Album Notes

In the fall of 1986 I quit a job after 6 years of traveling all over the United States working for Tele Data Corporation. We installed telephone and engineered communication sound systems in HCA Hospitals and although I liked the work, I wanted to come home and pursue the Real Estate business. I also wanted to play music and after being gone for so long, had lost touch with the local scene. I hated to audition and decided to record a couple of songs to pitch around town to see if I could score a gig. I contacted an old band mate of mine, Roy Melton, to help me round up some players and hook me up with a studio. He got me a drummer by the name of Johnny Barber, who had been playing with Merle Haggard and Johnny Paycheck and a bass player that also played steel and I can’t for the life of me remember his name. I do remember he was supposed to have played bass for Ernest Tubb. I knew Gene Dunlap, who played piano for Loretta Lynn and got him to show up. Roy had played lead guitar for everybody in town, so I had some good players. We laid down a couple of tunes and I figured it was over, but the engineer said to play another one, that I had the studio for another two hours. I started calling out songs that everyone should have heard before and we cut them just like you hear them on this CD. No practice or rehearsing. I don’t guess it turned out too bad. I had some cassettes printed up and sold a few and gave most of them away. Just lately I had it put on a CD. I’ve had a lot of people ask why I didn’t try to market it. So here it is! I found the pictures the other day, one when I was still pretty new and another one when I was in my twenties, playing with some really neat guys. The steel player to my right is Dwayne Marrs and the bass player is Don Haggard. Dwayne built Show Bud Steel guitars on Broadway until they moved away and he started his own steel guitar shop in Madison. He was a fine man and a great player too. Don Haggard was the fiddle player for Hawkshaw Hawkins when the plane crashed and killed Patsy Cline and Hawkshaw. He overslept and missed the plane and lived to tell about. He played bass and sung well and was a good showman. I really enjoyed getting to play with these guys and getting to know them. I’m sorry they both passed away and that the guitar player on this CD, Roy Melton has also gone on and I hope they are getting to play a little in heaven. I hope you like this CD and I’m playing with a new band called NashvilleCRB and we have a site at www.NashvilleCRB.com and can be reached at 615 746 0111 should you want to book us for some Vintage Country, Old Rock and Roll, and Cool Blues.