oct. 31. ••• John Rich will serve as Grand Marshal for the annual Nashville Christmas Parade Dec. 4. The parade, sponsored by Piedmont Gas, benefits their Share the Warmth Round Up
program. ••• Lorrie Morgan's new CD, "A Moment In Time" (released 10/27), is a collection of classics such as “If You’ve Got Leavin’ On
Your Mind” and includes duets with Tracy Lawrence -“After The Fire is Gone” and Raul Malo -“Easy Lovin’. Morgan heads to Broadway in
January to begin rehearsals for her starring role in the stage adaptation of “Pure Country.”
Brad Paisley‟s American Saturday Night tour wrapped its first leg of dates last month, having played to more than 1.2 million fans in over 75
markets with and 51 sell outs. Paisley presented the one millionth ticket holder with a 2009 Chevy Silverado a few weeks ago in Jacksonville, FL.
Dierks Bentley and Jimmy Wayne were guests on the tour. The final leg of the American Saturday Night tour kicks off Jan. 7 in San Antonio with
Miranda Lambert and Justin Moore as special guests.
Rascal Flatts wrapped the first leg of their American Living Unstoppable Tour last weekend selling 550,000 tickets in 39 shows since it began in
June. From January of this year, the band has sold over a million concert tickets, bringing their 4 year total to just over 4 million tickets sold. Next
up for the group are nominations for Group of the Year at the CMA Awards (Nov.11) and Country Group of the Year and Country Album of the
Year at the American Music Awards (Nov. 22 on ABC). Their newest CD Unstoppable has been certified platinum for sales in excess of 1 million.
Old Things New, the new CD from Joe Nichols, is scoring some very high marks with music critics and was this week's highest new CD debut on
the country music charts. Additionally, Nichols just filmed his first ever live performance music video in San Antonio, TX in front of a packed
house at Cowboys. (Expect to see the video by Thanksgiving.)
"Gimmie That Girl," the second single from Old Things New is already one of the fastest moving singles in Nichols’ career. After only three
weeks, it is in the 30's on the country music charts and also gave Nichols his best first week sales for a single of his career.
Nichols will be featured in a documentary titled "Joe Nichols: My Military Diary," set to premiere on Great American Country (GAC) Sunday
Nov. 8. The 30-minute special is an up close and behind the scenes look at his recent trip to Kuwait and Iraq, where he met and performed for thousands of American troops stationed in the countries.
Music industry veteran, Howard Fields, and veteran publisher, Everett Zinn, announce the launch of a new independent music company based in
Nashville, McMurry Entertainment Group (MEG). MEG, a three-way partnership between Fields, Zinn and Wyoming businesswoman Doris
McMurry, is comprised of a record label and management company. In the works are a distribution deal and artist signings to be announced in the
coming weeks. Larry Shell, will head up MEG’s A & R efforts. Most recently, Shell was V.P./A&R at Broken Bow Records. Also a talented
songwriter, Shell won the coveted CMA Song of the Year in 2001 for “Murder on Music Row,” co-written with Larry Cordle. Veteran music
industry publicist, Claire Cook, will oversee publicity for the new company and consult on public relations and marketing efforts. Cook’s career
includes stints at EMI America, Capitol Records, Magnatone Records and Dreamcatcher Entertainment.
Life Notes: Famed talent and booking agent Billy Deaton (74) passed away Oct. 31 after a lengthy illness. In 1969, following a brief career as a
recording artist, "The Deacon" moved to Nashville at the urging of his friend, Faron Young. He established The Deaton Agency, and struck a
professional partnership with Young which continued for nearly three decades, until Young's death in 1996. Throughout his thirty years in business, Deaton worked in various capacities with Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Mel Tillis, Bill Anderson and Tom T. Hall. He wrote or co-wrote
a number of hit songs: with Doug Kershaw-"Louisiana Man", recorded by everyone from Kershaw, Buck Owens and Johnny Cash to Connie
Smith and Bobbie Gentry. With Faron Young - the title track for Young’s 1970 release, "Wine Me Up", which Tanya Tucker also covered on
her latest CD, My Turn. Deaton is survived by son, David Deaton and David's mother, Barbara Deaton Von-Haberstroh. Visitation/Funeral
16
services were held Friday, Nov. 6 in Nashville.
EVENTS Calendar 2009-2010:
• Nov. 10 - 57th BMI Country Awards (Invitation Only) - Nashville
• Nov. 11 - 43rd Annual CMA Awards - Nashville (ABC TV)
• Nov. 23 - Charlie Daniels' Christmas For Kids - Nashville
• Jan 31 - 52nd Annual Grammy Awards - Los Angeles (CBS TV)
• Feb. 24-26 - Country Radio Seminar 41 - Nashville
• Jun. 10-13 - CMA Music Festival - Nashville
These events and more are listed on our LINKS page! www.ifco.org/
__________________________________________________________________
Tri-Son News • Annual Subscription $25 (U.S. Funds) • Distributed electronically to subscribers worldwide and
updated on www.ifco.org (Online subscription form available.)
Publisher's Note...
Thanks to Loudilla and Kay Johnson for allowing us to include this issue of the Tri-Son News. We at Backforty Bunkhouse
Productions salute Loudilla and Kay and their late sister Loretta for 46 years of bringing country music news to the world.
- Joe Baker
"Who are these outlaws?" Name the Boys and the Band. Circa 1983. The first correct answer wins a CD Six Pack.
Email your answer to Joe@backfortybunkhouse.com
17
Andy and Jim Nelson’s C. O. W. Radio
4 -Week Playlist
10/31/09, Kids Show
Billy Deaton
Buck Howdy: Baa, Neigh, Cock a doodle doo
The Texas Trailhands: In The Moo
Roy Rogers/Dale Evans: Happy Trails
Ben Crane: Lucky
Cora Wood: Chester
Cora Wood: Cowboy Sweetheart
10/24/09, Joke Show
New West: Backing to Birmingham
Dave Stamey: Used Rough
Homer & Jethro: I'm My Own Grandpa
Prickly Pair: The Big Food Chain
Yvonne Hollenbeck: What Would Martha Do
Gary McMahan: Beer Can Bob
10/17/09, Hunting Show
Laughing Hyena Band: Manly Hunting Men
Laughing Hyena Band: Da Turdy Point Buck
ABC Orchestra: The Rifleman
Laughing Hyena Band: Second Week Of Deer Camp
Baxter Black: Wilderness Wall
Laughing Hyena Band: Something To Shoot
10/10/09, What Would a Cowboy Do?
Riders in the Sky: The Trail Tip Song
Terri Taylor: Cowgirl Attitude
Rex Allen: The Last Roundup
Carin Mari and Pony Express: Cowboy And Rodeos
Dick Morton: Cattleman's Prayer
Brenn Hill: What a Man's Got To Do
10/3/09, Spanish Mustangs Book Review
D.W. Groethe: Hard, Wild And Free
Western Underground: Think About Rain
Hank Snow: Wayward Wind Cowboy
Celtic: Custer Died A Runnin'
Ray Owens: Tracks That Won't Blow Out
Fred Wolking: A Couple More Years
cowboypoet@wyoming.com
Bowie TX:
Silver Strings Entertainment Center, a not-for-profit organization has been hiring bands since the summer, and we are
booked every Saturday night through January, 2010.
Additionally, we have had the same band on Monday night for
the past sixteen years (Archie Fulton & The Texhoma Express),
and plan to continue that dance. We are on the lookout for
some good bands that can work very reasonably until we are
well established and get some money in the bank! So if you
know of ones that need a boost and want to grow with us, or
simply want to help us out, please feel free to give them my contact information.
Silver Strings has the best dance floor…a nice old wood floor
that can accommodate 150-200 dancers.
We happily extend everyone an invitation to visit us any time
you can.
Silver Strings is located at 500 Smythe Street, Bowie, Texas.
Country Music Talent
Booker and long time
manager of Faron Young,
Billy Deaton passed away
last night after a lengthy illness.
The recipient of an AIRA (Academy of Independent Recording
Artists) Award as Booking Agent of the Decade, Deaton played an
essential role in the success of late country singer Faron Young,
with whom he worked for more than a quarter of a century.
Deaton was born in the outskirts of Ruleville, MS. Together with
his parents, brothers, and sisters, he worked in the fields until
securing a job as a janitor and projector operator for the Delta
Theater in Ruleville, at the age of 15. Despite working long hours,
he served as president of the class of 1953 at Ruleville High
School.
Deaton's involvement with music began while serving in the U.S.
Air Force. After spending time at the Lackland Air Force base in
San Antonio, TX, he was transferred to a base in Iceland. The
move turned out to be the turning point in his life. In addition to
becoming a disc jockey for the Armed Forces Radio Network, he
formed a band to play at military clubs.
After being discharged from the Air Force, Deaton remained active in radio, selling ads and hosting a show for KMAC. Returning
to San Antonio in 1959, Deaton was introduced to country music
by vocalist Charley Walker who later became a member of the
Grand Ole Opry. After recording several regional hits for the San
Antonio-based TNT label, Deaton became the first country artist
signed by Chicago-based Smash Records.
Launching a career as a booking agent, Deaton found financial
success by securing appearances for numerous local bands while
bringing many Nashville entertainers to Texas, including Loretta
Lynn, Kitty Wells, Charley Pride, Billy Walker, Ferlin Husky and
Webb Pierce.
Moving to Nashville in 1969 to serve as manager for Faron
Young, he worked with the country artist until Young's death in
1996. He continued to operate his talent agency after that time
primarily working with the more mature country music entertainers. His slogan was "One Call Gets Them All."
On a personal note. After conducting an interview with Billy at his
office in Nashville a few years ago, Justin Trevino and I were preparing to leave. I remarked to Billy that I appreciated the opportunity to book Justin Tubb through him for Justin's first appearance
in Brady, Texas. I relayed that from that initial booking, I was able
to secure many dates for Justin in Texas throughout the years and
that I appreciated that first booking date. He looked up at me and
said in a voice that seemed to come from somewhere else,
"Tracy, God put me on this earth to help people like you."
He was right. He was also one of a kind.
Tracy Pitcox
www.heartoftexascountry.com
Joye Thompson (940) 692-8699 (940) 631-5303
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