This sketch I made years ago of my old wore out boots that I had pulled off and left in the floor of some lonely Hotel room in the 60's or 70's always reminds me of how I started in this business... of music and what I gave up to achieve some level of success in it. ain't no quit in a good hillbilly, harder it gets harder we try....no whining to the guvment about hand outs....just get the heck out of the way and let us go. Been doing it all my adult life, which would be since I was about 15 I reckon, and I turned 76 this last March and working harder than ever. Ask Ann Stuckey about giving up....after Nat died and she became a widow several years ago, she didn't give up, she just kept on keepin' on. Ask Rolene Brumley what it has been like after Tom passed away way, way too soon. Hard times have always been a part of the music business because a musician or artist or songwriter is dependent on the fans of their music to support them and allow them to grow and prosper. There are no parachutes or big money bailouts for entertainers...we spend our lives giving our heart and soul to an audience that may or may not appreciate it, trying to make a little bit of savings to take care of the loved ones, always living by our wits and what talent we have to turn that into hard cash to feed the family. Now, I am not complaining, mind you, all entertainers pretty well knew this when they got into the business in the era of classic country music, and I wouldn't trade the years of good music we made for any amount of money, I just want to point out that the glamour of the entertainment industry, at some point, gives way to the reality of real life, and sometimes that is quite a shocker. Entertainers for the most part have no golden parachute, retirement plan, or guaranteed easy life in their later years, no gold watch for years of service, but what they do have is the joy of spending a life at something they love. I have friends that I grew up with that have been retired for 20 or 30 years...I cannot imagine that happening, in fact I never had a thought about retiring, it just wasn't something most entertainers do. Ernest Tubb wanted to work til he died in the back of his bus, and almost made it that far, Roy Acuff the same, Buck Owents still loved it til the day he passed....I guess the point I am making is that a life spent in entertainment is not something you do as a job, it's something you do because you have to do it, it spills out of you and you can't hold it back. Then, one day, you stop and you say, "Ok, I guess this is what I'm supposed to do", and you do it out of the love of the craft. I made that decision in August of 1961, when I signed the contract with Columbia Records and cut my first record in Nashville. My first recording session was at radio station KWTO in Springfield, MO, a gospel album to benefit the Good Samaritan Boys Ranch, and that was 1959, but that was different, it was just something I did for the love of the music and the boys at the Ranch and without thought that this is what I would do the rest of my life. The contract in 1961 changed all that, and required a serious lifestyle and career direction, and I guess I knew even then that I was in it for the long haul, no matter what. Well, the "no matter what" has been a life that I couldn't even imagine or dream about then, and looking back on all those years, there was a lot that I had to "give up", but so much more that I got to experience and grow into through the years. You give up any sense of security, but gain a wealth of emotional highs and triumphs that a regular lifestyle could never match. I knew Nat Stuckey and Tom Brumley very well, and loved them both and I know from our association and sharing of music that they were exactly where they wanted and needed to be, doing what they loved and doing it so very well. They both left a legacy of such superior artistry and legions of fans that were touched by their music. So, then, that is the final security for us who spend our lives in pursuit of music, the security of knowing that you followed where your heart led you, you had an impact on many lives that did care what you were pouring out to them in song or music, and, ultimately, that is enough. A person with the gift of music has to share it, there is no other way. Those of us who had the experience of a good life partner who understood what was driving us, and loved us anyway, and chose a music life alongside their musician, they are the real heroes of this business. To them all I say thank you for the sacrifice of sharing your mate, thank you for being there for us as an anchor in the storm, for because of you your life partner was able to enrich the lives of so many. God bless the widows who carry on when the song is gone. For you are worthy of much praise. -Stan
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