Songs In The Key of Old Crusty Dude

How it started

For the last 10 years or so, I’ve been playing bits and pieces of songs that I’ve written for various friends and family. My New Son, Chuck Bailey and my youngest Son Daniel are both very accomplished musicians and would pick and sing along.

Chuck and others would comment on this song idea or that one and kept saying we should get into the studio and lay some of the tunes down. I, of course, would say yes we should indeed do that, but we never seemed to find the time… life is funny that way.

One afternoon, a few years back, we were sitting around after a nice family gathering, picking the guitars and singing. Chuck called me aside and said: “Okay, we’ve been talking about getting into the studio and recording some of these song ideas for five years now… I’m tired of just talking about it. I want for you and I to commit to a day each week, where once we finish our work day, we get in the studio and start putting these tunes down.”

That conversation lit a fire under us and we set up the studio and got to work laying down basic reference tracks. We were immediately starting to have way too much fun. We worked in the studio every Wednesday night for a couple of years recorded some really good tracks. We also finished writing several of the songs, and had numerous musician friends lay down some awesome tracks for us as well. We had musicians all over the country doing eSessions with, basically using FTP to send us their recorded tracks.

This is the story of the musicians who contributed to the project. They are all fantastic players and fine people to boot. I will let you all know when the project is finished and the music is available. You can experience some of the tunes now on the Music page.

Charles “Chuck” Bailey

It’s not often that I sit in wonder in my old age, but working with and watching Chuck Bailey record, mix, and produce music is a thing to behold. Not only is Chuck an awesome dude, he also brings some pretty impressive credentials to the table as well as is evident in the many gold and silver albums hanging on the studio wall with his engineering and assistant-engineering credits. Before he came to Georgia, Chuck worked out in Los Angeles as a recording engineer, working on albums for artists such as Kid Rock, Sevin Dust, Stevie Wonder and many others. This young man knows exactly how to twist those control console knobs and has an excellent ear.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with and share the stage and studio with some of the most talented singers, songwriters, and musicians on the planet, but rarely have I ever encountered anyone who is as accomplished as my New Son Chuck Bailey when it comes to the mechanics of recording and working in the studio.

Chuck is a very accomplished musician and producer, and a beast when it comes to sound engineering. We have come to the point now where we just about know what each other are thinking, and we hear many of the same things from a production point of view.

I have the utmost respect for his work ethic, his talent and abilities, and his companionship in this journey. Not only am I proud to call him my New Son, the caretaker of my baby girl and my grandchildren, but I am extremely proud to call him my co-producer and potential Grammy winner… as the Great Master often says… we’ll see…

The Mariwell String Quartet

While in production of my friend Dallas Moore’s song “I Gave It All To You”, Chuck and I decided to take the tune in a different direction than it has ever been before. We decided to add live strings to the tune.

I went in search of a string ensemble and after a couple of false starts with players who took themselves a bit too seriously for my taste, the stars aligned and I found the Mariwell String Quartet. Heather, Rob, Jen, and Dwayne are the real deal and they are a hoot and a pleasure to work with.

Not only have they laid down some of the sweetest tracks I’ve ever heard, I think we’ve found some musical soul-mates. I’ve done recording sessions for the last 40-some-odd years in studios all over the country. I can say with certainty that this is one of the most rewarding sessions I’ve ever been a part of.

The warmth and passion that the live strings added to this tune was almost a spiritual experience. I hardly slept the night of the session as my mind couldn’t let go of the feeling.

Thank you from the bottom of this Old Crusty Dude’s heart to the Mariwell String Quartet.

Chris “Hitman” Hicks

I first met Chris around 73 or 74. Chris was playing guitar with his hometown band at a Saturday morning street party in Roberta, Georgia. It seems like the name of his band was something like Strawberry Jam, or Blackberry Jam, or some kind of Jam. And jam he did.

Chris used to drop in and play with us all around Macon and middle Georgia, and we all knew that he was destined for really big things in the music world. Well… he proved us all right and went on to share the stage with the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Outlaws, Gregg Allman, and The Chris Hicks Band. In the mid 90’s, he became Chris “Hitman” Hicks, lead guitarist for The Marshall Tucker Band, and has been lighting up that stage all over the free world.

I went to have a visit with Chris and the band a couple of years ago. We were sitting around before the show sharing song ideas. Chris struck a chord on his guitar and in that smooth, bluesy southern voice belted out: “Whatta You Do When You Feel Like Dancing". I told him that I liked it and wanted to hear some more. He said... "Dude, that's all I've got". I took the idea and after about five months of trying to work around his and my schedule and set up some time that we could spend together and finish the song, I just decided to write it. Chris seemed to like the final product and you can listen to "What Do You Do" on the music page.

Gary Dibenidetto

Gary is an awesome steel guitar dobro playing maniac. I first met Gary way back in the mid 1970's while I was traveling and singing with the Cavaliers Quartet. Gary was the steel guitar player with a group known as the Happy Goodman Family. We did several concerts with them all across the country.

Later on, my band and Gary's band worked the club circuit together across the southeast and we both finally settled in Macon Georgia where my group was the house band at one local club and Gary's was the house band at another. We struck up quite the friendship which has endured until today.

Gary lived for several years outside of Nashville, where he was the first-call steel player at several recording studios, and eventually built his own studio. I recorded several tunes with he and his studio musicians through the years. You can hear one of the tunes; 'The Bed Where Jesse Lay' that Gary engineered, played steel on, and co-produced with me in the music section of the site.

Daniel Shedd Helms

When Daniel was very young, it was evident that he had music in his soul. He started playing in his first band when was just a teenager and his skill progressed with lightning speed. He is an extremely talented bass guitar player, but is one of those well-rounded musicians who can play just about any instrument he decides to. Daniel is a gifted singer, arranger, and writer.

You can see some of Daniel's performances by doing an Internet and YouTube search for 'Almost Kings', which is one of the bands Daniel played and toured with. 'Almost Kings' won a nationwide 'Garage To Grammys' contest and got to perform at the Grammys awards.

Daniel still plays, as a hobby now, but with as much passion as ever. He is teaching his daughter, my darling Granddaughter to appreciate music and to play as well. She sings like a bird and is even making up her own songs... it's a beautiful thing.

Kurt Baumer

Kurt's fiddle can be heard on many top ten tunes that have come out of Nashville. I first met Kurt many years ago at the Blue Bird Cafe in Nashville after I had filmed a TV show I was a contestant on at The Nashville Network called You Can Be A Star. Kurt was playing with a female artist who's name I do not remember. I had a conversation with him during one of their breaks where I told him that in my humble opinion, he was bound for Nashville greatness.

As it turned out I was correct in my thinking. After playing with several artists and bands in and around Nashville, Kurt became the fiddle player for the band Lonestar. He played tracks on several of their tunes that hit the country top ten charts and a couple that went to number one.

Kurt now runs his own studio and business called Fiddletrax. Kurt provided numerous fiddle tracks on the 'Songs In The Key of Old Crusty Dude' project and continues to add that Baumer flair to hundreds of songs here, there and everywhere. Thank you my good Sir for all you do and the way you do it.

Dino Donald

Dino and I played music together both on stage and in the studio for more than twenty years. We first met when we started playing with a group of 'seasoned' musicians in the greater Atlanta area back in the late 1980's. Appropriately, the band was called: 'Midlife Crises'. We played hundreds of shows at small, medium and large venues, sometimes opening up for major and not-so-major-anymore acts. We weren't in it for fame or fortune, just the shear joy of playing.

Dino and I became fast friends and that friendship endured over decades. Dino layed down several tracks for us on the Old Crusty Dude project and did so with professionalism, style and that Dino flair.

I'm very sad to say that my friend and compatriot Dino passed away not long ago and I miss him dearly. The mortal music world has lost a true believer and an awesome talent, but our loss is the immortal world's gain. Play on my brother and I'll see you down the rock-n-roll road someday.

Kerry McBryde

Kerry and I were childhood friends growing up in south Georgia. We stared playing music together way back in the mid 1960's in a little hometown band we named 'Reaction'. We actually originally named the band 'The Psychologic Reaction', but none of us could spell Psychologic and we didn't have Google back then, so we just shortend the band name.

We were the talk of the town in our little community. All the guys wanted to be us and all the girls wanted to hang out with us. We played gigs all over middle Georgia and thought that we were something special. We were all just learning to play and I can't even imagine what we actually sounded like live, but boy did we have fun and keep the young and old folks talking about us.

We got the band back together for a 'World Wide Reaction Reunion' tour consisting of one free concert at the same highschool stage in Abbeville Georgia that we had played on nearly forty years prior. It was a great time and we reconnected with friends we hadn't seen in about forty years. Too much fun. Kerry played keys on a couple of the tunes on the 'Old Crusty Dude' project and is still tickling those ivories quite well.

Chris Anderson

For over 30 years, Chris Anderson has been wowing crowds with his saxophone. Whether it being r&b, motown, soul,oldies,country,classic rock, funk or smooth jazz Chris Anderson and his band can deliver the goods for any occasion. Having the ability to perform on several instruments and do quality vocals has kept this performer as a mainstay top demand entertainer in the middle Georgia area.

I first met Chris back in the late 1970's when he was playing with with a group of really good musicians from Perry Georgia. Chris was really young then but he was already a killer sax player and was very impressive to watch perform. Christ is also an accomplished vocalist and plays several other instruments very well.

When we decided to the the Old Crusty Dude project, I had always wanted to do a cover of an old Wilson Picket song named 'Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You'. We decided that it needed a full horn section so I contacted Chris. He ended up providing all of the horns and synthesizer tracks that made up the entire section tracks.

If you ever get the chance to see Chris live with The Chris Anderson Band, check them out. They play all over the middle Georgia area and I know you will enjoy yourself. Thanks Chris for some great tracks. You really gave the song that big band sound that I was looking for.

Chad Wilson Bailey

Chad is a friend and also the brother of my New Son and co-producer Chuck. Chad has been averaging somewhere 250 and 300 shows a year and performing Mexico to Alaska and nearly everywhere in between. Chad has released four of his own albums and is an excellent writer, musician, singer and performer

As a multi instrumentalist, singer/songwriter and looping artist, pulling from 6 decades of music, Chad blends elements of classic rock, blues, motown, jazz, ambient, new wave, alternative rock and pop. His performances are highly improvisational and crafted specifically for each unique event and venue.

Chad contributed several guitar tracks to the Old Crusty Dude project and was a real pleasure to work with. I co-wrote one of the songs on Chad's 'Little Bourbon' album, which along with his second album "Build Me A Fire" can be heard on all of the major streaming platforms. You are gentleman and a scholar my good Sir... not necessarily in that order.

Spencer Kirkpatrick

I went to a local music/guitar shop back in the early 1990's looking for a new guitar strap and some strings. When I walked in the door Spencer greeted me, I told him what I was looking for and we struck up a conversation. He was immediately likable and we started talking music. We realized that we both knew some of the same Atlanta area pickers and had both done some studio work at a couple of the area recording studios.

Spencer invited me to come and see one of the several bands that he was performing with at the time and I caught a couple of their shows and performed with them a couple of times. Spencer is an extremely accomplished picker and one of the most gifted studio cats I've every had the pleasure to work with. He is on time every time and lays down some of the most perfect guitar parts you've ever heard.

He worked with with us over the course of the entire OCD project and we feel fortunate and blessed to have his talent and passion on our recordings. He is an awesome picker and a fine feller to boot. Thank you Mr. Kirkpatrick for the professioinalism you brought to the studio and especially the awesome guitar tracks you laid down.

Carl Rice