A
Conversation with Tony Colton
3/26/02
Q: How did your collaboration with Eddy Shaver come
about?
A: Phil Walden at CAPRICORN RECORDS called and asked me to come and look at a band that he was looking at in Memphis, in which Eddy was the guitar player. He got me to go down and give him an assessment. He wanted me to check them out and see what I thought. I went down and came back to him and said, "Well, the only thing you’ve got there is a guitar player." (laughs) And we went from there.
Q: So then what happened?
A: I started working with Eddy. We started writing songs together with a view of cutting three or four sides and then touting them around to various record companies to see if we could get him a deal of his own. Before that I did approach a couple of singers. I went to Greg Barnhill. I tried to match him up with a couple of powerful singers, but it didn’t seem to work out. So, we scaled back down to Eddy and went on from there.
Q: How did you two share the songwriting
responsibilities?
A: Well it was really purely a case of music and lyrics.
Q: He wrote the music and you wrote the lyrics?
A: Right.
Q: Did he come up with the music first?
A: Yeah.
Q: Did he ever suggest themes or ideas for the lyrics
or did you handle that on your own?
A: I pretty much came up with all the lyrical stuff.
Q: Do you recall which four songs were on the initial
demo?
A: I can’t recall the specific songs, but I got him a deal at WARNER BROTHERS as a songwriter. I had a deal with them myself, and we used our songwriting budget money to cut his first album. That’s what we did. We went into The Bennet House in Franklin, Tennessee, with him and Greg Morrow on drums and David Cochran on bass. We cut an album, and that’s BAPTISM OF FIRE. We then started shopping it at record companies, and we had a pretty good deal for a US release, but that fell through for some reason. I ran it by Chris Blackwell and Denny Cordell and a couple of my mates and people that I know very well. It was close, but no cigar from those guys.
Q: Did you feel it was as much your record as Eddy’s?
A: Yeah, but if I did my job right it had to be more Eddy than me.
Q: I’ve heard that during that era of his life, Eddy
was into bands like DEF LEPPARD. Did he discuss his ideal vision for this
record?
A: Oh yeah, we talked about all that stuff.
Q: Do you recall what he said?
A: You know he would just talk about different tracks and different bands and what he had in mind for certain songs, but I don’t really recall specific bands relating to specific songs. We’d discuss it at the time and then go in and cut them. Dickey Betts was always a big thing with Eddy, as was LYNYRD SKYNYRD, THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND, those kinds of bands. Southern rock bands.
Q: Was it Eddy’s idea to record as a power trio?
A: Yeah, that was the whole idea. It was just him and that huge guitar. We both agreed on that from the word go.
Q: Did you do any writing in the studio?
A: No. The songs were all developed beforehand.
Q: Was Eddy under a lot of pressure to prove himself
in the studio or were the sessions relaxed?
A: I think he was a little concerned about his voice because he hadn’t sung before. He was a bit apprehensive about that. But as far as his playing was concerned, he’s never been apprehensive. He never was one to hide his light under a bushel.
Q: How long did it take to record the album?
A: Not very long at all. Maybe a month. We recorded a lot of stuff live. We spent two or three days getting the sound right, and then when we started to cut we just cut and cut and cut and didn’t stop. So it didn’t take very long, but we did spend several days getting the sound exactly right. I mean we had his guitar vibrating so hard, so heavy, that they were concerned about all the windows in The Bennet House. We spent a lot of time on that.
Q: Do you recall what amp he used in the studio?
A: I want to say Hiwatt. Yeah, Hiwatt.
Q: I understand volume and tone were always big
concerns of Eddy’s.
A: Yeah, well he had to have it loud to get the effects that he wanted on the guitar.
Q: Do you think Eddy was satisfied with the finished
album?
A: Yeah, well, I mean, nobody’s really ever fully satisfied with anything, but I think so, yeah.
Q: How about you?
A: Well, you know considering that we’d done it ourselves and the way we’d done it, I think we did great on it. It was one of those events that took place, and I captured him pretty raw and naked like he was, and there it was, you know? We need to get it released here in the states at some point. One of these days when I have time I’ll get around to it. Billy Joe called me a little while ago, and I assume that’s what his call was about.
Q: I have a funny story for you. A friend of mine,
Jonmark Pierce, plays BAPTISM OF FIRE all the time in his car. Once in Texas, he
pulled into a gas station and ran inside, leaving the car running and CD
blaring. By the time he got back, all the attendants were standing around the
car going, "Who is that guy? Where can I buy that? Wanna sell yours?
Who’s that guitar player?" So I think there is a huge audience here.
A: Yeah, I agree. I thought so at the time. You’ve got to realize that I was in a band called HEAD, HANDS AND FEET with probably the greatest guitar player in the world, Albert Lee. I mean, I’ve worked with CREAM. I’ve worked with Eric Clapton. I’ve worked with all these people first hand. I wrote songs for CREAM. I wrote songs for all of them. I’ve worked with many of the greatest guitar players in the world and I recognized Eddy instantly as a rank-able talent up there with any of them. There was never any question. It was just finding him an opportunity.
Q: I assume you shared your high opinion with Eddy?
A: Oh yeah.
Q: How did he react to hearing that?
A: He always believed in his guitar playing. He was very confident about his guitar playing. He wasn’t so confident about his singing, but he knew how good he was.
Q: That’s good to know. Were you both disappointed
that it was only released in Europe on DIXIEFROG RECORDS?
A: Oh yeah, it was a disappointment. But at some point, I’d like to work with Billy Joe to see if we can work something out. I’d like to help it see the light of day somewhere, you know?
Q: Do you recall if Eddy had a favorite track?
A: “Baptism of Fire” comes to mind.
Q: That is the standout track. I can’t believe that
was recorded live, in a club. It’s perfect. Great imagery too.
A: Yeah, he was an awesome artist and I think we captured some great songs and that’s just the way it goes sometimes.
Q: Were you aware that the song was played after
September 11th? Several people heard it on the radio in Texas.
A: No, wow.
Q: You know, before I heard of the BAPTISM OF FIRE album, my favorite SHAVER song of all time was “Moonshine and Indian Blood”, which you co-wrote with Billy Joe Shaver. How did that come about?
A: OK, David
Briggs, who used to play piano for Elvis Presley, is a very famous
Q: How did you two songwriters share that
responsibility?
A: Fastest song I ever wrote. Fastest song I ever wrote in my life. We wrote it together fifty/fifty right down the line.
Q: Interesting! Is it about Billy Joe and his wife,
Brenda?
A: Yeah, definitely.
Q: It’s just a perfect song and Eddy plays such a
cool lead on it. Great song.
A: Thank you.
Q: Have you written any other songs with Billy Joe?
A: No, that was it.
Q: There’s another song I love called “Rocks from
Rolling Stones”.
A: Yeah, that was just me and Eddy.
Q: Was that written during the BAPTISM OF FIRE era?
A: I think it was written a little bit before, but about the same time.
Q: Do you know why that song didn’t make it on the
album?
A: Well it doesn’t make sense now not to have done it, but I think we always regarded it as a country song. Waylon and Willie did it, of course, and we kind of left it at that, which seems a bit silly really.
Q: It’s a great one. I understand that Eddy’s
mother loved that song. She would have him play it for her at the kitchen table.
A: Wow.
Q: Did you collaborate with Eddy after the completion of
the album?
A: No.
Q: Well, is there anything else you want people to know
about Eddy?
A: You know, when we captured that album, at that point in time, he looked like a young Marlon Brando, he played like a guitar god, he could have been awesome. You know what I mean?
Interview conducted by LAK