GEORGE HAMILTON IV and PAUL CRAFT One of the things I dont like about getting old is that more and more of my friends are leaving this world. While in Nashville recently I was driving home in my car one night listening to Eddie Stubbs on WSM and was shocked to hear him say that George Hamilton IV had had a heart attack and had passed away. I had a special place in my heart for George. In early 1978 Allen Reynolds called me up. He was making an album with George. They had recorded my song Only The Best, and he was inviting me over to Jacks Tracks to listen to it. What a thrill it was to be in that control room listening to that mix! Id been in Nashville less than a year. Id known George since the time we invited him to come to the Newport Folk Festival in the late 60s. George had been one of the country artists who had made the connection with the folk revival with hits like Abilene, Early Morning Rain, and Last Thing On My Mind. When I had sent him a letter inviting him to the festival and explaining how we paid $50/day, I received a very nice, hand written letter back from him saying how honored he was to be asked and here was his $50! I set him straight on that, but he was a genuinely humble, self-effacing man. There was not a false bone in his body. So my song brought us back together. I was doubly honored that Allen, who was such an accomplished songwriter himself and a serious judge of songs, had thought enough of Only The Best to record it. After we had listened, he then told me that they were going to recommend to the label that it be released as a single. Two or three months later I was up in the Northeast driving somewhere. It was a Saturday night, so I made a stab at tuning in WSM. Almost immediately through the static I heard George singing, She was only the best, No need to sit here and cry I couldnt help it. My eyes filled up and I had to pull over. A dream had come true. During the time Carol and I were in Ireland, George would always call when he was touring and have me get up and sing with him if he was close by. The last time I saw him was when we had a book party at the Station Inn for In It For The Long Run. George wouldnt let me give him a copy. He insisted on buying two! Then he got up and sang Abilene and Only The Best--as it turned out, for the last time. A truer man would be hard to find. When I first met Paul Craft he was playing banjo with Jimmy Martin. An odder couple would be hard to imagine! It mattered not at all to Jimmy that Paul had a seriously high IQ (he was a member of Mensa). He was a straight ahead banjo player. Thats all that mattered. Our paths crossed seriously when I first lived in Nashville in 1974. By this time Paul was beginning to establish himself as a songwriter and had become involved with banjo player Ben Eldredge and John Starling who had a new Bluegrass group called the Seldom Scene. They recorded Pauls song Keep Me From Blowing Away and introduced the song to Linda Ronstadt, who also recorded it. One night I ran into Paul and he invited me to come along with him down to The Pickin Parlor on 2nd Avenue. On the way we stopped at a hotel and picked up Linda Ronstadt! I had met Linda when the Stone Poneys played at the Club 47. Before the night was over we were all on the stage at the Pickin Parlor singing Silver Threads and Golden Needles and Keep Me From Blowing Away. When I came back to Nashville in 1976 and hooked up with Don Everly, Paul often joined us for Sunday afternoons at Dons apartment where we enjoyed some great food and conversation. Paul had one of the liveliest minds of anyone I know. He loved wordplay. When Don recorded a solo album on Hickory Records Pauls song Brother Jukebox was the title song of the album. Paul summed up the sad story of a man with a broken heart. All the family he had left was Brother Jukebox, Sister Wine, Mother Freedom and Father Time. Brilliant. In recent years Pauls health deteriorated, but his spirit didnt. I last talked to him two days before his long awaited induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. I called to tell him that I had just returned from the IBMA Convention in Raleigh where the Seldom Scene had been inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame. John Starling that night singled Paul out for contributing to the bands success with the quality of his songs. I thought Paul would like to hear that, and he did. I congratulated him and told him Id see him Sunday at the Hall of Fame induction dinner. Paul did make it to the ceremony and had his picture taken with the award but was stricken during the meal and had to be rushed to the hospital. He wasnt there to hear Britt Ronstadt sing, Lord, if you hear me, touch me and hold me And keep me from blowing away. Paul also wasnt there to smile as Bobby Bare sang, as only he could, Dropkick me, Jesus, through the goal posts of life End over end, neither left nor to right Straight through the heart of them righteous up rights Dropkick me, Jesus, through the goal posts of life Paul Craft would probably not refer to himself as a religious man, but it did strike me on this night that his last words to us were the prayers of a mere mortal who was smart enough to know what he did not know.
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 14:06:55 +0000
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