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22 The Nashville Musician April-June 2007
Pinson plugs ‘Songs For Somebody’ at CRS
By WALT TROTT
A year or so ago, Bobby Pinson seemed to
be RCA’s new fair-haired boy, as his debut album
“Man Like Me” earned critical acclaim
from such prestigious sources as Entertainment
Weekly, USA Today and the international
Country Music People (CMP) magazine.
Julie Flaskett’s four-star CMP review concluded,
“Bobby Pinson may look like just another
hillbilly singer in a battered straw hat,
but on ‘Man Like Me,’ he displays a rare ability
to write intensely personal songs that are
also highly commercial. This is one terrific
album.”
The singer-songwriter’s insightful single
“Don’t Ask Me How I Know” hit Top 20, but
then stalled and it seemed as though the rug
was pulled out from under Pinson, as it all went
south.
Still, that didn’t seem to deter Bobby, who
went on to produce his own sophomore CD of
compositions for Cash Daddy Records; produced
a new album on Curb’s Blue County
act; celebrated a #1 “Want To” cut by
Sugarland; helped furnish Trent Tomlinson’s
Top 10 breakthrough “One Wing in the Fire”;
plus two cuts for Toby Keith’s new album.
Meanwhile, Bobby’s got songs on hold by
such stars as Carrie Underwood, Brooks &
Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill and Gary
Allan: “I do, but I don’t put a lot of stock in
that or announce them until it’s for sure.”
The sleepy-eyed singer-songwriter stopped
by the Country Radio Seminar sharing views
on his next CD and showing off a new closecropped
haircut: “I’ve been working hard,
touring, writing, and I have a new single out
with Catherine Britt that we’re excited about,
called ‘What I Did Last Night’ that’s just
climbing into the charts.”
Judging by his not quite wide-awake look,
one wondered what the sandy-haired singer
might have done last night?
Regarding Pinson’s split with RCA, he was
forthcoming: “It was a marriage for a second,
a deal built on songs which I love, and I had
to cut it. Joe Scaife (he’s produced Gretchen
Wilson) co-produced it with me. He found me
and brought me to RCA, and I’ll be forever in
his debt. Joe Galante (label head) gave me that
great opportunity to make a record I believe
in - win, lose or draw. As a songwriter, I think
that album’s one of the best things to happen.
It put my songs in one place, and I think that
opened a lot of eyes.
“No drama over there really. It was just
trying to get a second single out that fell into
the thing of when do we release it and which
one will it be? It was us wanting one single
and them not being sure. Finally, it was kind
of like either let us live or let us die. When
you get into those kinds of conversation, dying
is relative at that point.
“In my particular case, the record’s won
more than you might know, in terms of having
helped build a foundation for me for a second
record. Hopefully, I’ll reap some benefits
on my own from what happened there.
“We thought ‘One More Believer’ was going
to be my next (RCA) single, but Toby Keith
put it on his new record, which is a wonderful
thing. So I guess when one door closes, another
door opens.” (A second song, “Pump
Jack” co-written by Keith and Pinson, is also
on the set.)
Released April 10, believer Bobby’s
“Songs For Somebody” is a 10-set collection
all co-written by Pinson, with such notables
as Tim Nichols, Jon Randall, Jim Collins, Brett
Jones and Billy Joe Walker. The CD’s cover
photo depicts a scruffy Pinson selling boxes
of music off the tailgate of a rusty old pickup
truck, with “Willie” stenciled on its rear window
and the album’s title handscrawled on a
ripped piece of cardboard.
“I feel like it’s better than my last one.
Somebody asked me, ‘What was the difference
in this record and my first one for RCA?’ To
Joe Galante’s credit, I must say with both
projects - even though there was more money
in the first project - my music kind of lends
itself to only be so much, and to only do the
things that kind of stay out of the way of the
work. So there wasn’t a lot of difference, because
they left me alone over there in terms of
making the record, and then they really left
me alone after that (chuckling aloud).
“But, there was nobody to mess with me
on this record, and I just got to put down what
sounds like my heart’s in it. I had a wonderful
team and even that was a little unorthodox. I’ve
never really been a howl at the moon, bandwagon
kind of guy. My first album I co-produced
with my band that had been doing my
demos for years. Then I produced this record
with the same band. Now I’m starting to produce
other acts, using some of the same guys.
These are musicians that not everybody uses.”
Pinson was born in Tulsa, Okla., but raised
in the Texas Panhandle, where his father was
a high school athletic coach and his mother an
elementary school teacher.
Although he sang in the church choir and
learned to play his dad’s guitar, it was sports
that interested him while growing up: “I did
Little League, all of that. It was a great way to
grow up. I was into playing ball and my dad
was my coach. I thought when I grew up, I
was going to be a football coach.”
Bobby grew up in little bitty towns, likening
them to “the equivalent of a fish bowl,
where they could see you but you couldn’t see
them. So I didn’t do a lot of anything, no drinking
nor drugs.”
Offered a scholarship upon graduation,
Pinson had contemplated communications,
perhaps studying drama or becoming a broadcaster
or a filmmaker.
“This was pre-Columbine and all these kids
had the trenchcoats, earrings and long hair, and
I thought this isn’t my thing . . . and so I spent
three years in the Army.”
Pinson wound up at Fort Ord, near
Monterey, Calif., serving as a supply man: “It
was funny, as the base was closing down and I
was one of the last 100 soldiers there and my
deal turned into like making sure everybody
disposed of things properly. It was cool and
like a real job.”
During off duty hours, did G.I. Bobby pursue
music?
“I did. I was only 19 years old, underage at
the time, but I went into a bar outside of Fort
Ord, and this guy Eddy let me in on Sundays,
when they had karaoke. I didn’t want anything
to do with karaoke, but when they would take
a break, I would plug in my guitar and play.”
Finally, Pinson formed a band: “We would
rehearse in the old messhall that had closed
down. The band was bad and I was worse than
them. But we got better, and we would play
fairs for the next few years.”
So what did they call the band? “Back then
we were just the Bobby Pinson Band. Now the
band I travel with we call Petty Cash, you know
like Tom Petty meets Johnny Cash.”
Honorably discharged in 1994, Pinson and
company continued to pick and sing, traveling
farther afield to entertain at fairs, festivals
and whatever turned up: “During those days,
we played every Safe-Way store grand opening
they had. But the radio guys got to know
us out there, and a lot of them remember me
and play my music today.”
In 1996, he of the gritty vocals decided it
was time to move to Nashville, to pitch his
songs: “I had three wrecks on the way, during
the biggest ice storm in Nashville history, but
I was just bound and determined to move here.
I rented, sight unseen, an apartment for $200
a month, which they took me for about $150.”
Predictably, his was a hand-to-mouth existence:
“I worked for almost a year delivering
pizzas, I worked in the steel mill making
swimming pool heaters, and I worked as a banquet
server. But every day I wrote . . . ”
In 1998, Pinson got a break being signed
to Sony/Tree Music: “I was there in a co-venture
thing for about eight months. That was
years ago.”
In a co-writing session with mentors Larry
Boone and Paul Nelson, Pinson co-wrote
“Unforgiven,” recorded by Tracy Lawrence
(Continued from page 21)
if I would have ended up in Texas, I would’ve
said no. But, after I found myself in Texas, I
just fell in love with it.”
Dalene’s also the newest member. Biz
founded Lantana, and came up with the group
name from her mom: “It’s a Texas native shrub
that when you water it and properly care for
it, it dominates your garden and blooms. But
it’s very strong and pungent and will attract
butterflies . . . There’s your horticultural lesson
for the day, Walt.”
“I had a previous career, earlier, before I
started having my family,” recalls Karol Ann.
“ Well, I had come back to my vocal coach,
thinking ‘I may need to take this career thing
a little further.’ He brought Biz and I together.
So after matching us up, we started working
toward making this a go.”
There was an earlier vocal partner, who
bowed out when she became ill.
“She’s better now, but the toll of the road
got to her, Well, you can bet she’s watching
us very closely now.”
DeLong continues, “Dalene had a passion
to pursue a music career and had a vocal coach
Brian Schexnayder, so we went and found her
and that brought us all together.”
So how did the girls hook up with Green?
Biz answers: “We met him through (manager)
Debbie (Kelly). Of course, how we
found Debbie was when Karol Ann and I decided
to try radio. We had been introduced to
the idea of Texas radio as independent artists.
We did a lot of research on it, including radio
promotion on the music scene. Debbie’s name
came up and so we hired her to be our promoter
for the first single, and after it enjoyed
the kind of success like it did right out of the
chute, well, to say the least, we were impressed.
So she introduced us to Bill Green to
talk about our next (CD) project.”
Lantana headed into the studio in June
2006, and by then had collaborated on writing
their saucy “The Juice Ain’t Worth the
Squeeze,” their first co-write together, so it
made the final cut.
“But we have a lot more we’re working
on,” smiles Biz. “We all really enjoy that aspect
of the business.”
Biz and Dalene are blondes, but they’re
not having any more fun than Karol Ann:
“We’re about to launch our Lantana Fan Club
website. It’s wonderful to learn that they’re
talking to radio about our music. This gives
us another tool to communicate directly with
the people that want our music. I’m looking
forward to that.”
Yet another road opening up to the trio, is
a European tour that will include playdates in
France, notes Karol Ann: “Parlez vous
Francais? For sure, we’re going over in May,
and we’re scheduled to perform at the International
Country Music Festival in France,
and play some shows at Disney’s Billy Bob’s
in Paris while we’re there. We love the idea
in 2001, and which became Bobby’s first cut
by a major artist.
“Tracy’s been great to me. You know, I ran
into him today at CRS. He’s cut several of my
songs and through that I’ve had different songs
get out there to artists like LeAnn Rimes and
Blake Shelton. Those things really kept me in
town.”
In 2000, Bobby signed a publishing pact
with Mosaic Music, now calleds Stage 3, and
he’s still satisfied with this Music Row deal.
“These guys have been with me all the way.
It’s a wonderful, happy relationship,” says
(Continued on page 23)
of taking our music overseas.”
Biz adds, “We’ve done a little bit on the
Austin scene, but being female we don’t dig
going into bars as much. We do the corporate
things there and we’ve done some of the
smaller things. And, oh yes, we’re doing the
Houston Livestock & Rodeo Show pretty
soon.”
Karol Ann interjects, “Which is no small
thing really.”
Biz chuckles, “Yeah, it is no small gig.
But our forte has really been fairs and festivals,
because that’s where we fit in best. Well,
we did fit in best, but now we’ve migrated
from those to concert stages.
Dalene adds, “But we still love doing the
outdoor shows. In May, we also do the Country
Thunder, a four-day outdoor festival and
George Strait’s going to be there (held in
Waxahachie, Texas).”
What about the next album?
Biz: “We hope to get another album out,
but that will be down the road a-ways. We’ve
got more singles on this one to do, and we’ll
be writing more.”
Dalene: “We played the Wildhorse here in
Nashville last night. So I look forward to continue
touring and promoting this album. The
tour is expanding more every day and I’m anxious
to see all those places and do all the shows
we haven’t done yet.”
Does their band have a name apart from
Lantana?
Karol Ann: “How about Tumble-Buds?
We just made that up.”
What was the highlight of their success
for the youngest member?
“You know I think it was when I saw our
CD on the shelf in the stores. I was just blown
away!”
Karol Ann grins wide, “We forgot to tell
her about that.”
Is it an ambition of theirs to be on next
year’s CRS New Faces show?
“Ab-so-lutely,” they yelled, surprisingly
in unison, indicative of their joint agreement
on the matter.
When asked to name their favorite cut on
their debut album, they are not quite so much
in tandem.
Biz says, “I’ll take the obvious choice, our
current single ‘Let Somebody Love You.’ I
truly love that because it speaks out of love
from a different perspective, about allowing
yourself to receive love. I think it’s a message
that’s important, one people need to be reminded
of. That’s a choice we all have to make.
There are a lot of people that give love out
there to people who won’t receive it. We all
need it. And I love its melody and the instrumentation
that Bill put behind it. We also enjoy
performing it, and people seem really to
connect with it.”
Dalene: “Oh, I like that, too, but I love
our past single (‘Country As a City Girl Can
Be’) because of the humor in it and the way it
was produced as far as integrating our three
personalities into it. Also it’s playful - and it’s
rockin’.”
Karol Ann: “I’m hard-pressed to pick one.
It’s like picking out one of your children as a
favorite. My moods change a lot. I don’t know
what that’s all about, but I like ’em all. And it
depends, too, on the time of day. Maybe I’ll
be in a more mellow mood, where ‘Ride ’em
Cowboy’ appeals more to me, or there might
be a time when I’m in the mood for ‘Savin’ It
Up For Saturday Night,’ with a little Cajun
sort of country feel to it. So I guess I love them
all for different reasons.”
- Walt Trott