All throughout this “Music That Built Me” series, I have
talked about how different albums have influenced me at different points of my
life and my career. This week, I take you back to an album that will always
occupy a special place in my heart – Pickin’
On Nashville by The Kentucky Headhunters.
Though it was released in the fall of 1989, the full impact
of this album wouldn’t be totally felt for me until 1990. That was the year
that my brother from another mother – Randall, and I both got our Tennessee
drivers permits and licenses.
I am not going to tell you that I can tell you what kind of
engine my first car had. I’m not built that way. I can actually deflate a tire
when I am trying to inflate one, but I can tell you that the Headhunters’ first
tape(!) was among the first that ever was in my car deck – and for that matter,
Randall’s. He might tell you Clarence Carter…..but he can stretch the truth
from time to time.
My first car was an 88’ Sentra, and Randall’s was….well, I
don’t know – other than the fact that it was from the 70s, it was red, and it
was big…..LOL….I think it even occupied its’ own zip code, to be honest with
you. But, riding in that car to Nashville and around town, as we would do – I
can’t help but think of their high octane version of “Walk Softly.” These guys
were old school musicians, but they weren’t doing it Bill Monroe’s way. They
rocked it – and did so with hillbilly swagger. While I won’t say that Pickin’ On Nashville would be the best
album of all time (but I wouldn’t argue too much about it), I would say that it
was the most fun album I have ever heard – before or since.
And….why wouldn’t it have been? Besides “Walk Softly,” the
guys also tipped the covers hat to “Skip A Rope,” as well as Don Gibson’s “Oh
Lonesome Me.” The originals were just as solid, with the 50s sound of “Rock and
Roll Angel” and “My Daddy Was A Milkman” being what I would call “Roll down the
windows songs.”
It’s been twenty-six years since the album was released.
Those cars are long gone. There are children….grandchildren (in Randall’s
case)….divorces…..health scares, etc. But, whenever I hear that album, I turn
fifteen and sixteen all over again.
In the fall of 2014, I was blessed to take a drive with my
friend Ben Ewing to interview the Headhunters about that album and its’ unique
place in Music City history. I will forever treasure that afternoon, as well as
the friendships I have developed with the band themselves over the years. They
look and sound like no one else, but their hearts are unparalleled when it
comes to being legit.
I can’t guarantee that you will feel like a kid again, but
join me on the October 21 edition of “Crazy Chucky’s Country Classic Corner,”
which will shine the spotlight on Pickin’
On Nashville, brought to you by Tennessee Properties. While I can’t promise
you a time machine trip, I can tell you that you’ll have a lot of fun!
