WRITING FOR A LIVING

This week, I want to take a moment to say thank you for your indulgence. In trying to further my writing career this year, I know I have notified you at every turn when I had a new article or blog posted. I hope those e-mails don't get too old, but the only way that I know of to make people aware of you, is to...well...make them aware of you. So I am doing that once again.

I never really envisioned myself as a writer. Having been in radio since I was a teenager, I always considered myself a "Keith Bilbrey / Eddie Stubbs wannabe"...Part radio guy / Part Country Music historian. Writing was something that I never really thought too much about.

Nowadays, things are a little bit different. I still work in radio, actually at two different stations, but the bulk of my income comes from late nights like this one.....typing away, trying to write something that makes cohesive sense. (Whether that is a correct term or not, I don't know....but it's too late to ask anyone!)

Truth be told, there are times that I still lack a little bit of confidence in my abilities as a writer. That's something that my better half doesn't like to hear, but it's the truth. I started writing back in 2000, for a small newspaper that just started up, as a way to build my listenership. I wrote about what I knew best---music. In writing the column, I started to send it out to a few of my friends in the industry, and got a few comments. So I kept writing.....The newspaper folded after about a month, but I liked the attention I was getting from some people in the business...so I kept writing...though what I was doing wasn't actually being published anywhere.

That went on for a few months, until Larry Weir and Paul Loggins at NEW MUSIC WEEKLY got a hold of what I was doing, and offered me a forum each week. I gladly took advantage of that, and nine years later....here I am....still writing.

If you write for a living, you know there is some degree of comfort when you get behind the keyboard. I don't know how to describe it, but there's something that is kind of rewarding about getting done with a article, looking at the clock and seeing that it is 1:34. Not PM...but AM....Crazy as it might be, there have been times that though my body might be telling me it's time to dream of a White Christmas, I'm keyed up.

When you get that fifth e-mail of the week from me saying that I have a new article on a site somewhere, I hope you don't get too annoyed with me....It's just I love doing what I do, and love to share it with people. How good I am at it, well....that one can be debated....There are times I ask myself "Didn't I just use that adjective three paragraphs before" or "I just said this album was one of the best of the year...but what about last week's?" But I do hope you like what you see....and I thank you for taking the time to read it!

Hopefully, this all leads to more writing gigs down the line. I would love to write something for Country Weekly, or maybe the Journal Of Country Music---one of the best publications in the genre....but they haven't called me...yet....There's still time, I hope.

So....I guess I better get back to it. Whether I ever become a Lewis Grizzard or a Earl Hamner, Jr., I don't know....but there's things you need to know about....Whether it's the Dickson County Cougars latest game, or the latest album from Reba.....I'll keep on writing.....Thanks for reading once again, and be looking for those e-mail updates!

Just Around The Corner

You know the old saying about how there are just 24 hours in a day? I have to tell you that I am feeling that a little bit these days. With the advent of the fall sporting season, it's been a little crazy. Between broadcasting, covering the games for the paper, and all the things that make my crazy life interesting.....it's tough to know sometimes whether you're coming or going.

Of course, there's more to it. The kids still need to get to wherever they need to be, and the grass needs to be mowed. Trust me, I am headed somewhere. I was standing in the middle of the forest that used to be my backyard earlier this afternoon ("How did it get this tall," I wonder) when the idea for what my subject topic would be about came to me.

For those of you that aren't in Middle Tennessee, we had a great weekend weatherwise. Highs around 80, lows in the 50s. Now, while I will admit I like it a lot cooler.....you can feel things starting to change just a little bit.

The first example of this was when I went to the local pharmacy here in Centerville to get my prescriptions filled. I walked by the seasonal aisle, and I smelled one of my favorite scents---pumpkin. The fall candles were out on display. "Wait a minute," I asked myself. "Isn't it still August?"

Then this past Friday night, it was the kickoff to the 2009 season of High School football. The Cougars took on the Red Hawks of Creek Wood in one of the most exciting athletic atmospheres I have ever been a part of. Truth be told, it was more like a SEC game than a High School one. Dickson won the game, 34-19, by the way...."How Bout Them Cougars!"

Then, the weekend felt like.....fall. There was a definite chill in the air during both the day and evening that made it feel like I ought to be getting geared up for a football game....or thinking about Christmas shopping.....or eating a piece of Pumpkin Pie with Cool Whip on top.....Sugar Free, of course!

So...I say that to say this.....Autumn is just around the corner. Darker afternoons....Cooler temperatures.....The leaves turning from green to a majestic tint of brown....It's not here yet, as I am sure we'll have our share of 90 degree days over the next month or so.....but it's close...Fall and Winter are my favorite times of the year, bar none....So...I'm counting the weeks done....and the lawn mowing will soon cease, as well....I'm really sad about that one!....It's just around the corner!

IT'S A BIG GAME....I MEAN, A BIG ONE!

It's hard to believe, but the calendar on the wall proves it. August 21 is just a few days away. It's a big day....particularly if you live in Dickson County or follow the Dickson County Cougars or the Creek Wood Red Hawks. That night, at 7:30pm, the two schools will face each other on the football field for the very first time.

In fact, it will mark the first time since 1971 that two High Schools have taken on each other in football field in Dickson County, and by my calculations....that has been a while.

I remember back in January, I was hosting the Cougars Coaches Show, when Assistant Coach Joey Holley brought the schedule in, and it started off.....August 21.....at Creek Wood. It was something that seemed so far away, and here it is.

There are a lot of people who are interested in this game. Being the "New" school, which Creek Wood will still be in twenty years, they would love to assume bragging rights for the year, while Dickson County fans want to establish that they are the top team in the county, once and for all---or at least until August 20, 2010...when Creek Wood comes to Cougar Hill.

Regardless of whatever happens on Friday night, I will tell you this. I am looking forward to it. The atmosphere will be unlike any game I have ever broadcasted in my fourteen years doing it. These two teams playing each other is a good thing, and I hope it spreads to other sports in the near future. I have fond memories of a Girls' basketball game over at Jones Creek a few years ago when Candace Green made a shot just past mid-court to force OT---which the Lady Cougars won! (It might not be as fond a memory had it not went in....but hey, I do have my Cougar Pride too!)

There has been an undeniable amount of hype about this game. It seems that the sportswriters for the DICKSON HERALD (of which I am proud to be one) have written about 26,234 words about this game....OK, maybe that's an estimate.....but I know I have written the terms "County Rival," "August 21," and "Bragging Rights" a few times.....Well, I've got to admit.....I'm pulling for Dickson County!

OK....That last sentence might not have surprised anyone, but I did have to say it. Since 1989, I have been associated with the school as a student, a broadcaster, and a writer....and it's something I do not take lightly. I hope the Cougars bring home the bacon, so to speak.....At the same time, I have a lot of respect for Creek Wood. Janie Jones has done an outstanding job as Principal there, and just as Ed Littleton bleeds orange and blue...Here is blue and red. There are quite a few people at Creek Wood that I think a lot of....Roger Heath, their athletic director, and covering some of their sports has made me appreciate the job that Chris Clapper and Charles Taylor do. And you will be hard pressed to find a coach who is more of a class act than Tom Mullinicks. Even so, I have to say "Give me a C---O---U-G-A-R-S, Cougars. Cougars. Cougars."

It's also going to be big for me because of a new partnership with The Dove 94.5 FM. This will be the first game in my career that I have not broadcasted with WDKN. Over the past few weeks, the High School made a decision to align with The Dove 94.5 FM as their flagship station, and I am humbled and honored to say that I am going to be a part of that. What makes it great is Randy Tidwell, Ed Sheley, Frank Becker, and Jay Powlas are all going to be there as well. It's the same as before, but only better! Phillip, John, Gwen, and Duane have been so gracious to us, and I am looking forward to many years of working with them.

If any of you that don't live in Dickson County want to take part in a history making night.....I urge you to travel to White Bluff or Charlotte (It was specifically built in the middle of the two towns so neither could claim total ownership) and have fun....Get there early though, if you want to get a good seat.....It's going to be a big night.....If you can't get out in person.....94.5 FM...Tune it in!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ALVIS!

Normally, I try to use this space each week as a spot to try to grow as a writer, and offer thoughts about other things besides music. But, this Wednesday, August 12, is quickly approaching, and I wanted to offer a tribute to someone who will always be one of my favorite singers.....Buck Owens. The "Baron Of Bakersfield," as he was known by some, would have turned 80 if he were still living, and I think that's something well worth writing about.

People have asked me over the years about the first music I remember hearing. I have to admit that I don't really have a ready answer to that question. It could have been John Denver, Dionne Warwick, Barbara Mandrell----all three I remember playing on the radio while going places with my parents. It could have been Kenny Rogers, who I drove them crazy with by always wanting to rewind "The Gambler" or "Lucille" for the 25th consecutive time. However, there is no doubt about the first musician I remember seeing---it was Buck Owens.

As host of "Hee Haw," Owens was a popular figure in the living rooms of many each week growing up. The trademark red, white, and blue guitar he played was a symbol---something that to a three or four year old---it made him stand out. It wasn't till later that I realized what a great singer, writer, and musician the man was. As great as the show was in making him a household name---to many, he was known as the guy who wore his overalls backward while in Kornfield Kounty....and that's not a knock, I still watch "Hee Haw" twice a week on RFD-TV today.

There was something about that sound....The Bakersfield sound. It had more of a wide-open and care-free feel than a lot of the polished sounds coming from Nashville, at the time. The guitars were a little louder, a little more heavy on the twang, if you will. It was by no means rock and roll, but there was a vitality to the music that still stands some forty years later.

"Tiger By The Tail," "Together Again," "Act Naturally,"---those were just a few of the songs that Owens and his band, The Buckaroos made into classics. Speaking of that band, Doyle Holly on bass, Willie Cantu on drums, Tom Brumley on steel, and "Dangerous" Don Rich on lead, fiddle, harmony....and if Buck ever needed a spoon player...I'm sure that Rich could have done it better than anyone. I don't know if a band has ever been better than that 1964-1967 core of the group.

Since Owens was based in California, he was never a prominent figure in Nashville circles, except when taping "Hee Haw" twice a year. With that said, I never got to meet him...that is until just a few months before his death in 2006. For a few years, I took a yearly vacation (although it was work-related) to Southern California, and made three pilgrimages to his Crystal Palace nightclub--where he performed in concert each weekend. One could just walk up to the stage, and hand him a request. Pretty Cool, indeed! A friend of mine, Larry Daniels, who is one of the giants in the Country Radio industry, arranged for me to meet Buck before his show in July 2005. Larry had worked for Buck at KNIX / Phoenix for many years. While I consider myself a fan who gets to work in an industry he loves....there are sometimes where meeing the stars is very special......George Jones, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Kenny Rogers....These people aren't just stars.....They almost border on royalty!

I never did feel quite that same feeling of awe as I did that night in Bakersfield. Less than a year later, Buck had gone on to join Don Rich in that place called "Hillbilly Heaven." Since then, Doyle Holly and Tom Brumley have both joined in the band up there, and I bet you can imagine the musical reunion!

As I said earlier, I'll be back to other topics beside music next week, but I just had to share a few thoughts about the first star I ever had a memory of as a child, Happy Birthday, Alvis...(who I am sure you have figured out by now, is Buck)....Country Music misses you!