| I am Bill McCune.
Like you, I am a friend and admirer of Travis Edmonson, his work
and wonderful contributions to the world of music. And of course
his great accomplishments with Bud Dashiell during the Bud &
Travis years. |
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If
you were to ask the major stars of the folk and folk-rock era,
odds are they would speak of their affection and great respect
for Travis & people such as members of The Kingston Trio, The
New Christy Minstrels; The Limeliters; The Smothers Brothers;
Rod McKuen; Barry McGuire; David Crosby, and on and on. I also
think many would site influences he had on their musical development,
and on-stage skills. [Many of those people have been interviewed,
and will appear in the documentary.].
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| As
you likely know, Travis is now about 75 years old and not in the
greatest of health. Those of us who love and appreciate him feel
strongly that his story and his influence on that era must not be
forgotten. Therefore we are undertaking this ambitious, and meaningful
project. |
Acceptance speech at Culture Keepers Awards
banquet
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Over
the past twenty-five years I have written, produced and narrated more
that eighty television documentary projects, and perhaps another fifty
non-broadcast films. You may see an overview of my work at www.HistoryAZ.com
That web site emphasizes my current History and
Heritage of Arizona DVD boxed Set.
But the site also includes a link to my larger filmography. (And I must
note it needs updating because it doesn't mention my Kingston Trio
Live at the Historic Yuma Theatre project)
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Travis age 9 or 10
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During the last year or so,
we shot myriad interviews and events that will be important elements
of the final product. Many friends and well known contemporaries
have appeared on camera, and performed his music for us. Most
memorable was when we took Travis back to Nogales, where he grew
up, and held, and filmed, a hootenanny with numerous wonderful
border singers and musicians & this in the very house in which
Travis grew up in the 1930s and 40s. Overall, I'd say that the
film is about 70% shot.
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With the particular help of
Bonnie Brock we have accomplished a great deal of historical and
academic research & newspaper articles, advertising materials,
old photos; and with Rose Marie's help, rare old film and video
of Travis and Bud & Travis performing. (We still need
more such materials if you have any).
Picture at right: Travis and
Roger Smith at U. of A. win both 1952 Horace Heidt and Ted Mack
national talent competitions with guitars and Mexican music. Roger
went on the star in TV and movies including hit show 77 Sunset
Strip. Roger is married to actress Ann- Margret
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Now
we are determined to finalize the complete video / audio / print package
described above.
THE
ELEMENTS
Ideally there will be four major elements in
the final package:
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(1.) The first
is the documentary itself, which I'm guessing would be about
an hour and a half in length. This will not be a simple
news style report, nor just a series of audio/video clips
of Travis and Bud & Travis singing. Rather it
will be the story of his life through good times and bad;
the paths taken as his career unfolded; with particular
interest in the perfection of his musical capabilities.
It is an American story;
a show business story; a very human story.
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(2.) In the course of working
on this film we discovered a series of almost
a dozen songs that Travis wrote after the Bud & Travis
years, but before his stroke. They were mostly on old home
cassettes. Travis performed them during that period, playing
at The Tucson Ramada Inn and other such small rooms. But they
were never really recorded professionally
nor released. Through the talents of our colleague David
Kennedy, we have now significantly
cleaned up/ re-mastered what we
found, and will include at least parts of them in the documentary.
We
plan a CD of these recordings as part of the package.
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Travis with percussionist Frank Sanchez
(who worked with The Gypsy Kings and The Kingston Trio.
Probably late 1970s)
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2007. Border musicians Hootenanny in Nogales
during visit to the house where Travis grew up as a child
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(3.)
These rediscovered songs are quite incredible. I would say some
are about six degrees more toward country than the folk genre
of his earlier compositions. Who knows what might come of them
but I can see (or hear) some of them being recorded by well
known current day stars, and others as the basis for TV and
radio commercials. The third element in the package would be
a song book; maybe better said, a song booklet - (lead sheets,
words, guitar chords) of these 'new' old songs. Such a song
book might also include a few songs which have been published
by others, but are virtually unknown. |
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(4.) The final element relates
to a seven or eight
part piece of semi-classical music composed by Travis. He
originally called it
Navajo Madonna. I call it 'the deGrazia stuff'
Here's
the story Travis tells:
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In the mid '70s
Travis was very close friends with the late, well known
Southwestern artist Ted DeGrazia. The two of them had
an occasional practice
of sitting up all night long on Ted's patio - drinking
coffee (yes, coffee!), smoking cigarettes, and shooting the
bull. Ted would bring out one
of his original paintings and they'd discuss
what the painting 'said' to them. Then during the next week
or so Travis would compose
a musical score inspired by the painting. |
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Some
pieces have a strong Mariachi flavor, and others more of a
Native American influence.
Over a period of time Travis
composed seven, eight or nine such pieces,
each inspired by a different painting (and named after that
painting). These are
not songs, per. se. No lyrics. They're more like
movements within a larger work.
And by the way, there are in musical
notation manuscript form, broken out by the various
instruments needed.
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Travis being serenaded by Mariachi
Batiz in Nogales, 2007
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:
When
Ted DeGrazia suddenly died, Travis says he just lost heart
for the project. The manuscript - not quite complete and refined
- ended up in a cardboard box in a closet. And there it sat for
perhaps thirty years. Now,
again through the talents of our associate David Kennedy we
are turning this manuscript into an audio
performance to be included on
the CD of the rediscovered, 'new' old songs.
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ADMINISTRATION
The
fund and expenditures for production will be administered by
Marsha Richardson, a very successful business woman with Coldwell
Banker, and a long time participant
in the John Stewart Bloodliners group.
And also by Bonnie Brock, who many of you know for her
extensive professional work in marketing, promoting;
web site development, and newsletter writing
with many many of our well known folk singers and groups. In addition,
there are a number of well established and well known
folk performers who have continued to beat me over
the head to get this project back on track
and finished.
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Travis honored by Dave Fitsimmons, cartoonist
of The Arizona Daily Star in Tucson
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So
now - to get even- I am forcing them to serve as historical and musicological
resources*. [* This is defined as someone
who knew and hung out with Travis back in the day,
and still have enough brain cells to remember some of it!!!]
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BENEFITING
TRAVIS & ROSE MARIE
We
are establishing a little company called Hardroad Music
which will be the business vehicle for
this project. My intention is that Hardroad
will only deal with Travis' story and music.
Travis
and I were laughing the other day that typically the job of the
composer / singer / entertainer is to
get screwed by the label or publishing company!!
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This will be different.
Aside from the royalties, mechanical rights, etc. that
Travis is entitled to by law, he and Rose Marie will also own
thirty-three percent of the company itself. So if we are successful
in all the marketing of the final product,
it will provide additional income to them.
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Bill McCune in Iraq, 2005
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That's
the story. I hope you will pass this on to people who might be
in a position, and willing, to participate.
If I could afford doing it myself, I
certainly would. But that's not possible
BILL
McCUNE
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PS--
By the way, our life long friend Dolan Ellis (original member
of The New Christy Minstrels, and Arizona's Official State
Balladeer is our first participant!! )
Also
John Karesh, a several-time Fantasy Camper, and prominent citizen
of the San Francisco area...
Sharon
& Jerry Heikkinen, friends of Travis and Rose Marie from Sierra
Vista...
Gene
Kelly
Bonnie
Brock, the ultimate advocate for folk music in Arizona
Marsha
Richardson, a long time John Stewart "Bloodliner".
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Questions?
Call me. (602) 274-0278. If you'd like to help with financing the project
please contact Marsha Richardson at (623) 687-4440 - email at
Marsha3300@aol.com or Bonnie Brock at 623-444-5631... or e-mail
at BB@Bonniebrock.net
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