Page 84 - Been There… Done That!

Gary Graham
was considered more rock and roll and now I was doing some of the same material but with a little more country flavor. Rick told me that his records were not doing well and was looking for input for making some changes. I said to him that just because he was tired of doing the same songs didn’t mean the audience was tired of hearing them. What I did was keep doing the songs that were well received and change the others out. I told him that whatever he did, don’t stop doing the greats like “It’s Late,” “Hello, Mary Lou,” “Poor Little Fool,” “Traveling Man” and more because that’s who he is, but times change and we have to change with them. Elvis is having the same dilemma and needs to cater to some new fans. I couldn’t believe I had just said that to the great Ricky Nelson but we just laughed and I told him, “Don’t worry, I’ll get the check,” and we laughed again. Later, when I heard Rick sing “Garden Party” in 1972, I guessed I might have had some influence on him. At least I’d like to think I did. Here are some of the lyrics to that song:
But it’s alright now
I’ve learned my lesson well
You see you can’t please everyone So you got to please yourself
Over the weeks after that encounter I spent time with Rick along with my drummer Keith Wagner and Steve Zlott. I heard that Rick and Kris were sampling drugs, but my encounters were always positive, maybe a few drinks with them, but that was it.
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