Gary Hayes Country

One of my last unfinished projects I have was this one here, and it transpired in 2019 at The Warehouse In Clarksville Tennessee. This show was set up and hosted by Mr. Chris Rogers, who ardently contributes to the Kentucky local scene. I have never met him before, but I have had dealings with the Kentucky Opry before of course.

Mr. Chris Rogers played some songs tonight, pretty much the entire night was mostly all acoustic stuff but to get to go see Mr. Billy play some of his timeless hits on a personal environment is amazing.  I have a deep appetency for  Classic Country Music, and those that wrote them.

These three guys that played first have some pretty intense songs, and brought a unique personal touch to this event. They are all very overlooked songwriters by many others, and that is one thing I attempt to rectify on this website here.

One of his songs was a working title called “She Just Took It To Texas”, it’s from an upcoming album called “Winter Hay”. The line in that song refers to a breakup, and he hasn’t quite allowed her to give back his heart yet. Very simple and well written sad old Country song that embodies the core dynamic of Country Music songwriting as a whole.

He also played “The Truth Lies In the Whiskey”, which was a pretty self explanatory song there. He is just trying his ass off to make a name for himself in local music by hosting shows, and showcasing his own music for a few songs. To be honest, he was enjoying the other three sets as much as I was.

I’m strongly convinced he is doing this for the love of the music, and the proliferation of this craft, and I hope he does more shows around here. This next gentleman is not only a fantastic songwriter I enjoy, he is a personal friend. He has extended his help toward me on a personal level before, and I will never forget that.

Mr. Tim Lynch is from my area of Kentucky,and not too long before this show I actually played on the same bill as him. He plays all types of music to be honest, I couldn’t really categorize him under any type..it’s just good music. “Halfway To Rockcastle” is one of his staple originals that he always does I enjoy.

He also does some terrific cover songs like ‘Long Time Gone” by Waylon, followed by his original “Hoptown” a nickname for Hopkinsville Kentucky. Pretty much the biggest town between the two of us on any map, and it can be a rough area.

One of the more personal favorite songs of mine he does is called ” Hard Livin”. You know my friends I’ll say this about the hard living about the music business, I NEVER realized how tough their lives were until I began following them around as a journalist. I have been doing this for about 11 years now, and traveled to many many states and places. I stayed in some HORRIBLE hotels, and REALLY NICE ones as well, these guys and gals run a VERY tough schedule touring on a local level.

One of the artists I was really looking forward to featuring first, was Mr. Tony Logue, however my personal problem prohibited me on doing that and many other websites got to feature his shows first. I kind of missed the boat on that one, and I have nobody but my own self to blame.

His song “The Storm” really “REALLY” speaks to me as a man, because I DO WORK in a Kentucky steel plant, and even RIGHT NOW we are weathering a storm being laid off with this virus going on. we get notices by the time clock all the time, and I have 14 years in at the plant NOW….and I live in a red brick house. I feel like he wrote that song about me, and THAT’S what music is supposed to make you feel like.

His songs are dark, poignant, and choked full of gritty Kentucky folklore. He tells grim stories of neighbors robbing one another, and killing them as they stepped on the property like “Deadwood”. You just don’t hear long drawn out 5 minute story songs anymore..his music isn’t radio friendly….and he couldn’t be more proud of that.

“Cutt Riley’s Daughter” is an absolute masterpiece, and it is written with such intense down home flavor that it could be construed as fiction or fact, and still remain enjoyable. I mean, you can sit back and just close your eyes and LISTEN, and this man will take you to places that will melt your mind.

“Jenny Ridge” is a song he closed with which was a ghost story, and I don’t really want to ruin the plot for you. Just GO CHECK OUT THIS ALBUM. The shit he comes up with was AMAZING to me, and when he mailed me his albums out of the blue one week, I was BEYOND impressed. Another thing I would like to point out, is the fact this young man and his wife turned out to be wonderful personal friends.

“Life’s Blood” was a true story about where he grew up, and a place that got turned into a national park.  He also played a rousing song called “Tennessee Girl”, some of the songs he played tonight were not on either album and it was fun to get to hear them live.

He played a song called “Baptized” about the Cumberland river, and a few others before leaving it to our hero Mr. Billy Don Burns. He is indeed one of the last true songwriting Legends left alive today still active, he pretty much raised me as a music fan with songs like his song ” I Always Come Back To Loving You” off the 1975 Mel Tillis album called “Best Way I Know How”.

Another album that seriously influenced me was Miss Connie Smith’s 1974 album “That’s The Way Love Goes”, which included his song called ” Be Alright In Arkansas”.  And even though he doesn’t often perform the older songs as much as the new ones, he is still just as beautiful of a performer.

He opened with a song from the “Train Called Lonesome” album called “Lonesome 77203”.  He played “Stranger” which is from from the 2012 album called “Nights When I’m Sober”, along with “That’s Alright”.

He stops during the set multiple times to weave tales of his previous debauchery and wild days of old, with his friends like Paycheck, and many others. I vividly embrace his stories of beloved heroes like Mr. Mack Vickery whom died in 2004, and Mr. Chris Gantry.

“Graveyard In Montgomery” is the title track of his 2016 album from by friends over at Rusty Knuckles. He followed that up with ” Hey Willie”, would you record another one of my songs? The song “Church At Gaylor Creek”, was from Mr. Cody Jinks 2016 album “Lifers”.

His live album ” A Night In Room 8″ was my album of the year in 2016, and the song “Dead Or Alive” was from it, and another as well. Miss Brigette London the traveling highwaywoman recorded his song called ” Hank Williams Lonesome Keith Whitley Blue”.

His new album contained the song he wrote with my buddy Mr. Tim Ledford called “I Like Trains”.  He played the ever popular song ” Outlaws At The Cross” which was a terrific song for Easter Sunday, I had to go back and listen to that one twice.

He opened his “Night In Room 8” album with “Outskirts Of Desperate”, which was a good song about a single father. And he closed his show with “Desperate Men”.  I wanted to go on right away and talk about his NEW album, you can purchase on his website called “The Country Blues”.

This version of “Runnin’ Drugs Out Of Mexico” was by far one of the best with the banjos and fiddles, and his vocals were captured very well. Age has not faltered his vocals or his ambiance for that matter, he tells an articulate tale about a “Mexican Woman”.

“Damn Cryin’ Shame” is a MASTERPIECE and the vocals here were so vividly laid out, I deem this the apex of the album..usually that doesn’t happen so early on in any album for me. Another new song I have never heard yet was ” The Prison Song”, you can FEEL the story here. And Mr. Billy makes every word 100 percent believable here, straight from the mouth of one of Country Music’s most precious Legends still with us.

One that I was REALLY looking forward to is the Billie Gant song called “No God In Juarez” that I have heard Mr. Billie perform many times, but never heard Mr. Billy Don Burns play. He played a higher tempo version of the song with a real Spanish flair to it, in fact many of the songs here on this album had that added flavor.