Farm Music

I was writing to my new old friend, Dub, about his wonderful howling dog, and it occurred to me…

Every night out here, the coyotes howl out original blues licks. Indeed, it’s THE BLUES.

The hen-laying chickens up in the chicken coop cluck away (loudly) all day, and then make that special noise when they’re roosting at night. My friends… it’s all the country licks you’ve all your life – from fiddles to ‘chicken pickin’ Telecaster licks. COUNTRY MUSIC.

The train rolls by a couple of miles away. I love trains. Somehow it’s different out here in the country. For one thing, they are moving fast. Nothing to slow them down. The earth shakes with their powerful groove on the tracks. Every now and then (if you’re lucky), the horns blow. ROCK AND ROLL.

Wind through the trees. The trees themselves – lush like they are now where you can’t even see down into the creek, or bare and naked in the wintertime. The amazing sky – bluer than blue, or dark with storms rolling in. And the storms! Rain, hail, tornados, snow, and ice. The moon – unbelievable sometimes… and then the moonless sky filled with stars that you just can’t see in the city. Redbirds, bluebirds, doves, sparrows, robins, mighty owls, hawks, crows, and yes… the giant full tilt Stephen King turkey-vultures circling overhead. GOSPEL is all around us.

[that was a bit on the hokey side... but true]

FIFTY YEAR OLD TAPES! Jimmy Markham entrusted me with the master tapes from his first ever recording sessions for the radio show. Recorded at Sullivan’s Hi-Fi Studio in OKC. Markham singing with Leon Russell on piano, Carl Radle on bass, Chuck Blackwell on drums, and Tommy Crook on guitar. 50 years ago. The tapes sound great. Try that with a hard drive in 2059.

My mom died back in ‘87. Saying “I miss her” doesn’t really do justice to the reality of it. Charlene’s mom is gone as well. We just wish so many times that they were here to share and take part in our lives-especially with the kids. Didn’t turn out that way for us. God knows best. Father Knows Best. I looked through a few old pictures. Here’s one I quite liked of Mom holding my little brother Bobby. Cool cars too.

The picture was taken at my Uncle Elmer’s house – originally the Schanzenbach homestead which adjoined the original Ripley homestead. The Schanzenbachs were my dad’s mother’s side of the family. All of that (just about mile away from our place, as the crow flies) is now owned by the infamous (and I don’t use that word lightly) Berrys.

Check out my cousins, Jack and Gene, standing closest to Mom. You’d think they’d been PhotoShop’d – but no, they were that long, lean, and lanky. The landscape was as bleak as the life itself, but we didn’t know it.

Mom Holding My Brother Bobby

Elvis made it out to the farm yesterday to talk about a website for the radio show. He also brought along his new video camera to shoot some stuff for the Farm Music site. So, I did some chainsawing, log tossing, and woods walking. You know… making movies. Pretty fun. After he headed back to Tulsa, I started finding the little buggers. First, on my finger. Then one on my leg. My waist – just under the good old Hane’s elastic band (they seem to like it there). And then, at 4:00 AM, the 4th one, well… as I put it to Elvis in an email:

Just found a fourth tick. Scrotum (technically speaking). Where the sun don’t shine (in a manner of speaking). That’s gonna itch (experience speaking).

To quote David Letterman: “For God’s sake, Paul… Be sure to check yourself for ticks.”

My Uncle Elmer was a magic man for me. He didn’t play music (except for the radio), but he was certainly a force to be reckoned with. He’s been gone a long time now. ◊◊ I had an uncle big as life – he called me “Captain” ◊◊ He believed he played a part in God’s plan ◊◊ Drove a Hudson Hornet car and a John Deere Tractor ◊◊ Safe in the sweaty palm of God’s hand. ◊◊ My Great Uncle George’s proposal to Aunt Bessie was: “Will you bake my biscuits?” My Uncle Joe was a great baseball pitcher. My dad said when they were kids on the farm, Uncle Joe would practice by putting a bucket on the other side of a tree where he couldn’t see it, and throw curve balls around the tree into the bucket. Here’s to Uncles.

Finally finished production on the first “episode” of the new radio show called Oklahoma Rock and Roll. It took about two weeks of long hours – by both me and Charlene. Charlene is doing the research. It would be nice to have a staff of 4 or 5 people, but for now it’s just us. I think it’s a good show. Oklahoma has a rich musical history, so there’s a nice variety.

A PARTIAL LIST (with working show or segment titles):
Leon Russell: Don’t Ever Take A Bus To California (The Wrecking Crew, Gary Lewis, Delaney and Bonnie, Joe Cocker, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton)
J.J. Cale
Jazz and Blues (Charlie Christian, Oklahoma City Blue Devils, Jay McShann, Lowell Fulson)
Made In Oklahoma (Jim Edgar and The Roadrunners, The Disciples, Jimmy Markham, etc.)
Rockabilly – Oklahoma Style (Wanda Jackson, The Collins Kids, Big Al Downing, Conway Twitty)
Lee Hazlewood: These Rebel Rouser Boots Are Made For Walking (Duane Eddy, Nancy Sinatra)
Western Swing (Bob and Johnnie Lee Wills, Spade Cooley, Speedy West)
L.A. Power Pop – Okies at Madam Wong’s (Moon Martin, 20/20, Dwight Twilley)
The Keltner Connection (Leon, Bob Dylan, Ry Cooder, John Lennon, George Harrison, The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, on and on…)

To quote me:

“We’re gonna take a look at not just rock and roll in Oklahoma, but the roots of rock and roll, and we’re gonna follow those roots wherever they take us and let them tell us how we got to this place today… how we got to this thing we call Oklahoma Rock and Roll. As the weeks go by, we’re gonna try to dig deep into the details of the music, and the artists and the musicians that made that music, and how it all ties together. But for the first couple of shows, what I want to do is to try to present the overall picture. I think you’ll find some surprises, and I think at times – I hope at times – you’re gonna be stunned just like we have been each time we find that extra special thing, and that direct link to Oklahoma.”

The first two shows, “Home Sweet Oklahoma” (parts 1 and 2), are basically an Oklahoma Music Revue, with the aim of trying to paint the big picture, and also set the stage for what lies ahead in the weeks and shows to come.

Covered in the first shows, and featured in more detail on future shows, are what might seem obvious: Leon Russell, J.J. Cale, and the whole Tulsa culture of musicians with direct links to people like Dylan, Clapton, Joe Cocker and the Mad Dogs and Englishmen; Wanda Jackson, The Collins Kids, and rockabilly (Oklahoma style); Moon Martin, Dwight Twilly, and 20/20 – the LA Power Pop scene. But we’re also taking a good look (and listen) to the early roots players and bands that changed music around the world: Charlie Christian, blues man extraordinaire Lowell Fulson, the Oklahoma City Blue Devisl, and Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. As with any adventure, there are surprises… like the probable first ever Rhythm and Blues record – a smash hit in 1945 by a piano player and singer from Guthrie.

The picture starts to emerge of an art form that owes its heart to a mixture of hillbilly, gospel, blues, rhythm & blues, and jazz. Intertwined with all of that are the Native American and African American cultures. This is America’s music – Oklahoma Rock and Roll.

“Don’t forget… Family is what’s important. Tell your mama you love her. Kiss your babies. We’re all in this together. Bye bye kids…”

We drove to Ft. Worth yesterday and had lunch with Leon. We tend to favor Luby’s on these Leon outings – especially as most of them have been closed around the country. As far as I know, the one in Tulsa on 71st is still open. And there was one within a couple of miles of the venue Leon was playing at in Ft. Worth. No longer eating meat or poultry, I had a nice piece of salmon. Charlene had liver and onions and Leon had chicken fried steak.

Now, most of that might not be even the slight bit interesting. I’m mainly playing at the blogging game. With Elvis’ help, I may get this going eventually.

mcclure recently asked me to sing on one of his new songs. the song is about 2 semi-crazy guys – guess he wrote it about the two of us.

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Charlene and I have moved to the farm where I grew up in Pawnee County. This video shows the beginning of the conversion of a little “barn” to the new studio.