(upbeat music) - [Female Narrator] Illinois Stories is brought to you by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Illinois Arts Council Agency, and by the support of viewers like you.

Thank you.

(upbeat music continues) - Hello, welcome to Illinois Stories.

I'm Mark McDonald in Quincy at the home of Jeff Moran, which today sort of doubles as a country western museum.

I asked Jeff here to bring out some of his collection of country western music, and the people who sing and play country western music, who he knows personally.

And he said, "I can't bring it all out," and said, "I can bring out about maybe 8% of it, 10% of it".

I said, "Well, whatever you can fit in your living room, bring it on up, and then we're going to tell some stories about how you know these folks."

Jeff, it's fascinating, you've been following, you're sort of a groupie I guess.

You've been following country western musicians- - Roadie.

Roadie.

(laughing) - For many years.

Tell me a little bit about what got your fancy with collecting this stuff.

- With collecting it?

My uncle, Tony Smith played on the Possum Holler Opry and then they had a show called The Country Music Call and Lake of the Ozarks.

And he opened up, playing the fiddle, they square-danced, they got to sing a song, and then he played a fiddle again at the end of the show and they square-danced again, and then the female singer was Linda Cassidy, and I just loved her.

And so between Linda Cassidy and my uncle Tony, they were my inspiration.

- At what age then were you inspired?

- I was probably nine.

Yeah.

Nine, 10.

- Okay.

So, from the time you're 10.

So, for maybe 50 or 60 years now, you're collecting stuff, right?

- Yeah.

Yeah.

- Okay.

And going to Branson and going to Nashville, and going to Lake of the Ozarks and going wherever there's country music.

- Yeah.

Yep.

- Why are you holding this blouse?

(laughing) - This one here belongs to Mary Lou Turner and it was on her, not her current CD, but the one before, and it's just all sequins, and you'll see on the cover of her CD, she gave that to me.

- She's a good friend of yours.

- Oh, yeah.

She's been here, we go to her house.

She makes the best potato salad ever.

- Is that right?

(chuckles) - Oh my God.

- Where does she live?

- She lives up way on the mountain in Branson.

- In Branson.

So she's there year round?

She performs there year round?

- Oh yeah, and she doesn't book a TV show until we can go see her.

She calls us her bodyguards.

(both laughing) - I want to show.

This is one of her CDs, and this is the very blouse that you're holding.

"To Jeff, my friend."

And then inside, this is interesting, because you're even credited as being the inspiration.

- [Jeff] We kind of got her back into doing...

Inspired her to do it, and we got to pick out six songs on the CD.

- You mean she took your advice as to what was gonna be on the CD?

- Uh-huh.

Yeah.

Well, she said, "You kind of inspired it.

What songs would you like me to record?"

So we named six- - Well, let me hold this while you point those out for us.

- Okay.

"Make Friends."

That's the song that she opens up with all the time.

"Tip Of My Fingers" by Billy Anderson.

But Mary Lou does this very different than any other song (Mark laughing) or anybody else.

"After The Fire Is Gone", a duet that used to be Conway and Loretta's.

- [Mark] Yeah.

- [Jeff] "Cry", that was her first song she sang on the Grand Ole Opry in 1973.

"Love It Away", was one of her singles, which I love.

And then we did "Old Habits Are Hard To Break."

- So, you chose those six songs, she chose the other six, right?

- Right.

- She credited you.

Okay.

Now, what else you got here?

- And then this one here is another top that Mary Lou wore.

In fact, anybody that wants to see this, all they got to go was on YouTube, and Mary Lou does a country girl medley on the Boxcar Willie show, and she's actually wearing this top.

And I kept it because anybody could see this to this day.

And it's got the gold on it, trimmed with the gold in the front here.

- Yeah?

- Yeah.

- Now, let's see her picture here, 'cause some folks may not be familiar with her.

And you've been friends with her for how long?

- Oh, I can't even remember.

(Mark laughs) It's been, you know, when you know your friends.

I would say probably 16, 17 years, maybe longer.

- You're her bodyguard?

- Yeah.

Well, they call me and my friend (Mark laughing) her bodyguard.

Yeah.

When we come in and she goes, "I got the bodyguards."

It actually started with another country singer, and then they caught on, so yeah.

- If you look over your right shoulder, you'll see the over next to the refrigerator, there are several other shirts that say "Mary Lou's Turner's fans."

Okay, and those are your shirts as well.

- [Jeff] Yeah.

- [Mark] And you were just on the phone with her a couple of days ago?

- I just talked to her yesterday.

- Yesterday?

- And I talked to Linda Cassidy yesterday, and I talked to my uncle yesterday or the day before.

We call each other on our birthdays, Jeannie and Mary Lou both.

Every holiday, I have to call them and they call me.

If I don't call they call me.

When we singing Happy Birthday to Mary Lou, we sing it and everything, she goes, "Well, that's really good but I don't think I'd go out by a bus yet."

(Mark laughing) And I thought that was kind of funny.

(laughs) - Well, look, we're going to see more of your collection.

We're going to see as much as we can see in 30 minutes.

- Okay.

- The next stop is gonna be Jeannie C. Riley, who is one of your dear friends, right?

- Right.

- People might remember her.

And I think it was from the '60s, but it may have been 1970, when she did Harper Valley in- - 1968.

- '68.

Okay.

- Yup.

In July.

- All right.

And it was a huge hit.

- Yeah.

What people hear on the record is actually the second take.

They did the original one and she said that the day my mom told off the Harper Valley PTA, and at that time I believe it was Rowan Martins Laugh-In was in, and they had to sock it to it.

So they go, "Let's add that to it."

Well, that brought the record up.

It debuted, if I'm going to remember it right, at 74, and it jumped to the Top 10 the next week.

Pop charts, country charts, you could do the radio on every channel you do.

Harper Valley was pretty much on it.

- Well, Jeff, Harper Valley PTA was not only a big album, it was a big movie, wasn't it?

- [Jeff] Yes.

1978.

- [Mark] That much after the- - [Jeff] 10 years.

- [Mark] 10 year after the hit, and she wasn't actually in the movie, she did the soundtrack.

- [Jeff] Yeah, she did the soundtrack at the beginning of the movie and at the end of the movie.

- Now, when did you become acquainted with her?

How did you become friends?

- Through a friend of mine, Jerry.

I got introduced to her.

We were in the fan club together.

He actually drew my blue T-shirt; the first one I had of her.

We got to meet her, and she's just like the girl next door.

And one thing about her, it's kind of sad, when she did Harper Valley, they gave her that image of the back-biting, finger pointing- - Yeah.

Bad girl.

- Then when she did later on the MGM albums and had good balance and stuff, they just didn't get the airplay like they should have, because people were expecting the miniskirt.

- [Mark] Yeah.

They wanted the trollop in the country, right?

- [Jeff] Yeah, that kind of hurt her (Mark laughs) there, yeah.

- [Mark] We've got some pictures of her with you.

This is at the Adams County Fair?

- [Jeff] Adams County Fair, 1985.

- [Mark] So you were pals.

She looks like she likes you pretty well.

- Oh yeah, we got to go on her bus.

We had our pictures taken.

Then, when we were in there, she sat down and we all sat in the little lounge area, and she had a chair.

We were sitting there and she goes, "What songs do you like of mine?"

So, we were just telling her and everything, and never thought a thing about it.

Well, at that time they were doing two shows.

So, the second show, it was dark and she couldn't see us, and so she sang a couple songs and she goes, "Now, where's my friends, Jeff and John at?"

And of course we yelled, but you really couldn't see them.

She goes, "Well, I dedicate this second show to them," and she's sang all of those songs that we had listed.

- Is that right?

That's why she asked you what your favorite songs were.

- And then, when this was taken was after the second show, when she was autographing and we were in the arena, and they had a big gate, and they asked her, "Ms. Riley, is there anything that you would like?"

And she goes, "Yeah, I would like to have you move the gate and have Jeff back here."

(Mark chuckles) So, they had to move all of those people to get- - You were so flattered, weren't you?

- Yeah.

Yes.

- Would you reach around and get that wedding invitation?

And I'm gonna grab something here as well.

And bring that over here to us.

- Okay.

- So, you got invited to her wedding?

- Yeah.

This was her wedding, her and Billy, and I have an invitation to that.

We didn't get to go but- - [Mark] Does it say anything on the back?

- [Jeff] No, there was a letter with it.

- [Mark] I see.

Okay.

And that's Billy, huh?

- [Jeff] Mm-hmm.

Billy right here.

- [Mark] So, did she end up marrying Billy?

- [Jeff] Yes.

Uh-huh.

- [Mark] Are they still together?

- [Jeff] Yep, still together.

- Really.

Well, good for them.

And then she also sent you this.

This is a cute little gift.

"Begin each day with a ray of sunshine.

Look inside at a special friend of mine."

Jeannie C Riley.

And it's got a mirror.

(both laughing) That's cute.

What's your favorite song of hers?

- Oh, my that's hard.

That's like asking, huh- My favorite one on MGM, the second label, would have had to be "Give Myself A Party."

- This one?

- This one right here.

- This one here?

- "Give Myself A Party."

That would be my favorite one on MGM.

It's a toss up, because I like... Of course, everybody loves Harper Valley.

- [Mark] Mm-hmm.

- [Jeff] "There Never Was A Time We Didn't Love", about a family that didn't have money.

And then when the kids all grew up, they had money and they didn't care if they had an extra dime to spare.

I also like her number one, "Oh, Singer."

That's a real good one.

So, I guess I'd probably have to say those three.

- Is she still singing?

- Oh yeah.

Well, she sings kind of over the phone to us when she calls me on my birthday.

- She's not performing now?

- No, she's not performing.

- She's in her 70s, I guess.

- She was born in, she's gonna kill me for saying this, (chuckles) 1945.

Yeah.

- Yeah, yeah.

75.

76.

No.

70- 74?

- October the 19th.

- My math's bad.

But 75 about.

Okay.

All right.

Well, you've got a real nice shrine here to her.

- This album here was her third album.

- The one that's unfolded?

- That folds out.

She had the hit, "Things Go Better With Love."

"There Never Was A Time," the one I talked about.

"The Backside of Dallas," about a undesirable lady, but that was a hit too.

"The Rib," and then that folded out to a foldout, so I folded it out.

- Did she ever reach number one again after Harper Valley?

- On some of the independent charts, but "Oh, Singer" was number one and the funny thing is she debuted them on the Ed Sullivan Show.

- Wow.

- Yeah.

"rocking' Pneumonia" and "Boogie Woogie Flu" and "Here's To The Cowboys," those got number one (Mark laughing) on the independent charts.

(Mark laughing) - Boy, she stayed busy.

There's a lot of music there.

Jeff, you described the singer, Lynn Anderson, as the woman that got you in trouble.

- She got me in trouble.

(both laughing) Not literally but at home.

- Right.

We were telling this story a little bit earlier about how you got involved in country music and how you loved it because your uncle played in bands and you would go to Sony.

But then shortly after that, television came along, and you found the Lawrence Welk Show.

Is that right?

- Yes.

- Okay, and the first country western female singer to sing with Lawrence Welk was Lynn Anderson.

So, how'd she get you in trouble?

(chuckles) - Well, when Lynn Anderson had out "Promises, Promises," I loved that song.

I just couldn't get enough of it.

I'd never heard a fast uptempo one and her voice just caught me.

So I would try to watch it every time she was on TV, and it'd come on Saturday night then, and we'd be eating supper, and it just seemed like my mom always had supper when the Lawrence Welk Show came on.

So, I would wait and she was always on the last half of it, the last half hour.

And if she started singing, I'd go, "I gotta get up.

I gotta go to the bathroom real quick," and I'd stay in the living room and watch her sing that song.

(laughing) And years later, I know mom and dad knew what I were doing.

- Well, sure.

You were sneaking out because you had a crush on Lynn Anderson.

- Then on this album too, also, she sings the Hank Snow's song, "I've Been Everywhere."

And that's where she rattles off all the cities real, real fast.

Well, I won, I think it was 47 years ago, second place in a talent contest singing that song.

(Mark laughing) - So, you got a pretty quick tongue too, right?

I mean you could do it.

- Oh, yeah.

Reno, Chicago, Fargo, Minnesota.

Yeah.

(Mark laughing) - What's the other album you got there?

- The other album is her 50th anniversary of "Rose Garden."

- Oh, "Rose Garden."

Everybody knows "Rose Garden."

- Yeah.

Joe South.

And then I actually have the original album, but the collector's album is in different color.

It's in like a rose color.

- [Mark] Oh, that's beautiful.

- So I got that.

- [Mark] So that's the 50th anniversary of singing "I Never Promised You A Rose Garden?"

- The album "Rose Garden."

- Okay.

Nice.

Do you know her?

Do you know Lynn?

- I really didn't know her per se like I did my other ones, but I was a follower and another roadie and-- - [Mark] You took this picture, didn't you?

This was it-- - I took the little ones.

The big one I think come from the fan club, which was actually the same show.

- Yeah.

And this was at Petersburg?

- Petersburg.

Uh-huh.

- In Petersburg.

Okay.

So she was quite young then and you were even younger.

- Oh yeah.

- And then there's- - Then this was taken from 1968, the same year that "Promises, Promises" come out.

And that was the cover of the magazine that I couldn't wait to get once a month.

We'd get it usually on Saturday and I would be the first person that would take that magazine and look who had it, you know?

And then when my parents passed away, I actually inherited that magazine and I have the actual magazine but that's just the cover of it.

- [Mark] Jeff, people who know country music will know the term 'Grand Ladies'.

The Grand Ladies were all stars.

- [Jeff] Yes.

- [Mark] And they all performed solo, and they also performed together as a group and they would rotate and they would travel together.

Well, one of them of course was Leona Williams and she was married to- - [Jeff] Merle Haggard for a while.

- [Mark] And you got to be good friends with her.

In fact, you tell an interesting story.

She has a blue jacket on there in one of these pictures where she's holding the guitar and you traveled with her and helped her out one weekend.

(both laughing) - John and I took her to Gentry, Missoura to a show and we stayed at the motel at the bigger city.

And I don't remember offhand.

This had been years ago and she stayed with us.

And so we took her to the little town that she performed in.

And it was just a little town off the road probably not even 100 maybe.

And we drove around and around and around.

We couldn't find the place.

Well, when we finally found the venue, it was just kind of like the little country store in "Coal Miner's Daughter."

It was just a little, one thing like that.

And so I took her blue jacket.

And then we had her guitar and all of her product, CDs and stuff.

So, we just happened to have black on both of us.

John and I never thought a thing about it.

We walked up with that and Leona was in the middle and I heard two ladies go, "She brought her bodyguards."

(both laughing) - You've been called bodyguard more than once.

- Yes.

Uh-huh.

- Now, She not only was a gifted singer but when she and Merle were together, she was writing a lot of music for Merle, wasn't she?

- [Jeff] She's a good- Tammy Wynette, Connie Smith Loretta Lynn.

A lot of them have recorded her albums.

- [Mark] Leona Williams.

- [Jeff] Her half songs.

She wrote, "Someday When Things Are Good I'm Gonna Leave You."

"You Take Me For Granted" for Connie Smith, Dallas.

She wrote for Loretta Lynne.

They recorded some songs.

In fact her and Loretta used to perform together a long time ago.

- Do you ever stay in touch with her at all?

- Oh yes.

Yep.

Every holiday we talked to them and call them.

- Is she still singing?

- Oh yes.

Yeah.

In fact, next month, we're going back to Branson to the Grand Ladies show and Leona and Mary Lou and Barbara Fairchild will be there.

- Good.

Good.

Jeff, it's kind of ironic that your first music love, Lynn Anderson, was replaced on the Lawrence Welk Show by another female singer who also then turns out to be a friend of yours, right?

- [Jeff] Yes.

Uh-huh.

Yes.

- [Mark] And who is she?

- [Jeff] Ava Barber.

- [Mark] Tell me about her.

- [Jeff] She was one of the grand ladies down there for a few years, really comical.

I loved her.

She said things that you would remember because they were funny and she had the big hit "Bucket To The South."

She had some other hits out too but I took a picture of her and she actually made this afghan for me.

- [Mark] She made that?

- [Jeff] Yeah.

She made that for me.

- [Mark] Why?

Why did she make you an afghan?

- [Jeff] Well, we were real good friends and whenever we go to see our real good friends, John and I always bring them gifts because they're not out to well, they're on the road a lot.

They don't get a lot, you know?

I mean to shop like you or I would.

And so we bought her a bunch of stuff and she said, "I want to do something for you."

But we didn't know what she was up to.

So she asked us the scheme of our living room at the time and I told her, and about eight months later we went downtown, I called my mom and pop at Dick and Janna at Branson.

And she was in their home and she, Janna goes, "I've got somebody down in here that wants to see you and she's got something for you."

And I walked in and Ava had that already made for me.

- Is that right?

- So, I was very tickled.

Yeah.

(Mark chuckling) I don't really use that.

I put that up so it doesn't get- - [Mark] Do you know how many hours of work go into making one of those?

- [Jeff] I would even hate to say.

- [Mark] Oh, my mother used to make them and they would take months.

- [Jeff] We would sit there and she would be doing something as she's talking.

- [Mark] That's sweet.

Jeannie C. Riley.

- [Jeff] The Harper Valley.

- [Mark] This looks very up-close photograph.

- [Jeff] Very.

She was like here.

- [Mark] She was right in front of you?

- [Jeff] That's when I- - [Mark] You had to be on stage with her.

- Oh, no.

She came in the audience.

- Oh, she came down into the audience?

- Jeannie goes out and she wants to be on the level with the audience.

As long as that microphone has a cord, she'll go out there.

- Did you sing with her?

- Oh yeah.

I sang, "Hey, Good Looking" with her.

(both laughing) - Well, who's got the better voice?

You or Jeannie C. Riley?

- Oh, it'd have to be Jeannie.

It'd have to be Jeannie.

But she didn't care.

We had fun, that's what it was all about.

- You have a whole stack here of special edition and anniversary records.

I didn't know this but when they do a special, they'll come out with a special color and that's how you know that it's either a greatest hits or an anniversary issue or something.

- I've got green, purple, violet, blue, red.

Peppermint color.

- I want to show this one because this one is- - Current.

- This one is Loretta Lynn's current one.

What's the occasion of this red one?

- This is just like her newest album.

and they wanted to do something special with it.

And she redid some of her older hits with some of the more current stars.

So these are a lot of remakes of her original one.

- So, this whole stack that I have under my hand here, these are all special editions, right?

Or anniversary?

- There all anniversary or color ones.

- And when you get these, what do you do with them?

- I play them one time and then I just put them where I can see them but I don't play them again.

- But you do listen to it one time and then it stays in perfect condition ever since?

- Yes.

- All right.

Well, let's come on back here.

Come on back here with me because you've got men in your life too.

- Oh yeah.

- I mean it's not just the ladies singing.

You've got a lot of friends here.

- The ladies really like me.

(both laughing) - [Mark] Tell me about your friends here.

- [Jeff] This is my good friend, Travis Dean.

He sings in a diner but he also has his own band and travels.

He's a real good buddy of mine.

He sings gospel and country and I just love him to pieces.

- [Mark] Where does he live?

- [Jeff] He lives in Kimberly City but then works in Branson.

- [Mark] Kimberly City is just right outside Branson.

- [Jeff] Yeah.

About west of Branson.

Then Jamie Hagey and Mike Patrick, they're from the Grand Jubilee.

Jamie won Entertainer Of The Year, I want to say three or four times.

And then Mike Patrick runs the show.

They're good friends of mine too.

Jamie does a comedian.

He dresses in orange all the time.

And these are pictures of my friend Mary Lou at the rehearsal doing songs.

They do the Bill Anderson and then duets.

- [Mark] Are these in Branson as well?

- [Jeff] Yes, they're all.

And we get to go backstage.

So, the one of Mike and Mary Lou is backstage.

And that's her husband, David Bird to the left, that's looking off.

He's another successful songwriter, producer, played keyboards for George Jones, Donna Fargo and Jeannie C. Riley and more.

- Here's you as a younger man.

- Yes.

- Back in your thirties, I guess.

- When I went to Nashville, I've always dreamed of being a country singer.

And so I had to act like I was a star knocking on MCA Monument and CBS' record or recording things.

And so when I brought them back to Quincy and got him he said, "Well, what happened?"

I said, "I got turned down."

(both laughing) - But there you are.

You've got evidence to the fact that you're working on a- - That's the original Hall Of Fame with my grandmother who died at 105.

- No kidding.

Has it moved since then?

- They have a new one, I understand.

I don't really know exactly where it's at but I haven't- - In Nashville, I assume.

Right?

- In Nashville.

- Yeah.

Do you ever get down that way?

- I went down there.

I was close to it and went to Hurricane Mills where Loretta Lynn lives.

Not this past year because of the COVID but the year before, Easter weekend.

I got to go through her house.

- Let's go over to where Loretta Lynn is.

- Okay.

- Because like I said, I wish we had your entire collection but your room's not big enough.

- This is just, probably, 1/8 of my collection.

- Yeah.

Now, are you big fan of hers?

- Oh yes.

I saw her the very first time in 1971.

That's when she opened up with "Coal Miner's Daughter."

She closes with it now.

These are all her new records here.

This one was the first one, the Christmas- - You mean this one is the first one?

- Those are the ones she redid just recently here.

Then I've taken pictures here.

The first time I saw her in '71, when I seen her at Petersburg in '75, she had the pill out then.

This one here was taken in '77 when she did the Patsy Cline salute.

And this one was at Mount Pleasant, Iowa, when she had the song out lying, cheating, whiskey chasing, that big song about her husband.

I've got my fan club badges.

My first autographed by her.

(Mark chuckles) Her very first record on Zero Label on a key chain.

"I'm A Honky Tonk Girl."

- Oh man.

It is.

Look at that little signature that she's able to put on that autograph.

She's able to put on there.

It's amazing.

Well, Jeff, Jean Shepherd would be well known to country music fans.

What are some of her big hits?

- "Satisfied Mind."

"Slipping Away."

"Dear John Letter."

Oh, on and on and on.

- You were good friends.

In fact, there's one here of the two of you together.

And she's since passed away, didn't she?

- Yeah.

She passed away just a few years back.

She was our buddy too.

- Yeah.

You really liked her for reasons- - Oh, yes.

- that she was very candid, wasn't she?

- There's black and white.

There was no gray and she invited us to Nashville to stay at her home.

Said she would take us back to the Grand Ole Opry backstage.

But then of course she passed away, so.

But a lot of good memories of her.

She called us her turkeys.

(Mark laughing) - I don't even want to know why.

(both laughing) Jeff, thank you.

You went to a lot of work to get your collection spread out for us and we certainly appreciate you sharing it with us.

- Thank y'all for having me.

- This collection is probably going to get bigger before it gets smaller because Jeff is on his way to Branson to see the Grand Ladies again next month and I'm sure he's not coming back empty handed.

(Jeff chuckles) With another Illinois story in Quincy, I'm Mark MacDonald.

Thanks for watching.

(upbeat music) - [Female Narrator] Illinois Stories is brought to you by the Corporation For Public Broadcasting, Illinois Arts Counsel Agency, and by the support of viewers like you.

Thank you.

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