The Show That Would Never Be

The Show That Would Never Be

Editorial Reviews
<"b000axwgzo2999"> About the Artist
Big Al Downing has built a widely respected country career as both a rock-a-billy and sentimental artist, earning acclaim particularly in various European countries. That career includes 15 Billboard country chart hits between 1979 and 1989, three of which were in the top 20. It also includes country songwriting, playing backup for two legendary country performers and being named Billboard magazine's Number One New Male Country Singles Artist in 1979.

Downing wrote all of his top 20 hits, which are, "Touch Me (I'll be your fool once more)", which peaked at No. 18 in 1979, "Mr. Jones" which peaked at No. 20 in 1979 and marked Downing's first solo country chart entry, and "Bring It on Home", which peaked at No. 20 in 1980.Born in 1940 on a farm in Lenapah, Oklahoma, Downing listened primarily to country music and also to R&B and other kinds of music as a child. He continued his heavy dosage of country as a young man, listening to it incessantly on the radio as he worked driving truckloads of hay and alfalfa from Oklahoma to Texas.

"All they played all day long was country, I just grew to love it", Downing says in a 1992 country trade magazine article.His first formal singing came at about age ten when he sang in a gospel choir with his father and eleven siblings. During that time he also exercised his musical curiosity and skill by teaching himself to play a piano he found in a trash dump. He then developed a particular liking for the music of Fats Domino and won a talent contest at age 14 singing Domino's famous "Blueberry Hill" song.

Domino would later record two hit songs written by Downing - Mary, Oh Mary and Heartbreak Hill.Having been highly impressed with Downing's performance in the talent contest, the leader of the rockabilly band later known as the Poe Kats asked Downing to join his band. Downing joined in 1957 and remained until 1964. Soon after Downing's arrival, the Poe Kats released on the Challenge Records label, the rockabilly standard "Down on the Farm". Other notable songs Downing recorded with the group are "Yes I'm Loving You" and "Georgia Slop".Just after they recorded "Down on the Farm", the Poe Kats were signed to back, the then emerging rockabilly queen, Wanda Jackson, for whom they played during most of 1958.

Among Downing's three bandmates in backing Jackson was later country great Buck Owens. Some of Jackson's hits with Downing playing for her are, "Let's Have a Party", "Right or Wrong" and "In the Middle of a Heartache"."(One of my bandmates) and I would do solo spots warming up the audience before she came on". Downing says of his days playing with Jackson.

"Frankly, there wasn't as much prejudice as you'd expect even though I'd stand beside her and sing with her. She liked my playing and she'd introduce me to the audience, which helped. Sure ... there'd be times when they had to sneak me into a hotel with a towel over my head, but I didn't hear any racial remarks".In the liner notes to her "Let's have a party" recording, Jackson adds, "Very often after the show, the group would have to smuggle Downing into a motel room in a bass fiddle body bag". She praises his ability, saying he "was restrained and screwing up in the studio until I told him to throw away the piano stool and play standing up as if he were giving a performance".Playing for the Poe Kats and touring with Jackson put Downing on stage in front of country audiences throughout the United States and permitted him to open for such stars as Red Sovine, Dottie West, Don Gibson and Marty Robbins, for whom he also recorded.

This exposure led to a number of solo recording contracts for Downing, including ones with the Columbia, White Rock and Carlton record labels.While Downing enjoyed moderate success with his recording of the Marty Robbins song, "Story of My Life," these early recording contracts did little for his career. In 1970 he had his first hit; with "I'll be Holding On" making it to the R&B chart.

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<"b000axwgzo4999"> Album Description
THE DATE WAS JUNE 28, 2005, COUNTRY MUSIC LEGEND "BIG AL DOWNING" WOULD BE SITTING AT HOME WITH HIS PIANO RECORDING A TAPE TO SEND TO HIS LONG TIME FRIEND AND PRODUCER "DOC HOLIDAY" FOR A SHOW THAT "DOC" HAD BEEN BOOKED AT "THE NORVA" IN NORFOLK, VIRGINIA ON JULY 1, 2005. THE TAPE WAS RECORDED BY "BIG AL" SO "DOC" WOULD BE ABLE TO REHEARSE THE BAND WHICH WAS BASED IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE ON THE SONGS AND ARRANGEMENTS AS PER. "BIG AL'S" INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW HE WANTED THE SHOW TO GO. THE TAPE ARRIVED THE NEXT DAY, BUT SO DID A PHONE CALL FROM "BIG AL'S" WIFE BEVERLY INFORMING DOC THAT "BIG AL" HAD BEEN HOSPITALIZED BECAUSE HE WAS FEELING STRANGE AND VERY TIRED. "DOC" IMMEDIATELY CALLED "BIG AL" IN THE HOSPITAL AND "BIG AL" SAID, "DOC I JUST TOLD THEM TO RUN THE DAMN TEST AND LET ME OUT, SO I CAN CATCH THE PLANE AND DO THE SHOW" DOC RESPONDED AND TOLD "BIG AL" YOU KNOW WE OUGHT TO RELEASE A TAPE LIKE THIS AND LET THE FANS KNOW WHAT REALLY GOES ON BEFORE THE SHOW HAP! PENS, BUT WE SHOULD DO IT THE STUDIO, SO THE RECORDING QUALITY WOULD BE RIGHT" "BIG AL" AGREED AND SAID "WE'LL DO IT WHEN I GET DOWN THERE THE NIGHT BEFORE THE SHOW". "DOC THEN SAID, "LET THEM DO THEIR THING ALBERT AND GET YOU RIGHT, AND I'LL PICK YOU UP AT THE AIRPORT, REMEMBER I'M THE ONE THAT'S SUPPOSED TO GO FIRST, NOT YOU" "BIG AL" LAUGH AND SAID "SEE YOU AT THE AIRPORT AND DON'T BE LATE, YOU KNOW YOUR ALWAYS LATE MAN" THAT WOULD BE THE LAST TIME "DOC HOLIDAY" WOULD EVER SPEAK TO "BIG AL". SIX DAYS LATER THE MAN WITH THE BIG SMILE AND BIGGER HEART THAT BECAME A LEGEND IN COUNTRY MUSIC WOULD BE GONE SUFFERING FROM LEUKEMIA AT THE AGE OF 65. THIS ALBUM IS THE ACTUAL TAPE SENT TO "DOC HOLIDAY" FROM "BIG AL" DIGITAL RE-MASTERED ON CD . THIS IS THE REAL "BIG AL DOWNING" AND HOW HE SHOULD ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED

The Show That Would Never Be, Music, Big Al Downing, Blues, Pop, R&B, R&B/Soul, Rock & Roll, United States of America

The Show That Would Never Be

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