Original, heartfelt Christian country

10 MP3 Songs in this album (39:25) !
Related styles: COUNTRY: Country Gospel, SPIRITUAL: Traditional Gospel



Details:
A farm boy, born in Iowa, as far back as my memory can travel, there has always been music. If I let my mind go back to the very beginning, I see me in front of a porch listening to music. It was âBlue Skysâ, not very country, but I still think the song has good taste.

Smoky Rodgers discovered me singing in the back room of Bert Keefers Music Store, and took me to San Diego where we worked the Bostonian Ball Room three nights a week and did a live television show from Tijuana, Mexico five days a week. My professional singing and recording career began more than 4 decades ago. I first signed with a small label - ERA Records, located very near the corner of Sunset & Vine, in Hollywood California. They were truly good to me and my very first recording, "Unfaithful Diane", was a hit! The music business was very different back then. Extremely close and comfortable. Next door to ERA was Cliffy Stone and Tennessee Ernie Fordâs publishing office, and two blocks down Sunset Blvd. was the office of Tex Ritter, Gene Autry and Johnny Bond, people in the business I had greatly admired. We were tied together like family. I would like to tell you about my close friends I grew up with - most of whom are now stars, but cannot mention them all for there were so many. To name a few, Eddie Cochran and Hank Cochran, though they were not related, worked as the Cochran brothers at the time until Eddie made a choice to go on his own. Freddy Heart, Ralph Mooney, Carl Belew, Bobby Bare, Wynn Stewart and myself, all living and working together seemed to get a break at about the same time.

Iâm so thankful to have been a part of that special time in music. A time that will never be repeated. I began traveling with Johnny Cash when he, Luther Perkins and Marshall Grand (The Tennessee Two) were very young. For two years, along with Carl Perkins and his brothers, we traveled performing together. I then moved to Capital Records where among others, I had the first hit with the song âA-11â. Then along with my producer, Nick Venet, I moved to MGM Records doing well in the charts with âLyinâ Again and âAfter the Boy Gits the Girlâ.

Throughout my career I suppose Iâve performed with about everybody and been accompanied by some of the greatest musicians in history. During the 50s and 60s, I did most of the âRecord Hops,â Network TV shows, etc. including Dick Clarkâs American Bandstand. The songs that got me there were âUnfaithful Dianeâ and âBlind Dateâ. I sometimes write a good song and they have been recorded by artists such as Eddie Arnold, Sonny James, Hank Snow, Perry Como, Dean Martin, Michael Parks, etc. I suppose I consider myself a fair musician. My songs have been published by companies such ERA - 4-Star, PolyGram, Warner, Pamper and Acuff Rose.

Here I am now living on a farm with my wife near Branson, Missouri. God has been really great to me. Iâm thankful to represent music as I have known it and those people in it as I have known them. I owe you much thanks too, for being my new friends and playing my music.

Until next time,

Don Deal

Donjimrecords@aol.com