My History In Music:

Mom had a long standing relationship with lots of people in country music. Tow very notable figures in her musical life were Buck Owen's and Merle Haggard. Buck's studio in Bakersfield was only 40 minutes from Mom' ranch, so it was a frequent destination.

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In 1978, Mom approached Buck's produce, Jim Shaw, about recording an album there. The personnel on this session would be Buckaroos Terry Kristofferson, Don Lee and Jim Shaw.

Don Lee and Terry Kristofferson 1978 session

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Me and Terry Kristofferson in the studio 1978

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My Mom (seated) and Jim Shaw in the control room at Buck's studio 1978

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Jim Shaw listening to a playback 1978 session

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When Buck's drummer couldn't make it, we called Merle Haggard at home and he loaned us his drummer, the late Bobby Gallardo, who lived just a few miles from the studio.

Bobby passed in 1986.
 
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When you tell people we recorded all those songs on 3 inch tape, they don't believ you. Buck's studio had one of the only 3 inch tape decks in the world at the time.

3 inch tape gave them 32 track capability, unheard of in the 1970's.

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Back in the 1980's and 1990's, Charlie's Night Club was the wildest hangout in Porterville. It featured live music from a house band and special musical guest bands that rotated in on a regular basis.

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I played there regularly and sat in with more than a few bands over the years.

It all ended in September of 2020.

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