Bucky Heard of The Righteous Brothers on Music, Legacy & What’s Next Ep108

This week on Happy Hour with Deb, we sit down with Bucky Heard of the legendary The Righteous Brothers for an incredible conversation about music, legacy, and what’s next. 

Bucky shares his journey through Nashville, how he built his career over the years, and what it’s been like stepping into the iconic role alongside Bill Medley as part of The Righteous Brothers. We also dive into his upcoming music, new albums, and the stories behind the songs he’s bringing to life in this next chapter.

Known for his powerful voice and high-energy performances, Bucky opens up about his passion for uplifting audiences and creating moments that truly connect. From sharing the stage with legendary artists to now carrying on a timeless legacy, this episode is all about the journey, the music, and the excitement of what’s still to come.

#countrymusic #countrymusicartist #nashville #podcast #happyhourwithdeb

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

So when they heard me singing, it's gonna be a holiday tonight, they it's like the short song.

SPEAKER_01 0:07

Where did that come from? To m to them, I am, you know, whoa. Um that's me.

SPEAKER_02 0:16

It is on I'm sorry. I still cry every time I hear it. I think it is the best song ever written in music. Hey, this is Deb. It's Happy Hour with Deb. And today, ladies and gentlemen, I am a very lucky woman. I have a legend sitting next to me. Bucky Heard, welcome to Happy Hour.

SPEAKER_01 0:44

Oh, well, thank you. Thanks, Deb. Thanks for having me. It's great to be back in Nashville.

SPEAKER_02 0:49

Right? Welcome back to Nashville. So we have so much to talk about. Um, let's start with your album. You just wrote a new album, Breathless. Yeah. It is incredible. Well, thank you. Walk me, you know, everyone, and we're gonna get into this too. Um, Bucky is the other half of the Righteous Brothers. So he is a legend in his own, and then started writing country music. Tell me how we made the transition. What brought you to country music?

SPEAKER_01 1:16

Well, um, you know, having done the Righteous Brothers, we've uh we just actually started our 11th season, which is insane. You know, I had no clue it would be uh, you know, this successful and still going on all these years. Bill's 85 now and still out singing at a high level. He actually just recorded an album too here in the kiddie right before mine. About six months ago, I got to see him perform. He made his debut uh on the stage at the Grand Old Opry.

SPEAKER_02 1:45

So oh, that is such a beautiful I don't think there's any music better than The Righteous Brothers.

SPEAKER_01 1:51

No, that's and I grew up listening to it. That's why it's surreal to me, and I say it all the time in the show, that this, you know, it's it's just mind-blowing that, you know, this little kid, I played these records in my room. I know. And then, you know, year now I'm standing on stage, you know, singing these songs for the biggest thing.

SPEAKER_02 2:12

That must be like, because I can tell you when I was I'm from Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, but we didn't make it to the Super Bowl. Um and I was uh I being a Falcons fan. I know. Oh no, I'm so sorry. Mitch got killed in the playoffs. We went out the first round.

SPEAKER_01 2:28

It's football is I don't even remember what it was like to go to the playoffs.

SPEAKER_02 2:31

We haven't been in so many since I know, I know. I kind of feel though it's so funny because Philadelphia had such a good run, and all season, I'm like, they're not going to the Super Bowl. But you know, it's a very blue-collar town, and and when when they find out that they're not winning, they're not happy. Shit gets real in Philadelphia.

SPEAKER_01 2:49

One of my best friends was a uh she used to be a cheerleader, gosh, back in 72 for the for the Eagles. Yeah. And I don't know if you saw a few weeks ago they had all the all the cheerleaders from they had like 200 cheerleaders, former cheerleaders. She was out there on the front.

SPEAKER_02 3:04

Oh, that's so exciting.

SPEAKER_01 3:05

One of the older ones that were there.

SPEAKER_02 3:06

Philly is a is a cool city. Yeah, it is. It is, it's a cool city. I mean, you have to have a little thick skin to be there, but it's a cool city. Yeah, yeah. So let's talk about the album. You you've been touring, you do doing a little thing, and you're doing a residency thing in Vegas for people to see you. I'm sure that sells out every night.

SPEAKER_01 3:23

Yeah, we're at uh we play uh South Point. Uh we were at Harris pre-COVID, and then coming out of COVID, uh, we decided to go over to South Point, which is uh South Point Hotel and Casino. That's what they also have the big equestria. They do NFR, all the rodeo stuff there.

SPEAKER_02 3:39

And that just happened not that long ago. A lot of artists. I'm going next year, Mitch. You heard that.

SPEAKER_01 3:44

It's an incredible, it's an incredible uh and the showroom seats about 450, 500 old school Vegas kind of layout, and it's just yeah, it's great.

SPEAKER_02 3:53

So we Vegas is a great city.

SPEAKER_01 3:55

Yeah, that's it's amazing. But I, you know, I'm an Alabama guy. I grew up in Alabama, and so when the when Bill announced that we were gonna be on the Love and Feel and Farewell tour, um he he said, You gotta maybe make some decisions. And I had some people approach me, like uh promoters, saying we could take you as Bucky Heard of The Righteous Brothers and put you with like Gary Puckett and Union Gap and the Letterman and some of these other oldies.

SPEAKER_00 4:20

Right, all not bad options, you know, not bad. Fabulous options.

SPEAKER_01 4:23

You know, like have those flower power uh happy together tour where they put a bunch of groups together, right? And so I thought, you know, that's something that I feel like I could always do, come back to. I said, but I felt like I wanted to do a record that leaned into my country, Southern Roots, and I was uh, I mean, I grew up singing in rock and roll bands. I mean, Bad Company, 38 Special, The Eagles, uh, Credence Clearwater Revival.

SPEAKER_02 4:48

Right. And so that's an impressive resume. Those are like those are hard rock, yeah. That's right.

SPEAKER_01 4:53

Yeah, and that's kind of like a country a little bit, like Chris Stapleton and people like, you know, he's he's soulful, he's a blues rock singer, you know. He's amazing. So it's not um so I so I I I decided I wanted to do this country rock album and kind of it's kind of lean into uh I'm a big Bob Seeger fan. Yeah. And so, you know, some of the songs kind of have uh it's kind of a Bob Seeger meets Journey meets the Eagles kind of feel. Um I wanted some really gritty. I listened, it's beautiful. Thank you. And the ballads, we wanted the ballads to be amazing. It's amazing. The ballads to be reminisc to be reminiscent of like uh Open Arms by Journey, right? And then have the grittiness of Bob Seeger on the on the rock songs. So um I was fortunate to be connected with with Bob Bullock, my producer, who is a legend as well. And he uh, you know, we talked to several different producers here, and one thing Nashville is not at a loss for that's great producers, great studios, and great musicians, and great songwriter, great everything.

SPEAKER_00 5:57

Yeah, right. And so that's why I come here. You're an artist, this is a great place to be.

SPEAKER_01 6:01

Best place in the world. And so in my I knew I was gonna do about eight songs, and the only cover is uh, as you know, you've heard the record is Crying. I do a version of Crying by Roy Orbison. Yeah, but you know, so I was like, I'm I'm probably gonna write three or four of the songs, and then I started getting songs from like Marv Green and Kent Blazey and some these great writers, and and just fell in love with with these songs. And so we they just we got song pluggers were sending us probably 150 songs, and out of all those we picked seven. Wow, and I wrote one up, co-wrote one of them, but it had to be really difficult. It was, but I I was able to eliminate half of them immediately because I'm I'm over, I don't want to sing about you know, partying, getting drunk and all that, you know.

SPEAKER_02 6:49

I we kind of grow out of that, right? Yeah, I just want to grow out of it.

SPEAKER_01 6:53

I just want to sing about meaningful things and I want to, I want like you and I talked about what you do. You know, I want to change lives for the better. And when people hear my when they play my album, when they come to my concerts live, um, you know, my solo shows, I want them to leave feeling better about themselves and the world around them. And my message is your you know, uh dreams don't have a shelf life. Dust take those dreams. I don't care how old you are, you take those dreams off the shelf, dust them off, and um and you know, age ain't I've got hats that I that I have at my shows. Age ain't nothing but a number, you know. Right, right. And so your best days can be ahead. It's up to you, you know. And I mean, I didn't have any clue that at 50 years old I was gonna be a righteous brother, you know. And so I'm living proof.

SPEAKER_02 7:41

Well, you like that's an that's incredible. Yeah, it like I mean it just happened like Unchained Melody is I mean, everybody's like, I want that to be my wedding song.

SPEAKER_01 7:50

Yeah like it's well Bill said a lot of people say they come up and say, What what what was your what was your wedding song? Oh, it was You've Lost That Love and Feeling. He goes, Well, shouldn't that be a divorce song? You've lost that love and feeling exactly but but the You've Lost That Love and Feeling about 20 years ago surpassed the Beatles record yesterday and became the most played record in the history of radio.

SPEAKER_02 8:11

Wow, that's such a and here you are again. And it'll never be another album. Life is winning for you, Sarah. Yeah, so you're gonna keep going.

SPEAKER_01 8:19

You think, you know, everybody's like, so in my mind, I'm initially thinking, I'm a righteous brother. I I can't ask God for anything more than that.

SPEAKER_02 8:30

And now God delivered you.

SPEAKER_01 8:32

And then here, and now we're going to the next now. I'm gonna take it to the next level with this record. So uh I'm really proud of it.

SPEAKER_02 8:39

The musicians on this album you should be very proud of this album. You should be proud of it.

SPEAKER_01 8:43

I think it's encouraging people, and uh I did my first full show uh in Vegas. There's an old school venue called the Italian American Club. Okay. I mean, Joe Pesci stops by the city. So, yeah, it's it's true, and they have about a 250-seat showroom. And uh we we went in with a great band, and Bill got up and sang a couple songs with me. We sold it out. I love that. And so it was nice to do the songs live and to kind of get a vibe on how the audience reacted to them. Right. So I take all these original songs and sprinkle in you know, Heartache Tonight by the Eagles and Don't Stop Believing by Journey, and and uh and and mix put it put really cool rock cover songs around these originals, and and uh and the show went over really, really well. So I got I booked two more solo shows in Las Vegas, and then I'm here to do Third and Lindsley uh tomorrow, which is gonna be exciting.

SPEAKER_02 9:37

That's gonna be so exciting. I wish I was in town because I would love to see you. I would love for you to be there. I would love, don't worry. Uh you know, get Philly on that farewell.

SPEAKER_01 9:45

I sure would love it.

SPEAKER_02 9:46

Don't worry, we'll we'll travel to go see.

SPEAKER_01 9:48

We're coming up the East Coast, the Righteous Brothers are. I know we're playing Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

SPEAKER_02 9:52

Oh, yeah, that's not that far.

SPEAKER_01 9:53

Yeah, we're playing there in like May or May or June.

SPEAKER_02 9:58

Count us in. You should be able to do that. Count me and my husband would love to. We you're so sweet. God bless you. Thank you so much. That's amazing.

SPEAKER_01 10:06

Yeah, we're going up, that's gonna be fun. We're going up the east coast. I've never been to Maine, we're going to Maine to play. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:11

Well, you have to wait till May because it's still 14 inches of snow that's now ice in Philadelphia.

SPEAKER_01 10:15

So it's kind of a balancing act right now. Um, I'm I'm booking my show around Righteous Brothers show. Around the tour, the farewell tour. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:24

What's that? How does that make you feel when you hear that's the farewell tour?

SPEAKER_01 10:27

Um, you know, it's bittersweet. I I'm I I don't ever I don't want to stop doing the Righteous Brothers, obviously. It's been incredible, but I'm I'm really excited about my solo career and about, you know, what whatever God's got planned for me, whatever those next steps are. Uh I'm really excited about that. So um, you know, and and and I mean let's face it, the Eagles have been on their fair world tour for what, two, three years.

SPEAKER_02 10:52

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 10:53

So, you know, Bill basically said he's feeling really good right now, and he said, I'm gonna keep doing it until he's in good health. Yes, he's in great health.

SPEAKER_02 11:02

God bless him.

SPEAKER_01 11:03

Said until they stop coming, he puts it like this I'm gonna keep doing it until they stop coming or the wheels fall off.

SPEAKER_02 11:09

Right. And I use the wheels fall off a lot with my children when they have a bad, they're adults now and they have a bad day. I'm like, oh God, did your wheels fall off too? Yeah. I used I used to be.

SPEAKER_01 11:19

But there's some singers out there that we've heard, and I'm not gonna name, but that shouldn't be, you know, they should hang it up.

SPEAKER_02 11:24

Yeah, they should like go out on a high note. They should.

SPEAKER_01 11:27

And there's some there's a few that I've heard in concert that I'm like, but Bill still sounds great, and he told me, he said, if I ever am not meeting the standard of what we are uh, you have to tell me. If I don't, if I'm not aware of it, you have to tell me. Right. And he just keeps getting stronger and better.

SPEAKER_02 11:44

That's that's God bless him.

SPEAKER_01 11:46

His album he just cut right before mine. Um, he does a do-it with Vince Gill, um, Sean Colvin. Wow. Um, I was in the studio, he and Michael McDonnell recorded uh uh Buck Owen's song Crying Time.

SPEAKER_02 11:58

Yeah, wow.

SPEAKER_01 11:59

And it's a it's really an and he it's a it's a great record. So you know, he did his at Curb, and then I came in and did mine. So we both did country and they're country both. So we I love that. We both did country music.

SPEAKER_02 12:11

I think the whole world should be singing country music, sir. You know, it's I think it's a feel-good, it's just well it it spans, it spans, you know, country music kind of envelops everything, I think.

SPEAKER_01 12:24

Totally story and beautiful ballads and storytelling ballads, and then you've got those driving rock songs. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 12:31

Um and it's funny, I've been this show will be two years old in March next month. Happy birthday, happy hour. Um and everyone I've met has been so humble, and I love this about country music artist. They it's not an ego, they help the next one up. And I think that's this whole city has that vibe of helping each other.

SPEAKER_01 12:55

Well, it feels like home. It's it's it's totally. I love it here. It's family. Yeah, but you're family when you come down here.

SPEAKER_02 13:00

Yeah, that's what I say. I'm like, they're my Nashville family.

SPEAKER_01 13:03

Yeah, no, and I love Las Vegas, you know. I I really do, but um the glitz and the glam, and it can be a little pretentious at times. Yeah, and Nashville's just you know, baseball caps and t-shirts and and and great music, you know. It's not about the fluff, it's a few. It's not about it's about the songs.

SPEAKER_02 13:22

You think you'll ever call it home someday?

SPEAKER_01 13:25

I I would really love to. Um my wife, she calls herself a desert snob. Oh and she we lived in Branson, Missouri for 22 years, that's where and she's in the business as well.

SPEAKER_03 13:36

Oh, cool.

SPEAKER_01 13:37

So both of us worked together in Branson, and um and the the reason I loved Branson so much is because it had the same vibe as Alabama, and which has the same vibe as Nashville. And uh so I I would I would move here in a heartbeat, but she she's kind of dug in there and got a lot of friends out in Vegas, and so who knows? Maybe we'll get a little appearing. I've been traveling in I'm I've been in I've been in Nashville lately almost as much as I have Vegas.

SPEAKER_02 14:07

So you recorded this entire album here in Nashville.

SPEAKER_01 14:10

Yeah, Curb Records.

SPEAKER_02 14:11

Wow, and how was you? Must have been like, do you feel like this this precious brand new baby that you just want to share with the entire world?

SPEAKER_01 14:18

It's funny you made a joke, because I made a joke about this um when we did my live show. I said, you know, when you do an album, it's about a year process. You gotta pick the songs, and then and then you gotta get the producer, and then the producer gets the musicians, and then you gotta pick the studio, and then when the album's done, it has to be mastered, and then you have to go and do photo shoots so you can get the album cover done. Right. Then you have to get the rights for it, and all that. It's it's it's a process. Totally. And I said, it's very much like having a child.

SPEAKER_02 14:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:46

I said, you know, you go through the labor pains and all and all this.

SPEAKER_02 14:50

You're gonna be up all night the first couple months.

SPEAKER_01 14:52

And you're hoping to deliver this beautiful creation. I said, and the bottom line is you don't want to hope you're just hoping it doesn't look like Joe Pesci. Right. Oh my gosh. That's it. That's like you want you want to birth this beautiful thing that that will hopefully make the world better and and and more and more beautiful.

SPEAKER_02 15:10

I can tell you that album will make the world better. Yeah, it's beautiful. It will make how's the response been? I mean, I know that you know, in this industry, it's hard to get it out there, you know.

SPEAKER_01 15:20

It is, it's with all the streaming and all that stuff, you know.

SPEAKER_02 15:23

Well, very different from you know what what at our age, what happened, you know, like it's a whole different industry.

SPEAKER_01 15:30

Yeah, yeah, I mean, uh it it was a it was a really interesting process. I haven't done an album in a while, and you know, I did four music videos, so the the plan was, you know, we I think we released the first song in June, and I'd already done the so we released a song at the first of the month, and then a week later do drop the video. Right. So you have two opportunities to promote it, and then the next month the same thing. And so we did four music videos. So you you know, the album was done almost a gosh, over uh I think a year ago, December. Wow, the album was finished. But the process of releasing it, you just gotta take your time and you do.

SPEAKER_02 16:11

Well, if you want it to be a legend, and that's that's what you have to do. You gotta build a hype, you gotta have it.

SPEAKER_01 16:16

Absolutely, and so uh, you know, Cliff, my manager, Cliff Doyle's um he he also has been my publicist, he's been everything.

SPEAKER_02 16:23

And Cliff's been Cliff's one of the best in the business. I love Cliff.

SPEAKER_01 16:26

And we had a we had a pretty good marketing team that came on board, and and uh, you know, we've been putting some stuff out there. Um it's just it's it's uh the fortunate slash unfortunate thing is because I'm still doing the Righteous Brothers, and we still have a full schedule of Righteous Brothers show this year. You know, I think we have 20 shows in Vegas and we'll probably do 50 shows on the road. Um booking my show around that's kind of tricky.

SPEAKER_02 16:53

Yeah, it's a little tricky, right? And you're still interviewing, and that's hard too, you know, to promote and to get it out there.

SPEAKER_01 16:59

And it's hard to be on that circuit of radio and podcast and it it's it's uh, you know, the streaming thing and all that, that's kind of new to as far as, you know, I stream music, but how do you get you know getting people to stream it? Right. And when there's so much great material out there, right, you know, you're you're a fish, very small fish in the future.

SPEAKER_02 17:22

There is, right. I say that all the time. There's so much talent.

SPEAKER_01 17:25

It takes a lot of um, you know, it takes a lot of luck, really. I mean, you you you you obviously have to be good, you have to have a great product, but um you gotta somehow fall through the cracks, you know, and and just get that break, you know.

SPEAKER_02 17:40

Yeah, and and really it's about alignment with the race.

SPEAKER_01 17:42

You gotta believe in yourself.

SPEAKER_02 17:44

Absolutely. I tell people that all the time. I'm like, if you're not dreaming big, like big that you're terrified of it, you're not gonna be able to do it. I love that. I love that that you're terrified of it.

SPEAKER_01 17:53

Well, here's what you know, I'm a man of faith and and and I know God can do big things. And how can uh I'm not gonna put a cap on on what he can do by by I want I I said I want, you know, I actually pray, I want to hit record, and I believe that it can happen.

SPEAKER_02 18:10

Oh, it's gonna be a huge huge hit this record.

SPEAKER_01 18:15

You know, we were talking about how you how what you do and how you help people and give them their lives back. I mean, if if one person hears one of my songs and it can it and it and it uplifts them and it and it help and it helps them in some way, I mean, we are so entertainers are so blessed that we have the platform to to make a difference in someone's life and the God-given talent. Oh yeah. I mean, and and and I was um the first time I was aware of that, I was a young entertainer. I was working for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and um I was probably 22, 23 years old. And Michael Bolton was really big, and he had a song called When I'm Back on My Feet Again. And I sang this song in our in one of our shows on on the ship. And one night I just I was like, oh, I don't feel like singing. I went and I sang the song, and after the show, this lady comes up to me with with her two two of her kids, and she said, I have to tell you, she said, I lost my son, one of my sons to a car accident. It was 16, uh, two three weeks ago, and my kids brought me out here on the ship to just to get away from heal and recover, right? And she goes, and I can't even begin, she was sobbing. I can't even begin to tell you, hearing when I'm back on my feet again. That song is so powerful. And and I was crying, and she was crying, the kids were crying, and at that point, I you know, I kind of always knew it, but at that point I went, you know, I I have I have this platform and really a responsibility.

SPEAKER_02 19:50

I I can let me tell you something. We shot in December, we came and shot around, and and we were talking to the younger artist, um, and we were saying that, you know, God gave you this talent, right? And you're not doing uh you're not doing him justice, you're not doing yourself. If you don't 100%, if you don't go out there, if you don't take chances in life, and and you've been comfortable in music for a very long time.

SPEAKER_01 20:18

You're gonna end up where you one of one of my songs uh that I actually the song on my album called It Is What It Is Till It Ain't, I co-wrote that one. And um there's a funny little chant we do in the middle that's it's it's funny, but it's so true, and it's shoulda, woulda, coulda never did me any good. Wow left me standing where I stood uh yesterday.

SPEAKER_03 20:39

Right.

SPEAKER_01 20:40

So think about that. Yeah. If you're make excuses, and a lot of people want to blame the situations, or you know, I gr I had a bad upbringing, and this and you know, you can you can blame this and blame that, but ultimately it's up to you.

SPEAKER_02 20:52

You have to take accountability, right? The same way. And you know, it is true when I can't even imagine what it's like to have a song that moves somebody to tears, but when you can have this is I can tell just by meeting you in this short time, you're the kind of person that really your heart for this and it's what it's all about.

SPEAKER_01 21:10

My entire my entire platform is about encouraging and uplifting and and making people bel you know, really understand that that that there's still a lot of good out there and there's opportunity out there, and the thing that you don't want more than anything else, and and I know when I get to the end of my time on this earth that I'm gonna be able to look back and go, I I did and tried everything I wanted to do. And I don't have any regrets because it's beautiful. I can live with failure. I and I've failed many times.

SPEAKER_02 21:46

Well, we have to, or else we don't learn anything.

SPEAKER_01 21:48

That's it. You get you take your lumps. I can live with failure. What I can't live with is regret. And I wish I would have tried this. Gosh, I always wanted to write a song, I always wanted to play piano. Well then well then start today.

SPEAKER_02 22:02

Yeah, what's stopping you?

SPEAKER_01 22:03

Start putting things in motion to do it today.

SPEAKER_02 22:05

But people And every day's a new day. As humans, we get to wake up and write our own story.

SPEAKER_01 22:10

It's the first day of the rest of your life.

SPEAKER_02 22:12

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 22:12

And so that's you know, w there's a song on this record uh called uh Empty, which um which talks about the at the end, it's not the money and it's not the fame and fortune and the big things that you think are so important. It's the it's going to little league baseball games and family reunions and and and and and eating going to your favorite cafe and having that slice of your favorite apple pie. And it's those moments and the the moments and the and the loved ones that you share those moments with that mean everything.

SPEAKER_02 22:52

It truly does, especially for somebody who's on the road, who's living their life on the road.

SPEAKER_01 22:55

So that song is um uh it's uh um the the chorus goes, lay your soul to rest with no words left unsaid, no song left unsung, no letters unwritten, no laughter held back, no grudge unforgiven. We all run out of time, so make sure love is plenty. Give life all you have and go to the grave empty.

SPEAKER_02 23:18

That's so beautiful and so inspiring. What would you tell somebody a young artist that's here in Nashville that came with a guitar in a dream? What would your advice be?

SPEAKER_01 23:28

If they somebody's just coming into Nashville.

SPEAKER_02 23:30

Yeah, just come in, like I love music, I'm gonna play it, I'm just coming to Nashville. What's your advice to the younger people who want to break through into this industry?

SPEAKER_01 23:36

Um I would say, and this sounds cliche, but but don't ever give up and find find people, go out and network, meeting people, go to these places that like the local and places like that where you can meet songwriters, collaborate. It's network.

SPEAKER_02 23:58

Absolutely. I mean, really, the power of networking.

SPEAKER_01 24:00

Oh, my daughter's in New York City, uh studying theater.

SPEAKER_02 24:03

Oh, that's great.

SPEAKER_01 24:04

And she stood in line for 10 hours for a cattle call for dirty dancing of all things. Right. And she said, Dad, you know, I don't I'm hoping I get this. She did, she's on her third callback.

SPEAKER_02 24:14

So that's we're gonna keep our fingers. What's your name?

SPEAKER_01 24:18

What's that?

SPEAKER_02 24:18

What's your daughter's name? Sydney. Sydney, we got you, girl. We got you.

SPEAKER_01 24:22

But she's like, Dad, I met the greatest people standing in line.

SPEAKER_02 24:25

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 24:26

She said, I and we're gonna go have lunch, and this lady choreographs, and I'm gonna go take her class.

SPEAKER_02 24:30

Amazing.

SPEAKER_01 24:31

And so the networking aspect of it, when you come in, it can be overwhelming, you know, as uh coming into a town that you don't know anybody. I mean, I just did that. I was very fortunate as I was one of the righteous brothers, but stepping into Las Vegas, I didn't know anybody there. Right, right. And so I started going out to the different lounges and and sitting in, you know, letting people hear you.

SPEAKER_02 24:52

And so the networking is ridiculously and sing, go places, take your guitar. Yeah, absolutely. Go in and and we tell people too, we're like, you know, just the power of connection, you know, we don't know what door is gonna open, but a door is going to open.

SPEAKER_01 25:08

And you but you've got to be putting it in motion. My granddad, oh my granddad was a Baptist preacher, and he used to say, Buck, and you probably heard this saying, he goes, if you're gonna pray for the seeds to grow, if you're gonna pray for the crops to grow, you better do it with a sack of seeds and a hoe in your hand.

SPEAKER_02 25:23

Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 25:24

So, in other words, you gotta you've got to put it in motion and you've got to be willing to to put the work in. Uh, but then I think you've got to balance that with faith and and know that that God's got the end game, and what I pray is like, you know, this is what I want, but if you don't want me on this path, then put me on the path that you want me on. Absolutely. That's the I want to make a difference in the way that you want me to make a difference. So so far, he's gonna be a good thing.

SPEAKER_02 25:52

Well, it gave you the talent and he gave you the skills, and that's the most important thing. How many children do you have?

SPEAKER_01 25:58

I have just just one. We have Sydney. She's okay. She's kind of uh uh we call her our miracle baby, you know. I love that. We uh really she was wasn't supposed to be able to have kids but sweet, but we have her, so that's great. And uh she turned 20 in December and acting, singing, dancing, playing guitar. Yeah, she loves New York City. I would have never thought she would have been a New York City girl.

SPEAKER_02 26:21

Yeah, but she loves I think it's New York is one of those things, either you love it or you're like, I am never going back to New York.

SPEAKER_01 26:28

She said, I don't mind going in to see our daughter, but she goes, That I want to do it.

SPEAKER_02 26:32

It's a whole different kind of energy. Really is so let's talk about that. You have very good energy. Like as soon as you came in, you can just see.

SPEAKER_01 26:40

Oh, that's very sweet.

SPEAKER_02 26:41

And have you always been like that?

SPEAKER_01 26:43

Yeah, you know, I've always I think I get that from my mom. My mom just uh I lost her, she's real young, but she introduced me to music and she just she just taught me to, you know, treat people like you want to be treated and be an encourager and uh and try to be positive where you can. And um, but yeah, I just you you just don't know what other people are going through.

SPEAKER_02 27:08

And you never know, you never know. That's why it's so important to just be kind to everybody.

SPEAKER_01 27:14

That's it. I mean it it takes a lot more energy.

SPEAKER_02 27:16

It doesn't cost anything.

SPEAKER_01 27:17

No, and like it takes a lot more energy to be negative, yes, and to be mad and angry and and and and hateful.

SPEAKER_02 27:24

It really does. It really does.

SPEAKER_01 27:26

You don't know what the person next to you has been, like somebody cuts you off in traffic, and you get uh, you know, tendency is to want to get angry or if somebody steps in front of you or doesn't hold the door open for you. Tendency is to get angry, but you never know that person may have just lost their job. That person may have had something tragic happen in their lives. So I think if people would just, you know, give grace take a moment, give some grace, right?

SPEAKER_02 27:49

I tell people that all the time like give some grace. You know, we're all just trying to get by, every single one of us. That's it. And I teach my clients a gratitude practice, like before their feet even hit the floor in the morning. I'm like, talk to the universe, talk to God, whatever you believe, and say three things you're grateful for. It could be the smallest thing.

SPEAKER_01 28:07

That's absolutely great.

SPEAKER_02 28:08

And then it is hard to get knocked off your game when you come from a place of gratitude because you remember that's great that the small things are wonderful, you know, and really we're all just trying to get through that.

SPEAKER_01 28:20

That's it. You know, and and uh yeah, you said it to be to to be uh when I sometimes when I start to get down or when I start to doubt, I I I just sit and think for a minute about all the times uh, you know, when everybody's got their beliefs, and I don't really push my belief on anybody. I try to live my life in such a way that people want to know like what is it that's makes you so joyful? What is it that makes you and and but I I just I think my faith, I was brought up uh uh in you know, church and and all that, and having a lot of people.

SPEAKER_02 29:00

And my dad's I mean, holy smoke it's a show, it's it will move you to tears, it is unbelievable.

SPEAKER_01 29:05

That's where I learned to sing in church. I first started singing when I was probably eight, eight or nine, ten years old. Wow. I was singing in church, and I said, when you sing in when you sing for God, when you sing in church, and I can I can tell I can always tell singers that have a gospel background because they sing with just a something different than other people. It's but it's the feeling that you have because as a singer you're a storyteller. And when you're singing for God, there's nothing more important. And and that tends to, when you when you grow up with that, it tends to transfer over into every other form of music you sing.

SPEAKER_02 29:43

Absolutely. And faith-based people are grateful, and you know, it's really funny with a strong faith and with gratitude, you can do anything. It's not people are like, I'm I'm not good enough, or I didn't go to school. I'm like, we as humans have the ability to dictate our lives.

SPEAKER_01 30:02

Just don't make excuses. Don't make it. Don't make excuses, right? And don't have a backup plan. You know, that that's my other, you know, uh I I used to teach um musical theater in a in an art school back in in Branson when I was there, and and I would and I would ask my my older students, I said, you know, do you think you might want to do this for a living? And the ones that said yes, I would say, well, let me give you this piece of advice, and it's gonna sound harsh, but it's true. I said, if you if you if you are already thinking about it, like say you want to be an actor, right? If you're already thinking about a backup plan, then then just do the backup plan and do the acting as a on the side for fun.

SPEAKER_03 30:44

Right.

SPEAKER_01 30:44

You know, no plan B. I mean, and there's nothing wrong with like I've got a couple of students that they're going into theater, but they're also uh getting a um you're getting a you know, studying theater, but they're also studying business. Right. Because you are the product, you have to promote it. And this is a business, as wonderful as it is. It is, it definitely is. So but but but having a backup plan, like uh it really gives you an out, you know. And so uh I I never had I never feel like once I finally realized, I mean, I tried to run away from it. I I needed a year and a half, I went to Auburn University.

SPEAKER_02 31:23

I read.

SPEAKER_01 31:24

I needed a year and a half to get my geology degree. I was running away from what I knew I wanted to do, and I started playing with this rock band on the side, and I dropped out of school, much to my parents, woo, and uh went on the road with this.

SPEAKER_03 31:37

It's all right, you did okay. You're you're okay.

SPEAKER_01 31:39

Turned out okay. But went went on went on the road with this band, and the band broke up, and then but at that point I went, came home, came back groveling home, and I told my dad, I said, I I I want to I want to be in entertainment, I want to be in theater. So I transferred all my credits over and I got my theater degree in about a year and a half. And um, and then just never looked back. I went to work for the cruise ships and did regional theater, then we moved to Branson in '94, and my wife was a lot of artists are on cruise ships.

SPEAKER_02 32:07

A lot.

SPEAKER_01 32:07

Yeah, that was it. I think it's a great training ground. Absolutely. I think it's a great place to go to start your career and to end your career. Uh it it's real easy to get sucked in. Yeah, I'm sure. Because it's it's its own little thing. Like I would I would sing in these showrooms. I mean, big lights and dancers behind me, and I'm in a tuxedo with a 12-piece orchestra singing songs, and you get off the ship because you you're you you're made to feel like you're a rock star and you are on that little bubble. And then you get off the ship and you walk into somewhere and nobody's talking to you.

SPEAKER_02 32:40

Right, they're like next, right?

SPEAKER_01 32:41

Yeah, so it's it's it's and but you go out there and you can make good money, so people get sucked into that. And I did it for three years, and I could feel the pull, and I'm like, no, I I'm getting I'm I'm getting off this ship. I'm not gonna.

SPEAKER_02 32:54

So then we moved to Branson and I think it's probably a little like Broadway. A lot of artists get used to playing the rounds on Broadway. Yeah, and and that's what they're used to, and they never make the leap to go out, to go fully into the craft and the art of this.

SPEAKER_01 33:09

Yeah, it's it's it's just easy to because it's comfortable, right? And you get settled, and but I knew yeah, I wanted to get on land, so my wife and I came to Branson, and then I started working there and got to really, it was uh in the 90s when Branson was happening. I mean, I mean, the greats were there, like you know, Andy Williams had a theater, Mel Tillis, uh Mickey Gilly, I mean, all these Ray Stevens, Lee Greenwood, Eddie Rabbit, Conway Twitty, Johnny Cash, they were all there. Uh at one point in the mid-90s, there were more theater seats in Branson, Missouri than in New York City.

SPEAKER_03 33:48

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 33:48

Uh, and and and it was just an amazing place. And then one by one they all started passing away. We lost Roy Clark, then we lost Andy, we lost Mel, we lost Glenn, we lost Glenn Campbell, and and really, and then nobody came in. So Branson's still cool, it's a great little town in the Ozarks, but it's not what it, you know, it's just not what it was. Not what it used to be. It was an amazing album.

SPEAKER_02 34:12

A lot a lot has changed in that. Tell me about the power of social media with this album.

SPEAKER_01 34:17

Um, well, it's a it's really everything, you know. It's uh it's it's a blessing and a curse.

SPEAKER_02 34:24

Oh, I say that same thing.

SPEAKER_01 34:26

I mean, because you've got to, you, you know, it it's a lot of work.

SPEAKER_02 34:31

It's a lot of work.

SPEAKER_01 34:32

I mean, because you have to post every new. And you've got to sell it. No.

SPEAKER_02 34:35

Like it's a lot of work for like a small pat on the back.

SPEAKER_01 34:38

And you do, and you, you know, you release this song, like you'll say, I'll post a video, and if it doesn't get the response that I think it should get, I I start thinking something's wrong with me.

SPEAKER_02 34:49

Right. We take it personally.

SPEAKER_01 34:51

Oh, very, very personally.

SPEAKER_02 34:52

I don't handle my own social media, somebody does it for me because I I don't think I have thick enough skin.

SPEAKER_01 35:00

No, it gets it gets very upsetting.

SPEAKER_02 35:02

Like it does.

SPEAKER_01 35:03

And you can, I mean, you can post yourself, you can I I posted a picture. Uh we were coming back from, we just did a we just did a show in Palm Springs, and we drove out because it's only a four-hour drive from Vegas. And I, you know, um I try not to eat fast food, but my guilty pleasure is a Burger King whopper every once in a while. And we pulled through the drive-thru, and the lady in the drive-thru goes, Well, any of you guys want a crown? You know, the crowns that you put. I went, Yes, I would like a crown.

SPEAKER_03 35:31

I would love a crown.

SPEAKER_01 35:32

I put the crown on my head with my sunglasses and and in front of Burger King, and it gets like 400 comments and a thousand likes, and then I post a song that I've been working on. 20 20 comments and 10 likes. I'm like, I'm wearing a stupid paper crab on my head. And everybody goes, that's awesome. And then this thing that I've worked on that means something. I know. So that gets kind of it is. It's so it's a balancing act too, because you want people to know. Uh, I think the most important thing that I've learned is to not ask your fans, you know, stream this, buy that. Right. You know, get this, go here, check us out. But you know, you want them to get to know you as a person and encourage them, say, you know, I'm feeling extra grateful today. Uh, you know, I've been blessed greatly. What's something that that you're grateful for?

SPEAKER_02 36:25

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 36:25

And then and then not only do they start posting and they makes them, it makes them uh remember the things that like we just talked about, to be grateful for. And then other people on the feed will will they'll start talking to each other. And that's putting it. The power connection is so it's creating, so that's kind of what I'm leaning into. I want people, my desire is for people to get to know me. Uh, if you go to my Facebook page, you'll kind of get to know I'm I'm silly, I'm I'm a little I'm a little goofy, I don't take life too seriously, but I am a man of of strong convictions and faith, and I'm an encourager. And and I think with people who get on and they see that, and then they find out that I'm a singer and I'm an artist, I hope that that would inspire them to go and listen to my music.

SPEAKER_03 37:12

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 37:13

I would, you know, I want them to like me as a person and say, oh wow, you know, this, I like what this, I like his vibe, I like his uh and oh, he sings. Let me go. Right. I want to see what his music is because I and that listen to the loads and this thing. If you do that, if you do try to do it in reverse, or you, you know, listen to this, da-da-da-da. Um I I think it can I think it can get in the way. That was hard to learn, too. Right, it is because you just want to you're so excited about putting yourself out there, but you can't.

SPEAKER_02 37:47

Especially about the stuff that you are super excited about, right? And then people aren't as excited as you, and you're like, and it's not that.

SPEAKER_01 37:56

It's like, and the hardest thing, I was listening to an artist talking about it. The hardest thing for an artist is the silence. It's yeah, because in the silence you feel you feel you feel like you failed. Right.

SPEAKER_02 38:08

Like the world's going on around you and you're not already.

SPEAKER_01 38:11

Yes. And so I I have to I have to I have to be conscious that that the silence is not necessarily that it's it's not worked or it's f not or it's failed, it's that you know it it it just takes time sometimes to you know, and you can't just expect everybody to jump in.

SPEAKER_02 38:35

Right, and you can't get wrapped up in it either. I mean, you're creative because you're no oh yeah. That's when people I know, and I've tell you, I've had some bad, like somebody called me a Karen. I'm like, if you really knew me, you'd know I'm so the opposite of a Karen. Yes, people like and I'm like, what is going on in your life that you feel that small that you have to take a shot at somebody else?

SPEAKER_01 38:55

Well, they and they do it all the time.

SPEAKER_02 38:57

I know it's ridiculous.

SPEAKER_01 38:58

Like when I first started working with Bill, um, you know, I I I knew I was stepping into some big shoes. Bobby Hatfield's one of the greatest singers ever to hold a microphone. And I knew I was gonna be scrutinized, and I was. And Bill said, try your best not to look at social media, uh, read these feeds because people were saying, you know, who does this but who is this bucky guy? Who does he think he is? Nobody can replace Bobby Hatfield. There's only one righteous brother left, and this blah blah blah blah blah. And that's so hard.

SPEAKER_02 39:27

You know, I'm sure it crushed you.

SPEAKER_01 39:29

But you know, Bill said they don't understand. Like you said, they're just taking shots. They're taking shots because they're because they're miserable with their life, and they're seeing somebody do something and are successful, and and rather than lifting themselves, I I used to have, you know, there's people in this world that rather than trying to do something to elevate themselves, want to be higher by pushing you down.

SPEAKER_02 39:52

Well, nobody gets bigger by making somebody else feel smaller. It's the without question. And I the that's my pet peeve. People that make people feel small is the worst.

SPEAKER_01 40:03

Me too.

SPEAKER_02 40:04

It is the worst, like, what is so wrong with you that you have to online and the thing that stay in your lane.

SPEAKER_01 40:10

Everybody has a voice. You know, you can be living in your parents' basement and be on the on your computer and be like you're a big shot and like you know something.

SPEAKER_02 40:18

Right. You know, I use the parents' basement all the time. I'm like, in between your video games, you're taking cheap shots at people who are trying to build a trying to.

SPEAKER_01 40:26

It's because they're miserable in their life. Right. And misery loves companies. They want to push you down so that they feel validated.

SPEAKER_02 40:33

And you know, I'm so glad we talked about this because that's a a great point for younger artists. Well that's you know, yes. And I tell I I I coach a lot of younger artists too. Um, that's great. You can oh I love them so much. To see them winning. They're hungry. Oh, I so love them. I'm telling you, when you see them win, it is like, oh, it's it's and you know you've had a part of being.

SPEAKER_01 40:55

Well, uh you've got I feel the same, like you've got a uh very kind, thank you, uh sincere, honest, um uh running out of adjectives.

SPEAKER_02 41:06

Mitch and I were talking earlier. I I'm a fixer. Like, you know, my we went out for Valentine's my husband and I, and he goes, Listen, I love you. He loves my energies, like your energy is off the charts. Yes, it is. But he's like, we're just gonna go have dinner, and you don't need to fix the waiter. You don't have to tell the like it's okay for us just to have dinner. He's like, because I'm a fixer, I am by nature. I'm like, and if people can't, I'm like, I'll get this done.

SPEAKER_01 41:32

When I come in, well, my wife, my wife's kind of uh, she's the kindest, most wonderful person in the world, but she's very quiet and kind of, you know, and uh we'll I'm a lot of things quiet, it's not good. Me too. And we'll go into Walmart and then uh like and we lived in Branson because we we knew everybody. Right. And she would go, Can you just go? Can we just go in and get what we need and get out? She goes, I need you to put your bubble on. And I said, What are you talking about? She said, When I go in, I can go in and get the stuff and I can come out. When you go in, you walk in the door like this. Who needs to know?

SPEAKER_02 42:05

I know. My friends are like, Deb should be a bucky greeter. They're like, you'd make a fortune. If somebody could give you 200,000 bucks a year to be a bucket. You just want to make people happy.

SPEAKER_01 42:14

You just want to make people.

SPEAKER_02 42:15

And God bless the people like us that want to do that.

SPEAKER_01 42:18

That's what I say. He said, You go be an old grouch if you want to.

SPEAKER_02 42:21

Right, exactly. God bless the people that that care. And I it's such it's such a privilege to be able to connect when you're you know, when you're in this industry.

SPEAKER_01 42:29

And it's a gift.

SPEAKER_02 42:30

It's a gift.

SPEAKER_01 42:31

Like what you do, what you do is a gift. Yes. The blessings you give people and what you do to help people and your energy, that's a gift. Other people, uh, you know, not everybody has that gift. Everybody's got a gift.

SPEAKER_02 42:42

I but I tell everybody everybody has a superpower. What's your superpower? And people are like, I don't have a superpower. I'm like, you do. Everybody has a superpower.

SPEAKER_01 42:50

You just gotta figure it out, and that's what give you purpose in life.

SPEAKER_02 42:52

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 42:53

You just gotta find out what that is. That's why I I told my daughter, I'm like, you know, she's like trying to, she's 20 years old, and thinks she has to have it all figured out. And then I shared this. I said, I said, your dad was a I was a geology major, I dropped out of school, right? I joined a rock and roll band, that broke up, I came home, went to work, I was living at home again, then I f went back and got my degree, then I went to work on the cruise ship, then I went to regional theater, then I went to Branson, and then the Righteous Brothers happened.

SPEAKER_02 43:20

And I think people don't understand, you know, because you've been in this industry so long, they don't understand that you have real feelings and you have real problems, and it's not always lights camera action.

SPEAKER_01 43:31

No, and they also but they also think they don't understand. People see you up on stage, they don't understand the work and the years of work and the sacrifice to do that, to put you in this position. Right. They're you know, training your voice, taking acting classes. I mean, I took ballet and dance in college because I knew I was gonna be doing theater. I'd have to learn to move. You know, you you are constantly learning about talking about social media, how to Promote yourself, you know, creating records, creating uh I it's it's uh I'm a work in progress, and I will be until the day I check out.

SPEAKER_02 44:09

We all are, we all are a work in progress, but it is the power of the music is so it changes lives. I can't imagine somebody coming up to me crying about that. That's such a beautiful gift, and you God gave you the gift, you need to spread it.

SPEAKER_01 44:23

Yeah, that's what needs to happen. We'll sit in the audience at the Righteous Brothers show, and we open, we do a couple we do a song to open the show, and then we do a couple of their hits. So, like Little Latin Loopy Loo was their first West Coast hit. And then the next song we do is Soul and Inspiration, which you know that one soul, my inspiration. Yes, and Bill Bill Bill sings.

SPEAKER_02 44:48

Like the greatest love songs ever written.

SPEAKER_01 44:50

That that opening line, girl, I can't let you do this. As soon as Bill sings that, I'm looking at the audience. You see uh hands being held, you see the lady puts her head on her husband's shoulder, and they are reliving the memories that that song uh, you know, the bigger.

SPEAKER_02 45:09

That's why you do it, right? Why do you do it? We do it for that.

SPEAKER_01 45:12

And this is kind of funny, it's all about perspective. So I hope I can tell you this story without so one night after the show, uh when Bill, you know, Bill's gotten into an age right now that we don't we don't we used to go out after every show and sign photographs and stuff like that, but it's it takes a lot out of you. It's like that's harder than the show.

SPEAKER_02 45:33

I can't go out and just after filming. I can't. It's emotionally draining. It is, it is.

SPEAKER_01 45:39

But this, but we're standing there, and this lady and her husband come up, and the lady comes over to Bill and says, I have to tell you, your music, my husband and I had our first dance to your songs, and we held hands and we listened to these songs, and it's just the soundtrack of my life, and I just want to thank you for the memories. And she hugged. And I'm like, that's really sweet. Then she goes over to talk to Bill's daughter, and the husband comes over and said, Bill, I gotta tell you, your music, me and the old lady in the car, you know.

SPEAKER_02 46:13

Meet someday, everybody. Who are we to judge?

SPEAKER_01 46:16

The guy's like, yeah, come on, man.

SPEAKER_02 46:18

Who are we to judge? Who are we to judge?

SPEAKER_01 46:19

But then, but you know, and Bill talks about you know their their songs, him and Bobby, their songs were huge in Vietnam during the Vietnam years. Yes. And and you have these these military guys, you know, they have the hats on in there, and these are Marines, and they come up with with tears in their eyes and say, Your music was our connection to home.

SPEAKER_03 46:39

Right. Wow.

SPEAKER_01 46:41

We're in Vietnam and we hear you lost that living feel and are so an inspiration, and and it it was our it it was home, it was our connection.

SPEAKER_02 46:49

That's so beautiful.

SPEAKER_01 46:50

You know, so the impact, again, the impact that music has on people's lives. I mean, you're probably like me, you hear that certain song and you remember where you were when you heard it. You remember what you were doing, who you were with.

SPEAKER_02 47:03

Yes, it does, it brings back the greatest myth. That's such a powerful thing.

SPEAKER_01 47:07

Time machine.

SPEAKER_02 47:07

Right, and and thank God that you have this gift to do that, that you can do it and the platform to do it. You're gonna be making music and performing until you're 120.

SPEAKER_01 47:17

Oh, oh, easily.

SPEAKER_02 47:18

Easily, I know. You're one of those young too.

SPEAKER_01 47:21

That's why Bill's still doing it at 85. He's like, you know 85, but still doing it like that is pulling his own luggage and everything. I mean, he's in great shape and he sounds amazing.

SPEAKER_02 47:32

Yeah, that's incredible.

SPEAKER_01 47:34

You know, and we're still doing, you know, a thousand to two thousand people on the road when we go.

SPEAKER_02 47:37

That's unbelievable.

SPEAKER_01 47:38

We played the rhyming here last year. Yes. Uh we played the Shermer Horn twice.

SPEAKER_02 47:42

The rhyme is an incredible.

SPEAKER_01 47:44

Oh, and then Bill did the Grand Old Opera, and then we got to play Austin City Limits, which was great.

SPEAKER_02 47:48

You know, you've had some great exposure. You guys have a lot of country in your blood. You need to be. Well, I'm an Alabama boy, you know. Yes, it's a lot of people.

SPEAKER_01 47:54

So people it's shocking to a lot of my friends that uh in Vegas, all they hear me sing, like in in our Righteous Brothers show, I sing um with Righteous Brothers songs, like Unchained, but also I do like a uh Somewhere from West Side Story, and and I and I'm opera trained, so I do pop a do uh Nessun Dorma in the show, and so I do all these.

SPEAKER_00 48:14

So when they heard me singing, it's gonna be a honey tonight.

SPEAKER_01 48:18

They it's like the short words. Where did that come from? To me to them, I am you know, whoa. I'm that's me.

SPEAKER_02 48:29

Best song ever.

SPEAKER_01 48:30

It is, it is.

SPEAKER_02 48:31

I'm sorry, I still cry every time I hear it. I think it is the best song ever written in music.

SPEAKER_01 48:36

You know that song, uh so Phil Spector, you know, produced all the righteous well. That's that particular song, Unchained Melody, was from a movie in the 50s called Unchained. And I think Roy Hamilton did it originally. But it's it if you think uh it's about a guy in prison writing to his girlfriend.

SPEAKER_02 48:59

Wow, I did not know that.

SPEAKER_01 49:01

Oh my love, my I hunger for your touch. Are you still mine? I need your love. So when they redid it, when the Righteous Brothers redid it, it was a side B. You know, it's the B side. Right. And back in the 50s and 60s, even in the 70s, the DJs had such power that if they some of sometimes they would this the song that was being promoted, they if they liked the B side. Right.

SPEAKER_02 49:29

How things have changed now to like what a crazy Unchained Melody was a B side. Yeah, it is the most beautiful song ever.

SPEAKER_01 49:36

And he pr and Bill produced it. And that's him playing piano. And so Bobby came into the studio, and this was interesting. Like when I went in to record one of my songs, you probably sing it ten times, and then you take the best pieces of it and put it.

SPEAKER_02 49:50

Shop it all up and put it back together.

SPEAKER_01 49:52

So this class this song, Bill said, Bobby came into the studio, and this is where back when they had two, maybe three tracks, he sang the whole thing one time.

SPEAKER_02 50:04

Wow, and that was it.

SPEAKER_01 50:05

But only thing he didn't do was the high note, you know. Wow, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 50:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 50:12

So he leaves.

SPEAKER_02 50:13

That's your note now, I guess, right?

SPEAKER_01 50:14

When you guys are uh, you know, I do it sometimes, but Bill also does it in the show and does it down the octave, sitting on a stool with a whole montage of him and Bobby and their career together. And he's singing it, Whoa!

SPEAKER_02 50:27

Yeah, that's so hard.

SPEAKER_01 50:28

It is such a beautiful but Bobby came back in and and he goes, I got an idea. He goes, I need you to punch me in here, punch me in in this spot. And Bill said, You know what? If I punch you in, we're gonna lose it's gone forever. It's not like nowadays you can have 50 million tracks, right? It's gone.

SPEAKER_02 50:44

Right, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 50:45

So he punched him in, he does and and punched him out, and Bill went. Wow. So when you hear Unchained Melody, you know, and people on the American Idol sing it, you know.

SPEAKER_02 50:58

And I was watching American Idol last night, actually.

SPEAKER_01 51:01

I'm I'm trying to copy Bobby. Right. You know, and all that stuff that he sang one time and one punch.

SPEAKER_02 51:09

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 51:10

That's a that's one one time through and one punch.

SPEAKER_02 51:13

That's your shot right there. Wow, that's beautiful. That's your money piece.

SPEAKER_01 51:17

Isn't that something?

SPEAKER_02 51:17

I used to think great, fascinating light.

SPEAKER_01 51:21

I thought he'd probably recorded it 50 times in the day. You know, and then because it's so brilliant what he does, yeah, but he captured lightning in a bottle. That lightning in a bottle.

SPEAKER_02 51:30

When we say that about Philadelphia when they win, Eagles win things. We're like, it's lightning in a bottle.

SPEAKER_01 51:35

Listen, you have a championship. I took my all my friends are like, I'm like, we've been to two Super Bowls and no championship.

SPEAKER_02 51:41

Yeah, we do, but it's still I it's I love football season. Me too.

SPEAKER_01 51:45

I was a big fan of the Eagles. Like I got when I was a kid, I got sick of being a Falcons fan because you know you want your team to win.

SPEAKER_02 51:51

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 51:52

And the Falcons were terrible in the 70s. So I started pulling for the Eagles. Right. And I had a Ron Jaworski jersey.

SPEAKER_02 51:57

One of the coolest men I've met him personally, one of the coolest men in, you know, still does a daily show about the Eagles in Philadelphia.

SPEAKER_01 52:05

And he used to be on ESPN, not ESPN, he was a sports cast, and I really miss him because his insight. I love these players that are like like him. They can like I don't know if you watch ESPN too uh on Monday night with Peyton Manning.

SPEAKER_02 52:19

Oh, I love the pay the I think it's great. The James.

SPEAKER_01 52:22

Peyton's talking about the formations and all that stuff. It's very interesting.

SPEAKER_02 52:25

I know. I'm I'm the draft is in April, so I'll make it.

SPEAKER_01 52:29

The draft here, I was here when the draft was here in Nashville. Were you in town?

SPEAKER_02 52:33

No, I was not in town. I've been to several, but to me, I've been.

SPEAKER_01 52:36

And they had one in Vegas too. It was amazing.

SPEAKER_02 52:39

There was one in Philadelphia that I was at that was incredible, too. Let me tell you about this Freedom Brew, because we were talking about earlier. Oh, yeah. So this is our sponsor now, uh, Alan. We love you. Shout out to you, sir. Um, it is owned, a veteran owns it. He was doing the corporate nine to five and he wanted to follow his passion. So we're talking about yes, he's purpose, right? So he gives back to veterans, and he is working with stopping at the suicide of veterans because right here, right now, the only reason we're here is because we have the strongest military, and God bless anyone who is heroic enough to put their lives on the line for this country. So, but I'll give you some and you try it and you let me know how it is. It's delicious, I love it.

SPEAKER_01 53:24

But I'm seeing there's like a bunch of different flavors.

SPEAKER_02 53:27

We can give you a t-shirt, yeah. And uh we want to we want this to be in every single person's hands because we really want to.

SPEAKER_01 53:34

This is America 250 this year.

SPEAKER_02 53:38

And I love that we're celebrating it. You know, there's I've stopped watching the news because quite honestly, it throws me off my game.

SPEAKER_01 53:45

I can't do it. Yeah, I don't know. I don't do it.

SPEAKER_02 53:48

But we're all we should we're people helping people. We should be supporting each other as Americans.

SPEAKER_01 53:53

Without question.

SPEAKER_02 53:53

And I think it's so important. And that's that is Alan is the creator of the thing.

SPEAKER_01 53:57

You know, and what's interesting too, if you really sit down, you know, uh party lines have gotten to be so like volatile, and and but if you if you we were anti-each other. I don't get it. And if you if you sit and really just talk to somebody, you know, you you'd I think we'd find out for the most part we agree on a lot more things than we disagree.

SPEAKER_02 54:20

But I mean it to live in a world where people want to be right and tell you you're wrong. It's so disheartening to me as I don't, it's just it's really upsetting that we're turning on each other to me because we're Americans and that's what we see.

SPEAKER_01 54:34

Well, do you remember when 9-11 happened? Yeah, I remember where I was the minute Yeah, so 9-11 happens, and then I remember seeing Democrats and Republicans and independents all holding hands, standing on the stairs, seeing God bless America at the White House at the Capitol, when when when the building we were unified because it's kind of like you know, you your brother and you fight, but but if somebody else comes in and picks on your brother, then you're done, right? So I'm just hoping I'm just hoping it doesn't take something horrible happen to bring us together again.

SPEAKER_02 55:07

And a few horrible things have happened.

SPEAKER_01 55:09

They have happened.

SPEAKER_02 55:10

And it's just I really I I think we start trying to just love each other, man. Just love each other.

SPEAKER_01 55:14

Like Glenn Campbell, Glenn Campbell's song Try a Little Kindness. Try a little kindness. Got to try a little kindness, it's show a little kindness, shine the light for everyone to see. That's beautiful. If you try a little kindness and overlook the blindness, narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded street, that says it all. And it is, it's so important. You see your brother standing by the road, help right.

SPEAKER_02 55:37

And you're doing it through your music, and I think that's so amazing that you're oh you, this album is gonna be a huge success. Will there be a follow-up album?

SPEAKER_01 55:47

Um, well, right now the project I'm working on. I'm actually going in the studio, so I'm doing Third and Lindsley tomorrow, and then I'm going into the studio of dear friends of ours, Larry Hansen, has a studio called Fat Back Sound. And uh, and my music director, who is also the music director for The Righteous Brothers, Tim Lee, uh, he he has written a couple of really, really great songs. One's about the called the working class. It's about the paramedics and about the policemen and about the people that make this country the blood of this country. Yes. And then the other one's called Fourth of July. And then they're so we're working on those songs, and I'm going down to Scottsdale. I love Scottsdale. Such a great place, right? Twin brothers that play twin fiddles. They've been on America's Got Talent, they've been on the Linford twins. Wow. And then there's a group of young kids called Life in 3D. Uh they do a version of Unchained Melody recently. They have 8.4 million views.

SPEAKER_03 56:41

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 56:42

And they're 23, 24 years old, and they're singing, brothers and sisters singing in three three-part harmony.

SPEAKER_02 56:49

So much talent, right? You must see so much talent.

SPEAKER_01 56:52

They have all these. So we're we're collaborating on a big event for America 250. So we're writing songs for that, you know.

SPEAKER_02 57:00

Oh, you have to keep me updated. I would love.

SPEAKER_01 57:02

I was just telling Claire said, we got this new song. I said, I can't wait to hear it.

SPEAKER_02 57:06

Please do, please do. I would love for you to keep in touch with me. All right, I have to ask you this. No one has ever told me no, so don't break my heart, sir. You'll come back.

SPEAKER_01 57:13

Oh, without question. You'll come back and hang out with us. You're very kind for asking.

SPEAKER_02 57:19

Oh, I would love. I tell you, when I got the call, I was truly felt so honored that Cliff thought that highly of me.

SPEAKER_01 57:27

Well, he just he sees he loves you and sings your praises. I love him too. I see why. You're a wonderful, wonderful spirit, and thank you for what you do.

SPEAKER_02 57:35

You know, thank you so much. It means the world to me.

SPEAKER_01 57:38

You're you're a light in this world, and we need more people like that.

SPEAKER_02 57:42

You know, every store, everybody has to be a good thing.

SPEAKER_01 57:44

We're just gonna do our best to encourage.

SPEAKER_02 57:46

That's it, and that's it. I wake up every day and I thank God I'm here, and I thank God that I get to help people. And I thank God that this show helps people move people, and I just think it's amazing.

SPEAKER_01 57:55

You're an encourager, and and it's and and it's you know, no act of kindness is too small.

SPEAKER_02 58:03

I agree, I agree. And every and it's free.

SPEAKER_01 58:06

It's free.

SPEAKER_02 58:07

You don't have to buy an app for it. No, it's free. Just be nice to people.

SPEAKER_01 58:11

Just take every day, just try to do something positive. But if you sit and you wallow, and I mean, I don't watch the news. You know what I do? Here's what I do at night. When other where other people are watching the news and getting angry, I turn on Andy Griffith.

SPEAKER_02 58:25

Yeah, still, holy smokes, that's great. I haven't heard the Andy Griffith show.

SPEAKER_01 58:29

Andy Griffith is that's kind of like the little hometown I grew up in in Alabama. I mean, and and it's back when life was simple and simple, and and the and and and and it there was there was right and wrong, and people were hell, you know, you were accountable. You know, we were we I was talking to my the my my good friend that I'm uh visiting with here in Nashville. We grew up together, and we're talking about down south where we grew up, you know, I got I got I got I got the paddle. Oh I got you know I nowadays nowadays you're probably childish.

SPEAKER_02 59:05

Right, you'd be going to prison for that, right? But you know Hey, let me tell you something.

SPEAKER_01 59:09

Old school works every everyone, you know, looking back on it, uh the spankings and the discipline about my dad would take something away, it was gone, you know. And but it it was uh, you know, it it it teaches you responsibility, and and yeah, I just think we've gotten so soft and and everything.

SPEAKER_02 59:28

Start the gratitude practice in the morning and let me know how it goes. Before your feet hit the floor, you and your wife say three things. And it could be that stuff. I'm doing that from now on. Please do. It it and you're already such a light, and but it will really just change your perspective.

SPEAKER_01 59:42

Nothing throws me off my even get out of bed.

SPEAKER_02 59:44

Yeah, and I before my and then when I do get up, I put a bubble around me because in what I do, I can't absorb the energy of somebody else. I have to be spot on my game. I I can't go in the down the rabbit hole with them. So I'm always up in a bubble to keep myself protected, and that's how we roll. Bucky, you're a total delight. I'm so honored to have you. I can't wait for you to come back. I'll be in Allentown. Don't worry.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:06

Hey, listen, you come, you let me know. I totally will. Cliff's got my number, and you reach out, and if you want to come in Lancaster, and like I will be there.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:14

I would love it. Thank you so much. It's been an honor to have you.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:18

Thank you, Deb.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:18

Thanks.