5.14.11

Well hello folks!  I’ve had a very exciting Spring so far.  My performance touring coupled with my book tour has kept me really busy… but that’s a good thing.  I’ve had some wonderful times lately such as recording with my ole pal ”Timmy Hicks” (as seen in The Lights of Marfa Book”) at David Huff’s place and visiting my good friend Billy Linneman.  Billy recently lost both his legs and now is learning to walk again.  He was so excited to show me his new prosthetic limbs as I was there the very day he received them.  I could hardly keep my composure as I remembered  so many wonderful nights at the Grand Ole Opry and Billy was playing stand up bass.  (He was staff bassist for over 40 years).  I remember once he went out to hear the sound mix in his car radio between segments and Rhonda Vincent and her band was playing.  The bridge on the bass player’s bass collapsed and Billy knew what had happened by the sound and ran back to the stage and scooped up his bass and only a couple of bars had gone by with no bass player.  He’s played with just about everyone you could imagine who’s ever graced the Opry stage.  Today his attitude and faith and the confidence he has at this present time completely eclipses anything I’ve ever seen him do before.  He’s a true “Marfa Light!”  It won’t be long and Billy will be on his stand up bass again!

On a sad note (and there are several) the devastating tornadoes that came through the south a couple of weeks ago.  I had just returned home from Florida with my grandson Drew and only to bring him to Tennessee in the worst disastrous weather conditions in the history of the state… or the south for that matter.   We only saw hail three different times and a lot of wind.  I called my mother and asked her to pray for us.  She prayed there would not be even one limb missing from our trees.  That’s exactly the way it was, however,  it wasn’t that
way for everyone else in our area.  Lives were lost here in our area as well as in Alabama and other southern states.  I happened to be going through Tuscaloosa on my way to Mississippi and stopped by to witness what had happened.  I wept.   An F-5 tornado does what only explosive devices could do.  It looked as if missles were dropped in that city.  I only went to the area where I often dine and buy gas and get coffee.  It broke my heart.  I saw areas in Georgia on my way south that were hit and the destruction was unbelievable.

Recently I went to Natchez, MS.  Soon that area (on the Louisiana side) will be under water.  The restaurant I ate in with Rev. Tom Tapley and his family will soon be flooded.  The homes are now being emptied of furniture and keepsakes.   It’s something to see the difference.  At one point tornadoes suddenly with little or no warning rip through and destroy anything and everything in its path and now the devastating flood predictions are down to almost the hour it will occur.  Certainty and Uncertainty.

Our nation is in need at this present moment.  Please join me in prayer that God will intervene and help us.  One thing about America is when we get hit and are hurting,  people come together in a very special way.  It has almost been like a local 9-11 as far as seeing this type of thing.  There are so many volunteers and groups who have come on the scene immediately.  As I walked down the sidewalks of Tuscaloosa,  I had several people offering me some food or something to drink.  I almost felt ashamed that I was walking in their hometown but at the same time I felt love and sincere compassion from these people who had lived through the storm.

This week a good friend of ours passed away in England named George Webley or better known as ‘Big George’. Big George was a radio host on the BBC and had Miss Haley and me on his show several times.  In fact,  Big George would show up at our gigs when he had theatre shows of his own in London.  He was an amazing man and he really reached out to me in my time of need when I had my operation a few years ago.  Here was a British icon on the BBC who eventually had his own TV show and coming out to MY gigs!  Another blessing from our friend Robert Wilson
who has introduced us to such nice folks in the UK.  I’ll never forget ‘Big George’.

This week my good friend Bob Whittaker’s mother in law passed away.  He called her Mrs. Harris.  When he spoke about her he would tear up telling me what a wonderful lady she was.  Bob and his wife Jean asked if I would go over and play a few tunes for her not long ago.  I’ll never forget when I played some more spirited faster songs her little foot would start tapping to the music.  When I started playing some of the old Hymns,  she started singing.  She had problems at that time remembering her own name,  but she sang every word of those songs.

This week my good friend Don Bassett passed away who was one of the Free Agents, which was a musical group formed by FBI agents at the training center in Quantico, VA.  Don started the group with my good friend John Hall.  I am also known as an “Honorary Free Agent” and have boasted of that title more than most things in the past few years.  Don and one of his colleagues actually started the S.W.A.T. program with Herbert Hoover in the FBI.  It was Don and his cohorts idea.  Don did things at Quantico not too many people could do like teaching
others how to propel from helicopters as he was also on the FBI’s Hostage Crisis Team.  He was one of those people who was intimidating on one hand and yet humbling to be around because he was so humble himself.  One thing that spoke to me the most about Don was that he was a great Chrisitan, a wonderful Patriot, a loving husband, father, grandfather and yet a fine singer and guitar player and a good friend to those fortunate enough to be in that circle.  I’m so honored that I was.  I honor Mr. Don Bassett.  I’ll be ‘playing one Don’ for sure in times to come.

I was told by fellow Free Agent John Hall that there were a number of Law Enforcement groups from various counties that gave honor to Mr. Bassett with motorcycle honor guards who escorted the funeral procession to the National Cemetary.  He said there were honor guards who were posted at the intersections in between and the Virginia State Police shut down I-95 at rush hour in honor of Don.  I don’t know what they did to honor Big George and I doubt that Mrs Harris had the ostentatious display of honor guards at her procession but I believe in heaven there was a coronation Day at their arrival!

Well I hope I haven’t given you a downward experience.  The upward side of all this is that this world does have its trials and its troubles but
someday… we’ll be tornadic, flood, earthquake, tsunami, hurricane, doppler free!

I hope you’ll join me and take a moment to be grateful for those who we know and cherish and thankful for those who’ve blessed us and have made our lives even more worth living on this big rock we call home and who’ve now gone far beyond the sky.

God Bless….
Doyle