Saturday, June 5, 1993.
That’s a day that I will remember in my career for as long as
I live. I had just gotten to WDKN for my marathon 9am-10pm shift on Saturday. I
was sitting and talking with Joe Webster, who was on the air before me, when I
answered the phone. The call was from a listener, who was inquiring about the
death of Conway Twitty.
It was early still, and I guess I was pretty groggy. Conway
Twitty dead? It didn’t seem fathomable. Jones? Haggard? Jennings, perhaps? With
everything that those three legends had been through, hearing of their passing –
while definitely a tragedy – wouldn’t have been too unexpected. But, Conway
Twitty? He seemed to be in great health, really didn’t have his demons as some
of the other performers of his time did, and the man was still having hit
records. “She’s Got A Man On Her Mind” was a top-30 record in 1991, and he had
just hit number one that same year with “I Couldn’t See You Leavin,” so though
the industry was changing fast…..he was still very much a contemporary artist.
So, I started digging around a bit. Now, this was before
internet, and at the age of 19, I really didn’t have any contacts I could call –
so I went to the well of country music knowledge as I knew – and still know it –
WSM Radio. I tuned into Kyle Cantrell’s weekly oldies show, and found out that
it was indeed true. Conway had passed away that morning at the age of 59.
Because of the programming of WDKN at the time – 9am was “The
Medical Hour,” 10am was “Swap and Shop,” and 11am was “Dot and Dusty,” I didn’t
break the news on air until noon, and began playing a lot of his music that
afternoon. It was my first instance with changing programming due to an artists’
passing. Now, let me say…I had played his music before. I wasn’t someone who
all of a sudden became a fan of someone after their death. I remember my Sunday
School teacher, Miss Pearl Johnson, asking me what I wanted for Christmas one
year growing up – Burns was a small congregation, so individualism was a little
more possible! – and I told her The Best
of Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn. Sure, enough…I got it….though, I am
pretty sure that “Lead Me On” wasn’t in the Sacred
Selections from the Church hymnal.
As the news organizations began to pick up the story, it was
reported that Twitty had just finished an album for MCA. Don Cook, who was
red-hot at the time due to his success with Brooks and Dunn, produced the album
– which was moved up on the release schedule to August.
That album was titled Final
Touches. I think sometimes when a public figure leaves us, there is a
tendency to sentimental-ize their last work, and think of it as among their
best – simply due to the timing. But, with this album, it wasn’t quite that
way. Cook had taken the Twitty formula and made a great record. Not that his
sound was dated in any way, but there is no doubt in my mind that had he been
around to promote it, he could have had some major hits here. The title track
and “An Old Memory Like Me,” ironic titles notwithstanding, were flawless
performances, and cuts like “Two Timin’ Two Stepper” and “You Oughta Try It
Sometime” were as fresh and as hip as anything on the radio at that time.
Perhaps the best song on the album was “I Don’t Love You,” which was a
masterpiece of a song – on par with anything he ever recorded – layered with a
huge contradiction of sorts.
The release of Final
Touches kind of came and went. I never really understood why there wasn’t
that deep of a push on the record at the time. The battle for his estate –
which in my opinion, slowed the promotion of his legacy – hadn’t even started
yet, so there was no reason for it. But, as an album – I don’t know if Twitty
did one better. Tune in on “Crazy Chucky’s Country Classic Corner” on
Wednesday, September 30 – as we look back at this underrated album and tip our
hat to “The Best Friend A Song Ever Had.” Show time is 1pm, and the program is
brought to you by Tennessee Properties.
