On the eighth anniversary of Guy Clark’s passing away on May 17, 2016 at age 74
By Steven Brodsky
…These recordings are accessible here today in memory of Guy Clark:
Posted 5-17-24
Attention fans of the music of Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, and Susanna Clark: ‘Without Getting Killed Or Caught: A Documentary By Tamara Saviano & Paul Whitfield’ is available for on-demand streaming
By Steven Brodsky
… This 95-minute documentary is touching, revealing, and superbly produced.
Two Entertainment Culture and More interviews with Tamara Saviano are reposted below.
Posted 2-23-22
Revisiting With Tamara Saviano, Author of ‘Without Getting Killed or Caught: The Life and Music of Guy Clark’
By Steven Brodsky
The desire to connect with the essence, life history, and contributions of Guy Clark continues to intensify since his passing on May 17, 2016. Guy Clark was the hub of a world of artistic activity for some of America’s most revered and substantive songwriters and performers. For them and many of his other fans, he set an elevated standard of what uncompromising artistic expression is all about. Tamara Saviano’s book Without Getting Killed or Caught: The Life andMusic of Guy Clark is essential reading—for those seeking to further their knowledge and understanding of Guy and his life’s work.
In common with others experiencing the intensification, I watched two documentaries on DVD that contain Guy Clark footage: Heartworn Highways (released in 1976) and Heartworn Highways Revisited (released in 2017). The video captures of the younger and older Guy prompt me to reflect that we are all desperados waiting for a train. Life isn’t standing still.
It’s been a while since our last interview with Tamara Saviano. (The prior interview is currently accessible on this page. Scroll down to read it.) In preparation for this revisit with Tamara read Without Getting Killed or Caught again, taking the time to really savor the chapters—an indulgence with a reward of experiencing this excellent biography in a deeper and more affecting way. Without Getting Killed or Caught: TheLife and Music of Guy Clark answers many questions you may have about a major songwriting force—a man whose songs and spirit continue to touch the lives of fans and master songwriters alike, despite the train’s departure with an incredibly talented and creatively-giving passenger.
Tamara, it was enriching and thought-provoking to dwell among the pages of your book. Thank you for writing this biography and for reconnecting with our readers. What memories associated with the writing and research of this book tend to be the most potent and reoccurring to you?
The time I spent with Guy at his house. For the last 4 or 5 years of his life, I was over at his place several days a week. Guy was eager for me to finish the book and told me repeatedly that he wasn’t going to be around when the book was published so we needed to work while we could. I wanted to procrastinate but he didn’t let me get away with it. The memories of sitting with him at the kitchen table are powerful and I’m grateful to have them.
What are your most joyous memories associated with Guy?
Oh, so many. Sitting at the kitchen table, listening to him try to learn to play his mandola, talking with him about the books we were reading, driving around Texas with him. There are also things that still make me giggle. Guy loved those little bottles of 5-hour Energy drinks and sent me to the store to buy them for him constantly. Every time one of those bottles catches my eye at the grocery it makes me laugh.
What gave Guy the most satisfaction in life?
Writing songs, playing songs, and listening to other songwriters.
What were the most difficult decisions about what to include and exclude in the book?
As the years went by and I got deeper and deeper into Guy’s world, what interested me the most was his childhood, his influence as a songwriter, his recording career, and the relationship between Guy, Susanna and Townes. I decided to stick with those topics. I hope my book won’t be the last on Guy and perhaps another author can tell other stories.
The song “The High Price of Inspiration,” co-written by Guy, lyricizes that getting high was a costly muse. Did Guy ever open up to you and to himself about the reasons behind his use of drugs and alcohol?
Oh yes, we talked about it all the time. I am not a drinker or drug user. I have a little wine with dinner when I go out with friends but I don’t drink at home and actually have a bit of a phobia about drugs. Guy could not wrap his head around that and sometimes tried to peer pressure me into partying with him. I did it once and that was enough. One day we were talking about drugs as muse and I told Guy I thought that was a weak excuse and that I believed he could write great songs without being high. Guy said, “Maybe, but why would I even want to try?” He enjoyed getting high. After he finished chemotherapy he lost his taste for alcohol and it pissed him off until the very end.
Some songwriters from Guy’s world have cleaned up. They continue to write outstanding songs. Could Guy have imagined that he could have done the same?
He didn’t have the desire to clean up. He enjoyed getting high.
Your book contains this journal entry by Susanna: “Guy Clark has an uneasy relationship with the truth. He will never be able to tell me the truth. He’ll never be shiny to me.” Do you know what she meant by this?
The relationship between Guy and Susanna was up and down although there is no doubt they loved each other very much. Guy was a stoic West Texas hard-ass (although he was a real softie by the end of his life) and he rarely showed Susanna his vulnerable side. Susanna craved a closer and intimate connection and I don’t know that she ever got that from Guy. That’s where Townes came in. The documentary we are producing focuses on that relationship between the three of them.
Are there areas of inquiry that you wish you had explored more fully with Guy and others interviewed for the book?
No. I’m getting deeper into that relationship triangle in the film and frankly I’ll be glad when we’re finished. I’ve been living in Guy Clark world for two decades and I’m ready to move on.
Susanna Clark is quoted in the book as having said that Townes was “the yardstick” of songwriting quality for Guy. How did Townes and Guy impact each other’s songwriting?
I don’t know if Guy impacted Townes but Guy always said that Townes was his favorite songwriter and inspired him. Even a few months before his death Guy repeated that. He said that he did not want to write like Townes or be like Townes but he aspired to write songs that would touch people the way Townes’s songs touched him.
Guy, for a number of songwriters, was the ultimate collaborator. Why did he and Townes not co-write (to completion) any songs?
Guy said they tried to write a song together once and it was “a fucking disaster.” My opinion is that Guy was a serious, serious songwriter. He sat down and wrote songs and treated it as a serious pursuit to find the right combination of words and phrasing. Townes sort of caught songs from the universe as they flew by.
Of songwriters Guy never worked with, are there a few that you think would have been especially good co-writing matchups?
I would have loved Guy to write with Ron Sexsmith. I don’t think they ever met but that would have pleased me. Guy always joked that Kristofferson said he was going to come over to write and Guy said he was still waiting. Because I know both Guy and Kris well I would have loved to see them write together but I’m not sure it would have worked out. They are different from each other in many ways.
You grew increasingly close to Guy while writing WithoutGetting Killed or Caught. How did this affect you personally and as Guy’s biographer?
There came a point that I had to admit to myself and my publisher that I was personally involved to the point where it would affect the manuscript. That is why Part 3 of the book is memoir. I could write straight biography up to the point where Guy and I met but after that there was no way to write objectively. I was thrilled when my publisher agreed that we could shape the manuscript to be two parts biography and one part memoir.
Subsequent to Guy’s passing on May 17, 2016, which of Guy’s songs do you listen to the most?
Because I’m writing, producing and directing a documentary on Guy, I’m still immersed in his catalog. I think it will be more interesting to see what I’m listening to a few years from now after I’ve stepped out of Guy world for a bit. Having said that, “Dublin Blues,” “She Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” and “My Favorite Picture of You” are pretty constant around here.
You co-produced the double-disc This One’s for Him: A Tribute toGuy Clark. It won Album at the Year at the 2012 Americana Music Awards and was also a Grammy nominee. What are some of your favorite recollections regarding your work on ThisOne’s for Him, the artists involvement with it, and Guy’s response to the project and the subsequent acclaim for the double-CD that ensued after its release?
Wow, making that album was so much fun and it brings me joy to think back on it. The most fun part was that I was working with Verlon Thompson, Shawn Camp and Jen Gunderman throughout the entire record. Shawn and I were co-producers and he was the leader of the house band. Verlon played guitar in the house band and Jen played keyboard and accordion. Having three of my dearest friends on the journey is the sweetest thing. Secondly, all of the artists were happy to be there to celebrate Guy and it was a ball to work with all of them. Last, it was fun to share the recordings with Guy as we finished them. To see the happy look on his face and hear him say “Wow, that is FAR-OUT” made me happy. Guy’s favorite track on the record is Terri Hendrix’s version of “The Dark.” He listened to that piece a lot when he was in the nursing home at the end of his life.
What feedback about the book has been most gratifying to you?
I’m happy that people seem to like it but I’m most grateful that I don’t have to write it again. It was the most difficult and gratifying work of my life.
Without Getting Killed or Caught is published by Texas A&M University Press: www.tamupress.com.
Posted August 15, 2018, Reposted 2-23-22
Tamara Saviano, Author of ‘Without Getting Killed or Caught: The Life and Music of Guy Clark’
By Steven Brodsky
Congratulations on your new book, Without Getting Killed or Caught: The Life and Music of Guy Clark. It was years in the making. What surprised you most about the journey of getting the book written? The biggest surprise to me is that I actually finished it. I didn’t believe I would until the day I turned it in to the publisher. If I hadn’t told so many people I was writing this book, I would have quit. It was a massive undertaking and I felt overwhelmed during the writing process.
You first heard a Guy Clark album, Old No. 1, when you were fourteen. How did that listening experience affect you? It started my love affair with Texas songwriters and of Texas in general. I grew up in Wisconsin, in an industrial town where my family and most of my friends’ parents worked at factories. Guy made Texas sound romantic to me. “She Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” immediately became the theme song for my teenage angst. “She ain’t goin’ nowhere, she’s just leavin’.” Man. That’s what I wanted to do. Just leave.
Was exposure to Guy Clark’s records a factor in your choosing music journalism, production, and publicity as your profession? Maybe. I loved music from an early age and I believe that music overall had a big hand in it. When I was a kid I wanted to write for Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated and Playboy.
Guy Clark supported the biography. He did not want a hagiography. You did not write one. Tell us about his support. No one was more surprised than me that Guy agreed to my terms. I asked him to cooperate fully and introduce me to all his family, friends and colleagues and ask them to cooperate without Guy having approval on the final manuscript. When we started, I didn’t believe he’d give me anything but our first interview he told me about his girlfriend Bunny’s suicide and how he then married Bunny’s sister Susanna. He was not afraid to talk about the hard stuff and we talked about it over and over and over again.
Did Guy indicate discomfort about any of your research? No. He was surprised at some of the things I discovered but seemed happy when I brought him new treasures that I found at his family’s home in Rockport or from research libraries.
You wrote: “Guy Clark was never one to wear his heart on his sleeve. He was taught from a young age to be stoic; to observe the West Texas credo,‘stand up and be a man.’ He learned one should put up a strong façade no matter what he is feeling inside.” Was this reflected in his responses to your interview questions? No, and that was the most surprising thing about working on the book. Guy and I had intimate conversations. At first it threw me because that was not the Guy I knew. We started working on the book after he was diagnosed with lymphoma and I believe he was feeling mortal. He told me it was time to set the record straight.
You included some very tender diary entries of Susanna Clark, Guy’s wife. Tell us about those. Guy handed me a box of Susanna’s journals after she died. I asked him if he had read them and he said no. I asked if he was sure he wanted me to have them and use them. He said: “Yes. I’m not out to rewrite the truth, Tamara.”
Was Guy jealous of Susanna’s love for Townes Van Zandt? He may have been jealous at times but for the most part I believe he just accepted it as part of Susanna’s and Townes’s personalities and he loved them both. They annoyed him sometimes and he didn’t understand their collective sensitivities but he loved both of them more than he loved anyone else.
Were you always comfortable being privy to highly personal information about Guy, Susanna, and Townes? No, I was often uncomfortable. I tried to comprehend it but never got to that place. I think about my own marriage and how tight my husband and I are…no one else is getting into our marriage, you know? Yet, Guy confessed that Townes took some of the pressure off of him to have to be the husband Susanna wanted. Guy’s stoicism was difficult for Susanna. And, of course, they all drank and took many drugs. I’m sure that shit didn’t make things any easier.
How difficult was it for you to decide what is appropriate to include in the book? Difficult. A reviewer already called me out for not explicitly saying whether or not Townes and Susanna were involved sexually. I decided that the story is compelling enough without sensationalizing it. People can read between the lines. In the end, I just remembered that it was my book and my story to tell in the way I wanted to tell it. And I knew I was doing it with Guy’s full consent and that’s what mattered most to me.
Susannna famously served as muse for some Guy Clark songs. For those not familiar with Guy’s music, speak about one or two of those songs and how they came about. Susanna was a muse for Guy, Townes and many others including Rodney Crowell and Steve Earle. I came to the conclusion that half the writers in Nashville and Austin were in love with Susanna. Guy wrote about her often, the most recent being “My Favorite Picture of You,” the title track to his last album, which won a Grammy. Guy’s co-writer Gordy Sampson came to Guy’s house with the title and the minute Guy heard the title he turned around and pulled a Polaroid picture of Susanna from the wall and they wrote about that picture. An early song Guy wrote about Susanna is “Coat From the Cold.” Guy stopped singing that song long ago because he said it was paternalistic and he couldn’t believe he actually wrote it. “The lady beside me is the one I have chosen to walk through my life like a coat from the cold.” Guy said: “What the fuck was I thinking? Like Susanna didn’t have any choice in the matter.”
A photo of a strikingly beautiful Susanna taken around 1957 appears in the book, courtesy of Guy. If the lyrics of “My Favorite Picture of You” are fully true to life, this photo wasn’t Guy’s favorite of Susanna. What photos (whether of Susanna or others) in the book are most significant to you? I love the photo of Susanna in the yellow turtleneck and the debutante black and white photo the best. I think it’s because I’ve sort of romanticized the young Susanna. I try to imagine what she would have done had she not gotten involved with Guy and Townes. In some ways, I think they ruined her. Not that it wasn’t her choice, it was, but, she may have reached greater heights personally and professionally without them. Even with them, she was a successful songwriter and painter but I do believe Susanna’s love for these two men held her back. She jumped into a relationship with Guy when she was grieving her sister’s suicide. Maybe with a little time and distance before doing that, she would have made different choices. Of course, we’ll never know and that’s just me romanticizing what might have been.
Guy had the highest regard for quality of artistic expression. What instilled this in him? His young life in Rockport, Texas was the start of it. Guy and his family read poetry around the kitchen table after dinner. He participated in poetry invitationals, read monologues, wrote essays and fell in love with the written word as a young man. As he matured he read beat poets and literature and dictionaries and thesauruses. Seriously, Guy would pick up the Dictionary of American Slang and just start reading from page one. When he went to Houston and met Townes Van Zandt and Mickey Newbury, that inspired him to start writing songs and his quest to write, read and hear quality literature and songs stayed with him until the day he died. Guy is famous for saying to young songwriters “Do you want to be an artist or do you want to be a star?” He didn’t think there was anything wrong with wanting to be a star but it’s a different approach. Artists are not willing to compromise in the way stars have to compromise with their material and their images.
Guy was very helpful to other songwriters. Cite an example of this that appears in your book. Lyle Lovett is probably the most famous example. Someone slipped Guy a demo tape of Lyle’s and Guy copied that tape and handed it out to everyone he knew in Nashville. And he had never met Lyle. He thought it was that good and that someone needed to pay attention and give Lyle a publishing and record deal. And that’s exactly what happened. Guy gave Tony Brown at MCA the tape and Tony signed Lyle.
What song written or co-written by Guy, was Guy most proud of? Guy’s favorite song he ever wrote was “She Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere.” He said it just came out easily and he loves the message of it.
Of his songs covered by others, which were his favorites? Slim Pickens’s spoken word version of “Desperados Waiting for a Train” was Guy’s favorite cover of one of his songs. He also loved Terri Hendrix’s cover of “The Dark.” Those are two that stuck with him.
Which song most meaningfully reflects the person you came to know as a result of writing Without Getting Killed or Caught: The Life and Music of Guy Clark? “Stuff That Works.” It fits Guy perfectly.
Rev. Billy Graham’s Passing: A Revisit With Paul Heil, Host of ‘The Gospel Greats’ Radio Show
By Steven Brodsky
Wednesday, February 21, 2018—If Rev. Billy Graham knew that he’d pass away today, he could have sincerely, confidently, and humbly been able to state that his soul would today arrive in heaven. Such was the quality of his faith, the heart of which was “personal relationship” with Jesus.
Billy Graham reached many millions of people with his stadium crusades and television broadcasts. These preaching events included Christian music, a beloved and influential part of his ministry for generations of his admirers.
On the occasion of the passing of Billy Graham, I asked Paul Heil to revisit with this column’s readers. Paul’s syndicated radio show, The Gospel Greats, is in its 38th continuous year and features Southern Gospel music.
Paul, how did Billy Graham impact your life on a personal and professional level?
Throughout my life, I’ve known about and respected Billy Graham—both for his personal integrity and his unwavering dedication to the spread of the Gospel. Although I never had the opportunity to meet him personally, both of those qualities provided inspiration to me as to how I do what I do. In a time when so many advocate a watered-down Gospel message, Rev. Graham refused to compromise, staying true to God’s word as revealed in Scripture.
I loved the way that he personally and consistently deflected any attempts at taking credit for his success, redirecting the credit where it truly belongs—to God. And God certainly used Billy Graham as a willing vessel for His honor and glory. Aside from that, I believe his success was in the way he could simplify the Gospel, without diminishing it, so that anyone and everyone could understand it. His message was of God’s great love and how He prepared a way for anyone who would believe to escape eternal punishment and, though repentance, have sins forgiven (see John 3:16,17).
When did you first encounter Billy Graham’s preaching? And what are some of your earliest memories connected with him?
Back in “the day,” I remember watching Billy Graham crusades on our family’s back-and-white TV. Of course, my dad was a pastor, so he was more than intrigued by what this well-known and highly-effective evangelist had to say. And, I supposed, he was always looking for sermon pointers. I recall when Dad took the family to a Billy Graham crusade. I believe it was at the big auditorium in Ocean Grove, NJ. What an event! And to see hundreds of people respond to the message! Even for a young fellow who had already accepted Christ, it was overwhelming to see.
I still would probably have been in grade school when the Billy Graham organization came out with a full-length motion picture that was showing in theaters. This was something exceedingly rare for a Christian organization to do back then. My dad took our family to see it—in Philadelphia, I believe—and it was the first time I had ever been in a movie theater. Later, when I got a job in radio, I worked Sunday nights when Billy Graham’s Hour of Decision was broadcast over the station where I worked (via NBC), and, whenever my other duties there allowed, I’d find myself listening to every word.
Which song performances from Billy Graham’s broadcast events are among your favorites?
Who can forget the awesome singing of George Beverly Shea? Billy Graham once said of him, “Out of all the gospel singers in the world today, the one that I would rather hear than any other would be George Beverly Shea.” (One can only imagine their recent reunion in heaven!) “Bev” Shea, as Billy called him, actually co-wrote “I’d Rather Have Jesus,” which remains a standout. And then there was the music of the crusade choirs, including their stirring rendition of “Just As I Am,” which regularly accompanied thousands as they came to the altar to accept Christ at Billy Graham’s invitation. Beyond that, Rev. Graham regularly incorporated special presentations by singers representing several different genres of Christian music. He understood that good songs—Gospel-centric songs—helped open the hearts of listeners to the preached word that followed.
In the history of The Gospel Greats, a number of your interview guests are strongly associated with Rev. Graham’s crusades. Please speak about a few of those people.
Perhaps the most widely-known Gospel music personality today, Bill Gaither, along with his group, made several appearances with Dr. Graham. And Bill hosted a special videotaping at Graham’s center in North Carolina some years ago, featuring music that was associated with him in some way, or at least with his message. I noticed that Bill and Gloria posted this message after Dr. Graham’s passing: “The world has lost today a friend of the lost, a bearer of hope and a voice crying in the wilderness, ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.’ The silencing of this strong voice is a call to all believers to step up with integrity and compassion to fill the void left by this great pastor to the world.” Well said, although I don’t think that void will ever be filled in quite the same way.
Another artist, Jason Crabb, was able to sing at Rev. Graham’s Farewell Crusade in New York City some years ago. Jason called it, “… one of the greatest moments I’ve ever had the opportunity to be a part of.” And he now says about Rev. Graham, “There is perhaps no person who conveyed the love, grace and saving power of Jesus Christ so eloquently as Mr. Graham.”
Why is Southern Gospel music particularly effective at communicating the message that Rev. Graham preached and why does it resonate so well with the audiences he reached?
Rev. Graham was known, as I mentioned earlier, for making the Gospel plain and simple so it would be easily comprehended. Southern Gospel music, perhaps to a greater degree than some other genres of Christian music, does the same thing. The Gospel is presented clearly in the majority of these songs. And it’s done in such a way that the lyrics—the message—is paramount. Although “encouragement” is a key message in Southern Gospel music, directed at Christians, there is no more important message conveyed than the Gospel message of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen again for the salvation of all who believe. And I regularly receive testimonies from listeners and Southern Gospel music lovers for whom this music has been life-changing, convicting them of sin and bringing them to repentance through the work of the Holy Spirit. Just as it certainly was for Rev. Graham, it’s exciting to be a part (however small) of this ongoing work.
Note to readers: Billy Graham would have become 101 years old on November 7, 2019.
Paul Heil passed away on December 27, 2020 at age 73.
Posted 2-22-18 Updated 3-25-21
A Conversation with Paul Heil, Host of ‘The Gospel Greats’ Syndicated Radio Show
By Steven Brodsky
One of the finest radio voices ever belongs to Paul Heil. His voice has graced the airwaves since 1980. That was the year that The Gospel Greats began as a syndicated radio show. Based in Lancaster County, PA, Paul’s show has aired continuously and is now carried worldwide on many radio stations, Sirius/XM, the internet, and international shortwave. Paul and the show are beloved by fans of Southern Gospel music and the performing and recording artists of the genre. Paul and The Gospel Greats have been recognized by being awarded an abundance of major industry and fan awards. In 2014, the Southern Gospel Music Association inducted Paul Heil into its Hall of Fame. It’s an honor to bring this conversation with him to you.
Please describe the show for those who aren’t regular listeners.
The Gospel Greats program is a weekly two-hour program of and about Southern Gospel music. Its “signature sound” is that it includes brief artist interviews throughout the program, allowing listeners to get to know the artists and drawing them into the meaning of the songs.
The Gospel Greats has retained many of its original features. In 1980, how confident were you that the format would stand up to the test of time?
I’ve always believed that “good radio is good radio.” And good radio is something that people find interesting to listen to. So I try to make the program interesting, as well as unique, while maintaining a spiritual dimension that is often missing in such programs. When I started the program, I applied those principles, hoping it would hold up over the years — not knowing, of course, how many years that would be. And the Lord has surely blessed in that regard.
Are all the interviews on The Gospel Greats in-person?
With very few exceptions, all of the interviews on The Gospel Greats program are recorded in-person. More often than not, this is in a back room at a concert somewhere, but with quality equipment. Probably three decades ago I had someone at a radio station marveling to me that it sounded as if we had all the guests right there with me in the studio. Occasionally, when it’s impossible to get together with a particular artist that we want to interview, they will set up in a recording studio. We’ll interview them by phone, but they’ll record the answers and send them to us, so it still sounds in-person. Also, an exception is that we will use telephone interview clips on the program’s news segment (the Headline Update).
Why do you do you them that way?
In-person interviews are easier to understand on the air, for one thing. That has always been the case, but cell phones sometimes are terribly difficult to understand on the air. I want to do everything I can to make what the artists are saying as clear and understandable as possible. This usually involves considerable editing, too. I had one artist tell me just the other day that I did such a great job of cleaning up his interview that he’s convinced all I would have to have from him would be a collection of vowels and consonants and I could make him say anything I want.
It says much about you and the show that the major artists of Southern Gospel music come to your studio to record their interviews. How difficult is it for most of them to do the interviews in-person in light of busy touring schedules?
While most of our interviews are “in the field” at concerts, the National Quartet Convention or other such venues, we’ve always had at least some interviews recorded here at the studio. (Hopefully, the studio interviews are nearly indistinguishable on the air from the remote interviews.) But in-studio interviews have increased considerably in recent years. A few years ago, we wanted to interview Greater Vison about a new CD, but they didn’t have any concerts scheduled anywhere nearby for several months. They were heading from Tennessee to some dates in New England, but they would pass through our area about 2 a.m. So they agreed to stop by the studio at 2 a.m. and we did the interview in the middle of the night.
Tell us about your early exposure to Southern Gospel music.
As far back as I can remember, my dad had Southern Gospel records. The Blackwood Brothers and the Statesmen were especially prominent. Also, the Couriers promoted concerts regularly in nearby Harrisburg, so our church group attended a few of them. But what actually got me involved professionally was the convergence of my love of radio production, radio syndication and the fact that my brother had a local singing group. He got the Singing News (this was in the 1970s) and, since it included a top-tunes chart, that inspired the idea for the program. Unlike other countdown shows, The Gospel Greats has just one countdown per month. The reasons are twofold: First, the chart changes only once a month. Second, it allows much more week-to-week variety than a weekly countdown would.
Were there concert performances that were especially influential to you? If so, when did they take place and how did they affect you?
I don’t recall any one specific concert that was especially influential. But I do recall several concerts by the Cathedrals, including one at our home church. Getting to know them personally, especially Glen and George, became something very special for me.
Please tell us about a few of your most memorable guest interviews on the show.
Well, I just mentioned George Younce. Shortly after the Cathedrals retired, I asked George if he would co-host our 20th anniversary program (February of 2000). He did. We traveled to his home in Stow, Ohio, where we set up our equipment in his home’s sun room and we recorded there. Another interview I recall was with the late J. D. Sumner. He always had a gruff demeanor, or at least it seemed that way to folks. But he had a big heart. When I asked how he would like to be remembered, he choked a bit and said, “I would like people to remember the real J.D.”
Your listeners are familiar with: “The Greatest Songs about the Greatest Message, the Gospel.” Speak about what those words mean.
When the name was originally chosen, it was primarily for the alliteration in the wording. Easy to remember. But I soon found out that many in the music industry at large use similar terms to refer to the artists, such as the “country greats.” That was not my intention. So, in relatively recent times, I came up with that slogan as a subtitle to try to make clear that we’re referring to the “greatest songs about the greatest message,” which, of course, is the Gospel message. That puts the focus where it should be.
What kind of listener feedback do you value the most?
I value any listener feedback. I am blessed and encouraged by people who write to me or tell me at a concert that they listen to the program every week. Some say they plan their weekend around the time the program is heard in their area. Wow. But to know the program is touching people with the Gospel and to know the program is encouraging people in their Christian walk is the kind of feedback that encourages me the most. It is truly an honor to be invited into their homes or cars each week.
What are some of the favorite Southern Gospel recordings that you enjoy most during the Christmas season?
Wow — there are many. During the 2016 Christmas season, because of the way the calendar worked out, we had four weeks of all-Christmas music (that’s more than usual). And we were blessed with a larger than usual number of outstanding new Christmas recordings. I thoroughly enjoyed everything I had a chance to play. I do enjoy the new Christmas songs, as long as they point to Christ as the reason for the season. But I especially enjoy vibrant new renditions of traditional Christmas carols that have stood the test of time.