Plateprat med Robbin McCombs

Jeg har samlet countrymusikk i snart 40 år, så overraskelsene kommer ikke like ofte som før. Men denne platen golvet meg virkelig.

Jeg plukker ofte opp tips fra den legendariske countrykonnossøren Kent Heineman, som driver YouTube-kanalen Armadillo Killer.
Her fant jeg albumet Then and Now med Robbin McCombs, som jeg ville sjekke ut, og for en plate!

Robbin McCombs – Then and Now

Vanskelig å beskrive men:

Første låt, «Hiram», er en vakker hyllest til kongen av countrymusikken, Hank Williams. En flott tekst og en sjelfull stemme fra Robbin McCombs.

Så begynte jeg å sjekke hvem som spiller på platen.
Jeg leser Don Helms. Kan det være den legendariske Don Helms som spilte på nesten hver eneste innspilling Hank Williams Sr. gjorde? En viktig brikke i The Drifting Cowboys, Ja, og det stopper ikke der, for det er virkelig et stjernelag den ukjente Robbin McCombs har fått med seg: Jimmy Capps, Hoot Hester, Charlie McCoy, Gene Christman, Mike Johnson og Don Helms. Store navn for de som kjenner countrymusikkens historie.

Neste låt, «Aces & Eights», er en bluesinfisert, klagende og Morricone-aktig sang med munnspill og en herlig gitar som leder deg ut på en øde landevei.
I «I Have Three Hearts» her synger Robbin om barna sine.

Deretter kommer «There Ain't No Future (When You Live in the Past)». Klassisk countrytematikk, sterk innlevelse og en overbevisende vokalprestasjon.
Herfra ruller det videre med den ene countryperlen etter den andre: «I Do» (et hint av George Jones), «Dungeons of Darkness» (et hint av Gram Parsons), «Been There Done That» (et hint av Dwight Yoakams twang), «This Bottle I've Locked» (tittelen sier det meste), «Living from a Bottle» (et hint av Bakersfield) og «I'm in the Country» (et hint av Hank igjen).

Bak hver eneste låt står Robbin McCombs som både låtskriver og tekstforfatter.
Kanonbra! Dette er virkelig en plate i Hank Williams ånd.

Platen måtte jeg selv legge inn på Discogs, og på nettet fantes det i praksis ingen informasjon om verken albumet eller artisten. Derfor startet jeg et lite detektivarbeid, som til slutt førte meg til hans eldre halvbror Howard Lofton, en pensjonert politimann som også var Robbins manager.

Via Howard kom jeg i kontakt med Robbin og fikk stilt han noen spørsmål.

Her er intervjuet:
I happened to come across your outstanding release “Then and Now”, and I was completely blown away by how good it was. Superb musicians, fantastic songs, and it sounded like a direct link to the greatest star in country music history, Hank Williams.

First, I’d like to ask how your musical career began?
Ok, here we go.
I was born in a small fishing town called Bon Secour, Alabama, near the Gulf of Mexico in Baldwin County.

Commercial fishing, crabbing, harvesting oysters; if it was in the water, we made a living from it.
I first started singing in church. I was that kid who stood up on the pew and tried to out-sing all the adults in the congregation.

Was there a eureka moment when you knew that you wanted to be a musician?
When I was about 10 or 12, a family moved in next door. They played music every weekend.
The man's name was Butch Nelson.
(He became my Clayton Delaney.) He allowed me to sing on the microphone, and I was hooked.

I got into so much trouble. My mother would start looking for me and hear me next door singing through the speaker system.

Like I said, I was hooked. I learned to play guitar, and when I started shrimping, I sang anywhere I could. Every port from Texas to Florida.
If there was a bar, club, or honky-tonk, and if there was a band, I found a way to get up and sing.
Later, I formed several small bands and played anywhere we could get booked.

Then I was fortunate enough to play a few shows behind Percy Sledge, and that set my sights on higher venues.

What records did you listen to back then? Any favorite?
Old country music: George Jones, Conway Twitty, Johnny Paycheck, Hank Williams, as well as Southern rock like The Marshall Tucker Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Turn the Page by Bob Seger. Then Leon Redbone, oh my, No I love a lot of music.

Unfortunately, we don't have access to record shops here in Georgiana, but I have an extensive collection at home.

 At a party, which song do you play to get people dancing?
I like to play a variety of songs to get people on their feet. It might be Sweet Home Alabama, Three Steps, The Twist, or maybe Touch Me by Big Al Downing. And for the couples, I like to slow things down with a song they can dance to together.

To celebrate love, which three songs are your favorite?
Forever Together by Randy Travis,

Touch Me by Big Al Downing and Peaceful Easy Feeling by Eagles.

Are there any books that have left a lasting impression on you?
Books for me that's another super easy one... Without question my favorite book is the Bible. I love everything about it, especially the quest.

How did you end up in the same town where Hank Williams grew up?
I moved to Georgiana, Alabama, to Hank Williams' boyhood home when I was 27. My brother, Howard Lofton, allowed me and my family to live there until I could get the house, I had bought remodeled and livable.

"It was while living in the same house Hank once lived in, at 127 Rose Street, that McCombs’ focus on music writing and singing really took off. Hank lived there in the 1930s, and McCombs lived there in the 1990s, before the City of Georgiana bought the property from Howard Lofton (Robbins’ brother) and turned it into a museum. It was Lofton who researched the property and got it listed on the Alabama Register of Historic Buildings."

During that time, I was inspired to write "The Story of Hiram." I wanted to write a song that didn't talk about Hank drinking all the time, one that mentioned his given name, Hiram Williams, as well as his mentor, Rufus Payne, known as Tee Tot.
I recorded a few singles along the way, but my brother Howard convinced me to pick ten of my songs and go to Nashville to record an album.

Could you also tell me how you managed to bring so many star musicians onto the album? Who were these musicians?
I played with Charlie McCoy on a few different shows, so we contacted him and had him put together the best band he could.
And did he ever!
Charlie came to our hotel room the night before our recording session and charted my songs.

When we got to the studio in Nashville, I knew I was out of my league when I saw who Charlie had put together for our session.
I felt as if I were in the presence of country music royalty.
I had been fortunate enough to play with Don Helms during the Hank Williams Festival held here in Georgiana, but Jimmy Capps, Hoot Hester, Mike Johnson, Gene Christian, Don Helms, and Charlie McCoy...

My goodness, what was I thinking? These were Nashville's elite, the very best of the best.
They made me feel so comfortable and welcome.

“Jimmy Capps and Hoot Hester both played in the Grand Ole Opry house band. Charlie McCoy is known for his piano and harmonica playing. Gene Chrisman was one of Elvis Presley’s drummers. Mike Johnson, steel guitar player and host of You Can Be a Star, is very well known and highly in demand in Nashville. And then there was the legendary Don Helms, who played on almost every record Hank Sr. ever made. He even brought out his original steel guitar to play on this CD. We were truly honored and blessed. Robbin wrote every song, and his is the only voice you hear on the recording. I simply handled the paperwork." – Howard Lofton (Robbins older brother)

My biggest honor, I believe, was when they said, "Ok, we'll try to get this done in three days. We'll try to get three songs each day and squeeze in four on one of those days."

We started recording, and as soon as I sang the first song, they said, "Holy crap, this is real country music! "We completed all ten songs in one day of recording.

All the credit for my album's success goes entirely to my brother and manager, Howard Lofton.

After recording was completed and we were talking with the people handling the label and pressing the CDs, they asked how many I wanted. I said, "About ten, I guess, Howard, and a few friends. "Everyone laughed, but I was serious. Howard said, "We'll start with 2,000. "I'm thinking, heck, I don't know that many people.

But I absolutely HATE the business end of the industry. Just tell me where to be and what time. Howard excels at the business side, so we make a great team.

If it stops being fun, I don't think I'd ever want to do it again. But Howard takes care of the NOT-FUN part, and I get to do what I enjoy—writing and performing.

What jobs have you had besides being a musician?
I worked in construction for many years, so I still piddle around a little bit. (Robbin has also been a city councilman in Georgiana for the past six years)

Do you have any daily rituals?
Wake up at about 4:30 am, make coffee, when that's done, I take my cup outside and listen to the world wake up. I love to hear the day begin birds, squirrels, maybe a train off in the distance. Thay is my favorite part of the day

Besides music, do you have any other hobbies or interests?
Hobbies? Well, writing songs, growing my own food, and spending as much time as possible with my wife, Mrs. Jaime McCombs, my kids, and my grandchildren. I love to fish, teach guitar to young people, and do woodworking.

What’s your favorite food?
As you can tell by my pictures I love to eat I love Chinese food, Mexican foods, Italian, as well as middle eastern.

But I'm a country boy ,down here in Alabama Gray is a beverage LOL.
All country, Cajun or Texas food.
But my favorite would have to be hands down Seafood (shrimp, crabs, oysters, fish, clams, lobster. Being raised on boats right on the Gulf of Mexico seafood was plentiful.

If you had to describe yourself as a car, which model would you be?
I probably wouldn't choose any car to describe myself. I see myself more as a Houseboat.

Just comfortable, yet when I choose to move just stop anywhere and I'm home, in nature, always good food close by, and simply enjoying everything God has given us without getting caught up in all the Static that so many thrive on. Simple, just floating through life picking and writing and singing.

Is there a musician or band from Alabama that you think deserves more attention?
Rufus (Teetot) Payne is the most under recognized musician not only in Alabama but in the world.

He was a Street musician that traveled on the train and performed at the train stations. He was a major influence in HIRAM (HANK) WILLIAMS life, Hank’s mother would feed Tee Tot in exchange for guitar lessons for Hank.

I am currently writing a song; the rough draft title would be something like: We'd have never known Hank Williams if Hiram had never known Payne (A little play on his last name)

If you wrote an autobiography, what would the title be?
Been there done that the title to one of my songs

Do you have plans for any future releases?
I would love to get back into the studio. I still have several stories to tell.
Unfortunately, a lot of the musicians on my last album have left us, so it can never be recreated.

What's happening in Georgiana these days?
We are currently cleaning up around here. The Hank Williams Festival is on June 5th and 6th, and we host the street dance at our house, two days and nights of free music and fellowship.
I sure hope you'll honor us with a visit so you can experience it for yourself.

Robin with friends. Tony Jackson dropped by during Hank Williams festival (Bilde restaurert med ChatGPT)

This coming weekend is our Hank Williams festival, sure wish you were able to experience it

Peace be with you, my friend.

Robbin