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Daddy Was A Factory Man CD

Back When I Was A Cowboy:  (May 1997).  I had promised a friend I would write a song for her future husband as a birthday gift, if she’s just jot down some ideas.  I worked on and off for several months trying to write it.  In the process this song was written.  THINGS TO KNOW:  Its’ the true story of my life!  Wish I could find all the words to A Cowboy Life’s!!

Daddy Was A Factory Man:  (August 2003)  My Mama wrote that the textile factory (which my Daddy worked at for 44 years and my two brothers-in-law have worked there for 30 plus years) up and closed with only a couple of weeks notice.  I had written the title and idea several years ago, but the news of the factory closing inspired me to write the song.  I love the bass line that Jogi put on it. THINGS TO KNOW:  When my Daddy first heard it, he told my Mama, “he pretty much covered everything”.

Daddy, Won’t You Buy Me A Guitar For My Birthday: (March 1976) I wrote this on my wife’s 21st birthday.  Later that night I also wrote her a birthday song!  THINGS TO KNOW:  I finally bought my daughter a guitar for her 28th birthday and she is learning to play.  That’s her singing when she was about 4 years old on a 1979 cassette.

Down to The Islands: (June 2002)  I got the idea while flying over the beautiful Greek islands on a flight back to Germany. I wrote it about a cowboy in Nebraska who couldn’t stand the long, cold winters.  He just wants to hop on a plane and head to the Caribbean Islands where the weather is great all year round.  I can thank Peter Hildebrant (Lead Guitar) for the driving sound of this song.  We made a demo about two years ago and it took on a totally rocking feel once he picked on it. THINGS TO KNOW:  The phase “Ground Hog Day” comes from the movie of the same title, meaning every day is the same.  I dedicate this song to Brent Herout; my former co-worker and my webmaster from cold ass Nebraska.  I don’t mind cold weather, I just HATE being cold!

Got No Mandolin Blues. (February 1998).  This instrumental was partially put together at a monthly jam session we used to have in the Golden Nugget Saloon with Peter and Armand.  My songs are too long (I know) with limited places for pickers to shine, so I wanted a spot for all of them to pick a little.  It adds a bit of bluegrass music to the project.  THINGS TO KNOW:  I brought in Germany’s Dobro extraordinaire Martin Gross to play that hot Dobro part for it was WAY over my head.

Leaving Texas: (1994) Written shortly after when we found out we were tranferring to Germany.  It was the first real song I had written since 1976.  I had just started meeting with a little Texas Songwriters Group, so I broke an eighteen year dry spell of songwriting.  THINGS TO KNOW:   Cabrieto is baby goat, a delicacy in Mexico.  Cerveasa is Spanish for beer.  They drink lime with Corona or Tecate Beer in Mexico.

NAFTA Blues:  (January 2000, AKA Y2K) I wrote this on New Years Day.  I had read about several hometown factories had closed and I decided to write the song.  (3 years before my Daddy’s factory closed). THINGS TO KNOW:  The phase “pennies in my shoes” goes back to the penny loafter days.  This song was arranged to have a Dixieland Band on it, but they all backed out, leaving me to use a demo version I had worked up.  It supposed to have kinda a Jimmie Rodgers (1930) sound.  Oh, my Grandpa (on my Mama’s side) was a Moonshiner! That’s my good friend Mandy Strobel joining me on vocals.

News From Back Home: (April 2000).  Written after several letters from my sister, Raena, I set down with the intention of just collecting a few ideas from things that had happened in the family, a half hour later, I had a whole song. THINGS TO KNOW: Its ALL true.  Someday, I’ll have write MORE News From Back Home!!

Pretty Girls:  (June 2002).  I call this my confession song.  I wrote this while taking a break moving in to our new apartment, 5 days after I wrote “Down To The Islands”.  My wife had to go to the store and I wrote this in a half an hour.  Otto did a great intro on Harp!!. THINGS TO KNOW:   Anybody that knows me, know I still love to look at Pretty Girls!!  My wife insisted I write something nice and clean about blondes (her) and redheads (our daughter).

Remember the Alamo: (September 2001)  The title came to me as I leaving work and I wrote the story of the song on the 20 minute drive home.  It went thru some wild versions before I cleaned it up a bit.  When I got the Mexican’s Thumpets on it, the song moved its way to Track One.  I got the other guys in “Mariachi Acapulco” to do a Mexican Chant.  THINGS TO KNOW:  Nothing about this song is true, but I’m singing about my guitar pickin’ bud, Dan McCoy as my friend that lives 60 miles from San Antonio.  I’m proud of the line “they were 2 sheets to wind”.  I thought if “3 sheets to the wind” is totally drunk so I made them a bit more sober when we picked them up!  In the chorus, I used songs from my first CD,  “Blame It on Mexico” (Title Song), Tequila Sheila and Pancho & Lefty.

Traffic Jam Rag: (October 2001).  Driving to work one morning, I got behind a trash truck.  I had been writing a lot of songs at that time, and I don’t know any Traffic Jam songs.  I went into my boss and told her to write down the words “Traffic Jam” and ask me in a few days what it meant.  I wrote the song that night.  THINGS TO KNOW:  I’ve never been anywhere near Kansas!  I inserted the ideas of some of my songs “When All Your Dreams Come True” and Blind by Choice from my first CD.  This song serves as my daughter, Siouxsie, debut speaking the part of Sally!

When All Your Dreams Come True: (February 2001)  My first attempt at writing a positive song with no particular reference and San Antonio is always a good place to start.. THINGS TO KNOW:  Tejano music is Tex-Mex music sang in Spanish. The line about my name being misspelled is actually happened to me many times in 2001.  I have used the “P.” as part of my name since high school and part of my trademark.  Regretfully, I had to leave out my favorite verse because it put the song over 6 minutes.

 

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