RIP Glenn Barber

I was really looking forward to playing steel guitar for Glenn Barber in Las Vegas in a couple of weeks. But--as fate would have it--Glenn passed away on March 28th. For those of you who haven't heard of Glenn Barber, do yourself a favor and pick up the various compilations that feature his songs. His Starday gems include "Shadow My Baby", "Ice Cold Water", and "Feelin' No Pain". He also penned the honky tonk classic "Yes, Ma'am, I Met Her In A Honky Tonk" which is still performed today by Miss Leslie and her Juke Jointers out of Houston.

I got to see Glenn perform in Green Bay, Wisconsin, last year and he sounded really good. His voice was still strong and it was a pleasure to hear him sing his songs. These are tunes that have been a staple of the rockabilly scene for many years now. It's always great when the artists are invited to play in front of an audience that really digs the songs they cut many moons ago.

I was looking forward to chatting with Glenn about the other musicians on his recordings. Perhaps this information is already available but I've never read a list of session musicians used on his recordings. Who's on steel? Is that Herb Remington? What about sax--Link Davis? If anyone knows, feel free to educate me.

First Concert

A lot of people remember their first concert--but how many people still have the ticket stub? My first concert was the Beach Boys--the opening acts were Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and Flash Kahan. Those guys released a record a few months later but they went nowhere fast. I think they were from Detroit.




Joan Jett was great. It was a few years after "I Love Rock'N'Roll" but the concert was really good. The Beach Boys were awesome--it was Mike Love, Carl Wilson, Al Jardine, and Bruce Johnston. Those were the core BB's. I also remember Ed Carter being in the band--and possibly Jeff Foskett.

The concert was sponsored by Dr. Pepper and Burger King.

Letter from Jerry Byrd

Jimmie Vaughan was telling me stories about Jerry Byrd last week and it got me to thinking about the time I wrote to him in 2002. I was going to be in Hawaii and was hoping to meet him and/or hear him play live while I was there. But--as you'll read in the letter--I was a few years too late.

When I returned home, I received this handwritten letter from my biggest steel guitar idol.

Extra Jimmies

We played with Jimmie Vaughan at the University of Texas in February 2008 for a Ron Paul rally. This is a video from that show.

Miss Lauren Marie "Your True Love"

More Roots Matinee footage--this time it's Miss Lauren Marie performing Carl Perkins' "Your True Love".

Jimmie Vaughan at Roots Matinee

"Lonesome Train" by Mike Barfield

This video is a bit dark but I thought you might enjoy it. Mike Barfield--the self-proclaimed "Tyrant of Everything"--is seen here at the Horton Brothers' Roots Matinee doin' Johnny Burnette's "Lonesome Train".

I Hear You Knockin' (Live)

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.