REMEMBERING BUDDY

In my career, I have been very blessed and fortunate to be able to make friendships with quite a few people that I never in a million years thought I would even meet, let alone str ike up a relationship with.

One of those people for me was legendary Nashville personality Buddy Killen. Best-known as the head of Tree Publishing Company, he was among the first to sign such songwriters as Bill Anderson, Joe Tex, Dolly Parton, and Roger Miller. He also was one of Nashville's most prominent businessmen, having owned the Stockyard Restaurant for many years--even doing the memorable commericals that ended with the tag like "I wanna be seen at the Stockyard." In addition, he gave back to the area a hundred fold----having donated time and resources to several charities, most notably Easter Seals. Just how well-known and tuned-in to Nashville was Buddy Killen? In 1974, when Paul McCartney spent some time in Music City to do some recording...who was his tour guide? You guessed it....Buddy Killen.

I remember in the spring of 1993, Buddy released his autobiography, BY THE SEAT OF MY PANTS.. He hd scheduled a book signing at Brentano's Bookstore in Bellevue, TN. I got there a little late, but he was still there. You know how some people reportedly have "it." He was gathering his stuff to leave, and you could just tell by the way he carried himself, that Buddy Killen had "it."

Flash forward about a decade later. Long after selling Tree to Sony, he still was very active in the business, and was producing a new act on Lofton Creek Records, a label that is run by another of my good friends, Mike Borchetta. Mike asked me if I wanted to go to lunch with / and interview Buddy Killen. After thinking about it for a half-second, I said yes, and a few weeks later, it came to be.

We ate at Valentino's. I don't remember a lot about the meal, but I do remember watching how people responded to him in the restaurant. Have you ever dined with someone who knew everybody there? That was the case.....but yet, I got a crash course on how to make everyone feel important and not ignore who your guests are.

OK....I got a meeting, and I got lunch.....But it didn't end there. I had already started my journalism career by then, and asked if I could put him on my mailing list. He agreed, and that's where it usually ends. Every now and then, he would respond about something I wrote.....Then, on a couple of occasions, I would get a phone call asking me to come to his office. He just wanted to talk...about the music business, or life in general. When I lost a job in record promotion, he had some timely words of advice. When my mother died the next year, he offered me some insight on how he dealt with that in his life.

In no way, am I trying to say that we were tight as twin fiddles in a Bob Wills band, nor did I get an invite to sit at the table with him for Thanksgiving dinner.....but there's no doubt about it....Buddy Killen made Chuck Dauphin feel like he could contribute to the music business, and also life. There's a lot of so called "Power People" in Nashville today who have not achieved half of what he did....that act like you are beneath them....They all could learn a lesson or two from this native of Florence, AL.

I say all this to pay tribute to Buddy, who passed away three years ago tomorrow. It's a crime that he hasn't been inducted in the Country Music Hall Of Fame yet.....Hopefully that will take place in the next few years. They did name the infamous "Roundabout" at Music Row after him.....the one with the statues..but that's not enough....In addition to what you did for all the writers and artists, Buddy Killen, thank you for making a radio guy from Dickson County feel ten feet tall!