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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
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Lillies Ohlsson's Interview with Gaylynn Robinson (14/07/08)
LO: Congratulations on the release of your new cd, ”Love & Heartache”. Tell us about it.
GR: Thanks, Lillies. It has been a project in the
making for a year and a half. Like my
LO: But I thought ”Songs By A West Texas Songstress” was your first? GR: Yes, that’s right, it was my first release but it was a compilation of 4 separate recording sessions with different players and different producers that I had completed within a 5-6 year span. It took about that much longer to put it on cd and release it. ”Love & Heartache” is a lifelong dream come true for me. I personally picked, Bobby Flores to produce it and I couldn’t be more satisfied with the outcome of the album.
LO: I tell
you, Gaylynn this is a really great cd and I find it hard to pick a
favorite but I really like ”Keeper of The Flame” and the Western Swing
tune,
GR: I’ll be happy to. ”Keeper of The Flame” was inspired by a news story about soldiers being deployed from San Antonio to Iraq on Valentines Day, February 14, 2005. It was very touching seeing families saying goodbye and the pain and agony they were going through being torn apart from each other. I didn't realize what an impression that story made on me until I awoke suddenly from my sleep later that night at about 2:30 am in the morning with the hook and melody of the song going through my head. I immediately got up and grabbed my guitar with notepad and wrote it. ”Call Back My Heart Texas Moon” was a spontaneous creation also. I was driving in town one day and again, suddenly, the hook and melody just popped into my head. I searched frantically to find something to write on and all I could find was an unused napkin from a fast food place laying on the seat of my car. But that worked fine and I jotted down the beginning of the song. Then later I finished it at home under safer conditions. I do a lot of driving and find more and more that I get inspirations from the rhythm and feel of the road. It sounds weird but that’s the only way I can explain it to you.
LO: Are all your songs spontaneous or do you have a set formula for writing? GR: I really don’t have a formula per se. In the beginning, I always wrote with my guitar only. If an inspiration hit, I would play a chord progression and along came the lyrics. It has only been in the past few years that I’ve started writing in my head first and then to the guitar. I really just let the inspiration take me where IT wants to go and I don’t force it.
LO: If you could co-write with someone who is no longer with us – who would it be? GR: Hands down – no contest – Cindy Walker. She was and remains one of the finest songwriters ever.
LO: Who has been your biggest musical influence? GR: That is always a hard question to answer. Just as sure as I list so many incredible artists who have influenced me, I will always leave someone out. My taste in music is varied. Thanks to having a musical mother, I grew up listening to big band, Western Swing, and country. Being a Texas girl, I was always served the best in R&B, blues, country, Western Swing, folk and Rock & Roll. I love and listen to classical music too. For me, though, nature was and is very influencial for my music. I'm always taken back when I have someone who likes my music tell me that my songs ”sound” like a place to them. I’ve had people say, your songs remind me of driving out west or being ”where-ever”. I take that as a wonderful compliment.
LO: I know you have opened for many mainstream artists, can you tell us about anyone who really impressed you?
LO: Thanks Gaylynn and I wish you best of luck on your new release, ”Love & Heartache”. It is a top notch cd. Please tell us where we can get a copy. GR: Thanks, so much, Lillies. It is always a pleasure talking to you and I am happy you like it. Information on where to purchase ”Love & Heartache” can be found on my website, http://www.gaylynnrobinson.com . I haven’t had a chance to get it out to the different merchants yet. But information will be updated daily on where you can purchase a copy. Thanks again my friend. And by the way, you have a really cool website! (wink, wink)
Lillies Ohlsson's Interview with KELLI GRANT, The Queen of Swing ™
LO:
Your first inspiration when young and when not so young ;-) KG: My Uncle, Grandmother and Mother all played piano. My Uncle worked professionally. At family gatherings someone, mostly my Uncle, would play piano. By the way, he is still playing at 92. I produced his first CD at 88 and it´s really great. (Eddie Axberg) He´s from Sweden.
When I was about 6-7 I asked my Mom to teach me how to play. She was playing Sentimental Journey at that time. Mom would play 10th´s with her left hand. Since my hands were too small to reach the octave plus span, Mom taught me to walk the chord, which is the basic of the walking bassline known as swing. Coupled with a driving right hand rhythm, swing riffs, gyrating leads (characteristics to those of Jerry Lee Lewis/Little Richard) and a few simple jazz improves, you have a really unique piano player, me. Who would have known that such a simple little trick taught to me by my Mother, would lead to a signature piano style that has earned me the title ”The Queen of Swing™”. Thank you, Mom!
Footnote: You don´t ”swing” if you only ”sing”. Sinatra was not the ”King of Swing” nor was Tommy Duncan, ”the King of Western Swing” and I love them both!!!
My Mom & Dad´s house had an intercom system, so Mom would wake us up every morning with music. Mostly pop and swing. Thank God for TV. I guess it was the same for kids listening to radio, but I would sit on the floor in front of the TV absolutely glued to every word and move of the stars: Dean Martin, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Barbara Streisand and many more. I was totally in awe, fascinated and moved by their performances. That´s when I decided at a very early age – this is what I want to do when I grow up.
Being in the school band & choir, I played clarinet, alto sax, eb clarinet, bari sax & soprano sax in band. I won 1st place in UIL solo contests and was All-region. In college I received numerous scholarships in: Voice, Clarinet, Band, stageband and was awarded a special scholarship in music theory. So my listening was based on Classical, Pop/Swing and Rock & Roll. Today´s music market is so controlled by the major labels out of Nashville, L.A. or N.Y. You really have to stay self motivated, cause if you aren´t in with the majors, your success is quite limited and very difficult to achieve. Love what you do and do what you love! And…persistence. For the female gender, (not true for male), Nashville label restrictions are: Preferably, blonde, 22 or younger and 120lbs. Max. I look in the mirror every morning and I don´t see anything that resembles this criteria! What a pity? (Thank God! Ed´s note)
LO: Your first gig?KG: I had a little band while in college and the very first job that I was advertised as a Singer(I was so proud) was a terrible little beer joint in Kilgore, Texas. My Mom said: ”Oh honey, don´t let them put your name in the paper”. It was such an awful old dump!
My first real and creditable job was at the world famous Reo Palm Isle in Longview, Texas. Female Vocalist/Pianist. I had just graduated from college and was still too young but this job was okay. Mom wanted me to teach music and not be in beer joints and in that type of invironment. But Elvis, Bob Wills, the Ink Spots…everybody who was anybody had worked at the Reo. We had a much bigger band than my little group: steel guitar, lead guitar (Johnny Patterson), trumpet (John Harvey), bass, 2 male vocalists(Dewayne Phillips /lead guitar/vocalist for George Jones/ & Terry Martin) and me. I was scared to death. We worked 6 nights a week with 2 matinees. It was a very good learning experience. If you couldn´t play when you started, you could by the time you quit. In college we read music and when working up a new song…bought the music. But not on stage at the Reo. NO MUSIC. You had to hear the progressions and play off the cuff. Hear it, Feel it and PLAY IT! Couldn´t mess up – cause there was an audience of 1500 or so dancing around in front of you. Listening and watching every move. Like me watching TV.
That´s where I first heard
and started playing Western Swing. We really had some good arrangements.
Johnny and I have been working off and on together ever since and he has
introduced me to some of the best. How could you not enjoy Western Swing
when you have musicians like Bobby Koefer
LO: Do you collect records – which was the latest CD you bought? KG: I accidentally have some great records. My Dad & Mom worked and owned the Singer Sewing Center, Kilgore,TX. The Singer Co. started selling TV/phonographs and would give a box of records with each sale. We kept some of the boxes which included The Beatles, Rolling Stones and many classic releases of the 60s. Very valuable now. Cover of Beatles is worth several hundreds of dollars. Just like new.
LO: Collect other things…hobbies?
KG: Music is my hobby. I
love to write it, play it, sing it … but especially enjoy listening to the
music of the 30´s thru early 60´s. I am a big fan of the Doo Wop and
personal friends with many of the acts, Dee Dee Kenniebrew
(the Crystals),
LO: What was the first record you bought for your own money. KG: The Everly Brothers, a gift for my sister.
LO: What CD/DVD box sets do you own? KG: I have the complete DVD set of ”Doo Wop 51” produced by PBS for Time-Warner – I do love that music. I also have the video of Ray Benson´s ”Ride with Bob” … band was great some of the guest singers did not do the music justice in my opinion.
LO: What albums would we find in your CD-player or car tape deck right now? KG: I love swing, jump blues in particular. ”Milkcow Blues”, ”Trouble In Mind”, ”Blues For Dixie” are just a few of my favorites. The only group I listen to as far as today´s talent is ”Big Bad Voodoo Daddy” – they have some great arrangements. Not Western Swing but very GOOD.
LO: What song do you wish you had written or recorded? KG: Most of the time I don´t think in those terms. I appreciate the talent behind the song. I get disgusted when the musician/writer is not the singer. It´s not that I don´t enjoy the performance by the singer but it´s the musician playing/writing the song that possesses the real musical talent. But unfortunately not everyone is born with a perfect palette and those who suffer from sinus problems, really have to work at it. If you do have the ear to hear (not all singers do!) then you have to work hard to create a cavity capable of producing an in tune pitch. Not always so easy to maintain. But talent is the one who hears and tries to correct. That is definition of musical talent.
I think Bob Wills had some of the best arrangements and riffs. ”Keeper of My Heart” has a wonderful little riff that, normally you need Curly Lewis to play but is really great counter melody. ”San Antonio Rose” arrangement, ”Faded Love”…and the list goes on and on. IF I were asked an inspiring musician who to listen to…I would say…Just listen to Curly Lewis on any LIVE recordings. Awesome!
LO: 1995 I subscribed to ”NEW COUNTRY Magazine” and what hit me now..the guys looked so feminine! Long hair and a girlish approach if you know what I mean. Most of them have faded out of biz…but there was ONE TUFF GUY there – WAYNE ”the Train” HANCOCK. Tracy Byrd got a lot of space, no mention of that he played Western Swing though. The Highwaymen…
KG: Don´t know Hancock. I
have appeared on shows with
George Strait started off with a cover of Bob´s ”Right or Wrong” then Nashville took over and he became the ”King of Country”. Which is okay…I love his music and use to perform a bunch of it.
LO: Who doesn´t get enuff airplay on the radio- KG: Very simple … good music.
LO: Fill in the blank: If there was no " _ _ _ _" there would be no Country Music. KG: If there was no HANK WILLIAMS there would be no Country Music. If there was no BOB WILLS there would have been no Western Swing. I´m not trying to be sarcastic, but when a person says or thinks swing is a Feeling, they really don´t know what they are talking about. All musical styles have characteristics which is what separates them from each other whether it be swing, waltz, blues, cha-cha…etc. The dance is choreographed to go along with the rhythm of the song.
It took 10 years for Don Redman along with Fletcher Henderson blocked passages later known as riffs arrangements in 1925 at the Roseland Ballroom in Harlem. Paul Whiteman´s drummer, Vic Burton´s unique drum rhythm which finally became known as a swingbeat and the Bass fiddle changing from a 2/4 a 4/4 walking bassline to the 1935 hot music from the radio show ”Let´s Dance”. It was Benny Goodman with Henderson´s arrangements, Gene Krupa, student of Burton and Harry Goodman playing Walter Page´s tremendous walking bassline, bought all of these components and musicians together to create this wonderful form of music. It was not called SWING until newspaper quote in Florida 1939.
Bob Wills took this sound and played with fiddles, guitars and steel guitars. You have to realize that it was very difficult for a poor cotton picker from Turkey, Texas to buy a horn (brass or sax). And we all do the same thing even today … we work up a song that the original recording was with clarinets, saxes, trombones and trumpets and our little band consist of a piano, guitar, bass & drums. Your presentation will sound completely different only because; for the most part, instrumentation. Bob Wills did the same thing … he took the horn arrangements and played them with fiddles and steel guitars … add a Texan wearing a cowboy hat and you´ve got…WESTERN SWING!
LO: Likes? KG: I really enjoy hearing live music. It´s hard for me to do this sometimes but it is always a learning experience. What some folks think is the best, doesn´t always impress me with 1000´s of notes. I listen for character licks, riffs, something that adds color to the song. Simple little licks that add character to the piece.
LO: Dislikes KG: I think it is very sad when someone does not allow themselves to the enjoyment of listening to all kinds of music … the key word here is music … not rap or junk but music. I can listen to ”1812 Overture” with the same respect and enthusiasm as I can ”Time Changes Everything”. I do not want to limit my listening pleasure. There is so much good music to listen to, that I find there is not enough time in day and night to enjoy it all.
LO: If you could step into one other country/jazz celebrity´s shoes for one day, who would it be? KG: I think Ray Charles was one of the most talented individuals ever. I would have loved to have been him for one day or at least work with him for just one hour. His creativity, feel, voice, piano licks …he was just an amazing talent.
LO: What is your favorite movie? – mine is no doubt ”The Last Picture Show”! KG: I don´t think you can ever go wrong with a John Wayne movie…
LO: What is your favorite TV-show KG: I am a big fan of Dancing with the Stars because they use LIVE MUSIC(ians) and celebrities dancing. I DO NOT watch any reality shows. I have a HARD time understanding ”WHY” someone would pay Simon $32mil a year … for what? He has no talent. Why not put that money to better use by producing a variety show featuring creditable classic entertainers. I do not care about hearing Prince, Madonna or the ”big” acts of today. I miss the older acts and variety shows, Johnny Carson. Oh, a quick note … I worked a couple of shows with Doc Severinsen and went to school with his daughter Nancy.
LO: What is the next big trend in Country Music? KG: On the CMA awards a few weeks ago … I heard about 5-6 acts (before changing the dial) and I could not tell one song from another. Same distorted guitar on all …until George Strait sang. He doesn´t have a lot of musical talent but he does have a good ear for picking out a good song. It was the only song that had a good melody and nice chords progressions and it had color, character … in my opinion!
LO: If a magic genie came along right now and granted you three wishes, what would they be...1./2./3./ KG: Born earlier. I would have loved to play / sing / be apart of the music in the 30´s, 40´s, 50´s and early 60´s. This would have been all of my wishes. So many of those artists are gone and I am so sorry I didn´t get the chance to meet them to tell them how much I loved their music.
LO: Do you get involved in artwork for your records. KG: I am involved in every aspect of my recordings – it is really my hobby. I do the arrangements, layouts and play several different instruments - not because someone can´t – but because I can – and when I get an idea I want to put it all together right then.
LO: KELLI GRANT, The Queen of Swing™ , thank you very much for taking time answering all my questions.
KELLI GRANT CDs on Silverfalls Records
DVDs
****************************''****************************************************** JOHNNY PATTERSON
Born in Cantwell, Missouri, Johnny´s sister gave him his first guitar when he was eight. By the age of ten, he was picking and singing on KFMO Radio in Flat River, Missouri with his good friends Ted Hudson and Jack Cunningham. His first playing job was at age 11, with Al Roberts and the Missouri Playboys. His first big job was with Skeet Yancey in St. Louis and he was about 13. They worked fair dates, festivals and he had a TV show once a week. From there Johnny went to Chicago where Buddy Emmons, the great steel guitar player, came by and wanted to sit in with the band and Johnny finally hired him. Roy Meese played rhythm guitar and fronted the band. They had a trio in Chicago and then went on to Kennet, Missouri in `49. In Kennet they had a big group of 5/6 playing on KBOA radio daily. But they never recorded anything.
*
All recordings 1951 – 55 Johnny was a part of. They did also TV spots and a daily radio show plus some movie shorts. They did a Mid-west tour with Pee Wee King and his Golden West Cowboys and a three week tour with Minnie Pearl. While in California they did recorded a song with Jimmy Wakely. They came back to Oklahoma City and went to Nashville and recorded four songs with Vonnie Mack (Y`vonne McGowyn) on the Columbia label: ”Slowly I´m Losing You” / ”Blue Mountain Waltz” # 21541 ”I Live for You” / ”Please Forgive Me” # 40809 ”Helpless”. Bear Family has released a CD ”Hillbilly Band From Mars” with 33 songs, BCD-15757. The Plainsmen Quartet was part of the gang around the Gov. Davis and Johnny plays on one of their albums. The Quartet used to back up Johnny Horton and they are probably on Horton´s mega hit ”North to Alaska” which was used in the same title movie with John Wayne. They were also in Omaha, Nebraska playing the State Fair of Omaha. Johnny has also played with Jimmie Swaggart, first cousin to Jerry Lee Lewis and Mickey Gilley. ”Hey Baby” was a big hit for Bruce Chanel. Johnny played on many of the Major Bill Smith´s productions, not on this one though. Ray Chaney was a country singer who owned the night club Crystal Springs Ballroom in Fort Worth, where Johnny worked awhile. Ray recorded a song Johnny wrote, ”Contented with the Blues” on the Shaw Records. 
Bob Wills Sings and Plays – Liberty LRP-3194/LST-7194 //Sunset 5248
Steel guitar: Gene Crownover Piano: Gene Garf Lead guitar: Johnny Patterson Guitars: Tommy Allsup Bass: Luke Wills Viola: Billy Wright Vocal backup: Billy Mize, Buzz Cason, Vikki Carr, Cliff Crofford Maiden´s Prayer Instrumental Boot Hill Drag Instrumental Yearning (Just for You) Bob Wills My Confession Bob Wills St. Louis Blues Bob Wills (unissued) Big Beaver Instrumental (unissued) South Instrumental Just Friends Instrumental (unissued) Rosetta Bob Wills My Mary Bob Wills Sittin´ On Top of the World Bob Wills Blues in ”A” Instrumental Will You Miss Me When I´m Gone Luke Wills Snap Your Fingers George Clayburn Heartstrings Instrumental (unissued) Don´t Let Your Deal Go Down ”Bob Wills, The Texas Sound On Longhorn” (LP-007) Piano: Benny Johnson Steel guitar: Gene Crownover Electric guitar: Johnny Patterson Bass: Luke Wills Vocal: Joe Andrews Sooner Or Later (You´ll Fall) Joe Andrews Buffalo Twist George Clayburn All Night Long Joe Andrews You Can´t Break A Heart Joe Andrews If He´s Movin´ In (I´m Movin´ Out) Joe Andrews Let´s Get It Over and Done With Joe Andrews Faded Love Instrumental Wills Junction Instrumental Bob Will´s Waltz Instrumental Old San Antonio Rose Instrumental More details from Johnny Patterson´s life Johnny has played with and produced a bunch of songs with Dean Charles, ”Matilda” & ”You Belong To Me” for instance. The fiddler Merle Davis´ album on Zak-Tone LPS-21736 has as producer Johnny who also plays guitar. Jr Mitchan is a name that pops up here and there. Bass player, born in Corpus Christi, died January 3rd 2005 at 72. Played with Adolf Hofner and can be heard on the DVD ”Adolf´s Beautiful America”. He also played bass and rhythm guitar for Bob Wills 1961 – 1962 and in 1964. Johnny recorded an album for Glynn Duncan which was forwarded to Jr Mitchan but it is not known what happened to the material. Jr Mitchan was a salesman in San Antonio and played with the local band Bubba Littrell and the Melody Mustangs. This band has released several albums. Mike Gross informs me that Mitchan recorded four tracks (2 45 rpms) on Johnnys Discus label but knows not if Johnny plays on these. Mike has also a Music Mill 45 rpm with Leon Rausch recorded in Fort Worth March 12th,1972 and the songs are: ”The Winning Card” / ”Let Your Heart Be True”. The year before Johnny recorded the album ”Leon Rausch Doin´ It Bob´s Way” on Discus LPS-911 with following musicians: Kenny Norman-steel guitar, Lindsey Reist-piano, JP-rhythm & lead guitar, Leon Rausch & Harlan Powell-bass, Casey Dickens, David Brown & Tommy Hargrove-drums, Tommy Camfield, Buddy Wallace, B.D. Griffin, Bobby Zellner & David Odom-fiddles. The songs are: Home In San Antone – Maiden´s Prayer – Deep Water – Hang Your Head In Shame – San Antonio Rose – Time Changes Everything - I Wonder If You Feel The Way I Do – My Confession – Corine, Corina – A Broken Heart Fo A Souvenir – A New Road Under My Wheels.
*The year was 1966 and I was traveling from the golf course on my way home. It was close to the Thanksgiving, Christmas season and I saw the billboard reading, ”This Holiday Season, Serve Champagne!” I hadn´t intended to write a song. I just started humming the lyrics and the melody as they came to me and decided I would whiz over to a recording studio that was owned by a good friend. By the time I had arrived at Johnny Patterson´s recording location in Fort Worth, the song as completed in my mind. I had fought the late afternoon traffic but still retained the lyrics and melody in my head, something that is tough for me to do, most times. I walked into the studio and asked Johnny to loan me a guitar and a set tape. I wanted to capture the song while it was still whirling in my brain. I don´t recall ever writing the lyrics on paper. Patterson, who is still very active in music, doesn´t recall me asking for a pencil and paper, either. I do remember Johnny walking into his control room and setting up a reel-to-reel tape recorder. After messing around his control board, he yelled through the studio speaker., ”Are you ready?” Holding up a beat up guitar and seated in a chair with a microphone directly in front of my mouth, I informed him I was ”ready”. Johnny shouted, ”Tape´s rollin´!” Picking the old acoustical Martin guitar, I warbled: dining and dancing with every pretty girl I can find havin´ a fling, with a pretty young thing, `til early morning guilty conscience. I gues though, I must confess I never loved you much when you were mine so I´ll keep drinking champagne, feelin´ no pain, `til early morning knowing tomorrow I´ll wake up with you on my mind Thank you, Johnny Patterson www.billmack.com The very first version of ”Drinking Champagne” was released on Johnny´s label, Discus Records. Today Johnny produces a show for Texas Touring Roster called ”Always ... A Texas Playboy” with a gang of familiar Western Swingers and former Playboys: Casey Dickens-drums, Albert Talley- steel guitar, Bobby Boatright & George Uptmor-fiddles, Larry Reed-sax, L.J. Pritchett & Glynn Duncan & Carl Vaughn-vocals, Kelli Grant- piano, bass and vocal. Johnny helps also with the Kelli Grant Show which have almost same musicians: Talley, Boatright, Dickens, Uptmor, JP, and also Dave Hardin-trumpet and Bob Myers on sax and clarinet. Jeff Ebner plays drums when Dickens does not have time. Johnny runs the record company Silverfalls Records and visit this link:
Cds on the Silverfalls records:
SR-1107 Live In Pawhuska * The Texas Playboys SR-1109 Pawhuska 98 * The Texas Playboys SR-1999 99 And Counting * The Texas Playboys SR-1201 Live In San Antonio * BOB WILLS & The Texas Playboys * THIS IS A COLLECTOR ITEM! Casey made these tapes live off the band stand. Bob Wills is talking and cutting up a lot. You´ll really enjoy these tapes. |
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CINDY WALKER
Cindy Walker (20 July 1918 - 23 March 2006) was a prolific American songwriter, as well as a singer and dancer. As a songwriter Walker was responsible for a large number of popular and enduring songs, recorded by many different artists. Cindy Walker adopted a craftsman-like approach to her songwriting, often tailoring particular songs to specific recording-artists. She produced a large body of songs that have been described as “direct, honest and unpretentious”. Walker was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1997. CareerEarly lifeCindy Walker was born on 20 July 1918 on her grandparents' farm near Mart, Texas, the daughter of a cotton-broker. Her maternal-grandfather F.L. Eiland was a noted composer of hymns and her mother was a fine pianist. From childhood Cindy Walker was fond of poetry and wrote habitually. As a teenager, inspired by newspaper accounts of the dust-storms on the American prairie-lands in the mid-1930s, Cindy Walker wrote the song, "Dusty Skies" (later recorded by Bob Wills and his band). In 1936 (when Cindy was in her late-teens) her "Casa de Mañana" was performed by the Paul Whiteman Orchestra (as part of the Texas Centennial celebrations).By the end of the decade Cindy Walker was singing and dancing in Texas stage shows. Move to Los AngelesIn 1940 Walker, aged 22, accompanied her parents on a business trip to Los Angeles, California. As they were driving down Sunset Boulevard she asked her father to stop the car near the Bing Crosby Enterprises building. Cindy Walker later recalled: "I had decided that if I ever got to Hollywood, I was going to try to show Bing Crosby a song I had written for him called 'Lone Star Trail'". Her father said "You're crazy, girl", but nonetheless stopped the car. Cindy went inside the building to pitch her song and emerged shortly afterwords to ask her mother to play the piano for her. Bing Crosby’s brother Larry Crosby had agreed to listen to the song; Cindy sang “Lone Star Trail” to him, accompanied by her mother. Larry Crosby was impressed and aware that his brother was looking for a new 'Western' song to record. The next day Cindy played guitar and sang “Lone Star Trail” for Bing Crosby at Paramount Studios (where he was making a movie). Crosby arranged for her to record a ‘demo’ with Dave Kapp of Decca Records, who was also impressed and offered her a recording contract."Lone Star Trail" was recorded and became a top-ten hit for Bing Crosby. Cindy Walker remained in Los Angeles for thirteen years. In 1940 she appeared as a singer in the Gene Autry Western Ride Tenderfoot Ride. The Decca recording contract led to Walker recording several songs with Texas Jim Lewis and His Lone Star Cowboys, including “Seven Beers with the Wrong Man” in 1941, which was also filmed as an early ‘Soundie’ (a precursor of music videos). In 1944 Walker recorded a song (not her own) which became a top-ten hit, “When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again”. Focus on songwritingWalker successfully pitched her songs to Bob Wills and began to regularly contribute compositions for recordings and the movies that Wills made in the 1940s. The collaboration was extremely fruitful: Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys eventually recorded over 50 of Cindy Walker’s songs, including "Cherokee Maiden" (1941), "Dusty Skies" (1941), "Miss Molly" (1942), "Sugar Moon" (co-written with Bob Wills; 1947) and "Bubbles in My Beer" (1948). Bob Wills and his band performed Walker’s first top-ten country hit, “You're From Texas” (1944). In 1948 the following Walker-penned songs were hits: "Oklahoma Waltz" (recorded by Johnny Bond), "Warm Red Wine" (Ernest Tubb) and "Take Me in Your Arms and Love Me" (Eddy Arnold). During the 1950s Cindy Walker continued her success as a writer of popular songs. In 1952 Hank Snow had a hit with her "The Gold Rush is Over" and in 1955 Webb Pierce had success with "I Don't Care". Another Cindy Walker song was "Blue Canadian Rockies" recorded by Gene Autry (which featured in Autry’s 1952 movie of the same name). The song was revived in 1968 by The Byrds on their influential country-rock album Sweetheart of the Rodeo. In 1955 Eddy Arnold pitched Walker the song-title "You Don't Know Me" when they met during a WSM deejay convention in Nashville. From this title Walker wrote a song for Arnold which has been described as “a beautifully symmetrical and poignant portrait of a love not to be”. "You Don't Know Me" has been covered by numerous artists over the years, most successfully by Ray Charles in 1962. Walker’s song, "Anna Marie", was a hit for Jim Reeves in 1957 and the beginning of another productive artist-writer association which culminated in "This is It" (1965) and "Distant Drums" (a posthumous hit for Reeves). "Distant Drums" remained at No.1 on the British charts for five weeks in 1966. In 1961 Eddy Arnold had a minor hit with Walker’s "Jim, I Wore a Tie Today", a moving song about the death of a cowboy. Cindy Walker wrote the song "Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)", which was recorded by Roy Orbison (who also recorded the original version of "Distant Drums"). She originally had little confidence in “Dream Baby”, but Orbison’s recording was a hit in both the US and Britain in 1962. In 1964 Fred Foster of Monument Records "tempted her back into the studio to record an album, Words and Music by Cindy Walker. Walker's song "In The Misty Moonlight" was a hit for both Jerry Wallace (1964) and Dean Martin (1967). "Heaven Says Hello" (recorded by Sonny James) and "You Are My Treasure" (Jack Greene) were hits in 1968, both written by Cindy Walker. In 1970 Cindy Walker became a charter member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 1981 Mickey Gilley's version of "You Don't Know Me" was a hit in the country charts. A year later Cindy Walker had her last major hit with Ricky Skaggs’ reworking of "I Don't Care". Later lifeIn her personal life Cindy Walker shunned the limelight. It was often reported that she never married, though in an interview with the New York Times shortly before her death Walker stated she once had “a very short-lived marriage”. After her stint in Los Angeles she returned to Texas in 1954, living at Mexia in a modest three-bedroom house with her widowed mother, Oree. Cindy Walker’s custom was rise at dawn each day to write songs. She typed her lyrics on a pink-trimmed manual typewriter and Oree Walker helped work out melodies for her daughter’s words. Each year Walker and her mother would operate from an apartment in Nashville for five months or so in order to market the songs. Cindy Walker’s mother died in 1991. In an interview in 2004 Ms. Walker stated: "I miss Mama every day". It was been estimated that more than 500 of Cindy Walker’s songs have been recorded and that her songs made the top-forty charts (country or pop) more than 400 times. In September 1997 Cindy Walker was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame (together another songwriter, Harlan Howard). During her acceptance speech Ms. Walker recited some verse she had written for the occasion:
Her speech was followed by a standing ovation and Walker left the stage in tears after softly blowing a kiss. During the proceedings renowned songwriter (and fellow Hall of Fame inductee) Harlan Howard described Cindy Walker as "the greatest living songwriter of country music". In 1998 Walker was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2001 the Country Music Television network honored the 40 Greatest Women in Country Music. The women were selected for their contribution to the genre by a survey of hundreds of American artists and music historians and Cindy Walker was ranked at number 32 in the list. In March 2006 American music icon Willie Nelson released a CD album featuring thirteen of Walker's well-known songs. The album title is You Don't Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker. Cindy Walker died at the Parkview Regional Hospital in her hometown of Mexia, Texas on 23 March 2006, aged 87 years (just nine days after Nelson's tribute album was released). She had been ill for several weeks prior to her death. Cindy Walker was buried in the Mexia City Cemetery. Walker's family had a custom-designed sculpture created for her gravestone to honor the songwriter and her work. The memorial sculpture is a large pink-granite guitar (in her signature color). ************************************************************************************************************TOMMY DUNCANThomas Elmer (Tommy) Duncan (January 11, 1911 – July 25, 1967) was a pioneering American Western swing vocalist and songwriter who gained fame in the 1940s as a founding member of The Texas Playboys. He recorded and toured with bandleader Bob Wills on and off into the early 1960s, and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Early life Duncan was born near Whitney, Texas on a large farm into a large and impoverished family of truck farmers. He was one of 14 children. His most profound influences as a young singer were Jimmie Rodgers, Bing Crosby, Emmett Miller and other country and blues musicians. He left home at 13 to sharecrop on a cousin's farm, and by 1932 was surviving as a busker in Fort Worth singing at a root beer stand. That year he won an audition against 64 other singers to join the Light Crust Doughboys, a popular local band which featured Bob Wills on fiddle. Another man had auditioned that sounded almost exactly like Tommy but was turned down in the end on account he had crossed eyes. Duncan was hired after he sang a version of Emmett Miller's "I Ain't Got Nobody" and impressed Wills with his phenomenal yodeling ability and bluesy phrasing. As was common at the time, the Doughboys appeared on a radio show under the sponsorship of a local business, in their case Light Crust Flour. Duncan quickly became a sensation, both on the show and at dances and other appearances. Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys When bandleader Wills decided to form an independent band, he and Duncan became the creative core of The Texas Playboys. Duncan was versatile in his singing style and repertoire, was credited with a fine voice and range, and was ideal for the kind of dance music Wills performed and recorded. He sang everything from ballads and folk to pop, Tin Pan Alley, Broadway and cowboy songs. As a lyricist, he contributed to "New San Antonio Rose" (1940); the recording, with Duncan on vocals, sold three million copies for Columbia Records. Duncan married, but after only a few years his wife developed cancer and died. Ironically, Duncan's first royalty check for "Time Changes Everything" was used to cover her funeral expenses. Duncan soon set the standard for Western swing vocals. In California he became friends with Bing Crosby when they stabled their horses together. A virtual "human jukebox," Duncan memorized the lyrics and melodies to more than 3,000 songs. He was a master stylist with the ability to make each song sound as though he wrote it. Duncan was also a multi-instrumentalist who could play piano, guitar and bass. After a decade of musical success, Duncan was the first member of Wills's band to volunteer for the armed services after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. His service lasted less than a year when he received a medical discharge and he rejoined Wills in 1944 as the war neared its end. He appeared with Wills and the other Playboys in several movies, including Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys (1944), Rhythm Roundup (1945), Blazing the Western Trail (1945), Lawless Empire (1945) and Frontier Frolic (1946). His voice matured in the middle to late 1940s. Duncan joined Wills in writing several more numbers, including "New Spanish Two Step" (1945), "Stay A Little Longer" (1945), "Cotton-Eyed Joe" (1946) and "Sally Goodin" (1947). One night in a bar visiting with songwriter Cindy Walker Tommy motioned for her to look at a gentleman sitting just a few tables away who was staring at his glass of beer. Tommy commented to her that he's just "watchin' the bubbles in his beer". Instantly they both realized they had a song idea and "Bubbles in my beer" would become one of the staples of Western swing songs. Aside from "Faded Love," sung by Rusty McDonald, every Texas Playboys record that was a hit featured Duncan on vocals, cementing his status as the finest vocalist Wills had. Rumors about Duncan having been a heavy drinker were false; Duncan would only have a drink or two at social events and his brother Glynn stated that otherwise he never saw Duncan drink even while they lived together in Fresno, California. Many band members considered him a troublemaker, but the accusations and may have stemmed from professional jealousy. Duncan was admired by contemporaries including Tex Ritter, Tex Williams, Teddy Wilds, Hank Penny and Ole Rasmussen. Later career By 1948, Wills' drinking was becoming too out of control for Duncan. Wills often missed shows and when he did the rest of the band's pay reverted to union scale because the headliner wasn't in attendance. After a string of performances in 1948 with Wills not showing up, Wills overheard him complaining one night before a performance. Wills told guitarist Eldon Shamblin to "fire" Duncan, who gladly accepted his dismissal and set out to form his own band. He organized another well-regarded western swing band called Tommy Duncan and His Western All Stars featuring his younger brother Glynn, a Western swing pioneer in his own right, on bass (who would later become Bob Wills' lead vocalist in the late 1950s). Another brother, Joe Duncan, was the lead vocalist for Johnnie Lee Wills' band for a period of time. At the height of the band's popularity, Duncan and the band made an appearance in the 1949 western film South of Death Valley starring Charles Starrett and Smiley Burnette. Musical tastes were changing, however, and attendance at the Western All Stars' dances ranged from fair to poor, certainly not enough to sustain a large band for long. The band lasted less than two years. From 1959 to 1961, he toured and recorded with Wills again, rekindling much of their former success. By this time Duncan's voice had evolved to a mature mellow croon and he used it to the greatest effect. But Wills slipped into his old habit of drinking. He again separated himself from Wills and continued to make personal appearances with various bands. Wills' band never achieved the same greatness it had with Duncan, and his solo efforts mostly paled in comparison to his Wills output. Although known for Western swing, Duncan's influence in country music was huge and he delighted in singing country hits of the day. Death Duncan, who had previous heart problems, died in his motel room in San Diego, California after a performance at Imperial Beach on July 24, 1967. The coroner's report said he was "lying...on the floor...Evidence victim had a heart condition, numerous pills for heart were found among personal effects." He is buried near Merced, California. |
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previous album,
GR:
suddenly
became ageless. It was truly phenomenal and a treasured memory that is
priceless. While there, I also did a show and nightly jams at Barbara’s in Printer’s
Alley. I was thrilled to meet one of my songwriter heroes,
Mr.
Chuck Seals 
Willie
Familjen trodde hon
var spritt språngande galen när hon drog till Music City USA med trehundra
dollar på fickan.