1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,440 Unknown: My wife this morning, when I was coming in, she said, 2 00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:09,060 You know, I love Deborah Allen, really? Yeah, she, she, you 3 00:00:09,060 --> 00:00:12,540 know. And I think that's, that's the that's, and I hope this, 4 00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:16,560 this doesn't, I hope I don't turn you off here, but to me, 5 00:00:16,620 --> 00:00:20,100 you remind me of like Dolly Parton. You've got a great 6 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:24,140 personality. Thank you. You are you? And as she put it, she 7 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:28,160 said, she is so pretty. And I said, Well, honey, she's pretty, 8 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:31,220 but not as pretty as you are. And she said, Oh yes, she is. 9 00:00:31,220 --> 00:00:31,880 She's pretty. 10 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:36,860 And you said, My wife loves you, as I was thinking to myself, 11 00:00:36,860 --> 00:00:38,300 well, then I already love her. 12 00:00:40,700 --> 00:00:46,360 Welcome to a podcast about music and entertainment before it all 13 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:51,580 goes down, circling the drain. This is circling the drain. We 14 00:00:51,580 --> 00:00:52,600 are off to the races. 15 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:57,820 Hey, welcome back to circling the drain. You know me, John E 16 00:00:57,820 --> 00:01:01,380 Bozeman, known as Johnny B and of course, you got the three 17 00:01:01,380 --> 00:01:03,300 J's. One of them is Jay Harper. 18 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:06,900 That would be me. Hello, Johnny B and I'm gonna toss it to the 19 00:01:06,900 --> 00:01:10,620 third J. That would be the producer extraordinaire. Jim 20 00:01:10,620 --> 00:01:12,240 McCarthy, thank you very much. 21 00:01:12,540 --> 00:01:16,440 Sometimes known as Chris, sometimes. And we have a special 22 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:20,540 guest in here, special guest deluding the ugly in this room, 23 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:25,700 ladies and gentlemen. And she, you know, her from from RCA 24 00:01:25,700 --> 00:01:29,480 Records, she had a great big hit called baby. I lied. Yeah, we're 25 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:31,880 gonna be talking about that. Yes, we are, because we have a 26 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:35,960 great story on that. But she's done so much more. You know, it 27 00:01:35,960 --> 00:01:39,920 would take me the entire podcast to tell you everything she's 28 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:43,420 done. We'll let her tell us. But Deborah Allen, welcome to 29 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:44,860 circling the drain. 30 00:01:44,920 --> 00:01:48,880 I am so excited to be here circling the drain with y'all. 31 00:01:50,020 --> 00:01:54,160 Well, we're excited as well. In fact, I was excited because what 32 00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:58,600 brought this all on was that you met up with Jay Harper at the 33 00:01:58,660 --> 00:01:59,620 Josie awards. 34 00:01:59,619 --> 00:02:02,339 I did. Gosh, fate stepped in again. 35 00:02:02,340 --> 00:02:05,280 Yeah, I suppose so. You know, I've told the story, I believe, 36 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:08,400 perhaps on the podcast, but I know certainly online. You know, 37 00:02:08,700 --> 00:02:13,260 an old radio dog met Deborah back in 1983 when she was making 38 00:02:13,260 --> 00:02:16,500 the radio tours, as artists were prone to do back then. Don't 39 00:02:16,500 --> 00:02:19,320 know if they're doing that anymore, but going out and 40 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:23,480 meeting radio and promoting their music. And Deborah and her 41 00:02:23,540 --> 00:02:27,860 RCA record rep at the time, a guy named Jack Weston had came 42 00:02:27,860 --> 00:02:30,620 to the station where I was working. I was music director at 43 00:02:30,620 --> 00:02:35,900 a Billboard R and R reporter, and anyway, she was so sweet, so 44 00:02:35,900 --> 00:02:39,680 kind, took us to lunch. And I've always, you know, I've met a lot 45 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:42,700 of artists over the years, working at MCA and all that, but 46 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:46,900 Deborah has always been one that has stuck in my mind about being 47 00:02:46,900 --> 00:02:51,280 so kind and so talented. And yes, it's a real treat to see 48 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:55,060 you again, and but it but it kills me, you look just like you 49 00:02:55,060 --> 00:02:57,040 did 42 years ago. How do you 50 00:02:57,519 --> 00:03:00,659 do that? Oh, man, I'll tell you what. I wish I had $100 I'd give 51 00:03:00,659 --> 00:03:04,619 it to you. Thank you so much. Well, it was such a pleasure to 52 00:03:04,619 --> 00:03:08,219 run into you again. It's such a sweet surprise. I loved it. And 53 00:03:08,219 --> 00:03:10,979 you know, I guess you were pretty lucky that we took, well, 54 00:03:10,979 --> 00:03:14,879 maybe not lucky we I guess we were all pretty lucky. Weston 55 00:03:14,879 --> 00:03:17,399 took us to lunch that day. Most of the time we brought pizza. 56 00:03:19,860 --> 00:03:22,520 Well, you know us radio guys, we wouldn't have minded that 57 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:26,240 either. No, we take the pizza. Yeah, yeah. But no, you know you 58 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:29,600 were out promoting your what? Well, your album, but also the 59 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:33,920 hit from 1983 got to number four on the Billboard chart and 60 00:03:33,920 --> 00:03:38,000 crossed over to pop. That's correct, baby. I lied, which 61 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:43,420 still gets played. I mean, I'm, you know, on WSM FM, I'm on 62 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:47,320 Westwood one, and I'm on some other stations, and we still 63 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:51,820 play baby I lied. I mean, it's just that had to be a career 64 00:03:51,820 --> 00:03:53,980 changing release for you. 65 00:03:53,980 --> 00:03:56,920 It truly was. It's still my signature song, and I'm so 66 00:03:56,920 --> 00:04:00,700 fortunate that my signature song is actually a song that I like. 67 00:04:00,700 --> 00:04:03,180 You know, a lot of artists, I know they'll go, I gotta sing 68 00:04:03,180 --> 00:04:05,640 that again, but I'm always, I love to sing that song. But 69 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:10,260 yeah, at RCA, Joe Galante said, you know, Promotion Department 70 00:04:10,260 --> 00:04:13,440 and radio is calling this the record that won't go away. And I 71 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:14,760 said, Well, that's okay with me. 72 00:04:16,260 --> 00:04:19,320 Well, it made my because I was working in Birmingham at the 73 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:22,580 time, yeah, and I was familiar with Deborah because she had 74 00:04:22,580 --> 00:04:26,000 done the Jim Reeves. I know I was going to whisper about that 75 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:28,640 story. And you also had another album that I love, the album 76 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:30,200 cover, Trouble in paradise. 77 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:32,660 In paradise. Trouble in paradise. Let's see. Trouble in 78 00:04:32,660 --> 00:04:36,380 paradise came, I think just after the Jim Reeves duet, yes, 79 00:04:36,380 --> 00:04:39,620 yeah. I think they were so close it was hard to tell which one 80 00:04:39,620 --> 00:04:41,440 came first. It was my first album, though, 81 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:43,360 especially with my memory. You know, 82 00:04:44,620 --> 00:04:48,400 it's a little frosty. But anyway, I was working in 83 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:52,900 Birmingham, and we had this chain of radio stations, and 84 00:04:52,900 --> 00:04:57,460 they never really let us jump on records, yeah, and so I had to 85 00:04:57,460 --> 00:05:01,680 call the home office and. And Baby, I lied. Came through. I 86 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:05,400 flipped out, because I thought, Man, this thing's gonna be huge. 87 00:05:05,460 --> 00:05:11,160 Wow. And thank you. I really, I got in an argument because they 88 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:14,700 were saying, No, you can't jump on it. I said, I want to play it 89 00:05:14,700 --> 00:05:17,700 right now. I said, I don't want to wait. Because I said, this 90 00:05:17,700 --> 00:05:21,920 record, I told them. I said, the record is going to be huge. I 91 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:25,280 said, I guarantee you this thing is going to cross over too. And 92 00:05:25,280 --> 00:05:29,120 they thought I was crazy. I mean, they one thing they had 10 93 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:34,160 years sometimes that happens in radio. But I was so pleased when 94 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:38,000 the record started. Oh, I mean it, and you made me a hero. So I 95 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:39,560 have to really thank you. Well, I'd 96 00:05:39,560 --> 00:05:42,400 say you made you were the one, one of the ones that made me a 97 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:45,280 hero, too, by playing it. You know, there was one, one 98 00:05:45,400 --> 00:05:47,920 holdout. I think it was somewhere. I think it was either 99 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:52,240 Memphis or Texas, and I had to call them up. And the guy's 100 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:56,020 name, I think it was Steve, and the record label had me call him 101 00:05:56,020 --> 00:05:58,060 up, and he says, You're not playing it. They need to play 102 00:05:58,060 --> 00:06:01,080 it. So I called up. They were all happy to hear from me. And I 103 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:03,240 said, Why? Why are you not playing baby? Out Loud, 104 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:06,660 everybody else in the country's playing it. He goes, Well, you 105 00:06:06,660 --> 00:06:10,200 know, Deborah, it's just not country. I said, you know? He 106 00:06:10,200 --> 00:06:12,780 said, You know that part where you go, baby, baby, baby. I 107 00:06:12,840 --> 00:06:15,420 said, there's nothing more country than babies. Yeah. 108 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:18,060 Especially, man is my favorite part of the song 109 00:06:18,060 --> 00:06:21,320 they started playing tail end. Oh, yeah. And you know what, 110 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:25,340 really but, you know, I have one beef with RCA, or whoever, at 111 00:06:25,340 --> 00:06:28,340 the very end of the record, where it's fading out, you hit a 112 00:06:28,340 --> 00:06:32,960 high note, they faded it, yeah, because when I would play it on 113 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:35,060 the air, I would just pop it up. 114 00:06:35,060 --> 00:06:37,580 You know what? When I sing that note, and when I sang it, I 115 00:06:37,580 --> 00:06:41,200 remember, in that studio go, I'm gonna reel in my Ronnie Millsap. 116 00:06:44,680 --> 00:06:45,820 That's what inspired me. Well, 117 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:49,240 it was very I was only I was angry with the record label over 118 00:06:49,240 --> 00:06:52,240 that. I was like, I about want to call him up and say, put it 119 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:54,580 out and put out a different version where you can hear that 120 00:06:54,580 --> 00:06:58,840 faded long. Yeah, wow. That's great. Thank you. Wow. Yeah, 121 00:06:58,840 --> 00:07:01,260 those are some good times. I enjoyed it so much. And right 122 00:07:01,260 --> 00:07:04,920 around that same time, I was going to the pop radio stations 123 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:10,140 too, and all over the country, and it was so much fun because 124 00:07:10,140 --> 00:07:12,780 the Eurythmics were just coming out, and they'd go in, they'd 125 00:07:12,780 --> 00:07:15,960 play the Eurythmics, and I'd go, I love that song. That song is 126 00:07:15,960 --> 00:07:19,380 so cool. And then they'd play my records, and, you know, started 127 00:07:19,380 --> 00:07:23,060 taking off too. Yeah, it was on the pop on the hot 100 pop 128 00:07:23,060 --> 00:07:27,380 charts got way up the charts there, and the AC chart and the 129 00:07:27,380 --> 00:07:29,960 country charts. So I think that's one reason why they 130 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:31,700 called it the record that wouldn't go away. 131 00:07:31,700 --> 00:07:35,060 Yeah, just wouldn't. Just wouldn't, still doesn't really, 132 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:39,320 well, you know the when you came to Nashville, I mean, did you 133 00:07:39,320 --> 00:07:43,240 come here as a looking for just to be a songwriter. Because, you 134 00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:45,400 know, I definitely want to talk about that. I mean, your 135 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:49,660 songwriting credits are pretty, pretty impressive. But did you 136 00:07:49,660 --> 00:07:53,260 want to be both an artist and a songwriter? I mean, what was 137 00:07:53,260 --> 00:07:54,340 your goal coming here? 138 00:07:54,340 --> 00:08:00,040 No, actually, not. I really came here to to be a singer. That's 139 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:03,240 what I wanted to be. And, you know, I used to when I was a 140 00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:06,060 kid, I'd walk through the neighborhood singing. I'd always 141 00:08:06,060 --> 00:08:08,880 pick the saddest song to walk to my girlfriend's house, you know, 142 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:13,080 just going, Oh, like that. And but I moved to Nashville, I 143 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:17,880 really wanted to be a singer, but I I had worked at Opryland, 144 00:08:17,940 --> 00:08:23,000 and had just gotten back from a State Department tour with 145 00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:27,800 Opryland, with Tennessee, Ernie Ford, we went to Russia. Oh, 146 00:08:27,800 --> 00:08:32,960 wow, yeah, yeah. We went to five places within Russia. It was, 147 00:08:33,320 --> 00:08:38,600 let's see Leningrad, Tbilisi, Baku, yudovan and Moscow. And we 148 00:08:38,600 --> 00:08:43,540 did a TV show while we were there on Opryland type thing. 149 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:49,060 And I loved Opryland so much. And actually, that's when I 150 00:08:49,060 --> 00:08:51,580 first got to be on the opry stage. Was when we were doing 151 00:08:51,580 --> 00:08:54,400 that show with Tennessee Ernie Ford. I loved him so much. He 152 00:08:54,400 --> 00:09:00,100 was so wonderful. And but I just felt like I didn't want to stay 153 00:09:00,100 --> 00:09:03,120 at Opryland, because, you know, I don't think, I don't know if 154 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:06,720 it was the best wisdom to pass along to any new artist starting 155 00:09:06,720 --> 00:09:10,380 out, but as something in me said, If you keep getting used 156 00:09:10,380 --> 00:09:13,980 to this regular paycheck, you're not ever going to get out there 157 00:09:13,980 --> 00:09:17,820 and take the kind of risk that you need to take to become more 158 00:09:18,180 --> 00:09:21,380 so that's when I kind of broke out and started doing that. And 159 00:09:21,380 --> 00:09:25,700 then I wound up singing at the happy hour at the spins manager 160 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:32,060 man the Spence Manor on Music Row and and I was also hanging 161 00:09:32,060 --> 00:09:34,460 out at whale and Jennings office, where my best friend 162 00:09:34,460 --> 00:09:36,140 was. Her name was Marie Barrett, 163 00:09:36,620 --> 00:09:39,860 and you had shelf Silverstein there. Did you? 164 00:09:39,860 --> 00:09:42,820 Yes, I did. That's what I was about to say. There were all 165 00:09:42,820 --> 00:09:45,340 kinds of characters that came through there, John Hartford, 166 00:09:45,340 --> 00:09:49,540 who wound up Mary, Marie, but then shell came through, and I 167 00:09:49,540 --> 00:09:54,280 said, Hey, would you come hear me sing at the Spence manner? I 168 00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:56,740 do the happy hour there. And he goes, Yeah, I'll come. He kind 169 00:09:56,740 --> 00:10:00,660 of talks like that. He looks like a pirate. And so. He does. 170 00:10:01,620 --> 00:10:05,700 He showed up, you know, and I sang, and I sat down beside him, 171 00:10:05,700 --> 00:10:09,000 and he said, you ever thought about writing No. First he said, 172 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:11,580 You got really good voice. And I was like, oh boy, I'm getting 173 00:10:11,580 --> 00:10:14,520 ready to get discovered, you know. But then he said, Have you 174 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:17,100 ever thought about writing songs? And I said, Well, no, you 175 00:10:17,100 --> 00:10:22,160 know, I've written poems, few poems in high school, but never 176 00:10:22,220 --> 00:10:24,440 thought about writing songs. He goes, I think I don't think 177 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:28,340 about writing songs, you know, a song you could write your own 178 00:10:28,340 --> 00:10:31,760 direction. And he goes, a song, something you can keep forever. 179 00:10:32,300 --> 00:10:35,900 And then he said, you know, it the sun doesn't shine on the 180 00:10:35,900 --> 00:10:39,500 same dog's back every day. And that kind of stuck with me, 181 00:10:39,500 --> 00:10:42,160 because I knew he meant you can't have a number one hit 182 00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:47,080 every day. So I said, Well, I tell you what, I'll go try and 183 00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:49,900 bring you back a couple of things. And if it, if you think 184 00:10:49,900 --> 00:10:52,660 I've got potential, I'll do it. So I wound up writing a couple 185 00:10:52,660 --> 00:10:58,000 of acapella songs, and I went back to him and I sang them and 186 00:10:58,000 --> 00:11:04,260 to him, and he goes, I think he got away with words, you do? He 187 00:11:04,260 --> 00:11:08,820 said, Yeah. And so I thought, Okay. So then I was heading up 188 00:11:08,820 --> 00:11:11,160 to Hot Springs, Arkansas, because my parents, they were 189 00:11:11,220 --> 00:11:14,400 automobile upholsterers, but they had retired, and they had 190 00:11:14,400 --> 00:11:16,680 bought some lots, and they were building a couple of houses up 191 00:11:16,680 --> 00:11:19,920 there. So I walked in, one of them that they had almost 192 00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:23,360 completed. My mother was in the kitchen. I walked in and she was 193 00:11:23,360 --> 00:11:26,600 standing there, kind of washing the dishes. She goes, Well, Deb 194 00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:30,500 sugar, what are you up to these days? And I said, Oh, I'm a 195 00:11:30,500 --> 00:11:35,240 songwriter. This is that simple shell. Silverstein said, I ought 196 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:38,120 to think about it, and that I had a way with words. So I went, 197 00:11:38,180 --> 00:11:41,380 Okay, if Shel Silverstein thinks it, then I guess I'm a 198 00:11:41,380 --> 00:11:41,980 songwriter. 199 00:11:42,040 --> 00:11:44,380 Yeah, that would be a, certainly, a 200 00:11:45,940 --> 00:11:48,520 somebody that you would certainly trust to tell you the 201 00:11:48,520 --> 00:11:49,240 truth, right? 202 00:11:49,240 --> 00:11:52,300 Yeah. And so, I guess the short answer to your question was, I 203 00:11:52,300 --> 00:11:55,000 thought I was going to be like a strolling singer, you know, like 204 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:58,480 a Reba McIntyre or someone like that. And I still do stroll and 205 00:11:58,480 --> 00:12:02,220 sing a lot, but I had, I had no idea that I was going to, you 206 00:12:02,520 --> 00:12:06,420 know, ask so much of myself, which I'm glad I did, because I 207 00:12:06,420 --> 00:12:09,120 didn't even know I had it in me, you know, learn to play guitar, 208 00:12:09,480 --> 00:12:13,560 brush up on my piano, start writing songs, and, you know, 209 00:12:13,620 --> 00:12:16,980 it's just been a good life, you know, it's been an adventurous 210 00:12:16,980 --> 00:12:19,560 life, And the adventure continues. 211 00:12:19,860 --> 00:12:24,860 Well, you came from Memphis. What? What kind of me who 212 00:12:24,860 --> 00:12:28,520 inspired you when you were coming up in Memphis? Who are 213 00:12:28,520 --> 00:12:30,740 your some of your heroes? 214 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:33,380 Well, of course, we all love Elvis. That's right, baby. 215 00:12:36,500 --> 00:12:39,380 And every time, every time I think about it, my lip kind of 216 00:12:39,380 --> 00:12:43,960 curls, the Big E baby. Oh, Jim had pretty good Elvis over there 217 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:50,200 this morning too, didn't he? Yeah, I loved Elvis. But, you 218 00:12:50,200 --> 00:12:53,020 know, I like Jerry Lee Lewis. I liked, I liked all kinds of 219 00:12:53,020 --> 00:12:56,860 people. I liked country music too. My, my daddy used to like 220 00:12:56,860 --> 00:12:59,980 to watch the country things, you know, but then on the way to 221 00:12:59,980 --> 00:13:02,700 school in high school, that we were always playing rock and 222 00:13:02,700 --> 00:13:06,360 roll and pop the, you know, hot 100 and then I would listen to W 223 00:13:06,360 --> 00:13:10,140 dia, the R B station. I remember one time in the car with my 224 00:13:10,140 --> 00:13:13,500 girlfriend some song, some great song, came on the radio. I go, 225 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:16,920 man, I love that. What is that? And they go, it's the number one 226 00:13:16,920 --> 00:13:20,600 song, Debra. Look, if you if you didn't listen to W dia all day 227 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:24,560 long, you might know what's a hit. I mean, I've just always 228 00:13:24,560 --> 00:13:28,460 gravitated to a lot of different styles, but just like great 229 00:13:28,460 --> 00:13:32,300 music and so Oh, Willie Mitchell. Willie Mitchell, you 230 00:13:32,300 --> 00:13:36,920 know, Al Green, yeah, I loved all of that. Willie Mitchell was 231 00:13:36,920 --> 00:13:41,020 actually, he worked at this place called Farber brothers, 232 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:44,980 which was a automobile upholstery. They made seat 233 00:13:44,980 --> 00:13:49,480 covers, but they were prefab. My parents did custom work, and so 234 00:13:49,480 --> 00:13:52,360 sometimes, occasionally they'd get a customer who wanted a 235 00:13:52,360 --> 00:13:56,080 prefab thing, you know, so my daddy would call Willie Mitchell 236 00:13:56,080 --> 00:13:58,900 down there at Farber brothers, and you'd deliver them, and he'd 237 00:13:58,900 --> 00:14:02,940 always say, I'm telling you, Mr. Thurman, I'm gonna make it 238 00:14:02,940 --> 00:14:06,000 someday. And so he, you know, and he did. He produced all that 239 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:11,220 early I can Tina Turner stuff. He produced Al Green, and then, 240 00:14:11,400 --> 00:14:14,580 but back then he used to have this club you played at with his 241 00:14:14,580 --> 00:14:19,740 band. Willie played trumpet. And so he, he said, You, you're you 242 00:14:19,740 --> 00:14:23,360 and Rosetta, need to come over and come out someday and and 243 00:14:23,360 --> 00:14:25,640 dance at our club? He goes, is you sure it's okay for me to 244 00:14:25,640 --> 00:14:27,980 come out there? And he goes, absolutely, come out so they, 245 00:14:28,100 --> 00:14:30,620 they'd go out there. You know, it's a different time then. 246 00:14:30,620 --> 00:14:37,160 Yeah, but Willie, definitely, he's he rose to the to the 247 00:14:37,160 --> 00:14:41,800 height of his dreams. You know, he's no longer with us, but he, 248 00:14:42,160 --> 00:14:46,000 he sure was wonderful, you know, wonderful. A friend of mine that 249 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:48,520 I wound up writing a lot of songs with was his name was 250 00:14:48,520 --> 00:14:53,920 teeny Hodges, Maben Teenie Hodges. And I got it in my mind 251 00:14:53,920 --> 00:14:56,560 one time I had already moved up here and had some hits and 252 00:14:56,560 --> 00:14:59,680 everything. And I got it in my mind I was going, you know, 253 00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:02,520 what? I need to get in touch with that teeny Hodges. He's 254 00:15:02,520 --> 00:15:06,600 from Memphis. I mean, I need to connect with him. And so I 255 00:15:06,600 --> 00:15:10,560 called him up, and he said, Hello. And I said, teeny Hey, 256 00:15:10,560 --> 00:15:13,020 this is Deborah Allen. I'm calling you from Nashville. He 257 00:15:13,020 --> 00:15:16,380 goes, yep. And I said, Listen, you know, I'm thinking, you're 258 00:15:16,380 --> 00:15:19,680 from Memphis, I'm from Memphis. We should meet each other. He 259 00:15:19,680 --> 00:15:26,180 goes, Yeah. And he goes, we have some mutual friends. And I said, 260 00:15:26,360 --> 00:15:30,920 like, who? He said, Beverly Sousa list. She's an opera 261 00:15:30,920 --> 00:15:35,180 singer. And I said, Oh yeah, I remember her. She's wonderful. 262 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:38,840 And I said, Well, would you like to come to Nashville and write 263 00:15:38,840 --> 00:15:41,740 some songs with me? And he goes, Oh yeah, I just got back from 264 00:15:41,740 --> 00:15:47,800 Australia. I said, Okay. I said, but you probably need to rest 265 00:15:47,800 --> 00:15:50,920 for a couple of weeks first, right? He goes, Oh no, no, no, I 266 00:15:50,920 --> 00:15:55,120 can be there in two days. Listen, I said, Who was it that 267 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:59,740 played Oregon on all those great Al Green hits? And he said, Oh, 268 00:15:59,740 --> 00:16:03,780 that's my brother Charles, and he's raring to come up here. So, 269 00:16:03,840 --> 00:16:06,900 I mean, that that started, I don't know why. Y'all, I guess I 270 00:16:06,900 --> 00:16:10,260 just always get something in my mind, and the next thing you 271 00:16:10,260 --> 00:16:13,560 know, I'm doing it. Way to get it done. Yeah, he became one of 272 00:16:13,560 --> 00:16:17,220 my dearest friends before he ever got up. There I go, teeny 273 00:16:17,220 --> 00:16:20,040 Hodges, we I didn't have my phone to check it out and see 274 00:16:20,040 --> 00:16:24,080 what he looked like. You know, I think teeny Hodges. Well, he's 275 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:28,700 either real teeny tiny, or he weighs 300 pounds. I didn't know 276 00:16:28,700 --> 00:16:30,440 what to a man named teeny 277 00:16:31,640 --> 00:16:33,860 may not get much action, but anyway, 278 00:16:37,100 --> 00:16:43,540 oh, we're circle in the drain. But anyway, so he rang the 279 00:16:43,540 --> 00:16:47,080 doorbell. I lived up on this hill at that time, and he rings 280 00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:49,600 the doorbell. And I saw him. He was just teeny tiny, and his 281 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:52,660 eyes kind of go like that. I didn't know what he thought 282 00:16:52,660 --> 00:16:55,780 about me till he told me later on he he had nice things to 283 00:16:55,780 --> 00:17:01,380 think and but we just hit it off. And I mean, he when 284 00:17:01,380 --> 00:17:04,380 sometimes, when he and Charles were up there, remember the 285 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:08,880 movie that Tom Cruise was in when he had the bobby socks on 286 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:09,840 and he'd go sliding, 287 00:17:09,840 --> 00:17:13,500 yeah, risky business. Yeah, risky business. When they 288 00:17:13,500 --> 00:17:15,840 would be in there, they would wake up earlier and they'd be in 289 00:17:15,840 --> 00:17:19,260 there, like, Charles would turn his cigarette backward and set 290 00:17:19,260 --> 00:17:22,520 it kind of up on the upper manual, and he'd be in there 291 00:17:23,060 --> 00:17:26,300 playing that organ, you know, because he was so cool and 292 00:17:26,300 --> 00:17:28,700 teeny. I don't know what teeny was doing. He was floating 293 00:17:28,700 --> 00:17:32,720 around somewhere, but I would hear that music, and I would 294 00:17:32,900 --> 00:17:39,080 come sliding Tom Cruise. It was really fun. But no, I love 295 00:17:39,080 --> 00:17:41,560 Memphis. A lot of things inspired me. George Klein 296 00:17:41,560 --> 00:17:44,860 inspired me in Memphis, you know, because I got to soon as I 297 00:17:44,860 --> 00:17:50,080 turned 16, I got my driver's license, and I got in my green 298 00:17:50,080 --> 00:17:55,840 barracuda. My daddy was in the car business, so he was able to 299 00:17:55,840 --> 00:18:01,560 do that, and I went straight over to whbq and auditioned to 300 00:18:01,560 --> 00:18:06,360 be a WHB cutie, which I did get hired as, and that was pretty 301 00:18:06,360 --> 00:18:09,480 cool, and that's how I got to be great friends with George. But 302 00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:13,920 George Klein, years before I was even old enough to do anything, 303 00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:18,180 he had already told Elvis about my parents and about their 304 00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:22,580 wonderful talent. My mother's very creative, and my daddy had 305 00:18:22,580 --> 00:18:26,180 that automobile upholstery shop. And so he told he, this is 306 00:18:26,180 --> 00:18:29,240 George talking. He said, I'm telling you, e you need to take 307 00:18:29,240 --> 00:18:32,120 that bus over Leon Thurman's automobile upholstery shop. They 308 00:18:32,120 --> 00:18:38,660 do some great work. So they did. Oh, wow, they did. And but I'm 309 00:18:38,660 --> 00:18:39,440 talking too much. 310 00:18:39,679 --> 00:18:43,299 No, no loving. That's why we wanted to have you here. 311 00:18:43,300 --> 00:18:46,960 Okay, well, so they took it over there. But along with that bus 312 00:18:46,960 --> 00:18:51,700 came the Memphis mafia. And so my daddy, not being a real big 313 00:18:51,700 --> 00:18:54,820 guy, he was kind of a, not a big tall guy, but he went out, he 314 00:18:54,820 --> 00:18:57,700 said, No, look it y'all gonna have to quit coming around here, 315 00:18:57,700 --> 00:19:00,060 because I can't get any work done. Y'all causing too big of a 316 00:19:00,060 --> 00:19:03,600 commotion So, but they kept coming around, so he took the 317 00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:06,840 bus out and brought it to our house. So when I was probably 318 00:19:06,840 --> 00:19:09,900 about three years old, me and my sister Judy decided we were 319 00:19:09,900 --> 00:19:15,060 going to camp out in Elvis's book. So we did so in my show. 320 00:19:15,060 --> 00:19:18,960 Now I have eventually, through the years, I wound up writing a 321 00:19:18,960 --> 00:19:22,280 song called Amazing Graceland, which is actually one of my 322 00:19:22,280 --> 00:19:26,540 favorite songs to sing for everybody. But I'll usually tell 323 00:19:26,540 --> 00:19:30,200 a little bit of that story, and I'll go, Yeah, I slept in 324 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:31,100 Elvis's bed, but I 325 00:19:32,420 --> 00:19:34,460 was only three years old. He wasn't there, but 326 00:19:34,460 --> 00:19:38,300 still, it still counts. That's right, that's still one you can 327 00:19:38,300 --> 00:19:42,400 put on the resume. So when you came to Nashville out I for some 328 00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:46,060 reason I cannot picture you because you're so sweet, but I 329 00:19:46,060 --> 00:19:48,940 can't picture you at hillbilly central with Waylon and Tom 330 00:19:48,940 --> 00:19:51,100 Paul. Well, I had, I had 331 00:19:51,100 --> 00:19:54,940 a guardian angel, and that was Marie. There was a guy named 332 00:19:54,940 --> 00:19:59,320 there, Billy Ray, not Billy Ray Cyrus, it's another Billy Ray. 333 00:19:59,320 --> 00:20:03,600 And. And he was really good look until you had big hands. Billy 334 00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:07,380 Ray Reynolds, Billy Ray, Reynolds, I love Billy Ray. In 335 00:20:07,380 --> 00:20:10,200 fact, we wrote a song, and I have no idea where it is, we 336 00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:13,440 found we finally wrote a song. We wrote a song called hit 337 00:20:13,440 --> 00:20:18,720 another Homer. Homer. I like it. Knock it out of the park. But 338 00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:21,560 anyway, I wish I could find it. It was real cute, but Billy Ray 339 00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:25,160 was always a great friend to me. But she said, Marie. Said, 340 00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:28,460 because, see, I moved in next door with Marie. She had a 341 00:20:28,460 --> 00:20:31,940 house, and I had to, I called my parents, my mother, and I said, 342 00:20:32,060 --> 00:20:35,120 Mother, you're not gonna believe it, but I'm living next door to, 343 00:20:35,660 --> 00:20:39,560 well, in Jenny's office, and the lady that I'm living with is so 344 00:20:39,560 --> 00:20:43,360 sweet, so nice, but you're not gonna believe this. She goes, 345 00:20:43,360 --> 00:20:46,840 what? And I said, her whole house is wallpapered in the 346 00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:54,340 Sunday funny paper. But she she later told me one time she said, 347 00:20:54,520 --> 00:20:58,240 I told Billy Ray, he better not even think about you. He better 348 00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:01,200 not touch you. And I'll go, Well, I don't know. I think I 349 00:21:01,260 --> 00:21:03,840 was thinking, I can probably take care of myself, but she was 350 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:07,980 like, watching over me. But, yeah, Marie was there. She never 351 00:21:07,980 --> 00:21:12,060 traveled. She was really kind of, if you heard her talk, you 352 00:21:12,060 --> 00:21:15,360 would think she was really back woodsy, because she just their 353 00:21:15,360 --> 00:21:21,320 family had a real thick country accent. Yeah, and, and she 354 00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:24,560 wouldn't, I'd say, you ever gonna do some traveling or 355 00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:26,780 something? She goes, I don't want to travel. I'm not going 356 00:21:26,780 --> 00:21:31,460 anywhere. I hate traveling. And then John Hartford and her 357 00:21:31,460 --> 00:21:35,840 hooked up and got married, and then you couldn't get her off of 358 00:21:35,840 --> 00:21:39,740 that bus. She traveled. She became a world traveler. There 359 00:21:39,740 --> 00:21:43,300 you go. And you know, Kyle Lenning had a studio upstairs, 360 00:21:43,360 --> 00:21:46,720 and then Waylon would be back in his office. And the brothers, 361 00:21:46,720 --> 00:21:49,840 I'm trying to think Tom Paul and the glacier brothers, they were 362 00:21:49,840 --> 00:21:53,020 in there all the time. They had offices in there. And then 363 00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:57,100 upstairs in a little closet, there was a guy. He was a radio 364 00:21:57,100 --> 00:22:01,140 guy, Captain midnight, Captain midnight. And I remember going, 365 00:22:01,500 --> 00:22:04,260 he's got a Bunsen burner. He lives in here. 366 00:22:05,340 --> 00:22:07,080 Yeah, he just kind of hung out with, 367 00:22:08,340 --> 00:22:11,160 I mean, so I came, I came up with some great people in the 368 00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:14,400 show. Would blow in town, and then, you know, I would be 369 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:17,340 sitting in there with him. I don't know, they just, I think I 370 00:22:17,340 --> 00:22:21,140 was just their little I don't know, they just watched over me, 371 00:22:21,140 --> 00:22:24,320 you know? Yeah. But I remember sitting around there one time, 372 00:22:24,320 --> 00:22:28,220 and they were all sitting there, just talking up a storm, and I 373 00:22:28,220 --> 00:22:31,940 saw all their feet, and I was like, feet under the table, feet 374 00:22:31,940 --> 00:22:35,120 under the table. I started writing a book about that. I 375 00:22:35,120 --> 00:22:39,320 would write about anything. That's what was really weird 376 00:22:39,320 --> 00:22:42,400 when I had so much fun in the beginning, just because when he 377 00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:46,060 said, You got away with words. I did have fun with words, you 378 00:22:46,060 --> 00:22:49,360 know. But my words, you know, and when I would write stuff, 379 00:22:49,540 --> 00:22:52,840 especially if I wrote something a cappella, I think I cannot 380 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:56,500 wait till my musicianship catches up with my voice, 381 00:22:56,500 --> 00:22:59,860 because this is fun, but I don't think I'm gonna be singing any 382 00:22:59,860 --> 00:23:03,660 of this on stage. So it took a while for me to groom it all and 383 00:23:03,660 --> 00:23:06,600 blend it all together, where I felt like I had something that I 384 00:23:06,600 --> 00:23:10,140 could really run with, you know, and stand on stage and sing. 385 00:23:10,920 --> 00:23:15,660 Now I'm real curious about, as Johnny has already mentioned, 386 00:23:15,660 --> 00:23:20,220 the Jim Reeves duets that you did. And of course, Jim Reeves 387 00:23:20,220 --> 00:23:24,920 had passed many years prior to those, those recordings coming 388 00:23:24,920 --> 00:23:29,960 out. How did those come about? And whose idea was that to to 389 00:23:30,440 --> 00:23:32,960 pair you up with a deceased legend? 390 00:23:33,020 --> 00:23:37,640 I know, I know Don cook one time says, Yeah, you ought to do an 391 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:40,280 album Deb called Deborah Allen and the dead boys sound 392 00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:43,120 like a good punk band. 393 00:23:45,220 --> 00:23:47,980 Well, you know, I used to hang out, even though I was a writer 394 00:23:47,980 --> 00:23:52,660 with Jerry Crutchfield at MCA. Oh, wow, yeah. I hung out a lot 395 00:23:52,720 --> 00:23:55,600 at tree publishing down there with Don Gant and all of those 396 00:23:55,600 --> 00:23:59,560 guys, you know. And there was a song plugger that used to be 397 00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:03,300 there, named Dan Wilson, and he was having a number one party 398 00:24:03,300 --> 00:24:07,020 out at his house. And of course, he invited all the writers. And 399 00:24:07,020 --> 00:24:09,840 you know, there were a lot of other people there too. And you 400 00:24:09,840 --> 00:24:13,680 know, I don't know if they still do that around town now, but we 401 00:24:13,740 --> 00:24:17,160 used to have what they call guitar pools, yes, yeah. So 402 00:24:17,160 --> 00:24:19,920 you'd be sitting in a room, and if they pass you the guitar, you 403 00:24:19,920 --> 00:24:23,420 had to sing something. So I didn't have that many songs at 404 00:24:23,420 --> 00:24:27,980 that time, but it's funny, I had, basically, I had two and I 405 00:24:27,980 --> 00:24:33,020 would sing, I would I had, I would sing, goodbye, love. I 406 00:24:33,020 --> 00:24:35,660 can't remember which one I do first. And then Don Gail would 407 00:24:35,660 --> 00:24:39,320 say, No, I think he had first had me do dirty old man. I had a 408 00:24:39,320 --> 00:24:41,680 song called dirty old man. I'm in love with a dirty old man. 409 00:24:42,280 --> 00:24:46,240 And because you say sing dirty old man, dude, not sing dirty 410 00:24:46,240 --> 00:24:51,340 old man. He go, now do your other one. So anyway, so I 411 00:24:51,340 --> 00:24:55,840 qualified for the guitar pool, and so I sang a couple of songs 412 00:24:55,840 --> 00:24:59,200 at night, and I didn't think a thing about it. And I guess les 413 00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:02,700 Ladd was there. He was the engineer out at Woodland studio, 414 00:25:04,020 --> 00:25:09,480 and he called me up and he said, Debra, hey, this is Liz LED. And 415 00:25:09,540 --> 00:25:13,440 he said, you know, Bud Logan, heard you sing last night, and 416 00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:16,620 he loved your voice. And he was wondering, would you be 417 00:25:16,620 --> 00:25:21,500 interested in doing some duets with Jim Reeves? And I said, You 418 00:25:21,500 --> 00:25:25,580 mean like Jim Reeves put your sweet lips a little closer to 419 00:25:25,580 --> 00:25:29,360 the phone? And he said, Yeah. And I said, but I would love to, 420 00:25:29,360 --> 00:25:35,600 but isn't he no longer with us? He said, Right, he's deceased. 421 00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:38,480 He goes, but we're gonna, let's do this brand new technology. 422 00:25:38,660 --> 00:25:41,320 It's never been used before. It's called an overdubbing 423 00:25:41,320 --> 00:25:43,840 technology, and we're going to take your voice and we're going 424 00:25:43,840 --> 00:25:47,080 to put pull his off and put you on there with it. So we were 425 00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:50,860 actually the first ones to do that, even before Natalie Cole 426 00:25:50,980 --> 00:25:55,120 and her dad, yeah. And so I was honored, you know, to get to do 427 00:25:55,120 --> 00:25:58,780 that. And then Joe Galante, being the marketing genius that 428 00:25:58,780 --> 00:26:02,160 he was, he said, I tell you what we're going to do. We're not 429 00:26:02,160 --> 00:26:05,700 going to put your name on there. We're just going to call you The 430 00:26:05,700 --> 00:26:09,360 Mystery Girl. Since nobody knows who you are, they'll never guess 431 00:26:09,360 --> 00:26:10,860 it. No one can win the contest. 432 00:26:12,120 --> 00:26:14,940 Because I do remember when that came out, we, all of us at the 433 00:26:14,940 --> 00:26:18,780 radio station, were going, who this girl's got a great voice. I 434 00:26:18,780 --> 00:26:19,680 recall that too. 435 00:26:19,679 --> 00:26:23,959 She, yeah, don't let me cross over. Loves cheating line, and 436 00:26:24,499 --> 00:26:28,579 let's see, oh how I miss you tonight. That was my favorite. 437 00:26:28,639 --> 00:26:31,879 Thank you when. And one of my personal favorite, I loved that 438 00:26:31,879 --> 00:26:35,359 one because it did so well and it was fun to sing too. But one 439 00:26:35,359 --> 00:26:40,839 that I had an actual moment in the studio on was I was in 440 00:26:40,839 --> 00:26:45,819 Woodland studio. The lights were black in the studio. There was 441 00:26:45,819 --> 00:26:49,239 just this little light over my lyrics, and I could see Mary 442 00:26:49,239 --> 00:26:53,499 Reeves and bliss and and Bud Logan in there, like in the 443 00:26:53,499 --> 00:26:57,039 studio, but that's all. They were far away. Was just me and 444 00:26:57,039 --> 00:27:02,699 that light the lyrics and I started singing with Jim. That's 445 00:27:02,699 --> 00:27:08,939 what happens when two worlds collide. And I just got chills 446 00:27:08,939 --> 00:27:13,379 over and, oh, my god, two worlds are colliding. He's up there and 447 00:27:13,499 --> 00:27:16,019 I'm down here. Oh, thank you. Oh, my gosh, I'll never forget 448 00:27:16,019 --> 00:27:20,599 this moment. And yeah, and I think that he and Roger, let's 449 00:27:20,659 --> 00:27:24,439 see Bill Anderson and and Roger Miller wrote that song together. 450 00:27:24,439 --> 00:27:25,699 I'm pretty sure they were the writers. 451 00:27:25,700 --> 00:27:30,680 And can you imagine that night with Roger Miller and and and 452 00:27:30,680 --> 00:27:32,240 Bill Anderson writing together? 453 00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:36,320 Oh yeah, that that had to be a team. I've written songs with 454 00:27:36,800 --> 00:27:41,140 Bill. We had a lot of fun writing we and then, of course, 455 00:27:41,140 --> 00:27:44,440 I knew Roger Miller out in in when I lived out in California, 456 00:27:44,440 --> 00:27:50,140 in LA in fact, he had a big party out at his house, and me 457 00:27:50,140 --> 00:27:55,000 and my friends wound up over there at Rogers. And they, they 458 00:27:55,420 --> 00:27:58,480 and they, they got me to stand in the middle of their gazebo 459 00:27:58,480 --> 00:28:01,620 and sing my one of my acapella songs, which was my mother and 460 00:28:01,620 --> 00:28:04,560 daddy song, and it was, I remember that being a sweet 461 00:28:04,800 --> 00:28:10,020 moment. Then we went in there, and one of the other guys, who 462 00:28:10,020 --> 00:28:14,760 happened to be Jim Stafford, they started trading, quipped 463 00:28:14,760 --> 00:28:18,720 back and forth and songs and stuff. And in my mind, I was 464 00:28:18,720 --> 00:28:25,160 thinking, I think Rogers for some reason, because Roger was 465 00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:29,000 on fire that night. He was on fire, but I was just a kid, so I 466 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:32,360 didn't open my mouth. I was thinking. I was just thinking to 467 00:28:32,360 --> 00:28:32,780 myself, 468 00:28:33,139 --> 00:28:36,079 yeah, I got to work with Roger. You know, when he did big river 469 00:28:36,439 --> 00:28:40,659 the Broadway show, you know, MCA. MCA had the soundtrack for 470 00:28:40,659 --> 00:28:44,859 that, okay? And we actually took radio to the Eugene O'Neill 471 00:28:44,859 --> 00:28:50,679 Theater in New York to see the play, and and I got to kind of 472 00:28:51,039 --> 00:28:54,159 hang with Roger Miller a little bit. He was, he was an 473 00:28:54,159 --> 00:28:56,979 interesting cat. Oh, he was a character, yeah. He was, he was 474 00:28:56,979 --> 00:29:00,899 funny, yeah. And I always loved him when I was little, so it was 475 00:29:00,899 --> 00:29:04,919 really cool to to kind of be around him and lost him so young 476 00:29:04,979 --> 00:29:08,339 we did. I absolutely loved him. He was a total gentleman, and I 477 00:29:08,339 --> 00:29:11,759 loved his wife. Of course, I love his son. Everything about 478 00:29:11,759 --> 00:29:16,919 Roger Miller, I loved and admired, you know? I, I was 479 00:29:16,919 --> 00:29:21,139 always around some really quirky, brilliant thinkers, you 480 00:29:21,139 --> 00:29:24,979 know, and that was entertaining me so much, you know, all the 481 00:29:24,979 --> 00:29:29,959 time in my mind, and inspiring me and setting the bar high. 482 00:29:30,199 --> 00:29:35,599 Now, you know, when you got your songwriting deal publishing 483 00:29:35,599 --> 00:29:40,239 companies, what have you, I mean, were you one of the only 484 00:29:40,239 --> 00:29:45,519 women on the on the songwriting team, if you will. I mean, what 485 00:29:45,519 --> 00:29:46,479 was it like then? 486 00:29:46,900 --> 00:29:49,900 A lot of guys, Dave, Dave Loggins, he was, he was like a 487 00:29:49,900 --> 00:29:53,440 big brother to me. There he was, Oh, he got me into trouble. 488 00:29:56,260 --> 00:29:58,060 He taught me how to be independent at 489 00:29:59,380 --> 00:30:03,660 the publishing. Company. But no, there were a lot of guys, but, 490 00:30:03,720 --> 00:30:06,900 and I was, I would, you know, I think girls were starting to 491 00:30:06,900 --> 00:30:10,140 float in, but I was maybe the only girl. Tanya Tucker would 492 00:30:10,140 --> 00:30:12,540 come by sometime, because Jerry produced her. 493 00:30:14,640 --> 00:30:17,460 But, I mean, please come to Boston, one of the greatest 494 00:30:17,460 --> 00:30:20,240 songs, Oh, and there's only one Dave Loggins, and no one can 495 00:30:20,240 --> 00:30:23,660 phrase like Dave. Nobody could sing that song like he. Nobody 496 00:30:23,660 --> 00:30:27,440 could. I was around at that time when he wrote that song, but by 497 00:30:27,560 --> 00:30:30,920 then he had gotten to be an executive too for a little while 498 00:30:30,980 --> 00:30:35,420 at at the company. And I said, I got all these songs and I don't 499 00:30:35,420 --> 00:30:38,960 know what to do with them. And he said, You know what you need 500 00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:42,880 to do, Deb. He goes, what I just do, do what I'm telling you? I 501 00:30:42,880 --> 00:30:46,600 said, Okay. He goes, call up, book a studio, book some 502 00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:52,720 musicians, and book you a session. And I said, Okay. And 503 00:30:52,720 --> 00:30:55,780 he said, Let him talk to you afterwards about it. And I went, 504 00:30:56,020 --> 00:30:59,740 Okay, that's what I'm gonna do. So I did it. And then I got 505 00:30:59,740 --> 00:31:04,920 called in. Jerry says, I needed to talk to you about this. You 506 00:31:04,920 --> 00:31:09,180 know, you know how Jerry talks. He kind of talks like Robert F 507 00:31:09,180 --> 00:31:12,000 Kennedy a bit, but not quite as he didn't. Wasn't quite as bad. 508 00:31:12,000 --> 00:31:15,120 And my mother has that same thing, so I'm very familiar with 509 00:31:15,120 --> 00:31:17,700 it, because my friends used to call it and say we called your 510 00:31:17,700 --> 00:31:20,240 house and your mother was crying. I go, Oh, no, that's 511 00:31:20,240 --> 00:31:26,840 just how she talks. So I booked the session, and I turned it in, 512 00:31:27,140 --> 00:31:34,040 and Jerry was kind of upset with me, and he said, What gave you 513 00:31:34,040 --> 00:31:38,180 the idea that you could do that? And I said, Well, I said, first 514 00:31:38,180 --> 00:31:41,440 of all, guess what? One of them's already been cut, and 515 00:31:41,680 --> 00:31:44,440 it's on its way to becoming a number one song. That was, Don't 516 00:31:44,440 --> 00:31:48,400 worry about me, baby. Yes, I said, so I think I made a pretty 517 00:31:48,400 --> 00:31:51,460 good executive decision, and he goes, Well, you're not going to 518 00:31:51,460 --> 00:31:54,820 do that again, are you? And I said, I can't promise that, 519 00:31:54,820 --> 00:31:59,800 because, you know, he goes, he goes. And I just floored him, 520 00:31:59,860 --> 00:32:02,880 and I floored myself. I couldn't believe I was doing it. I don't 521 00:32:02,880 --> 00:32:06,420 know what got into me, but I said, Well, after all, you're 522 00:32:06,420 --> 00:32:10,380 the vice president of MCA Records, I'm the president of 523 00:32:10,380 --> 00:32:17,580 Posey publishing stuff like that. I've surprised myself all 524 00:32:17,580 --> 00:32:21,440 my life. But you know what? I don't know. I just said that, 525 00:32:21,560 --> 00:32:27,320 and he loved me for it, but I did do it one more time, and I 526 00:32:27,320 --> 00:32:30,380 don't think I did it anymore after that, because it did kind 527 00:32:30,380 --> 00:32:31,160 of upset him. 528 00:32:31,580 --> 00:32:34,760 But so what was his problem with that? Yeah, well, because you 529 00:32:34,760 --> 00:32:35,000 have 530 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:38,300 to ask permission, but I had been asking permission, and I 531 00:32:38,300 --> 00:32:42,580 wasn't getting to Oh, yeah, and he said to me, and I love Jerry 532 00:32:42,640 --> 00:32:46,780 was one of the greatest mentors and business partners I ever 533 00:32:46,780 --> 00:32:51,580 had, but he said, You're supposed to bring the songs in 534 00:32:51,580 --> 00:32:55,120 Deborah and let them get approved. And that's when I 535 00:32:55,120 --> 00:32:57,940 think I said, Yeah, but you're the vice president. I'm the 536 00:32:57,940 --> 00:33:02,640 president. And people like Don cook and shell Silverstein, they 537 00:33:02,640 --> 00:33:07,080 approved them, and I'm the president, so I approve and so, 538 00:33:07,320 --> 00:33:07,860 you know, 539 00:33:09,060 --> 00:33:12,000 in fact, you wanted to put that song out yourself. Did you know 540 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:13,620 which one that one Jamie fricking, 541 00:33:14,220 --> 00:33:17,640 well, I did cut that song, yeah. And I did really like it a lot, 542 00:33:17,640 --> 00:33:20,780 and I probably would have put it out, but she did. But you might 543 00:33:20,780 --> 00:33:25,040 be also thinking about the one that I put out recently hurt me 544 00:33:25,040 --> 00:33:28,100 bad in a real good way. Yeah, yeah, because that is the one 545 00:33:28,100 --> 00:33:31,940 that Patty put out. Yeah. Patty put that out because Tony Brown 546 00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:36,380 called me. I was no longer on RCA, and I was kind of in 547 00:33:36,380 --> 00:33:40,660 between deals, and I was gathering me some new songs, and 548 00:33:40,660 --> 00:33:43,540 Tony calls and says, Hey, Deb, what's going on? I said, Oh, 549 00:33:43,540 --> 00:33:47,440 just working on some stuff. He said, I heard a song that of 550 00:33:47,440 --> 00:33:50,260 yours, and I love it. He was, you ought to be recording this. 551 00:33:50,260 --> 00:33:53,800 I said, Well, I would, and I'm probably will, but I'm not. I 552 00:33:53,920 --> 00:33:57,340 don't have my deal together yet. I'm just gathering my songs. And 553 00:33:57,340 --> 00:34:01,980 so he said, Well, what would you think if, if I told if Patty 554 00:34:01,980 --> 00:34:04,560 loveless wanted to cut it, I said, Are you kidding me, I 555 00:34:04,560 --> 00:34:07,920 would absolutely love that. And he said, well, great, because 556 00:34:07,920 --> 00:34:11,220 she loves it and she wants you to sing on it with her. So, you 557 00:34:11,220 --> 00:34:15,960 know, once I sang on the song with Patty and she took it to 558 00:34:15,960 --> 00:34:19,380 number one, I thought, I'm not touching that. It can't get any 559 00:34:19,380 --> 00:34:24,740 better than this. But after so many years, and I had this new 560 00:34:24,920 --> 00:34:29,420 deal partnership with star Vista records, and they have some of 561 00:34:29,420 --> 00:34:33,680 my songs that they're, you know, working with on the internet, 562 00:34:33,860 --> 00:34:38,540 well, on especially YouTube. And they said, Have you got anything 563 00:34:38,540 --> 00:34:42,100 you had never released before? I was like, Well, I never did put 564 00:34:42,100 --> 00:34:44,920 out hurt me bad in a real good way. They said, let's put that 565 00:34:44,920 --> 00:34:48,700 out there. So I did, very cool, yeah, but it's been so long ago. 566 00:34:48,700 --> 00:34:52,120 In fact, I got a really nice quote from Tony Brown and from 567 00:34:52,960 --> 00:34:55,900 Patty Lovelace on it too. And some other people, 568 00:34:56,500 --> 00:35:00,300 and you also, a lot of people don't know this. Maybe you. You 569 00:35:00,300 --> 00:35:06,780 also did a song that prince wrote under a under a different 570 00:35:06,780 --> 00:35:08,100 name, Joey, yeah, 571 00:35:08,100 --> 00:35:10,440 yeah, yeah, tell us about that. 572 00:35:10,860 --> 00:35:15,780 Um, well, I was recording out in California. I was at Sunset 573 00:35:15,780 --> 00:35:20,660 Sound. And Sunset Sound is a very super cool place. It's a 574 00:35:20,720 --> 00:35:24,920 really state of the art recording studio, and it's, it's 575 00:35:24,920 --> 00:35:30,560 a compound built around a basketball court, and it's so 576 00:35:30,560 --> 00:35:33,500 much fun. And, you know, people be out there playing basketball 577 00:35:33,680 --> 00:35:37,820 all throughout the day, and But one night, when I was in my 578 00:35:37,820 --> 00:35:42,400 little studio, I had to go the bathroom. So I had to go over to 579 00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:45,820 the office. And I went across the basketball court, went into 580 00:35:45,820 --> 00:35:48,940 the office, and I came out. I was zipping my I had that music 581 00:35:48,940 --> 00:35:52,000 over my mind, you know. And I was coming out thinking about 582 00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:54,640 the music. I was zipping my jeans up walking along, and I 583 00:35:54,640 --> 00:35:58,120 saw this ball go rolling by, and I kind of skipped over to it and 584 00:35:58,120 --> 00:36:01,980 picked it up and turned around, and oh, excuse me. I thought you 585 00:36:01,980 --> 00:36:06,480 were going to be with my group. It was Prince. Oh my gosh, oh my 586 00:36:06,480 --> 00:36:09,720 gosh. I'd never dreamed I'd meet Prince, and I didn't. I knew he 587 00:36:09,720 --> 00:36:14,820 was in this other studio, yeah, but I didn't want to go over 588 00:36:14,820 --> 00:36:17,460 there and hang out. I didn't want to go around on him, you 589 00:36:17,460 --> 00:36:26,120 know, so but so I went on back to my studio. And so I heard, 590 00:36:26,120 --> 00:36:29,780 once again, that there was going to be an executive turnover at 591 00:36:30,200 --> 00:36:38,780 my label. And so the big dogs, the new big dogs, showed up, and 592 00:36:39,740 --> 00:36:44,920 when they did. It was a studio about this size in the control 593 00:36:44,920 --> 00:36:47,440 room, and there was a little bit more room out there, but not a 594 00:36:47,440 --> 00:36:52,360 whole lot. And so I don't know, I just got kind of like, kind of 595 00:36:52,360 --> 00:36:54,880 sweating all over there, sitting there, listening to my stuff. So 596 00:36:54,880 --> 00:36:57,580 I'll be right back. I'm gonna go get some coffee. So I leave and 597 00:36:57,580 --> 00:37:00,840 I go get some coffee, and then I come back out with my coffee 598 00:37:00,840 --> 00:37:04,080 cup, and by that night, I was all decked out. I had on a 599 00:37:04,080 --> 00:37:07,980 yellow suede jacket splattered with black and silver paint. My 600 00:37:07,980 --> 00:37:13,200 hair was like up over here. And so I walk out, and there's 601 00:37:13,200 --> 00:37:18,120 Prince in a matching beautiful silk shirt with silk bell 602 00:37:18,120 --> 00:37:22,760 bottoms and platform shoes, boots to match. And he's sitting 603 00:37:22,760 --> 00:37:25,520 there shooting some hoops. So I kind of lean up against the wall 604 00:37:25,820 --> 00:37:31,820 with my cup, and I say, Oh, that's a good one. Oh, shoot. 605 00:37:32,300 --> 00:37:35,540 And then I like, that was a good one. Then he kind of dribbles 606 00:37:35,540 --> 00:37:40,180 the wall back there, ball back to me, and I look over at him, 607 00:37:40,180 --> 00:37:45,700 and I say, I like your outfit. And he goes, likewise. That's 608 00:37:45,760 --> 00:37:49,720 all he said to me. But even in that moment, I did recognize the 609 00:37:49,720 --> 00:37:53,080 beauty of Prince. His face was prettier than any woman. His 610 00:37:53,080 --> 00:37:59,440 eyelashes were longer than Vince gills. He was just an adorable 611 00:37:59,440 --> 00:38:04,140 person. And even with this platform shoes, I and this 612 00:38:04,140 --> 00:38:08,340 doesn't happen very often, but I was still taller than him. He's 613 00:38:08,340 --> 00:38:11,340 pretty short fella. Yeah, he was, but he was adorable. So I 614 00:38:11,340 --> 00:38:13,980 go back in, and they go, Well, we think we can run with this, 615 00:38:13,980 --> 00:38:17,580 but we need to do a two, a couple more cuts, you know. And 616 00:38:17,820 --> 00:38:21,020 so we'll be working on that. We'll get back with you and all 617 00:38:21,020 --> 00:38:26,360 that echo. Okay, so I go home to Nashville, and I go into my 618 00:38:26,360 --> 00:38:29,480 kitchen, and I'm sitting there in my kitchen, and I just like, 619 00:38:29,540 --> 00:38:34,400 Oh God, please help me. What should I do now, you know, 620 00:38:34,400 --> 00:38:37,460 because I got switched to the pop roster, really, without even 621 00:38:37,460 --> 00:38:41,380 knowing. It sort of a deal that happened. I wasn't even there. I 622 00:38:41,380 --> 00:38:44,260 sort of got traded like a baseball card. So I thought, 623 00:38:44,320 --> 00:38:49,720 Okay, I'm gonna go for it, you know. But all of a sudden, when 624 00:38:49,720 --> 00:38:54,640 I was saying that to God, I got this spark in my head. It was 625 00:38:54,640 --> 00:38:58,720 like, well, you met the genius of our time. Just write him a 626 00:38:58,720 --> 00:39:02,040 letter. So I wrote him a letter said, dear prince, my name is 627 00:39:02,040 --> 00:39:06,780 Deborah Allen. We met briefly on the basketball court at Sunset 628 00:39:06,780 --> 00:39:10,740 Sound. We've had an executive turnover at RCA, and I was 629 00:39:10,740 --> 00:39:14,340 thinking it would be merely wonderful if you and I might 630 00:39:14,340 --> 00:39:18,480 work together in some capacity. I've enclosed a cassette which 631 00:39:18,480 --> 00:39:21,740 shows you how long ago it was, a cassette of what I'm working on 632 00:39:21,740 --> 00:39:26,720 my current work. If, when you have time, please take a listen. 633 00:39:26,900 --> 00:39:30,200 I hope to hear from you soon. Sincerely. Deborah Allen, so I 634 00:39:30,200 --> 00:39:34,940 overnighted it out to the studio and coke Johnson was his. Was 635 00:39:34,940 --> 00:39:40,360 his engineer, so I just mailed it to cope Johnson. And I mean, 636 00:39:40,360 --> 00:39:43,240 lo and behold, like two or three days later, after I had 637 00:39:43,240 --> 00:39:46,300 overnighted it, I get this call from Coke, and he goes, the 638 00:39:46,300 --> 00:39:50,260 phone rings. I go, Hello, and he says, Hey, dude, Coke Johnson 639 00:39:50,260 --> 00:39:53,320 here. I said, Hey, coke, how's it going? He goes, good. He 640 00:39:53,320 --> 00:39:58,120 goes, Well, I'm I got a song here. I want to mail it to you. 641 00:39:58,120 --> 00:40:00,600 Prince wrote it for you, and I just wanted. Know where to mail 642 00:40:00,600 --> 00:40:06,420 it to. And I went, I don't know why I didn't go. I said, Well, 643 00:40:06,420 --> 00:40:10,440 that's cool. I said, Oh, come on. Now, cope, tell me the 644 00:40:10,440 --> 00:40:15,000 truth. I said, Is it really a brand new song, or is it 645 00:40:15,300 --> 00:40:17,820 something he already had, kind of laying around? He goes, No, 646 00:40:17,820 --> 00:40:20,300 it's brand new. I was in the studio when he wrote it for you 647 00:40:20,300 --> 00:40:23,240 know, it really, he said, yeah, like I was going to turn it down 648 00:40:23,240 --> 00:40:26,540 if it wasn't brand new. No, I was thrilled. I was so thrilled. 649 00:40:26,540 --> 00:40:31,220 Well, it showed up, and I just was so excited. I made me a 650 00:40:31,220 --> 00:40:34,880 great big bathtub full of water. I had this boom box and I had 651 00:40:34,880 --> 00:40:38,360 his cassette, and I put it right up here behind my head, like 652 00:40:38,360 --> 00:40:41,380 this. And he kind of doodles, like I do. He doodles a lot, you 653 00:40:41,380 --> 00:40:44,500 know, he's kind of so I think we've got that in common. So 654 00:40:44,500 --> 00:40:48,220 anyway, so I was in there. I was laying in there just listening 655 00:40:48,220 --> 00:40:51,040 to it and everything, and then I'd hit play, and it go to the 656 00:40:51,040 --> 00:40:53,920 end. Then I'd hit reverse, and just sitting there listening to 657 00:40:53,920 --> 00:40:57,100 it over and over and over, and all of a sudden, one time I hit 658 00:40:57,100 --> 00:41:06,600 recording, I went, No, much of a big a little bitty one, but now, 659 00:41:06,720 --> 00:41:09,780 oh and he wrote all the lyrics. The reason I know he wrote it at 660 00:41:09,780 --> 00:41:12,660 Sunset Sound, because on the back of the tracking sheet at 661 00:41:12,660 --> 00:41:16,080 Sunset Sound, that's where he wrote the whole song out of four 662 00:41:16,080 --> 00:41:17,580 pages. So I have it 663 00:41:17,580 --> 00:41:20,340 framed really, oh, it's gonna say, yeah, that's something you 664 00:41:20,340 --> 00:41:22,220 definitely want to hang on. Yeah, I do. 665 00:41:22,280 --> 00:41:25,580 I have it there, so, yeah, I mean, that's what I mean, I've 666 00:41:25,580 --> 00:41:31,280 been so blessed to get to do some unusual things, you know, 667 00:41:31,280 --> 00:41:31,580 like 668 00:41:33,320 --> 00:41:38,840 you had a big show recently at the Franklin theater I did. And, 669 00:41:38,840 --> 00:41:41,380 you know, you mentioned your mom a little bit ago, she sounds 670 00:41:41,380 --> 00:41:44,920 like an amazing woman. She just celebrated her 100th birthday. 671 00:41:44,920 --> 00:41:48,760 She certainly did. She's my best friend. I absolutely adore my 672 00:41:48,760 --> 00:41:51,640 mother. In fact, you know, I told you about her voice, 673 00:41:52,180 --> 00:41:55,540 because of that going on with her voice when she was carrying 674 00:41:55,540 --> 00:41:59,440 me, she always prayed. She said, You know, I think because that 675 00:41:59,440 --> 00:42:03,000 was going on with my voice, Mother, I always pray for my 676 00:42:03,000 --> 00:42:05,640 babies to be healthy, but with you, I would always add on the 677 00:42:05,640 --> 00:42:10,140 end, like, Oh, and please let this baby have a strong voice. 678 00:42:10,680 --> 00:42:14,580 And, you know, so, I mean, we just have that deep connection. 679 00:42:15,060 --> 00:42:18,600 But yeah, so I'm her youngest daughter, and we just have a 680 00:42:18,600 --> 00:42:22,160 great connection. And so, you know, I remember her 90th 681 00:42:22,160 --> 00:42:26,360 birthday, and then, then here she is at 100 years old, you 682 00:42:26,360 --> 00:42:29,900 know. And there were some health challenges along the way, and I 683 00:42:29,900 --> 00:42:33,080 was like, just, I just wanted her to make it, you know, that's 684 00:42:33,080 --> 00:42:36,380 what I wanted. But she's still beautiful. She has a boyfriend 685 00:42:36,380 --> 00:42:41,560 named Ed. He's 12 years younger than her, wow. And he drives 686 00:42:41,560 --> 00:42:46,720 over from nolensville Almost every night of the week. He has 687 00:42:46,720 --> 00:42:50,500 a big red truck, and he just drives over and comes over 688 00:42:50,500 --> 00:42:53,800 around six o'clock, they eat dinner, watch their favorite TV 689 00:42:53,800 --> 00:42:58,000 shows, and then around 11, excuse me. Around 1130 he'll go, 690 00:42:58,240 --> 00:43:07,500 Well, I guess I'll get my own ugly ass back. So he's so sweet. 691 00:43:07,500 --> 00:43:12,480 I love I love it. He's a great guy. He's turned he's turned out 692 00:43:12,480 --> 00:43:18,240 to be the perfect companion mother has been for him too. Ed 693 00:43:18,240 --> 00:43:23,420 is a kind of an inventive man. He can do just about anything. 694 00:43:23,420 --> 00:43:26,720 He can flip houses. He can work on cars. He's done a lot of 695 00:43:26,720 --> 00:43:29,900 things in his life. And he's just real plain spoken, you 696 00:43:29,900 --> 00:43:35,660 know, and as as you can gather by that last comment, but I said 697 00:43:35,660 --> 00:43:38,120 I was at my mother's house one day, and I said, What's this 698 00:43:38,120 --> 00:43:42,160 mother? And she goes, Oh, that's my birthday card from Ed. And I 699 00:43:42,160 --> 00:43:45,280 said, Do you mind if I read it? She's no, go ahead, so I'll pick 700 00:43:45,280 --> 00:43:48,040 it up. Oh, mother. 701 00:43:49,660 --> 00:43:52,360 I said, you bring the Poetry Out of Ed. 702 00:43:54,340 --> 00:43:57,100 But that can't be my I put that on. 703 00:43:57,100 --> 00:44:01,440 Don't. Well, that's all right. You're popular. People want to 704 00:44:01,440 --> 00:44:02,100 talk to you. 705 00:44:02,340 --> 00:44:06,420 It's Raymond's girlfriend again. I told her not to call anymore. 706 00:44:06,720 --> 00:44:09,060 Well, speaking of potential spam, 707 00:44:13,440 --> 00:44:18,180 but you have a fellow That's mighty Yeah, he's mighty fond. 708 00:44:18,300 --> 00:44:21,140 I do y'all to interview him. He but you better have to do it 709 00:44:21,140 --> 00:44:24,620 after midnight, though. Oh yeah, because he was, he was Mel 710 00:44:24,620 --> 00:44:28,040 Tillis first tour manager. Then he went to work with Oak Ridge 711 00:44:28,040 --> 00:44:32,120 Boys. Then he worked with Hank JR and everybody you can think 712 00:44:32,120 --> 00:44:34,160 of. So he's got some stories. Raymond Hicks. 713 00:44:34,160 --> 00:44:38,600 I've always heard that's where the music of statue came from. 714 00:44:38,600 --> 00:44:42,460 Somebody yelled fire on Hank Junior's butt. I've always 715 00:44:42,460 --> 00:44:42,640 heard, 716 00:44:43,600 --> 00:44:46,660 yeah, there's he's got so many stories, I practically got them 717 00:44:46,660 --> 00:44:48,760 all numbered, except for the ones I don't know about. 718 00:44:48,940 --> 00:44:52,780 Well, you could probably get some money out of some people. 719 00:44:52,780 --> 00:44:55,540 Yeah, you could probably, yeah, I won't write the book, if 720 00:44:55,540 --> 00:44:56,080 you'll just, 721 00:44:56,620 --> 00:44:59,560 Raymond always says, I'm waiting to write the book. Some people 722 00:44:59,560 --> 00:45:05,220 got it. I'll not everybody's that. What is it you say? Yeah, 723 00:45:05,220 --> 00:45:08,820 wait for some people to die first. And there was 724 00:45:09,300 --> 00:45:13,440 speaking of my wife this morning, when I was coming in, 725 00:45:13,740 --> 00:45:17,700 she said, You know, I love Deborah Allen, really? Yeah, 726 00:45:17,700 --> 00:45:22,640 she, she, you know. And I think that's, that's and I hope this, 727 00:45:22,700 --> 00:45:26,660 this doesn't, I hope I don't turn you off here, but to me, 728 00:45:26,720 --> 00:45:30,200 you remind me of like Dolly Parton. You've got a great 729 00:45:30,500 --> 00:45:34,280 personality. Thank you. You are you. And as she put it, she 730 00:45:34,280 --> 00:45:38,180 said, she is so pretty. And I said, Well, honey, she's pretty, 731 00:45:38,180 --> 00:45:41,320 but not as pretty as you are. And she said, Oh yes, she is. 732 00:45:41,320 --> 00:45:41,980 She's pretty. 733 00:45:42,100 --> 00:45:46,600 Listen and you said, My wife loves you, as I was thinking to 734 00:45:46,600 --> 00:45:48,520 myself, well, then I already love her. 735 00:45:48,580 --> 00:45:52,240 Well, she does. She said, she is so nice. She goes even on 736 00:45:52,240 --> 00:45:55,480 Facebook. She said, I'll say something. And she replies to 737 00:45:55,480 --> 00:45:57,640 me, nobody ever does that too. 738 00:45:57,700 --> 00:46:00,900 Yeah, I try to do that. Well, that is and by the way, about 739 00:46:00,900 --> 00:46:04,740 Dolly, no, listen to me that that's a huge compliment. I 740 00:46:04,860 --> 00:46:07,860 mean, she's from East Tennessee and I'm from Memphis, but I 741 00:46:07,860 --> 00:46:11,640 guess being in Nashville, yeah, it's our accents are similar, 742 00:46:11,640 --> 00:46:15,960 but there's only one Dolly Parton and and the i i admire 743 00:46:15,960 --> 00:46:21,320 her, and I admire her generosity. For you know, with 744 00:46:21,320 --> 00:46:26,540 the children's books, yes, then I don't I saw it on I saw it on 745 00:46:26,540 --> 00:46:30,260 Facebook, and I hope it's true. You can't believe everything 746 00:46:30,260 --> 00:46:33,140 that's on Facebook. No, I believe it's true that some, 747 00:46:33,260 --> 00:46:37,760 someone said that she gave $2 million to the Charlie cart 748 00:46:37,820 --> 00:46:38,600 foundation. 749 00:46:38,600 --> 00:46:41,620 I can believe it. I can believe that. I can believe. But yeah, 750 00:46:41,620 --> 00:46:46,120 you, both of you, you just have this quality about you that, you 751 00:46:46,120 --> 00:46:51,580 know, men find you beautiful, but the women don't feel don't 752 00:46:51,580 --> 00:46:54,460 feel threatened. Yeah? 753 00:46:54,460 --> 00:46:59,260 That makes me happy. Yeah? Well, I love everybody. Women are men, 754 00:46:59,260 --> 00:47:04,020 you know, or whatever, whatever they whoever it is, I just, you 755 00:47:04,020 --> 00:47:07,320 know, it takes a lot to make me not love somebody, and I'm gonna 756 00:47:07,320 --> 00:47:09,960 love them, even if I might not like them for a second or two. 757 00:47:10,080 --> 00:47:13,260 Well, see, we get that from you. We you just, you just exude 758 00:47:13,260 --> 00:47:17,520 such. I mean, I've always felt that way anytime I've seen you 759 00:47:17,520 --> 00:47:20,840 sing or anytime, you know, anytime I hear you the 760 00:47:20,840 --> 00:47:26,060 you know, there's a sincerity and a genuine warmth to you. And 761 00:47:26,900 --> 00:47:30,200 it really, you know, really does, does come across. What? 762 00:47:30,200 --> 00:47:35,900 What are you doing now that that folks can, can find your music, 763 00:47:36,260 --> 00:47:39,800 find where you may be appearing. What can folks do? 764 00:47:39,800 --> 00:47:42,580 Well, my most recent album I still really do love. It's 765 00:47:42,580 --> 00:47:46,840 called The Art of dreaming, is believing, and it was on audio 766 00:47:46,960 --> 00:47:51,340 records. And actually, something cool about that is, there's a 767 00:47:51,400 --> 00:47:56,680 high school down in Alabama, in Florence, Alabama, that they 768 00:47:56,860 --> 00:48:01,740 they chose that song as their, like their, what's the word 769 00:48:01,860 --> 00:48:05,460 inspiration song for the year, you know, so and now they're 770 00:48:05,460 --> 00:48:10,980 having me back down to come down and sing it again. And I'm also 771 00:48:10,980 --> 00:48:14,160 going to be writing a song and performing something for the 772 00:48:14,220 --> 00:48:18,540 Olympics that the people there are involved with that that's I 773 00:48:18,540 --> 00:48:21,500 enjoy doing things like that. I've got a lot of shows coming 774 00:48:21,500 --> 00:48:24,680 up, and plus, like I mentioned, Star Vista, I'm super excited 775 00:48:24,680 --> 00:48:30,740 about that because, you know, I am very involved on my Facebook, 776 00:48:30,740 --> 00:48:33,980 and I'm not going to stop doing that, and I need to get more 777 00:48:33,980 --> 00:48:37,940 involved on my Instagram and my Tiktok and my there's so much, 778 00:48:37,940 --> 00:48:42,940 so much, So that's one thing that I'm looking forward to with 779 00:48:42,940 --> 00:48:46,360 them is they've got, you know, social media person who can help 780 00:48:46,360 --> 00:48:50,500 me organize some things. But I'm still, I had a social media 781 00:48:50,500 --> 00:48:54,760 person one time when I was on another record label, and in 782 00:48:54,760 --> 00:48:57,820 fact, it was with Audubon. They were super sweet, and he was 783 00:48:57,820 --> 00:49:01,560 super sweet, but it's, it was like twice the work, because I'd 784 00:49:01,560 --> 00:49:04,200 have to take my picture, send them to him, and he would do 785 00:49:04,200 --> 00:49:06,840 something with them, and then I would look at it, and I'd have 786 00:49:06,840 --> 00:49:09,840 to call him up and say, I really like that. It looks really good. 787 00:49:10,020 --> 00:49:13,440 But that is not exactly something I would say, you know? 788 00:49:13,440 --> 00:49:16,080 I mean, you know what? I mean, yes, it's hard to get someone 789 00:49:16,080 --> 00:49:19,260 that gets you enough. So, I mean, I'm gonna always be 790 00:49:19,260 --> 00:49:22,340 involved in what I'm doing, I just can't imagine not being 791 00:49:22,340 --> 00:49:22,520 that 792 00:49:22,520 --> 00:49:25,520 way, right? Yeah, but you guys, 793 00:49:25,580 --> 00:49:30,380 y'all make everybody have so much fun and be so welcome. I 794 00:49:30,380 --> 00:49:33,140 saw something y'all did with Wade Hayes. 795 00:49:33,140 --> 00:49:36,620 Yes, that's right, yeah, we had Wade on here a while back, and 796 00:49:36,620 --> 00:49:39,020 he's a good buddy. What a good dude. I love that guy. 797 00:49:39,320 --> 00:49:43,960 Love him. He's wonderful. And he was telling his story about his 798 00:49:43,960 --> 00:49:44,800 health issue. 799 00:49:45,460 --> 00:49:49,540 Oh, we're lucky to have him. And thank God. He went for another 800 00:49:50,080 --> 00:49:51,580 another, another opinion. 801 00:49:51,580 --> 00:49:55,540 And he was so young to have that, you know, yeah, but one 802 00:49:55,540 --> 00:50:01,200 time I had an issue, and Raymond was so scared. And I was too, 803 00:50:01,260 --> 00:50:05,460 and he put it on internet. And I said, don't put it on the 804 00:50:05,460 --> 00:50:07,020 internet. What if I don't die? But 805 00:50:12,600 --> 00:50:16,500 I did. I had, I had this thing. Here it was. I was singing at I 806 00:50:16,500 --> 00:50:21,860 did 25 Christmas shows at fontanelle and my friend, she 807 00:50:21,860 --> 00:50:24,200 was helping me change clothes. And I go, I've got a little 808 00:50:24,200 --> 00:50:27,680 bitty, tiny knot right here under my jaw. Feel of it. She 809 00:50:27,680 --> 00:50:31,760 goes, have you had, have you had a virus lately? And I went, No. 810 00:50:32,120 --> 00:50:35,120 I said, but when I had a real big note, it doesn't hurt, it 811 00:50:35,120 --> 00:50:39,680 just kind of drags me down, you know? And I said, I'm gonna go 812 00:50:39,680 --> 00:50:42,340 see about it after the first of the year. So go to see about it, 813 00:50:42,340 --> 00:50:45,820 and they take a biopsy. And I was just like, having so much 814 00:50:45,820 --> 00:50:49,000 fun. I go, that didn't even hurt because they put lidocaine on 815 00:50:49,000 --> 00:50:51,340 it, yeah. And then after, I was like, Well, what'd you find? He 816 00:50:51,340 --> 00:50:53,980 goes, Well, I'm not a doctor. I can't tell you, but I'll tell 817 00:50:53,980 --> 00:50:56,620 you one thing I do know. And I said, what that? He said, I 818 00:50:56,620 --> 00:51:01,620 don't like the way that felt. And I went, Oh, okay, so it's a 819 00:51:01,620 --> 00:51:08,760 story. It's a story. It turned out that I had this thing. It 820 00:51:08,760 --> 00:51:11,700 was, well, no, the doctor calls up and he said, You've got 821 00:51:11,700 --> 00:51:15,360 metastatic carcinoma. And I said, What's that? He called me. 822 00:51:15,360 --> 00:51:18,780 He didn't even meet with me in person. He calls me and and I 823 00:51:20,100 --> 00:51:23,120 said, What's that? And he goes, it means you've got a cancerous 824 00:51:23,120 --> 00:51:25,580 tumor right there, and it's coming from somewhere. It's all 825 00:51:25,580 --> 00:51:28,520 gathered there, and it's coming from somewhere else. And I went, 826 00:51:28,520 --> 00:51:31,220 oh no. And when you said that, I started kind of getting dizzy. I 827 00:51:31,280 --> 00:51:34,160 said, Hold on. I want to call my husband. I call Raymond. I said, 828 00:51:34,160 --> 00:51:37,580 Raymond, get on here. I want to connect you. So we connected. 829 00:51:37,580 --> 00:51:40,060 And I said, now tell tell Raymond what you just told me. 830 00:51:40,060 --> 00:51:46,000 And he told him. So we hung up, and then Raymond calls me back, 831 00:51:46,240 --> 00:51:49,180 because I tell you what we're gonna do. I said, What's that? 832 00:51:49,240 --> 00:51:52,180 He said, we're gonna call right pen. Now, the only reason I'm 833 00:51:52,180 --> 00:51:56,560 even taking time to tell you this is so fun about the way God 834 00:51:56,560 --> 00:52:00,300 works in our lives, because we used to just go have so much fun 835 00:52:00,300 --> 00:52:02,520 at country in the Rockies, and there was a band there called 836 00:52:02,520 --> 00:52:06,060 Soul incision with a bunch of doctors. And so we would all get 837 00:52:06,060 --> 00:52:09,300 up there. Yeah, we would, we would entertain. We would 838 00:52:09,300 --> 00:52:12,780 entertain all the different very wealthy people all throughout 839 00:52:12,780 --> 00:52:15,480 the day, go skiing with them. You know, do all this, have all 840 00:52:15,480 --> 00:52:20,100 these auctions and everything, but the real fun was at night 841 00:52:20,100 --> 00:52:24,200 with dull incision. So we'd get up and have fun. Yeah, Heidi, 842 00:52:24,320 --> 00:52:26,840 Heidi and I got up, you know, one night, she had her 843 00:52:26,840 --> 00:52:29,360 harmonica, and we were just getting wild and having fun, 844 00:52:29,360 --> 00:52:36,200 just all kinds of fun stuff and but he wound up being the vice 845 00:52:36,200 --> 00:52:40,040 chancellor. He was a doctor, a surgeon. He wound up being the 846 00:52:40,040 --> 00:52:43,420 vice chancellor at at Vanderbilt. So Raymond calls him 847 00:52:43,420 --> 00:52:47,800 up and says, right. And he told him what the doctor had said. He 848 00:52:47,800 --> 00:52:51,340 goes, there's only one doctor I would ever he said, the head of 849 00:52:51,340 --> 00:52:55,660 our otolaryngology department. That's Dr James netterville. 850 00:52:55,660 --> 00:52:57,940 That's who she needs to see. That's who I would send my 851 00:52:57,940 --> 00:53:00,660 people come from all over the world to see him. So he said, 852 00:53:00,660 --> 00:53:06,960 Okay, now, in the meantime, I went over to see my friend 853 00:53:06,960 --> 00:53:12,060 Millie Taylor, who she I met at a garage sale at my house, 854 00:53:12,060 --> 00:53:14,820 because I live on a road where you can just throw a sign out 855 00:53:14,820 --> 00:53:17,760 anytime, and people start coming over, and I've met some great 856 00:53:17,760 --> 00:53:21,020 friends that way. So I met up with Millie mother, and I did. 857 00:53:21,020 --> 00:53:26,420 And then few years went by and we didn't see her. And then we 858 00:53:26,420 --> 00:53:29,780 connected again, one time. And so I knew where she was. She was 859 00:53:29,780 --> 00:53:34,520 at New Beginnings, and so but after I heard that news, I was 860 00:53:34,520 --> 00:53:38,840 so freaked out about it, because I looked up what the procedure 861 00:53:38,840 --> 00:53:42,880 would be. The procedure on this would be they would operate on 862 00:53:42,880 --> 00:53:45,880 you. They would go in and they would take it out, yeah, and 863 00:53:45,880 --> 00:53:48,400 that's what that doctor said. I said, so you just could put a 864 00:53:48,400 --> 00:53:51,160 little tiny incision in and pop that little thing out, right? 865 00:53:51,160 --> 00:53:54,100 And he goes, Oh no, it'll probably be five or six inch 866 00:53:54,100 --> 00:53:58,420 scar. It'll be kind of wavy, but we can tattoo it. It'll be okay. 867 00:53:58,420 --> 00:54:02,160 And I went, Oh God, so I'd find myself walking down the street 868 00:54:02,340 --> 00:54:05,040 seeing couples in love, and I go, I hope I'm going to be here 869 00:54:05,280 --> 00:54:08,520 this time next year. Oh, my God, it was. It's just weird how your 870 00:54:08,520 --> 00:54:13,200 mind starts seeing the fragility of life when you know something 871 00:54:13,200 --> 00:54:17,580 could happen like that. And then the other thing I was very 872 00:54:17,700 --> 00:54:21,200 interested in this surgery, that the real surgery, what they do 873 00:54:21,320 --> 00:54:28,820 is they go in and they take it out, and then, if they can, and 874 00:54:29,060 --> 00:54:33,800 then they take it out, and then your neck will sink in. And then 875 00:54:33,800 --> 00:54:36,860 they have to take fat from your stomach area and build your neck 876 00:54:36,860 --> 00:54:41,680 back up, but 90% of the time, then your face is going to droop 877 00:54:41,740 --> 00:54:45,520 forever. And I was walking along going, the devil's trying to 878 00:54:45,520 --> 00:54:48,760 steal my smile. The devil's trying to steal my smile. God. 879 00:54:48,760 --> 00:54:51,760 And so, so I was so scared, but I went to see so I went to see 880 00:54:51,760 --> 00:54:54,640 Millie, and I was soon as I walked in the door, she said, 881 00:54:55,240 --> 00:54:58,780 Deborah, what's wrong? I said, Millie. They say, you know. And 882 00:54:58,780 --> 00:55:02,160 went into all the details. She said a prayer for me right away. 883 00:55:02,400 --> 00:55:05,640 And then she said, I'm going to help you. So she does all kinds 884 00:55:05,640 --> 00:55:09,060 of holistic things. And she did do that. She took care of me. 885 00:55:09,120 --> 00:55:14,100 She was all kinds of things that she did to help me. And so I 886 00:55:14,100 --> 00:55:16,980 went to see Dr netterville, and I told him what was going on. 887 00:55:17,400 --> 00:55:22,400 And he said, Now, Deborah, I said, I really just, I've got 888 00:55:22,400 --> 00:55:25,820 shows I have to do Dr netterville, and I need to do 889 00:55:25,880 --> 00:55:29,240 this. He says, Well, it's slow growing right now. He said, so 890 00:55:29,240 --> 00:55:32,780 I'll say yes, but I hope you're not going to do like that. Other 891 00:55:32,780 --> 00:55:36,500 man came in here the other night, and in my mind there was 892 00:55:36,500 --> 00:55:40,240 this man in a chair. He looked like elephant man. His head was 893 00:55:40,240 --> 00:55:43,720 all swollen. His tongue was hanging out. And I remember when 894 00:55:43,720 --> 00:55:46,780 I walked into that place, I thought, this is where I would 895 00:55:46,780 --> 00:55:49,600 come back when I was with country in the Rockies, I was an 896 00:55:49,600 --> 00:55:52,540 entertainer to cheer everybody up. Now I'm one of the people 897 00:55:52,540 --> 00:55:55,000 that needs help. And you know, what else it brings to I'm 898 00:55:55,000 --> 00:55:58,300 hurry, and I know I'm taking too long. But look, one thing that 899 00:55:58,300 --> 00:56:02,400 it made me realize. It made me realize that, you know, a lot of 900 00:56:02,400 --> 00:56:05,640 times when someone's sick and you go, Oh, I'm going to pray 901 00:56:05,640 --> 00:56:08,700 for you. You know, well, that takes on a whole brand new 902 00:56:08,700 --> 00:56:12,300 meaning. You hope they really do. And I know that I did have 903 00:56:12,300 --> 00:56:15,660 some great prayers. But anyway, I said, Dr, he goes, I hope 904 00:56:15,660 --> 00:56:17,760 you're not going to go out to Arizona and spend $150,000 905 00:56:19,560 --> 00:56:22,220 because that man that just left here. I could have helped him 906 00:56:22,220 --> 00:56:25,460 six months ago. Now I don't think I can. I said, Dr 907 00:56:25,460 --> 00:56:28,640 naderville, I couldn't do that if I wanted to. I said, all I 908 00:56:28,640 --> 00:56:31,880 want to do is go do these shows and keep doing this stuff with 909 00:56:31,880 --> 00:56:35,540 Millie that I'm doing. You know? I said, and I didn't tell him 910 00:56:35,540 --> 00:56:38,000 everything we were doing because I was afraid it would make him 911 00:56:38,300 --> 00:56:41,800 not like it. But I just said, I'm just drinking a lot of green 912 00:56:41,800 --> 00:56:46,300 juice and doing, you know this and that, and it wasn't anything 913 00:56:46,300 --> 00:56:49,120 much more than that, but I don't care to go into all the details 914 00:56:49,120 --> 00:56:55,240 right now, but, but anyway, so we did a lot of things to get me 915 00:56:55,240 --> 00:56:59,380 well. And he said, Well, I don't know. I've never heard of any 916 00:56:59,380 --> 00:57:02,760 green juice dissolving that. But he goes, you can try it for a 917 00:57:02,760 --> 00:57:06,360 little while. Then one night, out of the blue, he called me 918 00:57:06,360 --> 00:57:10,380 up. It was about eight o'clock at night, and he goes, Deborah, 919 00:57:10,920 --> 00:57:15,360 what are we doing? I said, Well, you're going to Africa to teach 920 00:57:15,780 --> 00:57:21,080 doctors how to do surgery, and I'm still drinking green juice. 921 00:57:21,080 --> 00:57:25,700 And he goes, now, Deborah, he goes, You need to be in my 922 00:57:25,760 --> 00:57:30,680 operating room on Friday, my personal operating room. He 923 00:57:30,680 --> 00:57:34,160 goes, and because I do not want to go out of the country without 924 00:57:34,160 --> 00:57:38,780 taking care of you. And he goes, and if, if we wait much longer, 925 00:57:38,780 --> 00:57:41,980 it's just going to make my job more difficult, which I knew 926 00:57:41,980 --> 00:57:45,580 what he meant. He meant that it might make my face, you know, 927 00:57:45,640 --> 00:57:51,460 right, droop. So I was sitting there on the steps, just kind of 928 00:57:51,460 --> 00:57:55,120 going back and forth like this. And I was again, thinking, the 929 00:57:55,120 --> 00:57:57,700 devil's trying to steal my smile. The Devil's all of a 930 00:57:57,700 --> 00:58:05,100 sudden, Dr netterville said, Deborah, I pray for wisdom every 931 00:58:05,160 --> 00:58:09,540 day. And I went, I pray for wisdom every day. That's it. I 932 00:58:09,540 --> 00:58:12,720 said, I've been waiting for a sign. I've been saying, God, 933 00:58:12,720 --> 00:58:17,460 don't whisper that still small voice. I want to hear that. Just 934 00:58:17,460 --> 00:58:21,140 scream at me. I said, when you said that, I heard it. I said, 935 00:58:21,140 --> 00:58:24,740 Okay, Dr naderville, I'll do it. I said, But now listen, you 936 00:58:24,740 --> 00:58:28,460 know, we've seen that thing. And I said, that tumor is just on 937 00:58:28,460 --> 00:58:32,780 the back end of my submandibular gland. And I'm a singer. I need 938 00:58:32,780 --> 00:58:36,560 to keep that submandibular gland. Can't you just take off 939 00:58:36,560 --> 00:58:40,540 the bad part? He goes, Oh, look at that. And I thought he was 940 00:58:40,540 --> 00:58:46,240 just being nice. So I go to the well, the next when I Friday 941 00:58:46,240 --> 00:58:50,140 rolls around, and I get myself ready, and the next thing, you 942 00:58:50,140 --> 00:58:53,740 know, I'm in the kitchen with Raymond, and I start having a 943 00:58:53,740 --> 00:58:58,300 meltdown, and I start crying and going, I don't want to go. I 944 00:58:58,300 --> 00:59:01,740 don't want to go. And then about that time, my sister came in 945 00:59:01,740 --> 00:59:06,240 like a baby rooster, going, what is going on in here? And and she 946 00:59:06,660 --> 00:59:10,920 goes, she's having a meltdown. And she said, Debra Lynn, you 947 00:59:10,920 --> 00:59:13,200 better go get in that car. You know, good and well, you will 948 00:59:13,200 --> 00:59:17,220 not have a good outcome if you if you're going like that. And I 949 00:59:17,220 --> 00:59:20,360 was like, I know, so we're driving down the road heading to 950 00:59:20,360 --> 00:59:24,200 Vanderbilt, and I say, I'm not scared of this operation. 951 00:59:24,200 --> 00:59:30,620 Raymond, he's like, you could have fooled me. No, no, I trust 952 00:59:30,620 --> 00:59:34,700 Dr netterville. I said, it's just the after effect. I just 953 00:59:36,320 --> 00:59:41,800 hope and pray my face doesn't droop and so, you know what? We 954 00:59:41,800 --> 00:59:45,700 did, that operation. He took a picture of it. I've got pictures 955 00:59:45,700 --> 00:59:47,500 of it. No one wants to see him. 956 00:59:50,680 --> 00:59:55,480 Anyway, I did look like a science project, for sure. And 957 00:59:55,540 --> 00:59:59,260 anyway, that was too long for that story, but it all came out. 958 00:59:59,260 --> 01:00:02,340 Great. He came. In, and he said I was still very loopy, because 959 01:00:02,340 --> 01:00:07,500 I told him to put me way out. And when he came in, he said, 960 01:00:07,500 --> 01:00:12,360 Deborah, got great news. No cancer, no chemo, no radiation. 961 01:00:12,360 --> 01:00:16,140 I went, That's good. He goes, No, that's wonderful. Debra, oh, 962 01:00:16,140 --> 01:00:19,380 and guess what? And I said, What? He said, I did what you 963 01:00:19,380 --> 01:00:22,760 suggested. And I'm like, What did I suggest? Because I only 964 01:00:22,760 --> 01:00:25,280 took out the part that was bad, and I've never done that before, 965 01:00:26,000 --> 01:00:30,680 so, but you know the thing? Okay? I guess I got too 966 01:00:30,680 --> 01:00:33,440 comfortable here, and I ran well, no, that's fine. Here's 967 01:00:33,440 --> 01:00:36,680 the thing about it. Here's what I was just gonna say. It's just 968 01:00:36,680 --> 01:00:39,860 like a patchwork quilt. How do you never know when you meet 969 01:00:39,860 --> 01:00:42,520 someone new? You never know when you meet someone new, how 970 01:00:42,520 --> 01:00:46,780 they're going to figure into your life later on. Like, who 971 01:00:46,780 --> 01:00:50,020 would have known that one of the musicians in soul incision would 972 01:00:50,020 --> 01:00:53,980 be the Vice Chancellor of a chancellor of Vanderbilt, and 973 01:00:53,980 --> 01:00:57,040 who would have known that a lady I met at my garage sale would 974 01:00:57,040 --> 01:01:00,100 have her own little holistic company and helping people, and 975 01:01:00,100 --> 01:01:04,860 that she would help me so much, and then it just those were the 976 01:01:04,860 --> 01:01:07,800 people I needed in my life, and they were there before I even 977 01:01:07,800 --> 01:01:12,600 knew that I needed. Very true that's just a story that I guess 978 01:01:12,600 --> 01:01:16,740 that's one reason I do love people, because you never know 979 01:01:16,740 --> 01:01:20,160 what people are going through, and you never well. Every person 980 01:01:20,160 --> 01:01:22,280 you meet is a gift, really? Yeah, they are. 981 01:01:22,280 --> 01:01:24,680 They really are. Well, and two, let me just tell you this, the 982 01:01:24,680 --> 01:01:28,100 devil is not going to steal your smile because you have too much 983 01:01:28,100 --> 01:01:31,700 God around you, and it comes through and too much smile. 984 01:01:31,760 --> 01:01:34,760 That's right. Thank you very much. Well, I really appreciate 985 01:01:34,760 --> 01:01:38,600 you joining us. On, on circling the drain. You definitely 986 01:01:38,600 --> 01:01:42,220 brought up the place and and let us know too, when you're going 987 01:01:42,220 --> 01:01:45,640 to be playing. I will nearby because, well, we'll make it a 988 01:01:45,640 --> 01:01:48,100 night out for the three J's. Well, I'll come out and see you. 989 01:01:48,160 --> 01:01:51,340 Oh yeah. And let me tell you, at that 100th year birthday party, 990 01:01:51,340 --> 01:01:55,780 my mother wound up getting, she wound up getting a letter for a 991 01:01:55,780 --> 01:01:59,380 proclamation from a state senator, all right, Senator pote 992 01:01:59,500 --> 01:02:03,480 and the Speaker of the House, and a letter from Governor Lee, 993 01:02:03,540 --> 01:02:07,320 and thanks to Martha Blackburn, mother, got a beautiful letter 994 01:02:07,320 --> 01:02:13,440 from President Trump, I can tell you. So I mean, it was really 995 01:02:13,440 --> 01:02:17,820 wonderful. And at the Opry, Larry Gatlin gave her, gave her 996 01:02:17,880 --> 01:02:21,500 three dozen roses, and Raymond rolled her out in the circle, 997 01:02:21,500 --> 01:02:25,220 and he got everyone to sing happy birthday. It was just so 998 01:02:25,220 --> 01:02:29,420 special. You know, I was, you know, I had even more things 999 01:02:29,420 --> 01:02:32,960 planned for mother, but I think I did. I think you did good. I 1000 01:02:32,960 --> 01:02:34,100 think I did pretty good. 1001 01:02:34,700 --> 01:02:37,880 I think rated PG for pretty good. Yeah, there you go. 1002 01:02:38,180 --> 01:02:42,580 PG, now, what's really good is PDG, oh yeah. Pretty dang good. 1003 01:02:44,500 --> 01:02:47,500 Well, this was pretty dang good. We appreciate you being here 1004 01:02:47,920 --> 01:02:51,100 very much, very much, and we we wish you a continued success in 1005 01:02:51,100 --> 01:02:54,760 everything you do. And thank you for bringing Raymond today. Oh 1006 01:02:54,760 --> 01:02:58,780 yeah, he's been my Facebook friend forever. I finally get to 1007 01:02:58,780 --> 01:02:59,200 meet him. 1008 01:02:59,560 --> 01:03:02,880 You know what? Y'all I'm serious, if y'all got it after 1009 01:03:02,880 --> 01:03:04,980 hours, would call, break call. 1010 01:03:05,940 --> 01:03:08,760 Well, that's the only fans one will do with Raymond, but 1011 01:03:09,600 --> 01:03:12,720 anyway, be sure and join us next time on circling the drain. You.