image courtesy of http://www.georgiamusicstore.com/artist/P1799/

In the liner notes for Royal’s Now and Then…Then and Now album, producer and fellow Georgia Music Hall of Fame Inductee Buddy Buie, said of Royal:

“He amazed me with his unique vocal style and his ability to perform daring vocal gymnastics without sounding mechanical.

He was always soulful.”

Re: Were You From Dear Lanier or Robert E. Lee.... I Don't Recollect....

Robert,
yes you have the right Tommy. Lanier is correct.
I only have a 
minute right now but will correspond later to fill you in on several 
common threads we share from the last 40 years..
especially the music 
business.
Great hearing from you,
Tommy Browning.

From a http://tuscaloosanews.com
thread where people are explaining their nicknames-

Hiplib

"I was in a political discussion in a bar, I think the Chukker, with
a fellow who's initials are RR. RR is definately the conservative
republican type. Because I disagreed with him on whatever we were
talking about, I don't even remember what it was now, he called me a
hippy dippy liberal. He probably called me this another 20 times or
so and I said "So f***ing what"? I'd rather be a hippy dippy liberal
than an a**hole. The name just kinda stuck after that. "

The Old Man:

Thank you so much for the consideration.
Bless dah Lloyd, I showl be needin' it.

I gave one CD to Ronnie Quarles who is General Manager of WTBC-AM http://wtbc1230.com/
They have Wally & Dave's Morning Show ( 6 till 9 Central, Mon.- Fri.) and Tiger Jack's Oldies Show on Saturday morning ( 9 till 12).
Let's see if we can set up telephone interviews with Billy Joe for those two shows.

I gave Jaybird at Catfish Country a CD.http://www.catfish1029.com/id55.html
He recalled how BURNS LIKE A ROCKET died after Challenger.
Dave of Wally & Dave is also a DJ on Catfish Country so we ought to do good with them & they'll be interested in setting up telephone interviews.

Johnny Sisty owns both stations and he's friends with B.J. Thomas.

I gave Keith LaCoste at Clear Channel the third CD. I left it at his office but he's an old friend of mine so I'll push him to get it on http://www.98txt.com/main.html

Thanks fo' the help.
It couldn't have come at a better time.
You messed up the address though.
You addressed the package

Robert Register
Pake Realty Boulevard
Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35401

Our postman (MEAN GENE: an incredible rock guitarist with TOUCH OF GRAY)
caught it inside the post office when he heard people going "Where the fuck is Pake Realty Boulevard?"
so I got the package.

best,
rr

Hey y'all:

Got two important phone calls yesterday during halftime of Bama's tragic loss to the Bulldogs.

Alison Heafner
To hear Alison click http://myspace.com/alisonheafner
TO BUY ALISON HEAFNER'S LATEST C.D. SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER FOR $17.95 TO ALISON HEAFNER P.O.BOX 1932 BATESVILLE,MS 38606! LET'S ROCK THIS EARTH FOR ALL IT'S WORTH!!!!!


First I talked to Robert Nix about Alison Heafner's upcoming gig at Miz Newby's on Panama City Beach for Thunder Beach on Friday- September 28, Saturday- September 29 and Sunday- September 30

image courtesy of http://www.thunderbeachproductions.com

Miz Newby's plans on parking 2500 motorcycles in their parking lot for Alison's performances. Nix has some big plans for recording this event which promises to have a major impact upon Alison's career.
This girl's act is a perfect fit for the biker audience.
No way I'll be able to make Friday night's gig but y'all look out fo' me outside on the dance floor at Miz Newby's Sattiddee nite, September 29!

The other call I got during halftime was from The Old Man- Paul Cochran http://paulcochran.com
Paul let me know that Billy Joe Royal continues to draw audiences each week across the country.
Here's his most recent itinerary:
09/15/07 Jena, LA
09/22/07 Dublin, GA
09/29/07 Pigeon Forge, TN Appearing with B.J. THOMAS in the 1500 seat Country Tonite Theatre

10/05/07 Mesquite, NV
10/06/07 Abbeville, LA
10/12/07 Lewisburg, TN
10/13/07 Renfro Valley, KY
10/19/07 Dothan, AL @ COWBOYS
10/26/07 Hardeeville, SC
10/27/07 Ladson, SC
11/02/07 Garden City, SC

Billy Joe is still selling out tickets to all his performances but he also needs to sell his latest CD called GOING BY DAYDREAMS which will be in stores by the middle of next month.

image courtesy of http://www.myspace.com/officialbillyjoeroyal

GOING BY DAYDREAMS will go into stores around October 15 but it is now available by mail from Billy Joe's myspace site or from his page on B.J. Thomas' website http://www.bjthomasmusic.com/billy-joe-royal.htm

Please go to both these sites to hear this superb collection of some of Billy Joe Royal's finest work.
If you see fit, please purchase the CD & encourage anyone on the Internet to link to the two sites above & have any journalist interested in interviewing Billy Joe to contact me & I'll arrange for Billy Joe to talk with them.

This is really important to our future here in ZERO, NORTHWEST FLORIDA so take a little time out of your busy day to give Billy Joe Royal's recording career a little push!

This cat has an absolutely flawless delivery and Billy Joe's voice seems to grow more beautiful as he grows older. He has a natural feel for what sounds right & he never misses a note.
These days Billy Joe Royal goes by the label of a Country artist but he brings along with that package 50 years of Rock & Roll, Gospel and Rhythm & Blues influences.
Billy Joe Royal is a master at doing exactly what he does best:
BEING BILLY JOE ROYAL!






JOE BILLY Singing his 1969 hit CHERRY HILL PARK at Bull Shoals Theatre in August '04 courtesy of http://bullshoalstheater.com/billy-joe-royal/
Click here to see more of Billy Joe Royal and listen to "Down In The Boondocks", "Cherry Hill Park" and others http://bullshoalstheater.com/billy-joe-royal/

"Joe Billy is one of the best guys around.
You've never known a person so unencumbered with celebrity.
Loves a good joke, or story, and is the type of guy that wishes well of everyone,and was an inspiration to me.
Not just for how he could sing but for how he treated people."
Rockin' Rodney Justo

Here's what Billy Joe had to say about his days before he was a successful recording artist when he was the featured performer Buddy Livingston & the Versitones (Versatiles?) at Savannah's Bamboo Ranch:

“When you’re young and your voice is just developing, if you sing five hours a night, six nights a week, you’re going to improve. We’d book in these big names like the Isley Brothers and
Sam Cooke, and I got the chance to know these people and watch them. When somebody did
something I thought was really cool, I had all this time on stage to work on it. You know, if they
had a spin or a vocal inflection, I’d just practice it until I got it right. I’d take whatever I liked,
whatever worked, and I just stored everything.”

It looks like that great Buie/Nix/Daughtry tune SO INTO YOU
is about to be recorded by the cat who sang it in the Bill Murray film LOST IN TRANSLATION.
Check this out:

From: Buddy Buie

Date: September 21, 2007 10:09:35 AM CDT

To: markwillms@yahoo.com

Subject: so into you

Mark, Robert Register informs me that you want my permission to record SO INTO YOU. FYI.......You don't need my

permission.
I was thrilled to see you perform our song in LOST IN TRANSLATION and would be proud to have you

re-record it.
Just apply for a licensee from Sony-ATV Music and they are obligated to grant it.

Good Luck,

Buddy Buie

Check out the incredible talent of Canada's piano man, Mark Willms http://www.myspace.com/markwillms

Our Dothan High & Young Junior partner/guitar slinger, Frank Tanton,http://www.myspace.com/thebopcats
has discovered an incredible blues guitar talent in Canadian John Findlay.
Take a few to check him out. I've been stuck on his myspace page for two days now. http://www.myspace.com/johnfindlaymusic
Hey John, we down South but most uv us know how it is WAY DOWN IN THE COLD!

Received an incredible email with attachments from former Atlanta Rhythm Section bassist Paul Goddard.


Atlanta Rhythm Section, left to right: Ronnie Hammond, Dean Daughtry, Barry Bailey, Robert Nix, Paul Goddard, J.R. Cobb

Paul has had successful spinal surgery so his health is improving even though he only has about 15 % of his right arm but he can still play his old Stratocaster.
Paul wanted to add another chapter to the sad story of Little Bobby Peterson.
After THE CANDYMEN became independent of Roy Orbison, Paul & Little Bobby played together for a year & a half in the backup band for Roy called St. John & The Cardinals.
Here's some images Paul sent us:


Linda Blair & Paul Goddard (Nix claims Linda spit up guacamole on him ,a la THE EXORCIST, when she attempted to kiss him)

Paul sent us this image of a group who actually played gigs & posed as THE ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (I guess they eliminated Barry's guitar solo in SPOOKY & went back to the Classics IV version with a sax solo)

If ya get a chance, check out Ken Burns' THE WAR on PBS http://www.pbs.org/thewar/
& THE HILLBILLYS
, a two hour documentary narrated by Billy Ray Cyrus on the History Channel.
http://www.independentmail.com/news/2007/sep/21/oconee-county-moonshiner-featured-history-channel/

Please let me hear from you before I take off for the beach on Friday and support ALL of ZERO, NORTHWEST FLORIDA'S musicians!

best,
rr http://myspace.com/robertoreg