Music
Welcome to Farmore, Colorado.
We're on location today at the Blossom at Windsor Gardens.
And with me is Rudy Grant and his band.
And we're going to open the show with a tune.
Take it away, Rudy.
Thank you.
Music
Music
Music
Music
To the music wonder how this novel did
He hold you close, whisper sweet net things and then
Your heart starts to pound as you hear those twin fiddles cry
You're dancing the night away under a soft neon light
I can't voice but tossing a long neck to you
As he moved to the crowd, you know what you want him to do
He asked you to dance, you're dying wish coming true
Will he take your hand, let you step his core and to you
Will he take your hand, let you step his core and to you
Rudy, thank you so much for that beautiful music
And just to remind you folks again and give Rudy a plug
This is Rudy Grant, who's a very well-known Denver-based musician
who travels also around the world, or parts of around the world
How long have you been in Denver?
I've been in Denver since 1954 and have lived here
and completed schooling, gotten into music here
and it's been a good base for me
Great, and you're self-taught?
Yes, I am. I was born in kind of a musical family
and just took an interest in it
and everything I do is just kind of off the top of the head
You might say
Well, we're all rehearsed at this point
Rudy, so you've established more than one band
Can we talk a little bit about your first band or your second band
which band do you want to talk about?
Well, let's go back to the beginning
I remember a gentleman who was in the military
and I was working in the military optical laboratory at that time
was transferred from Germany back to Fitzsimmons
and his name was Mort Brown
and he played banjo
When Christmas party he brought his banjo in to do a little entertaining
and so I said, you know, I have an old Yamaha at the house
I might as well go get it and join you
and I did when I got the old Yamaha
and it was this banjo in my old Yamaha at the Christmas party
and the first song I remember doing was Conway, 2015 years ago
Wow
and Mort then had made connection with an organization called
the Colorado Country Music Foundation
and it was officiated by President Gladys Hart
and he said, well, let me take you down
and introduce you to a good friend of mine
At Sunday night he took me down to the open stage jam session
and he introduced me to Gladys Hart
and I went up and sang my couple of songs
and then two weeks later a group of musicians and I got together
and that was my first man
Wow
and I had never really been around bars before that much
and so two weeks later I found myself entertaining in one
so that's how we got started
That can be a hard group to entertain too
Well, back in those days, I mean, he was so excited about it
there was no hardship
and
And you've been doing it ever since
The musical family is white and well known
and you might work with Jim Otis today
and Jim Otis worked with John Brown tomorrow
and back in those days
we just kind of went all over the place with each other
Sure
But it was always under your band name, you see
Well, there's an awful lot of really good music here in Denver
Oh, absolutely
Talk a little bit about some of the clubs
and
Well, talk about what you do
You play at Windsor Gardens on the first Friday of
I played the Blossom the first Friday of every month
We're a regular band at the Whitefest Farm
We play there two times a month
and we're doing that now for seven years
We are the regular band at La Pita's
Now, we've been doing that show for 12 years
and we created that show
with just a flat top guitar
for one week and then after this
it was so full after the first week
we went to a four-piece band and for 12 years
it's been a four-piece band dinner show
The only kind, one of its kind is out of Nashville
Wow
Where every Friday people gather
and they listen and enjoy country music
while sitting there enjoying a wonderful meal
and it's a beautiful country music, social dining place to be
and we entertain the people
Well, and of course, going back before your time
and mine, thank heavens
Denver had a strong musical area down in the Five Points area
in the Rosarian Hotel I hear
had some wonderful musicians come in town and play there
I guess that was, maybe you don't have memories of that
but I hope you've heard about it
I do, I remember seeing BB King coming through in a station wagon
There you go
Catalan station wagon
and so we got to see all those doo-wop groups
come through there at the Roxonian
Yes
Actually back in those days
doo-wop was pretty, pretty well known
you know, your next name could be a doo-wopper
so people were doing that stuff
I got to meet a lot of those people
James Brown
Yeah
Chris Country Western just keeps getting more and more popular
Yes, Country, as an old pro said
and it comes with 20
Country music is something you grow up to
Oh, okay
Yeah, you start off and you veer off into something wild and crazy
and then after you settle down you go, wait a minute
let's go back to Country, that's where the realism is
that's the real life stuff
Well, and so many of the tunes are from the heart
you know, they're soulful
about pain and loss
Oh, yes
You know
One of our favorite Country tunes
speaking of heart stuff is
was written by Hank Williams called
Tonight, Mansion on the Hill
Yeah, and it's, you know, Hank had that kind of life
where my guy, he lived it
he wrote about it and he sang it
so, and there was not a true writer in history
of writing music that I know of
who has written as many lived songs as Hank has
Well, and of course, not only do you play the guitar
but you have a beautiful voice
I mean, you're twice blessed
Well, thank you
I've heard some people call us some other things
We won't talk about them now
Now, then you established a trip to England
Oh, several years running
and I hear you're hoping to go again this summer
for a week or ten days
Yes, you know, I used to play at festivals
and there was a gentleman here from England
who promoted country music in England
and he would come over to Nebraska
at the Nebraska Festival
and he would take bands back
that could go back
and about three or four years before
I could go back to England
could go to England
and when I did, Pete invited me over
took me around all the country music scene
and that was about 202
and from 202 through 205
we had a regular tour set up in England
and Scotland
Good
and Ireland
Matter of fact, we're the first country band
to ever play Faro Portugal
Oh my, alright
We went over there and told the contaminators
Now they got three country bars
Alright, and it's all your fault
Well, we like to think we made some contributions
Maybe some wires that we like to find us
and counter it quite a bit
but anyway, I understand it's going
really well in Faro Portugal
So come May 6, we're going to head back to England
for the first time in two or three years
and we're going to do Birmingham, England
we're going to Gloucester, England
Swindon, and some of the old places there
Alright
Matter of fact, we were in
and Gloucester, England, out on King Square
during midday
and the shows didn't start until
in the evenings
and there was this guy
when I turned the corner, he was by the hardware store
he had the most elaborate set up you've ever seen
nice soft seats sitting on top of a big monster speaker
the microphone would come up like this
and creep up to his mouth and get across his lap
and he was singing some of his saddest songs
you ever heard in your life
and I stood and watched him and I said
oh, that's an interesting thing
but nobody was putting money in their little kitty
so I said, sir, you mind if I play a couple of tunes
he looked up at me and said
well, you can't do any worse than I'm doing
so anyway, he got up and he strapped me
and he stood over my shoulder
to make sure I didn't take off with the guitar
so anyway, I started singing
the first song was Goodbye Joe
Big guy out of gold, me, oh my
people would come by and send it around
during money in the apartment
he was lugging out of his head
Bobby's coming by and he was, oh, yeah, it's a good song
and so after three songs I said
well, I guess I better let you know
you stay where you are, you're doing good
so I said, now I got it right
so I gave him his guitar and he said
so obviously I got to learn some more songs
I said, yeah, people want to hear happy songs
it's a time for the sad stuff
but he said, well, thank you
and it's quite a lay in this
that's pretty good
but it satisfied a passion
that I had for a long, long time
I always wanted to do a little panhandling
not too much though
no, that was fun
well, of course, when you're in a different country
and stuff, you can kind of let go
and nobody knows you
and we brought a group from England over here
and we were down on the 16th Street Mall
and they were having a ball
and there was a college girl obviously
she was standing on the corner
she was picking like she was scared to death
and Sheila and I
I was on the bus
we were on the city bus
but you got to say Sheila is your wife
so people know who we're talking about
she was my heart and soul
so anyway, so we were sitting on the bus
and all of a sudden I was like a streak of lightning
and I was off the bus
and she didn't know what had happened
so she went up to the next corner
because she couldn't move as fast
so she got off and came back
I said, well, it's this girl here
and she was like, she's scared to death
I just wanted to talk to her
anyway, I said, how are you doing?
she says, fine
I said, mind if I play a guitar
and she says, well, yeah
she looked at me
I took the guitar and I was playing
so we did about $17 for it
real fast
and here I got a nephew
who bombs me out for money
every time he sees me
guess who comes bopping on the streets
I'm standing there on the corner panhandling
and here comes my nephew
that follows money from me all the time
and he looked at me and says
well, Ankh, I didn't know
he takes out $5
the only $5 I ever got back from him
out of all the money
so then I had to go and call my brother
I said, brother, don't believe it
it wasn't what it bearded me
so, but that was the fun
well, I helped you help that young lady
relax too
get into her music a little bit more
yeah, she was tickling
those, that's a good stories
well now
you also got a Nebraska
on, I don't know
regular tours or
yeah, 34 years ago
we inaugurated
a Nebraska Country Music Festival
went up and organized it for
President
Marvin Donte and that's been going now
and it's a really big event
every year in October
it's the second week in October
and that, like I said, we laid the ground
and worked for that 34 years ago
what city is it in?
Hastings, Hastings, Nebraska
okay, so Hastings, second week
in October, folks
second week in October
alright, good
and you're in the Hall of Fame
you're in a couple of different halls of fame
no, just, yeah, Nebraska Hall of Fame
there you go
I am also inducted into the Colorado Country
Music Hall of Fame
and yes, I am kind of proud of that
you betcha
it's a hard thing to get into
hmm, yeah
I guess
now, so are you
active with the Black History Museum
or do you see the program?
I am, matter of fact, I am
and I'm a member, a lifetime member
of the Black and American West Museum
I work closer with the
Buffalo Soldiers
and doing things with them
and Black Cowboys, yeah
and
we do things, matter of fact
I rename my band the Buffalo Riders
because I really look up to those guys
so we're the Buffalo Riders
and they're the Buffalo Soldiers
so we have a kind of close kinship there
a lot of people really
don't understand the history of
Black Buffalo Riders
and Black Cowboys
in this nation's history
I'm going to throw in a little plug
for the Black American West Museum
now, it's a non-profit organization
and they got
a wall-to-wall
Black History, Western History there
covering everything from
the Tuskegee Airmen
the Buffalo Soldiers
Country
Western Outlaws
and everything had to do with the West
they have
so I would
invite people to visit the Black American
West Museum, they got a healthy
history of Black American West
When you have to tell them where it is
it's on Welton Street
Yes, it's 30th in Welton
Right on the corner, 30th in Welton
You can't miss it once you get there
There's a big sign, yes, absolutely
Yeah, it's really easy to get to too
Yeah, it is easy, yeah
Tell me about your real early days
with your family
Oh my goodness
I hear you grew up in the deep south
I grew up as deep in the south as you could
get
I grew up in Louisiana and
I was born up in
Mendon, Louisiana, which is kind of
Rocky and Healy
and not great for farming
and
so the kids kept coming
my father worked for the ammunition plant
during the day
and Hall Puck
would
at night
so
the kids just coming and the family
kind of outgrew the
paychecks so we
relocated to a place called
Benita, Louisiana
surrounded
by a little little town called
Meruich, Louisiana
right on the doorstep
of Bastrop, which was a city
in that area
and their cotton grew
about six feet, cotton grew six feet tall
Wow
Oh yeah, easy, corn, you didn't know where to stop
corn was it
and we went down to Shekrapas
the first year we did 72
bells of cotton
me and my other three brothers
were champion cotton pickers
Wow
and so we did 72 bells of cotton
we picked all of our cotton
and then dad would farm us out
to work for other people
in the area so we did
well that year
and I lived that life
until I was about 13
and went through many changes
and we were, my family were musical
all my cousins played
blues like
T-Bone Walker
and Lightman Hopkins
and all guitar slam, they were like blues
and they made their own guitars, sly guitars
Wow
but we couldn't listen to blues
because it was sinful so we had to listen
to country music
Hank, what do you know about that?
Well I left Louisiana one night
just before I was 14
slipped out the window about 12 o'clock
got chased by some people who didn't have
my better health in mind
and I thumbed to another town
about 20 miles away Bastrop
slipped on the pool room step that night
and an old guy
was delivering ice to the place
woke me up and said boy
what are you doing out there?
He said, where you staying?
I said, well I'm here for now
you got a job, you want to work, yeah
he said, pay me 75 cents a day
to pack all of his ice
through his old ice route
and from there I went to
a delivery store where I did the gasoline
stocked shells
cut meat, do you name it
I did it until I came to Colorado
which is about
a year later
and I've been here ever since
and I went back
and brought my whole family
back when I was married
and beyond a spanking
I was 21 then
so I brought them out here
and set them up in a home
Cool
Alright, cause you said
you got a brother out here
and your nephews
saw you on 16th Street Mall
I got a brother
Yes, I just lost
my brother in Sylvester
about two years ago
but it was
his son
that was down and
I have a sister here
and
two sisters here by the fact
and my daughter
she's head of the chair creek
school resources here
Alright, so she got into education
Well, she's a Ph.D. education
person
Heavy duty
You got a great family there
I'm proud of her
You betcha
Now, all these other
trips you take
they're keeping you pretty busy
You're a very busy man
I retired
from the department of defense
and
well, anyway
and then I retired from the United Airlines
Oh, yeah
That's enough
of the work stuff
It's music now, music is my life
She and I
enjoy just kind of giving
We give so much
musically
and we help people
and if we can do something
we'll do it
She's my right-hand buddy
She's there
She keeps everything going for you
We go to Branson, we go to Nashville
we go to Texas, we go to wherever
and
we're down to adopt Mickey Gill into the Hall of Fame
about a year and a half ago
a few years ago
we inducted a depressive family
into Colorado Country Music Hall of Fame
They're in Branson
So we enjoy traveling
Branson must be a lot of fun
We're going to be down there
and about
what we're supposed to be there this month
April
May
Last of April, Mickey Gill will be back
and we're going to go down and visit him
and do some jamming down there
I was kind of joking
that this is not April 1st
because otherwise maybe we would be telling
all big lies here
So we enjoy Country Music
as our life right now
We enjoy doing it
and entertaining people
but what we enjoy most of all
is going to nursing home and living in care centers
and entertaining those people
who can't get out and hear a good country music
That's really important for folks
to have something to look forward to
We're going to finish out
this half hour show with another
you guys are going to play another
tune for us
and I want to thank you in advance of that
for being on the show
and for the beautiful music
Well thank you for having us
We really do appreciate it
We're going to close the show
with another song from Rudy Grant
Thank you
It's a really good song for you
to re-nate the Jim Reeves
for your sucker
He's got my dad
and she's gone
gone
I've returned
and I swear to her
I'll build a little
I'll talk that way
I'll talk that way
She was as sweet as we could be
I found out
what she did to me
railroad, steamboat
river and canal
I'm the country sucker
He's got my dad
and she's gone
gone
and I've returned
and I swear to her
I'll talk that way
I've returned
and I swear to her
I'll talk that way
I hope she knows
I've back
and I swear to her
I've returned
I'll talk that way
I am sure that's many more who think so too
Warrior of all steams, whoever I'm looking at
I'm thinking of this sucker, he's down, down, down
And she's gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone
Who I could hurt my last family
I ain't born drunk, my love
Some are very sick, you'll have to do
And when you find that she's gone
I know how to live, I'm saying this
Warrior of all steams, whoever I'm looking at
I'm thinking of this sucker, he's down, down, down
And she's gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone
Who I could hurt my last family
I'm thinking of this sucker, he's down, down, down, down, down
Thank you for watching!
