A country way of life, Episode 42 (Kenny Malone, Kim Williams & Bob Morrison)
Author: Jonny Brick.
Player: Kenny Malone
When Kenny Malone died in 2021, it was noted that he had played drums on two classic country songs that crossed over to the upper reaches of the Hot 100: Jolene by Dolly Parton and Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue by Crystal Gayle.
The New York Times obituary called him ‘versatile and imaginative’, which was pertinent because he accompanied an eclectic set of acts within country music and beyond. John Prine, Charley Pride, Kenny Rogers and Waylon Jennings all sung over the top of his drums, which also enhanced the feel of Drift Away by Dobie Gray.
Born in Denver, Malone had played in the US Navy band for over a decade, before arriving in Nashville in 1970. He was acclaimed for his hand-drumming style and discovered, amusingly, that he could overdub different parts of his drumkit at different times rather than play everything at the same time.
Songwriters: Kim Williams and Bob Morrison
Three Drinks Behind is the opening track of George Strait’s recent album. Its co-writer Kim Williams passed away in 2016 after enjoying a 25-year career. Mainly for his 1990s albums, Strait recorded several Williams copyrights including I’m Convinced Everybody but Me, Honkytonkville, All of Me (Loves All of You) and, from the soundtrack of the movie Pure Country, Overnight Male.
Williams had his first cut when Joe Diffie recorded If The Devil Danced (in Empty Pockets) for his debut album. His name features in the credits of half a dozen hits for Garth Brooks, who was loyal to the man who wrote songs with him while Brooks was selling boots to get by: they include Papa Loved Mama, It’s Midnight Cinderella, She’s Gonna Make It, Baby Let’s Lay Down and Dance, Ain’t Goin’ Down (Til the Sun Comes Up) and Beer Run. Williams wrote the last of these, which featured George Jones, with his daughter Amanda.
He helped Kenny Chesney write both his debut single Whatever It Takes and his early hit Fall in Love. He also wrote hits for Rascal Flatts (While You Loved Me), Brooks & Dunn (Honky Tonk Truth) and Reba McEntire (The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter). Bigger than all of these is Three Wooden Crosses, the sombre and spiritual story narrated by Randy Travis, which was the 2003 CMA Song of the Year.
Williams achieved all this having suffered severe burns as a young man when he worked at a glass factory. ‘I got burned out on my last job and decided to become a songwriter!’ Williams once joked.
Bob Morrison was the man who punched up (ie improved) the song Lookin’ for Love, written by a pair of amateur songwriters and turned into the theme of the movie Urban Cowboy. Born in Biloxi, Mississippi, Morrison graduated with a degree in nuclear engineering before constructing country songs for a living; he was perhaps inspired by the work of his father, who restocked local jukeboxes with the latest hits.
He had originally intended to become an actor before realising that, unlike looks, songs were eternal. His copyrights include You’re the One, a hit for the Oak Ridge Boys, You Lift Me Up to Heaven by Reba McEntire and You Decorated My Life, which was a number one for Kenny Rogers. Rogers cut Born To Love Me, a song which was also recorded by Roy Orbison and Ray Charles too.
Morrison also wrote Whiskey, If You Were a Woman for Highway 101, One Night Fever for Mel Tillis and Don’t Call Him a Cowboy for Conway Twitty. The band then known as the Dixie Chicks included a version of Tonight the Heartache’s on Me on their album Wide Open Spaces, allowing millions of new country fans to appreciate Morrison’s work.
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