About the Music

The Lights of Austin

THE STORY BEHIND “THE LIGHTS OF AUSTIN”

THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG
“The Lights of Austin” Back in 2006 my producer Steve Brown in Nashville Tennessee first introduced the song to me and said it has never been published and you might like it. Well when I heard the demo and the haunting words of the song I became intrigued. I wondered who was this man that was so taken by the lights of Austin. So I began to search and finally found the original writer Randy Willeford back in 2006 and let him hear a preliminary take of the song I did on the phone. He said that’s my song and I thought I heard him cry on the phone. Well he hung up before I could get the whole story. Then my producer in Nashville died and I moved on to Gospel and Christmas songs. But could never forget the haunting words of the song. So I was determined to do justice to this song. I tried over the years to sing this song with the feeling I felt it deserved but I needed to know more about the story behind the song and the writer so finally I found his brother in Texas who told me his brother’s story. And with the knowledge of what his brother went through I attempted the song again. Mostly I sang in SMS studios with Mike Schrimpf engineer and now my Producer. He was moving his studio at one time so I went to Fame studios in Mussel Shoals Alabama to get some more inspiration and worked with Rodney Hall on the song for a while then took what I had done back to SMS studios in Hendersonville TN to my friend and producer Mike Schrimpf and worked with him on the song some more. And Finally when I felt I had done all I could to give it the attention I thought it deserved. I finished it and released it.

Here is the story behind the song as told to me by Mike Willeford, the Publisher of this song. His brother the writer of the song, a mister Randy Willeford had been living in Houston. He deeply loved his wife but she had left him and divorced him. His brother told me that Randy missed and loved his wife so much and it hurt him so bad that he became despondent lost his job and eventually lived literally on the streets of Houston Texas as a homeless man. In his despair for the loss of his wife he decided to walk all the way from Houston to Austin Texas. What a long hard lonely walk that must have been. When he finally came up on Austin at night and saw the Lights of Austin. The lights made such a profound impression on Randy that he wrote this song. I could tell by the words of this song “The Lights of Austin” that that city and the lights he saw at night time had made a life changing event in his life. But what was in his mind, what memories were haunting him that he had become so despondent and destitute. What strength did those night lights in Austin give him and why? Those are questions I wish I knew the answer to, but I could only try to honor his lonely pain the best I could in that haunting heart wrenching song that he penned so long ago. Well Randy’s brother Mike went to Austin found and got his brother and brought him home. It is then that Randy told his brother how the Lights of Austin Texas at night had made such an impression on him that he wrote the words to this song and his brother Mike added music to the lyrics. Mike Published the song and gave me permission to sing and release it.

Recently I called his brother Mike Willeford again (April 2018) and told him I wanted to talk to Randy again but Mike said his brother was missing in action and no one knew where he was. But thinks someone one saw Randy driving a truck in Utah. Mike said if this song hits the radio waves maybe his brother would come back home.

All songs created in SMS STUDIO Hendersonville Tennessee with Mike Schrimpf as engineer with the exception of one song called "The Lights of Austin" That was done in collaboration of two studios. SMS STUDIO Hendersonville Tennessee Mike Schrimpf engineer and in FAME STUDIO Muscle Shoals Alabama Rodney Hall engineer.

The story behind "Don’t Miss My Exit"

Featured Song: Don’t Miss My Exit (Mile Market 43)

The story behind the song “Don’t Miss My Exit” (Mile Marker 43) a song about my mother. I was driving home from Nashville from recording in the studio. I passed several exits on the side of the road on my way home and noticed the mile marker and exit signs on the side of the road where many of my now deceased relatives lived that I had always told I would stop and visit but seldom did. I called my mother and told her how bad I felt that I had never taken the time to stop and visit them… I was shocked by what my mother said. She said “son I’m still alive please don’t miss my exit”. It shook me to the core. I immediately went home and moved my mother to the apartment just beneath mine so I could see her every day. And I did see and visit her nearly every day till she died a couple of years later. I feel so glad she told me that. So I did not miss my mother’s exit. Before she died I wrote this song along with my producer and it became my mother’s favorite song. Many people also call this song “Mile Marker 43”, and some call it “The Biscuit Song” in memory of her making me biscuits.

MUSICIANS AND SINGERS ON THIS ALBUM

BACKGROUND SINGERS: Netha Schrimpf, Margie Cate, Monte Allen Lane, Michael Lusk, Anita Anderson, Marie Lewey, Cindy Walker, Ricky Reese, Johnny Bellar, Doc Pearson

Guest Singer with Doc Pearson on America the Beautiful: Kylie Resch

MUSICIANS

Acoustic Guitar: Byrd Burton, Mike Baker, Doc Pearson
Electric Guitar: Gregg Galbraith, Mike Baker, Byrd Burton
Keyboard: Mike Schrimpf
Tambourine: Craig Krampf
Harmonica: Mike Schrimpf
Drums: Craig Krampf, Mark Beckett, Eddy Anderson, Fred Satterfield, Mike Schrimpf, Doc Pearson
Steel: John Huhey, Rex Wiseman
Bass Guitar: Bill Farrar, Mike Baker, Doc Pearson Standup Bass: Dave Roe, Johnny Bellar
Banjo: Donnie Allen
Mandolin: Ricky Reese
Dobro: Johnny Bellar, Rex Wiseman
Fiddle: Hoot Hester, David Russell, Craig Fletcher, Jordan Larsen, Dennie Richardson
Saxaphone and Flute: John Heindrix

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L to R: Mike Schrimpf Producer, Engineer and my friend. Kylie Resch, Doc Pearson

L to R: Michael Lusk, Netha Schrimpf, Anita Anderson

I’d Rather Have Jesus

Album by Doc Pearson

MUSICIANS AND SINGERS ON THIS ALBUM

PRODUCER: Bill Farrar

MUSICIANS

BACKGROUND VOCALS: The Singing Angels (Netha and Margie Cates Bro, David Smith, Jordan Larsen

RECORDED, MIXED AND MASTERED AT SMS Recording Studio, Hendersonville, TN

RECORDED, MIXED AND MASTERED BY: Mike Shrimpf

Anyone who knows me knows that my passions in life are the Lord Jesus Christ and music. I have been fortunate to find and work with two of Nashville's greats to make my passions come alive and exalt our Lord. Producer/Musician Bill Farrar and Engineer/Musician Mike Shrimpf have become lifelong friends as well as mentors in the crazy business of music. Mike and Bill, thank you for helping my dreams come true. Doc Pearson

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The Only Gift

Album by Doc Pearson

ONLY AVAILABLE AS DOWNLOAD ON ITUNES, AMAZON, SPOTIFY AND MOST ALL DIGITAL DOWNLOAD SITES AT THIS TIME

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