Duane Blackewell, A CAUTIONARY TALE
I have always been a VERY DYNAMIC PERFORMER. It has always attracted people, particularly hit writers, to me. I've always been the "BIG BANG" people would put on their shows, and I also had a few good cuts that even the hit writers were attracted to. I hold my own pretty well in all this. Just had a lot of things that didn't work out.
In 2000, I was doing a bunch of shows, in town and out of town. I also was starting to do the NSAI groups and one of the ones I did was TALLAHASSEE FLA.I had been down there twice so was known by the group. This guy in town here, who was NOT a hit or established writer, knew who I was and tried to gherm me to write with him. I always liked him as a friend but didn't care for his music, and was getting out of the writing thing, getting into the teaching thing.
He was also a retired firefighter for the Tallahassee fire dept. where he was from.
So each year he did this big benefit in Tallahassee, brought some hit songwriters down, did a big show and basically GHERM THE SHIT out of everyone while they were down there to write with him. He had some heavy hitters, so when he asked me I thought, this could be cool. And I did. The money was decent and I had been down there a couple times so the group knew me and I would bring some more people to the show.
When I got down there, I saw what he was doing. he put a round of the local writers to open the show, including himself. Then he had a round of hit writers after as the MAIN EVENT of the show. He put me in that one. He also had PAUL CRAFT, (writer of "KEEP ME FROM BLOWING AWAY, for Linda Ronstadt, MIDNIGHT FLYER" for the EAGLES and "BROTHER JUKEBOX" for Mark Chestnut. He was also the publisher on THE GAMBLER for Kenny Rogers. I knew Paul a bit, but he had never heard me play. This is a big deal and why you HAVE TO BE SEEN by them.
But THE REAL DEAL was DUANE BLACKWELL. Duane was like this HUGE guy (was really heavy) but had had a lot of hits in the 70's, 80's and 90's. His biggest was FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES. But the one I REALLY LOVED was called "I'M GONNA HIRE A WINO (TO DECORATE OUR HOME), which was the first song I learned to play when I gravitated out of rock and into country.
So I was REALLY into playing with these guys. The show was packed and actually overflow audience There was ONE REALLY HOT GIRL there (who I became good friends with) and the round was incredible. They were doing hit after hit after hit, and I was really enjoying it. But with each of my songs, which they didn't know, they were commenting as I played. "Great line... MAN WHAT A VOICE! GREAT SONG!!!!" on each one. The big guys usually don't do that unless it is kind of a "good song..." kind of half-assed compliment. They meant this stuff, and had a ton of pictures afterward, asking for my CD and business card. I didn't ask for anything. Was a great night.
We were all staying in this ENORMOUS house, owned by a multi-millionaire, which we all had our own huge rooms and bathrooms. It was like a RESORT hotel and this guy was a friend of the original guy who put this together and provided rooms for the hit writers who would come down.
There was this HUGE KITCHEN/BREAKFAST ROOM and I got up the next day before anyone and saw this freaking BUFETT they had laid out for us. I was reading the paper, eating when Duane Blackwell comes down. MY TURN NOW!!!! I talked to him for about an hour, and he was very nice, complimenting me on the songs, mentioning some lines, really cool. I asked him about his career and I thought we were hitting it off great. Finally the time was right and I went in for the KILL!!!
"So, when do you think we can get together and write?" I asked very carefully.
"Well, THAT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!" Is what he said. I was crestfallen.
Then he explained. He was quitting Nashville and moving to Mexico. He no longer cared about writing, had had a long career and was really more interested in lying on a beach and doing nothing. The business was changing and he wanted no part of it. He liked me a lot, but wasn't going to write with anybody.
That was it. I understood because I was doing the SAME THING to Michael, the guy who had gotten us all down there.
I didn't care about writing any more, didn't want to co-write with him, and was not going to do it. Liked him fine as a friend, but didn't want to be anything else. Later on, he would go on to date a woman I had dated before and FELL IN LOVE WITH. That was another reason I didn't want to be around him. When she dumped him, that was the last I ever heard from him.
So, it's a weird business, but you can't force people to write with you. you want to "WRITE UP" but you might not ever be able to do it. And you might be the one people want to WRITE UP with.
But it is all the reason I say that 15% of a career is writing, recording, performing. The rest, 85% is about networking, making friends and building and keeping relationships.
That's the deal. Best to learn it and deal with it now.