from the album "Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer Volume 1"
Jerry Boyer: vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar
Zoomer Roberts: mandolin & bass
Thursday, July 17, 2008
When I Stop Dreaming
from the album "Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer Volume 1"
Jerry Boyer: lead vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar, harmony vocal
Zoomer Roberts: mandolin, bass, harmony vocal
Jerry Boyer: lead vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar, harmony vocal
Zoomer Roberts: mandolin, bass, harmony vocal
I'm An Old Cowhand (from the Rio Grande)
from the album "Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer Volume 1"
Buddy Winston: guitar, lead vocal
Zoomer Roberts: guitar, bass, steel guitar, harmony vocal
Jerry Boyer: harmony vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar, lead vocal
Zoomer Roberts: guitar, bass, steel guitar, harmony vocal
Jerry Boyer: harmony vocal
Love Me Tender
from the album "Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer Volume 1"
Jerry Boyer: vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar
Zoomer Roberts: guitar & bass
arranged by Zoomer Roberts
Jerry Boyer: vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar
Zoomer Roberts: guitar & bass
arranged by Zoomer Roberts
Take Him In
from the album "Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer Volume 1"
Buddy Winston: guitars, banjo, lead vocal
Zoomer Roberts: mandolin, dobro, standup bass, harmony vocal
Jerry Boyer: harmony vocal
When we recorded this at Scott Martin's studio, we couldn't nail the acapella part at the end. The meter was running and it was our dime. Finally, we just did a slow fade from the start of the banjo solo to the end of the last verse. I've reversed the fade-out and grafted the intended ending from a rehearsal tape. This involved some speed and pitch adjustments, among other things. It's not seamless, but at least the original concept has been realized -- 26 years after the fact.
Buddy Winston: guitars, banjo, lead vocal
Zoomer Roberts: mandolin, dobro, standup bass, harmony vocal
Jerry Boyer: harmony vocal
When we recorded this at Scott Martin's studio, we couldn't nail the acapella part at the end. The meter was running and it was our dime. Finally, we just did a slow fade from the start of the banjo solo to the end of the last verse. I've reversed the fade-out and grafted the intended ending from a rehearsal tape. This involved some speed and pitch adjustments, among other things. It's not seamless, but at least the original concept has been realized -- 26 years after the fact.
I'm Not That Good At Goodbye
from the album "Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer Volume 1"
Jerry Boyer: lead vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar, harmony vocal
Zoomer Roberts: steel guitar, bass, harmony vocal
Jerry Boyer: lead vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar, harmony vocal
Zoomer Roberts: steel guitar, bass, harmony vocal
Mississippi Mud
From the album "Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer, Volume 1" (1982)Zoomer Roberts:
vocal, mandolin, bass
Jerry Boyer: vocal, kazoo
Buddy Winston: guitar
When Bing Crosby described "Mississippi Mud" as "an earthy anthem," and he knew whereof he spoke. He helped popularize it in the 1920s when he was a member of Paul Whiteman's Rhythm Boys. Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer delighted in digging up derelict ditties such as this and -- for whatever reason -- playing them as fast as we could. The version heard here is a studio recording from 1982. The above photograph shows us performing it live at the El Paso Civic Center, probably at the "4 Centuries '81" festival.
Where No One Stands Alone
from the album "Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer Volume 1"
Jerry Boyer: lead vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar, harmony vocal
Zoomer Roberts: guitar, bass, harmony vocal
Jerry Boyer: lead vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar, harmony vocal
Zoomer Roberts: guitar, bass, harmony vocal
If I Had A Hammer
from the album "Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer Volume 1"Jerry Boyer: lead vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar & harmony vocal
Zoomer Roberts: standup bass & harmony vocal
The name "Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer" wasn't patterned after "Peter, Paul & Mary." After initially billing ourselves as Jerry Boyer & the Zoom-Bud Band (Zoom-Bud was a take-off on Sho-Bud steel guitars), we decided to just use our names: two 5-letter names with double consonants and ending with the letter "y," followed by a 6-letter name with a double vowel. We could never have invented anything that good!
We worked up three Peter, Paul & Mary songs for a concert at the Chamizal Theatre. At the actual performance -- which was later shown on television -- the bridge on the standup bass I was playing worked loose and collapsed with a loud crash in the middle of "If I Had A Hammer." We continued singing, with me leaning on the bass from which the strings uselessly dangled. We later recorded it for our album, and that is the version heard here.
Buddy Winston: guitar & harmony vocal
Zoomer Roberts: standup bass & harmony vocal
The name "Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer" wasn't patterned after "Peter, Paul & Mary." After initially billing ourselves as Jerry Boyer & the Zoom-Bud Band (Zoom-Bud was a take-off on Sho-Bud steel guitars), we decided to just use our names: two 5-letter names with double consonants and ending with the letter "y," followed by a 6-letter name with a double vowel. We could never have invented anything that good!
We worked up three Peter, Paul & Mary songs for a concert at the Chamizal Theatre. At the actual performance -- which was later shown on television -- the bridge on the standup bass I was playing worked loose and collapsed with a loud crash in the middle of "If I Had A Hammer." We continued singing, with me leaning on the bass from which the strings uselessly dangled. We later recorded it for our album, and that is the version heard here.
When Sunny Gets Blue
from the album "Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer Volume 1"
Jerry Boyer: lead vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar
Zoomer Roberts: bass
arranged by Buddy Winston
Jerry Boyer: lead vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar
Zoomer Roberts: bass
arranged by Buddy Winston
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
The Prisoner's Song
From the album "Roadhouse"
Zoomer Roberts: vocal & bass
Buddy Winston: guitars
Eric Hutson: drums
In the waning years of the 20th century, Buddy and I casually recorded 14 of my favorite songs in his home studio. We did this piecemeal, often using "click tracks." Some of these bled and wound up in the final mix. The vocals were recorded in a closet. Due to the worsening condition of my fingers, I played the bass lines on a Yamaha keyboard or abandoned them altogether. On some songs -- such as this Vernon Dalhart warhorse from 1924 -- I dictated the instrumental breaks note-for-note. I also sang all the harmonies, with varying degrees of success. Finally, Eric Hutson brought over his snare drum and brushes and played exactly what was needed where it was needed. The final result was called "Roadhouse," and it is presented here in its entirety. The songs deal with pain, suffering, ostracism, hopelessness, exposure to the elements, lost love, alcoholism and death. My mother said it was the most depressing thing she ever heard in her life.
Zoomer Roberts: vocal & bass
Buddy Winston: guitars
Eric Hutson: drums
In the waning years of the 20th century, Buddy and I casually recorded 14 of my favorite songs in his home studio. We did this piecemeal, often using "click tracks." Some of these bled and wound up in the final mix. The vocals were recorded in a closet. Due to the worsening condition of my fingers, I played the bass lines on a Yamaha keyboard or abandoned them altogether. On some songs -- such as this Vernon Dalhart warhorse from 1924 -- I dictated the instrumental breaks note-for-note. I also sang all the harmonies, with varying degrees of success. Finally, Eric Hutson brought over his snare drum and brushes and played exactly what was needed where it was needed. The final result was called "Roadhouse," and it is presented here in its entirety. The songs deal with pain, suffering, ostracism, hopelessness, exposure to the elements, lost love, alcoholism and death. My mother said it was the most depressing thing she ever heard in her life.
Waiting For a Train
From the album "Roadhouse"
Zoomer Roberts: vocal & bass
Buddy Winston: guitars
Eric Hutson: drums
Zoomer Roberts: vocal & bass
Buddy Winston: guitars
Eric Hutson: drums
Cool Water
From the album "Roadhouse"
Zoomer Roberts: vocal & bass
Buddy Winston: guitar
Eric Hutson: drums
Zoomer Roberts: vocal & bass
Buddy Winston: guitar
Eric Hutson: drums
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
I Shall Be Released
From the album "Roadhouse"
Zoomer Roberts: vocals & electric bass
Buddy Winston: guitars
Eric Hutson: drums
As far as I'm concerned, the definitive version of any Bob Dylan song is the Bob Dylan version. And with dozens of other people's recordings of this "Basement Tapes" classic floating around, the world probably didn't need mine. Nonetheless, when Buddy and I started working on what would become the "Roadhouse" album, this was the first song out of the chute. It has a hopeful, hymn-like quality to it that makes it seem like much more than it is: the musings of a prisoner awaiting parole.
Zoomer Roberts: vocals & electric bass
Buddy Winston: guitars
Eric Hutson: drums
As far as I'm concerned, the definitive version of any Bob Dylan song is the Bob Dylan version. And with dozens of other people's recordings of this "Basement Tapes" classic floating around, the world probably didn't need mine. Nonetheless, when Buddy and I started working on what would become the "Roadhouse" album, this was the first song out of the chute. It has a hopeful, hymn-like quality to it that makes it seem like much more than it is: the musings of a prisoner awaiting parole.
Dark As A Dungeon
From the album "Roadhouse"
Zoomer Roberts: vocals, keyboard bass
Buddy Winston: guitars
Eric Hutson: drums
This Merle Travis classic has such a solemn, hymn-like quality to it that one almost forgets the earthiness of the subject matter: coal mining. Travis preferred singing about mining to actually doing it. John R. Cash, who preferred selling vacuum cleaners to mining, put this out as a single in the 1960s. I've been singing it for forty years and haven't been "way down in the mine" yet. West Texas isn't coal country.
Zoomer Roberts: vocals, keyboard bass
Buddy Winston: guitars
Eric Hutson: drums
This Merle Travis classic has such a solemn, hymn-like quality to it that one almost forgets the earthiness of the subject matter: coal mining. Travis preferred singing about mining to actually doing it. John R. Cash, who preferred selling vacuum cleaners to mining, put this out as a single in the 1960s. I've been singing it for forty years and haven't been "way down in the mine" yet. West Texas isn't coal country.
I Can't Escape From You
From the album "Roadhouse"
Zoomer Roberts: vocal & bass
Buddy Winston: guitars
If anybody ever gets around to writing about Hank Williams' musical antecedents instead of his alcohol consumption, we might find out why so many of his songs don't have a bridge. This lesser-known waltz doesn't have one. Neither does "Cold, Cold Heart" or "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry." One suspects he was exposed to some ancient ballad styles in his formative years. I met his band, the Drifting Cowboys, in Kerrville in 1979, but I mostly asked them questions about playing gigs in 1949 with no drums and low wattage. It was fascinating.
This recording is from the "Roadhouse" sessions of the late 1990s. I altered the melody slightly and replaced the VI minor chord with a diminished. That sort of thing will get you fired from some jobs.
Zoomer Roberts: vocal & bass
Buddy Winston: guitars
If anybody ever gets around to writing about Hank Williams' musical antecedents instead of his alcohol consumption, we might find out why so many of his songs don't have a bridge. This lesser-known waltz doesn't have one. Neither does "Cold, Cold Heart" or "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry." One suspects he was exposed to some ancient ballad styles in his formative years. I met his band, the Drifting Cowboys, in Kerrville in 1979, but I mostly asked them questions about playing gigs in 1949 with no drums and low wattage. It was fascinating.
This recording is from the "Roadhouse" sessions of the late 1990s. I altered the melody slightly and replaced the VI minor chord with a diminished. That sort of thing will get you fired from some jobs.
When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again
From the album "Roadhouse"
Zoomer Roberts: vocals
Buddy Winston: guitars
Eric Hutson: Drums
Buddy Winston and I spent the latter half of the 1990s recording some of my favorite songs in his home studio. The eventual result was an album I named "Roadhouse" because Eric's drum rolls on some of the songs reminded me of Saturday nights in a honky-tonk. One of the songs I wanted to do was this old Wiley & Gene classic. We did it without a bass because it sounded good the way it was. The ending is a nod to Elvis Presley's 1956 version: I multi-tracked myself going from IV to I on the final "stay" a la the Jordanaires. It's like an "Amen" with different lyrics. The guitar intro was lifted from "Little Lover" by Gene Vincent. The rest of it is just us being ourselves.
Zoomer Roberts: vocals
Buddy Winston: guitars
Eric Hutson: Drums
Buddy Winston and I spent the latter half of the 1990s recording some of my favorite songs in his home studio. The eventual result was an album I named "Roadhouse" because Eric's drum rolls on some of the songs reminded me of Saturday nights in a honky-tonk. One of the songs I wanted to do was this old Wiley & Gene classic. We did it without a bass because it sounded good the way it was. The ending is a nod to Elvis Presley's 1956 version: I multi-tracked myself going from IV to I on the final "stay" a la the Jordanaires. It's like an "Amen" with different lyrics. The guitar intro was lifted from "Little Lover" by Gene Vincent. The rest of it is just us being ourselves.
Just Like A Woman
From the album "Roadhouse"
Zoomer Roberts: vocals, keyboard bass
Buddy Winston: guitar
Eric Hutson: drums
Zoomer Roberts: vocals, keyboard bass
Buddy Winston: guitar
Eric Hutson: drums
(Get Up, Shut Up) Put Your Clothes On and Go Home
OSR Demo -- 1980
Zoomer Roberts: vocal, guitars
Tony Quero: bass
Mark Kays: drums
I spent most of the 1970s playing honky-tonk music in C&W bars. Keeping up with the latest songs was part of the job. Conway Twitty was hugely popular in those days, and his records kept getting raunchier and racier, until he wasn't just suggestive about the sex act, he was vividly describing it. I thought it would be fun to write such a song, and my brother and I put this together one afternoon over a few beers. I started singing it at the gig, and it was surprisingly well received. For the next several years I got requests for this song nearly every night -- usually from the ladies. That was an eye opener!
Zoomer Roberts: vocal, guitars
Tony Quero: bass
Mark Kays: drums
I spent most of the 1970s playing honky-tonk music in C&W bars. Keeping up with the latest songs was part of the job. Conway Twitty was hugely popular in those days, and his records kept getting raunchier and racier, until he wasn't just suggestive about the sex act, he was vividly describing it. I thought it would be fun to write such a song, and my brother and I put this together one afternoon over a few beers. I started singing it at the gig, and it was surprisingly well received. For the next several years I got requests for this song nearly every night -- usually from the ladies. That was an eye opener!
Playin' In A Cowboy Band
OSR Demo -- 1980
Zoomer Roberts: vocal, guitar
Chuck Telehany: lead guitar
Tony Quero: bass
Mark Kays: drums
Zoomer Roberts: vocal, guitar
Chuck Telehany: lead guitar
Tony Quero: bass
Mark Kays: drums
You're Hard to Get Over (When I'm Sober)
OSR Demo -- 1980
Zoomer Roberts: vocal, guitars
Tony Quero: bass
Mark Kays: drums
Zoomer Roberts: vocal, guitars
Tony Quero: bass
Mark Kays: drums
Nothing Matters (If I Can't Have You)
OSR Demo -- 1980
Zoomer Roberts: vocal, guitars, mandolin, synthesizer
Tony Quero: bass
Mark Kays: drums
Zoomer Roberts: vocal, guitars, mandolin, synthesizer
Tony Quero: bass
Mark Kays: drums
Copper Kettle
Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer
Buddy Winston: lead vocal, guitar
Zoomer Roberts: harmony vocal, mandolin
Jerry Boyer: harmony vocal
Recorded September 1981
Buddy Winston: lead vocal, guitar
Zoomer Roberts: harmony vocal, mandolin
Jerry Boyer: harmony vocal
Recorded September 1981
Stewball
Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer
Buddy Winston: guitar & lead vocal
Jerry Boyer: harmony vocal
Zoomer Roberts: standup bass & harmony vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar & lead vocal
Jerry Boyer: harmony vocal
Zoomer Roberts: standup bass & harmony vocal
The Cruel War
Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer
Jerry Boyer: lead vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar & harmony vocal
Zoomer Roberts: standup bass & harmony vocal
Jerry Boyer: lead vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar & harmony vocal
Zoomer Roberts: standup bass & harmony vocal
Monday, July 14, 2008
I'll Remember You Love In My Prayers
Recorded 1997 at the Chamizal National Memorial
Zoomer Roberts: vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar
Steve Smith: mandolin
Glenn Leffler: bass
Eric Hutson: drums
Several artists were doing a modal, "Appalachian" version of this song in the 1990s. When I found a recording of Hank Snow singing it as originally written -- as a sentimental parlor waltz -- I was eager to present it in that form. This was a one-off performance at the Border Folk Festival. It was recorded outdoors on a camcorder by the late Johnny Ware, and Gene Graham later converted the audio to MP3. I've compressed it and adjusted the EQ. It's still a sow's ear, but you can probably listen to it without getting a nosebleed.
Zoomer Roberts: vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar
Steve Smith: mandolin
Glenn Leffler: bass
Eric Hutson: drums
Several artists were doing a modal, "Appalachian" version of this song in the 1990s. When I found a recording of Hank Snow singing it as originally written -- as a sentimental parlor waltz -- I was eager to present it in that form. This was a one-off performance at the Border Folk Festival. It was recorded outdoors on a camcorder by the late Johnny Ware, and Gene Graham later converted the audio to MP3. I've compressed it and adjusted the EQ. It's still a sow's ear, but you can probably listen to it without getting a nosebleed.
Here Comes the Sun
Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer
Buddy Winston: guitar & lead vocal
Zoomer Roberts: guitar & harmony vocal
Jerry Boyer: harmony vocal
1984 World Tour Rehearsal
Buddy Winston: guitar & lead vocal
Zoomer Roberts: guitar & harmony vocal
Jerry Boyer: harmony vocal
1984 World Tour Rehearsal
Good Ole Boys Like Me
The Lariat Cowboys
Zoomer Roberts: vocal & guitar
Mark Kays: drums
Tony Quero: bass
Recorded 13 July 1980 at the Lariat Lounge
Zoomer Roberts: vocal & guitar
Mark Kays: drums
Tony Quero: bass
Recorded 13 July 1980 at the Lariat Lounge
In the Mood
The Lariat Cowboys
Zoomer Roberts: lead guitar & announcement
Tony Quero: bass
Mark Kays: drums
Recorded 13 July 1980
Zoomer Roberts: lead guitar & announcement
Tony Quero: bass
Mark Kays: drums
Recorded 13 July 1980
Zoomer's Guitar Boogie
The Lariat Cowboys
Zoomer Roberts: lead guitar
Tony Quero: bass
Mark Kays: drums
Don Walser: voice
Recorded 13 July 1980
This was an ideal break song: you could make it as long (or as short) as necessary, and get your rockabilly on in the process. Best of all, it needed no rehearsal. I had a small arsenal of such pieces that could be easily executed in any given situation.
Zoomer Roberts: lead guitar
Tony Quero: bass
Mark Kays: drums
Don Walser: voice
Recorded 13 July 1980
This was an ideal break song: you could make it as long (or as short) as necessary, and get your rockabilly on in the process. Best of all, it needed no rehearsal. I had a small arsenal of such pieces that could be easily executed in any given situation.
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