in the recording studio
By James Lockhart
I’ve been writing stories about cowboys, rodeos, hunting and fishing for over a decade. I’m not totally sure, but I think it’s pretty safe to say over one thousand stories have been published. Truthfully, it’s probably closer to two thousand. When I first started I enjoyed telling these stories. At my age, I’ve got several to tell.
The last year or so it’s been a challenge to find new material. To be honest, I’ve ran out of my stories. It’s kind of becoming a job, for the first ten years I loved writing about my life experiences, funny things on the farm and rodeo stories, here lately though it’s been getting harder and harder to think of good material.
So, this year I’ve started a new adventure. For the first time in my life I’m writing songs. I’ve written couple of songs about rodeo, that was easy for me. I’ve always felt the big hits such as Amarillo By Morning by George Strait , Rodeo by Garth Brooks and all of Chris Ledoux’s songs are about bucking horses or bucking bulls. I can’t think of a major hit rodeo song that’s about the roping, bull dogging or barrel racing. So, I’ve written a couple to address that issue.
I’ve been writing long enough to know I need to copyright my songs, which I have. I’ve also made the recording studio sign a contract. I have high hopes one of my songs will be a big hit at the rodeos this summer.
I’ve written enough songs to release a full album, called an LP by industry standards. I’ve written songs about southeast Oklahoma, my mom, dad and grandparents. There’s songs about everything from rodeo, hunting, fishing, politics and even a gospel song.
I can’t think of a good name for the album, the genres of the songs range from southern rock, folk, country and gospel. I didn’t stick to a certain style of music, I like pretty much every kind of music. I like things that tell a story mostly. I don’t care if they are labeled rock, country, or whatever, I just like good music.
One of my favorite songs has this line. “Grandpa fished the Poteau River, Grandma cooked Sunday dinners, just family in Kiamichi.”
That’s a pretty good way to describe life for most of us that live in southeast Oklahoma. Randy Owen the lead singer for Alabama wrote many of their hit songs. He wrote about life in and around Fort Payne, Alabama where they grew up. I didn’t do anything different. I just wrote songs about life here.
The album will be out towards the end of the summer. I’ve hired the best musicians I can find to play on it. Roy Clark’s fiddle player, Bob Wills drummer and a host of other talented musicians. Some are even in Nashville.
Something different, I’m telling our story a new way, and hopefully reaching a bigger audience.
James Lockhart lives near the Kiamichi mountains in southeast Oklahoma. He writes cowboy stories and fools with cows and horses.
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