- This song collection comes with a WARNING:
Here is the lineup:
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Willie Nelson Day 8:41
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We Still Long to Be Free 8:11
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The River Jordan 6:40
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Tin Cup Willie 8:53
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Since You’ve Been Gone 6:11
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No Ordinary Man 9:51
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Bring My Flowers Now 4:20
Before I share some thoughts on the individual songs I wanted to shout out to the group of experienced musicians who helped frame these stories in and helped them come alive.
Doyle Grisham
My first mention is dedicated to Doyle Grisham whose friendship and steady hand created the environment of creativity for all of us to do our work in. Doyle, being a music row experienced sound engineer, gave me constant good advice on the treatment and production of each song from beginning to end. He also contributed, as Nashville “A-team pickers” do, the perfect musical phrasing on his steel guitar, dobro, bass and percussion tracks. He has been for the last several years my safe place to be the artist “Papa Jack.” Doyle’s home studio is the recent “birthing room” for all current, and I hope for many more years, Papa Jack songs.
Note to reader:
Doyle’s resume includes being engineer for multiple Nashville hits, the steel and dobro player for Jimmy Buffet’s Coral reefer band for over thirty years and the steel player for every Randy Travis hit and song to ever chart.
Charlie McCoy
In no particular order I mention the other contributors so I’ll next mention the one I’ve known the longest, Country Music Hall of Fame harmonica player and Nashville musical icon Charlie McCoy. I was fortunate to have met Charlie when I was still a road troubadour in the eighties. He had an office in the same building as my booking agent Ted Fuller and though he was in the heyday of being the band director for Hee Haw and slammed with booking top musicians for one record label recording session after another, he befriended a roaming storyteller and gave me the old proverbial “time of day” many music row higher ups would not. He has been a willing fixture and musical contributor for all my recent projects providing that signature, always enough but not too much mouth harp touch, the unique and powerful bass harp, as introduced to the world on Simon and Garfunkle’s “The Boxer”, and some tasty vibes as well. A jewel of a musical person who knows exactly what a story song needs.
Kenny Sears
I met Kenny through father-in-law Hal when I was in an independant studio owned and operated by Sam Weedman. If Hal recommended a musician it was the safest bet in the world that you were in for a dependable musical treat. His introduction turned into dependency for me as a recording artist. Kenny plays the fiddle with such a deep understanding of compositions. It is a gift I have taken advantage of time and again. I call him the “glue” for many of my compositions. He created from scratch the most appropriate and memorable intros, turnarounds and outros I have ever heard. If you aren’t familiar with this Nashville fixture check out the “Time Jumpers”, Nashville’s band of A-team pickers who get together and do a nationally acclaimed “live” show every week. I think he is the “glue” that holds that act together. A remarkable ‘in the pocket’ talent.
Scott Goudeau
Scott is one of the greatest guitarists I’ve ever been around. He simply has no genre boundaries. An ex-New Orleans swamp rocker with jazz experience on Bourbon street who is an excellent sound engineer with a Dolly Parton Emmy. Scott can seriously do and has done anything I’ve needed. Electric, acoustic or gut string he shows up with his army of guitars and always grabs the right one for the song. I am compelled to mention that he is my sounding board for every song before it is completed amd although we don’t “technically” write together his mentoring is part of the fabric of each song and nothing gets recorded unless this secular music specialist turned alt Christian artist gives it his stamp of approval. I feel like my tunes need his endorsement before I invest further creative energy and resources in them.
Tammy Rugg Klinefelter
Tammy grew up in the studio as her father’s shadow. She contributes to my musical well-being in so many ways I can’t list them all. Being married to the daughter of a musical icon was not something I thought about a lot when we were first married and her mother and father were still alive and we were busy raising our children. The past ten years after co-founding the Hal Rugg foundation “Matty’s Vision” I have been more aware of it. Her soft and smoky story telling
vocals are on “Since You’ve Been Gone” a song wrote for her about her relationship with her father. The song, written in a graveside setting, explains what he meant to her and alludes to his legacy as one of the best to ever sit behind a pedal steel guitar. Although she never pursued a musical career, following in her father’s footsteps, her authentic southern delivery makes us wish she would have. She also is the main background vocalist on the project because of the texture and tone quality her voice provided.
Honorable Mention
Honorable mention on this project goes to Paul Marriner who also contributed to the background vocals and spirit of the project. In recent years Paul has been my constant musical companion and become a dear musical friend. Also Debbie Grisham, Doyle’s wife, who lent her educated musical ear to these songs before being mixed or mastered. Having a person involved in music her entire life with a fresh, educated ear and opinion I can trust was invaluable.
About the story songs:
Willie Nelson Day
I printed out the titles and researched the most memorable lines from over 200 Willie Nelson songs. This collaborative tune of titles amd lines is a tribute to his contribution as an artist and writer. I want to posthumously thank my old high school musical buddy Chicago Jimmy (Jim Archer) for introducing me to the album “Red Headed Stranger” so many years ago in his bedroom on an actual turntable. It forever changed my attitude about being authentic… money be damned.
We Still Long to be Free
I wanted to write and record a patriotic song for years but it never came together anytime I tried. Often in the road viewing this great country I was inspired but the words and melody never came. The more freedom we lose the more a theme came together. Finally a song about our nation spiced with some frustration was born.
The River Jordan
Elvis Presley was intensely influenced by black gospel quartets from his neck of the woods in the south. I was influenced by him. I think it is amazing that, in spite of his world altering popularity for rock and pop music, that his only grammys came from his gospel recordings. Knowing what I can and cannot do I stayed within myself vocally but did apply some Memphis feel in the writing and production of it. I think it ended up feeling authentic, and as always when you have the supporting musical cast I am blessed with, well worth listening to.
Tin Cup Willie
I met a man at Logan’s Roadhouse in Mt. Juliet, a bedroom community of Nashville, who sat down next to me at the bar and struck up a memorable conversation with me. His name was Ronnie Gray. He had upgraded his lifestyle by moving from Atlanta where he was homeless to living in the woods in a tent with his dog and his bible and a guitar not far from a warehouse where he worked part-time. He paid $75 rent to the farmer who owned the land and had a bicycle for transportation. Ronnie shared some stories with me and mentioned an old homeless friend named Tin Cup… I added “Willie.” The character in this story song is a hybrid of Ronnie, who loved to play John Prine songs (belted out a couple choruses at the bar), and his friend Tin Cup therefore this is a saga based upon a conglomeration of facts shared with me by middle-aged vet who took a step up from being totally homeless and was proud of his self-sufficiency.
Since You’ve Been Gone
When you lose a father it is one of the most difficult life chapters to close and move on from. Tammy was her father’s shadow in regards to many things growing up including horses and music. The degree of grief she felt towards Hal meant that after I wrote this song for her it took many years before she could get through it to even consider recording it. Finally, realizing it was a tribute he deserved, she tackled it and I am thrilled to have this on this record. Her naturally southern delivery makes the references to country music and the Opry feel and sound so valid. I can’t thank her enough for this contribution to “For God, Country, Hal and Willie.”
Without it the title wouldn’t have made much sense and this is a fantastic tie into the history and tradition intended from this collection of songs.
No Ordinary Man
This is a song I was reluctant to tackle for obvious reasons. My dear friend Scott Goudeau challenged me after years of hearing my story songs to write THE story song. I knew I wasn’t worthy but then he reminded me that none of us are and that my style and approach would make it a different type of musical spiritual offering then normal. I prayed for at least a portion of the quality and spirit it deserved. I felt led and inspired and wanted to leave the listeners with my sincere rendition of the greatest story ever told. I hope I approached respectability regarding this most precious of all subjects to write and sing about.
Bring My Flowers Now
I was thrilled that Tammy wanted this song included on this CD. *Tanya Tucker wrote it with Brandi Carlile, Tim and Phil Hanseroth and it landed her her first Grammy after 14 nominations. After Tammy’s battle, which she thankfully won, with cancer and some other health issues this song touched her and she makes it her own with this simple, heartfelt vocal delivery. Everytime she has performed it “live” it has brought people to tears. I believe it is the perfect last message and song on this recording project and thank her for allowing it to have a place here.
Summary – I am thankful for everyone who helped bring this project of epic songs to life.
I hope the subject matter is inspirational and enjoyable to the listener. Even if story songs are not your “cup of tea” I hope you appreciate the genre and support the foundation. I offer up 100% of what I create to support my heroes at the schools for the blind; the students who navigate life with a disability to become the best they can be, and the dedicated teachers who help them prepare for their walk through life.