Tag: Hernando’s Hide-A-Way

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Music Music Blog

Full Schedule for Ameripolitan Music Awards Released

Dale Watson and Celine Lee at a previous Ameripolitan Music Awards ceremony (Photo courtesy Ameripolitan Music Awards)

The term “countrypolitan” was coined in the 1950s to describe the more urbane side of the Nashville Sound, “most often characterized by its use of lushly arranged string overdubs and group or choral backing vocals,” according to the Rate Your Music website, and any fan of Patsy Cline knows exactly what that means. But don’t let that skew your perception of a similar, related portmanteau, “Ameripolitan.”

That was coined by Dale Watson, founder of the Ameripolitan Music Awards, to capture a wide range of “original music with a prominent roots influence,” including honky tonk, Western swing, rockabilly, and outlaw country. As Watson told the Memphis Flyer in our 2019 cover story, “if people call it retro, I say, ‘No, these are new songs. Just because you build a house with a hammer — an old tool — doesn’t make it an old house.’ I’m just using an old tool, you know?”

Next month, a multitude of contemporary artists using such time-tested tools will once again convene under the Ameripolitan umbrella for much more than an awards ceremony. In the days and nights leading up to the awards show proper on February 19th at the Guesthouse at Graceland, dozens of artists will be bringing their sounds to both that venue and the venerable Hernando’s Hide-a-way.

The full schedule has now been released, and it includes both familiar and new faces, including Johnny Rodriguez, Sierra Ferrell, Rosie Flores, Kinky Friedman, Brennen Leigh, Summer Dean, Jeremy Pinnell, and The Waymores.

Awards will be given for Honky Tonk male/female and group, Western Swing male/female and group, Outlaw male/female and group, Rockabilly male/female and group, Best Venue, Festival, Radio DJ and Musician. And Ameripolitan is recognizing three individuals with Momentous Achievement Awards as well: Johnny Rodriguez will receive the Master Award, Nick Curran will be named Keeper of the Key, and The Adams Brothers will be recognized as Founders of the Sound.

Aside from the many musical performances, there will also be a Steel Guitar Pull hosted by Lynn Owsley at Hernando’s, a Vintage Western Ameripolitan Fashion Show, “Tequila and Teardrops” with Big Sandy, the Texas Takeover Showcase, the popular “Chicken $#+! Bingo” with Dale Watson, and of course the Ameripolitan Music Awards Show itself.

One notable event for history and film buffs will be a screening of Mike Markwardt’s documentary, The History of Western Swing, on Saturday at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. at Hernando’s Hide-a-way. There will also be a sneak peek of Mule Kick Productions’ documentary on the World Famous Palomino Club, Palomania, on Sunday at the Theater Stage before the awards ceremony.

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Music Music Features

The Vibe of Old Memphis

Photo: Matthew Vlachos

One of the greatest ironies of Elvis Week in Memphis is that the joint most likely to conjure up the vibe of The King’s reign here is a place Elvis Presley almost never visited. But don’t think less of the place for it: That was just because it was a bar. “Priscilla [Presley] said Elvis and the Memphis Mafia never went there because Elvis didn’t like anybody drinking. He didn’t really go in there after the ’50s,” says the bar’s co-owner, singer/songwriter/guitarist Dale Watson.

Of course, that’s a dead giveaway that we’re talking about Hernando’s Hide-a-Way, just a mile or so up Elvis Presley Boulevard from Graceland. Since its soft reopening in late 2019, Watson has helped captain the club that was a legendary hangout for nearly every other Memphis musician except Elvis, and in so doing, has helped keep the spirit of Elvis alive there. That’s partly because, as Watson freely admits, “I’m such an Elvis fanatic.”

That will be most apparent on August 16th, the precise anniversary of The King’s death, when Watson takes to the Hernando’s stage to perform numbers from his 2014 album, Dalevis, as well as from a much earlier self-released EP of the same name. But don’t expect the singer to become a “tribute act”: Watson is an artist in his own right, and his Dalevis repertoire mainly consists of originals. “My Dalevis set consists of songs I’ve written that were inspired by Elvis. And then I mix in Elvis songs as well.” Indeed, the songwriter confesses, Elvis is never far away from his music. “On the new record that I just cut in Nashville, I recorded ‘Nothingville’. Remember that song? Most people don’t because it was done in passing on the ’68 special. It’s just a snippet in a medley, and it’s only on that NBC ‘Comeback Special’ album [the 1968 RCA LP, Elvis].”

No doubt that number will find its way into Watson’s set on the 16th, as well as other Presley tracks. Indeed, all of The King’s output falls neatly into what Watson calls the “Ameripolitan” sound. “The good thing about Ameripolitan is, it not only covers rockabilly and Elvis’ early stuff, but also the honky tonk stuff he did in the later years, like his country hits. There’s even some covers Elvis did that he made his own, that we play, too. Like ‘Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues.’ His version is my favorite recording of that song.”

For Watson, that mix of genres is true to the spirit of this city. “Memphis in general fits that whole thing,” he says. “Memphis has it all. And of course during Elvis week, we’re going to be promoting Ameripolitan coming up in February.” That’s when Hernando’s will host the Ameripolitan Music Awards festival, devoted to “music with a prominent roots influence.”

In keeping with that aesthetic, Hernando’s other star on the 16th will be none other than Jason D. Williams. If Williams conjures strong echoes of Jerry Lee Lewis, he too is an artist in his own right. The way Watson sees it, the unique identity that he and Williams embody is the point. “John Lennon said that ‘One’s inability to imitate their influences, that’s where originality lies,’” quips Watson. “Even with these Elvis tribute acts, when they’re trying to imitate Elvis, they have their own originality in their inability to completely imitate him.”

Even those latter artists will have their moment at Hernando’s, when the club hosts “Images of the King,” a well-curated show of Elvis tribute acts, from Saturday, August 11th, until Monday, August 15th. But what cinches Hernando’s claim to the Presley vibe is Priscilla Presley’s fondness for the place, ever since she dropped by the club in 2020. “It was on his birthday,” Watson recalls. “She’s been there several times since. And she’s gonna try to come in there that Tuesday [August 16th]. Of course I’m sure with that Elvis movie, things have been kicked up a notch, a little bit like they used to be. She’s got to play it by ear. But she likes the place a lot and she told us that it gives her the vibe of old Memphis.”

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Music Music Features

Charles Streeter’s Memphis Hang Suite

Photo: Tae Nichol Charles Streeter

Living in Los Angeles for 10 years, Memphis-born drummer Charles Streeter saw how things were done. He saw the power of the jam. “People get to know you and your name and your playing through jam sessions,” he says. “That’s where all the musicians are under one roof with producers and singers. You exchange information. You know, someone will say, ‘Hey, I need a drummer. Oh, what about that kid that moved here from Memphis last week? Let’s call him.’”

Of course, it helps if you can really play, but Streeter had that covered. He was used to being surrounded by stellar talent, having grown up playing under the direction of a soul music legend. “I came out of Christ Missionary Baptist Church,” says Streeter. “I was born in the church in 1984, and I’ve been a member ever since. And what’s interesting about my church is, [songwriter, producer, and Stax Records session musician] Lester Snell was the minister of music. So I came out of a traditional Baptist gospel-meets-Stax sound.”

Something about that Memphis soul stew made Streeter unique, so when he left the University of Memphis music department after three semesters and moved to Los Angeles, he turned heads. In short order, he became the go-to drummer for a number of major artists. “I toured with Chaka Khan for five years or so. And I’ve toured with J.Lo for 10 years now — I’m her onstage musical director. And I’ve played with Tori Kelly five or six years now.”

Like so many gifted Memphis players, Streeter was following a star that took him away from his hometown. “For freelance musicians or even artists, it’s really hard to make it out of Memphis without leaving Memphis,” he says. “A lot of musicians tend to move away and just don’t come back because life is great elsewhere. We don’t have as many opportunities as we used to have here, back in the ’60s and ’70s, when we had Stax and Hi Records and all of that.” 

But unlike others, he still felt the call homeward. Four years ago, he returned to Memphis. “I initially moved back to be closer to my daughter when I wasn’t touring,” he notes. “Plus, I wanted to give back.” And give back he has, bringing a little slice of L.A. energy to the Bluff City with an ongoing series he calls the Memphis Hang Suite, every Tuesday at Hernando’s Hide-a-Way. 

“Memphis Hang Suite is an open mic/networking event that I host and put together with my band, Streeter and the Tribe,” Streeter says. “It’s basically trying to create a scene in Memphis like there is in L.A., New York, Chicago, and Atlanta, where musicians get together. It’s almost like a musicians’ fellowship. You get to know all the musicians from every genre at these jam sessions. We didn’t have one here, so I was like, ‘Well, I guess I’ve got to be the guy to do it.’ Especially being that I know how those things work.”

On any given Tuesday, you might hear Streeter and the Tribe jamming with the likes of MonoNeon, Jackie Clark, Stanley Randolph, Marcus Scott (who sang with Tower of Power for a time), and many others. Naturally, Hernando’s owner Dale Watson and wife Celine Lee often join in. “Everybody comes through,” Streeter says. “It’s a really cool hang. No egos. Nobody up there is trying to play all over the place. You still have to play the song. Just be tasteful, be an adult when you’re playing.”

Music fans still have time to catch the Memphis Hang Suite this month before they take a brief hiatus. “We have two more Tuesdays in this month,” Streeter adds, “and then we’re going to take a two-month break and actually work on a Memphis Hang Suite compilation album. There’s tons of musicians that I’m just now meeting from hosting this jam session. A lot of people that would never cross paths, because we do different genres of music. So this bridges the gap. We’re going to get together and put out something to commemorate our jams. To say, ‘Hey, we did something together that will live on after we’re all gone.’” 

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Music Music Blog

Hernando’s Hide-A-Way Partners with Tandem

Photo courtesy Dale Watson

The World Famous Hernando’s Hide-A-Way has had its share of struggles through the ongoing pandemic. The legendary club, a major watering hole and music venue throughout the golden age(s) of Memphis music, was purchased by some partners that included former Austinite Dale Watson, founder of the Ameripolitan festival. It reopened in late 2019 after being shuttered for many years. But just when it was really finding its legs, along came COVID-19.

Watson closed for a time, then restructured the club management and set up for virtual performances in the quarantine age. “The silver lining in this stuff was we got wired up for live-streaming,” he says. “Quality cameras, quality sound. So if the bands want to, they can live-stream on YouTube, and we’ve got a tickertape that rolls on the bottom of the screen with their PayPal and Venmo information. We’ve had bands come in and make quite a bit of money through tipping alone.”

Dale Watson makes friends during quarantine.

Nevertheless, making the bar and restaurant pay for itself was an uphill climb, even when the space reopened at limited capacity late last year. “If it wasn’t for the PPP loan, I wouldn’t have been able to make it this far,” he reflects. And recently, Watson nearly gave up on the place for good. “It really was right down to the wire. In fact, I was going to sell the place. It was on the market for one day, when Tony Westmoreland came to me and said, ‘Man, is it true?’ I said it was and he said, ‘No, don’t do that! Let’s do something.'”

Tony Westmoreland is, with Stephanie Westmoreland and Cullen Kent, a co-owner of Tandem Restaurant Partners. And they were a game-changer for Hernando’s. Watson can barely contain his enthusiasm.

“Tandem came in and saved our butts,” he says. “They came in like the cavalry. I can’t say enough about Tony and Stephanie Westmoreland, they’re just great people. His whole outfit, man. And when I say they came in like the cavalry, I’m not exaggerating. They came in just a week or two ago, we pooled our resources, and this week we went full blast.

“We just had a really cool Sunday with a hot rod show. Now we have more music and we’re doing comedy. We’ll have a burlesque show May 6th. We’ll have a Country Drag Night. And residencies have already started, like the Turnstyles and the MD’s. We’ll do a lot of stuff for Elvis week. We’re catering to touring acts as well, but we want to keep the local stuff happening. It’s going to work out great for the Ameripolitan Awards. ‘Cos now we’re going to have more venues for showcases.

“Our menu is also getting bigger. That’s thanks to Tandem as well. They have Growlers, Zinnie’s, Carolina Watershed and others, so they’ve really got the restaurant/bar side of it down. We’re going to extend the patio, too, so more people can go outside.

“We’re not losing money now. Thanks to Tandem, we’ve got our ducks in a row and can see some light at the end of the tunnel. And I’d like to thank all the Memphis folks for hanging with us.

“Tandem came in and overnight just made a huge difference in everything. And that just validated my decision to move to Memphis. Just good people all around. I’ve got the best neighbor in the world, my buddy Carl, and we’ve got a lot of great musicians. Just great friends. Memphis seems to be pulling together and they sure did for me.”


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Music Record Reviews

Dale Watson Owns His Bluff City Influences with Instrumental Tour de Force

I, for one, am crazy about instrumental albums. After a lifetime of pop radio, and rock-borne expectations in the mold of The Beatles, that’s not common, but there’s nothing like a lyric-less soundscape to put me in a state of mind that’s sweeter than words. Having said that, I’m picky. But even in the instrumental universe, Memphis brings more to the table than many cities. History leaves us with such gems as the Bill Black Combo, Willie Mitchell’s band, and the Ace Cannon oeuvre. Nowadays, we have the fine boogaloo jazz of the City Champs, and a crack band, the MDs, devoted wholly to the compositions of Booker T. & the MGs. And that’s just two among many.

Now, we have a band that’s so steeped in the Bluff City instrumental tradition they wear it on their collective sleeves: The Memphians. The only irony is that this group was the brainchild of a recent transplant, Dale Watson, who until 2017 was based in Austin, Texas. But when Dale moved in, he really moved in, taking it upon himself to renovate the classic Hernando’s Hide-a-way venue and setting up a fine retro-chic home near Graceland complete with its own recording facilities, Wat-Sun Studios.

While Watson still plays with His Lone Stars, from Texas, he’s also assembled a crew of Memphis’ finest for his more swinging nights at Hernando’s, and thus were the Memphians born.  While he’s known to sing with them, they really excel at the kind of rootsy, groovy, swinging instrumentals that you rarely hear these days, but were once the mainstay of clubs like the Hide-a-way. Tunes from the heyday of instrumentals, like Bill Justis’ “Raunchy,” or the Bill Black Combo’s “Smokie,” or Ace Cannon’s “Tuff,” are part of the Memphians’ stock-in-trade.

Now, with Watson at the helm, they carry that aesthetic into the present, with a collection of originals that could sit side by side with any of the above classics. Dale Watson Presents the Memphians is a welcome — and pitch-perfect — return to a world where melody, harmony and an irresistible groove are all you need.

It helps that the Memphians are all steeped in the same musical touchstones. All tracks were penned by Watson, except four that he co-wrote with guitarist Mario Monterosso. Joining them are local musicians Danny Banks (drums), T. Jarrod Bonta (piano), Carl Caspersen (upright bass), and Jim Spake (saxophone). Making the most of last year’s quarantine, Watson recorded the group at Wat-Sun Studios in just two days.

The mood swerves from the Duane Eddy-esque low-down twang of “Agent Elvis” or “Deep Eddy” to dreamy reveries like “Dalynn Grace” or “Serene Lee.” And thanks to Monterosso’s influence, they may have produced the only rock and roll rave-up from Memphis where the players shout in Italian — “Mi Scusi.”
Roberto Hawkins

Dale Watson

All the proceedings go down with nary a hitch or a false note, with all players at the top of their pre-70s game. Being a pianist myself (and, full disclosure, occasionally sitting on Watson’s back bench of musicos), I’m especially impressed by Bonta’s ivory-tickling, ranging from perfectly clinky high notes to rollicking boogie woogie without missing a beat, and always bringing both precision and fire to his solos.

The same goes for Watson’s precise guitar playing, but any fan of his past work takes that as a matter of course. The real revelation here is how effortlessly he’s joined by his crew of local savants to produce a classic that somehow stands outside of time. 

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Music Music Blog

The Flow: Live-Streamed Music Events This Week, February 25-March 3

CREDIT: Michael Weintrob

This week sports a flurry of fresh online performances, starting this afternoon with the continuation of Folk Unplugged, the annual conference/festival for Folk Alliance International. Local purveyors of the genre Folk All Y’all also bring singer/songwriter David Wilcox.

On the “countrypolitan” side of things, Dale Watson brings his new album, The Memphians, to life online and live at limited capacity at the World Famous Hernando’s Hide-a-way.

And then there’s a rare performance by Southern Avenue from “Studio A” in the former home of Stax Records, now the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. This will be a homecoming of sorts for Southern Avenue keyboard player Jeremy Powell, an alum of the Stax Music Academy.
Michael Weintrob

Southern Avenue

REMINDER: The Memphis Flyer supports social distancing in these uncertain times. Please live-stream responsibly. We remind all players that even a small gathering could recklessly spread the coronavirus and endanger others. If you must gather as a band, please keep all players six feet apart, preferably outside, and remind viewers to do the same.

ALL TIMES CST

Thursday, February 25
3:30 p.m. through 10 a.m., February 26
Folk Unlocked – showcases for various artists, by Folk Alliance International
Website

Friday, February 26
11:30 a.m.
Memphis Pete – Elvis tribute
Facebook

6 p.m.
The Juke Joint Allstars – at Wild Bill’s
Facebook

6:30 p.m.
David Wilcox – via Folk All Y’all
Facebook    Website

Saturday, February 27
10 a.m.
Richard Wilson
Facebook

6 p.m.
The Juke Joint Allstars – at Wild Bill’s
Facebook

8 p.m.
Southern Avenue – live from Studio A, Stax Museum of American Soul Music
Twitch TV

Sunday, February 28
1 p.m.
Savannah Brister – at Tin Roof
Facebook

3 p.m.
Dale Watson – Chicken $#!+ Bingo and release party for The Memphians
Website

4 p.m.
Bill Shipper – For Kids (every Sunday)
Facebook

6 p.m.
Joyce Cobb – interview with the National Association of Black Female Executives in Music & Entertainment (NABFEME)
Facebook

6 p.m.
Jazz – at the Hi-Tone
Facebook

Monday, March 1
5:30 p.m.
Amy LaVere & Will Sexton
Facebook

8 p.m.
John Paul Keith (every Monday)
YouTube

Tuesday, March 2
7 p.m.
Bill Shipper (every Tuesday)
Facebook

Wednesday, March 3
6 p.m.
Richard Wilson (every Wednesday)
Facebook

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News The Fly-By

MEMernet: Lemon for Sale, Worst Place to Sh*t

Lemon

Want to buy a guaranteed “lemon edition” 2020 Lemon? Head on over to the Memphis section of Facebook Marketplace. Facebook user Drakkor Washington has it on offer for only $4,000.

Chicken Shit

Instagram’s ever-vigilant Memphis bathroom connoisseur memplops gave a rare look into the facilities of one very special chicken last week.

If you read the Flyer, you know Hernando’s Hide-A-Way offers Chicken Shit Bingo every Sunday night. Haven’t been? Well, have a look at the board.

As for a review, memplops gave the bingo chicken coop a 0/10 on ambiance as “hundreds of people are going watch you take a shit.”

King Flop

Lebron James gave a stunning performance in Memphis Saturday in a loss to the Grizzlies at FedExForum.

Griz shooting guard Dillon Brooks tapped James on the chin; no question about that. But “replays caught The King executing an Oscar-worthy flop” in exchange, according to the Clutch Points sports blog.

Posted to Twitter by The Bleacher Report

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Best Bets: Ameripolitan Burger at Hernando’s Hide-A-Way

CREDIT: Michael Donahue

Michael Donahue

Ameripolitan burger at Hernando’s Hide-A-Way

Whole lotta hamburger going on at Hernando’s Hide-A-Way.

I’m talking about the Ameripolitan burger. You get a lot of meat with this burger.

It’s named after Hide-A-Way owner Dale Watson’s Ameripolitan style of music, which is a mixture of rockabilly, Western swing, outlaw, and honky-tonk.

This burger is a culinary mix of two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickle, and onion.

“I just thought it was a nice way to pay a little respect to have that on the menu,” says Hernando’s chef/owner Patrick Travato. “It’s my rendition of a McDonald’s Big Mac.”

Travato’s original hamburger is the “Big Smack,” which still is on the menu at his restaurant, Inferno, in Suffolk County, Long Island. Watson wanted to use Memphis-oriented names on the menu. So, in Memphis, the Big Smack is the Ameripolitan burger.

The Ameripolitan burger “rings of a more nostalgic time – in my time,” says Travato, who ordered Big Mac’s back in the 1970s. “It’s redolent to nostalgia from my childhood .A time when I was in love with Elvis and I listened to my dad’s country records. That burger seemed to make sense.”

I told Travato the Ameripolitan reminded me of the hamburgers I ate at the old dairy bars, where you got hamburgers along with vanilla custard cones back in the 1950s and ‘60s. Which makes sense in regards to Hernando’s Hide-A-Way burgers. “Everything is done on an old style flat-top,” Travato says. “It’s done on a grill. That’s how I cook everything. I don’t use a char broiler.”

Along with the Ameripolitan, diners can try other Hernando’s Hide-A-Way burgers, including the Bluff City Slaw Burger. And the menu includes a lot more than burgers. “That entire menu is my concept solely. I’ve been producing it for 11 years.”

That giant Ameripolitan burger, as Patsy Cline might say, “falls to pieces” as you dig into it. It’s so big, you have to remember: “Don’t be cruel.” There’s enough to share a bite or two with a friend.

Note: If you’ve never been there, Hernando’s Hide-A-Way is in Memphis, not in Hernando, Miss. It’s very easy to get to. You can see it if you look West on Brooks Road if you’re driving South on Elvis Presley Blvd. Plenty of parking. 

Hernando’s Hide-A-Way is at 3210 Old Hernando Road, (917) 982-1829

Michael Donahue

Hernando’s Hide-A-Way


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Music Music Blog

When Ameripolitan Lets Its Hair Down: Unforgettable Images From Hernando’s

CREDIT: Jamie Harmon

Jamie Harmon

James Intveld joined Dale Watson and band during the Saturday afternoon show.

The Ameripolitan Music Awards celebrated its seventh annual ceremony on Monday, capping a weekend of shows and activities that included the grand reopening of The World Famous Hernando’s Hide-A-Way, now graced with a new historical marker. None other than Tanya Tucker made a surprise appearance at Hernando’s, where she sang “Help Me Make It Through the Night” and “I’ll Fly Away,” backed by Dale Watson and His Lone Stars, with guest pianist Jason D. Williams.

At the awards ceremony, hosted by Big Sandy (of Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys), guitar pioneer Duane Eddy received the Master Award, and drummer J.M. Van Eaton (who played on Sun Records tracks by Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Billy Lee Riley) received the Founder of the Sound Award from Jerry Phillips (son of Sam Phillips). Phillips poignantly said, “If J.M. Van Eaton hadn’t played on all those records, I’m not sure my father would have had the success he had.”

In another Memphis-related development, Goner Records recording artist Bloodshot Bill won the award for Best Rockabilly Male. Here he is playing bass and singing “Gone, Gone, Gone” with his fellow nominees:

When Ameripolitan Lets Its Hair Down: Unforgettable Images From Hernando’s

2020 Ameripolitan Music Award winners

Western swing Female – Georgia Parker
Western swing Male – Dave Stuckey
Western swing group – The Farmer & Adele
Honky Tonk Female – Sarah Vista
Honky Tonk Male – Charley Crockett
Honky Tonk Group – Country Side of Harmonica Sam
Master Award – Duane Eddy
Founder of the Sound – J.M. Van Eaton
Musician – Sean Mencher
Venue – Dukes Indy
Festival – Bristol Rhythm & Roots (Bristol, TN)
DJ – Eddie White (Cosmic Cowboy Café 2RRR 88.5FM, Sydney, Australia)
Rockabilly Female – Laura Palmer (of Laura Palmer & Screamin’ Rebel Angels)
Rockabilly Male – Bloodshot Bill
Rockabilly Group – The Lustre Kings

The end of the show served as an impromptu tribute to Carl Perkins, with the 2020 Rockabilly Male nominees, Shaun Young, Bloodshot Bill, Jittery Jack, and Eddie Clendening, all performing Perkins’ “Gone, Gone, Gone” together, followed by a grand finale with Watson, Tammi Savoy, Jim Heather, Jerry Phillips, Jittery Jeff, Dave Stuckey, Nick 13, Laura Palmer, and more singing Perkins’ “Boppin’ the Blues.” [slideshow-1]

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Music Music Features

Junior Brown Headlines 2020 Ameripolitan Music Awards

Junior Brown is a paradox: a songwriter with a keen sense of the wit and economy of classic country, but who nevertheless burst on the scene decades ago with some unorthodox ideas and a fierce playing style that ran the gamut from Buck Owens to Jimi Hendrix.

Almost 30 years on, all of those elements have survived intact — as has Brown’s unique style. His earliest songs still stand strong, even side-by-side with his 2018 release, Deep in the Heart of Me. For that, and for his unerring ear in capturing the magic of classic honky-tonk material, he’s a perfect fit with Dale Watson’s Ameripolitan Music Awards — four days celebrating honky tonk, Western swing, and rockabilly in all their contemporary permutations. Brown and Watson will kick things off on Friday night at the newly rejuvenated Hernando’s Hide-A-Way.

I recently had a chat with Brown, in which he waxed philosophical on just what makes good country music good, and how he walks the line between classic sounds and being true to himself.

George Brainard

Junior Brown

Memphis Flyer: I expect you’ll be a great fit with the ambiance of Hernando’s Hide-A-Way. There aren’t a lot of clubs left on the circuit anymore that capture that countrypolitan vibe so well.

Junior Brown: We’re just glad we can play anywhere because live music is really not what it used to be. Most people are getting their entertainment on computers and so forth now, instead of going out. There’s not much dancing anymore in dance clubs. But we’re just very grateful that we still have an audience that comes out and there’s still an interest among young people. We’re always getting new fans. A lot of ’em are people who will come up and say, “My father or my grandparents loved your music, and that’s why I’m here.” So it goes down through the generations.

This won’t be your first Ameripolitan appearance, will it?

We played the ceremony when I received an award a few years back. And then I was there to help present an award to Lloyd Green, a steel guitar hero of mine. So I’ve been in contact with Dale over the years. He’s been very gracious about including me in some of these things.

Dale’s a good songwriter. There’s a real talent to that, separate from the singing and the playing, that a lot of artists just can’t get ahold of. It’s a whole different side of music, the writing. The beauty of a good traditional country song is keeping humble, keeping it simple, and keeping it honest. Simplicity is not easy.

I don’t think there should be anything hip about country music. Don’t get me wrong: I think Gram Parsons was great, but I think the hippies really screwed country music up. And hey, I’m an old hippie myself, so I’m as guilty as anybody else. I’ve recorded a Jimi Hendrix song, for crying out loud. But although I’m a fan of the Flying Burrito Brothers, they turned country into something cool. And country’s supposed to be square. The coolness and the hipness come from appreciating it for its integrity, its humility. Once you try and hipify that, you’ve cheapened it. I think that’s a tightrope that Ricky Skaggs has always walked, and he’s come out on the right side of it.

Yet a lot of people think of you as that guy who can go from classic country to playing a Hendrix solo.

Yeah, or surfer music. Yeah, I still play the same mix as when I started. I do novelty songs. I do a song in Spanish once in a while. So I’m not a purist. And I’m not a country boy, per se. My dad was a college professor! But when I sing a country song, I put everything I’ve got into it. And I’m very conscious to try not to cheapen it. I’m very proud of my songs. They’ve stood the test of time.

The material you did 25 years ago still rings true.

Yeah! See, that’s what I like about country music. Once you find something good, it’s good forever.

The Ameripolitan Music Awards start Friday, February 21st, with multiple acts at various venues, culminating with the ceremony at the Guest House at Graceland on Monday, February 24th. Visit ameripolitan.com for details.