Artifacts; Jerry Clower Interview

Right in here. Oh my God you have to tell me. Oh ok ok. Just out for the record I want to know why don't you tell me what one you it's happened in your life. Well I have recorded my 23rd album Kassie it C D. They changed it so much that I was you know come out and say you be a cat setter album but I just recorded my 23rd record brim CA at Winder Georgia and this can all be named sad winder and it'll be released and I know there's someone I just saw. Released by book stories from home and I've been going to booksellers and Holden

autograph parties I've been doing them shows and sending them records and the state legislature of Mississippi has just named a stretch of highway 20 miles long from liberty to McCone the Gerry Klauer highway. So I've never had it as a good. It's just this year shaping up to be one of the best years I've ever had and I've been in show business since 1970 so I'm the most blessed lucky especially in a world me and momma after 45 years of being happily married. We decided if we go make it we guess like two lovebirds in August a 15th night teen 47. Oh we married so we you know good and I I I had the hey I could just talk about the

blessings that I have I could just go on and on and on but that's kind of a resume of what I've been doing my own. I mean what he's doing and how he made six months into that you really don't understand what it's like having him a little bit about it that the latest book to me Tell me what exactly is it is it an autobiography going well stories from home is a kind of a new concept of a book a lot of people have been say and yeah I'd like to read some of your stories and I've been talking about just transcribe in every story I ever told but then a great old book and so I called the 800 number and you can get your cloud stories but the university press of Mississippi. I said why don't you do a book for us and less do an in-depth interview so they asked me some real penetrating shallow easy to answer controversial questions and I plough or I just own some of the findings of today and some of the findings of yester

day. And then is about one hundred eighty three pages is nothing but stories from home talking about me in our day O'Byrne They already nailed have yelled in they Hello Dale you Dale Marcell cloud new gene and Clovis it folks already say it. Jerry is that coon hunting story in a book I want my mother to read Day at. She done here to wail and I don't know I'm sure it is. And then some folks are saying is the book the same thing as one of your records. Well no I've got 23 records only in CA and as approximate 20 cuts per record. That's a wolf or one hundred stories so if anybody wants to read alla we just don't have to put out another book on a college university press right. Well tell me on telling me that the sound you talk about every day as good a day as you would give anything. Coming like yeah I got you

then. Yeah yeah I was nobody. They asked me what got you started in show business they asked me what for instance why have you home aling been so happy. And it's real simple we walk down the aisle of an old country church together and we were baptized together. I never dated another girl. I never had another sweetheart. Ninety percent of all our social life is in the church. I'd rather go to 5th when Stevie sang in and run a covered dish. Seriously there there then I had to have tea with the queen on. That's just where I was raised that's what we do. So I had a love of my why I don't want her if God give me that agreed and told me to make a woman I could just slacker. And the way we do it works. And and I've had bomb threats and concerts and I've done about four times into it.

Somebody called and said I heard him say him and his wife ain't never had no big regrets are for us and they had to live mad and I he backed out of the line of Oh blow all ya'll up as a bowing down at the Civic Center. And for people to be extremely happy. Some folks can't have that. They just gotta fix it or you won't have it. And also about Mississippi standards I would be classified as a racial liberal. I ma have took of a definite stand far on everybody having a right of the Constitution is anybody else. All I educated my children in the public schools. I didn't knock anybody else's screw other than those who said this screw is just for certain students and I and I've been as I can't dictate to them but I said hey Mississippi will

stop burning. Mississippi will make great progress if you'll just say anybody that's qualified academically and got the money regardless of race color or creed. You'll hit Mississippi so much but a lot of to do that still don't do that. And it bothers me. But hey we make it so much progress side just marvel at the progress we have made. Well race relations and I love the state of Mississippi and I won't us not to have movies made about us and the way we can do that is to stamp out some old traditional male us that so ingrained in our soul. We just can't put it aside. And some folks don't like me for saying that. But hey you don't like it take it up with a lowered burn your Bible said. If you say Hey Lauren I love you but I don't love him but I will say

as you are a bald faced liar and a truth laid in you. So all we get mad at you. I do want it instill that little love in me. It was God you know that right now right now. In 1954 you know the new year 1954 was March 1st I was hired out to Mississippi chemical corporation as a feel represented. I got to know Mr. Owen cook and through him sat in my chair and going to church with him and him my supervisor didn't make that. I just thought he was a super human being and his eyes worked under him but I just couldn't. I will start over on it. There you go.

I got to know bistro in Cook in 1954 he pays me at the King Edward Hotel and I said let's talk going to see go on sales when I sit up in a C convention and he said class Our You must pay damn to pay G and I said No I'm just popular now but I love me so I went to the phone as Mr. Cope wanted to be mediocre workmanship and I looked about what work from a sick chemical I got to know him through his pocket book. I got to know him through his family I got to know him through his church and he undoubtedly was the most high class honorable devout brilliant Christian human being I've ever known in my life I feel his arms around me every day. He's gone but I feel I could run up under his wing he said he's an old mother hand and hand and the things that he taught me keeps me out of trouble and I love it. And he was a great

one I nominated to be present the Southern Baptist Convention and he was elected. I wish he was alive and doing well I'd nominate him again. We needed him to tell me. I had my son went down to me you know a little background I don't think that anybody watching here would know where you're from and where you can to your character and then that yeah yeah yeah you know that any case we got announced that yeah. Irene I first saw the light of day at Route forwarded message at 60 miles do you know of the Baton Rouge Louisiana and the heart of a mid county I live hate way between liberty McComb it can is a beautiful place. The river enters a cannon from the know what and it forks and the east phone runs five miles east of liberty in a West Fork runs five miles west of liberty. I've got to say the river comes back together down and it's a loser and

ecology of me River back I can s a beautiful Irene I was an old man never had left the county 70 years so he just chooses not to go nowhere. He's a logger but his son bought in one of satellites and he saw General cloud world a Nashville Network but he couldn't stand it. He said I got to go to Nashville as a pocket you know never go nowhere he said I got to go see Jerry and Mr. Munroe when Minnie. So what took him to Nashville and Old Man look at him tall building so much in the roof of his mouth got sunburn just yet stat when it went out and got an opera land hotel put him on a elevator. He helped on the hog and I stopped on the third floor bliss moment in state of Tennessee got home and it nowhere shut and I took off and went up stopped on the fifth floor elevated Oh whoa oh Manette it woman she'd stop a Valvo. She got off and the door shut but before the elevator moved the door opened again

and a beauty queen got on looked like Miss Tennessee and had no worship. They took all that Oh man look at his son he said boy we need to run yo mama through this stuff. They made canning route for liberty Mississippi East Fork I mean it did take the exit it in McComb Mississippi off Interstate 55 going to liberty and you'll see a great big side. Welcome to a mechanic home and Gerry Klauer and me and momma live on Amazing Grace Lange. That you can you think for a while and yet thing down and I live in yes you sit in Michigan because when I got out of mystic state that's where I found work and I was cutting me a job and I want to work it to feel represented for my city chemical ration and I so will. I was hot for a name for a man sales fertilise and I would make talks to farm groups and tell them how we

made our lives and buy my stuff and I learned it I could tell stories and order to improve my sales technique. And hey not only did I get invited back and not only did I sell a lot of fertilizer but Isobel for lies about us in a war and in 1970. I mean love a Texas Seven fertilise and I gotta say I'm so with you telephone I want to make a record of you cracy I'm a fertilizer salesman and good and say yeah but you don't tell him but he would still resent it and the next time you talk to a group of farmers you get five take Did he take to pitch the DMCA the most prestigious record come in the world. Thirty days later I got to go record and who's been on NCAA records longer than any other artist Jarrod Clowery who sells more cast sets nationally it truckstops than any other artist generate power.

When I read it I called him CIA records I said oh wait a minute now you may not show more caskets at any of the humerus they said Jerry you sell more records than Van Halen are Leonard Skinner. You were the number one selling artist at truck stops in the world and hey I just saw him thank God good. I'm a talker. I don't mean picker signing. And I've been on the MCI records longer you know artists and I were you know they'll say we want one more. It's getting harder and harder to come up with the material. But as long as I travel along trashy people I'll have me a new style right. That's right that's what that and I said that on any I would never take you there and you want to tell me about love or about what it was. You hear oh the future projects flowers just keep along doing like I'm doing you know I did the Mike Douglas Show or 20 years ago and Pearl Bailey

was on the show. And Pearl Bailey said you just like a breath of fresh air coming into show business. Talking about being married all this time new and you know why so happy and said I'm so proud for you you got your hit record only in CA but little Pearl Bailey give you some advice a dozen folks in this business will try to make a Shakespearean actor out a year just to show you what a great director. Oh what a great ship of us are they are and said I know wrong will be in a number one country comic in America. Beat of Bessie is it what you do and do that but don't try to be jack of all trades and get it nothing. Well I mean I've been a number one country comic in America 12 times and I and II flaco Pearl. So next year I'm older than shows and selling records. I'm in Branson Missouri twenty eight times this year.

It's a Grand Palace Theater. I'd be doing some state fair so I'll be talking on television like I'm doing now. So the future of Gerry Klauer just keep doing what I've been doing it ain't complicated. I was traveling in the lifestyle you know I mean you live on a wireline. Well I'm like the Apostle Paul whatsoever state I mean I'm content. I also. Feel so strong about being blessed by having a good job that I want to do it and do it good. I mean about that I think Lazy has got a job long and I got a good job and I hunt lawn and when I travel Irene I look at debt as part of my work. When I leave the house you're going to have mine I'm working some days now. When you have it fog and mechanical difficulties eases like I do is on stage. But I love what I'm doing. And one of these days I

may decide hey I will do a TV special a year do some commercial to do the Grand Ole Opry and just quit but I doubt it. And hey I had a long range plan or I live one day at a time and life and complicated for me and mama I have a mower and when I get up I pray I said Lord I'm on your side you ain't never made a mistake you know make a mistake with me. So whatever happens in my life today I miss Cole praise your holy name and keep going. Hey that works. This is why I'm going home early. My darling why does not travel with me very much because it's just too hectic. If I do theatre in around Cleveland or Boston and I'm a week she may fly the last couple of days if I'm doing a rodeo and forward she may come and brag I want college dollars and they shop some but basically she don't travel with

me. We pick out we have a reunion with four college couples and have had that for 40 years and we go to that every year and and but when I'm home me and mama do quality of this state we catch up with the fact that we been together for a while. But then I want to know that you know now that you know I have four here the young ones I have a son right clown who's i want a high school football coaches it got me sick and I have a son Amy that lives a clip missing. She has two children and she teaches in a clip but because I have a dollar suit Sue lives in Columbus Mississippi she's back to the youth minister for the First Baptist Church of Columbus and I got about a kid what sneaked up on me and my mom and she's a senior at Mississippi State that and say

yeah that's wrong. I'm a Mississippi State. Hang old blue bow. For every shyness I give money now Brown did have a fine they got. So you come right out of the Sands of Iwo Jima and went to Mississippi State and never play football except going to junior college. I never liked football in high school and they were patient when I lettered in a Southeast Conference I've heard of. You've got to have experience and you've got to know technique. Well they was good to decide which specific you need to got to start now and emissive states it sure will try to work where you be and in the end it worked and I got a degree and I coach and I was just a county agent boys club work and that's what I always wanted to do I want to grow up to be like my voice live agent cause he hit me so much when I was little boy. Mr. Munroe much of it from Liberty City was I mean you can only

mean that a guy that you look as if you know you know this look gun happy pictures and it's got a pro-trade a painting on a front and it's got a picture old Jerry on it but it's just so full of that good stuff for that. Oh there's not a to pictures in this book. I guess they both dedicated my mom my mom momma is a brave this most. Well my mama is 17 years older than me. My mama didn't have much education. My daddy had a drink problem and he left me and my mama and my brother Sonny when we were little boys and my mama braided depression and picked cotton and worked and raised us and she's proud of the bravest hardest working person I've ever known in

my life and I dedicate this book to Big Mama my mama who boy who would Lazic who believe in give an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. Taught me when you spoke to get up get. You know why and say you would push the snooze button and people now have days of making contraptions to make you lazy and soft right. Push just button and you sleep for moments I want to. Funny when I see all that we gotta get up get up and my mama taught me how to work and that you know it's honorable to make a living by the sweat of your brow and she taught me to love the little boy she used to tell me how she would love him oh chicken backs and them winning. I just love Him back. That's my favorite piece of chicken. And then when me and my brother got it big enough to realize it she loved him backs cause she wanted a baby just to have it good pieces.

Now that's all right on now days I hear folks have a good day. Have a good day program I want to love some folks I love you never me what it means. Mom Mama knew what love was. Books dedicated to her. Anything I saw him and I don't like you I want to live i want to. Tell you that educational television. I sporty. Love it. It's educational just what it says it is and I hope you all get all the funding you're out of here. I hope that you continue to do some of the programs that you do. I I had a TV show for seven years Nashville wrote me and Jimmy Brown and I found half a man.

How powerful a TV is and I got on a roll right now so you ref every show show you on national network that you have a powerful two educational television. Keep using it. I'm on your side. Thank you.