Album Notes

I started in the recording & songwriting
business while a student at Eastern New
Mexico U in Portales,NM,only 20 miles from
Clovis where the Norman Petty Studio was
located.During that time Buddy Holly & the
Crickets,The Fireballs,Jimmy Gilmer with
the Fireballs,Buddy Knox,Stringalongs,&
others were recording there.I was in the
Ivy Jives & we had releases on Jaro out of
NY,a susidiary of Top Rank label,but no hit.
I became friends with Larry Parks,who was
the drummer on "Only the Lonely",& had
toured with Roy Orbison.Larry knew the
people at Acuff-Rose in Nashville & we were able to get some songs we'd written
cut through them.The Newbeats"Bread &
Butter" was the biggest."Hey O Daddy O" &
"Birds Are For The Bees" charted for them
with Bob Finnicum being a 3rd writer on those.The Newbeats(Larry Henley w/Dean
& Mark Mathis) also did "Oh Girls" on their
"Run Baby Run" album (Parks,JT writers).
Henley later co-wrote the immortal "Wind
Beneath My Wings" with Jeff Silbar.Parks &
I produced the Sparkles for Hickory label
with a real high point being a session at
Bradley's Barn in N'vlle.The late great Wes
Rose helped with production."No Friend of
Mine" came out of that session & is still
around thanks to being on Rhino's Nuggets
set which is now offered by another label.
Gary P.Nunn("London Homesick Blues"/ACL
theme) was with the Sparkles at that time.
After writing for Acuff-Rose for 5 years I
moved to Houston,performed there for a
few years then left the "city" for the four
corners area of NM.There I taught guitar at San Juan College for several years & got to perform with some great players from the Albuquerque/Santa Fe & Durango,Colo.
area,not to forget the faculty & students
at SJC.I now have a studio near Alto,NM,&
spend most of my time on original music with some performing during summers.I owe "the debt you can never repay" to
the late most distinguished & greatly
accomplished Mr.W.R.Wheeler,band director at Levelland,TX,who started
me on trombone at age 8 & inspired me
to pursue music.I played horn through
my sophomore year in college at Schreiner
Institute,Kerrville,TX,then the rock bug
bit & I took up guitar.Eternal thanks to the
Almighty for all of the above & for the gift
of music we all share.