HOWDY!!!! Jimmy Stix here!

Below was an article sent to me by my good friend Marty Martel, and
I need to share it with you Bud and I hope you publish my article
herein about Bill Anderson's writen letter about a true legend of
country music, Don Helms.



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Do you feel like Vince Gill?



After you read what BILL ANDERSON wrote, how do you feel, like Vince
Gill?

I will ask you this question at the end of the article, ok gang.
Marty Martel sent me Bill Anderson's written statement about the
late Don Helms, and I don't know about you gang, but I am touched by
Vince Gill, and his crying. Will you?



------------- Forwarded Message: --------------
From: "Marty Martel"
To: Jimmy Stix
Subject: Bill Anderson talks about Don Helms....This is Great....
Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:52:00 +0000


Powerful words by a powerful writer. Read this if you read nothing
else. I only wish I could write like B. Anderson. His mind and hands
have been touched by the Lord.

Subject: Bill Anderson talks about Don Helms....This is Great....





August 12, 2008

{ 08/12/08 }

Hi Gang:

Sadly, an era in country music that has been dying piece by piece,
legend by legend, over a period of fifty-five years finally came to
its unhappy conclusion yesterday morning here in Nashville.

Don Helms, the great steel guitar player, passed away. He was the
last surviving member of Hank Williams’ original Drifting Cowboys
band.

He was also one of the funniest men and finest human beings it has
ever been my privilege to know.

[More:]

If you were down in the dumps and you needed a good laugh to cheer
you up, you called Don Helms. If you wanted somebody to tell you the
real story of Hank Williams…his songs, his charisma, and his
demons...you called Don Helms. You wanted a great steel player who
never changed his style over the years, but whose style never went
out of style, you called Don Helms.

I’ll never forget a night not long after I came to Nashville when
I was riding home from a tour in the back of the Wilburn Brothers’
long black Cadillac. Don was working for them at that time, both as
a road musician and as a businessman in their publishing and booking
offices. On this particular night, he was also their chauffeur,
climbing under the wheel somewhere in Michigan and pointing the car,
as he had so many times during his career, toward Nashville.

For some reason, I couldn’t fall asleep that night, so I leaned
across the back of the driver’s seat and began asking Don
questions about Hank Williams. I found him more than willing to
talk, to share stories…some funny, some sad…mesmerizing me mile
after long, dark mile.

He told me about endless days and nights on the road before air
conditioned cars and interstate highways….about Hank’s
incredible back pain…about his problems with Audrey…about how he
loved to fish…how much he loved Bocephus…and how he could turn a
phrase and write a song in virtually no time at all. Hank had been
my boyhood hero, and to find myself one-on-one with the man
responsible for so much of his musical sound was almost more than a
wide-eyed kid from Georgia could take.

In later years, when I needed someone to come talk about Hank on my
radio shows, Don was there. When we needed a legend back in January
of this year to play steel guitar on our Country’s Family Reunion
videos, Don was there. For the rest of my life I will remember
Don’s playing “Cold Cold Heart” all by himself in that studio
filled with stars, Vince Gill sitting nearby, tears streaming down
his face. When the song was over, Vince looked at the rest of us
gathered in the room and said, “Guys, THAT’S the reason I came
to Nashville.”

I consider myself so lucky to have known and traveled and existed in
the presence of Don Helms. His music will live forever.

I just wish he could have done the same.



Bill Anderson



Well......... how did you feel after reading the article? Do you
agree with Vince Gill?

No! Oh well, I tried again to express what our country is now
missing, because of corporate country! It's missing the high respect
for elders......... it's missing love........ kindness........
goodness........ the respect of heritage in every sense! Did Vince
Gill show some kind of weakness, when crying for such a reason as
that? Living around country music legends who today are shown no
respect, and whom are ignored by many in country today, To me folks,
Vince is a caring, loving, respectful man, and in my book, these
traits........... of a honorable man standing tall in a crowd of
corporate selfishness, is what draws me to super stars like Vince
Gill!!

Vince Gill and others like him, are the giant superstars of our
country, and supporting them and their music is what I will always
do......... despite corporate's action against stars like Vince Gill
for speaking out against their actions in ignoring the many legends
of country!

I don't care if someone doesn't like me using the old
expression; "He's Black Marked" by corporate for "Bucking-the-
machine" (corporate country), and if Vince Gill and other stars are
not "Black Marked" by corporate country, then why don't you hear
about what these superstars are doing lately? Mass Media is ignoring
their activity that's why! And don't tell me that nobody wants to
hear Vince Gill anymore because his voice is not as good as it
was!!! That's a big lie if someone tells you that! He's never
sounded better than right now!

Bill Anderson himself is a legend of country music gang! How many of
you really know Bill? He's still a live today gang! I must admit I
do not know him well.......... but, I wish I did! I do know this, I
have and played his music for years........ and I will go to my
grave still playing his music, even his latest releases!! Would I
cry if I had the opportunity to be in the company of Vince Gill,
Bill Anderson, George Jones, Merle haggard, Willie Nelson, Little
Jimmy, and so many other legendary stars in one place for any given
time........ you bet I would....... it would be an honor I would
treasure for life!!

Sadly, many in country now would just laugh at such an
event......... they'd look at it as just an old get together by old
stars, and old country music promoters like me, that can't let the
past go! Is that how you feel about this issue gang? After all,
Vince Gill isn't that old yet? He is feeling what I feel about these
old stars of country, the living ones of today, and those who have
died, like Tammy, Johnny, and Conway twitty!

You see gang.......... I'm not the only one in this country music
profession who feels that corporate country has succeeded in taking
the human aspect out of our country. Just look around you, listen to
the NEW country music of these living legends now, today, buy some
of their latest music, and listen to their crys, can you hear the
cry of justice singing out from these old stars?? If you truly want
to be a country person then allow their music to reach your hearts!

The young stars of country can still learn from the old
stars............ and maybe if they can see what Vince Gill, Bill
Anderson and others like us, are trying to convey to all country
people........ then maybe those young stars will have somebody like
Vince Gill cry at memory of them when they die and leave town.

Yours truly gang,

Sincerely,

Jimmy Stix

www.jimstix.com

jimstix@...

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