WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.640 --> 00:00:02.480 Hey, it's Bob Pickett. We are on our way to 2 00:00:02.560 --> 00:00:04.839 the legendary Broken Spoken. Come on, let's get out the 3 00:00:04.839 --> 00:00:16.160 truck and head inside. 4 00:00:10.880 --> 00:00:19.719 And damn you're round of it. 5 00:00:19.879 --> 00:00:23.120 Come on, it's going side. Getting ready for another tale 6 00:00:23.160 --> 00:00:26.399 from the Broken Spoke? Get ready for some more tales. 7 00:00:26.559 --> 00:00:29.280 Tales from the Broken Spoke. Bob Pickett, Monty Warden Send 8 00:00:29.320 --> 00:00:31.559 at the Willie Nilson Booth B two at the Broken 9 00:00:31.600 --> 00:00:34.320 Spoken Mony. I'm going to have you introduce her guests, 10 00:00:34.320 --> 00:00:37.039 because you guys are like brothers. I mean, just watching 11 00:00:37.079 --> 00:00:39.119 you guys banner back and forth before we hit the 12 00:00:39.159 --> 00:00:40.039 record buttons. 13 00:00:40.560 --> 00:00:43.439 You know I had never met this man come till 14 00:00:43.479 --> 00:00:44.000 this morning. 15 00:00:44.039 --> 00:00:44.520 Come on, No. 16 00:00:44.640 --> 00:00:49.399 One of my dearest friends of thirty five years, great 17 00:00:49.439 --> 00:00:52.640 record producer, hit songwriter, hell of a drummer, hell of 18 00:00:52.679 --> 00:00:57.799 a drummer, amazing player, just amazing arrangement. This is mos Palermo, 19 00:00:58.600 --> 00:00:59.479 one of my dear friends. 20 00:00:59.520 --> 00:01:01.880 Most you agree with that intro. I think he forgot 21 00:01:01.880 --> 00:01:03.759 a few things. 22 00:01:03.880 --> 00:01:06.120 But you know what was so cool is is I'll 23 00:01:06.159 --> 00:01:08.319 say this, uh, and you were talking about this for 24 00:01:08.439 --> 00:01:14.480 moscot here virtually no on, no online presence of any kind, 25 00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:16.920 like if you google him, you will find much. 26 00:01:17.000 --> 00:01:18.040 It's a race. What is that? 27 00:01:19.519 --> 00:01:22.200 You know, I'm just not I have had I have 28 00:01:22.200 --> 00:01:25.280 the glasses I see behind the drums, as Moni Morden says, 29 00:01:25.359 --> 00:01:27.840 you know, no one loves the spotlight more than mos Pelermo. 30 00:01:28.079 --> 00:01:30.560 Right, so it's really you know, I like to be 31 00:01:30.599 --> 00:01:32.519 in the background. Well, let me tell you you're moving 32 00:01:32.519 --> 00:01:33.519 to the foreground right now. 33 00:01:34.519 --> 00:01:37.680 And that's what's so cool because Moss has been you know, 34 00:01:37.840 --> 00:01:41.959 instrumental literally uh and in my success and in the 35 00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:44.840 success of Dangerous Few. He produced both our records and 36 00:01:45.159 --> 00:01:48.200 our current album, Jackpot is on the charts right now. 37 00:01:48.319 --> 00:01:52.239 But he uh, instrumental in the early career Charlie Robinson 38 00:01:52.599 --> 00:01:54.519 and a lot of people don't know that Moss was 39 00:01:55.040 --> 00:01:59.319 Charlie's very first drummer and is really responsible for the 40 00:01:59.400 --> 00:02:03.920 launching of Kelly Willis's career, and virtually no one knows 41 00:02:04.120 --> 00:02:06.879 those three things. Moss co wrote. The Wagoneer's biggest hit 42 00:02:07.359 --> 00:02:10.360 he wrote was Sit a Little Closer and number one 43 00:02:10.479 --> 00:02:14.199 video and just a very you know, quintessential early country 44 00:02:15.319 --> 00:02:19.520 video that was very influential. The Mavericks took a lot 45 00:02:19.520 --> 00:02:22.560 of their stuff, according to them, from Sit a little closer, 46 00:02:24.000 --> 00:02:27.560 and Moss was going to high school with Kelly or 47 00:02:28.080 --> 00:02:31.000 and discovered her voice and singing. They moved down here 48 00:02:31.360 --> 00:02:35.120 when Charlie was Charlie wasn't even hardly picking right, he 49 00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:37.120 was just working the door at the Continental, right. 50 00:02:37.039 --> 00:02:39.439 Working the door, doing some chapel gigs. I think here 51 00:02:39.479 --> 00:02:40.840 and there right right. 52 00:02:40.919 --> 00:02:45.000 And so it's just interesting where you particularly with someone 53 00:02:45.080 --> 00:02:47.159 like Charlie, who's you know, we missed so much and 54 00:02:47.159 --> 00:02:50.800 who's beloved, and Kelly, who has such an amazing career 55 00:02:50.840 --> 00:02:56.520 and one of the best voices. And somebody that people 56 00:02:56.680 --> 00:03:01.800 are probably wholly unaware that who has been certainly not 57 00:03:01.840 --> 00:03:05.400 responsible for their talent, but there's responsible for people hearing them. 58 00:03:05.520 --> 00:03:06.319 Is Mos Palermo. 59 00:03:06.520 --> 00:03:10.360 How did you guys first meet? That's one thing you 60 00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:14.159 didn't mention. Well, oh wait, okay, what kind of story 61 00:03:14.240 --> 00:03:17.759 is this? Well, and you had to be a young kid, 62 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:19.280 but I just moved to Austin. 63 00:03:19.280 --> 00:03:22.680 He was in nineteen twenties, probably eighty six or eighties. 64 00:03:22.759 --> 00:03:24.599 So yeah, so I'm nineteen. 65 00:03:24.439 --> 00:03:27.199 Pre wagoneer days and early early wagoneers. 66 00:03:27.240 --> 00:03:28.360 Yeah, so take it away. 67 00:03:28.719 --> 00:03:30.120 You know a friend of mine, we were living in 68 00:03:30.199 --> 00:03:32.039 DC at the time, a friend of mine, Sean Mensher, 69 00:03:32.039 --> 00:03:35.719 had moved down here. That's all, as well as the 70 00:03:35.759 --> 00:03:38.520 band the Neptunes. I don't know if you remember, Yeah, Pete, 71 00:03:38.520 --> 00:03:39.520 Pete Gordon. 72 00:03:39.280 --> 00:03:41.960 And the in Neptunes is what we called them. 73 00:03:42.520 --> 00:03:42.879 I did not. 74 00:03:43.680 --> 00:03:48.919 I didn't, hey, guys. So, so I came down and 75 00:03:48.960 --> 00:03:51.120 visited my friend Shawn. I was working for fedexit time 76 00:03:51.159 --> 00:03:52.520 and trying to figure out how do I get to 77 00:03:52.560 --> 00:03:54.280 Austin because that's where I wanted to be, you know, 78 00:03:54.319 --> 00:03:57.120 the Roy Brothers and all the music that I love. 79 00:03:57.159 --> 00:03:59.280 And this is the late eighties, early nineties, this is 80 00:03:59.400 --> 00:04:01.159 yeah eighties probably. 81 00:04:02.039 --> 00:04:02.319 Uh. 82 00:04:02.360 --> 00:04:06.159 So I came down here and visited and uh and 83 00:04:06.199 --> 00:04:09.280 the Wagoneers were playing at what was it called then 84 00:04:09.280 --> 00:04:14.240 Emo's something Ravens Raven's garage, right, yeah, Roger, Yeah yeah, Roger. 85 00:04:14.840 --> 00:04:16.600 So Sean brought me out there and he's like, man, 86 00:04:16.639 --> 00:04:19.040 you got to meet these guys. They're great, They're nice, 87 00:04:19.040 --> 00:04:20.519 they're the nicest guys in the world. 88 00:04:21.480 --> 00:04:23.480 The singer in particular, the nicest guy. 89 00:04:23.639 --> 00:04:25.639 I told money all about you. He wants to meet you, 90 00:04:25.720 --> 00:04:26.120 blah blah. 91 00:04:27.279 --> 00:04:30.000 So they they're playing their set, they take a break, 92 00:04:30.600 --> 00:04:34.240 they're walking down and Sean stands up and stops mony goes, hey, 93 00:04:34.519 --> 00:04:36.600 this is Moss pl Aermo And I said, hey, man, 94 00:04:36.639 --> 00:04:37.120 nice to meet you. 95 00:04:37.160 --> 00:04:39.199 Michaels, Hey, nice to meet you. And he walked off 96 00:04:40.120 --> 00:04:40.720 and that was it. 97 00:04:40.759 --> 00:04:44.600 Wow Sonny, so he goes he goes, wow, that that's 98 00:04:44.639 --> 00:04:49.360 the nicest guy in the world. But what Sean failed 99 00:04:49.399 --> 00:04:52.839 to recognize was immediately after we got off stage, I 100 00:04:52.839 --> 00:04:54.839 think it was a three a three set gig. So 101 00:04:55.279 --> 00:04:59.920 after this the first break, the drummer and I proceeded 102 00:04:59.879 --> 00:05:03.639 to have one of the biggest fights we ever had 103 00:05:03.920 --> 00:05:05.879 in our lives. And this guy, you know, he's just 104 00:05:05.959 --> 00:05:09.160 like looked like a lerch or Herman Monster. That's all 105 00:05:09.199 --> 00:05:11.800 this guy in the room, and and he's just I'm 106 00:05:11.800 --> 00:05:14.079 just writing his faces like a little chi wabba. I'm 107 00:05:14.120 --> 00:05:16.319 just just righting his face. And it's like, you know, 108 00:05:16.519 --> 00:05:19.920 you and just started out, and so it's kind of 109 00:05:19.920 --> 00:05:23.040 a band moment that you just want to stay away from. 110 00:05:23.079 --> 00:05:25.319 And I mean I was like, he was so tall 111 00:05:25.439 --> 00:05:27.319 to point at right in my face, he had to 112 00:05:27.319 --> 00:05:30.319 have his arm way in the air, and we were 113 00:05:30.399 --> 00:05:32.519 just ready to we were ready to go. And I'm 114 00:05:32.519 --> 00:05:35.240 one of those guys where you're gonna have to kill 115 00:05:35.279 --> 00:05:37.439 me if you're gonna fight me, because I'm gonna keep coming. 116 00:05:37.759 --> 00:05:40.040 And so in the midst of that, Sean goes, oh, hey, 117 00:05:40.079 --> 00:05:42.319 I want you to meet my friend from d C. 118 00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:46.279 And I go hey, And so in Mosqcow goes whoa 119 00:05:46.800 --> 00:05:51.240 and and I didn't really remember that. And then I 120 00:05:51.240 --> 00:05:53.160 think I saw you again at the hole in the wall. 121 00:05:53.199 --> 00:05:55.639 I think you know you're looking for a new drummer. 122 00:05:55.680 --> 00:05:59.959 After that, Oh man, I should have but uh, anyway, 123 00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:02.680 so like I think you were there again with Sean. 124 00:06:02.759 --> 00:06:05.720 Might have been Pete Gordon and uh, and I just 125 00:06:05.759 --> 00:06:08.199 went hey man, and then and then I said I've 126 00:06:08.199 --> 00:06:10.360 heard a lot about you, and and then Moss went 127 00:06:11.680 --> 00:06:14.439 very kind of I'm not gonna give you anything because 128 00:06:14.800 --> 00:06:17.519 we met the other night at Ravens, like, oh yeah, 129 00:06:17.839 --> 00:06:22.560 hey man. So from that our friendship was born and 130 00:06:22.680 --> 00:06:25.079 uh and and we just hit it off and and 131 00:06:25.160 --> 00:06:28.199 uh and it was really cool because the Wagoners were 132 00:06:28.240 --> 00:06:31.399 just getting started. But we had a you know, immediately 133 00:06:31.480 --> 00:06:33.480 we had buzz on us. I mean we you know, 134 00:06:33.519 --> 00:06:37.120 we we got offered our contract with A and m 135 00:06:37.160 --> 00:06:39.680 literally after like our tenth gig or something, you know. 136 00:06:40.279 --> 00:06:44.879 But Moss and I uh were completely sympatico about just 137 00:06:45.120 --> 00:06:47.839 favorite records. And I mean I don't mean like favorite 138 00:06:47.839 --> 00:06:50.199 records like you say, George Jones and Hank Williams. I 139 00:06:50.240 --> 00:06:56.480 mean like obscure uh shaking Stevens weird UK rockabilly stuff, 140 00:06:57.000 --> 00:07:00.480 punk stuff that was really influenced by Eddie Cocker and stuff, 141 00:07:00.519 --> 00:07:03.160 and not just like bands like the Clash, but specific 142 00:07:03.199 --> 00:07:07.040 Clash records. And so we were able immediately to speak 143 00:07:07.040 --> 00:07:10.839 a shorthand that not a lot of people could, you know, 144 00:07:10.839 --> 00:07:13.759 particularly back then. You have to put it in the 145 00:07:13.759 --> 00:07:17.360 context of eighty six or eighty seven, where a young 146 00:07:17.480 --> 00:07:22.040 country act was forty yeah, right, yeah, so there was 147 00:07:22.120 --> 00:07:24.959 no young country and he was looking to move down here, 148 00:07:25.000 --> 00:07:28.680 and he said he had a little uh band up there, 149 00:07:28.720 --> 00:07:31.720 and I think you said we had a chick singer. 150 00:07:32.360 --> 00:07:36.199 But I was under the impression like she's sang some 151 00:07:37.519 --> 00:07:39.319 I don't know why I thought that, maybe because like 152 00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:41.480 down here, like the Trouble Boys or something would have 153 00:07:41.639 --> 00:07:44.240 like Alice Berry come up and sing four or five songs. 154 00:07:44.240 --> 00:07:46.399 But anyway, and I was like, well, cool man. And 155 00:07:46.600 --> 00:07:49.879 and first thing I asked, anybody, is you right? You know? 156 00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:53.439 And MA said yeah, yeah, write a lot. So anyway, 157 00:07:53.480 --> 00:07:56.199 we just really hit it off. And how long from 158 00:07:56.920 --> 00:07:59.519 when your first trip down here to when you and 159 00:07:59.720 --> 00:08:03.040 kell or what just you and Kelly the whole band? 160 00:08:03.839 --> 00:08:04.959 Yeah, tell us what happened. 161 00:08:05.079 --> 00:08:07.360 So when I came down and I met you know 162 00:08:07.519 --> 00:08:10.560 again Wagoneers, this band that's our age that are like 163 00:08:10.759 --> 00:08:12.720 a talk of the town and stuff, and we're like, well, 164 00:08:12.959 --> 00:08:15.000 this is the place we need to be right up there. 165 00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:16.720 We were kind of entrenched in the Rocket. There was 166 00:08:16.720 --> 00:08:19.079 a big rockabilly scene in the DC area, so all 167 00:08:19.120 --> 00:08:23.839 our mentors were these old rockabilly guys and we kind 168 00:08:23.839 --> 00:08:27.120 of it was mainly Kelly and I were talking about, well, 169 00:08:27.160 --> 00:08:30.040 you know, let's get down there. Yeah, we had a 170 00:08:30.079 --> 00:08:31.959 band and everything, which was great, but we were we 171 00:08:31.959 --> 00:08:33.879 were really thinking about it as we were going to 172 00:08:33.960 --> 00:08:36.519 come down here and start something right, And so we 173 00:08:36.600 --> 00:08:39.120 told the guys, hey, you know, I got myself a transfer. 174 00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:40.960 I was working for FedEx at the time. I got 175 00:08:41.039 --> 00:08:44.200 myself transferred down here to Austin, and we said the guys, 176 00:08:44.240 --> 00:08:44.759 you know, hey. 177 00:08:44.600 --> 00:08:46.240 We're going to go down there. You know. 178 00:08:46.279 --> 00:08:48.960 It was great and they're like, oh, we're going down there, 179 00:08:49.480 --> 00:08:51.960 let's go. So all of a sudden it was all 180 00:08:51.960 --> 00:08:56.159 of us moving down here, which lasted six months. 181 00:08:56.200 --> 00:08:58.240 Maybe is that it was the name of the band again, 182 00:08:58.399 --> 00:08:59.399 Kelly and the Fireballs. 183 00:08:59.679 --> 00:09:04.000 Great band name, yeah, that had been a couple other 184 00:09:04.039 --> 00:09:06.720 band's band name fifteen. 185 00:09:07.919 --> 00:09:11.120 Lewis, the Fairy Day Fireball right right. 186 00:09:11.039 --> 00:09:13.360 Well, and also the Fireballs from Clovis. 187 00:09:13.559 --> 00:09:17.080 I'm thinking watch also at the same time. 188 00:09:17.480 --> 00:09:23.440 But what I remember was like Moss was a great drummer, 189 00:09:23.559 --> 00:09:25.960 like in a very I don't know how to say it, 190 00:09:26.039 --> 00:09:29.279 just a very lyrical drummer, because he's a songwriter and 191 00:09:29.639 --> 00:09:33.679 like everybody else, probably in the face of the earth. 192 00:09:34.639 --> 00:09:37.840 One note of hearing Kelly's voice, Kelly was nineteen eighteen 193 00:09:37.879 --> 00:09:40.480 then I guess she was eighteen, right, that'd be about right, 194 00:09:40.519 --> 00:09:43.840 eighteen or nineteen uh and. 195 00:09:43.960 --> 00:09:46.919 Just yeah, so yeah, nineteen Yeah. 196 00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:52.960 Her voice was was as there then as it is today. 197 00:09:53.480 --> 00:09:56.080 I mean, she's certainly more refined and you know all that, 198 00:09:56.120 --> 00:09:59.559 and much more mature, but just that voice just I 199 00:09:59.600 --> 00:10:01.639 don't know, it was like hearing Patsy Climb for the 200 00:10:01.639 --> 00:10:03.559 first time, or Emmy new Harris or something, but I 201 00:10:03.600 --> 00:10:06.080 equate it to that where you just go, oh, I'm 202 00:10:06.120 --> 00:10:08.200 hearing a voice I'm gonna hear for the rest of 203 00:10:08.240 --> 00:10:14.000 my life. And so just immediately you knew, okay that 204 00:10:14.000 --> 00:10:18.159 that's somebody that's gonna make records, right. And what I 205 00:10:18.240 --> 00:10:20.320 remember about the band, because they were just your high 206 00:10:20.320 --> 00:10:23.039 school buddies, is they they just they were just terrible 207 00:10:23.440 --> 00:10:25.600 and not like they weren't terrible people. They're great people. 208 00:10:25.600 --> 00:10:29.120 But it ain't show friends, it's show business. I just remember, Oh, 209 00:10:29.240 --> 00:10:32.279 the band won't be her band long. 210 00:10:32.360 --> 00:10:33.360 They're not polished or what. 211 00:10:33.559 --> 00:10:35.279 No, they just didn't have They just you know, it's 212 00:10:35.440 --> 00:10:38.480 talents derived from God. And sometimes the day you're born, 213 00:10:38.559 --> 00:10:40.200 you get blessed and sometimes you don't. 214 00:10:40.240 --> 00:10:44.279 You know, were you the leader of the band, Yeah, okay. 215 00:10:44.080 --> 00:10:48.720 Yeah, that was kind of I was just starting to write. 216 00:10:49.360 --> 00:10:51.519 But more than that, I just kind of had the 217 00:10:51.639 --> 00:10:55.399 vision of what we were we should be doing, and 218 00:10:55.440 --> 00:10:57.120 that's kind of what happened too. We came down here, 219 00:10:57.360 --> 00:10:59.320 you know again, the Wagoneers is kind of you know, 220 00:10:59.559 --> 00:11:02.039 country than what we were used to, and we started 221 00:11:02.039 --> 00:11:04.720 we were thinking, you know, Kelly was especially Kelly was like, 222 00:11:04.720 --> 00:11:06.320 I want to go more in that direction, and the 223 00:11:06.360 --> 00:11:08.159 other guys were like, well, we want to go more. 224 00:11:08.279 --> 00:11:12.200 You know r EM's direction, and Kelly and I were like, eh, 225 00:11:13.200 --> 00:11:16.200 so I remember having sitting down and having this conversation 226 00:11:16.279 --> 00:11:18.240 with the guys, and we went down to lay down 227 00:11:18.279 --> 00:11:19.320 and wall this is what we're going to do, and 228 00:11:19.360 --> 00:11:20.879 they were like no, and Kelly said Okay. 229 00:11:20.960 --> 00:11:21.480 Then I quit. 230 00:11:22.879 --> 00:11:24.559 She walked out and I was sitting there with my 231 00:11:24.600 --> 00:11:27.919 high school buddies and the band had just broken up. Wow, 232 00:11:27.960 --> 00:11:30.279 six months after being six months after being in Austin, 233 00:11:30.519 --> 00:11:35.000 and by that time we'd already Another huge influence on 234 00:11:35.080 --> 00:11:36.519 us was Evan Johns, who had moved down here. He 235 00:11:36.600 --> 00:11:38.399 was playing with the Liverroy Brothers at the time. He 236 00:11:38.480 --> 00:11:41.080 was also represented by Carlin Major, and he walked our 237 00:11:41.120 --> 00:11:44.200 demo over to her office. So we'd already met with Carlin. 238 00:11:44.679 --> 00:11:47.480 She'd already gave us some tips on what we should 239 00:11:47.519 --> 00:11:49.480 be working on. 240 00:11:49.480 --> 00:11:53.080 One of them was new band. One of them was 241 00:11:53.080 --> 00:11:53.519 a new band. 242 00:11:53.600 --> 00:11:56.240 She told me what she said she said, and Carlin 243 00:11:56.360 --> 00:11:59.759 talked like I've always said, if the penguin from Batman 244 00:11:59.799 --> 00:12:02.480 had and a chick, it would sound like Carling. So 245 00:12:02.559 --> 00:12:06.159 she said, she said, honey, you're you're You're such a sweetheart. 246 00:12:06.320 --> 00:12:09.919 I'm not going Okay, what is it okay, here we go. 247 00:12:11.559 --> 00:12:15.480 You need to tell those guys they're terrible. Well I'm 248 00:12:15.519 --> 00:12:18.279 in another bed. No, I'm not gonna do that. No. Yeah, 249 00:12:18.360 --> 00:12:21.279 they could hear it from you. No one wants to 250 00:12:21.320 --> 00:12:25.080 hear that, and nobody can hear that. They'll just they'll 251 00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:28.120 just figure it out. It'll just happen, And it kind 252 00:12:28.120 --> 00:12:28.919 of just did, right. 253 00:12:29.039 --> 00:12:30.360 Yeah. 254 00:12:30.399 --> 00:12:33.960 And at the time, Monnie's drummer was playing with actor 255 00:12:34.080 --> 00:12:40.159 David Keith, who just made this horrible movie down who 256 00:12:40.159 --> 00:12:43.519 had been kidnapped or so anyways, Uh so I started 257 00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:45.480 playing with him, like I read at that same time 258 00:12:45.519 --> 00:12:47.000 as I think I was already playing with him when 259 00:12:47.000 --> 00:12:49.960 the band broke up. But that was you know, lucrative 260 00:12:49.960 --> 00:12:52.480 at the time and and busy, and you know, who 261 00:12:52.559 --> 00:12:55.120 doesn't want to have actor David Keith come play their 262 00:12:55.120 --> 00:12:56.519 clubs so he could go wherever he wanted. 263 00:12:56.720 --> 00:12:56.919 You know. 264 00:12:57.279 --> 00:12:59.240 We get moving up to Memphis and did the Elvis 265 00:12:59.279 --> 00:13:02.399 Memorials show with the big you know, just because he asked. 266 00:13:02.600 --> 00:13:05.799 You know, so uh that that worked out and kind 267 00:13:05.799 --> 00:13:08.440 of transitioning me from being a working stiff. 268 00:13:09.159 --> 00:13:12.000 So wait a minute, you worked with with with Keith? 269 00:13:12.200 --> 00:13:14.720 Oh yeah, so you're part of the band. What's he 270 00:13:14.840 --> 00:13:16.720 doing now, He's not you never hear from the guy. 271 00:13:17.039 --> 00:13:20.639 No, he's he doesn't have an online presence. Uh. Our 272 00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:23.960 bass player at the time, Benny Guardle of Bennie, Uh, 273 00:13:24.480 --> 00:13:26.519 talked to him a little while ago. So he's still around. 274 00:13:26.519 --> 00:13:29.240 He just well, I was sitting right, he was in 275 00:13:29.240 --> 00:13:32.879 the role right in front of me, same timeframe, late eighties. Ye, 276 00:13:33.200 --> 00:13:36.919 John Mellencamp at the Iarwind Center. Oh yeah, and David 277 00:13:37.039 --> 00:13:38.879 was standing up man, he was enjoying the show. And yeah, 278 00:13:38.879 --> 00:13:42.559 he was in town. He was music, he loved. 279 00:13:42.360 --> 00:13:45.480 Music and a great cat thing. 280 00:13:45.559 --> 00:13:48.440 Was an officer and gentleman. That yeah, yeah, that's the way. 281 00:13:49.080 --> 00:13:49.240 Yeah. 282 00:13:49.320 --> 00:13:50.879 When I tried to tell to people who he is 283 00:13:51.000 --> 00:13:53.000 and I mentioned a few things, Everyone's like what and 284 00:13:53.039 --> 00:13:53.279 I go. 285 00:13:53.720 --> 00:13:58.080 The guy him, Oh yeah, So I mean he'd also 286 00:13:58.080 --> 00:14:03.559 done fire Starter, Great and Hell, which is just kind 287 00:14:03.600 --> 00:14:07.639 of mad. But anyway, so what that's that's interesting. Yeah. 288 00:14:07.960 --> 00:14:09.559 So those guys were going on the road. So that's 289 00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:12.399 kind of how I backed into that gig. Tom said, hey, 290 00:14:12.639 --> 00:14:15.080 you should have this guy playing That was Michael Ramos 291 00:14:15.120 --> 00:14:15.759 was playing. 292 00:14:15.840 --> 00:14:19.000 Keys, and uh who was playing guitar? 293 00:14:19.960 --> 00:14:20.840 Wouldn't Murray? 294 00:14:21.039 --> 00:14:24.799 No, Murray, Yeah, took over, but it was Johnny X 295 00:14:24.960 --> 00:14:28.200 was guitar first. That's who we had the video. He 296 00:14:28.320 --> 00:14:32.080 rented out the A c L studio and produced his 297 00:14:32.159 --> 00:14:33.759 own A c L show. 298 00:14:34.080 --> 00:14:38.399 Yeah right, yeah, I had a song on that. 299 00:14:37.840 --> 00:14:41.200 Yes, yeah, link Line and Sacred Well you had a 300 00:14:41.759 --> 00:14:42.639 song on his album. 301 00:14:42.799 --> 00:14:46.519 Well he's project. Yeah, I forgot about that. 302 00:14:46.600 --> 00:14:47.840 You haven't seen the check for it lately. 303 00:14:48.159 --> 00:14:52.360 It's on the ever Benny puts all that. He's like, 304 00:14:52.480 --> 00:14:55.440 he's taken clips from that and put that's right, you 305 00:14:55.480 --> 00:14:56.399 can find your song. 306 00:14:56.600 --> 00:15:00.480 But like I remember, like when the Wagoneers got signed, 307 00:15:01.000 --> 00:15:03.360 uh and we were you know, like mass said we were, 308 00:15:03.360 --> 00:15:05.639 we were a buzz band. It was just like absolutely 309 00:15:05.879 --> 00:15:08.720 uh A and M Records very first country act since 310 00:15:09.320 --> 00:15:11.759 Graham Parsons and before that They're Want and only country 311 00:15:11.799 --> 00:15:13.679 act had been Whalen. So it was a it was 312 00:15:13.679 --> 00:15:16.480 a big deal. And and so all of a sudden, 313 00:15:17.039 --> 00:15:21.919 what we discovered was virtually every A and R department 314 00:15:22.480 --> 00:15:27.159 descended on Austin to go sign another you know, the 315 00:15:27.159 --> 00:15:30.679 next Wagoneers or their version of the Wagoneers. And and 316 00:15:30.759 --> 00:15:34.240 what happens a lot still to this day is when 317 00:15:34.360 --> 00:15:39.039 a buzz band gets signed. The the labels that pass 318 00:15:39.159 --> 00:15:43.000 on you are then told to go back there and 319 00:15:43.039 --> 00:15:45.480 get one. I mean, you know, that's that's the oldest. 320 00:15:45.519 --> 00:15:49.639 You know, when Deca passed on Elvis, uh, Jim Denny 321 00:15:49.720 --> 00:15:52.600 was told by Decca Nash Deca, New York, I don't 322 00:15:52.639 --> 00:15:55.080 care who it is. The next rock and roll singer 323 00:15:55.080 --> 00:15:57.200 that walks through your door signed them, and it was 324 00:15:57.200 --> 00:16:00.200 Buddy Holly, you know. So that's that's how a lot 325 00:16:00.240 --> 00:16:03.080 of people get their record deals. And so what we 326 00:16:03.200 --> 00:16:09.840 quickly discovered is a bunch of bands that couldn't get 327 00:16:09.879 --> 00:16:13.519 anything going in their hometown moved to Austin, which was 328 00:16:14.279 --> 00:16:17.480 which was kind of a stupid way of doing things, 329 00:16:17.600 --> 00:16:19.080 or a backwards way of doing things, because if you 330 00:16:19.200 --> 00:16:21.960 if you well not y'all, if you couldn't get something 331 00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:25.000 going in your hometown, the last place you should move 332 00:16:25.039 --> 00:16:28.559 would be Austin, where we were like the on the 333 00:16:28.600 --> 00:16:32.919 forefront of that young country kick with. And so a 334 00:16:32.919 --> 00:16:35.919 bunch of these bands moved in that, you know, couldn't 335 00:16:35.919 --> 00:16:38.200 write home for money and couldn't play their way out 336 00:16:38.200 --> 00:16:40.759 of a paper sack, and they were just no good. 337 00:16:41.240 --> 00:16:45.399 And out of that there was this one act Kelly Willis, 338 00:16:45.480 --> 00:16:48.159 and we were just all going, I mean, she's not 339 00:16:48.399 --> 00:16:52.960 just great for here, she's great for history. This is 340 00:16:53.120 --> 00:16:56.120 like I mean, I remember I remember telling Emmy, I mean, 341 00:16:56.200 --> 00:16:58.600 lou was a huge champion of the Wags. You know, 342 00:16:58.639 --> 00:17:00.240 she goes what goes down, on what's going on and 343 00:17:00.279 --> 00:17:03.080 Austin I said, this chick, Kelly Willis, she's just this 344 00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:06.160 little girl, and you're gonna be hearing about her forever. 345 00:17:06.680 --> 00:17:12.319 It was. It was astonishing how great she was. And 346 00:17:13.359 --> 00:17:17.440 pretty quickly there was label interest, you know. And I 347 00:17:17.519 --> 00:17:21.079 remember that she had just these batch of songs that 348 00:17:21.240 --> 00:17:23.200 I didn't know at the time that Moss had written 349 00:17:23.200 --> 00:17:26.119 all of these songs and he was able and then 350 00:17:26.200 --> 00:17:30.440 later on with me, but he was able to immediately 351 00:17:30.920 --> 00:17:34.960 write songs, which it's so difficult to do. You can 352 00:17:34.960 --> 00:17:36.799 write a great song, which is its own miracle, but 353 00:17:36.839 --> 00:17:39.960 he was able to immediately write these songs that were 354 00:17:40.200 --> 00:17:44.000 perfect for Kelly's voice. Moss was just able to go, oh, 355 00:17:44.920 --> 00:17:47.400 her voice likes to go way up here suddenly, and 356 00:17:47.440 --> 00:17:50.960 then crash it down and melodically, I don't even know 357 00:17:51.000 --> 00:17:53.119 if you were conscious of it, just oh, well, we 358 00:17:53.160 --> 00:17:57.519 need a song that does that and how many how 359 00:17:57.599 --> 00:17:59.799 quickly did you write those songs and how many did 360 00:17:59.839 --> 00:18:00.279 you right? 361 00:18:02.799 --> 00:18:06.319 The first two albums? Really yeah, yeah, Uh, well it's funny. 362 00:18:06.319 --> 00:18:08.640 When we moved down here, I probably had only two 363 00:18:08.680 --> 00:18:11.279 songs that I had written that we were doing right, 364 00:18:11.480 --> 00:18:13.640 of course, the first batch of songs that you write 365 00:18:13.759 --> 00:18:16.359 that are never get out of the incubator. 366 00:18:16.359 --> 00:18:19.839 But uh, they had they had the thing in them 367 00:18:19.880 --> 00:18:20.920 though exactly. 368 00:18:20.960 --> 00:18:23.599 Yeah, something I go, oh, that's what I need to do. Yeah, So. 369 00:18:25.319 --> 00:18:27.519 I came down, Like the first song I wrote down 370 00:18:27.559 --> 00:18:29.720 here was when I was sleeping on the Neptunes floor 371 00:18:29.759 --> 00:18:31.319 trying to find a place to live, and I wrote 372 00:18:31.400 --> 00:18:33.079 River of Love, which ended up being. 373 00:18:32.839 --> 00:18:35.680 On Yeah, I remember that song certainly, Yeah, on. 374 00:18:35.640 --> 00:18:38.079 Kelly's first record. So I think you know, we got 375 00:18:38.119 --> 00:18:43.480 signed within I think a year sixteen months of being 376 00:18:43.480 --> 00:18:45.880 here or something like that. Uh, so by that time 377 00:18:45.920 --> 00:18:48.400 I had written I guess I wrote half the six 378 00:18:48.440 --> 00:18:49.960 six songs that were on that first record, and you 379 00:18:50.039 --> 00:18:51.759 had two cuts. 380 00:18:51.680 --> 00:18:56.240 To on the first and Paul Kennerley, I think that's 381 00:18:56.240 --> 00:18:56.640 the album. 382 00:18:56.759 --> 00:19:01.519 That's the album. Yeah, So it was, uh, the showcase 383 00:19:01.599 --> 00:19:04.359 was at the Continental Club to that album. 384 00:19:04.400 --> 00:19:08.400 I remember, yes, yes, in fact, the Continental Club is 385 00:19:08.880 --> 00:19:10.839 we were playing the Continental Club one night and Nancy 386 00:19:10.839 --> 00:19:12.799 Griffin showed up. Uh. 387 00:19:14.720 --> 00:19:18.240 And back then there was a. 388 00:19:18.400 --> 00:19:21.839 Payphone in the corner of the club, okay, and we 389 00:19:21.839 --> 00:19:23.759 were on stage and she picked with the phone. She 390 00:19:23.799 --> 00:19:26.119 called Tony Brown at mc A and she said, you 391 00:19:26.240 --> 00:19:28.160 got to hear this, and she held up the phone. 392 00:19:28.200 --> 00:19:30.480 So that's how Tony got involved. That's how that's how 393 00:19:30.599 --> 00:19:31.519 Tony first got involved. 394 00:19:31.599 --> 00:19:33.319 Yeah, and then he came down and saw played the 395 00:19:33.319 --> 00:19:37.400 home wall and he walked up to Kelly and said, well, 396 00:19:37.839 --> 00:19:39.440 I'm either going to sign you or marry you. 397 00:19:40.400 --> 00:19:43.319 And man, and. 398 00:19:43.319 --> 00:19:46.039 Did you know that he that Tony had picked with 399 00:19:46.119 --> 00:19:47.079 Elvis at that time? 400 00:19:47.200 --> 00:19:49.759 That time, I knew he had been working with all 401 00:19:49.799 --> 00:19:51.440