12 September 2007
If you’d like to publicly share your comments about Faron’s biography, here’s the location on Amazon.com: http://tinyurl.com/3dsu2a. We’re celebrating publication with a reunion of the Country Deputies on the Midnite Jamboree, Saturday, November 10, 2007, at the Ernest Tubb Record Shop in Nashville. See http://etrecordshop.com/mj.htm for more info–or to order the book.
FARON YOUNG, TWENTY-TWO YEARS AGO: On September 14, 1985, Faron played a show with Cal Smith and Jack Greene at a “little ranch” in Kerrville, Texas. Faron said, “When you turn off the main highway, you get ten miles down a gravel road to this great huge compound. It was so much money around there, the place actually smelled like a billfold. They had every kind of food conceivable.” He said, “They must have had three or four swimming pools, I don’t know, but it rained about two inches, so there was one hell of a swimming pool. You ought to have saw it–it got so muddy, but the rain finally did quit. About 20 minutes into my show the electricity knocked the whole ranch out. The generators come on, but they were lighting candles. But I never saw–like these women wearing $2000 dresses. They had mud all over the bottom of ’em. And the guys with these thousand dollar alligator boots. . . . That was the durndest party I ever saw, it’s called the Y O Ranch, out of Kerrville, and the money they take in goes to charity. They had 5000 people at $100 a head. I didn’t get paid that much.”
LETTERS
Bill Mack says, “Let’s hook up for a telephone on-the-air interview! I really want to help on your book! I plan to connect with Robyn, soon.”
Response: Thanks, Bill, for interviewing Robyn Young and me on your XM Satellite Radio show on 6 September (which was Robyn’s birthday). My brother and sister in South Dakota listened to the show. I hope many of our newsletter readers caught it.
David Allan writes from the UK, “I’ve just received ‘Live Fast Love Hard’ and wanted to congratulate you on a biog that is not only impeccably researched, extremely easy to read but also captures totally the heart and soul of Faron’s music. I shall be saying so in the October edition of the UK’s Country Music People journal!”
Ray Emmett says, “I finished the book today. I was alright until the last chapter, when I just lost it and cried my heart out again. Good job. See ya in Nov.”
Linda Kyle, Ray Emmett’s daughter, writes from Colorado, “Look forward to reading this book! Thanks for writing about him, and although I never got to meet Marty – I’d say he and ‘The Hag’ are both great singers/songwriters that I’d admired about as much as Faron…and look forward to Marty’s book as well.”
Joni Reed lets us know why her husband, Ernie Reed, won’t be at the Deputy reunion: “Oh, I know we wanted to be there badly! His schedule this fall sort of limits him to being here in Missouri most of the time. We live about 75 miles from Branson now….and he’ll be working there most of the week until the end of November–in fact, I go to the show with him every night so I can share the driving…..no time for what would have been a wonderful side trip!”
Ann Prestage writes, “I just finished reading the biography of Faron Young. You must have gotten most of your information from his ex wife or enemies. That is the worst book I have ever read about any human being. You had nothing to say except a bare mention of a few good deeds he had done. It was the most depressing book I have ever read. I was a Faron Young fan, but no more. I have all his CDs, but they will be trashed. Thanks for nothing.”
Andy Williford says, “I want to tell you on behalf of myself and all of Faron’s childhood friends, how much we appreciate the publication of the book about a very outstanding talent. He was very close, up until his death, to all of us. I will tell you a story about the time when Faron came to Dallas to perform at Cowboys. He called me and I picked him up at the hotel ( he almost always flew and his bus was parked behind Cowboys). We sat and talked before he went on stage, just him and I, and during our conversation, he said to me, ‘Andy, you know I am going to have to die before I get inducted into The Country Music Hall Of Fame.’ He said that it already has happened to some of his friends. My wife and I was watching the country music awards show some years back and I watched and listened to Travis Tritt make the induction speech. My wife saw big tears in my eyes and she asked why? I said, ‘Look at this and what a shame that he is not around to see it.’ Willie Nelson, at one time, was trying to get the proper people to look into this miscarriage of honors. Incidentally, I may have told you that D.J. Fontana was in our class.”
Juanita Buckley writes from Glendale, Arizona, “I will be moving to Willcox, Arizona, sometime in October 2007. They asked me over a year ago to move my Marty Robbins Exhibit to Willcox. I tried to find a place as the City doesn’t think Marty Robbins is anything in Glendale, he not only was born here but put Glendale on the map all over the world. I’m tried of fighting with them to realize what a great man he was, they should be proud that he was born in Glendale. Marty told me I would have a problem and I really thought I could make them see what a great Man he was. Then he died before I could move to Arizona but I kept my promise to him to open an Exhibit for him. I did but I was spending my own money and it caught up to me, I had to sell the building, but I have not given up hope. So I will try again. But this time I will have the City Of Willcox behind me. It will benefit Them as well as The exhibit. So if you come to Arizona I will be in Willcox . . . . We need to keep Marty out there every day for ever.”