Quality Americana

By Patrick Sullivan

There are lots of us… people who believe Al Barlow believes in us.

I have tried to understand why he had such an impact on me. Maybe it is because I met him at a very impressionable time in my life and he is so unconditional. Maybe it’s that East Texas draw in his voice. Maybe it’s that ten gallon smile. Maybe it’s those clever songs.

He always makes me feel like I’m so interesting to him, like he is excited to be hanging out with me. In reality, he has a ton of “me’s” and I have only one of him.

He inspires so many of us self conscious song writers. His demeanor sets us at ease. His smile gives us courage. That is to say- Al Barlow has created much more music than the many songs he has written, played, and sang for us for so many years. If there were ever a super hero of song, Al is it. 

River Town

I met Al around 1997 in New Braunfels, TX. His amazing daughter Christi introduced us. She said she thought we would get along. We did, and we traded songs that day. 

I recall sitting on his porch and hearing him play a song about fishing. Later that year he would let me play his guitar on the Humble Time Radio Show at the Freiheit Country Store. That memory and a few more interactions with him made such an impression on me as a young man. I don’t know why, but I thought about him so many times over the years. I was very excited when we spoke again, just after Covid started dying down, and we found ourselves sitting in the audience on songwriter night at a brand new venue called the Redbird Listening Room. 

I didn’t know if he recognized me until he leaned back in his chair and asked, “are you gonna play one?” I cannot express how much that moment meant to me, after so many years. When I started doing these interviews, I knew he was at the top of my list, and I was very excited the day that the artist presently known as Mark Nelson and I went to visit with him. 

Beatles or Stones?

It was so easy to talk to him that I found myself forgetting the order of my questions. Eventually I got to ask him one of my cliche questions: Beatles or Stones? He answered, “Well I never was a huge fan of either one of those, but if I was stranded on an island… I think the Beatles have some prettier songs you know.” 

I asked him who he would insert in their place, and he told me Dolly Parton was his favorite. Through a little more conversation, I began to realize he is a true fan of country music like the Grand Ole Opry. The stuff with more gospel and less pop. It shouldn’t have surprised me, with his cowboy way of talking. He reminded me how great a songwriter Dolly is. It also gave me some insight into his influences. I asked him how it all began: 

“I think when my mother died in ’68, I think that’s when I really got started writing songs, to keep my mind off of that, but I wrote happy songs to cheer me up,” Barlow said. “I didn’t write very many sad songs. A few… but mainly cause I wasn’t the only one that was deeply affected by it. All of my mother’s brothers and sisters and parents… I wanted to cheer them up. So I made up little ditties, you know.” 

Matches

I mentioned that he went from there to being invited to play on stage with Grammy Award winners. He smiled big and said “isn’t that somethin?” He is not a flashy guitar picker or vocal virtuoso, however his lyrics are exceptional and his connection with the audience was unmatched. I wanted to know about his process. The process that yielded gems like “Matches.” 

“Well, I’ll get a melody in my head and then start writing down the words, and sometimes I’ll change the melody because one reason or another,” Barlow said. “I’ll forget what my first thought of it was but… like one of my songs ‘Matches.’” 

“That song, my brother in law was over at the house and he played the guitar. He could play ‘Inagaddadavida’ and everything, but we were sittin’ there in the living room pickin’ on the guitar, and I sang a couple songs I had written, and he said ‘hey Al, see if you can write a song about this matchbook.’  And he threw it out in front of me and I went back to my room and I jotted it down and a few minutes later I said. ‘OK here we go.’” 

“He said that song was created because ‘he gave me the idea.’ Our mutual friend Mark was not going to let him off so humbly and remarked something about how clever and humorous Al’s work is. Al is a truly selfless, gracious Southern man, and it is difficult to get him to accept any compliment. I am surprised he lets us clap for him at his shows. He is truly a natural performer, and I wanted to pick his brain about his act. 

Worst Gig Ever

I deal with a ton of stage fright, but Al never seems nervous. I asked him if he had ever felt nervous on stage. He said he had, and told us about his worst gig ever. 

“It was in Bandera Texas, at a place where I think Patsy Cline played,” Barlow said. “A friend of mine bought this place and he happened to be a big Al Barlow fan. He hired me and I sang there a million times, but one night, I didn’t know what happened but my arm started hurting.”

He continued to explain to me that he later came to the conclusion that he likely had a mild heart attack that night. He said he was extra embarrassed because Robert Earl Keen’s wife was there and she had told him that her husband had told her about Al’s music. I felt like a heart attack qualified as a good reason for stage fright, whether Texas music royalty was in the house or not, but I still couldn’t picture Al Barlow nervous. 

Spotlight

Because of his proximity to so many of my favorite musicians, I had to know if he had ever expected someone he knew to make it big but never really did, or if there was someone who he didn’t expect to become famous but ended up shooting into stardom. He told me about his relationship with two Texas Music Icons. 

“Well, I used to host an open mic thing at Riley’s Tavern,” Barlow said. “This is just an example, and it was songwriters mainly that came out, and you had regulars that came. And one old boy was coming there with his…I think it was his uncle? Every Tuesday or Wednesday or whatever the day of the week it was and I thought ‘this guy, he’s gonna make it and the next thing.’ I knew he was accepting the Academy Award for the best song of the year- Ryan Bingham. You ever heard of him?”

I had no idea, but I should have guessed Al had something to do with it. He then told me a story of one of his best friends, a guy named Bret Graham. 

“I figured he was gonna be winning the entertainer of the year,” Barlow said. “I never dreamed that he would settle down and work mainly Gruene Hall, you know, but that’s what he wanted to do. I think he knows he had the talent.” 

I asked Al if he thought that was ok for us to just play songs around town. Al answered “of course, and Bret’s the perfect example of that. He enjoyed playing around here. He had a lot of fans, and still does. Everybody’s idea of success is different. And his was to make a livin’ at it, a decent livin’, so he could get him a truck and meet the bills. And he was very successful in that and still is, and he has a beautiful wife, and he wants to be with her. He don’t want to be on the road.” 

This solidified a feeling I have had that it is ok for us to just sing and write and perform without grandiose expectations. That our musician community has planets. moons, and stars. And so many wonderful artists have been converging in this part of the world for many years now. 

Big Dreams

I asked Al if he thought they were a part of attracting so many of us songwriters to the area. He said he thought it was people like Bret and Todd Snyder and James McMurtry and Terri Hendrix and Susan Gibson and Hal Ketchum. I wanted him to take some credit, but to no avail (as is his way). I started thinking of big stages and big stars and dreams. 

I think most artists are dreamers. I have a theory that most artists believe in something metaphysical or spiritual. I asked Al Barlow if he agreed. He said he had met all types of artists with all types of beliefs or lack there of, but he exclaimed, “I believe in God. I believe in Jesus. I have had… almost… like out in the desert especially… I’ve seen things that were inexplicable. Miracle or something beyond this earth. I don’t know if it was God performing the miracles or whatever. Like one time me and Bret Graham was hiking to Cat Tail Falls in Big Bend National Park…” He then told me a story about lights and beauty and a feeling he will never forget.

I believe they saw something that evening. I believe Al has those lights within him. I can see it in his eyes when he smiles at me. I can hear it in his beautiful, happy, funny songs. I love Al Barlow, and I can still feel him. He is still here with us, always. A hero singing his songs to cheer up his family.

Support the Artist

Super Heroes of Song is a column by Patrick Sullivan.

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