By the time I became a freshman at Brady High School, music was no longer something new to me. But this band was different from The Rockin' Three.
Our FFA band included Frank Torres as lead singer, Tommy Marsden on rhythm guitar, Lester Jennings on tom-toms, Hal Chase on drums, an upright bass player I believe was Jimmie Osborne, and me on lead guitar. I am still uncertain about the bass player’s name. Playing lead guitar was a change for me. With The Rockin' Three, I had sung and played rhythm guitar. Now I was concentrating on lead. We entered the FFA competition. And we won District. That qualified us to advance to the Area competition at West Texas State College in San Marcos.
For a freshman from Brady, Texas, that was a pretty big accomplishment. We had put together a real band. We had a lead singer, guitars, upright bass, tom-toms, and drums. We had competed against other groups and won our way to Area. Then we got there. And one boy with one guitar beat us.
“Black Land Farmer”
We finished second at Area. The fellow who beat us was a solo singer and guitar player.
He sang “Black Land Farmer.”
I still remember that, and it was so appropriate for a Future Farmers of America Talent contest. We brought a whole band; he brought one guitar and won. His choice of “Black Land Farmer” was especially appropriate for an FFA talent contest. But there was a lesson in that performance that I probably understood better later than I did at the time. Music does not depend upon how many people are on the stage. It doesn't depend upon how much equipment you have. Sometimes one person, one guitar, and the right song can fill a room.
I don't remember being angry about coming in second.
What I remember is “Black Land Farmer.”
That tells me the young man must have done something right. Music has a way of leaving those kinds of memories behind.