The character and kindness of the Classic Country Music heroes of the 40's, 50's and 60's, is what shaped the early careers of myself and many others of my generation. Simple kindness and giving a young fan a little time did the trick for me.
A Friday night in August, 1952-I was sixteen years old. Big country music show at the Shrine Mosque, Springfield, Missouri. Carl Smith, Little Jimmy Dickens were headlining, along with several local and regional groups. I had been saving the money I made in the hay fields, throwing bales of alfalfa hay up on the wagons, bucking them up into the loft of our barn, stacking them neatly to fill the hayloft...hot, sticky work, and worth every minute of it to get to go see my heroes. Got through early, showered off the hay grime, slipped into my clean jeans and t-shirt, and headed to Springfield.
I remember they had the show divided up into two separate shows, where the stars came out and did two appearances...with an intermission in between to sell pictures, records, cokes, hot dogs and popcorn. The first show was just great, I had clapped so hard my hands were sore...now it was break time...I eased toward the side of the stage, where I had noticed a steps and entrance up to the backstage area...I was drawn to it like a magnet. There was no guard, in those years, just ushers and they were all busy...I slipped up the stairs, came past the drawn curtain, made a left turn and there I was..backstage for the first time in my life. I took about six steps past a closed door, which then opened and I was standing, face to, uh, top of the cowboy hat, to Little Jimmy Dickens, who was just coming out of his dressing room, with his huge Gibson strapped around his shoulders. I blurted out, "Gosh, Mr. Dickens, that's sure a big guitar!", my first spoken words with a hero, what did you expect? Eloquence? Little Jimmy, stood there a minute, staring at this gawky, jug eared, beanpole of an Ozark hillbilly, and said, "Here, you want to hold it?" and proceeded to take it off his shoulders and put it around my skinny neck. I stood there, with Little Jimmy's Gibson, which really did feel like it weighed a ton at the time, although I had several of them years later and you get used to them. Jimmy and I stood there, him talking, me stammering something or other, and Carl Smith came over and joined the conversation, wanting to know where they could get something good to eat after the show, and talking about driving on back to Nashville to get there for the Saturday night Opry. I stood there, Gibson around my neck, soaking it all in, being included in an actual conversation with heroes. It was a Classic Country Moment Of Excellence, that, even then, was drawing me into what would be my life of Music.
1966-14 years later, Nashville, Tennessee, at the studios of Channel Five Television, taping one of my "Stan Hitchcock Show" segments. My guest, Little Jimmy Dickens. Again, I'm standing, face to cowboy hat, with a hero. "Jimmy", I said, "You were the first country music star that I ever met, when I was just 16 years old, and I remember, you let me hold that same big old Gibson." Jimmy, without missing a beat, slipped the guitar from off his shoulders, handed it to me and said, "Here, you want to hold it again?"
Getting to know a hero, as an actual person and a friend, that is the reward for this life of music....the relationships, the kindness shown, the caring enough to give a moment to a kid...it is a mentoring process that was passed down to my generation of Classic Country, by the Trailblazers who created this business, and now, seem to almost be forgotten, by today's big music biz moneymakers, except for a brief mention when they are finally gone. But, this gawky, jug eared, beanpole...that still resides inside this old shell, will never forget, and will always love the ones that came before...to light the way. Stan
No comments:
Post a Comment