… [Read more...] about On The Writing Of A Song: A Look Inside
Backlines
The story behind the story
I’m somebody who’s always on the lookout for a good story. When I’m lucky enough to hear a song hiding inside one, I write and sing what I hear. I also try to tell the stories that my songs tell me. When you’re a singer/songwriter who tells stories about his own songs I guess you’ve earned the right to be called a songteller.
As I’ve played and sung my songs over the years and around the country, I’ve noticed that listeners really like to hear about the birth of a song; how it was created, how it evolved and how it became strong enough to stand on its own two feet. The way you sing it helps and the way you play it helps but the real secret lies in the telling of the story behind the song - especially real-life songs that come from real life stories. I call these song stories about story songs backlines. They found me - now they’re finding you.
Every song’s got a story.
Here’s the backline behind this one………...
Leather Was My Home
Don King is an icon of western culture. He was the real deal, was born and bred in Wyoming and grew up on the back of a horse following his dad across the west. As they moved from one ranch to another Don discovered that he had a knack for working with leather and he used his talents to repair gear … [Read more...] about Leather Was My Home
Borderline Love
One of the finest things to ever cross the border was a girl I gave a ride to on a cold New Mexico morning. She was on the run, was lost, and was scared. I was in even worse shape - I was young, wild, and in need of some company. We ended up finding each other for awhile and I ended up with … [Read more...] about Borderline Love
Medicine To Me
"You're over my heart, hanging around my neck - covered in buckskin and beads." This is a song that I wrote for some friends a long time ago. Since that time, I became very close to a couple of Crow girls - twins in fact - who came into my life during a few distinct times. I remember the day they … [Read more...] about Medicine To Me
Seven Below
“Dad you should of seen the bird in front of me - he was bigger than you. And the moon went down on a buffalo." When your little boy tells you words like this and you’re a songwriter, your job is pretty easy. When Sam was only four years old we went out on the coldest day of the winter to feed the … [Read more...] about Seven Below
Buckaroo Ball
When you think back to the grand old turn of the century days of the west, you can't help but think of Buffalo Bill Cody and his Wild West Show. Sure, Bill may have been a little bit full of himself but you've got to give him credit for painting a picture of a recently tamed west that he pushed out … [Read more...] about Buckaroo Ball
Elizabeth’s Floor
I guess there comes a time in everyone's life when they need to get away from everyone so they can see themselves a little better. Looking back on it, I may have carried that to kind of an extreme when I was wintering out one year up in the Gila Wilderness of south western New Mexico. I had my … [Read more...] about Elizabeth’s Floor
Changes
There are lessons to be learned that lie between the hands that hold a set of reins and the horse that they are speaking to. When a man approaches the natural softness of a horse with softness in his hands and in his thinking, a level of harmony can be reached that can change his relationship with … [Read more...] about Changes
