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Photo by Scott Nelvton

"The didn't sell their visions,.,"

This Looks Li ke Willie's Year"Th'ey sre indiaiduals, fatni-

lies. ssngs who are bound to-

sttbti itl the blues life . . . tbe-ones whb suraiue the Plagues ' ' 'The best music - tlte best ofeaerytbing that is exPressiae ofaU in* ciuntry's got to giue is bY

and about them. . . (TbeY are)

tbe only ones who had reached

their own rock bottom and gotuD. . . TbeY searched for brotb-tit apd sisters, not friends ' ' '

They didn't sell tbeir aision - tosell"their aisidn would baae been

to pretend it was theirs . . . TheY

uere all itntocent. TbeY were

felons . . . They loaed. TbeY were'tbe offspring- of mid'twentierh'centur'y broken consciousness.They were beyond the PossibilitYof defeat . . . liotbiug moues amduntain but itself . . . ."(By Emmett Grogan in his autobio'graphical novel, RINGOLEVIO.)

BY JAY MILNERThis looks like the Year of Willie

Nelson! And as several music writersaround the nation have written: lt'sabout time.

For instance, a few months ago the

staff of ESOUIRE magazine published

its annual list of "100 Heavies" for the

vear ahead. Willie Nelson was amongthe hu ndred. The caption under:Willie's picture said he was Picked-because ESOUIRE believed he was the

one most likelY to rePlace Merle

Haggard at the toP of the mass PoPu'tarity ireap in country music in 1974'

And in June, ESOUIRE'S chiefcompetition, PENTHOUSE, ran a

lengthy article by Todd Everett on the

Witli.'tlut.on phenomenon' Everett's

topic sentence was: "Willie Nelson had

begun to receive some of the popular

recognition he deserves."Then there was the enthusiastic

New York TIMES review reprinted7

elsewhere in this Program'And in the June 6, 1974, edition of

ZOO WORLD, the music magazine, R'

Serge Denisoff, in his review of Willie s

iro,h. "PHASES AND srAGES,"sa id, among other comPlimentarYthings: "The elegant thing about thisalbum is the character developmentand the mood it creates. just like a

Bergman or Fellini film ' . ' lf this lpdoes not establish Willie Nelson as a

country music superstar. nothing will'It's a bit early for statements like thisis the best c&w album of 1974, but itvery well maY be."

How come all this sudden nationalattention? One answer to that ques-

tion is probablY catching uP withWillie Nelson at long last. Nashvillemav be beginning to catcft uP withhim. too - at long last. Since leaving

Nashville. Willie has made twoalbums - both for Atlantic Records ofNew York. These albums have sold farbetter than anY of the 20-odd he'd

made p revi ous lY i n N ashvi I le '

"PHASES AND STAGES" had Pa3sed

the 100.000 sales mark at last report'and was still rising' (This shouldn't be

interpreted as a total putdown of the"Nashville Souird" - The kind of com-mercial sr-lcc-:r! it has enjoyed means itcan't be all baC. But regardless of howgreat a systenl nright be, generally,.itdoesn't necessarily mean that it willwork for everYbodY - ParticularlYartists. and Willie's steadily risingnational popularity since he left Nash-

ville indicates it was wrong for hiln.)

"l thor-rght Nashville was the rough-

est. But I guess l've said that aboutthem all."-From "Me and Paul" bY Wiliie Nelson

Willie has written so many hit coun'try songs in the Past 20 Years thatwhen he is singing during one of his '

three or four hour shows people in the

audiences keeP saYing, "HeY, I didn'tknow he wrore that." The rumor thatWillie is'2,000 years old pops up now

and then and few PeoPle who knowhim well will deny it with confidence,because it often appears highly likely'The list of \l/illie's hit songs is too long

to list here. lt would include such

uit-titutt as "Hello Walls," "Crazy,""Night Life," "FunnY How Time SliPs

a*Jv,;"'Touch M;," "YesterdaY's

Wine," and later ones such as "tsloodY

wuty Vtotnlng," "Heaven and Hell,""Pick Up the TemPo," and so on -with each Willie freak having a favoriteof his or her own'

The Nashville Songwriters' Associa-

tion last November inducted Willie

I

'ooE

PAUL ENGLISH has been beating the drum with Willie Nelson for more than a dozen

vears. He is the Paul in Willie's song, "Me and Paul," and the devil in the Leon Russell

song, "You Look Like the Devil."

into its Hall of Fame, along withRoger Miller and Harlan Howard.

My wontan's tight with an overdue babyAnd Willie he's yelling,Hey, Gypsy, let's go"

"Fron Billy Joe Shaver's song aboutWillie Nelson, "Willie The WanderingGvpsy."

Doug Zabel interviewed Wiilie tastyear for ICONOCLAST. the Dallasweekly. In that revealing interview,Willie talked about the changes manybelieve he had gone through. WhenZabe! asked if his music had. changedalong with his physical appearance -he'd let his hair grow long and some-times wore a beard - Willie said:"Naw, it's the same show. Some placesthe kids will go and some places theirparents will go, and some places they'llboth come together, which is better."He said his music had not changed.that he was just reaching grouPs ofpeople he had not reached when he

had less hair. (As I wrote at the time,Willie was singing much the same as

alwavs, but the music being PlaYedbehind now is different - at least it is

different from the music accompany-ing him r:n all his albums before thef irst Atlantic release, "SHOTGUNWl LLlE." The current Willie Nelsonband is one of the best as far as beingable to make tlre sudden changes thatWillie has become famous for as he

reacts to the mood of an audienceinstead of following a planned pro-gram. This band was filled out a few

months ago with the addition ofguitarist Jody Payne. Mickey Raphael,who picked harmonica with B. W.Stevenson, joined Willie in April,1973. Bee Spears, one of the best bassplayers in country music, has playedwith Willie, off and on, for seyen yearsor more. Then there's Paul English ondrums. Paul has been with Willie 14

Vears. He is the Paul in the song, "Meand Paul." Hunched over his drums,Paul bears a striking resemblance tothe devil himself, with his pointed.black goatee, black sombrero, andblack cape with a scarlet satin lining.Leon Russell wrote the song, "YouLook Like The Devil" about Paul.

Willie's popularity has spread acrossseveral generations. His "groupies" are

17 to 77. Willie probably has donemore to bring rock and country musictogether than any living musician.Many observers regard the First An-nual Willie Nelson 4th of July Picnic atDripping Springs in 1973 as the eventthat did most to break down the bar-riers once separating the two kinds ofpopular music. Dripping Springs alsofocused national attention on the revo-lution of country music in Texas andthe creative energy being generatednere.

Although Willie is generallY re-

garded as the leader of the currentaction in Texas countrY music, he

denies it. Susan Barton, DallasTIMES-H E RALD entertainmentwriter, recently asked him if he was

the leader of the progressive countrymovement. "l think we're all doingour own thing." Willie told her. "ldon't think anyone is head honclro - |

sure don't want the responsibility ofleacJing that crazy bunch.'/

Willie'sSoddle

A few nights before the 2nd Annual

Willie Nelson 4th of July Picnic, the

saddle shown here was presented to that

once fast-draw Nashville outlaw, Shot-

oun Willie Nelson, at a party in Austin'" The custom-made saddle has a silver

olate with "Willie" engraved on it' lt is a

saddle literally fit for a king' lt was

made by RYon's Saddle and Western

Suoplies, Inc., in Fort Worth, who have

mad'e at least one saddle for a king-aspecial order from the U.S' State De-

partment about two years ago for a.n

Afti.un monarch. Ryon's also has made

saddles for President Lyndon B' John'

son and Merle Haggard.Making the Presentation in Austin

were JuV Milner, Doug Zabel, f .imO'Connor, SandY Jantzen and Jan

Franklin."We gave Willie

explained, "becausewe wanted to."

Also contributing towere the Willie Nelsonmirers listed below:

the saddle." Milnerit is beautiful and

the saddle fundfriends and ad-

JERRY, PAT,COLLEEN & CONNIE CUDE

Lawton, Oklahoma

SANDY, GAIL,DANA & SUE HARRINGTON

Dallas, Texas

LOCHWOODFOREIGN CAR SERV.

11446 Garland Rd.

1214\324-1134Dallas

SOAP CREEK SALOON707 Bee Caves Road

Austin 78746(5121327'9016

OLD PECAN STREET CAFE314 East Sixth St.

(5121 478-2491Austin

JOINT VENTURE(Gino & RoY)

Dallas,,ETHYL,S"

Only Bluegrass Clubin Dallas

(Chuck) 522-89OO

E 6'3 METRO"Rav S. Harrington

Dallas

CHERRY TREE PUB352 0244 (RandY)

Dallas

ammi Smith'Tough and Tender

Sammi Smith has ol# singing pro- of life, and her singing is stronger for it'

t.rrionuiiv since she was 13. -Some ot She won a Grammy Award for her

her fans don't know she is a fine song- version of Kris Kristofferson's song,

writer. Songs she rrur.'*rlti.n inciuOl t'ff"ip fVf. Make.lt Through The Night'";;i.uni"it Ferry Lane,,",when Michael Her voice is both tough and tender, but

c;il;;-;"d -,:fr",."

noom ror Rent.,, above all honest and homey. Sammi was

one of the hits of lastyear's Willie Nel'':'4 son 4th of July Picnic. She and her band

il went on state in the heat of the after-{!: noon .no soon had that huge audience'sllli full attention.r:, More recently. Sammi was one of the'

hit acts at the Steed Country Concert at

A r I i n g ton. Accord ing to P-E R-

FORMANCE magazine writer, GarY

McDonald, her performance was one ofthe best that day, and she shared the bill

with some of the big ones including

Willie Nelson, Mickey Newbury. Ferlin

Huskey and others' McDonald wrote.,;d ;'stiotto response was expected for;:{

Sammiis version of "HelP Me Make ltThrough The Night.". but the crowd

::.j really went wild over, "U.p Against TheWyl'qijlllllil:iW; i$ ', i:iiii:,i,:!t really went wild over, u.p Agalnsr Ine

Sammi's singing style is sim.ple and Watt' ned Neck .Mother"' With several

honest. The term "rout .ins;';;-ii out" hits alreadv Yigit.lljtl:l1':l^:l:[Ti:: # ;;il; ,"nir-,rro, but appties peart Beer buckte,) sammi smith should

to Sammi Smith. sr." i."-,io ttt."iiii t" be following with many more'"

the smoke and shadows oiif'" daik gide Her many fans everywhere agree'

I

Lefty FrizzellThe 2nd Annual Willie Nelson 4th

of July Picnic is sure to be remem'bered for many things bY manY dif'ferent people, In the running, how'ever, for the most memorable singleevent of the three-day outdoor affairwill be the return of the legendarYLefty Frizzell to his home territory as

a oerformer,When Lefty Frizzell stands at the

mike on the big stage in the giantSpeedway infield, it is certain to be an

emotional experience for many in theaudience and many other performersas well. Old timers will be pleasantly

Vanked backward to the 1950's whenit wasn't unusual to find a juke boxalmost entirely filled with records byLelty Frizzell and another singer/song'writer of that time named HankWilliams. (Remember Lefty's "LongBlack Veil?") After experiencing theperformance of this living legend,thousands of younger fans will be

searching record stores back home forhis records.

Many younger Performers on theprogram (Billy Joe Shaver, for one)

may be seen acting verY much likeawestruck groupies when Frizzell goes

on. Several have said theY learned

much by listening to Lefty's recordswhen they were in their formativeyears as performers. (Listen, for in'stance, to the Frizzell influences inBilly Joe's now distinctively individualsinging style. )

Following several relatively quietyears, Lefty Frizzell came out last yearwith two new albums that have zingedhim back to the center of the action,The latest Frizzell album is titled,,THE LEGENDARY LEFTYFRIZZELL." Although it hasn't been

easy to find in Texas so far, this newFrizzell album is rated by many hard-core Frizzell freaks as one of his verybest - which is saying a bunch. (Long-horn Head Football Coach DarrellRoyal said not long ago he played thenew Frizzell album everY morningwhile he shaved and ate breakfast.)

So - although it hasn't gotten a lotof advance hooPla in the media - theappearance of Lefty Frizzell at theWillie Nelson Picnic this JulY 4thweekend has all the earmarks of a

genu ine show'stealer of historicmeasure.'

Lefty Frizzell was born in Corsi-cana, Texas a number of Years beforeBilly Joe Shaver was born there.lA/hen

Lefty was 12, he picked up his firstguitar, according to a press releasefrom ABC.Dunhill, his current recordcompany. Two years later, 14-year-oldFrizzell earned his first paycheck as a

musician - winning tfre $5 first prizemonev in a Dallas songwriting contest.It was a sign of things to come,

Later, Lefty had his own band andworked clubs and bars in the Dallasarea. Jim Beck heard him and took a

demo record to Don Law of ColumbiaRecords, Law flew to Dallas andsigned young Frizzell to a contract.

That was in 1950 - the Year LeftyFrizzell started unrolling his incrediblestring of hits. His first Columbiarecord had "lf You've Got TheMoney, Honey (i've Got The Time)"on one side and on the other side, "lLove You In A Thousand WaYs." Thatdual hit was followed bY "AlwaYs

Late" and "l Want To Be With You."Then came "Long Black Veil," "Momand Dad Waltz." "Cigarettes and Cof'fee Blues," and "Confused" to namebut a few Frizzell hits that come tomind quickly.

Lefty joined the Grand Ole OPrY in1952 and later moved to California,where he appeared on "Town HallParty" in Compton for five years andthe "Country America" TV show inHollywood for a year. He returned toNashville in 1962 and has lived thereever since.

fimmyDeath Of An Unpopular Pmt(Jimmv Buffett)I once knew a poet who lived before his timeHe and his dogSpooner would listen as hed rhymeWords to make you happy and words to make you cryAnd then one day the poet suddenly did die.

But he left behind a closet filled with verse and rhymesAnd through some strange transactionOne was Drinted in the TimesAnd everybody s searching for the king of undergroundThey found him down in Florida with a tombstone for a crown.

And everybody knows a line from his books that cost 54.99I wonder if he knows he s doin' quite this fine.

Cause his books are all best sellers and his poems were turnedto song

They had his brother on a talk show though they nevergot arong

And now he's called immortal, yes he's even taught in schoolThey say he used his talents, a most proficient tool.But he left all of his royalties to Spooner his old houndGrowing old on steak and bacon in his doghouse ten feet 'round

And everybody wonders did he really lose his mindNo he was just a poqt who lived before his timeYes he was iust a Doet who lived before his time.

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Like Butfett No Moreit." Th€n with a twlnkle he adds' "l wantecl towrite a song which wasn't suggestive'something that lelt nothing to doubt!" -

Ever since the release of "Living and Dying

ln 3-4 Time," Buffett has been recognized as a

writer comparable to John Prine and KrisKristofterson. But where th€y slng about thetraditional themes of love, lonellness, and thed€struction of the past, Bulfett is apt io sing

about shoplifting or frozen dinners from the all

nioht qrocerv, write a song lor the poetrJnnein Patihen after l€arnlng trom WalterCronkit€ that he'd dled, or do one of thosetalking tall tale ballads like '.'God's Own

Drunk-," a Lord Buckley rap he picked up ln abar in New Orlsans.

Between s€ts he slumps in a saggy coucn'cradles a drink, and glves off an easy golng

Key West warmth to well wishers ancl

stroglers who come through. Austinjle cow-

boy Willis Alan Rams€y, looking llk€ he'd

been setting fence posts all day' strolls in'

hand outstretched. "l sure want to thank you

for including "spider John" on your last

album," he says with a grin. Jimmy Jumps up

smiling, "l've always want€d to me€t you

witlis.: Shit. I'm sorry | missed a few words ofyour song."-

In a minute they're talking €nthuslasticallyabout: Jimmy's liv€ acres in D€ep Creek'Montana - "lt;s too cold in winter, but lf you're

They Don't Bounce

,rJli%'|fi [?-l?n'8?i'u$Eo"tT"*f'T'i"'J''f fdbyllne was Jeff Nlghtbird.)

AUSTIN -Jimmy Butfett bounc€s on stage

like a hobo surler healthy enough to do an

oranoe loice commerclal, hls sprlng suntan'

strali colored hair, and sh€ll necklace' com-

olemented by an acoustlc guitar wlth-an oul-iaoeous hula glrl swaying on top' "A frlend ln

u;ntana woocl'burned her on there," he starts

out. "He was in love wlth the girl in the Herbal

iisenc" Shampoo." For a guy who's picked

music tor y€ars in div€s all across the gouth,

Buffett transmlts an Incredlble UP energy'

ln the intimate environment of the Castle

Creek club, where the audience slts close

"norsn to the musicin to pull out a souvenli

Jnin fiait, Buftett's Will Rogers humor and roll-lno ouitar work magic. He ofters that sense olva'oiOonO intimacy which doesn't always workin lavernous concert halls. Here everythlngbeqlns with a story: "The original tltle of this

ioio '""s 'The Unexplain€d Charge on the

aan-k American Card.' lt came to me after

watchlng a businessman trylng to pick up.ahooker in Dallas." He then launches Into hls

overnlght underground classlc, 'Why Don't

We Ge1 Drunk And Screw." Bultett later says

wtth serlousness backstage, "l hate to be

characterized by that, but th€ audlences love

up that way come visit this 5urnrnsll'; themovie he's scoring for director Frank Perry("Diary of a Mad Housewif€" and "LastSummer"1 "lt's going to be a modern westerncalled Rancho Delux: I'm going to try my hand

at acting"; and the n€€d for a major rocordingstudio in Austin, Willis' p€t proj€ct.

Second set, the Castle Creek crowd is

ready and loose. Jimmy, his hula hula guitarguitar flashing in the light, throws away thestandard show and starts banging out r€-quests. Then he croons his new song, "Llf€ 16

iust a Tire Swing," about th€ ups and slllydowns of existence ending with a car crashjust lifty yards from the tire he used to swingon as a child.

The crowd wants more, calling lor l€sserknown songs such as "Cuban Crime ofPassion." and "They Don't Dance LlkeCarmen Anymore." Jimmy's into it. "l wantedto finish early and sn€ak off to th€ oyster barbefore it closed," he confides. "But hell! | f€ellike singing all nlght."

Leftya man ... his music.. " his life. "one becomes the otherand each means the same.and all become one.

reach out... touch a giant. '.battered with the barnstorm' barleycorn years

scarred with the hell-bent-for living life'tides of fortunes rising and fallingwith every changing moonnever steadY, never constant.

feel a presence fill the room.leqends made andscittered carelessly to the shiftingwinds of fame,like heroes of another agesmell the leather'sweat echoes of knights and k'ngs.

touch the timeless shadows of Daniel Boone and Wyatt Earp

a question asked anda question never fullY answered "more is needed than just mortal words'tell the feelings, lefty . . . paint the picturesbehind the mind.write a song... sinq a song.let me interview Your soul'

be lefty.not just another man.tell me stories larger than life.be larger than lafe,be a legend.

tell the worlcl a song...make them hear Your life,stand as tall as heroes stand andcast a giant shadow.be lefty.make another legend.

&tr46":r**

JerryA Little Joy and sloppiness

One of the most colorful personalities.and

o"ifoit"t. on this year's Willie Nelson Picnic

5i"i*. it.l"trv Jeit Walker' Like Willie' Jerry

ilit; "-n-"tt6'uti.n"o

recording star before

nl .o*a to Austin almost three y€ars ago'

3in"" tn"n, he's had a marked influ€nc€ on

il;i.;ien happening musicallv in T,exas."'frlrx", *tot" ine attltime hit song' "Mt'

F.9.

.r".gl".l; before he- moved to the Texas hlll

countrY. A native ol upstate New York' he'd

;;;i'l;";;" in r"""t in the middle'6os'

$;;; it;"te time to Pick a Plac.€ l"::I1:ii*n "*"v

from the centers of the muslc

6usiness, jerrY Jeff chose Texas'--s'i;;;'n" ino willie moved to Texas'

n"ii""i, lustin nas become on€ of the most

;;t'*";Gi" ;ities in the nation' Manv good.

il".rJiiil'"l"rr""ov lived there, as Jerry Jeff

;;i;i;J out not long ago' which..was,on-e

iJi.lr" n" t"ved to Austin in th€ fi'st place''B:i;il'toi" gooo Pickers h"Y" I:::9,inere in the past two years' Now' almost any

;il; ; tii" J""r' the hills around the capital

iilv"tiitiv-tin! with music bv som€.of th€

*oiro'. best progressive country musicians'."J"tiy Jefi seems to have benefitted

orJiesJionatty by the move' His latest album'f'viu"- i"irinsua," was recorded live near

nr.i" "ifr"i,enuacn,

Texas' last year wlth. an

il;i;;;-;";ticiPatins to caPture the

itJi""i"titti. sponianeit! of a Jerrv Jeff per-

i"ri""""" "tO t'he album'has sold bett€r than

any of his Previous albums'-' llorru Leff's backup group, The Lost Gonzo

Aand, 'pfay"O behind him on that album' as

ii;;;il';;ih" +tn ot JulY Picnic th,9i tI:;;;".'iltc"nzo Band has been called th€,#:i

"";;t;;nd and includes such standouts

"tG"tv Nunn, who wrote "London Hom€sick

Err"J''"nO sings it on the Terlingua album'

6iniiJ"gti"n"and Jonn lnmon' Manv fans

[Jri"*-tnit"u three will one day b€ solo stars

themselves."'ln'"JOition to being a prolific songwriter'

Jerrv Jeff is one of the b€tter muslclans

".ohg the stars of th€ new country muslc'

nnJ, irtnougn most pickers love to pick with

oin"--, ptoteslional pickers' none lov€.it moro

in"n .r!t.v Jetf, whose favorite "hobby" seems

i;-oe-h;;gi;s out with other musicians after

o-"rt"rti"g ,-ntit 2 ".t', picking and sing^lng

Ii.uon tn"" rest of the night' H6.has written

"ongi "nout the joy of that pasttim€: .- ..,--ii"t"'t a tot bt-gypsy in Jerrv Jeff' lt's

reflected in many of his songs as well as.nls

il;it6 tituv r" buned deeper in them' but

thereis also some g)/psy in most music fans'

*no-rif" to listen to Jerry Jeff because ne

makes them feel good about it'"'1"" t"x" .rie tlhe unique "looseness" ol.a

Jeiry ..tett show carried over to his albums' nls

;;;;"i;";t"nY (MCA) now so€s alons with

il;;ii" rittin'g hit record llve' rather than

iniie-'a stuoioi Jerry Jeff says he-is in-

iirniO"t"O when he plays in a studio' "There's

ro''i"nv h""uies ail aiound you all the tlme'

s"tti"l yo, to do somethlng' clean that .up'Z[""in1t, and pretty soon you're soundlng

like every'body else," he told a wrlter for

BUDDY magazine not lono aqo'

"we trv to make a pany-pici thing out.of it"'

.r"riv j"ii continueo""t think th€ record buyer

i"" "ititi"a

to a decent product' but I don't

i-ni'ir li should be so cl€an and tight it do€sn't

ir."" " fittf" ioy and sloppiness that comes

ir; ;"i;g looie ano having fun'" -..';;;; ;^ ;les totals for Jerry Jerf's-last

t*"'?io"rnl, r'" *"t right about what his fans

*l-"tl nno vb, can bank on having a fullhouse

;r;;;;'.""1 whereever he and,-his Lost

(Decca DL 7-5384)'tT6;";; vear,"'he wrote' I'm supposed..to

oo io on" oi tho record factorl€s In N.ashvlllo-

frl" viii-I.n.-motel-hamburg-r€d llght-plck

!.e.;i"i..'rn"v call lt 'cuttlns tunes' (e-ulgl

rii"".*s"ry) . . . t onty know how my songs go

lll"'i'v ilriilr. I llke plavlns wlth mv fll:".g:i".",i.d*" share many thlnos: the muslc' w€

share being iust one.more' liy frlends do not

ii"" t" *Etblay to lmpress m€ or to securo

niljti"nitnrb, *nl"n ls based on th€ many

ii'l'"J';il;i;ilk€s we share' ' : "l bell€ve p€o-

;8"#:;;;i t'osether' ror common' loy and

ll"i-ani'.tirr biloose about lt' ' ' ' Anvwav.l

;,"ai"e;;;t tlnd a couple or v€ars aso thatl

;;;;"i;s to have.more o:f#':J"t"';li $":

oood-time mlles oe Panil"n-"-""""i.ot eo n€ m €ntlon€d'stud lo' I h ld' I

Photo bY Ron McKeown

bouqht another round, and I look€d for a hol6

;;1;;;;;t into. FinallY, aft€r two .broken

"'rii"ir-JnJ thre€ drunk€n trips to the K€y

Yv;;]'l"il,I headed for Austln' Texas' old

iii""oi and old stompln' grounds' Many

friends lrom years ago had dritted back to

i""i" tn" funiy Texas dirt road back str€€ts

ag;in; tne feeiin' was gr€at; ih€ pickln' was

eierywnere ' . . and anyon€ who want€d to

"..tiiUrt" cam€ by and picked or lust llsten-

€d. .--inafs how it's been at Jerry Jeff Walker

r.""orJing sessions every since Loose' And

;j;j;:i it; ;ioums (rec'orded the. Jerrv Jelf

Lvon's'PubBeer-ttlline'Food

Conversation

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Billy Joe Shaverls A Serious Soul

8y Jay Milner-There is no such thlng as a casual conv€r-

sation with Billy Jo€ Shaver' He com€g at you

Just as head-on and open-end€d talklng as he

ioes in the lyrics of hls eongs. As somebodyonce sald about Wllllam Faulkner' whenvou're talklng to Bllly Joe you elth€r lay your

lut out on the table or back off and shut up'

In som€ important ways, thls old boy fromin and around Corsicana, Waco and Mt'

Olympus (lf that's In Texas) ls the best of thenew breed of Texas honky tonk poets' Hls

lyrics can bring on personal downhome lm-aoes so r€al and sharply focused they'r€ tooh6avy and sudden for fans wlth tlny ponder

tan ks.A Billy Joe lyric is usually as readable as lt

is singable, which cannot be sald about all

sonoJ-the country klnd and whatever th€othe-r kind is called. You can boogi€ to Bllly

Joe songs, all rlght, but if you've s€t out.toforoet where you came from and where you'v€

bedn, then you'd best find anothor dance hall'Conslder, for example, th€ op€nlng verse of

Billy Joe's song, "Serious Souls"

"Cool was the stream flowlng clearfrom the mountaln

To the grassY green valley belowAnd manY was the time we all drank

from that fountaln

I

Leaving nowhere but downhlll to go'"

The chorus of tho same Shaver lyrlc goessomething like this:

"We're all wayfarlng wanderlnggypsles

AloneLooks lik€ looking-forls whor€ we'll alwaYs beCursed to be bornAs serious soulsNo one will take seriously."

The stark honesty of his lyrlcs has crsatedenclav€s of Bllly Joe Shaver fans from coast

to coast, although hls only album, "Old Flve

and Dimers t-tXe Ue," hasn't burn€d up tho

charts anywhere yet. But a Shaver fan dls-olavs cult-like devotlon and badgers hlsiriehOs until they buy the album-lf only to g€t

some p€ace. Then th€y too becom€ Shaverdevote'es. But (as wo Shaver devotees usually

say) that do€sn't spread the word nearly fastenough for the quallty of the goods' As thlswas viritten, Shaver's commerclal succ€gs gtlll

laooed far b€hind hls tal€nt6ne ,eason Billy Joe Shaver hasn't b€come

a household name throughout Amerlca maybe that too many folks who love hls songsthink they were wiltten by Tom T. Hall, WaylonJennings, Bobby Bare, Johnny Rodrlgu€z orone of the other country starg who've madeShaver songs into hit slngleg.

"There's one in svory crowoFor crying out loudWhy was it always turnlng out to be

me?"("Honky Tonk Hero"bY BillY Joe Shaver)

Billy Joe Shaver walted around, olf and on'for eioht vears-hungry for a gllmmer of en-

coura-gement. Then Wlllle Nelson and Krls

xiirtJr"t.on busted down a couple of

Nashville barriers to l6t somg fresh alr Into

r:oililtry muslc' Only then was Bllly Joe Shaver

rewarded with som€ recogltlon where ltcounted.

Bobby Baro was the flrst establlsh€clruasnvitt6 star to do somethlng tanglble.aboutBillv Joe's primitive genlus after Willle Nelson

went reneel'aOe and Krlgtoff€rson tappd a n€w

country a-udlence. "R€turn Muslc," Bare's

tf"snultt" publishlng tlrmi hlr€d Bllly Joe' Thls

oives Baie flrst albs on all new Shaver

iongs-if, in th€ hustle and hubbub of th€

""riirv muslc world, somebody els€ doesn't

nappen along at tho rlght tlme and hear on€

when Bare is otherwlse occuPied'Which is the way a b€glnn€r namod Johnny

Rodriquez happened to come out wlth th€

sn"u"i song,' ;'Rlde Me Down Easy"' Bare

reacted qutcXty to cover the Rodrlgu€z ver.-

rion ot tnit on6 . . . but a lust a llttl€ late and llbecame on€ of the early slngles that lgnlteo

the talt of the Rodrlgu€z skyrock€t'As Bare hlmsolf mlght put lt' (aithougn

probably using a less worn phrase) that's sho'

biz.

Billy Jo€'s prlmary professlonal insplratlonseems to have been Wllll€ Nelgon and Lofty

Frizzell. Something falntly Frlzz€ll flavorsShaver's unlque slnglng styl€-a surr€allstlcblending of th€ old and new with a dash of th€yet-to-b€.

Billy Joe hed not met the legendary Frlzzell

until recently. Willl€ Nelson, how€ver' ls

anoth€r story.Willle comes from the same Central Tsxas'

half-cowboy half'cotton-plck€r country -thatsgawn€d Eilltte Joe. Frlzzell also camo from

the same part of Texas' Was born In the samo

town as Bilty Joe, ln fact. Corslcana' But Willle

has k€pt in closer touch wlth Texas honkytonk poets than most folks In or out of muslc'

Biliy Joe- in a "Muslc Clty News" !$9.r1tewa year or so ago-put lt thls way: "wlllle's-ahero down there. He'll always be my hero' Hereally opened the doors for the contemporary

stuff. I took somo pains writlng, 'Willle th€

Wandering GYPsY'' He's a gYPsY cow-boy-look into his face, and it's like looking in

the Grand CanYon."

"l've spent a life timeMaking uP mY mindTo beMore than th€ measureOf what I thought oth€rsCould see."

("Old Five and Dimers" bY

Billy Jos Shav€r)

Ka.d Wgu$H,iuna'rA

AFID TttE (owgoYTWtt.txtEs

UJTLL BE ATMoth€f Pk^€'$lr{ DnuesfuLq th- ZL?,711 RlurLrils t4.

6Lg- 38*2co{ee ct{c. t 5oAILY i t cl.r-€-rd6Tt{€ dEEK a."r.tdi aoo o*t ff1- Se-raFld YoLt G€l lr''tFgeE ar (fPrte's[r*e€€. Yor4 eANRacv. l{t R,ot-c*rt t-

€'n.|\A.

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tI

THURSDAYJULY 4

Willie Nelson

Asleep at the Wheel

Bobby Bare

Jimmy Buffett

Guy Clark

Milton Carroll Band

Lefty Frizzell

Frieda and the Firedogs

Lost Gonzo.Band

John Hartford

Waylon Jennings

Darrall McCall

Michael MurPheY

Sammi Smith

B. W. Stevenson

Red Steagall

Jerry Jeff Walker

TENTATIUE SCHEDULE

2nd ANNUAL WILLIE NELSON 4th OF JULY PICNIC

JulY 4, 5,6,1974(Texas World SPeedway)College Station, Texas

FRIDAYJULY 5

(Hank Cochran DaYl

Willie Nelson

Hank Cochran

Moe Bandy

Billy Jim Baker

Alvin Crowe& the Neon Angels

Dick Crouse

Johnny Dallas

Kinky Friedman

Steve Fromholz

Larry Gatlin

Tompall Glaser

Geezenslaw Bros.

Linda Hargrove

Doug Kershaw

Augie Meyers

Buzz Rabin

Leon Russell

Kenneth Threadgill

Billy Walker

Rusty Wier

SATURDAYJULY 6

Willie Nelson

David Carradine

George Chambers

Lee Clayton

David Allen Coe

Ewing St. Times

Alex Harvey

Ray Wylie Hubbard& the Cowboy Twinkies

Barefoot Jerry

Jerry Lane

Dee Moeller

Tracy Nelson

Rick Nelson& the Stone Canyon Band

Doug Sahm

Billy Joe Shaver

Spanky & Our Gang

Willie Alan Ramsey

Greezy Wheels

The following were not scheduled at press time:

Johnny Bush, Johnny Duncan, Billy Gray, Red Lane, Plum Nelly' Kenny O'Dell'

Magic Cowboy Band, Si|ver City Sadd|e Tramps, Don Williams.

tt

21

t

DeeMoeller

Dee Moeller has been writing good

songs and singing behind country stars

like Willie Nelson on albums for some

time now. Lately. a lot of music lovers

in Texas and elsewhere have been won-

derinq whv she doesn't have an albumall helr own; they'd like to buy it. Notonly is Dee Moeller good to listen to,she's good to look at too.

Since she's been singing in Texas

clubs in recent months, an enthusiasticDee Moeller following has formed' Her

appearance at this year's Willie Nelson

iicnic is certain to cause that followingto multiply.

Word has now come that a Dee

Moeller album is on its way, excitingnews to a whole bunch of folks who'velong thought it was over due.

lf you haven't been luckY enough so

far to hear her in Person, You ve ProDablv heard one of her latest songs, "Fasi

Oiaw Outta*," on WaYlon Jennings'new album. THIS TIME.

OPENING

NNlsT. 0f AUGUST

OPTHE FINEST !N MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT

INDUSTRIAL AND CADIZ DALLAS TEXAS

RED STEAGALL

Russell Steagall, better known as

"Reo.'; is a Texjn whose life and songs

ri.-.iott to the soil' He graduated fro.m

West Texas State University wlth a oe-

"tt. i" Agriculture. Then he worked as a

ihemical-soil expert, but the country

rrti"-nrs got him and he sPent all his

;;;;.il; irorkins with countrY bands'

H*ntuuf fv, of course, Red went all the

wav with mustc.'--ioi years, Steagall wrote songs that

became hits for such established per-

iottt^ as Glen Campbell, Ray Charles'

b-onuv CofOtboro, Jeanne C' Riley and-O.t"'Vf.tti"-songs like "Here We Go

iouin." ttArtbama- woman," and "Beer

oiintins Music."Red has recorded for Dot, Warner

Brothers and Mira Records' He is

oresentlv under contract with Capitol,Iuho r.t.otO.d his big hits - "Some'

where MY Love," "PartY Dolls and

Wlne" anO"'fexas Silver ZePher

"'He now lives in Saugus, California,and is president of Amos the publishing

branch of Amos Productions, lnc',where he heads a staff of pop, rock and

country song writers.

BOBBY BARE

Bobby Bare's latest album for RCA is

titIJO, ;,LUT-LABYS, LEGENDS AND

Ligs." lt's a natural and very popular'

2(}(} ACADEMY

AUSTIN

442-1475

But when Bobby Bare steps on stage at

the Willie Nelson Picnic this year, you

can bet the audience will be ye.l.ling forr"r. "t his all time hits like. "Miller'sb-.u.-"-''s Miles," and "Detroit city"'

When he is not recording, Bare is pro-

ducing artists like Wynn Stewart or tak-

ing cire of his music publishing .busi-ne"ss, Return Music, which has signed

writers like Billy Joe Shaver' Bobby also

spends a lot of time out doors fishing

and hunting.This California native began stngtng

in night clubs around Los Angeles 'be'

tore ie was old enough to vote and

started writing songs even before that'

il.u-Uv went t; Nashville to seek his for-

tune as a country songwriter and- per-

i;;"; after he mustered out of the

Armv. He soon attracted the attentton

of executives at RCA' A contract was

siqned and Bobby moved to Nashville'

ftL f'ttt been one'of the most consistent

writers and performers in.country musrc

eversince.

JOHNNY BUSH

JohnnY Bush is a Texas whose

career has been closely associated,with

iiiiiil rtrurton't. willie and Johnnv

piuv"O in the same.band several years

working every lolnr from West Hell'

i;;. i. the fine hotels' when that

U"nJ-U-f.. up. Willie and Johnny went

;;;; ;.v;. rr'tY saw each other

from time to time, and Promised tokeep in touch. The success Johnny Bush

enjoys today is testimony to the facttlre tiVittie Nelson keeps his promises' lnthe early '60's, Willie's ship came. in,.so

to speak, when Faron Young made a hitir"ora oi his song "Hello Walls,".thenWifil" fruO his own hit. "Touch Me'"

When he formed a band for road

tours, Willie's old pal Johnny Bush was

one of the first people he contacted'Johnny played drums. After touring forabout a year, Willie dissolved the band

to stay -home

and write songs, and

Johnny Bush started playing drums forRay Price.

iohnny had alwaYs wanted to be a

sinqer and after three years with Ray

Priie he went out on his own and Willie

entered the Picture again.After several reiections bY major

record companies, Willie bankrolled a

recording session for Johnny. lt resulted

in an aibum called, "SOUND OF AHEARTACHE." Out of that album

came the hit song, "You OughtTo Hear

M" Cry." Before long, PeoPle had

stopped referring to Johnny as the-guywho' used to play drums for Ray Price

and Willie Nelson.JohnnY Bush wrote "WhiskeY

River," which Willie Nelson and his

band'iam on so often. He also wrote the

"ouniry classic, "There Stands the

Glass."

MIXED DRINKS

I.ARGE

DANCE FLOOR

NATIONAL ENTERTAI il MENT

Texas 0PrY House ANNEX

Entertainment NightlY

Food-Games'Dancing

24

','i

After the release of his first albumwith Frummox HERE TO THERE'Steve went on an extended tour withSteven Stills. More recently, he has been

doing a single in clubs across the coun-

try. The word now is that he is puttingtogether a backuP band, although at

oress time it was not known whetherihe band would PlaY with him at the

Willie Nelson Picnic'

DAVID ALLEN COE

Songwriter David Allen Coe has

plentv of vivid memories to write about'

ijl. .t"tltOf'ood was interupted by mis'

fortunes that sent him to reform school

at an early age' He moved from one

reformatory to another. At one point, a

prison incident put him on death row

ioi t.u.tur months. Since David's final

release in 1967, however, he has met life

head on and been remarkably success-

fu l.In 1968, he came to Nashville with

three notebooks full of songs' lt is no

coincidence that Coe's first Columbia

album liner notes mention Shel Silver-

stein, Kris Kristofferson, Leon Russell'

and esPeciallY MickeY NewburY. towhom the album is dedicated' The pub-

ii. t"tpont" to David Allen Coe's firstrecorded songs was enthusiastic' They

includecl "Penitentiary Blues," "Tobac-

co Road," "Two'Tone Brown,".-and"Keep Those Big Wheels Humming."

Established stars like Leon Russell,

Melba Montgomery, Del Reeves, StoneyEdwards and others made recordings ofthose. But it was Tanya Tucker's inter-

oretation of David's "Would You LaY

Wittr Mez" that proved to be his most

important stepping stone. That record-

ing attracted the attention of Ron Bled'

soe of Columbia who invited Coe to his

office to sing more of his material and

later signed him to a Columbia contract'David Allen Coe has found himself

and has also found freedom - the kindof freedom that rides with "the myste-

rious rhinestone cowboy." The audienceat Willie Nelson's 4th of July Picnic are

in for a real treat with David's pro-

gressive countrY style.

STEVE FROMHOLZ

Chet FliPPo wrote in the ROLLINGSTONE, "Fromholz can work a certain

magic in an intimate club' Steve has

been working this magic in Texas a

number of Years. First with a duoknown as "Frummox," he sang and

recorded uniquely original songs aboutthe people of Texas. Steve's "TexasTrilogy" has been Praised bY music

critics as "one of the mcist real and

original contributions to Texas folkmusic in years.

,.j"il i

i*J4a: j

"i;

LR"g,Sl,g,xLg,"lsays that some people say he tries tosing like Bob DYlan and some saY he

loois like Ktistofferson. But it ain't so.

Lee sings, "all I want to do is sing likeWaylon." He holds back a grin when he

gpti to the punch line, like it's hard forhim not to laugh out loud'

Not that WaYlon Jennings isn't one

of Lee's musical heroes. He is. Lee firstheard Waylon's sound over a Lubbockradio station some years ago. "He sang,

'House of the Rising Sun,"' Lee re-

called in Austin earlier this summer."and it blew my mind. I told myself rightthen I had to meet him."

A few Years later, Lee not only metWaylon, but Waylon recorded one of his

songs, "Ladies Love Outlaws." Lee

Clayton is a Picker Poet who knowswhere he wants to go and has both thetalent and drive to get him there. He has

stripped his life down to his guitar and

what he can carry in an old saddlebag'

He travels light, looks, listens and lives

hard and moves forward about as much

as a man can.Waylon sings another Lee ClaYton

song, "lf .You Can Touch Her At All,"on

-hit latest RCA album, "THISTlME," which was co-Produced bY

Willie Nelson. And Lee has his first al-

bum behind him (an MCA release titled,"LEE CLAYTON") and will soon cuthis second. He's also written a song thatWaylon will sing on the sound track of a

movie. ("lt's kind of a 'Son of ThunderRoad' movie about moonshiners.")

It maY be that MCA decided to call

his first itbum "LEE CLAYTON." be'

cause his name is like his songs: Hear

them once and they're not easy to for-get. That album has an underlying, un-

spoken "theme" - lonesome countryboy surviving in New York City. Each

song stands alone very well, but the al-

bum takes on new meaning when Youlisten to it with that in mind.

Critics around the country have beeR

uniformly enthusiastic about Lee's firstalbu m. He conjures uP vivid visualimages and packs layers of meaning intoa single line. His songs have attractedthe attention of several established sing-

ing stars. Better Midler has asked forone of Lee's songs. The Everly Brothersrecorded "Ladies Love Outlaws.'1 Andyou won't find her name on the jacket,

but Carly Simon does some lovely back-ground singing behind Lee on the haunt-ing, "New Vork CitY Suite 409."

Lee had helP on his debut album also

from Bonnie Bramlet, members of the

Earl Scruggs Review and, (on one cut,)

one of Linda Ronstadt's recent bands'

Folks like that can't'hurt a fellow s

career.Lee grew uP on the High Plains of

West Texas. When he was 14, his fathermoved the Claytons to Tennessee' He's

31 now, with a divorce and a hitch inthe Air Force behind him. He has a col-

lege degree in, of all things, engineering'

W"nen f,e was discharged from the Airforce. lee headed foi Nashville' ("1'djust about gotten court martialed a

touole of times. I was supposed to be an

officer and gentleman, but I was picking

in bars during the evenings and the AirForce didn't think both were posslble' )

He'd sold four songs to Publisherswithin a week after he arrived in Nash-

ville. Billv Joe Shaver introduced him toBobby Bare, who published a couple ofClayton songs. Lee's songs are now pub-

lished through Kristofferson s company'An audition for Artie Mogul and

several othefs resulted in his recording

contract with MCA. When he was inAustin in MaY, Lee said he was almost

ready to cut his second album' He had

enough new songs for two albu.ms and,

in o ne man's oPinion, they re even

better, generally, than those on the firstone-which is saying something, because

the first Lee Clayton album gets better

the more You hear it.Lee Played a few club dates in Texas

last winter with his first backup group'

Now, he has another band that comes

much closer to- the sound he wants'

He'll bring his new band to College

station' J. M.

KINKY FRIEDMAN is aTexan who

made it big in country music by being

different. kint y comes from South

i."ut unO grew up on what he called, "a

dude ranch for over-privileged children'He describes his music a9., "uPtown

country with a conscience'" lt appeals

to audiences of all kinds - from Grand

Ole Opry kickers to the so-called sophis-

ticates on Manhattan lsland' KinkyFriedman was almost a household name

in the U.S. before most PeoPle had

heard him because of the uniqueness ofhis apProach to countrY music' He

runugtO to cash in on his confluence ofcultuies by turning himself into a sort

of comic cosmic cowboY or (to quote

BUDDY magazine) "a Jewish jive

artist." But as the audiences at this

Willie Nelson 4th of July Picnic willdiscover, Kinky and his band are basic-

allv fine country-rock musicians with a

difierence. Kinky Friedman fans say'

"Vive La Difference!"

Photo by Ron fulcKeown

27

Photo bY Jesus Carrillo

B, W. Stevenson

"One day about three Years ago.right after he got out of the Air Force,B.W. told me, 'Bob, I'm gonna be a

star.' Well, this is a tough business, so I

took him back to mY office there atthe old Rubaivat. and i told h im,'Buckwheat, maybe You should be

thinking about another line of workjust in iase things don't work out'' "

-Bob Johnson, former manager,Rubaiyat coffee house in Dallas

Since he quit his iob maintainingAir Force missiles, things have been

working out pretty well for B.W'Stevenson of Dallas. Less than a yearafter he returned to the Rubaiyat (he

first played there over five years be'fore) an RCA record company repre'sentative heard him and signed him toa contract. His first album was releasedsix months later and, according toRCA regional promotion manager, did"extremely well." although 30 to 40per cent of the album sales were in theTexas area.

Stevenson graduated from Dallas'Adamson High School. He's beenpickin' and singin' since he traded inthe drum he played irr his junior highmarching band.

After high school, like manY others

of his generation, Stevenson hit theroad in search of identity' He spent

time in California and Colorado,worked on a ranch for awhile, buteventually he returned home. He en'

rolled at North Texas State Universityin Denton, but for reasons he doesn'tqo into he was "kicked out."

Seven Years ago, the RubaiYat gave

Stevenson his first PaYing job as a

performer. He was still doing otherpeoples'songs, mostly country and

wesiern, folk, and rhYthm and blues'

He picked up a local following quicklybut he couldn't seem to get his career

off the ground. Then, he began writingdome oi his own material. His firstrong, ''Nllv Feet Are So WearY,"

round..i much like the material he

does todav and is included on his

second album, LEAD FREE. Singing

his own songs gave him a boost locally'but the public hadn't yet discovered"progressive countrY" as Stevenson

categorizes his music.

After a hitch in the Air Force,

Stevenson started PlaYing at theRubaiyat again and things finallYstarted happening. The public was sud-denly hungry for countrY rock andfolk rock, and B.W. Stevenson becamea Dallas celebrity. People broughtfriends to hear him and local clubsfound themselves competing for his

talents. RCA scouts signed him, and

B.W. was on his waY.In Dallas, not long ago, he talked

about his music and "the business" ingeneral. "l guess l'm more used totalking to a crowd than to an indivi-dual," he drawled.

A number of performers influencedhis style. he said - Bob Dylan, PatrickSky, Keith Sykes, Steve DeWitt, JerrY

Jefi'Walker and Mike Murphey, who'sa close friend and also from Dallas.

"This business has its hills and val-

leys," B.W. said. "l'd rather not hassle

witf, it all. Eventuallv, l'd like to get

to the point where mY record sales

would support my other aspirations,so I could get out of Performing.

"l'd like to be able to get togethet a

studio and use it for some of thepickers who don't stand much of a

chance unless they leave this area.

There's a lot of great pickers aroundhere in Texas and up 'til now they'veall had to leave this area to get any-where with their music. l'd just like toget to a Position where I can helP

other pickers out."That time should be near. A series

of national hits and wide acclaim forhis last two albums Prove Bob John-son's warning was unnecessary. B.W'Stevenson is a star.

SANDIvIOUNTAIN

1213 Richmond528-8r64

HOUSTON

BIJNCHES OF GOOD BEER

AND GOOD MUSIC.,.E"...O

FROM THE BIG COIJNTRY !!

BEEn,wNE, rooslA|J,& nmt.

* U* cntcltaiuncnt 7 nitcs a wech *

I

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lili

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-

I John@!!OriginalGosmicCowboy

Johnny Darrell maY have been theoriginal cosmic cowboy, He was one ofthe first Nashville singers to dabble inwhat is now called progressive country,or country rock, and wear his hairlonger than was the style at the time.Johnny may be remembered as the onewho made the first cou.ntry version of"Ruby, Don't Take Your Love ToTown." His other hits included "GreenGreen Grass of Home" and "Pen InHand."

Because he flaunted cbnvention be-

fore it was fashionable, Johnny's careercame up against some frustrating bar-riers some years ago, and he took a self-imposed leave of absence of more thantwo years. But recently, Johnny Darrellhas been making his comeback. He wasa hit at the Steed show in Arlington inJune. Now he is with CaPricornRecords. and those who know him arepredicting a great future for JohnnyDarrell again.

The Best Coverage of Texas Music

Is In ICOI|.OCLAST. Weekly.

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AUGTE-MEYERS (7th from left with beard) was well-known as the organist with the Sir Douglas Ouintet.Now, he's got his own band that's already attracted a large following with hard rocking. Tex-Mex, honky-tonk blues. Augie's band is shown here with some friends and family members. Left.to right they are: DavidZether, Vangie Newhouse, Jimmy Newhouse, Kathy Zettner, Kevin Zettner, Clay Meyers (Augie's son whoplays drums), Carol Meyers. Augie, Jack Barbar, Debbie, Kamila and Chris Holzhaus, Mike O'Dowd,Richard (a friend), Dale Jackson (a guest friend).

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sILVER clTY SADDLE TRAMPS- This young country band has been winning a growing' enthusiastic

following in recent to*f",.. urp"cially in tfte Olf l"at and Austin areas' Their performances are marked lly an

infectious energy, *hril;;ih;; are piaying-songswritten by:h:il own band members or countrv stanoaros

,made famou. oy "rtunii.r,ed

stars. From lelt tl"rigl''t in thaphoto,.they are: Grant Gerondale' Mike Crowe'

'Ed Lucas, Rob Moormari, nu"ttu"f,sundy Marchbanks and Rughead Laughlin'

Doug Kershaw Makes Records Good Enough To c

DOUGKENSHAYIffiswArtpGnAss

B*stu h1b@c@skf x Ld. *1 trn6 ! q snl

@ Hear Mama Kershaw's Boy onwarner Bros. Records and rhpes.

-JohnnyDuncon

. Johnny Duncan 13 I tall (6'4") Texan who'cort tho brlnk of slardom. And, llke most per-f0rmers who reach that stage In tholr careors.Johnny Duncan ls deflnltely no "ov€rnlghtsuccess."

He comos from a famlly that has always lov-ed nruslc. Hls mothor, Mlnnlo, played andtaught gultsr; so, by ihe tlm€ Johnny was 12,

h€ had d€cldod what he wanted to do wlth hlsllfo-he would mak€ muslc for pooplo. He'sbeen dolng Just that evor slnc6.

"l knew €xactly ... sbout that tlme a gultarbecame I maglc thlng to me. lt msant€vsrythlng. All of a suddon tho whole worldbecame 8 gultar. My mother, from the tlme I

was a llttl€ boy, encouraged me. There weretimes when l'd come home lrom school 8ndmy mother would be maklng blscults. She'dstop to show me a chord, 8nd thqre'd be flourall over the gultar n€ck "

At f lrst he lu st want€d to b€ a

gultarlst-("Chet Atklns, Los Paul and Morleiravls were my ldols tnen"). Brit In hls mld-te€ns, he declded to be I slngor' too.

Hls flrst blg break came when slnglng on Itel€vlslon show on Nashvllle's WSM. A Colum-bla representatlve saw hlm and slgn€d hlm lnlate 1966. A llttle lat€r, Johnny got a year-longslnglng job In Eowllng Green, Kentucky, at tho

Town Towers ("My flrst roal prot€sslonal elng-Ing lob.")

All along he wrote songs-and throw manyaway. One of hls blg thrllls came wh6n Atklngrecorded one of hls songs, "Summer Sun-day." Johnny's most commorclally successfulsong so far has been "Hard Luck Jo€," wrlttenwlth Bobby Goldsboro. Other successes In-clude "Baby Me, Baby," "When Sh6 Touch€oMe" and "Wlndow Number Flve."

"l really bollovo th€ good solld country songls wh€r€ the Industry ls golng-back to thegrass roots," he sald.

Duncan has made two albums released onColumbla RecordS: "Th€re's Som€thlngAbout a Lady" and "Swe€t Country Woman."

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. r, A Musical FamilYLarry Gatlin

Larry Gatlin's name comes up ofton thes€days when you're around Texas pickers' Moreand more of them ask if you've heard LarryGatlin sing yet and, if you haven't, th€y advlseyou to do so right away. lt's no small compll-ment, coming from other protessionals '.. whowon't hand out compliments about musicalability unless they mean lt.

Larry Gatlin sings in a clear, straightforwardvoice. He doesn't have to fake the hlgh andlow notes. (Someone compared him wlthMickey Newbury.) Background materlalprovided by Monument, th€ record companythat put out Gatlin's first album not long ago,reveals that Larry was born in Semlnole, Tex-as, 26 years ago. He comes trom a musicalfamily, a very talented muslcal famlly. He andhis younger broth€rs (Steve, 23, and Rudy'22,) started singing together when Larry wassix and thus Steve and Rudy were four andtwo and a half, respectively. Donna, the babysist€r, ioined the boys a f€w years lat€r.

The Gatlin klds sang gospel in those earlyyears. Their insplration came from the greatgospel groups-th€ Blackwoods, theStatesmen, the lmperlals, Jake Hess and theOak Ridg€ boys. Whenever a gospel showwas nearby, th€ Gatlln kids were there.

Daddy Gatlin was an olldrlller and th€ faml-ly moved a lot for a tlme. One year th€y llv€d Ineight diff€rent towns. About 18 years ago'however, the Gatllns settled In Odessa' In

West T€xas. Then, as the boys went off tocollege, the Gatllns appeared In publlc lessand less for a tlme.

At the Un lversity of Houston on ascholarship, Larry tried out for a lob as areplacement in the lmperials gospel group.He didn't get thatJob, but b€cause ofth€ audl-tion he got to do some of his songs tor Dottl€West, who introducsd hlm to Krls Krlstoffer-son. Kris al€rted Fred Foster, presldent ofMonument Records, who signed the Gatllns toa recording contract.

"This sounds like the old cliche," Larry saidnot long ago, "but w€ really want to reach outand help somebody else wlth our music.

"W€ feel there ar€ people who maybewouldn't go to church or have no rellglous af-filiations and we try to show them that there'sa good side to life, with all lts trials andtroubl€s. There's stlll an innat€ goodness inman, if we try to h€lp each other. ... lt's theleast we can do, consldering tho help w€'vereceived from people liko Dottie West, Krls,Fred Fost€r and Johnny Cash. They've allbeen good to us.

"l guess there's a r€ason for so manygroups to be so down," Larry continued' "butwe think there's hope and if somebody'slistening who can find somethlng to hang thelrhat on somoting we slng, then it's be€n worthour tlme and theirs."

Those pickers were right-lf you haven't

heard Larry Gatlln yet, it's high tim€ you did.And a great place to discover new talent (newto you, if not to others) ls the 2nd Annual WillleNelson 4th of July Picnlc. For Instanc€' BillyJoe Shaver was "discovered" at DrlppingSpr,ings. So was Lee Clayton. Monum€nt bestget ready for a run on Larry Gatlln albums'becuase a big bunch of fans are bound to"discovor" Larry Gatlin at Colloge Station thl,July 4th weekend and want to hear a lot morrfrom him.

GEORGE M. JONES

-AND THE CENSORS

George M. Jones of Dallas is shownhere in a more recent photograph thanthe one seen on another page in thisprogram. Jones, who'll be playing guitarbehind Billy Joe Shaver at this WillieNelson Picnic, has had two frustratingexperiences with gover:nment censors sofar in his career.

He got started as a professional song-writer "just mailing Jerry Reed somesongs." Reed liked the songs wellenough to record three of them - in-cluding one titled, "Aunt Maudie's FunGarden." Jimmv Dean also recorded theone about Maudie's Garden. lt wasReed's version, however, that was head-ing for the top of the charts whencensors struck George M. the f irst time.The FCC applied pressu(e to radio sta-tions not to play it. "Aunt Maudie'sFun Garden" was the first country songto openly sing about the marijuana"problem."

Despite the setback, George M. wasdoing all right in Nashville. He signedwith Gambit Records and his first al-bum there would have been rele'ased lastyear, but the censor suddenly struckagain. This time it was the U.S. Depart-ment of Agriculture's Forest Servicethat objected to a George M. Jonessong - a seemingly harmless song with

an ecology message titled, "SmokeyYou're a Hokey Kind of Bear."

"The chief of the Forest Service,sSpecial Programs Branch said the songhad no redeeming value at all," Georgesaid. "He said, in fact; that my song wasa mockery of an American institution.It was a real bummer, because weworked real hard on that album."

These days, George M. seems to havebecome philosophical about the twobiows to his career. He will make an-other album soon, for another recordcompany. Maybe country music fansaround the nation will get a chance tojudge George M. Jones for themselvesthis time around.

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Ray Wylie Hubbard

More and more people in and aroundDallas these days are saying that RayWylie Hubbard and his CowbovTwinkies are ready for stardom. Theypack 'em in at places like the Rubiate.Ritz Pub, Fanny Ann's, Mother Blue'sand other popular spots for Big D areanightcrawlers who love to boogie.

Ray Wylie's career was given a boostby Jerry Jeff Walker when the lattergave Hubbard credit verbally on his hitalbum, -'VIVA TERLtNGUA." : forwriting the song, "Red Neck Mother,"and when people turn out to hear himand his band they're usually hooked.

Ray Wylie attended Adamson Highin Dallas and was an English major atNorth Texas State in Denton. He is asongwriter with a flare for obliquehumor, as well as the heartwarmingballad.

InJanuary, he was named by a Dallascountry music writer as the winner ofthe First Annual Willie Award as thenewcomer most likely to become a starin 1974. Recehtly, several record com-panies have been on his trail, with an

34

...Gareer on the Rise

album in mind. He and his young band,The Cowboy Twinkies, work togetherwith a fine rapport audiences respond toand, technically, the Twinkies may bethe most improved band around.

Ray Wylie paid his dues touring witha singing group called, "Three FacesWest," and tle and the Twinkies haveplayed their share of roadhouses and skilodges. The word is going around thatthey are Ready. And this time, the wordis the gospel truth.

In putting this program together,Whippoorwill Associates had the extra-ordinary aid and assistance of a number:of good folks. We hate to risk leavingout someone who was important to oureffort, but feel the following did toomuch beyond the call of duty not to besingled out here-for reasons known toeach: Dick Adams, Walter La'cy, JeraldSmith, H.G. Wells, Billie Rasure, SandyJantzen, Jan Franklin, Tim O'Conner,Ron McKeown, Jay Jones, SteveBrooks, Max Drazen, Lou Staples, GinaMahar, R.W. Zabel, John Young, SusanStreit, Lana Nelson, Carter, Nina, andSue H.

II

Willie & Waylon GonvertN.Y. Times Gritic

(Note: The following review appear€d In theNew York Times, Sunday, May 19' 1974. A two-column plcture of Willie N€lson ran with lt.)

By Loralne AllermanN.Y. Tim6s Critic

Honesty in muslc ls hard to find these days.With so mu6h srnphasis on etfect, albums thattruly reflect the h€art of thelr makors often get

shunted ofl Into speclal categorles whichnever reach the large audlences they deserve.Classifled as contemporary countrymuslcians, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jen-nings both Texans and veterans of the coun-try music scene have only recently begun tocross over th€ country line to attractfollowings at urban rock-folk showcases llkeMax's Kansas Clty hero in New York or LosAng€les' Troubador. Yet Nelson's "Phasesand Stages" (Atlantic SD 7291) arid Jen-nings's "This Time" (RCA APL 1-0539)demonstrato that th€y are mon who know thevalue of simple truths simply statecl.

Neither Nelson nor Jennlngs have anythlngto do with the stereotype image of countrygerformers as fancy drogsed dudes holleringin a nasal twang above cornball flddle andsteel guitar riffs. My own preludlces agalnstwhat I consldered a kind of "y'll come an' getit" music have been overcome by the tasteand slncerity of these two men' In brlef' bothNelson and Jennings are maklng countrymusic that can even move those of ug whothlnk we despise lt.

Nelson, a prolific songwrit€r inducted lastfall into the Nashville Songwrlters' AssoclatlonHall of Fame, has carefully constructed"Phases And Stages" as a concept albumtracing both sides in a broken marriage.Unliko most other concept albums' thls onenever lorces th€ idea nor relies on glmmicks.Both th€ music and lyrics Nelson has wrlttentouch us directly because of their genulneGoncern for the situation that in one form oranother strikes many PeoPle.

On side A, he explbres th€ woman's polnt-of-view. His senslltivity ls made more extraor-dlnary for m€ because I've always conslderedlhat country singers are by nature machocharacters. Just the fact that in this story th€woman is the one leaving home should ln-dicate how c€arly N€lson percelves women'sneeds.

Hls heroing cannot survive as a human be-Ing "caring for someone who don't care anymore" ("Washing The Dishes"). She deter-mlnes to walk away because she se€s that"l've be6n lying to me all along" ("Walkln"').Even though she wlnds up back home wlthmamma, the past can't be erased as Nelsonhits us wlth images like "jeans flt a llttl€ bittlghter than they dld before" ("Down At TheGorner B€er Joint"). Finally, In what ls themost hauntlng ballad on the album, "(How WlllI Know) l'm falling In Love 'Agaln," pastemotional scars make her wonder about anewJound love.

The man's side unfolds wlth "Bloody MaryMornlng" and carries hlm through hls ownsufferlng. Although he's trying to pull tog€therhis llfe and understand what hlt hlm, h€ wlnds

up dousing his gri6f with alcohol in hls finalsong, "Pick Up The Tempo." The albumbegins and ends with "Phas€s And Stages,"the theme that everything goes ground In

"circles and cycles, scenes that we've all se€nbefore." Each song stands up as an indivldual€ntity, but tied together by a concept, thesongs have extra impact.

Throughout the album Nelson's slnglng lsso sincere that he really takes us inside thehearts of these two people. Jerry Wexler'stasteful production reinforces the poignancyof the lyrlcs, and the restraint exerclsed In allthe arrangements makes the whole perfor-mance allthe more powerful. The wailof JohnHugh€y's pedal steel guitar perfectly capturosthe pain expressed ln the ballads' On thedeeply movlng "ll's Not Supposed To B€ Thatway," the pedal steel llnes are llke tears'

Another traditional country Instrum€nt, thef iddle, played by Johnny Glmble, adds a warmand Jazry spark to the upbeat "Sigt€r's Com-ing Home." Nelson's own acou6tlc gultar play-Ing, tinted with the blues, underlles the theillesong, and in "Pretend I Never Happened"Barry Beckett on plano provides a goodstrong rhythmlc pattern wlthin a dynamlcarrangemonl.

Although he does wrlto some songs,Waylon Jennlngs ls prlmarily an Interpretershaping lyrlcs wllh hls own emotlonal €x-perience. He has co-produced "This Tlme"with Willie Nelson and In fact slngs three ofN€lson's "Phases and Stages" songs.

It's interesting to compare their separate In-terpr€tations. Jennings possesses the bettervoice, richer and more vlbrant, while Nelsoncompensat€s for hls less supple vocals wlthemotional intensity. By dolng "Walkln"'whlchNelson olaced on his "woman's" sid€, Jen-nlngs shows that it's Just as expressive of aman's viewooint. Where Nelson compels us tocome to him through hls more subtlereadlngs, Jennings reaches out to touch uswith a stronger attack.

Throughout hls album Jennlngs conv€ys astrong sense of realty with hls forceful phras-Ing. D€e Moeller's "Slow Movln' Outlaw," aPeckinpah verslon of the fading west, ls tlng-ed with regret. Lee Clayton's "lf You CouldTouch Her At All," which shows a man'9 com-prehenslon of a woman's power In bed, issung wlthout a trace of bltterness.

Th€ same solid realism is true of Jennlngs'sown "This Time" where a straylng lov€r i8

warned "each tomorrow will dep€nd on thelove you glve today." Always Jennhgs comesacrois as a man wlth a strong sense ol hlmselfand therofore able to accopt life as lt com€8'whon contemporary music ls so fllled wllhtortured, neurotlc characters' lt's reasourlngto hear a r€al man'

Llke Nelson's album, Jennings's 18 markedby good musical tast€ and foatures some 8en-sitlve harmonica play€d by Don Brooks' Bothalbums shine wlth such soul that only the most€xtr€me hard-rock fanatics could fall to b€hooked.

35

Willis AlonRomsey

Kenneth ThreadgillKdnneth Threadgill is a living legend

whose natural singing voice is clear as a

bell. His fans include hard core countrymusic lovers as well as fans of rock andthey ipan all age groups. Janis Joplinalways gave Mr. Threadgill credit forgetting her started in her career. Manymagazine and newspaper features havebeen written about him.

Kenneth Threadgill does not chooseto refer to himself as a folk singer, he isjust a singer. He was discovered bY

country and fqlk fans when he ownedand operated a beer and sandwich jointon the outskirts of Austin in the early1960's. He had an old nickelodeon therefilled with Jimmy Rogers records. . . itcost 5d to play it and sometimes Youcould persuade Mr. Threadgill to singalong with Jimmy.

Later, Threadgill and one of hisbands picked and sang the old songs atThe Split- Raill in Austin and graduallyhis fame saiead until he was in demandfor concerts and nightclubs all over theSouthwest.

Mr. Threadgill is a deeply religiousman. He believes that many of thechurch hymns and countrY songs he

'sings are "talking about the same thing,and in lot's of cases using the sametune." Not long ago a feature story onKenneth Threadgill ran in THE TEXASOBSERVER. Wayne Oakes wrote, "Onefinds every type of person at Thread-gills, all enjoying the music and eachother. Such an improbable mixture ofpeople never gather at the tavern nextdoor."

Threadgill's tavern is closed now. butthe quote is typical of lhe man's uniquetolerance. He has said, "Well l've alwaysadvocated (now I don't saY l'm toblame for all of it), but I've alwaYsadvocated giving everyone his right.Like I told someone the other day whenthey were talking about some of those,they called them 'hippies.' They werecriticizing their appearance. And youshould have seen some the people doingthe criticizing - they were as big as

barrels. And I said, 'You don't see anyof those hippies criticizing you.' See

what I mean. They were huge, huge. . .

just ridiculous looking. but nobody eversaid anything to them about it. To me itdoesn't make anv difference how theydress, I like to see them look clean. I

appreciate cleanness. but as far as a manwearing his hair or beard, it's his. I don'tcare what he does as long as he treatsme all right. My attitude is this, live andlet live, and I guess people know that."

We need more Kenneth Threadgills inthis world.

These Texas Musicians and Bands congratulate Willie Nelsonfor His Second Annual 4th of July'Picnic:

I

AUSTIN

JIMMY JOHNSONAcoustic guitar with

D. SEDERHOME-Elec. bass

(214) 348-5662

GREEZY WHEELS(GarY)

1512], 453'7511

DALLAS

(For bookings in the Dallas area

call the numbers listed here,)

RUSS ALVEYAcoustic Single

12141691-8927

TEXAS WEATHERAcoustic- E lectric

Country/Rock12141348-5662

RUSTY WEIRDallas bookings onlycall (214) 348-5662

THE BACON BLITZ BANDAcoustic-electric-5 piece

Country/rock(2141348-5662

DOG TOOTH VIOLETAcoustic-electric-6 oiece

CountrV/rock(2141348-5662

BROKEN SPOKE"Country rock at its finest"

(214)348-5662

ERNIE HAWKINSA Picker's Picker(2141348-5662

EAST TEXAS STRINGENSEMBLE

(2141348-5662

STEVE FROMHOLZDallas bookings only,call {214) 348-5662

THE DEADMAN BAND(R.D. Lawrence & Wes Schaefer)

(2141348-5662

PORE, COOKE & NEAL"A unique experience."

(2141348-5662

LAST MILE RAMBLERS(from New Mexico)

(214) 348-5662

sTEVE BROOKS, the Dallas artist who drew the caricatures on page six, says if you

identified them as follows, you score 100 percent:(1) Jay Milner (2) Willie Nelson (3) Hank Wilson (4) Billy Joe Shaver (5) & (tj) Ray &Chris of Asleep at the Wheel (7) & (8) Kris & Rita (9) Michael Murphey (10) B.W'Stevenson (11) Dougsahm (12) Hondo Crouch (13) Jerry Jeff Walker (i4) WillisAlanRamsey (15) Ray Wylie Hubbbard (16) Steve Fromholz (17l' Rusty Wier (18) RickNelson (19) Paul English (20) Samini Smith (21)Waylon Jennings. George M. Jones

37