In 40 Years of Radio, My Favorite Interview was Razzy Bailey

In forty years of being in radio, I've gotten to interview a huge number of artists. Believe it or not, not everybody in the music business likes being interviewed. Garth Brooks was great, of course. Both of the Judds were as well. Very sweet, down-to-earth ladies. Kenny Rogers was underrated in my opinion. He was naturally funny and forthcoming about anything that I asked him.

Ron White was one of my favorite interviewees. I asked him everything that I had written down in advance and he just wanted to keep chatting, so we did. C.W McCall invited me to stop by and see him the next time that I was going to be in Ouray, Colorado and he would buy me lunch. I played golf with Ricky Phillips, who is the bass player in the rock band Styx. Great guy and a pretty decent golfer.

My "less than wonderful interactions" list includes Lorrie Morgan and a couple of the guys in REO Speedwagon. But I still like their music.

But my favorite interview ever was when I got to talk to Razzy Bailey. Mr. Baily had "Midnight Hauler", "After The Great Depression" and "She Left Love All Over Me" played on country radio. He was playing in the theatre on the U of M campus. They didn't sell many tickets. I was the only person in radio, television, or newspaper who tried to set up an interview.

Most interviews of this sort will last about four or five minutes. Razzy and I talked for forty-five minutes. He asked more about me than I got to ask about him. He was incredibly interested that I followed my dad into radio. My dad was also a singer/songwriter. The fact that my first full-time radio gig was called The Midnight Hauler Show" made him smile.

When we were finally wrapping up the session, he wouldn't let me leave without an autographed 8 x 10 and made me promise to look him up the next time I was in Nashville.

Really a great guy. Rest in peace, Mr. Bailey.