Opening for Ricky Skaggs…

It’s been a very busy few months between traveling with Doyle Dykes and playing solo dates, but busy is good!  In April I had the honor of opening up for some of my heroes and friends, Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, at Le Tourneau University in Longview, TX. The Belcher Performance Center on campus is quite impressive.  I was thrilled to have two of the best musicians I’ve ever played with on that show, Justin Moses on guitar and Jake Johnson on upright bass.  Justin is very popular in the bluegrass scene and most recently is known for playing with Dan Tyminiski (widely known as the the guitarist for Alison Krauss and Union Station and the singing voice of George Clooney in the movie “O Brother Where Art Thou”).  Justin played guitar with us, but also plays all the other bluegrass instruments like each one is his specialty.  Seriously, he’s one of the best all around musicians I’ve ever seen- very clean and melodic.  You can check his music out at justinmoses.com.  Jake can play any style he meets and is a very musical bass player.  He knows how to hold it all together and shine at the same time.  He’s also set apart by the fact that he bows (and does it very well), which always attracts special attention because it’s such  a beautiful and moving sound.  As great of muscians as these guys are, they’re even better people and I really do feel privileged to be out playing with them.

My Dad and I have a good friend who owns a great music store not too far from where we played in Longview.  He had several basses for us to choose from to borrow for the show. Jake was drawn to an old Kay, which to our surprise was the most valuable bass, if not the most valuable item in the store.  We couldn’t see until we got the bass down from a high shelf that there was a signature on the side.  The bass is signed by Bill Black, who along with Scotty Moore, played on the first sessions Elvis recorded at Sun Studios in Memphis. Black continued to play with Elvis through the late 50s.  Elvis bought the bass for Black and it’s the very bass you see on youtube when you look up the earlier Elvis hits from the 50s.  We pulled up a video right then at the store that is famous for Elvis’ “signature dance moves” and there was Black playing that old Kay with the unmistakable white binding. Jake started playing and they grabbed a case and let us take it.  We were shocked and, needless to say, stoked!  I was talking to my Dad on the phone at the store and I asked if he remembered the old Kay with the white binding because that was the bass Jake picked out.  He freaked and said, “He’s not letting you take the Elvis bass is he?!”  I was so nervous about driving that bass around, but how stupid would I have been to pass up that opportunity!  It makes for a great story.  I must say it ‘s the most rockstar bass I’ve ever seen and Jake totally did it justice – they sounded amazing together!

Bill Black on right playing the old Kay that Elvis bought him.

In spite of Ricky being under the weather, he and his band put on an amazing show.  It was such an honor to open for them and also to have amazing musicians alongside me, including Andy Leftwich who joined in with his fiddle on a tune.  I appreciate the University for bringing us in and also the wonderful audience that gave us such a warm welcome and response. The whole trip -from chapel at the University, to church on Sunday morning, to a concert with some of our favorite people at Craig’s Music in Weatherford, TX- all turned out to be a blast.  We even fit in a Cavendar’s run – LOL.  You can’t be in Texas and not go shopping for boots!  I’m looking so forward to playing with Justin and Jake again and new dates are in the works right now, so keep your eye on the website (haleymusic.net) and please come out and see us if you’re close!  If not, I’m still out with Doyle a lot too, so check his tour page and come out and see him!  Thanks for checking in with me – I appreciate you.

Be blessed.

Haley

Justin, me, and Jake on the bus to the airport.