Listen: You’re The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly / Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty
ConwayTwittyLorettaLynn.mp3

My first real job in the music business, one where I got decent pay, benefits, expenses, etc, was as an MCA local radio promotion rep. I covered New York State excluding NYC, so it was a piece of cake. Pretty small market and whatever play I got was appreciated, but not vital. Brad Hunt hired me, it was ’78. We later worked together at Elektra in the 80′s. Small world and even smaller business.

MCA had a very unhip roster then, especially in rock. It was known as the Music Cemetery of America to insiders. However, the country roster was sweet and gave me a chance to meet many of the greats, particularly Loretta Lynn, who invited me onto her bus for some birthday cake one night. She was touring with Conway Twitty at the time, and we were working a their infamous duet ‘You’re The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly’. Check out her pronunciation of “wires”. What a nice lady.

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Listen: Bustin’ Loose (Part 1) / Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers ConwayTwittyLorettaLynn.mp3

The first urban record that got handed to me was, in hindsight, seminal. Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers ‘Bustin’ Loose’. I had no idea how lucky I was but knew one thing: this guy’s live show was out of control. Black radio, as it was weirdly known then, really hated playing this record. It was the first Go-Go record to break national – in fact the only one other than the EU single. Like many sub-genres, it went against the homogenization known as American radio. A true street record, it was too hard to stop.

Thankfully. I saw him again about three years ago in DC. He did a show with Vivian Green. The place was heaving. He smoked like that first time, and was the same sweetheart he’d been way back then.