He sounds a bit like that Motel 6 guy, Tom Bodine. He’s got the kind of voice you’d like to have around your campfire at night. If he pulled out his guitar to play, more people would show up and fewer would get another drink and or go to bed early or play cards.
Randall Haley – whom I recently featured in a blog because he wrote a song about Brenda Valentine, aka “The First Lady of Huntin’” – sent me a CD that he recorded titled “Down to Earth Huntin.’” I’ve listened to it, chuckled a lot, laughed out lot and learned some of the words to some of the songs. I once worked as an editor at a bluegrass consumer magazine and I’ve heard a lot of singers and acoustic music, and especially banjos.
And so, with all that listening experience in my past, I like the way he put the CD together and if you’re into the outdoors and the hunting scene, this is the perfect Americana let’s-go-to-the-cabin music. In fact, one of my favorite songs is called “Goin to Cabin.” It’s got a little country swing to it, and I think Willie or Waylon might like it. And my favorite line? “If you get to feelin’ nasty and yer skin won’t squeak, grab yerself a towel and run down to the creek!”
Or, the song (Davy Crockett) about his grandson that goes like this:
My little grandboy / He’s just four/ Been yard-broke for the great outdoors / He can get through the woods good as you and me / Dropped the hammer on a turkey when he was three!
Randall hails from Tennessee. He grew up in a shack with no plumbing, hunted with hounds and in his bio on his website, claimed to have relatives who made moonshine. After a stint in the Navy, he returned to work for a phone company and retired in 2002. Now, he spends as much in the woods and on the water as possible, and it certainly inspires him to write songs that outdoors lovers will like and understand.
To order, go to http://www.randallhaley.com/index.html
~Barbara Baird
The Women's Outdoor News, aka The WON, features news, reviews and stories about women who are shooting, hunting, fishing and actively engaging in outdoor adventure. This publication is for women, by women. View all posts by The WON
