"I would very much like to dedicate this web page to the
memory of the precious son of Loretta and myself, Narvel "Bub" Felts, Jr. -
April 1st 1964 to September 14th, 1995 - A wonderful person and a great drummer. "To
know him was to love him." - NARVEL FELTS
A Special Gift
from Narvel to the Fans
Never before released
recording that Bub made before his passing, that was just recently found.
It has been released to radio stations this month (Sept. '08) on the
HotDisc
compilation. Stuart Cameron of HotDisc reports, "The
song is at number 36 on Hotdisc chart this week."
(9-16-08) -
Also included... a special message from Narvel.
Update: Stuart reports. "Bub reached number 21 in the Hotdisc chart
with his song "Rugby's Red Lips", which is a
tremendous achievement."
Ruby's Red Lips -
Listen in Real Audio -
Download mp3
(Songwriter: Ed Dickey)
Narvel's Message about Bub's Recording -
Listen in Real Audio -
Download mp3
Thanks to Stuart Cameron of HotDisc for
helping to make this possible!
 Bub was born Albert
Narvel Felts, Jr. at the hospital in Kennett, Missouri, April 1st, 1964 to
his mom, Loretta and me. We took him home to Malden, MO
and to his sister, Stacia, who would call him Bub.
 Young Bub became interested in drums and in 1973 at age 9 he was good enough
to join me on stage for the first time to play them as I sang, "Daddy's
Home" and "Blue Suede Shoes" at the Bootheel Jamboree in Bernie, MO. My
beginning as a singer/guitarist had been in the same town 17 years earlier
in 1956. That performance also included "Blue Suede Shoes". When Bub was 11
years old in 1975. he joined me on stage again in Hamilton, Bermuda.
In his early teens Bub's dream turned to boxing where he build up a fine
amateur record of "16 wins, 2 K-O's and 4 losses'. But being the
kind-hearted
person he was, hurting his opponents (who he liked) began to bother him and
he gave up boxing at age 17.
Bub then became serious about drums and the next year, 1982, at age 18 he
joined me as my full time drummer. Being a perfectionist, he worked and
practiced hard, not only becoming a great drummer but a great showman as
well. He traveled the USA and the world with me doing shows almost every
weekend. His mom would travel with us and sell tapes and albums at the
shows.
Bub turned 19 seeing the sights of London, England. We were there to play
the International Festival of Country Music to a full Wembley Arena and the
national BBC-TV cameras, plus their national radio microphones. Later in
1983, he made the long flight with me to the Land Down Under, New Zealand.
In 1986 Bub played a rock 'n' roll festival with me as we performed my
rockabilly recordings from the late 1950's, it brought a new dimension to
his
musical taste and talent.
Later that year he received a memento from Elvis' drummer, D. J. Fontana
when D. J. came to our show in Madison, TN and got up and played a few
songs with me and D. J. then wrote on a napkin, "Bub, thanks for letting me
sit in." That napkin hung on Bub's wall the rest of his life.
in 1987 Bub played the legends show at the "Grand Ole Opry" in Nashville
with me during Fanfare. Later that year he played drums on the number one
country TV show in the US and Canada at the time, "Nashville Now" on TNN.
In 1989 Bub returned to England with me for a two week tour which included
the birthday party show for the world renowned rock 'n' roll magazine, Now
Dig This" and for what would be his final British performance, playing drums
with "Jack Green's Jolly Green Giants" as they backed me on the legend's
show at the Grantham Country Festival.
As the fateful 90's dawned Bub played Mickey Gilley's Theatre in Branson, MO
with me. Later in 1990 we toured Norway and Sweden. While in Norway,
Bub played drums on a duet I recorded with Stephen Ackles. "Remember" became
a number 6 Norwegian hit, staying in the top 10 most of May, 1992. In
fact, Bub played on about forty of my recordings between 1987 and 1995,
including re-recordings of my five biggest hits, "Reconsider Me", "Lonely
Teardrops", "Drift Away", "Somebody Hold Me (Until She Passes By)" and
"Funny How Time Slips Away" from the 1970's. He also played on sessions
by other artists ranging from rock to bluegrass. He recorded in Kennett, MO,
Memphis and Nashville as well as Norway.
 Bub had a good commercial voice, well capable of recording hit records.
Though being an artist was not his number one career interest... being a
drummer was. This he certainly achieved! His goal was to be one on the cover
of "Modern Drummer" magazine, a dream unfulfilled. I was such a fool to
never record a studio session of him singing. His mom urged us to do a duet!
I thought, "Someday we will". Now all we have left of him as an artist are
these precious, priceless live recordings made on jobs with "The Bill
Barnett Band" and the rock group, "Square One".
On May 30th, 1991 Bub was hit by a train in his white 1988 Chevy Spectrum at
blind country crossing, grown up with bushes and trees between Malden
and Campbell, MO. Agains all odds, a chain of miracles allowed him to
survive his critical injuries. He worked hard, never complaining through his
pain
and agony and returned to work that October 4th. Three of the live
recordings on this album were made that night. He would become a better
drummer
than ever.
Probably the highlight of his career was playing the 35th anniversary show
of the last performance of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper at
the place they did it, the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. Bub played
drums with his favorite rockabilly band, "Gene Vincent's Blue Caps" (which
Bub
had been made an honorary member of) as they backed his favorite singer, his
dad on February 5th, 1994.
Later that year Bub joined the Missouri based rock band, "Square One". They
weren't booked every weekend, which gave us the opportunity for him to
work more dates with me during his final year. His last show with me was
August 11, 1995 in Dyersburg, TN. He had just rejoined the "Bill Barnett
Band"
August 20th, 1995, just three and a half weeks before his death. His final
performance was with this band in Gideon, MO, September 10th, 1995.
On August 15th, 1993 Bub had been married. He loved his little stepdaughter
as his own. Though he had been offered good drumming jobs in Norway,
Canada and Texas, the family made their home in Malden, MO. However, in 1995
the marriage unraveled. His wife filed for a divorce, which was not yet
final when his red 93 Dodge Stealth came off a hill and hit dense fog at the
bottom, missed a slight curve, hit a shallow road ditch and rolled three
times in
a flat field of milo, throwing him out of the car with fatal injuries. The
accident happened at 5 something AM, September 14th, 1995 on Highway 53 at
the
junction of of Highway H, about 4 miles northwest of his estranged wife's
home town in Campbell, MO where she was living at the time. He left this
world
in the Campbell ambulance at 6:20 AM on Highway 25 just south of White Oak,
MO in route to, and only a few miles from Kennett, MO and the same
hospital where he'd been born 31 years earlier.
Hundreds of people from across America lined up outside and packed the chapel
at Bradshaw Funeral Home in Malden, MO. The chapel was
surrounded inside with the flowers from his friends and celebrities around
the world. Many followed to Memorial Park Cemetery in Malden and stood in
the pouring rain to say their final goodbye as he was laid to rest September
16th, 1995.
Later that year in Nashville "The Perpetual Golden Music Award" was
presented by Eddie Bond in Bub's memory. The inscription reads, "Albert
Narvel
"Bub" Felts, Jr. April 1, 1964 - September 14, 1995 (Drummer for the
Heavenly Saints Band).
To Know Him Was To Love Him!
Narvel Felts
September 1997
ODE TO BUB - 1997
(Written & Recorded in memory of Bub)
I started writing this song Sept.
24, 1995 driving home alone from Warsaw, MO and my first concert a week after Bub was
laid to rest. Thanks to a wonderful audience, I somehow got through that show. I later
changed the song some before I was emotionally able to record it again almost two years
later.
Narvel Felts
December
13, 1997
|
In Memory of Albert Narvel "Bub: Felts, Jr.
April 1, 1964 - September 14, 1995
Total of 23
songs on CD
including a full booklet
with pictures and stories from Narvel. |
Since I Don't
Have You 1997
Blue Darlin'- 1992
Sonny Man - 1997 |
When We Were
Together - 1976 Even Now - 1991
Danny Boy - 1997
|
|
Dearest Son,
This CD mourns your death, but it also
celebrates your life. Your mom, sis and me are so thankful to have been blessed with
having you for 31 years. You were one with various music tastes. There's certainly a
variety here, from country to rockabilly, gospel, rock and Christmas. I'd have gladly died
for you, but that's a choice I didn't have.
I'll love you forever
and I'll miss you 'til we meet again.
Dad
Click photo at the right for larger view
--->
|
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Visit the
Merchandise page to purchase "Ode to Bub"
|
