22 April, 1963 Famous Jimmy Driftwood Bitten By Walking Horse Fever ' Bug
22 April, 1963 Famous Jimmy Driftwood Bitten By Walking Horse Fever ' Bug
Jimmy Driftwood— who would rather serve Arkansas as the world’ s greatest Folk Singer than be Governor— has caught " Tennessee Walking Horse Fever."
When last seen by the Voice Editor he was staging a 110-degree spasm with his hands on a guitar— hewed from an Arkansas fence rail— and a song in his heart.
“ 1 have a thousand ideas for songs— and sometimes pick just one of them and do something about it," said the amiable ex-school teacher who made a bale of greenback hay out of his " Tennessee Stud” and " Battle of New Orleans.”
Voice Editor‘ MUM’
The Voice Editor hardly got in a fast word during an hour-long visit with Jimmy in his Charlton Hotel room at Nashville. Later that day the Greatest Man in American Folk Music of this day wowed the Grand Ole Opry crowd. He also told Anita Carter( daughter of the wondrous Mother Maybelle Carter), America ' s No. 1 Country Music Disc Jockey Grant Turner of Station WSM and President Don Worden of Worden Music Co. all about his“ buzzing bee” set off by a glance at the Voice of the Tennessee Walk Horse.
Green explained to Turner— a friend of 10 years— that“ J just nicked Jimmy with the Walking Horse Bug and lie’ s been going nuts ever since... f think he will have that song written within a week. He’ ll probably sing it at the Arkansas Folk Festival at Mountain View, Ark., April 18-19- 20. All the world is invited there for a tremendous event.”
Driftwood’ s“ big notion " when the Voice Editor left him with a“ Biography of the Tennessee Walking Horse” and a file of Voice copies— was this idea.
Write a song with some history in it( like the Battle of New Orleans reveals hidden history)— have it sung by the Willis Brothers( as announced in the last Voice)— and after this record becomes a big hit( as it will all over this land)— use the“ Walking Horse Fever” song to lead off an album of some 16 horse songs— and have a picture of Jimmy Driftwood aboard Ebony Masterpiece( 1962 World’ s Champion) on the cover.
When last heard from Jimmy had fled to the Ozark Hills of Arkansas to get all his wits together and knock out that song.
After his hour-long visit with Jimmy
Jimmy Driftwood tells Anita Carter, Announcer Grant Turner and Don Worden at Grand Ole Opry about " getting bit " by the Tennessee Walking Horse Fever bug. He plans to write a song about it.
Driftwood the Voice Editor made this remark to his nephew— Brian Neville of Hattiesburg, Miss.: One Of America’ s‘ Greatest’“ Brian, we have just been with one of America’ s greatest men— certainly one of the mose genuine Americans in all history. Notice how he said he did not want to write any song that did not have some history in it— that did not serve to enlighten the people in some manner.
" He ' s still leaching school— although he has been off the payroll for some time. Would you guess that fellow was rich? He is rich in things that count more than money counts in the pocketbook. And he’ s plenty rich there too. A group of 8T wealthy Arkansas men asked him to run for Governor— but after a weekend of thought he set out a couple of nonpolitical specifications that were essential to him. The 8J forgot about this man who could win, pinned their tag on one who could not— and lost a bet with a lot of money at stake.
" The Saga of Jimmy Driftwood will be remembered for all time by the Country Music People of America. His’ Walking Horse Fever’ song will be just a small segment of the whole. But it will give the first real lift to my dream for promotion of the Tennessee Walking Horse through the public welfare, non-profit corporation called the Tennessee Walking Horse Lovers League of America, Inc. It currently has only S509 in the bank. Watch that grow soon.”
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