Wow, what an opportunity I was given to record the songs I had written and to meet the Stars of Country Music who I admired so much, many of whom I had previously sang their songs.
Anyway, here are my copyrighted recordings, now appearing on the internet for the first time.
I'll ask you to listen to the words I wrote at a very unique time in my life.
Each of these songs took about 3 minutes to write and I cannot even begin to understand where the words came from.
Somehow, they were inside me, just waiting to be set “Free”.
Here are the songs I wrote and recorded at Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner’s Fireside Studio in Nashville.
The session was mixed and directed by Little David Wilkins.
The musicians backing me up, were Little David's Band, Elvis's Piano Player (before Elvis’s death), Charley Pride's Steel Player.
My only audience in the closed session, was one lovely lady who just happened to be married to the great singer/song writer Townes Van Zandt, who was loved during his life and after his death, is now a cult figure throughout the world.
Song # 1 - Ain't No Hunger - I wrote this from observations I had made at the time of the writing. The 70's were a times of not only "free" love, but also "lots of love". Relationships seemed to ignite, burst into flame, and the sizzle as the fire burned out. I suppose, it might have been confusing to many. And that's what I evidently tried to say in this song.
Song # 2 - Honk Tonk Heroes (The Best Two Damn Honky Tonk Heroes) - I wrote for Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson to sing. At that time I sounded a great deal like Waylon Jennings and I did all his songs when I played in front of an audience. Waylon & Willie turned the traditional Country and Western Music Industry upside down, as they played their Outlaw Country Music. I had started to sing Waylon Jennings songs 10 years earlier, in PhuBai, Vietnam, after watching a movie called Nashville Rebel starring him.
Copyright 1984
Song # 3 - Old Cowboys (He Ain't Going No Where - I wrote this for the father of my friend A. K. Morgan's Father, who ran the Phelp's Ranch (now known as the city of Highlands Ranch) in the Denver, Metroplex, which in the 70's covered an exceptional mass of property from Sante Fe to I-25, South of County Line Blvd., which is now known as Highlands Ranch and Lone Tree. Every Sunday afternoon, with the permission of Mr. Morgan, I was allowed to attend Polo matches on the Ranch. A.K. and other exceptional horsemen were the performers in a spectacular sport performance. A.K. and Ray Rose were both professional cowboys and horse shoers, and A.K.'s father was one of a dying breed of Gentlemen Rancher/Cowboys. When I wrote the words "Old Cowboys Never Win, But They Ride Anyway", it was about men, A.K., Ray, and Mr. Morgan, who took pride in and Simply Lived Their Lives the right way, with pride and conviction.
Copyright 1979
Song # 4 - Moonlight and Roses - It would be impossible to describe the "electricity" of the un-harnessed emotions, expectations, and eventual total fulfillment of the audience attending the next to the last Elvis concert I attended at the Elvis Concert in Dallas just prior to his death. It was the most exciting event of my life. I wrote Moonlight and Roses for Elvis to Sing to Pricilla and when you listen to the words, you'll hear the story of a man seeking a "real and unconditional relationship" and he eventually finds someone who brings that foundation into his life.
Copyright 1984
Song # 5 - Breaking My Mind (You Been Breaking My Mind) - "You been breaking my mind, tearing me to pieces, throwing it all away". Once again, the turbulance of the 70's comes to play. We had it all, but would walk away from the good and the bad, without hesitation. Interesting.
Copyright 1984
The Denver Session 1983
It was one of those spur of the moment times, when you set procrastination behind and decide to "Just Do It".
I had completed writing a number of songs and had wanted to get them recorded in studio.
Fortunately I had several friends who had never been in a recording studio before, and they were willing to give up their time and music talent, in exchange for the opportunity to create a product.
So off we went to American Recording Studio in Denver and in just a few hours had laid down some very good tracks.
And two of the performers were still in their mid-teens, both had just started becoming experts in the instruments they had chosen.
Song # 6 - My Low Down Ways - This doesn't require a lot of ananlysis. It's as old as men and women. In this story, the woman simply doesn't understand the ways of the "Wild One" she was seeing. "That woman, she don't understand my low down ways". You sort of get the impression, the man is sort of proud of not giving into the situation, but he's not really sure it's the right way to be.
Copyright 1984
Song # 7 - I Could Fly(Every Now And Then) - I wrote this for Dolly Pardon to sing. The chorus, "Every now and then, I get a feeling I can fly", bring visions of people overcoming, at least temporily, overcoming all obstacles in their way. I like the song.
Copyright 1984
Song # 8 - In Retrospect(That Long Hard Travelings Gonna Get To You) - I wrote this about my life until that point in time. I had grown up, graduated from High School and College with a learning disability that prohibited me from reading and recalling what I had just read, become a Marine Officer, become a Combat Veteran in Vietnam, had achieved a reasonable amount of financial success in Corporate America, had hung out and played with movie stars and leading music entertainers, and was at that time in my life, had to ask, "How can I achieve more than I've already achieved?".
And so I sat down and wrote this song.
Copyright 1984
Song # 9 - Sometimes They Last (Sometimes The Feeling Last And Sometimes They Don't) - One of my favorite songs. "Sometimes the feeling last and sometimes they don't". Wow. I'm not sure where it could have come from, other than observation of other's lives. I was single, never married, and these words flowed out, evidently based upon observations of others I had known in life, some making their relationships or marriages work, and some not. To me, it is a metamorphosis in the relationships we have in our lives. Sometimes relationships work, and sometimes they simply don't.
Copyright 1984
Song # 10 - Woman You Got Me Drinking - I can't remember exactly why I wrote this or when, but it appears that it was at a time when I was looking for an excuse to drink. Whatever prompted the song, I got over it and I'm proud to say, I no longer need an excuse to drink. Anyway, not a bad song. Copyright 1984
Song # 11 - The Feelings Grow(Like a flame that never dies) - This is one of my favorite songs. How words like that could come of my mind when I was writing a song, I have no idea, and I would never be able to emulate the gentleness of them with using music as my medium. It really fascinates me.
Copyright 1984
Song # 12 - Hold Me Tight - This song is about two people who just happen to meet, the time is right, and they decide to enjoy the moment. "When two lonely people chance to meet", is sometimes justification to live in the moment. I like this song.
Copyright 1984
Song # 13 - I'll Never Know What Makes A Man - Time and time again, I've seen people make decisions that are not, at least in my opinion at the the time, good for them. This song is about the nomadic philosophy and need to remain free from ties and relationships with others. It's simply life, but as I listen to to the words, once again, I surprised at the thoughts that rolled so freely as I wrote some 300 songs, most of them still incomplete, but it has arrosed my curiosity to once again look at the partials and complete them.
Copyright 1984
Gartsel with my boys Max & Baron
Gartsel & Me 1990
One of the highlights of my life was going to a recording studio for a session with my Father-In-Law, Gartsel Hamrick, a coal minor turned mine inspector (and my wife Sheila is truly a coal miner's daughter), originally from the mountains of W. Virginia.
I was raised on music by Mama Maybelle Carter & Family and Hank Williams and the raw mountain and country music of the 40's and 50's.
It seems that everyone in the mountains of W. Virginia, could sing, and when they sang, their voices brought the true grit and soul of America into play. The small churches still echo with religious songs that will convince anyone who hear the music, that the singers have just had a close and personal talk with God.
Gartsel had that unique voice that is so natural, it can't be duplicated. You either have it or you don't have it.
But when the two of us would break out our guitars and start singing together, a fascinating mix of uniqueness came out.
I'm very proud of this session, recorded just days before Gartsel passed from this earth in 1990.
This is the only time I ever sang with onyone else in studio, and I'm so happy to have made these recordings, which I called Gartsel and Me!
Song # 14 - Loving Her Was Easier
Song # 15 - Good HeartedWoman
Song # 16 - Amanda
Song # 17 - Today I Started Loving You Again
Song # 18 - Bobby McGee
Song # 19 - Mama Tried
Song # 20 - Sing Me Back Home
Song # 21 - Precious Memories When I listen to this after so many years, I vividly remember the gentle flow of Gartsel's singing and story. It drew me in to visual images each time he began another sentence. It was and continues to be, a tribute to the sensitivity that so many of us, move away from as we experience life and become cynical. It's one of my WOW's of life. Gartsel made Calm.
Song # 22 -This is more than a song, it's a lesson about the American Flag and what it means to me and to many others who truly care about our America. I've heard politician's rhetorical abundance when they say, "I love America and I love our flag", but they are just moving their lips. This wonderful presentation by Gartsel, is more than rhetoric, it is the soul of the Founding Father's being expressed by a man, who knew exactly what America stands for. Gartsel's words - is America! '
My Alabama Song Session
When I first heard these songs by the group Alabama the first time, I felt compelled to record them myself, which I did finally, as a present to my wife on her birthday. It was a very brief session, only 3 songs, in a "Un-Plugged" session, just my guitar and me.
When I listened to the playback, I thought they were terrible and put a label on the cassette that said, "S_ _t Session", tossed the cassette in a box, and found them almost 15 years later. I had forgotten that I had even recorded them, but after listening to them, I thought they sounded pretty good, so here they are for you to judge.
