Interview for Really Rockabilly

Here's an interview I did for the Really Rockabilly website.

RR: When was your band formed?

Bobby: Billy and I moved to Austin in the summer of 1996 and put together the first incarnation with Derek Peterson on rhythm guitar and Alberto Telo on drums.

RR: Did you know then what style you were going to play?

Bobby: We were playing blues and rockabilly when we were living in Beaumont. But when we met Shaun Young he really encouraged us to do harmony stuff. So we decided to go in that direction.

RR: How did you achieve that authentic sound? Was it natural or you worked hard for it?

Bobby: A lot of people ask us that question and it’s kind of a hard one to answer. I just think that we’re influenced by a lot of the older stuff and that’s how we try to play. As far as my guitar playing goes, I just try to keep it simple.

RR: Could you name some of your major influences as musicians?

Bobby: For me, my guitar influences are Grady Martin, Jimmy Lee Fautheree, Scotty Moore, James Burton, Jimmie Vaughan, and Dave LeRoy Biller. As far as singin’ goes, we’re really into Jimmy & Johnny, The York Brothers, Rusty and Doug Kershaw, The Everly Brothers, The Louvin Brothers, and the Sparkletones.

RR: Have you and your music changed since your first lp was released?

Bobby: I think so. Our first record was recorded at the end of our time in Beaumont. So it was a transitional period for us. I think the main difference is that we’ve improved as musicians.

RR: What was the push point for your moving to Austin?

Bobby: Well, I wrote a fan letter to Shaun Young of High Noon. And he was kind enough to call me on the phone. I found out that his wife is from the Beaumont area so I had a chance to meet them when they visited the area. Before we said goodbye he said “let me know if you guys ever want to record at Jet-Tone Studios”. So we drove up a few months later and recorded a bunch of songs with Shaun drumming for us. (Our version of Joe Clay’s “Did You Mean Jelly Bean?” was released on a Crazy Love compilation). After another visit to Austin we decided to move here.

RR: It seems, Shaun Young became almost an essential member of your band, one of Horton Brothers. Is it so?

Bobby: Shaun definitely played a pivotal role in our careers. He’s a fantastic songwriter and singer and we’re still fortunate enough to pick with him.

RR: What are advantages and disadvantages about living in Austin?

Bobby: The advantages would be that Austin is open to hearing original material. You can play whatever you want and you’re not shackled down to just playing covers. And there are so many talented musicians in this town that it keeps you on your toes. Seeing all of these great players is inspiring and it forces you to become a better player. The disadvantages would be that it’s getting way too expensive to live here. Developers are trying to turn Austin into another Houston or Dallas. Luckily, there’s still live music in this town but it seems like it’s being threatened more and more lately. If it gets too bad, maybe we’ll all move out to some small town in west Texas or out to New Mexico and start our own little musician’s town.

RR: Are there many bands playing authentic rockabilly in Austin nowadays?

Bobby: There’s never been a huge rockabilly scene here. But that’s okay—all we’re lookin’ for is an audience that likes what we’re playing.

RR: Do you think if there is any future for that music? Many bands bring something new to it. So can it happen that one day there is going to be only a shadow of traditional rockabilly music of 50s?

Bobby: I’ve always felt that rockabilly is a valid genre just like jazz, rock and roll, blues, punk, etc. I think that it will continue just because there’s always a younger generation that clues into this kind of music.

RR: Do you have permanent linup for your shows?

Bobby: We try to work with our core unit—myself on guitar, Billy on upright bass, and Buck Johnson on drums. But there are times when Buck can’t play the gig so we usually hire Bobby Trimble on drums. We also hire an extra soloist when we can, too. We’ve worked with Dave LeRoy Biller a lot. We’ve also done a couple of shows with TK Smith on guitar.

RR: Does T Jarrod Bonta play with you at live performances, or we have chance to hear his piano playing only on your recordings?

Bobby: T’s fantastic and we try to hire him as much as we can. He’s definitely in demand so we can’t always use him. But we’ve done a couple of tours with him and he plays with us a couple of times a month on our Roots Tuesday show.

RR: You are backing up other singers at Roots Tuesday Night every week. Whose idea was it to set up that kind of show?

Bobby: Dale Watson approached us and asked if we’d be interested in putting together a weekly show. He told us that we could hire whoever we wanted to. So we’ve been fortunate enough to back up a lot of talented musicians and singers here in Austin. We’ve worked with Nick Curran, Bear, Miss Lauren Marie, Shaun Young, Mike Barfield, Jim Stringer, Roger Wallace, Benny Peters, Joey Simeone, Derek Bossanova, and Jimmie Vaughan.

RR: You've made a great album with Dave Leroy Biller! How long do you know each other? Are any more materials coming in the future?

Bobby: Thank you! I met Dave around 1997. He’s such a great guitar picker. He can play many different styles and do them all extremely well. We’re planning on recording another Biller & Horton CD very soon.

RR: You had five years break between your recordings as Horton Brothers. Was it because you were not ready for it or just lack of time?

Bobby: We don’t feel the need to release CD’s just for the heck of it. We’re not a touring band so it doesn’t really make sense to release something every year. But now that we’re playing a weekly gig we might try to put something together.

RR: Have you other interests besides the music?

Bobby: I enjoy long walks in the park, boating, etc. (Just kidding.) I’m into animation—I tried to animate a couple of things. I’m not that good at it but it was fun to give it a shot. I also like graphic design. I’m thinking about designing the next Biller & Horton cover. And I’m fascinated with technology. Billy calls me “gadget boy”. I’m impressed with all kinds of electronics and computer stuff.

RR: You have played in Europe several times at the biggest festivals. Can you see the difference between European and American hillbilly/rockabilly scene?

Bobby: Festivals are always a blast just because there are so many people. And they’re always there to have a good time and check you out.

RR: Do you have any plans to play in Europe again?

Bobby: I’m waiting for the phone to ring! Or they can send me an email.

RR: Thanks for your time and keeping the rockabilly music alive!

Bobby: Thanks for asking us to do this interview!

Ronnie Dawson

These photos are from the Continental Club in 1996--right before we moved to town.

(Left to right: Kevin Smith, Sean Mencher, Me, Lisa Pankratz, Billy Horton, Ronnie Dawson. Kneeling: Shaun Young)

(Ronnie Dawson and Kevin Smith)

"North To Dallas" Live In Vegas

The Big Bopper Movie

I went to a Big Bopper benefit concert in Beaumont back in 1989. (Oddly enough, it was the first time I got to see the Fabulous Thunderbirds in person.) They unveiled the bust of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and local hero the Big Bopper. Buddy Holly's widow was there and so was the Big Bopper's son, Jay Perry Richardson. At that time, he announced that they were finally going to make a movie about his dad's life. I remember thinking how great that was and wondering how I could actually get in the movie.

A few years went by and I moved up to Austin and never really heard anything else about the movie. Well, until a few days ago. They are trying to get this thing out by February 3, 2009--the 50th anniversary of the infamous plane crash that killed these three musicians. The title of the film is "The Day The Music Died". You can check out the website by clicking here. The website says that production started back in December but the truth of the matter is that the main investor backed out due to personal reasons and the project is on hold.

Let's hope that this movie "gets it right". Was I the only person who was annoyed that Gary Busey was playing a late 60's Strat in "The Buddy Holly Story"? How do you mess that up? And they even had a scene where Buddy punches Nashville record producer Owen Bradley. That scene didn't sit well with Sonny Curtis. The Austin Chronicle did a cover story on Curtis a few years ago. You can read it for yourself over at the Austin Chronicle website. (Can you believe that Curtis actually made the COVER that month?!?)

I understand that they're trying to make a Hollywood movie and not a documentary. But I just think they need to tell the story accurately. The Big Bopper's son is involved in this project so there is hope. The one disturbing line on the movie's website says "As the Bopper was really an early rapper, we hope to have one of today's popular rappers cover 'Chantilly Lace' to appeal to the younger audience." Let's hope that doesn't happen!

Oh, just in case you missed it--they exhumed the Big Bopper's body in Beaumont last year at the request of his son. He had them perform an autopsy to put to rest the rumors that the Big Bopper had survived the crash for a short time since his body was found quite a distance from the others in the plane. And there has always been a rumor that someone may have been shot since Buddy Holly reportedly carried a gun on the plane. No bullet wounds were found on the Big Bopper.

They moved his grave site to the corner of the cemetery there in Beaumont and have plans to erect a statue in his honor.

Lefty Frizzell

Corsicana, Texas--not exactly a "vacation destination" when visiting the Lone Star state. But I decided to stop off in this small town to check out the statue of Lefty Frizzell.

I had spent Christmas in Dallas that year and took the back roads between Big D and Beaumont.


Unfortunately, the museum was closed due to the holiday so I didn't get to poke around in there. So I just took a couple of pics of the Lefty Frizzell statue and went on my way.

California Tour, 1998

This one's for Dave Stuckey! We hit the road in 1998 to do a little west coast tour with the Hot Club of Cowtown. This pic was taken outside of Tio Leo's in San Diego after the show.

(Back row, l to r: Me, Dave Stuckey, Lisa Pankratz, Big Sandy, Southpaw Johnny, Wayne Hancock, Carl Sonny Leyland, T Jarrod Bonta, Billy Horton, Jeremy "JW" Wakefield. Kneeling, l to r: Elana James, Whit Smith, Derek Peterson.)

A few days later we made our way up to San Francisco where we played at Cafe du Nord. Here's what we sounded like on July 3, 1998.

Hee Haw Steel Guitar

I know this one's going to irk some people. I got this Fender steel guitar from a guy in Alabama a few years ago. He told me that he got it from a lady who was a cast member of Hee Haw. This steel guitar was used on the show. I guess her husband wanted to learn to play steel so she got it for him. As you can see, it was painted red and blue "sunburst". It looks like they just took a couple of cans of spray paint and did it themselves--hillbilly style! I hope there weren't any close ups 'cause it was a pretty poor, Earl Scheib-type paint job. Actually, it was more like a Johnny Bench, Krylon paint job.

Here's the irk'er--I went ahead and stripped it down and had it painted a nice blonde color. Is that bad? Well, at least I still have the before pictures.

Does anyone know who actually played this steel? I heard that it could've been Maurice Anderson or Curly Chalker.

Curtis Gordon

I got to see Curtis Gordon at Viva Las Vegas in 1999. But--even cooler than that--I had a chance to sit down and have a chat with him in his hotel room. We were staying at the Orleans that year and I noticed him checking in. I said, "check it out--it's Curtis Gordon!"

So I called the front desk and they connected me to his room. He told us he was going to take a nap but we could stop by for a visit after that. I went up to his room with my brother Billy, piano player T Jarrod Bonta, and Pete Hakonen of Goofin' Records.

Curtis was full of Southern hospitality and--for the next hour or so--regaled us with stories about his career. He told us about his close relationship with Ernest Tubb and about recording in Houston with Herb Remington. Afterwards, he signed a few things for us and we thanked him for the chat.

He was a true gentleman and told us that if we ever made it to Georgia we should give him a call. Oh, and we were instructed to "bring something to eat and we'll cook it up"!

Me & Chuck

Well, I didn't actually meet Chuck Berry. I was on tour with Deke Dickerson in 1999 and we had a show in St. Louis. We were having dinner before the show when--all of the sudden--Chuck Berry strolls by on his way out of the restaurant. We all followed him outside to see if we could meet him. I rushed back to the van to grab my camera while Deke was getting Chuck's signature on a five dollar bill--which Chuck jokingly tried to pocket! When I came back, Deke told me "Chuck says we can take all the pictures we want but he's not going to pose with us!" So we went ahead and took a few quick snapshots and I didn't shake his hand or anything. Heck, I didn't even acknowledge him! We just took our pics and left him on the curb while he waited for them to bring his car around.

Louisiana Trip

My brother and I made a trip to Louisiana a few years ago to visit a couple of places we hadn't been to before. First up was a stop in Lake Charles, LA, to find Eddie Shuler's Goldband Records. Eddie was dead by this time and there was a "do not disturb the residence" sign so we were only able to take a picture of the outside of the place.


After that we continued on to Crowley to visit JD Miller's son, Mark. We stopped by his CD shop and started chatting with him. Once he figured out why we were there (and that we were musicians who appreciated his dad's recordings), he took us upstairs and let us look through a room full of records. There was a small room off to the side filled with the original master tapes of artists like Slim Harpo, Larry Brasso, Pee Wee Trahan, etc! The room wasn't air conditioned and the tapes weren't stored properly. But according to Mark, "a guy" from Europe already went through and made digital files of all the tapes to preserve them.

Fish, Teddy!

Back in 1998, we did a west coast Horton Brothers tour. I ended up taking my truck because we were splittin' the tour with the Hot Club of Cowtown. So it was myself, T Jarrod Bonta, and Derek Peterson crammed into my truck. Somewhere along the way we picked up a cassette (remember those?) of Ole Rasmussen and the Nebraska Cornhuskers. We wore that thing out. Sure, they were basically a rip of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys but they were top-notch. Their singer, Teddy Wilds, was a mighty fine singer and the band was pretty happenin' too. We were hooked (no pun intended) on songs like "We're Gonna Go Fishin'" ("fish, Teddy"!), "Ramblin' Blues", and "Did The Man In The Moon Come From Texas".

A couple of years later, I tracked down the group's steel player, Billy Tonnesen, and gave him a call. He was still residing in Southern California and was more than willing to chat with me. So I called up my pals--Dave "Pappy" Stuckey and Jeremy "JW" Wakefield--and we set up a visit with Mr. Tonnesen. We spent the better part of an afternoon listening to him tell stories from the time he spent with Ole Rasmussen.

A few months later--in April of 2000--JW and I decided to drop in on Billy again and check out his steel guitar.

This is me pickin' on this beautiful instrument. It's a custom made job that looks like a cross between an early Rickenbacker and a Bigsby steel guitar.

This is a picture of Billy Tonnesen (shoeless!) playing us a tune on his steel guitar.


And here's a clip of Rasmussen and band backing up Tommy Duncan. Billy's playing his custom steel guitar in this one.

Swamp Pop

If you're not hip to swamp pop...well, you should be! I grew up in Southeast Texas and--to me--it was another genre of music. It wasn't until I moved away from the area that I realized how regional the sound was.

A lot of people only think of Zydeco music when they think of Louisiana music that originates anywhere outside of New Orleans. But the truth is, there were a lot of French Acadian kids all over South Louisiana and Southeast Texas that were hugely influenced by R&B and guys like Fats Domino. But when they tried to emulate their idols it came out as something totally different.

The Europeans have been "in the know" for quite some time. Reissues by labels like Flyright and Ace have been around for years. So if you see a comp you should pick it up. You won't be sorry that you did.

(Above: Willie Tee, Warren Storm, and Me)

A lot of these guys are still around and they play on a fairly regular basis. I've gone back home a couple of times to catch Warren Storm at Larry's French Market in Port Arthur, Texas. It's always a good time and he still sounds fantastic. We chatted for quite awhile about his early days with Larry Brasso (a fantastic honky tonker from Lafayette) and his drumming influences. He told me that there was no bass player in Brasso's band. I, of course, asked "why not?" and Warren said "because we didn't know anyone with a bass". He also said that there are no recordings of this early version of Brasso's band because nobody had any recording equipment in that area at the time!

We talked about his drumming idol--Charles "Hungry" Williams--as well. And (after a bit of badgering) I talked him into drumming during his next set. He said he's getting too old but he sounded fantastic to me. Afterwards, he said "Bobby, you're trying to kill me". But I appreciated him honoring my request to drum and sing at the same time 'cause I think he has a very distinct Louisiana drumming style.

Long live Warren Storm!

Patsy Cline

This picture appeared in a Johnny Horton Memorial Fan Club book. It was sent in by Mabel Samland. I don't really have a story to go along with this one. I just wanted to share this picture with you because I haven't seen it published anywhere else.

Johnny Horton--Live in Waco--75 Cents!

If you're like me, you dig Johnny Horton! We were playing in San Jose, California, several years ago when one of Johnny's distant relatives came up to us and introduced herself. She said that she had some memorabilia and told us she'd mail it to us. And--sure enough--she sent us a nice package of goodies. So I thought I'd share this newspaper clipping with you. (Note: that's actually Tomlinson on the left and Franks on the right.) Enjoy!

Roots Tuesday, January 2008

We play every Tuesday night at a place called Ginny's Little Longhorn here in Austin, TX. We back up different people that we've worked with over the years. This is a good month--Shaun Young made an appearance and later this month we'll be backing up Mike Barfield and T Jarrod Bonta. Oh, and the usual suspects--Bear and Miss Lauren Marie--will be takin' turns this month as well.