A Farmboy until he dies

(Note: I have to admit I only became familiar with J.D. Shelburne in the last year or so. A friend told me about his music so I looked him up on the Internet, listened and immediately identified with a guy who grew up the next county over from me. Then, another good friend told me about Shelburne's dad being a former basketball player and coach, one who I had seen play the game when I was a kid. I also realized I knew some of Shelburne's family through my work as a sports writer. I contacted J.D. and he graciously consented to a one-on-one interview. I found one of the nicest young men I have had the privilege of meeting and a guy who shared my love of farm life, basketball and the Kentucky Wildcats. Here is that interview, which appeared as a column in the July 23 edition of The Anderson News.)

I had driven through the backroads to meet up with J.D. Shelburne.

He'd done the same to catch up with a writer he knew little about.

But that wasn't really that unusual. I'm a sports writer who's just as comfortable talking about cattle as baseball. Shelburne could fill the nets from 3-point land at Spencer County High School but is now working his way up the ladder in Nashville.

We're talking Music City. And the base rung of that ladder has to be his biggest single to date, “Farmboy” which tells the story of how he grew up. That signature line of his biggest hit says all you need to know:  I'm a farmboy 'til the day that I die.

I had meandered down Highway 44 through Taylorsville, where the video for his hit was filmed on the family farm. He'd taken time out between shows to meet in the parking lot at Bullitt East High School, where Shelburne's father, David, had at one time coached basketball.

J.D. Shelburne might be chasing his dream picking a guitar but it's easy to see why opposing coaches, including Anderson County's Glen Drury, worried about the 6-foot-5-inch shooting guard's touch from 3-point land from 1998-2001.

J.D. Shelburne performs at Louisville Slugger Field.

“We made plenty of trips to Anderson County,” Shelburne chuckles. “Man, their fans were rough!

“Some of my greatest memories are growing up and playing sports around the Eighth Region. It was great growing up in a small town. Everybody knew me and everybody knew my dad.”

Opposing coaches knew him too. According to the KHSAA website, Shelburne – he's listed as John D. – hit better than two 3-pointers a game. He was one of the state's top shooters and at one point, sank 33 straight free throws.

He looks like he could still make some, ahem, string music.

“I will lace up the old basketball shoes and play at the Brentwood (Tenn.) YMCA from time to time,” Shelburne says. “It's a great way to stay in shape these days.”

And it's not surprising that a guy who grew up loving the Cincinnati Reds of Chris Sabo and Barry Larkin always remembers the day he and his younger brother, Tommy, went deep. “I think we were playing Shelby County and both of us hit home runs in the same game. That was the coolest thing ever.”

To music and basketball lovers, though, Shelburne's ascent rivals that feat on the coolness scale.

It all started in the summer of 2002, between Shelburne's freshman and sophomore years at the University of Kentucky.

“My grandmother passed away. She went to sleep one night and never woke up. It was kind of a shock for our family,” he says. “It really took its toll on the family. We would go to her house that summer and box up stuff and the antiques.

“In the back of a closet, I found an acoustic guitar that I never knew was there. … I just thought it would be something fun to do. I was retiring from sports and moving on to the next phase in my life.

“When I went back to Lexington for the fall semester in '02, I took the guitar with me. Over the course of the next six months, I would get on Google and just try to start figuring out where to put my fingers on the guitar. The case had a chord book in it that told where to put my fingers and I would just play to what was playing on the radio.”

Eventually, he literally sang for his supper.

J.D. Shelburne and bassist Hank Rose at Louisville Slugger Field.

“I got to where I was halfway decent and would go down the street to this place where I would sing for a chicken sandwich,” he laughs.

He started playing coffee shops, churches and retirement parties. He even played for tips near Freddy Farm Bureau at the Kentucky State Fair one year.

“I made about three bucks in two hours,” Shelburne laughs.

It was all part of the dream that had moved from Riverfront Stadium to the Grand Ole Opry.

“Anything I could do to get out and be seen. Anything with a P.A., I would go play it,” he says with a laugh. “I have played in nursing homes where every patient was asleep. I have literally done it all. We have done it the old-fashioned way. I tell people we have done it Loretta Lynn-style.”

Lynn famously visited radio stations trying to get them to play “Honky Tonk Girl” before her career took off. Shelburne plays anytime, anywhere he can, but has the modern twist of Twitter and Facebook

And that is where his love of Kentucky basketball and country music came together.

It all came together on March 30 when the Wildcats earned a berth in the Final Four at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Freshman reserve Marcus Lee was the surprise scoring 10 points and grabbing eight rebounds.

“I was watching the game and we beat Michigan to go to the Final Four. Lee went crazy, and as the game ended, I was sitting in the recliner and my heart was pounding. I said, 'I am gonna have to write a song about this.'”

He decided on re-wording the Alabama hit, “If You're Gonna Play in Texas, You've Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band.”

In 10 minutes, Shelburne had come up with, “If You're Gonna Play in Texas, You've Gotta have Lee in the Game.” He loaded on his Facebook page, thinking little about it.

“I did it as a joke, hoping to get some tickets to the game,” he chuckles. “My dad called me and said that was a good song on Facebook and I had some comments on it. About three hours later, I had about 5,000 views and 3,000 shares. The next day, it was like 200,000 likes. It went viral.”

At last count, over the quickly-made “joke” has turned in serious numbers to the tune of over 450,000 views in various ways.

Ironically, Shelburne says he has been able to play more events around the University of Louisville – “Tom Jurich is a fan,” he says of the Cardinals' athletic director – than his alma mater.

And, it was in the former home of Cardinal football that Shelburne saw another of his dreams come true last year. His gigs at the Kentucky State Fair had evolved from that day he stood near Freddy Farm Bureau to playing one of the country music tents. Last spring, the call came to open for fellow Kentuckians Montgomery Gentry at Cardinal Stadium during the fair.

The place was packed and rocking.

J.D. Shelburne, right, hams it up with me.

“I remember one year walking back to my car and seeing (Christian group) Mercy Me playing and I said, 'I want to play here some day. Sure enough, six years later, I was doing it.”

The dream is still big, but Shelburne is still climbing. By day, he works as a Workman's Compensation adjuster. By night and on weekends, he's traveling to play.

Even though he has opened for 44 national acts, Shelburne longs to play the Opry – another Kentuckian, singer Steve Wariner, has written a letter of recommendation for him – and open for some other big names, including the Oak Ridge Boys, a favorite of Shelburne's parents and the writer he spent part of a Saturday afternoon in a small town talking about sports and being farm boys.

“You make so many friends along the way playing sports, from grade school to high school, that I still keep in contact with,” Shelburne says. “I learned so much about being humble, learning to play with a positive mind frame, never giving up on dreams and always give 110 percent effort. Coach (Mike) Appelman always taught us to leave it all out on the floor and I use that same mind frame today when I perform shows. I leave it all on the stage at the end of the night.

“I worked on a farm all my life. We raised tobacco. I put in hay. A lot of people don't realize I am a farm boy. I have my hair slicked back, wear tight blue jeans and cowboy boots, but I was born and raised on the farm. I was driving a truck on the back road when I was eight years old.”

I'm a farmboy until the day that I die.

Original song, original sound, age old dream

(Note: Every now and then, I run into someone who just amazes me for various reasons.  I recently had the privilege of interviewing Rayna Warford and her sister, Ramsey Edington. They have dreams of making it in the music business but know the odds are stacked against them.  But they are still having loads of fun and love every minute of their journey. I am reposting the story, which appeared in the July 16 edition of The Anderson News.)

 The journey started with only a tiny bit of fanfare in Anderson County. If the dream comes true, it will make it all the way to Nashville.

And beyond.

“My first performance was at Western School,” Rayna Warford says with a big smile. “I was five years old and it was a talent contest. I was the youngest contestant there, but I won.”

Twenty-two years and a slew of gigs later, Rayna is still singing, but now she’s usually joined on stage by her younger sister, Ramsey Edington, putting together a unique neo-traditional country sound that is becoming more well-known around central Kentucky.

But the ambition is much bigger than the Bluegrass Region.

“We are country with a bluegrass influence,” Rayna says with a sparkle in her eye.

When asked to give just a taste of any current act that might have a similar sound, Rayna offers The Secret Sisters as an example, but quickly adds, “I say we have the R and R sound.”

That sound is tight family harmony with powerful voices, backed by their own acoustic accompaniment. Ramsey started teaching herself the mandolin at age 16 and is now learning the ukelele. Rayna started learning the piano when she was 8, but switched to the guitar after getting one as a Christmas gift in 2006.

“We had a gig scheduled for February and I said I was going to play that guitar on stage,” Rayna laughs.

That drive fuels a dream that is not likely to ever die.

The Anderson County sisters long for that break elusive break that could take them from playing at local festivals, churches and small-town country shows like the Bardstown Opry and the Kentucky Jamboree to the big time in Nashville.

Along the way, R and R have been asked to sing the national anthem at various events around central Kentucky, including a date at a Lexington Legends’ minor league baseball game.

They’ve also recorded two CDs with another in the works.

It’s all part of the journey that actually began before Rayna Edington won that talent show at Western School.

“Our mom made us listen to all kinds of music,” Ramsey says with a laugh. “She introduced us to all kinds of music.”

That has been apparent even as the sisters have chased their dreams. Rayna saw that during a six-month stint as a backup singer at the now-closed Junction Jamboree in Lebanon Junction several years ago.

Ramsey, who now works as a pharmacy technician at the Lawrenceburg Kroger, joined the Lebanon Junction show once, but found the trip very difficult with her work schedule.

“That was just such a long drive each week,” says Rayna, whose day job is with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture in Frankfort.

“When we sang at Lebanon Junction, there were few songs I didn’t know. We listened to so much Michael Bolton growing up. Then I went through that stage where everything was Britney Spears,” Rayna says. “Now we sing everything from the Dixie Chicks to Loretta Lynn’s ‘Blue Kentucky Girl.’”

The pair has even written a song, simply titled “Our Original Song,” about that influence. Their mom, Regina Edington, even helped with the composition.

One verse includes the lines, “Our mom would make us listen to Loretta and ZZ Top. She’d pull out those old 45s but we’d rather listen to pop. She’d tell us both the story of how music’s supposed to be. Mom was right all along about those old songs and what’s best for you and me.”

But that love of music is even deeper. Not only did Regina Edington constantly play music as her daughters were growing up, but the influence of their chorus teacher at Anderson County High School, Sue Lou Smith, cannot be understated.

“She taught us so much and she comes to everything,” Ramsey says.

That includes gigs as far away as Lebanon Junction to the rare opportunities R and R have to sing in their hometown.

Friday, the sisters will play at Rising Sons Winery for an that is open to the anyone 21 and older. “Seating will be limited so it is suggested people bring lawn chairs,” Rayna said.

Sunday, R and R will be presenting some of their gospel music during the morning worship service at First Christian Church.

They will head back to Rising Sons on Aug. 8 during the 127 Yard Sale for another public event.
“We love to perform here in Lawrenceburg. This IS our hometown,” says Rayna, who acts as the duet’s manager.

In addition to the traditional small-town country venues, R and R nave played at the Fort Harrod Beef Festival, the Daniel Boone Festival in Winchester and at the Franklin County Fair.

“We love to play the festival setting,” Rayna says. “You can get your music to a lot of people there.”
And, Rayna says, the duo never turns down a reasonable invitation to sing. “Personally, I think it is always worth it,” Rayna says. “You never know who is going to be there.”

It’s just the price of the dream.

And that dream might get a little closer to reality on August 30. Last week, R and R accepted an offer to play at Loretta Lynn’s Hurricane Mills Ranch just outside Nashville. “We are going to be performing with our friend, Roger Riggs, who is a Conway Twitty impersonator, and our friend Allen Hilbert, who is a George Jones impersonator.

“The best part is that Loretta is doing a concert at the ranch that night, so this is an incredible honor.”
Still, Rayna and Ramsey know that only a handful of the big dreamers ever see them come true.

“If it doesn’t happen, I don’t think we would be disappointed,” Rayna says. “We are doing what we love to do.”

And that love makes the dream grow bigger before Rayna Warford’s and Ramsey Edington’s eyes. Rayna knew that when she and her husband, Adam, took a trip to Nashville in April.

“We went to the Ryman,” Rayna said of the auditorium that long housed the Grand Ole Opry. “When we walked in, I said, ‘Wow!’ I literally burst into tears.

“We did the backstage tour and I got up on the stage to stand in that circle. I might never stand there again, but I will cherish that moment forever.


Our Original Song
By Rayna Warford, Ramsey Edigton and Regina Edington

They say you can’t go nowhere

In the music world today

If you don’t write, practice every night

And play gigs for little pay…

Sometimes it sure ain’t easy

‘Cause money don’t go far—

You miss your home, you’re all alone

And your best friend’s a guitar

So we’ve come up with some lyrics

And they might not be the best

Stayed up all night, had a real big fight

But then we got some rest

We tried to be creative

Feel free to sing along—

Here we are, we’re R&R

And this-is-our original song

Our mom would make us listen

To Loretta and ZZ Top

She’d pull out those old 45’s

But we’d rather listen to pop

She’d tell us both the story

Of how music’s supposed to be

Mom was right all along about those old songs

And what’s best for you and me

Chorus:

It might not take us to the Opry

Or be a YouTube hit

Buy us fancy clothes or shiny cars

But we don’t give a lick

We’ve tried so hard to please you

By writing our own tune

We’re radio bound—hope you like our sound

Because you’re gonna hear us soon!

(Chorus)

We tried to be creative

And we hope you sang along

‘Cause here we are, we’re R&R

And this-is-our original song!

Singing for His blessings, not searching for His will

As I woke up this Fourth of July morning, the sun was shining brightly on my new Kentucky home. There's not a cloud in the sky, the air is crisp and rather than the normal muggy days of summer, the temperature seems more like early fall.

I could not help but think of the way I have been personally blessed over the last few months: My wife and I were able to move to a new house – I can't help but love the creek that runs through our back yard! – in what we believe is a beautiful neighborhood. She has been granted a professional opportunity that she has been pursuing several years, as well.

My youngest daughter received the 110 Percent Award for her classwork in her old school, Shelby East, and is excited about a new band opportunity she will be having at her new one, Anderson County.

I have also been inspired in other ways, not the least of which was someone sharing that knowing my struggle with hearing loss and the wonder of cochlear implants has been a blessing to them. That one really was a bit of a surprise.

There have been so many blessings that serve to remind me how wonderful it is to live in the United States of America. I really wonder if most, if any, of the things I have just listed would be possible anywhere else on the earth.

At the same time, though, I am troubled by the direction of our country.

And troubled is really an understatement.

Last night, I had the privilege to attend a Minor League Baseball game at Louisville Slugger Field. The hometown Bats were taking on the Indianapolis Indians in another installment of the rivalry they have had for over 30 years. It kind of mirrors the one their parent clubs, the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates had when I was growing up in the 1970s and has resurfaced in the last few seasons.

The game got out of hand and the Indians went on to an easy victory. And speaking of “out of hand” I was quite upset with myself as I did not haul in a foul ball I should have caught.

But as I was waiting for the game to mercifully end and the fireworks to begin, I started thinking about some of the ironies of the July 4 holiday tradition.

In the middle of the seventh inning, in what has become a diamond tradition since Sept. 11, 2001, the public address announcer asked for all to rise during the singing of “God Bless America.”

To say the sell-out crowd sang with gusto is major understatement.

But a review of recent news says our country's actions are even louder and more forceful than anything Kate Smith could have ever sung.

Consider the Supreme Court's ruling on employer-funded medical insurance. It's probably not possible to not know about this one. The craft store Hobby Lobby and another corporation argued that the mandate to provide birth control with prescription drugs that have been linked to causing abortions violated their deeply-held Christian values. The corporation did not challenge providing the 16 actual contraceptives as mandated by the Affordable Care Act.

While the 5-4 court decision was a victory, I am troubled that we even got to the point in our country when someone could be violating a law – as the executives of the corporations named in the case would be doing – by holding fast to their faith.

For that matter, how did we get to a point where abortion – taking the life of a baby, no matter how you look at it – is considered a contraceptive and a choice in reproductive health. Just because the Supreme Court ruled that abortion should be legal in 1973 doesn't make it right or moral.

Of course there are many saying the ruling in favor of Hobby Lobby limits a woman's choice. Wrong.

All the ruling says is that the closely-held corporation does not have to provide the government-mandated benefits if they violate the owner's religious beliefs.

It does not say that someone cannot have an abortion. It's just not incumbent on the employer to pay for it. It's called personal responsibility.

The next day, a judge struck down a judge struck down Kentucky's ban on gay marriage. It's not that we didn't see this coming. I have believed for many years the pro-gay marriage forces would eventually win in the courts.

What is troubling is that we have gotten away from biblical values, which clearly teach that such a lifestyle is sin. Of course, the Bible also says that lying, drunkenness and divorce, which I have gone through, are also sins.

I believe that Jesus' admonition to a woman who had been married five times is pertinent when he said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.”

In other words, loving and respecting a person does not equal condoning behavior.

But back to baseball and the Fourth of July.

We sing God Bless America loudly, but do we really mean it? Does America ask for God's blessings without submitting to his will?

I think the answer is obvious. And I wonder how much longer He will continue to show His favor on our country.