it was a big, powerful country station around know what for. But I remember distinctively [WM] Tell us about your musical influences?
there, and they played all the current stuff. I saying I wanted to move to Nashville to make As a player, you’ve recorded in most popular
remember sitting and listening to WIRE and music. All my friends were like, “Yeah whatever, musical genres, from Bluegrass to Heavy Metal,
around that time it clicked, and I said, “You let’s go ride bikes”. from Jazz to Country, and from Pop to Western
know what? This is what I want to do with my
Swing. Who were your earliest influences, both
life”. A little bit after that the Glen Campbell But at that time, I dedicated myself to playing as guitarists and/or artists, no matter what
Good Time Hour came on television. And and paying attention to my Dad. He was writing musical styling?
I would see him play with all kinds of bands, songs-original stuff. I’d try to write poetry, not just country. I’d see him play with Buffalo anything creative. We didn’t have a piano, [Steve] There is not much music that I
Springfield, he played with Ray Charles, and and I wanted one so bad. The only one was don’t like. I don’t understand Opera. It’s not
he’d play with Seals and Croft. I was looking at church, but it was so out of tune I wouldn’t that I don’t like it. It’s not my thing. You can
at Glen and saying this guy can do everything, go near that thing. They never did bring anyone look at my CD’s right there. I got Bluegrass,
he sings, he can play with everyone on his in to tune it. Anything creative I wanted to do. I Classical, everything. People laugh when they
show, Stevie Wonder, whoever it is. He’d play didn’t even get out of high school. I was living see my music collection. Right now I’m doing
bluegrass with John Harper. I want to do this. At here in Nashville. When I first started my senior a record with Robert Gordon. He’s huge. A
that point in my life I said, that’s it. I’m doing it. I year, I met Dottie West, and they hired me. I did huge Rockabilly, star. I just played on it the day
told all my friends that I played football with and exactly what I said to my friends. As soon as I before yesterday. Put five tracks down. Pete
rode bikes with that when I got old enough, I’d could I got out of there and I went to Nashville. Townsend is going to play on it, and so is Albert
be moving to Nashville to make records. I said, It was a different Nashville in 1973. The Opry Lee. I’m probably getting ahead of myself, but
“I’m going to record”. I never once said, “I’m was still at The Ryman, and it was awesome. all that stuff is connected though. If you go
going to be a star”. You hear young people now Ok, lower Broadway wasn’t so awesome. back, Gospel music melts into Country, and
saying, “I want to be famous”, but they don’t
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into the Rockabilly. You watch Chet Atkins or
December 2019
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