Pete Mitchell - Texas Troubadour Passes

Pete Mitchell passed away last Saturday (7/23) at the age of 74 due to cancer. Originally born in Canada as Peter Michaud, he came to the US, after playing the scene in Toronto where the Hawks (who later became The Band) played the same clubs in the early 60s.





Immigrating to the States, he Americanized his name to Mitchell, played with Wynn Stewart, Cal Smith, Ray Price and Waylon Jennings, who later adopted the leather-casing for his electrical guitar.

In the mid 70's while living in the Fort Worth area, he got picked up by Ernest Tubb and so became a Texas Troubadour. Mitchell or the "little man from Canada" as E.T. called him played with Tubb until his death in 1984. Pete wasn't just a touring musician, but also appeared on E.T.'s recordings - sometimes with his given name, Michaud. You will also find him on other recordings, e.g. John Anderson's "EYE OF THE HURRICANCE."









 After Tubb's passing Pete stayed in Nashville as a session player and toured with several artists. Some times he would sit in with his former Texas Troubadour, steel guitarist Lynn Owsley. In the video below the two share the stage with one of the fathers of the modern Steel Guitar, Jimmy Day.



Jimmy Day & Lynn Owsley - Steel Guitar; Pete Mitchell - Guitar





When Jimmy Day passed away in 1999, Pete came to Austin to pay his respect and was re-introduced to Jimmy's sister-in-law, Paula. It was love at first sight, and a little time later, Pete moved from Nashville to Buda (outskirts of Austin) got married and settled down in Texas. As a sideman he would play with local people like the Troubadillos, James Hand, James White and Alvin Crow's Hardcore Country band as wel as with Lost John Casner. He played his last gig during Christmas week (2015) with Glen Collins at Watterson Hall in Red Rock. During the music fair SXSW he would was often a hired gun for musicians passing through Austin, needing a solid picker to make them shine.



As producer and steel guitarist Tommy Detamore put it: "Pete was such a treasure. I feel so lucky I got to make record with him. Only problem was I kept halting the progress to ask him to show me how he did something! His approach to guitar was so cool and innovative. Some of those bends he did...man..three string bends....index finger bends...so fluid."



And Pete did it with a lot of charm and always a smile on his face.





Sources: YouTube, LynnOwsley.com, converstations with Pete

Willie Nelson To Release Ray Price Tribute

In 2013 as Ray Price knew he was dying, he went back into the studio to record his last album "BEAUTY IS..." hiring producer and this year's"Country Music Hall of Fame"-inductee, Fred Foster as well as string arranger/conductor Bergen D. White. 

Foster was quoted about Ray and the recordings: "He called me in 2012 and said, 'I think I have one album left in me; I’m not well, you know. I want to do one last one, and I want you to do it with me.’" Foster was influential in Ray Price's early career and got him to sing in his own style instead of trying to imitate Hank Williams. Shortly thereafter Ray came up with his own signature song, the country 4/4 shuffle. Vince Gill was asked by Ray to sing harmony on two of the tracks. The album, which was released by AmeriMonte Records four months after Ray's passing, also contained a track written by Ray's old pal, Willie Nelson. The whole project was recorded in a converted church, at Ocean Way Nashville Recording.

Ray Price with Willie Nelson on bass and Jimmy Day on steel guitar

Fast-forward to today, not only is today Fred Foster's 85th Birthday (7/26) but it was also announced that Willie will release "FOR THE GOOD TIMES: A TRIBUTE TO RAY PRICE" on September, 16.  And yes, Willie went into the same studio, got Fred and Bergen as producer and arranger and invited Vince Gill and his traditional Country/Western Swing Outfit "The Time Jumpers" to be the backing band on the more country-heavy half  of the dozen tracks. The whole project doesn't come as a big surprise, Willie as an aspiring songwriter used to work for Ray Price's publishing company and for a short time in 1961 was even playing bass behind Price as a Cherokee Cowboy. Ray also recorded several songs written by Willie, 'Night Life", "I'm Still Not Over You" and "It Always Will Be" are included here. Besides Willie's songs, there are two by Hank Cochran, one by Bill Anderson, Roger Miller, Harlan Howard, the Bob Wills classic "Faded Love," the Ralph Mooney/Charles Seals classic "Crazy Arms," Kristofferson's "For The Good Times" and the Ray Price/Rusty Gabbard shuffle "I’ll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)."



Over the years Willie and Ray recorded several projects together, as examples Willie's "SAN ANTONIO ROSE" or the concept album "LAST OF THE BREED" which was also produced by Foster and featured Merle Haggard. This is a great album showcasing the deep friendship between Willie and his former boss.







Balanced by honky tonk heavy fiddles (Kenny Sears) and pedal steel (Paul Franklin) to the string arrangements for the countrypolitan sound that Ray also created, the tribute covers a wide variety. Also worth mentioning is the art work of the album - basically it looks like Ray's "NIGHT LIFE" album from 1963.















Tracklist for Willie Nelson's For the Good Times: A Tribute to Ray Price: 

"Title" (Songwriters) and chart placing



1. "Heartaches by the Number" (featuring the Time Jumpers) (Harlan Howard) #2 1959

2. "I’ll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)" (featuring the Time Jumpers) (Rusty Gabbard; Ray Price) #2 1954

3. "Faded Love" (Bob Wills; John Wills; Billy Jack Wills) #3 1980

4. "It Always Will Be" (Willie Nelson)

5. "City Lights" (featuring the Time Jumpers) (Bill Anderson) 1958 #1

6. "Don’t You Ever Get Tired of Hurting Me" (featuring the Time Jumpers) (Hank Cochran) #11 1965

7. "Make the World Go Away" (Hank Cochran) #2 1963

8. "I’m Still Not Over You" (Willie Nelson) #6 1967

9. "Night Life" (Walt Breeland, Paul Buskirk, Willie Nelson) #28 1963

10. "Crazy Arms" (featuring the Time Jumpers) (Ralph Mooney; Charles Seals) #1 1956

11. "Invitation to the Blues" (featuring the Time Jumpers) (Roger Miller) #3 1958

12. "For the Good Times" (Kris Kristofferson) #1 1970



Sources: WillieNelson.com, BMI, Billboard, YouTube, Rolling Stone, Bear Family Ray Price Box Set

Simpler Times - Toby Keith Wishes There Would Be A Few More Cowboys

What a nice surprise - Toby Keith just entered the Country Charts this last weekend at #51 with his new single "A Few More Cowboys," a song which became recently a staple during his life shows on his 2016 Interstates & Tailgates Tour. 



A surprise as he haven't had a Number-One-Hit in five years since "Made In America," and he wasn't able to crack the Top-30 of the Hot Country Songs charts since his 2013 title track "Drinks After Work."



What's really nice, is that besides some raunchy guitar, the tune is actually quite country and reminds me of some of his stuff he did in the late 90's early 00's. The message of the song is quite laudable too - with "A Few More Cowboys" - gallantry would still be around and with more "Yes Ma'am" and less boot licking "Yes Men" the world would be a better place.

Keith wrote the song and it is actually an old-time full story-song, with monster songwriters Dean Dillon, who was recognized by the ACM with the "Poet's Award - Living" for songs recorded by George Jones, Keith Whitley, Toby and most of all George Strait and the almost two decades younger Bobby Pinson, who is a regular contributor with Keith. The duo actually wrote eight out of eleven songs on Keith's "THAT DON'T MAKE ME A BAD GUY."



Government (with a White House in Texas), legalization of marijuana, crime but also job-outsourcing are topics mentioned - in somehow a humorous way - in the song, basically it also ask to go back to a simpler time. In the video below - Toby told IHeart Radio, what "A Few More Cowboys" is all about



"I think people can apply this song to their life because it just kind of sums it up . Everything in the world right now is looked at under a microscope and everything is critiqued. The little stuff becomes the biggest stuff, and the biggest stuff gets forgotten about. Maybe the cowboys had a simpler way of life and dealing with things that needed to be dealt with."







If the White House was in Texas, man, we'd get a straighter answer

If they'd let us smoke what we want, we'd have a lot less cancer

There'd be a bunch more daddies, sons could be proud of

We'd have half the crime, we'd have twice the fun



With a few more cowboys, be a lot less outlaws

With a few more amens, be a lot less bad calls

With a few more yes ma'ams and a lot less yes man

This world would be a better place to live in

With a few more cowboys



If we did it with a handshake, we'd save a lot of paper

That'd save a lot of trees we're shippin' overseas to make her

If we stood by our word, took care of our own

Bought it made in the USA, we'd keep it here at home



With a few more cowboys, be a lot less outlaws

With a few more amens, be a lot less bad calls

With a few more yes ma'ams and a lot less yes man

This world would be a better place to live in

With a few more cowboys



If we had a little more grit, less politics, and more fist fights

Met 'em at high noon, hell, it's about high time

We looked 'em in the eye, got our head out of the sand

Hit 'em with a big John Wayne, by God they'd understand



With a few more cowboys, be a lot less outlaws

With a few more amens, be a lot less bad calls

With a few more yes ma'ams and a lot less yes man

This world would be a better place to live in

With a few more cowboys



All in all we'd have a better world

With a few more cowboys

We'd have a few more cowgirls

With a few more cowboys



If the White House was in Texas, man

We'd get a straighter answer

They'd let us smoke what we want

Be a lot less cancer



★★★★/★★★★★ (4/5)







Sources: Vevo, IHeart Radio, TobyKeith.com, Billboard