This is my second CD. I put it out in January of 2005. It has 12 songs on it. I wrote one song especially for the project called 'Nashville'. The rest of them are cover versions of country standards that I play regularly onstage. They are all songs made popular by heroes of mine, hence the name 'I Want To Fill Their Shoes'.
This CD was completely recorded at home by me (and The Lost Sidemen, of course).My wife Lana guest stars on the song 'Jackson', and my good friend Larry Bressington plays steel guitar on the song 'Nashville', but other than that it was all me.
Here's the list of songs and songwriters I put on the CD.
1. Aint Livin' Long Like This (Rodney Crowell) Tessa Publishing Co.2. Rednecks, White Socks & Blue Ribbon Beer (B. McDill/C. Neese/ W. Holyfield) Universal-Songs of Polygram Int'l. Inc./ Universal- Polygram Int'l. Pub. Inc.3. He Stopped Loving Her Today (B. Braddock/ C. Putnam) Sony/ATV Tree Publishing4. Good Ole Boys (Theme from The Dukes Of Hazzard)(W. Jennings) Werner-Tamerlane Pub. Corp. 5. The Ride (J.B. Detterline Jr./G. Gentry) EMI Algee Music/Newwriters Music6. Jackson (With Lana Nicolen) (B.E. Wheeler/J. Leiber) Bexhill Music, Mike Stoller Music, Jerry Leiber Music7. Rose In Paradise (S. Harris/J. McBride) EMI Blackwood Music Inc..EMI April Music Inc.8. Folsom Prison Blues (J. Cash) Bug Music Inc.9. Nashville (M. Nicolen)10.Mama Tried (M. Haggard) Sony/ATV Tree Publishing11. Ring Of Fire (M. Kilgore/ J. Carter) Painted Desert Music Corp.12. You Never Even Called Me By My Name
I also recorded a new original called 'Nashville' . Here are the lyrics.
1. Singin’ country music, I always heard the only place to be
If you want to get discovered, is way down there in Nashville Tennesee
But every time I been there I get to feelin’ that I don’t belong
With half a million people there all tryin’ to write the same old song
2. The first time I went to Nashville I was just a boy of sixteen years old
The parents of an only child took me along so he wouldn’t be bored
I saw museums and gift shops, an amusement park and the brand new Opry
The only thing I couldn’t see is anyone from a record company
3. Then seventeen years later, my brother-in-law had frequent flyer miles
He said ‘I can make you famous if we go down there before these things expire
He said ‘I can sell anything, you just get up there and sing your songs’
But down on Printer’s Alley there was no one there to work his magic on
CHORUS 1
I swore I’d never go to Nashville again, not without a signed delivered invitation
There’s hustlers, drunks and hookers there livin’ on the streets
And each and every one of them writes songs and picks for free
And I’ll never go to Nashville again
BRIDGE
It’s been a long time dream of mine to be up there where my heroes have stood
With rhinestone suits and moanin’ steel guitars
But like most of my heroes those days are gone for good
4. Last year my wife took me to Nashville, but we didn’t even make it one whole day
I had to see it one more time and then I knew I had to get away
‘Cause the home of Country music is nowhere near these dirty city streets
The music and the people that I love are in the country here with me
CHORUS 2
And I don’t have to go to Nashville again, now that I’ve sang at the Ryman Auditorium
There’s a man who took my picture there, wished me lots of luck
Said ‘I hope you get discovered, and that picture, it’s ten bucks’
And I’ll never go to Nashville again