Leona Williams: A Regular Person In The Best Way

Leona Williams: It’s a unique album that many musicians want to copy because it has some of the best players. It’s amazing how good that album has done.

LW:  It’s one of the highlights of my career. I was with Merle and the Strangers at the time. The album was Merle’s idea. He and Bonnie Owens had written a song called ‘San Quentin’ and he told me it would be a great idea for a girl to go to San Quentin and record a live album. I got to be that girl. Since it was Merle’s idea we went there and recorded the album. It turned out really good. MCA had it out for a while.

LW:  (Laughing) Bruno of Hollywood was awesome. Back in the era that picture was made it was all about big hair. I was a beauty operator before I moved to Nashville and that was the style then. You’d put wiglets on top your real hair. It made your hair look big and pretty (Laughter) as they used to say.

LW:  Yeah, I’ve thought about it but I haven’t done anything yet. Peggy Russell is a dear friend of mine and she wrote Merle’s first book called ‘Sing Me Back Home.’ Peggy had been writing some, but then she got breast cancer and slowed down quite a bit and I haven’t thought about it anymore.

LW:  I’m still playing my music and trying to keep my name out there and keep Country music going. It’s changed so much. I’m trying to keep the Country style that I like the best.

LW: I do, yes. I’m thankful I have lots of fans. I go overseas a lot. I’m going to Ireland again in November. Phil Mack has a TV Show that goes all over Europe and we are doing his show and headline at a big festival. 

LW:  Yes, they keep your name out there. Sometimes I’ll go over there and they will say we’ve really been playing this particular song a lot, so make sure you sing that one in your show.

LW:  It’s amazing how nice those people are. Last year we did something that I had never heard of before. This organization asked if they could fly Ron and I to Dallas where we would meet up with 60 or 70 people from Ireland and get on a bus with them and ride around looking at all the Country Music sites in the area.

LW: We went to Southfork where they filmed the TV show ‘Dallas’ and out to the Stockyards in Fort Worth. Then we went over to East Texas in Carthage where they have a Country Music Hall of Fame. That place is awesome. Tex Ritter’s niece runs it. Those Irish people love our music ‘live’ and they love to hear about the history.

LW:  Yes, when I first started in the music business I played upright bass in Loretta’s first band. I met her when I was a beauty operator in St. Louis. She said, “If I ever make it, I’m gonna help you kids.” Ron Williams Sr. played drums and I played bass in that first band called The Blue Kentuckians.

LW:  Thank you. I always use this term I learned from my Mom, who was the sweetest woman in the world. She would say, “I’m just as plain as an old shoe.” (Laughter) I always refer to myself that I am just regular. I ain’t nothing fancy.

LW:  (Giggling) Well, you’re so nice. Thank you.

LW:  I was so happy! The first person to record one of my songs was Loretta Lynn. I co-wrote it with Ron Williams Sr. and it’s called ‘Get Whatcha Got And Go’ and it’s on Loretta’s ‘Don’t Come Home A Drinkin’ album. Later Connie Smith had a top ten record I wrote called ‘Dallas.’

LW:  We had been in Texas when I wrote that song. I was with Hickory Records when we came through this area going to Tennessee. So, we were on the interstate and I just started singing, “Dallas I’ll be coming home to you.” I just started writing the song because I’d had such a great time in Texas. It’s about being lonely and hating to leave. Merle loved that song and he was so proud of me. When I first got with him that song was a hit. He got to see my first royalty check for that song.

LW:  I have a song that I wrote with a friend of mine over there called ‘I Cry Every Time I Leave Ireland’ and that’s how I really feel.

LW: I do appreciate Texas. I’m down here a lot. All the people treat me good. I can’t say enough good about it.

LW:  It’s funny because I open my shows with a song Merle and I wrote called ‘Don’t Sing Me No Songs About Texas’ and the lyric goes, “because that’s where my heart is tonight.” Then I sing ‘Dallas’ and then I sing that old blues song called, ‘I Walked From Dallas Clear Down To Wichita Falls’ (Laughter)

LW:  I’ve had, no telling, how many people that have asked me if I was from Texas originally. I always say, “No, but I got there as quick as I could.”

LW:  That’s a good little Texas type song.

LW:  I think I write songs that women like to hear, like the one I wrote for Merle called, ‘You Take Me For Granted.’ I have also recorded it and lots of other people have recorded it as well. You wouldn’t believe all the letters I get from women that say, “Golly, you’ve said it. You’re the one who said what we think.” I just said what I was thinking at the time. Then I wrote ‘Someday When Things Are Good I’m Gonna Leave You.’ I had to write that song because of a situation I was in.

LW:  Yes, it’s whatever I was going through at the time. Some are contrived with just made up stuff or it’s a song based on a good little line. About three years ago I did a Bluegrass album and I got some of my friends like Vince Gill, Pam Tillis and the Whites to come sing with me. Now, just recently I recorded an album with a group from Missouri called The Bluegrass Martins. They are a family of great musicians.

LW:  No, not the whole thing but years ago after I had been overseas on a tour, I wrote a song called ‘Stand Up For America.’ I had my first record out then. I was in Taipei, Taiwan entertaining the service men.

LW: I toured over there for nine weeks. When I got back home I was so glad to be home and I was so appreciative of our country, so that’s when I wrote ‘Stand Up For America.’ Recently I thought about it and I wanted to record it again so I did.

LW:  When I was in Ireland they asked me what happened to Country music? They told me they have taken the living room out of Country music. I said, ‘They took the front porch too.” We used to sit out on the porch and play when I was a kid growing up.

LW:  Yes, my dad played the fiddle and my mom played the piano as a young girl and she could play the claw hammer style banjo. We grew up with that. Mom used to say, “Now Leona, sing as loud as you can and then you can learn to control it.” I still sing loud…and sometimes control it. (Laughter)

LW:  Thank you, I thought about doing a tribute to Kitty Wells. When I was a little kid I loved Kitty Wells. Remember there are twelve kids. I have seven brothers and four sisters.

LW:  I’m nine from the oldest and fourth from the youngest. I used to tell my mom I didn’t know why I wasn’t born in Tennessee and been Kitty Well’s little girl. (Laughter) I had the best mom in the world and she thought it was cute. My parents were so supportive.

LW:  They were. I grew up in a wonderful family with lots of love. I got a song that says ‘Love is nearly all we had, somehow we got by, and for things they couldn’t give us, I’ve seen my mama cry. We learned to work for more in life and how to do with less.” I recorded this song in Bluegrass style with The Whites.

LW:  He was a good-looking guy and a great writer.

LW:  People used to say we looked like brother and sister.

LW:  We had a lot of fun. I was with Merle for nine years. There’s lots of things I can say about it and some things I can’t. I loved Merle better than anybody but you know like my song says, “Sometimes love doesn’t stay around forever.” I loved him but you can’t make it work if it won’t. It takes two to make it work.

LW:  That’s what everybody tells me. I’m not young anymore but I don’t feel any different. I’m thankful to the good Lord because if you don’t have him, you don’t have anything.