Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Terry Jennings-- "Waylon: Tales of My Outlaw Dad"

BOOK REVIEW by Allen Larson

Terry Jennings spoke to the Dallas Songwriters Association a year ago.  He entertained us with stories about his life and times with his father, renowned "Outlaw" country singer Waylon Jennings, and then answered questions about  his life and book,  "Waylon: Tales of My Outlaw Dad"'.

In his book, Terry talks about growing up, how he dropped out of high school and joined his dad on the tour as a roadie, and his life later on  after Waylon's playing days wound down.

Terry was Waylon's oldest son, by his first wife, born when Waylon was 19. Waylon was married three times. His third wife Jessi Colter is the mother of recording artist Shooter Jennings, the youngest of Terry's half dozen or so siblings and half-siblings.

Waylon's roots begin in West Texas and the Southwest, where he had great success as a radio DJ, and at the same time, was a popular performer at area clubs.  He was a friend of Buddy Holly, who insisted he join him on bass on that fateful tour. Waylon was haunted by his last conversation with Buddy and refused to speak about it for a long time.

He returned home after that tour, resumed his own act,  and soon his following in the clubs grew and grew, leading to record deals and bigger tours.  As Waylon's career blossomed and wives were divorced, Terry bounced around living in different cities and homes with different family members (he was in Irving with his mother for a time). He dropped out of high school and joined Waylon as a roadie on tour. His principle duty was drum tech, but became a valuable member of the crew in many other ways.

He and Waylon were more like brothers than father-son. Terry freely writes of Waylon's vices with  drugs and women. He often supplied Terry and the band with drugs. Waylon was a meth addict, and later got on cocaine. Waylon had women in every city staying in extra hotel rooms he provided. (It seems safe to say the lyrics of  "Good Hearted Women" express  appreciation of  how Jessi put up with him.)

I asked Terry, when he spoke to us, a random question,  if the band ever toured Europe, and he said no, that Waylon feared going and not having a supply of drugs. The book does say later on after he cleaned up in 1984, that the Highwaymen did go overseas.  Eventually Waylon retired, then un-retired and returned to performing. He had health issues, and he lost a foot to diabetes.  He died in 2001.

For the most part Terry worked for Waylon, but there were periods where he'd just quit,   maybe after a dispute with someone, and took other jobs outside music, only to eventually return.  He married twice. He was not performer himself, but  after Waylon retired,  had his hand in setting up various artist promotional enterprises, to varying degrees of success.

Sadly, Terry  Jennings passed away this past January at age 62.  In the book he speaks of his own serious health battles starting a decade ago, and apparently he long outlived the original prognosis.

This is very entertaining book. Many memories here-- and as Waylon would say,  all but "A Long Time Forgotten"!

(Thanks to Harry Hewlett who gave me a copy of the book!)

Monday, April 8, 2013

How to Fail in the Music Business: Or Succeed If You’d Rather



Former Dallas Songwriters Association member Joe Johnston who left us for Nashville over 20 years ago wrote this book. 
His songs are on hit albums, in movies, and on TV. His Gospel songs are changing lives for the better, thanks to some terrific artists. And as a producer he's been able to work and play with some of America’s best musicians, singers, and songwriters


    In a few weeks it’ll be available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and all, but for right now, it’s only at this one place:
    The book was originally written for a series of seminars he did for NSAI a few years ago, and this is an updated version with lots of new stories and examples.
http://joejohnstonarts.com/books.html

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Murphy Law's of Songwriting

Available January 10th,  Murphy's Laws of Songwriting, The Book, has already received advanced praise from numerous music industry pros.


This book is an amazing collection of tools written by hit songwriter and industry insider, Ralph Murphy. Read more at:



http://murphyslawsofsongwriting.com/

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong by Terry Teachout

Louis Armstrong in the Jazz Age
In 1924, a promising young horn musician from New Orleans named Louis Armstrong moved to New York, where dance-orchestra leader Fletcher Henderson had offered him a job for $55 a week. As Terry Teachout, the Journal's drama critic and Sightings columnist, writes in "Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong," the musician was shocked by "the undisciplined behavior" of his new bandmates, who sometimes played while intoxicated ... Armstrong was also puzzled by his bandmates' lack of musical curiosity.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

BOOK REVIEWS

Music, Money, & Success

by Todd and Jeffrey Brabec


Have you ever wondered what you could earn if you had written the theme for at hit movie or TV series? This book shows you how you can make money in the multi-billion dollar world of music.... Click here for review.



Harriet Schock
Becoming Remarkable


Harriet Schock is a songwriter (Grammy-nominated “Ain’t No Way To Treat A Lady”), a recording artist with five solo albums, a performer, a songwriting consultant, teacher and lecturer as well as an author. Her songs have been recorded by such diverse artists as Smokey Robinson, Roberta Flack, Helen Reddy, Lee Greenwood, Johnny Mathis, The (new) Supremes, Nancy Wilson, Manfred Mann, Carl Anderson, Vesica Pisces, and the Little Mermaid. Her feature film and TV song credits include “The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking,” “Delta Force II,” ABC’s “The Secret Garden,” Motown’s “The Last Dragon” and “The Real Life Adventures of Santa Claus”.

“Rosebud, ” produced by the legendary Nik Venet, is Harriet’s fifth solo album as an artist.

As a songwriting consultant, Harriet teaches and consults with professional and pre-professional songwriters in person, privately and for the Songwriters Guild Foundation in Los Angeles, in seminars and over the internet, worldwide.



Pat & Pete Luboff
88 Songwriting Wrongs & How To Right Them


Fun, informative book covers all aspects of songwriting....

This book is written in 88 bite-sized chapters that cover the songwriting process from inspiration to royalty collection. We have received feedback from many songwriters on how much this book has helped them and how much they enjoyed reading it. Each chapter illustrates a songwriting "mistake" - either by using our experiences or songs brought to our workshops - then explains how to avoid those pitfalls in your songwriting. Written in a friendly, fun, accessible style.

Pat Pattison
Writing Better Lyrics


Writing Better Lyrics is a terrific tool book of techniques that will help bring a writer to the peak of his potential, while maintaining his style and identity. Chapter by chapter there are examples and exercises -- from creating metaphors to finding uncommon rhymes to diving deep into the senses for lyrical gems that enable the writer to produce words that speak for him in his most creative individual style. And, it will be in a way that spotlights the most important words and phrases, positioning them so they are easily sung by the artist and understood by the listener. Just what we're looking for in a book about writing better lyrics.

-Beverly Houston, Dallas Songwriters Newsletter

Sheila Davis
The Craft Of Lyric Writing


The Craft of Lyric Writing" is a self-study lyric-writing course, complete with exercises, and songwriting assignments. It provides 40 strategies to try and get the creative juices flowing. Rather than short anecdotes, it goes into depth on each of the ideas presented, including giving well-known examples that fit the model and student lyric examples.

The Complete Guide to Internet Promotion for Musicians, Artists, & Songwriters - by John Dawes & Tim Sweeney


An in-depth look at how to use the Internet to gain more exposure for your music, further your career, and sustain a strong online presence.

Don't even think about putting your music online until you've read this book! It has never been easier or more inexpensive to put your music online and promote it. With a strong online presence, you can gain more exposure for your music than ever before. The Complete Guide to Internet Promotion for Musicians, Artists, & Songwriters takes you step-by-step through the web design and promotion process, to covering everything you need to know to succeed on the Internet:

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What a successful Web Site should look like.

Marketing your Web Site online and offline.

How to get free advertising and exposure online and offline.

How to write effective promotional material: releases, bios, & announcements.

The secrets to submitting your site to all of the major search engines.

How to grow your Web Site's traffic and keep fans interested.

How to effectively use email.

How to track your royalties online and offline.

In this book, John Dawes & Tim Sweeney show you that you can compete with industry heavies. You will be able to reach a global audience, get noticed by the industry, and sell your music, twenty-four hours a day, year round.

Plus, a bonus section has been added that contains a full index of Internet Resources to help you get started promoting your music online today and a comprehensive checklist to help you chart your progress. The system in this book will lay the groundwork for a successful career in the fast-paced music business. CGIP is a unique and extremely valuable book to have in your personal library! Don't delay your success any longer. Order today.

288 Pages / ISBN: 10929378-01-7

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Tim Sweeney's Guide to Releasing Independent Records


An in-depth look into effectively using artist development, radio promotion, record distribution, publicity and retail marketing technique to furthering a career in the music industry.

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150 pages / ISBN: 0-9651316-0-2

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Audio Workshops:

Tim Sweeney's Living Room Sessions


An in-depth three and a half hour music business workshop presented by the music industry's most sought after expert in the areas of artist development, radio promotion, record distribution, publicity and retail marketing.

This 3 1/2 audio workshop is PART 2 of TIM SWEENEY'S GUIDE TO RELEASING INDEPENDENT RECORDS. Inside this workshop, Tim Sweeney reveals the secrets that major labels have been hiding! He will teach you how to do your own market research, develop a strategic marketing plan and show you the tricks that he actually has used to develop over 1,500 artists. You will dramatically move your career forward by learning:

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3.5 Hrs / 4 Cassettes / ISBN: 0-9651316-2-9

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Tim Sweeney's Guide to Successfully Playing Live


an in-depth two hour music business workshop presented by the music industry's most sought after expert in the areas of artist development, radio promotion, record distribution, publicity and retail marketing.

As any artist or musician knows, your ability to effectively perform your music live is the key to your future success. Whether you are trying to sell CDs and Cassettes or trying to attract the attention of a major record company, an artist's/musicians' ability to play their music live is critical. Now for the first time ever, Tim Sweeney, the music industry's leading expert, shares with you, the hidden industry secrets and strategies he has used, to develop the careers of more than 1,500 artists in the last 18 years. Including some of the most successful of all time. Find out the secrets of how you can:

Decide which clubs and venues are right for you

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How to double and even triple your audience at the next show

How you can sell more CDs and Cassettes at your performances then ever before

How you can make enough money playing live to quit your day job

2 Hrs / 2 Cassettes / ISBN: 0-9651316-1-0

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$29.95 US

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Tim Sweeney's Guide to Succeeding at Music Conventions


Tim Sweeney gives you the benefit of his 100+ music convention experiences over the last 18 years. This handy little guide is an in-depth look at when you should go to a music convention and when you shouldn't, how to cut the costs associated with going and why it is better not to play at one. You'll learn everything you need to know to succeed at a music convention with this book in your arsenal.

How to decide which conventions to attend

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How to promote yourself before the convention begins

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