Gene Simmons, Buddy Buie, Mean Gene The Postman, Billy Gibbons in Lee Pake's Office



To:
champagnejam@yahoogroups.com
From:
"charlie mears"
Date:
Thu, 20 Apr 2006 17:48:37 -0700 (PDT)
Subject:
[ChampagneJam] Article

Hey guys,It's been awhile.
I'm still hanging around reading the posts without much to say. I'm a pretty quiet person anyway. So, I came across this article from April 2000 that I think you all might like to read.
I think I found it in what is called the Smokey Mountain News.

Pretty interesting ARS stuff, some I did not know.
Enjoy.

Charlie Mears

Into the Rhythm
By Hunter Pope

The term “Dinosaur Rock” is as nonexistent as the name suggests.
Think about it.
Dinosaurs obviously no longer habitate this world. They were (in theory)destroyed by a comet that plunged to earth millions of years ago. Thus the title, extinct.

However, I see this irksome phrase applied liberally to such great bands as the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd. This label had also been unfairly branded on The Atlanta Rhythm Section.Like the former bands mentioned, ARS has rocked in some form for 30-plus years.

The triumvirate foundation of Ronnie Hammond (lead vocals), Barry Bailey (lead guitar) and Dean Daughtry (keyboards) has been a stable adhesive in the group’s continuing existence.

“You caught me at a good time,” said Barry Bailey from his home in Georgia. I wondered what important matterI had torn him from. There was no telling from such a talented guitarist as Bailey. His senior year in high school was quite different from his classmates. How many adolescents can say they opened up for the Yardbirds and Jeff Beck?

Bailey’s primary income,however, came from being a studio musician.
Buddy Buie-- co-founder, producer, and principle songwriter for ARS -- brought in Bailey to help begin a work in progress to land some of Atlanta’s best musicians under one sellable name.

Thirty years, two platinums,two golds, and 14 albums later, the “project” seems to have worked. Better yet, Bailey is still wowing audiences.

The important matter?

“Yeah, I was taking a break from mowing the yard,”Bailey said. Hmmm ... no limos waiting. No Keith Richards having a cocktail in the den. No consuming ego. This would be a good interview.

“We had all made so many records for people that it only made sense to come together,” Barry said. Dean Daughtry had played with Roy Orbison's back-up group,the Candymen, and he was part of the Classics IV when Buie brought him in. Bailey had jammed with such bands as the Byrds, the Who, Bo Diddley, and the Beach Boys.

“It was Buddy (Buie) that instigated the record deal,”Bailey said.

But success did not show up overnight.The first two albums, “The Atlanta Rhythm Section” and“Back Up Against the Wall” had minuscule sales.

“You never know,” said Bailey. “There’s no guarantee.Our idea of great was not that accurate. The competition is always there, from other bands. I think our improv style hurt at first. It took longer, but it was at least honest. We had to hone the live part ...it was a conscious effort by all involved.”

A beacon in the midst came with the second album.

Singer Rodney Justo was replaced by the charismatic Ronnie Hammond.

“Rodney was a little less patient than the rest of theband,” Bailey explained. “He was a very good singer, but he had family ... he’s now a beer and wine distributor in Tampa. At the time, Ronnie (fresh outof high school) was a sound engineer. The drummer at the time, Robert Nix, got Ronnie, and we did the second album with him on lead vocals. He even did some writing.

ARS switched record companies and decided to tour and refine their live sound. Three more albums sold moderately, but not up to expectations. That would change with “A Rock and Roll Alternative.”

“For the first time, we had a deadline -- 45 days. We actually had to work a little harder. We definitely benefited from the added pressure,” said Bailey.

Hardwork gave the band a platinum album and the top 10 hit, “So Into You.” Next came “Champagne Jam” (1978), which produced two more top 10 hits with “Imaginary Lover” and “I’m Not Gonna Let it Bother Me Tonight.”

Their jam style was at the height of appreciation in1978, when 50,000 fans packed Georgia Tech’s Grant Field for the Champagne Jam. Atlanta’s darlings of rock and roll had made it, but little had changed.

“Sure, we had nice buses instead of rentals, and we had nicer suits, although none of us had ever been known for fashion statements. Our playing didn’t really change. The egos stayed under control ... for a few years.”

Four more albums followed, each meeting with substantial success.

A hiatus came in 1983 when one of the supports broke away from the foundation. Ronnie Hammond left with Buddy Buie to pursue other creative interests.

“It was kind of a releif that the band broke up for a little while,” said Bailey. “Egos by now were a little out of whack and, to pardon the standard band cliche,there were artistic differences. It was kind of scary for awhile. Dean (Daughtry) and I kept some form of the group together. There were different line-ups, and a record deal fell apart. Like I said, it was scary, but it was a relief at the same time. We had new approaches to things. There was no real stress.”

Bailey called the reunion in 1989 pleasant.

“We all felt good to work together again,” Bailey said. A tour and four more albums ensued. ARS was a band again. However, there were intermittent pauses of tragedy. Last year, Ronnie Hammond had an altercation with police in Macon, Ga., that led to him being shot.His life was spared. Drummer R.J. Vealey sustained a fatal heart attack last Nov. 30, minutes after anOrlando show.

The new year sees the musicians recovering modestly,with Bailey adding some positive reinforcements to the band’s future.

“Ronnie’s been given a new life, he’s given up alcohol, joined AA, and has made some very significant changes in his life ... R.J. Vealey was an incredible drummer, but Jim Keeling, the new drummer, has filled in nicely.”

The 1999 album, “Eufaula,” is a tribute to Eufaula,Ala. -- a beautiful town and lake community. It is also home to ARS’s creative outlets. They write and record demos at manager Buddy Buie’s lake house. The comforting air of Eufaula melds nicely with the concept of the album.

“The album’s different from the last few,” Bailey said. “I like the continuity. It’s all original material, and there’s no acoustic trend-- yes, we did fall into that. Everything, including the enthusiasm, was fresh.”

The proudest moment for band members came last year,when ARS was inducted into the Georgia Hall of Fame. ARS is a band with little ego and a lot humble, simplistic attitudes.

What’s left is a primal expression of music that’s multi-layered improv at the same time. Dinosaur rock?
Try again.
Innovators.
Life Warriors.
Boogie Enablers.
Veterans.

HEY Y'ALL:

It was a difficult gig for Mean Gene & his band at the $100,000 a plate gig they played out to the university.
They played on schedule, however, after the gig they worn out grayheaded asses agreed to play for the servers among whom were dropdead gorgeous
coeds invited to come on stage and sing. Unfortunately, one of Mean Gene's bandmates uttered the words ,"You girls need to take your tops off!" which Dean Wormer heard.

Which brings us to the lesson #1 of the day boys and girls:

NEVER ALLOW A BASS PLAYER TO DRINK SCOTCH NEAR A LIVE MIKE!

best,
RR http://myspace.com/robertoreg
http://myspace.com/deepsouthband


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/03/30/MN38973.DTL
Opening day for the Compassion Flower Inn is set for April 20, or 4-20, a number that over the years has acquired peculiar significance for the stoner set, although no one can quite explain why. Die-hard pot smokers like to light up at 4:20 p.m., and April 20 is a popular date for pot-themed parties.


http://skypilotclub.com

4-20, CAPN SKYP AND THE SKYPRANKSTERS
AT THE WOW HALL IN EUGENE, OREGON,
DOING AN ALL NEW INAUGURAL PERFORMANCE OF THEIR ORIGINAL WORK:
FOUR TWENTY IN THE BOOK


FOUR TWENTY IN THE BOOK
by the Skypranksters
In 1957 a bunch of students
at San Mateo High School
invented a code so their
parents wouldn't know
what they were talking about.
They substituted numbers for words
and one of the numbers was 4 20
and it became so well known it
acquired a whole new set of meanings like the
cop code for a grass bust
and purty soon everyone
had it figgered out.
A brilliant deduction, Holmes.
Nodding to it he replies
scratching his nuts
thinking it's his brains
rolled up and twisted at the ends
too tight to light but we got it lit and we were lit too,too high, too tight, just right
Outta sight dynamite
words take flight
who's the crook
who's the cook
you know where to look
four twenty in the book

Well I stood up on my thoughts today,
Yeh, I got up on this rock to say
Take me home Take me home in your special way
4 my bags are packedon this 20 day
Take me down, Take me down to the river's edge
To hear Gospel John slide
with Sister Sledge
We'll meet and greet
on the water's waves
Callin' Janis and
Jimmy and the Purple Sage
Well it's 4-20
and we start the day
Yes it's 4-20 in our special way
Yeh it's 4-20
time to change the view
42-0 and the Truth Rings True
Whoop de doop goes the running scoop
It'll let you know when to piss and poop
It'll feed your baby and heat your soup
Till the 4-20 leaves and you fly the coup
Off I went to the Condor's tent
Blew my face till my mind got bent
Fell through the mix for the fortieth time
Sold my soul for a 4-20 rhyme


From :
Richard Burke
Sent :
Wednesday, April 19, 2006 1:21 PM
To :
"Robert Register"
Subject :
MP3

Hey Reg,
Shoot me a copy or send me a link to download the day Coach Bryant expired and it it's wuf' a shit I'll send word to the Frosh and Soph players and Coaches from 69'. We still keep up with each other although I havn't made any of the reunions so far.

Later...
rbiii



From :
debbieO
Sent :
Thursday, April 20, 2006 9:07 PM
To :
"robert o register" robertoreg@hotmail.com

Subject :
bb interview

Ola Roberto,
Muchas Gracias for the interview. It was mucho grande!!
Buenos dias, chimichangas & rellenos to all,
deb



Subject:
RE: Hey Finebaum, Let Me Know If You Want To Delete The Buie Interview From My Blog!
Date:
Wed, 19 Apr 2006 09:51:58 -0500
From:
"Harrison Parrish"
To:
"robert register" robertoreg2003@yahoo.com


Robert this is funny as hell. I appreciate you keeping me looped up on this BB
stuff…he is really excited about it…

Harrison


From:
"rodney"
Subject:
Re: BB, Finebaum & The Cue: Need CD of BB's Finebaum Interview So I Can Transcribe & Post!
Date:
Tue, 18 Apr 2006 18:49:36 -0400

Thanks,for the song
I need to work on my typing skills.
Good God, I didn't even spell my own name right....pathetic.
It's interesting to hear this Robert,
I don't know if you've ever heard Buddy sing.
I have to be honest,
I LOVE to hear him sing.
It's not like he is the greatest singer in the world but, something there moves me.
I've always thought that Ronnie Hammond sounded like Buddy if Buddy was a singer,
and I think that in a lot of ways Ronnie was the perfect vehicle for many of Buddy's songs.
I also think that it's kinda' cute that Buddy is out "promoting" one of his songs.
I'll bet it's been 20 years since he's done that........and he doesn't even have to.
He just WANTS to.


From:
GamNam55
Date:
Wed, 19 Apr 2006 11:04:44 EDT
Subject:
Hello Roberto
To:
robertoreg2003@yahoo.com

I am sorry to be late getting back to you with thanks for including me as one of your e-mail buddies.<>
I was just reading the interview with Buddy Buie.
What a great man of music huh? He has a knack for knowing a great song! He can't help it...

About your friend that thinks he has a sexy voice. She is right, he is great, I have had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know a little of Buddy and Gloria through my husband Jimmy Dean. Two finer people you just can not find anywhere.
No Buddy didn't pay me to say that neither did Gloria.

Those two were just made for each other.

I just want to say, keep up the good work we all enjoy your mail.

Keep the real songs of our age group alive, that was great music and lyrics, still is in my book.

Sincerely,
Da Shirl

Hey Y'all:
I had the immense pleasure of knocking off from of my regular job at Pake Realty on Monday and Tuesday in order to hang out with the notorious Young Junior Baby Criminal, Buddy Buie.

I made sure he came by our office so he could hug my property manager, Karen, who has fallen in love with his "sexy" voice via recent phone conversations and radio interviews.

God, it must be pure hell being a sex symbol!

Well, when the other girls around the office found out that I didn't bring Buddy to see them, paper cups, paper boxes and paper clips began to sho' nuff be thrown in my direction.

I go out of my way to satisfy Karen and all I do is get in trouble with the other kitty kats.

The wheels of progress for the launch of "The Day Bear Bryant" are spinning rubber as we speak!

We are now crafting out the almost quarter century long "story" behind "THE LOST SONG".

Y'all can help by sharing your memories of the day Coach Bryant died with us and by requesting the mp3 sample from me and sharing it with Bama football media types.

To give you an example:
Buddy was really happy to meet Cecil Hurt of The Tuscaloosa News Monday night at the live radio broadcast of HEY COACH! at Bob Baumhower's Wings and Cecil will soon be receiving a nice "CARE Package" from Buddy which will include Buddy's double CD, MUSIC OF MY LIFE.

I shot Tommy Wilcox an mp3 sample of the song last night along with a suggestion that he book Buddy and his wife, Gloria, on his television show Tommy Wilcox Outdoors http://woodsandwateroutdoorshow.com/
.

Please take out a few moments from your busy day to drop us a few lines here in "Cuba, Alabanana"!
We'd love to hear from ya!
best,
RR
http://myspace.com/deepsouthband

ABOUT 10 MINUTES OF BUDDY BUIE'S 4/13/06 INTERVIEW WITH PAUL FINEBAUM
http://finebaum.com


Paul: We welcome you back. Couple of weeks ago I got a note from my good friend, Ronnie Quarles, who runs our affiliate WTBC in Tuscaloosa. He said he'd done a show with a fellow named Buddy Buie. He said it was one the great shows they'd ever done over there and he said,"You need to get Buddy Buie on."
I said,"We'll see if we can track him down," and now I'm looking across the table at Buddy Buie, who has had an extraordinary career and I must confess Buddy, I know the music but I didn't know the story and it's a great pleasure to talk to you.

Buddy: It's a pleasure to talk to you.

Paul: For those who...
& we're going to play some songs in a few minutes which are going to do more than ring a bell! They're going to resonate because they did with me. Pat Smith and I were going over some of your music today. You grew up in Dothan, Alabama and you got into music. You became one of the most accomplished songwriters of your era, putting together some incredible songs that were played by many groups and before we get into some of those incredible songs which will include "Spooky", "Traces of Love" and many others that are almost as well known, I'm curious. How did it begin?

Buddy: First of all let me say, thank you for inviting me and I'm mighty proud to be here. I was born in Dothan, Alabama [note: Buddy was actually born in Marianna, Florida but his family returned to Dothan while he was still an infant] and I always loved listening to the radio. I knew most of the songs...before....I knew them by their intros, you know.
So when I was in high school, I had some buddies. They had a little band and I'd hang out with them and they were real...kinda bashful and I was kinda outspoken so I helped them get jobs & stuff and one of the boy's names was Bobby Goldsboro.

LAUGHTER

& so anyway, I started writing the songs in high school because I would keep them to myself because I was a little ashamed to tell everybody. I was embarrassed.
"You don't write songs!"
"YES! I DO!"

But I'd write them in my head because I don't really play an instrument but I found a friend of mine in Dothan, Alabama, John Rainey Adkins. I finally got the nerve to tell him about my songs and he was the first one that didn't laugh. So he said,"Let's work out something."
So we'd sit in front of his house in a '56 Chevrolet and write songs. Well, to make a ...I'll try to speed this up.

From there I promoted shows too in the Dothan area and Roy Orbison came to Dothan and Roy and I became friends and he became friends with the boys in the band called The Webs.
One day he said, " I want to take this band on the road." and I said,"I'm not going to let you take that band on the road unless you take me with you!"
& so off we went to see the world!

I met Bill Lowery from Atlanta in 1965 and we had a hit with a young guy by the name of Tommy Roe and that kind of started things and I moved to Atlanta. Then in 1967, the producer of this group called THE CLASSICS IV took sick and they were doing one of my songs so I was..., by default, turned out to be their producer and they cut "Spooky".
"Spooky" later on became a very big song; was recorded by a lot of people.
Then we had "Stormy" & "Traces of Love" & "Everyday With You Girl", all those hits right in a row.

Paul: Why don't we listen and then talk about how it came together.

[they play a recording of "Spooky"]

So you did "Spooky" with THE CLASSICS IV. It was a big hit with THE CLASSICS IV.

Buddy: It was #2 in the country.

Paul: & then it became a hit with the Atlanta Rhythm Section.

Buddy: The Atlanta Rhythm Section recorded it and it became a big hit again and then David Sandborne, the great saxophonist, recorded it and it was a #1 "Jazz Instrumental".
It started as a jazz instrumental.

Paul: We were looking earlier today and this song's been done by a lot of folks.

Buddy: Yeah, it has.

LAUGHTER

We've been real fortunate there because a lot of people seem to like it and it seems to have a life of its own. It's been almost...
That long since it was recorded...

Paul: Do you have a personal favorite among the productions?

Buddy: I produced two of them.

LAUGHTER

Paul: That's a loaded question!

Buddy: CLASSICS IV & THE ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION so those are my favorites.

Paul: I want to hear THE ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION in a moment because I'm curious, in doing and having a huge hit in '68, with THE CLASSICS IV, how much later?

Buddy: I think we recorded in '80 with THE ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION. Yeah, we recorded it in 1980.

Paul: How much different was it?

Buddy: Not really that much different except the solo is not a sax solo, it's a guitar solo played by the great Barry Bailey that I thought was sensational and it was basically the same structure as the original record.

Paul: The one song, when I was listening to it this morning, I'm not just saying this...
because it's one of the great songs I grew up with & I think so many people when they hear it think,"That guy put this one together!"
Before we listen to it...
CLASSICS IV did it. So many people have done it. How many people have done....
Who else did "Traces" other than THE CLASSICS IV?

Buddy: Well you know, it was done by a lot of instrumental artists...the most recent was Gloria Estafan. We have had so many instrumentals, like everybody from Montovani to...gosh, you know, Paul, it's been recorded about 75 times!

Paul: & this song made the charts on two consecutive years- THE CLASSICS IV & THE LETTERMEN.

Buddy: I almost forgot the LETTERMEN record. That's right! Yes! THE LETTERMEN had a big record with it!

Paul: That's got to be pretty unusual, I mean, you see it in a different generation but the next year!

Buddy: I think the reason is two different audiences, you know, CLASSICS IV , "Top 40" & THE LETTERMEN were, at the time we called "Good Music". It's now called "Adult Contemporary".

Paul: Let's listen to one of my all time favorites, "Traces"

[play a recording of "Traces"]

Buddy Buie, tell me, is terms of putting this song together, what...
Depending on how old you are, it takes you back to another time but what does this song remind you of?

Buddy: This song,this lady who's sitting to my right,
was written for...

LAUGHTER

It was written about my wife and the song to me...
One of the proudest moments & comments I can make about this song is about ten years ago, Broadcast Music Incorporated, BMI, had their 50th Anniversary. Of all the songs in the complete catalog, "Traces" was the 34th most played song- #1 was "Yesterday". #49 was "My Way".

LAUGHTER

So we're in there with a lot of nice people. It was played so much. It was played on a cross section of radio stations from "Pop" to "Adult Contemporary", even "R & B", stations like that.

Paul: What did you think of the Gloria Estafan rendition?

Buddy: Well, I was tickled pink to have it!
She was pregnant when she did that, and I don't think they spent as much time as I'd like to see her take with it, but, hey, I'm grateful she recorded it! Very good move for us. She's a great singer.

Paul: Let's see how she did it.

[play a recording of Gloria Estafan's version of "Traces"]

Paul: I may be old fashioned. I think I'll take the earlier version.

Buddy: I'm not knocking it at all.

Paul: Buddy Buie is our guest, We'll also get to your phone calls later on , 1-866-741-7285.
There are so many great songs. We'll listen to that as well.
You also did a song about a fellow who once coached at the University of Alabama.
We'll talk about that as well as your phone calls as we roll on...

BREAK

Hey Y'all:
This is the last installment of Buddy Buie's appearance on Wally & Dave's Morning Show on WTBC on March 15. http://wtbc1230.com

The entire transcription of the 36 minute 47 second interview is now posted at "Cuba, Alabama"

The following transcript is the complete 19 minute 13 second of Buddy's first interview before the break.

To hear the CD and read the text is a real treat. I really hate it that I am privileged to be the first person to ever experience that multimedia presentation.

Four people are involved with this interview: Wally Price, Dave McDaniel and Ronnie Quarles along with Buddy.

Please get somebody to get me a CD or file with Buddy's April 13 Finebaum interview http://finebaum.com

because it takes a long time to transcribe these things and I want WOOF in Dothan to record Buddy's upcoming interview on Phil Paramore's Talkin' Sports show on WOOF-AM560, THE BALL. http://www.woofradio.com/ballindex.html
so I got a lot of work in front of me & I need to get started.

Let me know if anybody wants a sample mp3 of THE DAY BEAR BRYANT DIED.

BEST,
rr http://myspace.com/robertoreg
http://robertoreg.blogspot.com


OPENING OF WTBC 3-15-06 MORNING SHOW WITH WALLY & DAVE

(Buddy is talking about living in New York City when he was a young songwriter)

I go back to the hotel.
Put the key in the door &
the door won't open!

I go downstairs very irate & said
"MY DOOR WON'T OPEN!"

They said,"YEAH! If you'd pay your bill, it might open!"

[LAUGHTER]

They had my clothes and everything back of the counter!

[more laughter]

Wally: Buddy, what's the first song on the radio that you heard that you'd written...

Buddy: That'd I'd written?

Wally: Or produced. The first written or produced. Sandy Posey?

Buddy: Before that, you know, we had The James Gang...

Ronnie: "Georgia Pines"

Buddy: "Georgia Pines". Even before that...
I think that "Georgia Pines" is the FIRST one with any notoriety to it.

Ronnie: "Georgia Pines" was big in the South.

Buddy: ONLY!

Ronnie: But never did get out nationally.

Buddy: Never did and it's never been really covered by a big artist. I always thought one of the Nashville artists would cover that song because it seems like it'd be a natural for 'em.

Ronnie: We had Johnny Townsend here not too long ago.

Buddy: Oh, yeah.

Ronnie: He did "Light Of A Distant Fire."
That thing kind of spread out nationally.

Buddy: Surely! It was a big one...

Wally: "Smoke From A Distant Fire" !

Ronnie: Oh, "Smoke From A Distant Fire".

Buddy: Yeah.

Wally: HE LIT IT UP AND THEN THERE WAS FIRE!

LAUGHTER

Ronnie: So how did it feel hearing that song on the radio.

Buddy: I can't, I can't relate now to that feeling. I can't remember back...
My mind is mush, anyway, when it comes to memory but I do know that it gave me a little extra edge with the girls in town. I remember that!

LAUGHTER

I BET!

Dave: Always looking for that edge, baby!

Ronnie: All about the girls!

Wally: My Daddy had a country music station here in town that I grew up working in.

Buddy: Oh, did he?

Wally: And I just always loved that Sandy Posey song "I Take It Back".

Buddy: That was the first national hit we had.

Wally: Uh, huh.

Buddy: Right before that we had a song by Tommy Roe called "Party Girl" that made it it to like mid-chart. Uh, but, Sandy Posey, "I Take It Back", the way that came about... Chips Moman.I don't know whether you know him. He's a legendary producer. He produced a bunch of stuff for Elvis: "Suspicious Minds", "In The Ghetto". He did "Willie & Waylon". He did "The Highwaymen".

Ronnie Quarles: WOW!

Buddy: I mean, he's legendary. Well, this was when he was in Memphis and,uh, I had... I knew about him and had met him by phone & I said,"Listen, I got a song."So I did the demo myself. I sang the demo and I did "The Girl's Part". You know the Girl's recitation. I did it in the female gender!

LAUGHTER!

Buddy: Then I did the male voice.

Wally: I'm glad I didn't hear that version!

Buddy: It was good enough to get a cut though! He called me in the middle of the night and said, "Hey man! I cut Sandy Posey on that song!"

Ronnie: YOU'RE A GREAT GIRL!

LAUGHTER

Ronnie: So how do you write a song and get it to somebody like Sandy Posey? What,what... How did that happen?

Buddy: Well, that's what I was saying. What happened was I knew he was recording because she'd just had "Single Woman". This song called "Single Woman".

Ronnie: So you did not know Sandy Posey?

Buddy: No I did not know Sandy.

Ronnie: OK.

Buddy: I rarely ever know the artist.

Ronnie: OK.

Buddy: You know, it's usually through a publisher or what we call a "pitch" where you go in front of an artist or producer and throw them your song.

Ronnie: Is it easy today to do that?

Buddy: Well,

Ronnie[interrupting]: Is it easier today, I should say...

Buddy: I don't do it as much but when you've had a track record, you know, you can get in the door easier. It doesn't make them like it anymore though...

Ronnie: I see...

Buddy: You know, they'll still tell ya,"Naw, thank you for coming. Really appreciate you bringing it by but, naw, this is not for us."

Ronnie: See, I've always told Wally that we could get the Sunday newspaper, cut out some words out of each headline, put 'em together & line 'em up.We'd have a country song!

LAUGHTER

Buddy: I got a couple of country titles but I can't say but one of them on the air!

LAUGHTER

Buddy: One of 'em is "IF I'D A KILLED HER WHEN I MET HER, I'D BE OUT OF JAIL BY NOW!"

LAUGHTER....CLAPPING

Buddy: That's a Waylon Jennings' line!

LAUGHTER

Ronnie[laughing] That's great!

Buddy: Can I say "masturbate" on the radio?

Dave McDaniel: Yeah, I think you just did!

LAUGHTER

Ronnie: Yeah, I think you just did!

Buddy: "I'D RATHER MASTURBATE THAN SCREW WITH YOU FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!"

LAUGHTER

Dave: Oh no! There goes our license!

Buddy: I cleaned it up a little bit!

Dave: Yeah you did. We're with you on it , Buddy!

Buddy: YOU SHOULD HAVE HEARD THE REAL VERSION!

Dave: OH Lord!

Ronnie: Let's move it on!

Dave: Naw! Let it stay right where it's at!

LAUGHTER

Ronnie: So how did you hook up with the Classics IV?

Buddy: I was in Atlanta. Bill Lowery had... I told you I had a song by Tommy Roe who was a Bill Lowery artist. I met Bill and Bill; later on, introduced me, you know, to different people around town, and what was the question?

Ronnie: The Classics IV.

Buddy: Oh yeah, I was not a producer at that time. I was a songwriter pitching songs. Joe South, the legendary writer...

Wally: "Don't It Make You Want To Go Home"

Buddy: "Rose Garden" , many, many, many songs.
Joe was producing the band and I knew of 'em because I'd been to Florida to see them down at Cocoa Beach and they were an incredible band. They were probably the best copy band I'd heard at that time and the lead singer, Dennis Yost played drums.

Ronnie: Standing up! Yeah! I remember that!

Buddy: &, anyway, they were cutting one of my songs...NO THEY WASN'T!
At that point, they were cutting a bunch of songs that Lowery had given them and Joe South became ill and I became their producer by default.

Wally: Really!

Ronnie: Wow!

Buddy: & during that week we cut "Spooky".

Dave: How 'bout that!

Buddy: I kept hounding Bill Lowery,"Man, if I could just get in the studio and have some real time!"
So they named that NATIONAL BUIE WEEK so I was the only one who could get in the studio!

LAUGHTER

Buddy: & during that week, the musicians, some of them later on became the Atlanta Rhythm Section, we cut "Spooky".
I think an interesting thing about that session is that Emory Gordy was the bass player and Emory is Patty Loveless' husband.

Ronnie: Is that right?!

Buddy: & he's a very big producer in Nashville. He also played bass for Elvis and Emory was the bass player and J.R. Cobb, who was one of the Classics IV, later on became one of the Atlanta Rhythm Section, J.R. Cobb, they all played on that session, and we cut "Spooky" with just those three pieces. We recorded it on a three track. I don't know how many people in the audience are familiar with a little bit of the technical stuff but we had a 3-track tape machine- a Scully 3-track.

Ronnie: Wow!

Buddy: & we had two of them and what we would do, we'd put the bass and drums on one track, the singer on another track and guitar on the other track and then we'd do what's called "Ping Pong". We take those tracks and record them down to two, then we did overdubs.
By the time we got through recording this song, the tape was so thin you could see through it!

LAUGHTER

Dave: I believe that, yeah!

Ronnie: & now days, they've got what?

Dave: 64 tracks.

Buddy: Unlimited tracks! Digital! Yeah! Unlimited tracks!
I remember when the first 8 track, I'm telling my age but I remember the first 8 track!

UM HUM.

Buddy: I remember the first 16 track!

Wally: We do too!

LAUGHTER

Wally: We're all old radio folks so we know.

Dave: Yeah, we do too!

Ronnie: So ya'll hooked up with Roy Orbison?

Buddy: Well, the way we hooked up with Roy Orbison...
LET ME FINISH THE CLASSICS IV STORY!!!!
We recorded "Spooky" and we recorded another song. It was called "Poor People" and I don't even remember the melody of that song now it's been so long but "Poor People" was the A-side and "Spooky" was the B-side.

REALLY! IS THAT RIGHT!

Buddy: Spooky had originally been a jazz instrumental. Did you know that?

Ronnie: No, I didn't know that!

Dave: Wow!

Buddy: A guy named Mike Shapiro and Harry Middlebrooks in Atlanta. Mike was probably one of the greatest jazz players, sax tenor players, that you'll...
He played the break on "Spooky". He played it on "Stormy". He's just a great player and that song, I was riding down the road, J.R. Cobb and I and I said,
"I love that instrumental."
J.R. said," I do too. Did you know Bill Lowery publishes it?"
I said,"Naw, I didn't."
So I called Bill Lowery. I said,"Man, that song of yours, you know, is just sensational!
Do you mind if I take it and rework it and try to make it into a pop song and write lyrics to it?"
So we took it. Restructured it. Changed the melody to make it, you know, more appropriate for a pop song and , you know, that's how that song came about. It was a B-side as I said. A disc jockey in Louisville, KY played it and the phones rang off the hook and I had a promotion man named Mike Martin who called me saying,"Buddy, you won't believe this but that song 'Spooky', the B-side of the record, it's tearing it up!"
So then it started happening in different towns and, you know, then it became the big song that it was. Now it's been recorded by The Atlanta Rhythm Section, of course, had a hit with "Spooky" and David Sandbourne had a # 1 jazz hit so it's been a great song for us.
Now, what's your next question you asked me?

Buddy: Now what's your next question you asked me?

Ronnie: How'd you hook up with Roy Orbison?

Buddy: In Dothan, Alabama. This was before any of this had happened.In Dothan, there was the Houston County Farm Center there and I started promoting shows. I used to have dances at the local recreation center and things of that kind.

Wally: He was the Tiger Jack of Dothan!

Buddy: Yeah, I've heard a lot about Tiger Jack!

LAUGHTER

Ronnie: He used to do that here at Ft. Brandon Armory.

Buddy: We probably played for him!

Ronnie: We've got pictures of y'all on our website.

Buddy: Oh great! Yeah! I remember that armory very well. I had a show... my first big show was Roy Orbison. I loved Roy Orbison. I told you I loved radio and I loved songs. I was just mesmerized with "Only The Lonely" and even a couple of things before that. I thought he was sensational so I called. I found out who he was with. It was Acuff-Rose Agency in Nashville and I called them & they said,"Sure, he'd love to come down there!" and I said,"How much is it gonna be?" and it was $600!

LAUGHTER

Dave:WOO! That was big money!

Wally: That was a world of money!

Buddy: $600. Even then I thought it was a bargain. He came down. In those days, big artists traveled with like a guitar player & a music director and they did. Fred Carter was his guitar player and they told me,"Does your band read?"

"Well, of course!"

They didn't read music!

LAUGHTER

Wally: I read in that article about you that they DID read music!They said that they DID read!

Buddy: They full of crap!

LAUGHTER

Buddy: They might have learned over years of osmosis...

LAUGHTER "GO AHEAD BUDDY!"

Buddy: They were just country boys, played by ear as most session players at that time were...The guys in Muscle Shoals, I betcha none of those guys, maybe some of 'em did, the horn players and stuff but most guitar players don't read.So I said,"Sure! They READ!"So they said,"We're gonna bring down some arrangements."Well, immediately we go to the Dothan Recreation Center and start rehearsing and John Rainey Adkins, one of my guitar heroes, & one of the guys that, he passed on, God bless him, we practiced and practiced and John Rainey, he would play a record backwards or slow it down to the slowest spead and learn parts and to make a long story short, by the time Orbison came to town, these guys sounded like his records!

Dave: Wow!

Buddy: They had it down! So he came, got on stage for rehearsal. So he said,"Y'all boys read?""SURE!"So he handed them all this music, you know...

LAUGHTER

Buddy: And so they counted off,"One,two, three, four

[Buddy imitating Orbison]"I was all right for a while!"
RIGHT! So at the end of the song, Orbison said,"God O' Mighty!"

LAUGHTER

Buddy: "God O' Mighty! That sounds great!"

LAUGHTER

Buddy: He's a country boy from Wink, Texas, a small town, like we were small town guys from Dothan, Alabama.

Ronnie: Wink, Texas.

Buddy: Yeah, close to Odessa.

Ronnie: Yeah. I used to live out there.

Buddy: Yeah, did you really? I played a lot of joints out there.

Ronnie: I lived in San Angelo.

Buddy: Did ya?

Ronnie: Yeah.

Buddy: & Orbison, by the end of the night, by the time he left Dothan, we'd become friends and it led from there. He came back, played another show, finally he said,"Man, I'd love to take this band on the road!"I said,"You're not taking that band on the road unless you take me!!!!"

LAUGHTER

Dave: Oh, that's right!

LAUGHTER

Buddy: I had a '55 Chevrolet and we piled into it. Bobby Goldsboro was the rhythm guitar player!

Ronnie: Oh, man!

Buddy: We all piled into my '55 Chevrolet and went on the road with Roy Orbison!

Ronnie: Wow!

Wally: You were his road manager, right?

Buddy: I was his road manager and he is...I gotta say; I've said it in other interviews and things; there's no telling how many times I saw him perform.There was never a time when I saw him perform that the hair didn't stand up on my arm!

WOW!YEAH!

Buddy: & he was one of the sweetest human beings you would ever meet. He had a song one time called "If You Can't Say Something Nice, Don't Say Anything At All".That's pretty much the motto he lived by. I never heard him say anything bad about anybody else.He was just one of those guys that did not deserve all...First of all, the lack of attention he got!Everybody thinks of Roy Orbison as being a huge artist during that period. He was huge in England but in America, he had hit records but concert-wise, he was just another Joe & nobody like him deserves what happened. He lost his children in fire. He lost his wife when he was riding down the road on motorcycles.They went out motorcycle riding together & he was in the lead and he looked back and she wasn't there and the reason she wasn't there was because a guy ran a stop sign and killed her instantly.

Ronnie: That's horrible! Didn't know that...

Buddy: So that's his life. You know about his children burning up, didn't you?

NO!

Buddy: He had a house out by Johnny Cash on Hendersonville Lake in Nashville and they were playing with matches or something and I think their nanny was with them and the house burned to the ground.

Dave: Oh, goodness!

Buddy: With the children in it.

Ronnie: Oh, my God!

Buddy: So he lived a tragic, tragic life.

Wally: Why'd he wear those sunglasses?

Buddy: Well, Roy was... you know there are stories that say he started wearing them in Dothan. Is that what you're referring to?

Wally: I just noticed he always had dark sunglasses on.

Buddy: Yeah, dark sunglasses, I always heard he never wore them until, somebody else told me this, he never wore them before and I don't remember it but somebody told me this that when he was in Dothan, he lost his clip-on sunglasses and he had to buy a pair and he liked himself in sunglasses.He was virtually blind. His glasses were thick like plate glass.Roy was white. His hair was just white as snow when he was a kid. He dyed that hair. It'd get white. I've seen him.Oh, I could gush about him for hours!

Ronnie: Well, there was the special, "Black & White". What a great show!

Buddy: Wasn't that great!

Ronnie: Unbelievable!

Buddy: I wrote with him right after that and that's another tragic thing about his death.All of his life, he'd not really had all the adulation the he deserved. He didn't know that Bruce Springsteen thought he was "GOD"!

YEAH!

Buddy: He didn't know this. All these people...How they felt about him.

Ronnie: So that was a big moment for him.

Buddy: It was HUGE for him! & finally, his idol was Elvis, and finally he got a little of that Elvis type attention...

UM,,HUM

Buddy: & then right after that he came to Atlanta and wrote with Ronnie Hammond and I. We had a song called "Awesome Love". Roy called me and said,"Man, I love your song "Awesome Love". I wanna come down and put my touch to it."I said, "Come on!"So he came to Atlanta, stayed there at my house for three or four days and that's the last time I saw him. He died not long after that.

Dave: My Goodness!

Buddy: It was heartbreaking.

Ronnie: Yeah.

Dave: Along with the travels with Roy Orbison, you also had a brush with the Beatles, didn't you?

Buddy: No, I didn't.

Dave: O.K.

Buddy: You know a lot of people get that wrong. I didn't!
The Band Did! The band went with Orbison to England and Robert Nix and one of the other guys, they were at a club there and they met McCartney & Lennon in the bathroom.

LAUGHTER

Dave: Great place to meet 'em!

Buddy: & John Rainey said, " I didn't know what to say! There was John Lennon!"

LAUGHTER

Wally: & then they wrote "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window"!

LAUGHTER

Buddy: That's pretty good there!

Dave: You gotta watch him, Buddy!

Buddy: I wasn't there. Lot of times people interpret it that I was there but I wasn't. The band was there and they came back with all kind of stories!

Wally: Buddy Buie's our guest this morning! We're gonna take a short break and we'll be right back!