Roberto,

I clearly remember how the Studio One thing started.

We had made a lot of records at the school house (Master Sound).
We sort of got into a bit of a row with Bob Richarderson. I don't really remember why exactly.

Anyhow, Buddy Buie hooked up with Maurice LeFevre at Sing Studios and we moved our whole production deals over there.We met our future engineer and partner, Rodney Mills and his assistant engineer , Ronnie Hammond there.We cut a few projects at Sing.(Le Fevre Sound).

One night Buddy picked me up in his new Lincoln and we got a tape measure and rode around. We ended up at an industrial complex that was really just a shell of a building. We pulled the car up to the front of one of the empty shells and put the headlights on two walls and a dirt floor. Then we did some various sundries and started measuring and dreaming about what a studio could be like in this dark hole.

Studio One was being born..We would hammer and set glass and as soon as possible start cutting tracks.

It was build, record , and get it right.

We built a major drum booth that we used on the first few albums and then moved the drums out in the big room. We built some great live echo chambers ( more stories on these later).

Studio One was a dream to have the creative freedom we had making records and developing the music the way we wanted.

Thanks to Buddy, Bill Lowery, J.R. Cobb, and Paul Cochran (the old man) we were able to achieve some great musical history.

Robert Nix.......................... 

 http://robertoreg.blogspot.com/2008_12_07_archive.html

Paul: We welcome you back. Couple of weeks ago I got a note from my good friend, Ronnie Quarles, who runs our affiliate WTBC in Tuscaloosa. He said he'd done a show with a fellow named Buddy Buie. He said it was one the great shows they'd ever done over there and he said,"You need to get Buddy Buie on."
I said,"We'll see if we can track him down," and now I'm looking across the table at Buddy Buie, who has had an extraordinary career and I must confess Buddy, I know the music but I didn't know the story and it's a great pleasure to talk to you.

Buddy: It's a pleasure to talk to you.

Paul: For those who...
& we're going to play some songs in a few minutes which are going to do more than ring a bell! They're going to resonate because they did with me. Pat Smith and I were going over some of your music today. You grew up in Dothan, Alabama and you got into music. You became one of the most accomplished songwriters of your era, putting together some incredible songs that were played by many groups and before we get into some of those incredible songs which will include "Spooky", "Traces of Love" and many others that are almost as well known, I'm curious. How did it begin?

Buddy: First of all let me say, thank you for inviting me and I'm mighty proud to be here. I was born in Dothan, Alabama [note: Buddy was actually born in Marianna, Florida but his family returned to Dothan while he was still an infant] and I always loved listening to the radio. I knew most of the songs...before....I knew them by their intros, you know.
So when I was in high school, I had some buddies. They had a little band and I'd hang out with them and they were real...kinda bashful and I was kinda outspoken so I helped them get jobs & stuff and one of the boy's names was Bobby Goldsboro.

LAUGHTER

& so anyway, I started writing the songs in high school because I would keep them to myself because I was a little ashamed to tell everybody. I was embarrassed.
"You don't write songs!"
"YES! I DO!"

But I'd write them in my head because I don't really play an instrument but I found a friend of mine in Dothan, Alabama, John Rainey Adkins. I finally got the nerve to tell him about my songs and he was the first one that didn't laugh. So he said,"Let's work out something."
So we'd sit in front of his house in a '56 Chevrolet and write songs. Well, to make a ...I'll try to speed this up.

From there I promoted shows too in the Dothan area and Roy Orbison came to Dothan and Roy and I became friends and he became friends with the boys in the band called The Webs.
One day he said, " I want to take this band on the road." and I said,"I'm not going to let you take that band on the road unless you take me with you!"
& so off we went to see the world!

I met Bill Lowery from Atlanta in 1965 and we had a hit with a young guy by the name of Tommy Roe and that kind of started things and I moved to Atlanta. Then in 1967, the producer of this group called THE CLASSICS IV took sick and they were doing one of my songs so I was..., by default, turned out to be their producer and they cut "Spooky".
"Spooky" later on became a very big song; was recorded by a lot of people.
Then we had "Stormy" & "Traces of Love" & "Everyday With You Girl", all those hits right in a row.

Paul: Why don't we listen and then talk about how it came together.

[they play a recording of "Spooky"]

So you did "Spooky" with THE CLASSICS IV. It was a big hit with THE CLASSICS IV.

Buddy: It was #2 in the country.

Paul: & then it became a hit with the Atlanta Rhythm Section.

Buddy: The Atlanta Rhythm Section recorded it and it became a big hit again and then David Sandborne, the great saxophonist, recorded it and it was a #1 "Jazz Instrumental".
It started as a jazz instrumental.

Paul: We were looking earlier today and this song's been done by a lot of folks.

Buddy: Yeah, it has.

LAUGHTER

We've been real fortunate there because a lot of people seem to like it and it seems to have a life of its own. It's been almost...
That long since it was recorded...

Paul: Do you have a personal favorite among the productions?

Buddy: I produced two of them.

LAUGHTER

Paul: That's a loaded question!

Buddy: CLASSICS IV & THE ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION so those are my favorites.

Paul: I want to hear THE ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION in a moment because I'm curious, in doing and having a huge hit in '68, with THE CLASSICS IV, how much later?

Buddy: I think we recorded in '80 with THE ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION. Yeah, we recorded it in 1980.

Paul: How much different was it?

Buddy: Not really that much different except the solo is not a sax solo, it's a guitar solo played by the great Barry Bailey that I thought was sensational and it was basically the same structure as the original record.

Paul: The one song, when I was listening to it this morning, I'm not just saying this...
because it's one of the great songs I grew up with & I think so many people when they hear it think,"That guy put this one together!"
Before we listen to it...
CLASSICS IV did it. So many people have done it. How many people have done....
Who else did "Traces" other than THE CLASSICS IV?

Buddy: Well you know, it was done by a lot of instrumental artists...the most recent was Gloria Estafan. We have had so many instrumentals, like everybody from Montovani to...gosh, you know, Paul, it's been recorded about 75 times!

Paul: & this song made the charts on two consecutive years- THE CLASSICS IV & THE LETTERMEN.

Buddy: I almost forgot the LETTERMEN record. That's right! Yes! THE LETTERMEN had a big record with it!

Paul: That's got to be pretty unusual, I mean, you see it in a different generation but the next year!

Buddy: I think the reason is two different audiences, you know, CLASSICS IV , "Top 40" & THE LETTERMEN were, at the time we called "Good Music". It's now called "Adult Contemporary".

Paul: Let's listen to one of my all time favorites, "Traces"

[play a recording of "Traces"]

Buddy Buie, tell me, is terms of putting this song together, what...
Depending on how old you are, it takes you back to another time but what does this song remind you of?

Buddy: This song,this lady who's sitting to my right,
was written for...

LAUGHTER

It was written about my wife and the song to me...
One of the proudest moments & comments I can make about this song is about ten years ago, Broadcast Music Incorporated, BMI, had their 50th Anniversary. Of all the songs in the complete catalog, "Traces" was the 34th most played song- #1 was "Yesterday". #49 was "My Way".

LAUGHTER

So we're in there with a lot of nice people. It was played so much. It was played on a cross section of radio stations from "Pop" to "Adult Contemporary", even "R & B", stations like that.

Paul: What did you think of the Gloria Estafan rendition?

Buddy: Well, I was tickled pink to have it!
She was pregnant when she did that, and I don't think they spent as much time as I'd like to see her take with it, but, hey, I'm grateful she recorded it! Very good move for us. She's a great singer.

Paul: Let's see how she did it.

[play a recording of Gloria Estafan's version of "Traces"]

Paul: I may be old fashioned. I think I'll take the earlier version.

Buddy: I'm not knocking it at all.

Paul: Buddy Buie is our guest, We'll also get to your phone calls later on , 1-866-741-7285.
There are so many great songs. We'll listen to that as well.
You also did a song about a fellow who once coached at the University of Alabama.
We'll talk about that as well as your phone calls as we roll on...

BREAK




 The second installment of Buddy Buie's 4/13/06 interview with Paul Finebaum:
http://finebaum.com

[begins with a recording of "Imaginary Lover"]

Paul: I'm afraid to ask you, Buddy, what you were thinking about when you wrote this one?

LAUGHTER

Buddy: The answer is, "YES!"

LAUGHTER

Paul: That takes a few of us back to high school, too!

LAUGHTER

Paul: Buddy Buie is our guest and his career is legendary. You're in a couple music hall of fames I was reading, of course, including the Alabama and the Georgia. That was the Atlanta Rhythm Section doing your song. I'm a writer of newspaper columns, not a writer of music. How in the world do you come up with the lyrics to some of the songs we've heard?

Buddy: Well, the songs...
The way I write songs; I am not a trained musician. I'm a guitar owner. I don't call myself a guitar player. I write with great musicians. I've always picked good musicians to write with. I'll come in and say,"O.K., I got this idea. Here's the idea," and I'd hum a little of the way I'd heard it. The guitar player or the keyboard guy would say," Hey, yeah! That sounds good! Let's try it!" and then he'll give me his ideas. The lyrics...
J.R. Cobb, who I wrote "Spooky", "Stormy", all the CLASSICS, "Traces"...
all the things we're listening to, he's a great guitar player. Dean Daughtry, the keyboardist for the Atlanta Rhythm Section, and Robert Nix, we wrote the songs "Imaginary Lover", "So Into You", "I'm Not Gonna Let It Bother Me Tonight" for the Atlanta Rhythm Section and so the way I write songs is like hunting and pecking on the typewriter. You know, you can write a pretty good sentence even if you do it with one finger, you know...

Paul: I've always wondered because, not that I've attempted to write a song but you'll be walking down the street or you'll be waking up & you'll be thinking...
Do you have a notepad by your bed?

Buddy: No.

Paul: Your wife's laughing here!

LAUGHTER

Paul: My thing, I'm very disorganized. I tell all my co-writers,"If it's not good enough to remember, it's not good enough to keep!" and I kinda live by that...

Paul: You don't fear you're gonna come up with...
You've already come up with some good ones!...
You're not afraid you're gonna miss the greatest line of your career in the middle of the night?

Buddy: The minute I think of one I catalogue it in my head. I go like, "O.K., I gotta remember this! This is cool!"
So I remember it. I very rarely forget 'em.
Now, at my age now, I probably forget a lot!

LAUGHTER

Paul: "So Into You", another huge hit for the Atlanta Rhythm Section

[play a recording of "So Into You"]

Paul: I bet you're pretty proud of this one.

Buddy: Yes. It was very big. It was the first big song by the Atlanta Rhythm Section. We had been making records since 1970 and this happened in 1976. If this album hadn't been a hit then the record company was gonna drop us so it's got a great place in my mind because it...

Paul: Do you feel that group ever got...
They had a lot of big hits, but did they get the appreciation and recognition that they deserved?

Buddy: I don't think so but I'll tell you one of the reasons why is all of 'em were serious musicians, serious session musicians.
Performing...
They performed because there was demand for them to perform but they never really were a band that loved the road. They were very straight ahead. They didn't get a lot of publicity because they didn't actually want a lot of publicity. We had great guitar players in that band: J.R. Cobb, Barry Bailey. Had a great keyboardist, Dean Daughtry. Paul Goddard on bass. Everybody in that band was very serious about music. We did all that starting in about 1970 when I opened this studio called STUDIO 1 which STUDIO 1, a lot of people know because Lynyrd Skynyrd, all their stuff there.
It was a nice studio. We recorded there at night and Skynyrd recorded in the daytime.

Paul: Can't believe those songs were done in the day!

LAUGHTER

Buddy: The Skynyrd stuff was done...
Sounds like it was done at midnight!

LAUGHTER

Paul: Maybe some TIME like I've never seen!

LAUGHTER

Buddy: A lot of artificial inspiration, you think?

Paul: Exactly!

LAUGHTER

Paul: I imagine none of that happened...
Buddy Buie's our guest, we're gonna open the phone lines in a minute. We're also gonna get to a song you wrote about one Coach Paul Bryant. You also did a song that B.J. Thomas made a hit.
We were doing a B.J. Thomas hour a couple of weeks ago with some of his...

Buddy: Oh really! Was he in town or something?

Paul: Somehow I can't even remember the genesis of it. We started playing a B.J. Thomas song and we all started going down his book.
Anyway, Buddy Buie's with us.
His hometown of Dothan...
A lot of this stuff was done in Atlanta, I guess, produced in Atlanta.

Buddy: Yes, most of it was done in Atlanta.

Paul: We'll get to your phone calls if you wanna give us a ring, it's 866-741-7285

The third installment of Buddy Buie's interview on the April 13 Paul Finebaum Show http://finebaum.com

[play a recording of "The Day Bear Bryant Died"]

Paul: Wow! Buddy Buie! "The Day Bear Bryant Died" ! An extraordinary song!
Buddy, how did it come about?

Buddy: Ronnie Hammond, the lead singer of the Atlanta Rhythm Section and I were at Lake Lanier staying in a ...
We rented a place to write for an upcoming Atlanta Rhythm Section album and it was in January of '83. Bear'd just died and Keith Jackson was narrating the procession and people lined up and down the road. Well, like, you know, usually a songwriter...
I'm a professional songwriter. Like I don't see a sunset and write a song about a sunset. This is an exception to the rule. We heard this song...
I mean we saw the parade, I mean, the procession.
God, I'm saying all the wrong words.

Paul: I understand.

Buddy: We saw the procession. It was not a parade!

Paul: It could have been.

Buddy: And we started writing.
Matter of fact, we didn't write for the Atlanta Rhythm Section at all that day. Later on, demo-ed it and ...
then we basically just forgot it because it was never meant to be a commercial endeavor and Harrison Parrish, one of the founders of MOVIE GALLERY http://www.moviegallery.com/
He's a friend of mine. He and his girlfriend were at our house one night and I played "The Day Bear Bryant Died".
He said,"Man, you gotta do something with THAT!"
He introduced me to people at the university 'cause I didn't know anybody there. I used to book bands at the Sigma Nu house at the university and go up there but I didn't know anybody there so he introduce me around and one thing led to another and right now, this song..
We're gonna give a lot of the proceeds of this song to the Bear Bryant Museum.

Paul: Other than your interview on Ronnie Quarles' station, that song has never been heard outside of Tuscaloosa until today?

Buddy: It hasn't.

Paul: It needs to be.

Buddy: My dream is to be in Bryant-Denny Stadium and the whole crowd sings along with the chorus!

Paul: Wow!

Buddy: That's my dream!

Paul: I was somewhat facetious about a song we played about that time but THAT is an extraordinary song!

Buddy: Thank you so much! I hope the BAMA Nation will look for it because it's gonna be coming out in mid August , right before football season and we hope to have the Atlanta Rhythm Section and a couple more people go up to the university and play before one of the games. We really want to promote it. Not only to help the Bryant Museum and CTSM [ed. note: Crimson Tide Sports Marketing]
We just want Bear's vision, Bear's memory to live on.

Paul: Buddy Buie's with us and we've certainly talked about his career as a producer and a songwriter. We've played "Spooky" and "Traces" and "Imaginary Lover" and so many of the famous songs that you have written and produced.
People've been waiting for a while. We want to give people around our listening audience an opportunity to visit with you. We don't have a lot of time for calls but we'll try to get to as many as possible.
Catherine, you're on with Buddy Buie.

[dead air]

Catherine? Not working here. Let me try George in Geneva. Go ahead.

George: Hello, Paul.

Paul: Hi.

Buddy: Hello.

George: Just wanted to call and say, Paul, I'm a fan of the show. Listen regularly.
Sometimes I wonder what some of the topics have to do with sports. I'm a big sports fan but one thing I love equally as sports is music and ,particularly, a big Southern Rock fan.
Grew up in the 70s. A big ARS fan and a big Buddy Buie fan. I read the jackets of the albums and I'm familiar with a lot of the names.

Buddy: Thank you.

George: Knew Buddy was from the same part of the country I was from or I am from...
Work with a guy who is married to a cousin of Dean Daughtry who I think is from Andalusia or Opp...

Buddy: He is.

George: That area...

Buddy: He is.

George: Thanks for the music. I've enjoyed it all my life and proud for you to have contributed what you have to the music industy but Paul.
Appreciate you having Buddy on.

Paul: It's our pleasure.

George: I think you hit a homerun with this one, particularly for me.

Paul: Well, thanks. I appreciate the call. Hate to run but we want to get a few more folks on.
Catherine is on with Buddy Buie.
Go right ahead, Catherine.

Catherine: Hey, I'm so sorry that my phone...

Paul: Go right ahead!

Catherine: I just wanted to tell you, Buie, that I am one of the biggest fans of you because my whole life...
I used to play all those Dennis Yost music.

Buddy: Um hum.

Catherine: I don't know whether you were with them at Samford in 1974 where they had a concert.

Buddy: I don't...
You know, there's been so many concerts, so many dates, I don't remember. I probably was though.

Catherine: I wanna tell you that all of your music is really sexy!

Paul: Let's listen to "Stormy". This is one of your biggest hits, I guess.

Buddy: Yes, one of the big hits by Dennis Yost & The Classics IV.

[play a recording of "Stormy"]

Paul: Wow! He belted that one out, didn't he!

Buddy: He's a great singer!

Paul: Whoa! That leaves me breathless! Buddy Buie is our guest. You've heard...
I'm shook up! ALL SHOOK UP!

LAUGHTER

Joe is next with Buddy Buie. Go right ahead, Joe.

Joe: Paul, a great thing you got here with Buddy and it's really been enjoyable.
Buddy...

Buddy: Yes, sir!

Joe: When is the last time that you wrote a song and is it possible with your background, I mean, can you get into what we're hearing today to the point that it might be popular again?

Buddy: To be perfectly honest with you, a lot of music of today, Hip Hop & Rap, I give 'em their props. I give 'em all the respect in the world because they figured a way to communicate with the world but they don't communicate with me very well and probably my music probably doesn't communicate with them.

Joe: Well, have you stopped writing?

Buddy: No, I've not stopped writing. I don't write like I used to 'cause it messes with my fishin' and my traveling.

LAUGHTER

Paul: His newest hit's gonna be "The Ballad of Paul Finebaum"!

LAUGHTER [Now you can really hear Gloria Buie laughing]

Joe: One last question and I'm gonna run, Paul's got a bunch of people...
Do you watch "American Idol"?

Buddy: Oh, I certainly do, I'm a Taylor fan, too, Man!

LAUGHTER

GO TAYLOR!

Paul: When are they gonna do "Buddy Buie Songs"?

Buddy: Well, I don't know but I wish they would!

Paul: Taylor could do a few of your songs.

Buddy: YOU KNOW TAYLOR!
YOU GOTTA TALK TO HIM!

Paul: SURE!

Joe, appreciate it.

We'll come back but we're not gonna have enough time today. We're gonna have to get Buddy back.
Back after this.
 The absolutely last installment on the Buddy Buie 4-13-06 interview with Finebaum http://finebaum.com


FINEBAUM IS AS FINEBAUM DOES!
THE PAUL FINEBAUM RADIO NETWORK!

[play a recording of "Not Gonna Let It Bother Me Tonight"

Paul: Another one of Buddy's hits!
And we haven't got half done today!
We're booking you again!

Buddy: I'd love to come back!

Paul: We're booking you for the whole summer!

LAUGHTER

Paul: Let's continue with some more phone calls.
Mack is calling from Dothan, Alabama. Hey, Mack!

Mack: Hey Paul! How're you doing, buddy?

Paul: How're you doing?

Mack: Great show! Man, Buddy! Great to finally talk to you!

Buddy: Good talkin' to you!

Mack: My brother, Shannon Meckly and I were driving by on Irwin Street about a year ago. You know, we were driving in that neighborhood over by Southside and he told me, "Buddy Buie grew up in that house!"

Paul: National Landmark!

Buddy: 1008 Irwin Street!

Mack: That's right! I just wanted to say, Paul, only one thing's bigger than Buddy's music and that's Buie's Cafe!

LAUGHTER

That his father owned. His great parents!
On Foster Street!
That's a wonderful place to eat!
Of course, it's no longer there now, but, uh, I called Harrison Parrish and told him you were on and called up Bobby's brother, Jimmy at the bank over there to tell them you were on but, uh, just wanted to say, uh, how I followed your music, uh, do you ever get down to Dothan, Buddy?

Buddy: All the time! My mother lives there and I go... you know, I live at the lake. I live at Eufaula.

Paul: Thanks Mack. Appreciate the call.
Of the Atlanta Rhythm Section songs, is there one you would take with you to your grave? If you could take one of the bunch?

Buddy: Well, if I had to differentiate between hits and album cuts, there was an album cut called "Dog Days" that's near and dear to my heart,and, um, but the hits, uh, I suppose...
It's hard for me to pick. It's like, "Which child do you like best?"
It's hard for me to do that.

Paul: Pretty good stuff! Let's continue with Buddy Buie. Jesse is calling from Montgomery. Go right ahead, Jesse.

Jesse: Hey, Buddy!

Buddy: Yes.

Jesse: You know I never met you but I was a friend of John Rainey's.

Buddy: Oh really!

Jesse: When you said that name, I thought,"HE WAS THE MAN!"

Buddy: If it hadn't been for John Rainey, I wouldn't be having this conversation with Paul right now!

Jesse: Well, I tell you, people probably don't know him because he never wanted to travel out of Houston County...

Buddy: That's true, too!

Jesse: But he was The Man when it came to playing and arranging music!

Buddy: Yeah, he was great!

Jesse: And my favorite song of yours is "Georgia Pines"!

Buddy: Well, thank you.

Jesse: That was a great, great song.

Buddy: The great Wilbur Walton!

Jesse: Yeah. Let me ask you this. Do you know what's happened to Joe South?

Buddy: I talked to Joe not too long ago. He's doing fine. He's living in Atlanta. He's not writing much anymore but he's a great one!

Jesse: He was a great one!

Paul: 'Preciate the call. Let me ask you about, you... did,uh,
two songs for B.J. Thomas.

Buddy: Um, hum.

Paul: He was certainly...
How did that relationship come about?

Buddy: B.J., his producer...
His producer at the time was a guy by the name of...
uh, I mean his manager was guy named Steve Tyrel.
Now Steve has made the jump from a manager to one of the prominent jazz singers right now so he brought him to me and B.J. and I became friends.
Matter of fact, I'm gonna see him down in LaGrange, Georgia in a couple of weeks.

Paul: One of them right here!

[play a recording of "Most Of All"]

Paul: "Most OF All" You also did "Mighty Clouds of Joy"

Buddy: "Mighty Clouds of Joy"! Yeah!

Paul: Wasn't a bad one here!

Buddy: Al Green recorded that too!

Paul: He sure did!
Let's grab one or two more calls...
Unfortunately, we're just running out of time here but Terry is down in Dothan. Hey Terry!

Terry: Hey Paul. Buddy, I didn't get to talk to you. Are you still involved with ARS and are they going to be doing any new studio things and
#2: I had an opportunity to interview Barry Bailey doing a Southern Rock Radio Show and he told me that his personal favorite ARS album was the first album but, you know, you can't find it on CD now and I was wondering why...

Buddy: It was the only...
We did...
That was for MCA Records. You can go...
If you can go to amazon.com
or to, what's the big site, some of the Internet sites and some foreign record companies have it but as far as the band, The Rhythm Section, yeah, they're still playing. A lot of the members of the band, the original members, have gone their own separate ways and the great guitar player, Barry Bailey has retired. He retired about three months ago.

Terry: I wasn't aware of that.

Buddy: The band's still doing great and as far as recording...
but on this...
I don't know if you heard that Bear Bryant song we played a few minutes ago...
On that album we're gonna have Rhythm Section cuts. We gonna put some of the old stuff on there and then Ronnie Hammond, who sang "The Day Bear Bryant Died" is with the Atlanta Rhythm Section.
He's retired though.

Paul: So many great songs for The Atlanta Rhythm Section!
For the CLASSICS IV!
The Lettermen!
Buddy Buie, who's heading toward...
He's in the Georgia Music Hall of Fame!
He's in the Alabama Music Hall of Fame!
& now he's in the FINEBAUM HALL OF FAME!
because this is one of the best shows we've had in a long time!

Buddy: Thank you so much! I've really enjoyed being here!

Paul: We hope to see you this summer.

Buddy: I'd love to come back!

Paul: We'll pause right here.



OPENING OF WTBC 3-15-06 MORNING SHOW WITH WALLY & DAVE

(Buddy is talking about living in New York City when he was a young songwriter)

I go back to the hotel.
Put the key in the door &
the door won't open!

I go downstairs very irate & said
"MY DOOR WON'T OPEN!"

They said,"YEAH! If you'd pay your bill, it might open!"

[LAUGHTER]

They had my clothes and everything back of the counter!

[more laughter]

Wally: Buddy, what's the first song on the radio that you heard that you'd written...

Buddy: That'd I'd written?

Wally: Or produced. The first written or produced. Sandy Posey?

Buddy: Before that, you know, we had The James Gang...

Ronnie: "Georgia Pines"

Buddy: "Georgia Pines". Even before that...
I think that "Georgia Pines" is the FIRST one with any notoriety to it.

Ronnie: "Georgia Pines" was big in the South.

Buddy: ONLY!

Ronnie: But never did get out nationally.

Buddy: Never did and it's never been really covered by a big artist. I always thought one of the Nashville artists would cover that song because it seems like it'd be a natural for 'em.

Ronnie: We had Johnny Townsend here not too long ago.

Buddy: Oh, yeah.

Ronnie: He did "Light Of A Distant Fire."
That thing kind of spread out nationally.

Buddy: Surely! It was a big one...

Wally: "Smoke From A Distant Fire" !

Ronnie: Oh, "Smoke From A Distant Fire".

Buddy: Yeah.

Wally: HE LIT IT UP AND THEN THERE WAS FIRE!

LAUGHTER

Ronnie: So how did it feel hearing that song on the radio.

Buddy: I can't, I can't relate now to that feeling. I can't remember back...
My mind is mush, anyway, when it comes to memory but I do know that it gave me a little extra edge with the girls in town. I remember that!

LAUGHTER

I BET!

Dave: Always looking for that edge, baby!

Ronnie: All about the girls!

Wally: My Daddy had a country music station here in town that I grew up working in.

Buddy: Oh, did he?

Wally: And I just always loved that Sandy Posey song "I Take It Back".

Buddy: That was the first national hit we had.

Wally: Uh, huh.

Buddy: Right before that we had a song by Tommy Roe called "Party Girl" that made it it to like mid-chart. Uh, but, Sandy Posey, "I Take It Back", the way that came about... Chips Moman.I don't know whether you know him. He's a legendary producer. He produced a bunch of stuff for Elvis: "Suspicious Minds", "In The Ghetto". He did "Willie & Waylon". He did "The Highwaymen".

Ronnie Quarles: WOW!

Buddy: I mean, he's legendary. Well, this was when he was in Memphis and,uh, I had... I knew about him and had met him by phone & I said,"Listen, I got a song."So I did the demo myself. I sang the demo and I did "The Girl's Part". You know the Girl's recitation. I did it in the female gender!

LAUGHTER!

Buddy: Then I did the male voice.

Wally: I'm glad I didn't hear that version!

Buddy: It was good enough to get a cut though! He called me in the middle of the night and said, "Hey man! I cut Sandy Posey on that song!"

Ronnie: YOU'RE A GREAT GIRL!

LAUGHTER

Ronnie: So how do you write a song and get it to somebody like Sandy Posey? What,what... How did that happen?

Buddy: Well, that's what I was saying. What happened was I knew he was recording because she'd just had "Single Woman". This song called "Single Woman".

Ronnie: So you did not know Sandy Posey?

Buddy: No I did not know Sandy.

Ronnie: OK.

Buddy: I rarely ever know the artist.

Ronnie: OK.

Buddy: You know, it's usually through a publisher or what we call a "pitch" where you go in front of an artist or producer and throw them your song.

Ronnie: Is it easy today to do that?

Buddy: Well,

Ronnie[interrupting]: Is it easier today, I should say...

Buddy: I don't do it as much but when you've had a track record, you know, you can get in the door easier. It doesn't make them like it anymore though...

Ronnie: I see...

Buddy: You know, they'll still tell ya,"Naw, thank you for coming. Really appreciate you bringing it by but, naw, this is not for us."

Ronnie: See, I've always told Wally that we could get the Sunday newspaper, cut out some words out of each headline, put 'em together & line 'em up.We'd have a country song!

LAUGHTER

Buddy: I got a couple of country titles but I can't say but one of them on the air!

LAUGHTER

Buddy: One of 'em is "IF I'D A KILLED HER WHEN I MET HER, I'D BE OUT OF JAIL BY NOW!"

LAUGHTER....CLAPPING

Buddy: That's a Waylon Jennings' line!

LAUGHTER

Ronnie[laughing] That's great!

Buddy: Can I say "masturbate" on the radio?

Dave McDaniel: Yeah, I think you just did!

LAUGHTER

Ronnie: Yeah, I think you just did!

Buddy: "I'D RATHER MASTURBATE THAN SCREW WITH YOU FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!"

LAUGHTER

Dave: Oh no! There goes our license!

Buddy: I cleaned it up a little bit!

Dave: Yeah you did. We're with you on it , Buddy!

Buddy: YOU SHOULD HAVE HEARD THE REAL VERSION!

Dave: OH Lord!

Ronnie: Let's move it on!

Dave: Naw! Let it stay right where it's at!

LAUGHTER

Ronnie: So how did you hook up with the Classics IV?

Buddy: I was in Atlanta. Bill Lowery had... I told you I had a song by Tommy Roe who was a Bill Lowery artist. I met Bill and Bill; later on, introduced me, you know, to different people around town, and what was the question?

Ronnie: The Classics IV.

Buddy: Oh yeah, I was not a producer at that time. I was a songwriter pitching songs. Joe South, the legendary writer...

Wally: "Don't It Make You Want To Go Home"

Buddy: "Rose Garden" , many, many, many songs.
Joe was producing the band and I knew of 'em because I'd been to Florida to see them down at Cocoa Beach and they were an incredible band. They were probably the best copy band I'd heard at that time and the lead singer, Dennis Yost played drums.

Ronnie: Standing up! Yeah! I remember that!

Buddy: &, anyway, they were cutting one of my songs...NO THEY WASN'T!
At that point, they were cutting a bunch of songs that Lowery had given them and Joe South became ill and I became their producer by default.

Wally: Really!

Ronnie: Wow!

Buddy: & during that week we cut "Spooky".

Dave: How 'bout that!

Buddy: I kept hounding Bill Lowery,"Man, if I could just get in the studio and have some real time!"
So they named that NATIONAL BUIE WEEK so I was the only one who could get in the studio!

LAUGHTER

Buddy: & during that week, the musicians, some of them later on became the Atlanta Rhythm Section, we cut "Spooky".
I think an interesting thing about that session is that Emory Gordy was the bass player and Emory is Patty Loveless' husband.

Ronnie: Is that right?!

Buddy: & he's a very big producer in Nashville. He also played bass for Elvis and Emory was the bass player and J.R. Cobb, who was one of the Classics IV, later on became one of the Atlanta Rhythm Section, J.R. Cobb, they all played on that session, and we cut "Spooky" with just those three pieces. We recorded it on a three track. I don't know how many people in the audience are familiar with a little bit of the technical stuff but we had a 3-track tape machine- a Scully 3-track.

Ronnie: Wow!

Buddy: & we had two of them and what we would do, we'd put the bass and drums on one track, the singer on another track and guitar on the other track and then we'd do what's called "Ping Pong". We take those tracks and record them down to two, then we did overdubs.
By the time we got through recording this song, the tape was so thin you could see through it!

LAUGHTER

Dave: I believe that, yeah!

Ronnie: & now days, they've got what?

Dave: 64 tracks.

Buddy: Unlimited tracks! Digital! Yeah! Unlimited tracks!
I remember when the first 8 track, I'm telling my age but I remember the first 8 track!

UM HUM.

Buddy: I remember the first 16 track!

Wally: We do too!

LAUGHTER

Wally: We're all old radio folks so we know.

Dave: Yeah, we do too!

Ronnie: So ya'll hooked up with Roy Orbison?

Buddy: Well, the way we hooked up with Roy Orbison...
LET ME FINISH THE CLASSICS IV STORY!!!!
We recorded "Spooky" and we recorded another song. It was called "Poor People" and I don't even remember the melody of that song now it's been so long but "Poor People" was the A-side and "Spooky" was the B-side.

REALLY! IS THAT RIGHT!

Buddy: Spooky had originally been a jazz instrumental. Did you know that?

Ronnie: No, I didn't know that!

Dave: Wow!

Buddy: A guy named Mike Shapiro and Harry Middlebrooks in Atlanta. Mike was probably one of the greatest jazz players, sax tenor players, that you'll...
He played the break on "Spooky". He played it on "Stormy". He's just a great player and that song, I was riding down the road, J.R. Cobb and I and I said,
"I love that instrumental."
J.R. said," I do too. Did you know Bill Lowery publishes it?"
I said,"Naw, I didn't."
So I called Bill Lowery. I said,"Man, that song of yours, you know, is just sensational!
Do you mind if I take it and rework it and try to make it into a pop song and write lyrics to it?"
So we took it. Restructured it. Changed the melody to make it, you know, more appropriate for a pop song and , you know, that's how that song came about. It was a B-side as I said. A disc jockey in Louisville, KY played it and the phones rang off the hook and I had a promotion man named Mike Martin who called me saying,"Buddy, you won't believe this but that song 'Spooky', the B-side of the record, it's tearing it up!"
So then it started happening in different towns and, you know, then it became the big song that it was. Now it's been recorded by The Atlanta Rhythm Section, of course, had a hit with "Spooky" and David Sandbourne had a # 1 jazz hit so it's been a great song for us.
Now, what's your next question you asked me?

Buddy: Now what's your next question you asked me?

Ronnie: How'd you hook up with Roy Orbison?

Buddy: In Dothan, Alabama. This was before any of this had happened.In Dothan, there was the Houston County Farm Center there and I started promoting shows. I used to have dances at the local recreation center and things of that kind.

Wally: He was the Tiger Jack of Dothan!

Buddy: Yeah, I've heard a lot about Tiger Jack!

LAUGHTER

Ronnie: He used to do that here at Ft. Brandon Armory.

Buddy: We probably played for him!

Ronnie: We've got pictures of y'all on our website.

Buddy: Oh great! Yeah! I remember that armory very well. I had a show... my first big show was Roy Orbison. I loved Roy Orbison. I told you I loved radio and I loved songs. I was just mesmerized with "Only The Lonely" and even a couple of things before that. I thought he was sensational so I called. I found out who he was with. It was Acuff-Rose Agency in Nashville and I called them & they said,"Sure, he'd love to come down there!" and I said,"How much is it gonna be?" and it was $600!

LAUGHTER

Dave:WOO! That was big money!

Wally: That was a world of money!

Buddy: $600. Even then I thought it was a bargain. He came down. In those days, big artists traveled with like a guitar player & a music director and they did. Fred Carter was his guitar player and they told me,"Does your band read?"

"Well, of course!"

They didn't read music!

LAUGHTER

Wally: I read in that article about you that they DID read music!They said that they DID read!

Buddy: They full of crap!

LAUGHTER

Buddy: They might have learned over years of osmosis...

LAUGHTER "GO AHEAD BUDDY!"

Buddy: They were just country boys, played by ear as most session players at that time were...The guys in Muscle Shoals, I betcha none of those guys, maybe some of 'em did, the horn players and stuff but most guitar players don't read.So I said,"Sure! They READ!"So they said,"We're gonna bring down some arrangements."Well, immediately we go to the Dothan Recreation Center and start rehearsing and John Rainey Adkins, one of my guitar heroes, & one of the guys that, he passed on, God bless him, we practiced and practiced and John Rainey, he would play a record backwards or slow it down to the slowest spead and learn parts and to make a long story short, by the time Orbison came to town, these guys sounded like his records!

Dave: Wow!

Buddy: They had it down! So he came, got on stage for rehearsal. So he said,"Y'all boys read?""SURE!"So he handed them all this music, you know...

LAUGHTER

Buddy: And so they counted off,"One,two, three, four

[Buddy imitating Orbison]"I was all right for a while!"
RIGHT! So at the end of the song, Orbison said,"God O' Mighty!"

LAUGHTER

Buddy: "God O' Mighty! That sounds great!"

LAUGHTER

Buddy: He's a country boy from Wink, Texas, a small town, like we were small town guys from Dothan, Alabama.

Ronnie: Wink, Texas.

Buddy: Yeah, close to Odessa.

Ronnie: Yeah. I used to live out there.

Buddy: Yeah, did you really? I played a lot of joints out there.

Ronnie: I lived in San Angelo.

Buddy: Did ya?

Ronnie: Yeah.

Buddy: & Orbison, by the end of the night, by the time he left Dothan, we'd become friends and it led from there. He came back, played another show, finally he said,"Man, I'd love to take this band on the road!"I said,"You're not taking that band on the road unless you take me!!!!"

LAUGHTER

Dave: Oh, that's right!

LAUGHTER

Buddy: I had a '55 Chevrolet and we piled into it. Bobby Goldsboro was the rhythm guitar player!

Ronnie: Oh, man!

Buddy: We all piled into my '55 Chevrolet and went on the road with Roy Orbison!

Ronnie: Wow!

Wally: You were his road manager, right?

Buddy: I was his road manager and he is...I gotta say; I've said it in other interviews and things; there's no telling how many times I saw him perform.There was never a time when I saw him perform that the hair didn't stand up on my arm!

WOW!YEAH!

Buddy: & he was one of the sweetest human beings you would ever meet. He had a song one time called "If You Can't Say Something Nice, Don't Say Anything At All".That's pretty much the motto he lived by. I never heard him say anything bad about anybody else.He was just one of those guys that did not deserve all...First of all, the lack of attention he got!Everybody thinks of Roy Orbison as being a huge artist during that period. He was huge in England but in America, he had hit records but concert-wise, he was just another Joe & nobody like him deserves what happened. He lost his children in fire. He lost his wife when he was riding down the road on motorcycles.They went out motorcycle riding together & he was in the lead and he looked back and she wasn't there and the reason she wasn't there was because a guy ran a stop sign and killed her instantly.

Ronnie: That's horrible! Didn't know that...

Buddy: So that's his life. You know about his children burning up, didn't you?

NO!

Buddy: He had a house out by Johnny Cash on Hendersonville Lake in Nashville and they were playing with matches or something and I think their nanny was with them and the house burned to the ground.

Dave: Oh, goodness!

Buddy: With the children in it.

Ronnie: Oh, my God!

Buddy: So he lived a tragic, tragic life.

Wally: Why'd he wear those sunglasses?

Buddy: Well, Roy was... you know there are stories that say he started wearing them in Dothan. Is that what you're referring to?

Wally: I just noticed he always had dark sunglasses on.

Buddy: Yeah, dark sunglasses, I always heard he never wore them until, somebody else told me this, he never wore them before and I don't remember it but somebody told me this that when he was in Dothan, he lost his clip-on sunglasses and he had to buy a pair and he liked himself in sunglasses.He was virtually blind. His glasses were thick like plate glass.Roy was white. His hair was just white as snow when he was a kid. He dyed that hair. It'd get white. I've seen him.Oh, I could gush about him for hours!

Ronnie: Well, there was the special, "Black & White". What a great show!

Buddy: Wasn't that great!

Ronnie: Unbelievable!

Buddy: I wrote with him right after that and that's another tragic thing about his death.All of his life, he'd not really had all the adulation the he deserved. He didn't know that Bruce Springsteen thought he was "GOD"!

YEAH!

Buddy: He didn't know this. All these people...How they felt about him.

Ronnie: So that was a big moment for him.

Buddy: It was HUGE for him! & finally, his idol was Elvis, and finally he got a little of that Elvis type attention...

UM,,HUM

Buddy: & then right after that he came to Atlanta and wrote with Ronnie Hammond and I. We had a song called "Awesome Love". Roy called me and said,"Man, I love your song "Awesome Love". I wanna come down and put my touch to it."I said, "Come on!"So he came to Atlanta, stayed there at my house for three or four days and that's the last time I saw him. He died not long after that.

Dave: My Goodness!

Buddy: It was heartbreaking.

Ronnie: Yeah.

Dave: Along with the travels with Roy Orbison, you also had a brush with the Beatles, didn't you?

Buddy: No, I didn't.

Dave: O.K.

Buddy: You know a lot of people get that wrong. I didn't!
The Band Did! The band went with Orbison to England and Robert Nix and one of the other guys, they were at a club there and they met McCartney & Lennon in the bathroom.

LAUGHTER

Dave: Great place to meet 'em!

Buddy: & John Rainey said, " I didn't know what to say! There was John Lennon!"

LAUGHTER

Wally: & then they wrote "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window"!

LAUGHTER

Buddy: That's pretty good there!

Dave: You gotta watch him, Buddy!

Buddy: I wasn't there. Lot of times people interpret it that I was there but I wasn't. The band was there and they came back with all kind of stories!

Wally: Buddy Buie's our guest this morning! We're gonna take a short break and we'll be right back!

Voice over of Coach Bryant:
"I've said this before, of course,
I've said anytime I've had the opportunity that I wouldn't trade places with anyone in the world because of the privilege of being here at The University & passing my time here.

I WILL never put anything against your education. We want that to come first.

ON THE OTHER HAND WE WANT FOOTBALL!!!!

To be second!

We want football to be second!

Because we feel a very strong obligation to you and we feel like you should to The University because it works both ways.

First of all,
we want you to write home!

THANK YOU!


lyrics of "The Day Bear Bryant Died" by Buddy Buie & Ronnie Hammond

I'll never forget the day
That I heard the news
Bear Bryant has died!!!!
Funny, I thought he'd refuse
I watched as they laid him to rest
In Old Alabama
OH how I cried
The day Bear Bryant died

ROLL TIDE!!!!

ROLL TIDE!!!!

The Nation Cried
Friend and Foe Alike
The Legend Lives On
THE HERO IS GONE!
Oh how I cried
The Day Bear Bryant died.

The day he was born
GOD gave us one of a kind
& I'm glad he did
'Cause heroes are so hard to find
Many a fine young man
He led into battle
He taught them to win
He turned boys into men

ROLL TIDE!!!!

ROLL TIDE!!!!

The Nation cried!
Friend & foe alike
The Legend lives on!
The HERO is gone!
OH! How I cried
The Day Bear Bryant Died.

ROLL TIDE!!!!
ROLL TIDE!!!!
The Nation cried
Friend & Foe alike
The Legend Lives On!
THE HERO IS GONE!OH! How I cried
The Day Bear Bryant Died.

Wally: Wow! Buddy, that's good!

Dave: That's strong, Buddy!

Ronnie: You got some tears, I guarantee you, out there in radioland!

Buddy: It makes me very emotional.

Wally: Me too.

Ronnie: That was pure emotion from the actual day!

Wally: Do you know if Paul Jr.'s heard it?

Buddy: I don't know whether he has or not.

Wally: Yeah.

Buddy: I sure hope that I get a chance to , first of all, just to meet him and play it for him.
I've been an Alabama fan since I was a child.

Wally:Um hum.

Buddy: And all my family's Auburn fans.

Wally: Really?

Dave: I bet that goes over real well at dinner.

Buddy: And we just don't watch the Alabama-Auburn game anywhere near each other!

Wally: I bet! I bet!

Buddy: But my brother's got four kids that graduated from Auburn.
He said,"Buddy, I love that song even though I'm an Auburn fan!"

So, I don't know, my dream is for that song to become an anthem for the university. I'd love to hear that stadium sing "ROLL TIDE!"


Wally: I have got a good friend of mine that I've known for many years named Coach Clem Gryska.

Buddy: Uh huh.

Wally: He used to be on Coach Bryant's staff and he's now over at the Bryant Museum.

Buddy: Oh really!

Wally: You need to hook up with him and see what kind of...

Buddy: Any help I could get to exploit this! Money is not the motive here.

Wally and Dave: No.

Buddy: Because you know, like I told Ronnie[Hammond] when we wrote that song, I said,"Well, that'll never be a commercial record because of the fact that half of the people in Alabama are gonna hate it and half are gonna love it!"

LAUGHTER

Wally: Well, I loved it!

Buddy: Thank you!

Dave: Yeah, great stuff!

Buddy: Thank you, yeah, I'm proud of that song. I'm as proud of that song as any hit I ever wrote.

Dave: And I think if there's one person who can help you find the audience you're looking for it is Tom Stipe.

Buddy: You know Tom, I was telling off the air, Tom is a great songwriter himself.

Dave: Wow!

Buddy: I just hooked him up with a boy, Jeff Cook, a guitar player with ALABAMA.
ALABAMA is retired now but he's going on with his own career and they're recording Tom's song called "Twenty Toes In The Sand".

Wally: Till you told me that I'd never thought Tom Stipe had ever thought about writing a song.

Buddy: He's really talented.

Dave: Heck of a trombone player.

Buddy: That's what I heard.

Dave: Very good trombone player.

Buddy: That's what I heard, yeah.

Wally: I know people listening know your not here selling records. Is there any way we're gonna get copies of that?

Buddy: Yes, we are...we're gonna.
I don't know the release date but
The Last Song
"The Day Bear Bryant Died",
it's been around since then...

Dave: Wow!

Buddy: And nothing has... I've never tried to exploit it. Now I want to exploit it because, I don't know, it seems like the time is right and I hope the message is right. I'd love to see the people of this town and the students of this town and the school embrace it because Bear Bryant was not only a hero of mine but he taught me lessons. Reading books about him; I just read THE LAST COACH.

Wally: Um huh.

Dave: Great book!

Buddy: God,what a book!

Dave: Great book!

Buddy: And he was right...Like we were talking about singers before, you know I said,"Most of 'em are born. They're not made. They're born. When they open their mouth they sound that way when they start singing", & I believe that Bear was just a human being that could have been a general. I mean people would follow him!

Wally: Sure.

Buddy: You know people hated him but they loved him.
His players.
Then later on they'd get out of school...I've read so much, what they said, You know,"God I cussed him. God I hated him but, God, what a man he made out of me!"

Dave: He molded people.

Buddy: "... and how proud I am to played for him."

Wally: One of my best friends in the world is Bob Baumhower.

Buddy: Oh really, yeah!

Wally: Bob and I went to high school and college together.

Buddy: Oh really!

Wally: And if it wasn't for Coach Bryant, Bob would have left the Crimson Tide. He wanted to quit. Was gonna quit.

Buddy: Couldn't take it!

Wally: Coach Bryant, just like a father, took care of him, got him back on the team and, of course, Bob went on to play nine years for the Miami Dolphins.

Buddy: Yeah, he did!

Wally: Well, that never would have happened if it hadn't been for Coach Bryant!

Buddy: You know I don't know too many people that... I've never been in the military but you never hear people talk about their drill sargents that way. They hated them!
But he could treat people the same way and put 'em through their paces and they ended up loving him.

Wally: Yeah.

Buddy: So what a leader he was!

Wally: Now you gonna let us know how we can get a record?

Buddy: You bet I'll let you know!
As a matter of fact, my "Boswell" in town is a man named Robert Register. He's sitting over there smiling.

LAUGHTER

Wally: Robert!

Buddy: Robert lives here in Tuscaloosa and he's going to head up the sales of this.

Dave: There's "Two Cents Worth" coming in here!

Everybody: All right! Thank you! Thank you!

Wally: Appreciate that, Robert!
And I know we have listeners who'd love to have a copy of that!

Buddy: Well, we will definitely make it available. Does anybody know who sang that song?

Wally and Dave: Uh uh.

Buddy: Ronnie Hammond, the lead singer of the Atlanta Rhythm Section!

Wally: Is that who it was?

Buddy: And so we're hoping that in the fall we can work one of the fraternities or something of that kind, get the band to come to town & Ronnie is retired now but I called him the other day.
He said,"Man, if you could get that going at the university, I'll come up and I'll sing that song!"
So we'd love...

Wally: Great!

Buddy: We'd love to have an ARS concert here and bring Hammond back to sing that song!

Dave: WHOO! BOY!

Wally: We're gonna get you on Catfish Country here in a minute over there on the FM side, if you'll stick around.

Buddy: I'll stick around.

BUDDY BUIE: MUSIC OF MY LIFE

My name is Perry Carleton Buie. Since I was a child, I've been called "Buddy" and that's the name that I prefer. Invariably, when I meet someone new, they say,"What do you do for a living?" and I go, "Well, I'm a songwriter and a record producer." and they say,"Anything we might know?" and I say, "Well, maybe," and they say,"Could you hum a few bars?"

That's one of the reasons I made this compilation. The primary reason is for my kids and grandkids, my family. This is the only time my music has been compiled like this. Here's "Spooky", circa 1967.

SPOOKY
In the cool of the evening when ev'rything is gettin' kind of groovy,
I call you up and ask you if you want to go and meet and see a movie,
First you say no, you've got some plans for the night,And then you stop, and say,
"All right."
Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little girl like you.
You always keep me guessin',
I never seem to know what you are thinkin'.
And if a fella looks at you, it's for sure your little eye will be a-winkin'.
I get confused, 'cause I don't know where I stand,
And then you smile, and hold my hand.

Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little girl like you.
Spooky!

If you decide someday to stop this little game that you are playin',
I'm gonna tell you all what my heart's been a-dyin' to be sayin'.
Just like a ghost, you've been a-hauntin' my dreams,
So I'll propose... on Halloween.

Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little girl like you.
Spooky, Spooky,Spooky,Oh-whoa, all right,I said Spooky!


"Spooky" was recorded by Dennis Yost & the Classics IV. http://crystalhorizon.com/Classics_IV/Main.htm
It was written by myself, J.R. Cobb http://www.alamhof.org/cobbjr.htm , Mike Shapiro and Harry Middlebrooks. I know that's a lot of writers but it was an unusual collaboration. Originally a jazz instrumental, later J.R. Cobb and I wrote lyrics and changed the arrangement to make it more appropriate for a pop song and it was one of our biggest hits.

My friend and partner, Paul Cochran http://paulcochran.com
discovered Dennis Yost & the Classics IV in Jacksonville, FL. They came to Atlanta; were signed by Bill Lowery. http://www.lowerymusic.com/index_001.htm

Joe South http://www.learnlink.emory.edu/~libmlm/joesouth.html
was their producer. He became ill and by default I was declared their new producer.

Dennis Yost hated the way that I wanted him to sing the song. He said,"It makes me sound like a sissy."

So I wanted him to sound real seductive and sexy, you know [singing] "In the cool of the ending," that kind of deal and he went back to Bill Lowery in the office and says, " I'm not recording that song that way! It makes me sound weird. Makes me sound like a sissy!"

Bill said,"Hey man, you do it your way and then you do it Buddy's way and we'll see which one came out best" and it went on to be our first huge record.

"Traces of Love" is the next song. It is the 34th most performed song in the BMI catalog. To put that in perspective: #1 is "Yesterday" and #49 is "My Way". It has truly become a standard.
TRACES OF LOVE
Faded photograph
Covered now with lines and creases
Tickets torn in half
Memories in bits and pieces

Traces of love long ago
That didn't work out right
Traces of love

Ribbons from her hair
Souvenirs of days together
The ring he used to wear
Pages from an old love letter
Traces of love long ago
That didn't work out right
Traces of love
With me tonight

I close my eyes and say a prayer
That in her heart she'll find
A trace of love still there
Somewhere, ooooh, oh

[Instrumental Interlude]

Traces of hope in the night
that she'll come back and dry
These traces of tears
From my eyes
Whoooa, oooh, oh, oooh

"Traces" was written by J.R. Cobb, Emory Gordy http://tonysheridan.com/html/tcb.html and me. Emory played bass on the record and arranged it. He later became famous for being Elvis Presley's bass player and he was married and still is married to Patty Loveless who he produced and who he's still producing great songs in Nashville.


seated:Billy Joe Royal; standing left to right: DOWN IN THE BOONDOCKS composer and album producer Joe South, Tommy South, Fred Weller, Emory Gordy, Ricky Knight








My inspiration for the song was Gloria Jane Seay, who later became and still is Gloria Jane Buie.

Buddy and Gloria
The Atlanta Rhythm Sectionhttp://atlantarhythmsection.com/
was the next big project after the Classics IV.

Atlanta Rhythm Section, 1970- photo courtesy of http://paulcochran.com
Barry Bailey, Paul Goddard, Dean Daughtry, Robert Nix, J.R. Cobb, Rodney Justo

Our first Top 10 Song was "So Into You" written by Robert Nix http://alisonheafner.biz/, Dean Daughtry and myself. Robert was the drummer in the band and Dean was the keyboardist. They both were former members of the Candymen, the band I put together for Roy Orbison http://www.orbison.com/ .


THE CANDYMEN, photo courtesy of http://paulcochran.com
L. to R.- Dean Daughtry, Robert Nix, John Rainey Adkins, Rodney Justo, Bill Gilmore

Here's "So Into You"
SO INTO YOU

When you walked into the room
There was voodoo in the vibes
I was captured by your style
But I could not get your eyes
Now I stand here helplessly
Hoping you'll get into me
I am so into you
I can't think of nothing else
I am so into you
I can't think of nothing else
Thinkin' how it's gonna be
Whenever I get you next to me
It's gonna be good
Don't you know
From your head to toe
Gonna love you all over
Over and over
Me into you, you into me
Me into you,I'm so into you
I'm so into you...When you walked into the room
There was voodoo in the vibes
I was captured by your style
But I could not get your eyes
Now I stand here helplessly
Hopin' you'll get into me

I am so into you I can't get to nothing else
I am so into you, baby I can't get to nothing else, no, no, no
Come on baby
I'm so into you
Love the things you do
Listen, baby You're driving me crazy
Come on baby I'm so into you
Love the things you do






"Imaginary Lover" was another song I wrote with Robert Nix and Dean Daughtry. The was Atlanta Rhythm Section's second Top 10 record.
IMAGINARY LOVER

Imaginary lovers
Never turn you down
When all the others turn you away
They're around
It's my private pleasure
Midnight fantasy
Someone to share my Wildest dreams with me

Imaginary lover
You're mine anytime
Imaginary lover, oh yeah
When ordinary lovers
Don't feel what you feel
And real-life situations lose their thrill
Imagination's unreal

Imaginary lover, imaginary lover
You're mine anytime
[Instrumental Interlude]
Imaginary lovers never disagree
They always care
They're always there when you need
Satisfaction guaranteed
Imaginary lover, imaginary lover
You're mine all the time
My imaginary lover
You're mine anytime


My cowriters are one of the primary reasons for the success I've enjoyed. The first was John Rainey Adkins http://www.alamhof.org/adkinsjr.htm from my hometown Dothan, Alabama. He was a guitar hero of mine when we were in high school. He was the first person that I told that I was gonna be a songwriter that didn't snicker and say,"Sure." We'd sit in my '55 Chevrolet in front of his house on Main Street; I'd sing my ideas a cappela and he'd pick them out on his guitar. Without him, I might still be working in my family's business, Buie's Restaurant.

J.R. & Buddy back in the Sixties






J.R. Cobb was the guitarist in the Classics IV. He bought into my dream in 1966 and we're still cowriters. "Stormy" and "Everyday With You Girl" are two more songs we wrote for Dennis Yost and the Classics IV.

J.R. and Buddy in 2005

STORMY
Stormy you are the sunshine, baby, whenever you smile
But I call you stormy today
All of a sudden that ol’ rain is fallin’ down
And my world is cloudy and gray
You’ve gone away

Old stormy stormy
Old stormy stormy
Old stormy stormy
Old stormy stormy

Yesterday’s love was alive, the warm summer breeze
But like the weather you changed
Now things are dreary, baby, windy and cold
And I stand alone in the rain
Callin’ out your name

Stormy stormy
Stormy stormy
Come back to me stormy
Stormy stormy

Bring back that sunny day

Guitar solo

Yesterday’s love was alive, the warm summer breeze
But like the weather you changed
Now things are dreary, baby, windy and cold
And I stand alone in the rain
Callin’ out your name

Whoa! stormy

Stormy, come back to me stormy
Stormy, come back to me stormy

Come on home! stormy

Bring back that sunny day

EVERYDAY WITH YOU GIRL

Everyday with you girl it's sweeter than the day before
everyday I love you more and more, more and more and more

They say that all the days must come to an end
but girl it isn't true each day with you I fall in love again

Everyday with you girl it's sweeter than the day before
everyday I love you more and more, more and more and more

And when I don't sleep at night time tomorrow's would I wake awl
'cause everyday with you girl it's sweeter than the day before

Everyday with you girl it's sweeter than the day before
everyday I love you more and more, more and more and more

And when I don't sleep at night time tomorrow's would I wake awl
'cause everyday with you girl it's sweeter than the day,
it's sweeter than the day, it's sweeter than the day before
All my life I've believed you should do all you can do to achieve your goals but at the end of the day, when I've done my best, I've always said, "I've done all I can do today. I'll worry about it tomorrow."
Well, Robert Nix and Dean Daughtry shared that philosophy and in 1978, we wrote this song for ARS.

NOT GONNA LET IT BOTHER ME TONIGHT
I picked up the paper this morning
And read all the daily blues
The world is one big tragedy I wonder what I can do
About all the pain and injustice
About all of the sorrow
We're living in a danger zone
The world could end tomorrow

But I'm not gonna let it bother me tonight
I'm not gonna let it bother me tonight
Tomorrow I might go as far as suicide
But I won't let it bother me tonight

Life on the street is a jungle
A struggle to keep up the pace
I just can't beat that old dog eat dog
The rats keep winnin' the rat race
But I'm not gonna let it bother me tonight

I'm not gonna let it bother me tonight
The world is in an uproar and I see no end in sight
But I won't let it bother me tonight
I'm not gonna let it bother me tonight
Tomorrow I might go as far as suicide
But I won't let it bother me tonight

Lord, Lord, Lord
We got nothing but trouble
I've done all I can do today
So bartender pour me a double, right now
But I'm not gonna let it bother me tonight

I'm not gonna let it bother me tonight
The world is in an uproar and I see no end in sight
But I won't let it bother me tonight
I'm not gonna let it bother me tonight
No I'm not gonna let it bother me tonight
Tomorrow I might go as far as suicide
But I will not let it bother me tonight


In 1994, J.R. and I wrote a song called "Rock Bottom". I did the demo on the Atlanta Rhythm Section in an attempt to instigate a comeback for the band. This was not the first time I've done that. I've done it a couple of times.

Hey, I might do it again!

Tony Brown, President of MCA, liked the idea but for whatever reason, he never offerred us a deal. I was disappointed but I got a phone call from him about a month later and he said,"Hey man, sorry we couldn't make a deal on ARS but I'm cutting Wynonna Judd and she wants to cut the song. Will it be alright if I cut it?"

Well, I was very excited even though I was very disappointed that is wasn't a hit for the Atlanta Rhythm Section, I was very excited Wynonna http://www.wynonna.com/ was cutting it. Well, she did and it was a huge record for her. She does it everynight at her concerts and she says,"Here's my theme song,'Rock Bottom' " and that makes us very proud.

ROCK BOTTOM
When you hit rock bottom
You've got two ways to go
Straight up
And sideways
I have seen my share of hard times
And i’m letting you know
Straight up
Is my way

Things are tough all over
But i've got good news
When you get down to nothing
You've got nothing to lose
I was born naked
But i’m glory bound
And a dead end street
Is just a place to turn around

(chorus)

When the sky is the limit
Up on easy street
Rock bottom
Ain’t no place to be
Rock bottom
Ain’t no place for me

When the law of the jungle
Is the law of the land
Good luck
Stayin alive
I keep a clinched fist under
This hat in my hand
‘cause only the strong survive

Things are tough all over
But i've got good news
When you get down to nothin? you've got nothin to lose
Anyway, rock bottom
Is good solid ground
And a dead end street
Is just a place to turn around

When the sky is the limit
Up on easy street
Rock bottom
Ain’t no place to be
Rock bottom
Ain't no place for me
My heroes in music were Johnny Mercer, all of the Tin Pan Alley writers, Bert Bacharach, Hal David, Roy Orbison, Chips Momanhttp://homepage.ntlworld.com/peter.lewry/chipsinterview.html .
Chips Moman produced Elvis' "Suspicious Minds" and "Ghetto". He and Bobby Emmons wrote "Luckenbach, Texas". He produced Willie's "You Were Always On My Mind"; Waylon, Cash, Kristoferson. He's just a legendary producer.
In 1966, I got a phone call in the middle of the night. It was Chips Moman. He said, "Buddy, I cut 'I Take It Back'!"
I was really excited. It sounds a little dated now but then it was a work of art to me.
My friend and cowriter J.R. Cobb and I were writing this song and J.R. said to me,"Are you aware that what you are singing is 4:4 time in the verse and 3:4 time in the chorus. You're changing from 4:4 to 3:4."
I said,"I didn't notice it but I like it."
And J.R. said,"I like it too." So that's the way we wrote that song.
It was our first national hit and our first BMI award winner.
I TAKE IT BACKSpoken: Here he comes now. I've got to tell him somehow.

I could put it off till later but it's best I do it now.
Baby listen to me there is something I must try to say
I've put it off so long but I've decided that today is the day
My love for you is dying
Oh no, please don't start crying
I take it back
I didn't mean it
Please forget the things I said
I take it back
I'm sorry
I must have been out
Of my head

Spoken: He's such a man. It must have hurt him a lot if he let me
see him cry. But I must try again...this time I'll say goodby.

Baby you've been good to me you've always been the best you could
So try to understand me now the way you've always understood
I can't go on another day
Oh please, don't look at me that way
I take it back
I didn't mean it
Please forget what I just said
I take it back
I'm sorry
I must have been out
Of my head

Spoken: Sometimes it's better to be loved, than it is to love.




I failed to mention that the last song "I Take It Back" was sung by Sandy Posey http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palladium/9229/sposey.htm.

In 1970, I opened Studio 1. My partners were J.R., Bill Lowery, and Paul Cochran. Rodney Mills, who's been the engineer on practically every record I've ever produced, designed it. Rodney later on produced .38 Special, The Doobie Brothers and Gregg Allman.

One of the first sessions in Studio 1, other than ARS, was the B.J. Thomas http://www.bjthomas.net/
sessions. "Most of All" was written by J.R. and me. "Mighty Clouds of Joy" was written by Robert Nix and me.

An interesting bit of trivia that surrounds this B.J. Thomas story is that Steve Tyrell http://www.stevetyrell.com/03/index.html was B.J. Thomas' manager in 1970. Today he's one of the top jazz and standards singers in the world. From manager and promoter to artist is quite an unusual transition to me. Here is B.J. Thomas

B.J. Thomas with his band when they played The Bitter End in New York City
l. to r.: Rodney Justo http://www.teddwebb.com/showcase/where_are_they_now/rodney_justo.html, David Adkins, John Rainey Adkins, B.J. Thomas, Jimmy Dean, Charlie Silva, John Stroll http://yourmusicconsultants.com/
MOST OF ALL

Hello darlin', my it's good to hear you.
I'm at the railroad station in St. Paul.
How are all the folks I'd love to see them
but girl, I'd love to see you most of all.

Well I been staring at the rain and I been thinking,
ever since the train left Montreal,
you know I thought I'd always love this life I'm living,
but now I know I love you most of all.

Many times before I know I swore that
I'd come home to stay ,
but it always seems foolish dreams and trains got in my way.

Tomorrow there'll be snow in Minnesota,
but I won't around to watch it fall,
no I'll be headed for an old familiar station,
just hoping you still love me most of all.

And girl you know I love you most of all.

I miss you baby
Most of all.

I miss you baby, most of all.

MIGHTY CLOUDS OF JOY
Those old bad dreams
been sleeping in your head.
Those old dark clouds
been hanging around your head.
But all your hard times
will vanish in the wind.
When the mighty clouds of joy come rolling in.
Ohhhh, Holy Jesus
Let your love seize us.
Oh, let us find sweet peace within .
Hallelujah !
Happiness begins,
when the mighty clouds of joy come rolling in.
Those old storm clouds
are slowly drifting by.
And those old raindrops
are fading from your eyes.
And oh, Mr. Sun,
gonna shine on us again.
When the mighty clouds of joy come rolling in.
Ohhhh, Holy Jesus.
Let your love seize us.
Oh, let us find sweet peace within.
Hallelujah !
Happiness begins,
When the mighty clouds of joy come rolling in.
Holy Jesus
Won't you let your love seize us
Let us find sweet peace within
Hallelujah!
Happiness begins,
When the mighty clouds of joy come rolling in.



By 1980, The Atlanta Rhythm Section was coming apart at the seams. Robert Nix left the group and was replaced by Roy Yeager. The band and I were at each other's throats. We were having trouble with our record label, Polygram, and decided to leave them. They sued us. We won and signed with CBS.

These next three songs were born during that turmoil.

"Do It Or Die" was written by Ronnie Hammond http://www.rockforever.com/singers/hammond/hammond.html, J.R. Cobb and myself.

DO IT OR DIE
Don't let your troubles make you cry
Don't waste a moment wonderin' why
When ev'rything goes wrong
You have to go on
And do it or die
Do it or die now
Stand your ground

Don't let your bad breaks go gettin' you down
Even when times get rough
And you've had enough
You still gotta try
Do it no matter what the people say
They don't even know you

Die before you let them stand in your way
(Don't you know that)
You should know that life is a gamble all along
Winners or losers you keep rollin' on
So go on and roll the dice
You only live twice
So do it or die


"Alien" was written by Steve McRay, Randy Lewis and me. Those guys were from the Mose Jones Band http://www.java-monkey.com/remember-mose.htm, the great Atlanta band.

ALIEN

The sun just went behind a cloud again
Down crowded streets he walks alone
He's a stranger out of place
A number not a face
And all day long, all day long
(CHORUS)
He's feelin like an alien
Feelin like he don't belong
Have mercy, cried the alien
Help him find his way back home

The feelin that he feels he can't explain
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, they're all the same
He's lost and all alone
A heart without a home
Standin like a statue in the rain

(CHORUS)

Now, now and then we all are aliens
Feelin like we don't belong
Have mercy, cried the alien
Help him find his way back home

Feelin like an alien
Hes feelin like he don't belong
Have mercy, cried the alien
Help him find his way
Help him find his way


"Homesick" was written by J.R. and me.

HOMESICK

Guitars ring in the dead of night
Sing the blues, sounds all right
Makes you homesick

Listen close to the guitar man
A native son in a foreign land
The boy's homesick

He's homesick
Homesick
For things back home
Homesick
For home sweet home
Yeah he is

Where were you in '69?
Smoking dope and drinking wine!
Just an outlaw, yeah

Distant drums beat an old refrain
Shakes your feet, pounds your brain
Like a buzzsaw
It's alright

In the darkness down the hall
Blacklight posters on the wall
Jimi Hendrix
Someone's lost in yesterday
Hazy dreams of Monteray
And Woodstock

He's homesick
For days gone by
Homesick
Kiss the sky
Don't ya know the boy's homesick
Yeah take him home
Listen to him



Bobby Goldsboro and I went to high school together. He and John Rainey Adkins were leaders of the Webs. Eventually Bobby left the band and started a solo career. Jack Gold of United Artists took an interest in Bobby. He and I went to New York and Bobby signed an artist deal with U.A. and I was offered a writer's contract for $75 a week.

Here I was fresh out of Dothan, Alabama, staying in a cheap motel off of Broadway. Anybody that knows me, knows that food is very important to me. I would pass, uh, I would pass a deli and press my nose up against the glass knowing that I couldn't afford what I saw.

I was hungry and I was homesick and I wrote the song "GEORGIA PINES" from my heart.

When I got home, John Rainey and I finished it.

Later, my friend, Wilbur Walton, and I put together THE JAMES GANG and Wilbur's version of "GEORGIA PINES" is near and dear to my heart to this day.

Hey, Roberto. Here's an old photo that was on my wife's computer that I thought you might be interested in having. It's a picture of the James Gang in one of our more sober moments, obviously. That is me in the lower left corner, most certainly holding a Bud which you can't see. That is Fred Guarino, our drummer, holding a cheap picture he removed from the wall of this motel, wherever it was. Under him is Johnny Mulkey, guitarist, Bubba Lathem (piano player) pretending to talk on the phone, and that is Wilbur Jr holding a lamp on his head. Yes, a lamp on his head. As you can see, our primary interest from the beginning was elevating the standards of Southern Rock and Roll. Well, that and rendering motel rooms unoccupiable for some time after we went to the next town. Don't give Holiday Inn, Inc., my address.
Jimmy Dean http://www.ircusa.com/jdean/

GEORGIA PINES
The trees grow tall where I come from
Their leaves are green and fine
I grew up in a one room shack
In a field of Georgia pines

I was young and I grew tired
Of that one room shack
So I went a wandering
And now I wanna go back

Georgia Pines, Georgia Pines
How I miss that home of mine
Up here in the city
Just a wastin' my time
There ain't nothing green
But the rich man's money
The buildings are so tall the sun can't shine
Oh, how I wanna go back
To my Georgia Pines

I remember long ago
Blue eyes and golden hair
When I get home, I'll make her mine
Oh God, please let her be there

Georgia Pines, Georgia Pines
How I miss that home of mine
Up here in the city
Just a wastin' my time
There ain't nothing green
but the rich man's money
The buildings are so tall the sun can't shine
Oh, how I wanna go back
To my Georgia pines


Studio 1 became like an artist colony. You'd find Al Kooper, Lynyrd Skynyrd, B.J. Thomas, Billy Joe Royal, :38 Special and countless other artists other than ARS hung out there. All the local bands who wanted to be a part of it hung there; 24 hours a day, it was rockin'.

There was a little restuarant in Doraville called THE CLOCK. Robert Nix and I would go there at night before sessions and drink coffee until we go a buzz on and finish the songs we were working on. One night we went there and Barry Bailey had been working on a melody that we liked and he and I sat down;Robert and I sat down in a booth and started talking because the melody was like [singing] da dat tah tah dah tah dah and somehow I just blurted out,"Doraville, a little country in the city." and Robert said,"That's it!" So we started writing it and almost finished it that night. We went back and showed Barry what we'd done and Barry played it on the guitar and made some changes and it became like an anthem for us and a very identifyiing song for the Atlanta Rhythm Section. "Doraville" became the signature song for the band in the '74; 1974 period; was very big all of the South; never made that big of a splash nationally but was one of the songs that propelled us forward.

Here's "Doraville"

DORAVILLE
(CHORUS)
Doraville, touch of country in the city
Doraville, it ain't much, but it's home

Friends of mine say I oughta move to New York
New York's fine, but it ain't Doraville
Every night, I make a living making music
And that's all right to folks in Doraville
Yeah, hey hey

Ooh, hot time in Dixie, hey
It's funky but i'ts pretty
Sweet Georgia

Yeah, hey hey
Ooh, hot time in Dixie, hey
Come on down and visit, you'll dig it

Red clay hills, rednecks drinking wine on Sunday
Behind their field getting down in Doraville

(CHORUS)

It's all right
It's all right

Doraville
Doraville, it's all right, it's all right, it's all right
Doraville
Doraville