Two for Tuesday
Providing background information on music from popular genres like Country, Classic Rock, Southern Rock etc.
Two for Tuesday
The Voice: Vern Gosdin's Musical Legacy
In this episode, we take a deep dive into the life and legacy of Vern Gosdin — the man they called The Voice. From his humble gospel-singing roots in Alabama to his rise as one of country music’s most soulful storytellers, we explore his personal struggles, career milestones, and the stories behind four of his most enduring songs: "Set ’Em Up Joe," "Til the End," "Do You Believe Me Now," and the award-winning "Chiseled in Stone." Packed with history, behind-the-scenes details, and a heartfelt look at the music that defined an era, this episode is a must-listen for any true country fan.
Hear Michael perform these songs at the 2nd Round Music YouTube channel.
Well, hey, friends, and welcome back to the Two for Tuesday podcast brought to you by Second Round Music, where each week we peel back the layers on two songs from one unforgettable artist. I'm your host, michael Pezent, and today we're not just walking the floor, we're walking through the life of one of country music's most emotional voices and one of my all-time favorites, vern Gustin.
Speaker 1:You might know him as the Voice, a nickname that he earned, not with flash, but with a pure, honest and live-in singing style that told the truth, even when it hurt. Now, vern didn't give himself that nickname. From what I understand, he earned it from his peers and he's often been called one of the purest voices in the genre. So today we're not only going to deep dive into his extraordinary life, but we're going to do something a little bit different and we're going to do a Tuesday triple play where we'll talk about three of his most memorable songs. Set them up, joe, till the end, and do you believe me? Now We'll also take a moment to briefly revisit a signature track of his, Chiseled in Stone. You can't leave that one off either. But before we dive into Vern's career in music, give a listen to our sponsored message and I'll catch you on the other side. Are you ready to take control of your finances and build a brighter future? Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired and feeling broke all the time? My name is Michael Pezzin, a certified master coach, and I created Second Round Financial to provide personalized financial coaching based on the proven principles of Dave Ramsey's seven baby steps. Our services include, but are not limited to, one-on-one financial coaching through Zoom conference or face-to-face, budgeting strategies, debt reduction plans, emergency fund creation, retirement planning and investment guidance. But why choose us? Because we believe in empowering our clients with the knowledge and tools they need to achieve financial peace. With our guidance, you'll gain clarity over your financial situation, develop a realistic and achievable plan and experience hope and confidence in your financial future. I have over 15 years experience teaching and guiding families in the Ramsey Principles, along with a degree in finance and work experience in the banking and insurance industries. So let's get started today. Go to secondroundfinancialcom and click book now to schedule your free consultation today.
Speaker 1:So Vern Gostin was born August 5th in 1934 in Woodland, alabama. Now that's a town that's nestled in the hills of Randolph County, where the air is thick with the smell of pine trees and the front porches echo with hymnals. Now he was the sixth of nine children in a devout Baptist family and from the time that he could speak he could sing. Music was woven into the fabric of his childhood. His mother played the piano at their church and the family would often get together and sing at night, usually breaking into some four-part harmony. Now that gospel influence and tight harmonies, heartfelt delivery and spiritual resonance. It never left Vern. It shaped his understanding of music as something deeply personal and sacred. As a teen, vern became enamored with the hard-edged honky-tonk of Lefty Frizzell and Hank Williams. These weren't just singers, they were storytellers. And Vern wanted in. He began performing in gospel quartets and local radio shows before making the fateful move westward to.
Speaker 1:California in the early 1960s. Now, california was the home of a newly created Bakersfield sound, a gritty, twangy, electrified alternative to Nashville's polished production, and we'll talk about that sound in an episode real soon. Now Vern teamed up with his brother, rex, to form the Gosden Brothers and they became a fixture in California, especially in the country rock scene. They opened for the Byrds and they would often provide harmonies on Gene Clark's early solo albums. Now, it was a strange blend southern gospel roots, folk rock leanings and the Bakersfield steel guitar but it worked.
Speaker 1:Despite critical acclaim, the Geisten brothers struggled to find mainstream success and by the early 70s Vern's marriage was falling apart and he walked away from music entirely. So he decided to move back east and he opened up a glass company in Cartersville, georgia, and he lived a quiet life for several years, but to call it country music. Well, that never left him. And in the mid-1970s, with his personal life in shambles and his heart still full of music, vern made a bold move and he returned to Nashville with a batch of songs and a voice that had been seasoned by heartache, maturity and time. Now, guys, I can't say that I've heard every song in Vern Gustin's catalog but I've heard a lot of them and I found that just about every song is about being emotionally torn apart.
Speaker 1:Vern is the white man's version of true blues singer, and he did it very well. So he signed with Electra Records and in 1976 he released his first solo single, which set him on the road to being known as one of country music's finest vocal interpreters. Now, his first solo single, which set him on the road to being known as one of country music's finest vocal interpreters, his early solo recordings were soaked in sorrow and honesty. Gisdon didn't just sing about pain, he channeled it. Now, vern never had the commercial success of Merle Haggard or George Jones, although he did have 17 top 10 hits in a 23-year career from 1977 to 1990. But he's been compared to both of them many times, and sometimes I think he gets overlooked as one of the legends of the rebirth of traditional country music that started back in the mid-'80s piano plays softly.
Speaker 2:If I never see your loving face again, I'll go on loving you Till the end. And if my broken heart.
Speaker 1:Now Till the End was Vern Gaston's breakthrough moment as a solo artist. The song was released in 1977 and it climbed to number seven on the Billboard country charts and introduced the world to a vocalist that could make devotion sound as powerful as heartbreak. But this wasn't the first time that Vern recorded this song. He and his brother Rex you remember from the first segment that we just talked about. They recorded it and also another song called hanging on back in the 60s and both got very modest at best chart success. Now vern would re-release hanging on as his first single as a solo artist and it made it up to charts to number 16. Now Till the End was written by Curtis Wayne and Billy Hill, but Vern made that song his own with a reading so sincere you couldn't help but believe every word.
Speaker 1:The theme was simple unconditional love but, in Gaston's hands, that simplicity became profound Now. What elevated this song further was the harmony vocals of Janie Fricke. Now, early in Janie's career she was known for her backing vocals and she's appeared on numerous country hits. Her voice floats above Vern's like a ghostly promise, giving the song a timeless quality. Giving the song a timeless quality. Now, behind the console was producer Gary S Paxton. Now he was a quirky musical chameleon known for everything from gospel to psychedelic rock. Now Paxton understood that Gostin didn't need elaborate arrangements or a studio trick.
Speaker 1:The production's sparse and warm and it allows Vern's vocals to sit up front and be right there in the center. Track was recorded live to tape at columbia studio b in nashville. Like I say, there's no click. There's no click tracks, no digital editing, no studio tricks. That analog approach gives, till the end, an organic pulse and you can hear the room breathe. You can feel the musicians reacting to Vern's phrasing in real time. It was the kind of performance that made people lean in Country Radio, took notice and, for the first time, so did Nashville.
Speaker 2:They got a Venice Victrola 1951 Full of my favorite records that I grew up on. They got old Hank and Lefty and there's B-24. Set them up, joe, and play walkin' the floor. Set them up, joe and play walkin' the floor. Set them up, joe, and play walkin' the floor.
Speaker 1:Now let's fast forward a bit and by 1988, vern Gostin was on fire. His album Chiseled in Stone had become a critical and commercial triumph, and his voice was sharper, wiser and more resilient than ever. Then came Set them Up Joe, a jukebox anthem with a heartbreak in its bones. The song was co-written by a powerhouse team Vern himself, dean Dillon, buddy Cannon and Hank Cochran. Now, that's a murderer's row of country music songwriting talent.
Speaker 1:The song is a tribute to Ernest Tubb, the honky-tonk pioneer who helped define the sound of early country music. You remember we talked about him in a previous episode. Now, in fact, this song name checks one of Tubb's earliest hits Walking the Floor Over you. But this isn't just nostalgia. It's about how music, specifically country music, becomes a lifeline during tough times. And in the song the narrator is sitting alone at a bar numbing his pain with whiskey, and this worn-out classic, the jukebox, becomes his therapist, the bartender his priest, and the past is only comfort. It's a beautiful tension in performance, upbeat rhythm, but a melancholy content. It was recorded at the legendary Sound Emporium Studios and produced by Bob Montgomery, and he struck the perfect balance between honky-tonk groove and emotional gravitas. Now, according to those that were present, vern nailed his lead vocal in one take, and that take's the one you hear on the record.
Speaker 1:It's raw, it's unscripted and it's electric. It's what made Vern Gostin so special. He didn't perform songs, he relived them. I set him up. Joe hit number one and became his signature song, or I would say, one of his signature songs. But, more importantly, it cemented Vern as the bridge between old school legends like Tubb and the neo-traditionalists of the late 80s. Do you believe me now?
Speaker 2:I've told you time and time again my heart and soul is in your hands. Do you believe me now? Do you believe?
Speaker 1:me now? Do you believe me now? Now let's take a look at probably my favorite Vern Gostin song. Do you Believe Me Now? This is one of Vern's most haunting and emotionally charged performances, this time with deeper accuracy and a fresh insight. So this song was released November 7, 1987, and it was the first single off of the chiseled in stone album. The song was co-written by vern and max d barnes. Now max was a powerhouse songwriter and he's gone on and has won many cma song of the year awards there. He was also inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. He also co-wrote one of Vern's what many call his signature hit, chiseled in Stone. We'll talk about that in the next segment. So this collaboration came with some serious emotional weight.
Speaker 1:Now, the single peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and it stayed there on that chart deep until the next year. Now, unlike upbeat honky-tonk tracks, this song is built on restraint and space, also produced by bob montgomery, it captures emotion in subtle detail acoustic rhythm, guitar, soft piano chords, a weeping steel guitar and occasional fiddle it layers sparingly to punctuate emotional moments. There's no sense of urgency, just a simmering tension, and it's underscored by Vern's controlled vocal delivery. Now some descriptions have imagined stark minimalism. The track actually integrates instruments tastefully. The piano provides subtle harmonic support and occasional melody echoes.
Speaker 1:The steel guitar and the fiddle intertwine to build emotional texture. But only when it's needed. And the rhythm guitar and the bass, well, they anchor a slow beat that supports Vern's pacing and giving room for his voice.
Speaker 1:Now when I hear this song, I can feel the emotion that Vern's delivering. I mean, I can picture the emotion that Vern's delivering. I mean I can picture a conversation happening. You got this guy living in a seedy part of town because his woman's left him, you know, probably a rundown apartment. And the next thing, you know, his ex shows up and I can actually see him saying don't you think you should have called? Which is the way the song obviously opens. This is just one of those songs that I can see the story unfolding and building, and when you add Vern's delivery and that steel guitar, well, if you don't feel those emotions, you might better check your pulse. There's no huge crescendos, there's no vocal gymnastics. Instead, every note feels respectful to the lyric of the space in between the lines and the unsaid weight. Today, fans still remember this song as a close runner-up to Chiseled in Stone when they get asked about Vern's finest performances hey guys, thank you for listening today and I hope you're enjoying this podcast.
Speaker 1:If you are, please subscribe or follow the podcast. Click the like button, share it with other music lovers and please consider giving a five-star rating so we can reach a bigger audience. Now back to the show. Now, before we close, we can't ignore the song that actually defined Vern Gostin's legacy, chiseled in Stone. Again. This was co-written Max Barnes and Vern by, and the song won the CMA song of the year and it remains one of the most emotionally devastating tracks in country history. Now he Stopped.
Speaker 1:Loving Her Today by George Jones is probably and arguably, one of the saddest country songs ever recorded. But this song is emotionally charged and sad, but at least it has a better ending. Now, as the lyrics read obviously you've got a husband and wife that get in a heated argument. She goes to the bedroom to cry, he goes running to the bar. You get an older gentleman, sits down, probably, strikes up a conversation. Our guy tells him about all of his troubles, to which this old man, as the song says in the story, tells him hey, buddy, I know exactly how you feel, but you haven't experienced loneliness yet and and as the title is the gut punch, you don't know about lonely till it's chiseled in stone Now. Vern was reluctant to sing this song at first. He said it was too personal and too painful. But that's exactly why it worked. But that's exactly why it worked. It wasn't a performance.
Speaker 1:The song was a confession Now, as Vern's career started to slow down as we reached the new millennium. He suffered his first stroke in 1998. But it didn't keep him from writing and singing, and he did so up until he passed away on April 28, 2009, in a hospital in Nashville where he had suffered his second stroke. Now Vern was only 74 years old, but his voice lives on in every heartbreak, ballad, sung by those who still believe country music is about the truth. Artists like Jeremy Johnson, Chris Stapleton and Alan Jackson all cite Vern as a huge influence in their musical careers, and for good reason. Vern never faked it. He didn't chase trends. He just told the truth in a voice that sounded like it had already lived the stories it told. He was a honky-tonk poet. He was a gospel-rooted balladeer and a master craftsman of sorrow. So the next time you find yourself alone with a memory and a song, cue up some Vern Gostin and let the voice remind you that pain can be beautiful and the healing can come from a jukebox.
Speaker 1:So thanks for joining me for this week's episode of the Two for Tuesday podcast brought to you by Second Round Music with your host, michael Prezant. And if Vern Gostin moved you today, do me a favor Share this episode with somebody who loves real country music, and don't forget to subscribe, leave a review and tune in next week for another journey through the songs that have shaped our lives. Until then, keep your jukebox full, your heart open and your barstool warm. Remember we love you and we need you. God bless you.