Country Johnny Mathis, Louisiana Hayride, Grand Ole Opry, Nashville Songwriter's Hall of Fame, Country Music Hall of Fame, Country Music

Johnny’s Memoirs – Patsy Cline, Claude King, Jimmy Martin

Webb used to sing that old song “Drifting Texas Sand”,  you know that stuff would be here one day and be across the canal the next day. But that’s how life was, I still would like to figure it out, but I knew the rope was getting shorter.  I still never stopped to dream it was coming showdown time be very soon.

I met a lot of people back then. In fact, all the people in Country Music, singers and everybody, that was a star and everybody that wasn’t a star. You name em and I picked with them or associated with them.

I remember Patsy Cline. Patsy Cline was a nice lady, she was on the Louisiana Hayride some. Most everybody passed through Shreveport and the Louisiana Hayride to get to the Grand Ole Opry. She was my friend and her husband, Dicky. He still is a friend.

I did some odd things. Well I picked guitar with Claude King on several records. And Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Valley Boys. Now there was a crazy fella. He’s crazy as me if there ever was.

Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Valley Boys. Bluegrass. He come got me one time to go to Nashville to cut an album with me. He had a song called “Foggy Old London” and I sung bass on the song until we got to the last note and I went from bass doing a falsetto all the way to the highest tenor, on that record above his tenor singing. It turned out to be a good record.

Note about Johnny’s Memoirs: Prior to Johnny’s stroke in 1999, he had sat down at his typewriter and began to share stories about his life and music. We are sharing these excerpts in Johnny’s own words… just as he told them.

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