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Our daughter
Stacia's
birthday was
Feb. 3rd. Our
granddaughter
Nicole's
birthday was
Feb. 6th. As I
didn't play a
show this month,
I'll take you
back in time 50
Years Ago.
Back in
Time -
1960
Though I spent most
of 1959 playing the
Canadian show club
circuit, I would end the
year and see the new
decade in at Pop Werners
in Malden, MO. At the
end of '59 my band "The
Rockets" went their
separate ways. Bass
player, J. W. Grubbs,
stayed with me. Matt
Lucas joined us on the
drums.
1960 started
with my record,
"Honey Love", on
Pink Records
getting national
radio play
across the USA
and Canada. It
would go on to
make the
"Billboard Pop
Chart". MGM
started calling
from New York
saying, "Look
what you're
doing on that
little label,
think what you
could do on
MGM!." I made
the mistake of
going to New
York and signing
with them. They
would keep me
under contract
for two years
and never
release a
record.
I
also signed with a top
New York manager, Don
Seat. He put me on his
system with all my
earnings being deposited
in a New York bank with
my name on it. Two of
three signatures were
required to write a
check, with mine being
one of them. The others
were Don and his
accountant. This was
where they could pay my
bills while I was on the
road. I was given $100
per week allowance plus
a credit card to pay my
road bills. Don felt he
could break me through
as an actor easier than
he could as a singer so
he sent me to Betty
Cashman Drama Studio for
two months.
We'd played two
months in Canada
prior to this.
After four
months on the
road, we were
really looking
forward to
getting back
home to
Missouri. Don
told me to stop
by his office on
our way out of
town and be sure
to wear a tie.
He wanted to
take me to lunch
with the head of
Desilu. When I
showed up
without a tie
(which was
required to get
in the
restaurant) it
made Don mad. He
said, "Forget
it!"
We
made the 27 hour drive
back home in my red '60
Buick convertible. For a
couple of months we
played dates in
Arkansas, Missouri and
Illinois. My daddy made
the drive to Nashville
with me to record a
session for MGM. He
really enjoyed that
session. Don Seat flew
down to be there. We
were then back on the
road for two or three
months to Canada and New
Jersey. Mama let me know
that my car payment and
credit card bills were
not being made as she
was getting notices on
them. At the end of the
tour I went back to New
York, went in Don's
office and told him it
was over. He said, "You
can't leave. You owe a
lot of money to the
IRS." I paid him enough
to settle that. He said,
"If you'll stay I
promise you a part in a
movie. They're casting
for it now!" I said no
and headed back to
Missouri broke. Uncle
Sam would soon beckon.
Back to 2010:
Final Farewell
to Dale Hawkins,
Rockabilly
Legend, "Suzy
Q".
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Legends and Memories
Leon Everette, Narvel Felts,
Ronnie McDowell, Ronnie Dove,
Billy Joe Royal
Memorial Auditorium,
Spartanburg, SC
Feb, 22, 2009 |
January
Happy New
Year! Hope this year and this
decade will be kind to you and
yours. As I review this month,
all the months of 2009 are being
moved to the archives on this
web site. Each month of
2009
can still be found there. It is
the best month by month review
since my newsletter ended in
2005. I even take you back in
time to 1959 and 1979 plus
there's a rare 1957 photo.
Now to
January 2010: On the 16th I did
my 10th annual concert at the
Florida Sunshine Opry in Eustis,
FL. With Ray Price performing 30
miles away I was afraid I
wouldn't have a crowd but I did!
People came through my autograph
line from Canada, Delaware,
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Missouri,
Minnesota and Florida. When one
couple came through, she told
me, "I was one of the Teenie
Boppers that mobbed you in
Flint, Michigan in 1957!" The
Sunshine Opry Band did their
usual great job backing me. The
crowd gave me standing ovations
after my 1970's hits,
"Reconsider Me", "My Prayer",
and "Funny How Time Slips Away".
I'd gone through the hassle of
of flying from Memphis to Tampa
and back on this trip so I could
be home two extra nights.
Driving to the Memphis Airport
Friday I heard Terry Wood on
95.9 "The Wolf" radio play my
record, "My Prayer" from
Jonesboro, Arkansas. I rented a
car in Tampa and drove to Eustis
and back. This was the first
show of my 54th year of touring.
The 21st I
was in Nashville to be one of
the artists on the filming of
"Country Family Reunion 2010".
We filmed the last four shows of
a thirteen week segment that
will start airing on RFD-TV on
March 5th. This show is hosted
by Bill Anderson. About 25
gather in one room. Bill asks us
questions and each sings a song
or two. I was there with country
legends Jimmy C. Newman, Jim Ed
Brown, Duane Allen, Moe Bandy,
T. Graham Brown, Larry Butler,
John Conlee, Billy Grammer, Jack
Greene, Jan Howard, Johnny Lee,
Charlie Louvin, Melba
Montgomery, Ray Pillow, Charley
Pride, Jean Shepard, Jeannie
Seely, Rhonda Vincent, Gene
Watson, Stonewall Jackson,
Little David Wilkins, The
Whites and Shelly West. I sang a
song on two of the shows, one
was "Drift Away" and the last
was "Somebody Hold Me". At the
end of it, all the artists, the
Carol Lee Singers and the band
all gave me a standing ovation!
What an honor!
Final
farewell, to all those I knew
along the way: Willie Mitchell,
R & B legend, "Soul Serenade",
Carl Smith, Country Legend, "Hey
Joe", and Pug Thrasher, friend.
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