Take Your Tunes To Town Son , Don't Leave Your Tunes At Home Ken .....Take Your Tunes To Town

As I enter my 28th year in Nashville, I am revisting the songs I brought with me when I arrived here on April 24, 1987. Songs I believe that have held up well.

This updated page was also the very first one I ever put on my Web Glob

Is it still a HIT ?

I brought this song to Nashville with me when I moved here in 1987, having written it a year prior to that in sunny Clearwater, Fla. It got attention there and got attention here the minute I set foot on MUSIC ROW with it.

The original inspiration came from reading Tom T. Hall's book "Story Tellers Nashville" about the good old days on Lower Broad, where writers like Willie, Kris, Roger etc . hung out and carried on. The title was something my father used to say a lot as a warning to my brother and me. "Don't get behind the 8 ball boys" Seeing that no one in family hung out in pool rooms, it must of resonated with me.

When I first met Joe Diffie and he sang a guitar vocal demo of it for me ...I knew it really had potential. So did a lot of other people, including Cowboy Jack Clement. When I met Johnny Slate in 1988, he immediatly was interested in the song and the singer. This of course led to me introducing him to Joe Diffie, and the rest is history...

Joe was going to record it on his first record, then his second, then it was "A LOCK" for his third album. Why he didn't is one of the unsolved mysteries of MUZAK ROW. In 1991 at my #1 party for If The Devil Danced, the late Lynn Shults of Billboard magazine, asked me this question. "Danny Morrison told me Joe was discovered singin' a song you wrote called 8 Ball?"

HERE IS JOE'S DEMO OF IT - HEAR IT FOR YOURSELF

Musicians

Jim Hoke , Bass Drums & Vibes

Russ Pahl : Steel Guitar

Ken Spooner : 7 String Guitar & Baritone Uke

Several years ago a fine singer named Ron Williams (Leona's son) went browsing through the API song catalog and found it. He liked it alot. Johnny Slate did record it on him, but the album is sitting on a shelf somewhere. Well in 1996 I recorded it on my "Allow Me To Demonstrate" CD

and I think it's one of L. David Lewis' finest performances.

Click The Slider To LIsten

MUSICIANS

Ronnie Godfrey :Piano

Pat McInerney : Drums

John Vogt: Upright Bass

Russ Pahl : Steel Guitar

Jim Hoke : Harmonica

Ken Spooner : 7 String Guitar

Recorded By Richard Adler

SLOW FORWARD TO AUGUST 2004

Ron Williams

(a very fine singer btw and a genuine nice guy)

put it on his debut album, 17 Years After I Wrote It

Ron the honor was mine, to have you want to sing it just for what it is

A REAL COUNTRY SONG

HEAR RON SING IT AND

WATCH HOW I ENVISIONED IT RIGHT CHEER

ON YOU TUBE

Here Are More SPOONYTUNES That I Took To Town

"ALL THE KINGS MEN"

"SLAP CITY"

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