I'm Home from my last tour ever.

Ricky Davis · Post by **Ricky Davis** » 2 Nov 2001 12:43 am

Thanks; Ya'll are the best.
Ricky

Lindley · Post by **Lindley** » 2 Nov 2001 5:15 am

Ricky,

I'm sorry you've had such a bad time. I've heard you play, and you are a great player, but to say that country music does not pay and never has is a bit of a misconception. I treveled with Randy Travis for a long time, and he is as country as it gets. It pays very well indeed....Good luck....

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Steel crazy after all these years.
Emmons Lashley Legrande 111 S-10, Nashville 1000, Peavey Stereo chorus 212, Peavey Classic 50/410, Lexicon MPX 100

Ricky Davis · Post by **Ricky Davis** » 2 Nov 2001 7:50 am

Hey thanks Lindley; and point well taken on Randy Travis.......so lemme know when the steel position becomes avaliable....

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Ricky Davis

My Homepage
Rebel™ and Ricky's Audio Clips
www.mightyfinemusic.com
Email Ricky: sshawaiian@aol.com

Anders Brundell · Post by **Anders Brundell** » 2 Nov 2001 10:54 am

Hey! - wait a minute – it can´t possibly have been moaning and misery 25 hours a day during the whole tour, as one might think when reading all condoleances above. A non neglectable number of listeners at the gigs were supportive and appreciated the music for the simple reason that it was great! The fact that we were too few to make a large enough paying audience doesn´t change that. Maybe we weren´t that drunk and loud either, but we sure were there, and the guys in the band noticed us.
Ricky is way ahead of all swedish pickers and that´s a delight to see and listen to him live, I can asure everybody. Every single gig of this caliber is a well in the desert for us scettered pickers up here.
One day I´ll go to Austin for lessons and listening, so the future ain´t pitch black for me dispite the bad prognosis for coming tours in Sweden.
Thanks to Ricky, Dale and everybody else who helps to keep country music well and alive!
Anders Brundell, relapse musician/steel fumbler in the northwestern corner of Europe.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 2 Nov 2001 3:47 pm

Ricky, we're all sorry things didn't turn out better. But, like a lot of Forumites, I too tried the road life...and it's tough. Fewer groups are doing this type of thing for just the reasons you stated. Nowadays, only the "biggies" can afford to do it (and even they have problems). Every time I go to a steel show, I wish I'd stayed in full-time music. And then again, every time I hear a story like yours, I'm glad I didnt!

I've said it before...at least now, I can afford to buy the records I might have been on.

Hope things look up for you guys.

Donny

gary darr · Post by **gary darr** » 2 Nov 2001 7:26 pm

Just click your heels together and say.... there's no-place like home,there's no-place like home,

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sho-bud,session 500,american standard strat,shecter tele,peavy classic 50

Ricky Davis · Post by **Ricky Davis** » 3 Nov 2001 12:41 am

Hey Anders; that "is" the part I don't like about not touring anymore. Money is one thing and I never care if there is 1 person or a thousand persons...if someone is diggin' it....than I'm diggin it.
But to go further about this thread....there was some great gigs on this tour and we had some laughs too....but to fill in everyone......this was my 9th time to tour overseas with Dale. And Dale toured over seas for 3 years before I even joined. Yes the first several times was new and fun; but the same travel/same pay/same crowd/gig support...then as you keep going over..it is the same again and again and again and all the sudden the 9th time over and no progression in crowds/money/travel....kicks you right where the sun don't shine.
I will give anything a good whirl; and then do it again and maybe even again...but when something stops progressing that long......"I'm outta there"....I have to have growth and progression in my life and carrer....or I will go another route....and you will probably see me on the Senior PGA tour in 10 years anyways......so I don't have long left to advance my music; before I sh!t-can it all together.
Thanks again everyone for your input and support.
Ricky[This message was edited by Ricky Davis on 03 November 2001 at 12:43 AM.]

Anders Brundell · Post by **Anders Brundell** » 3 Nov 2001 2:22 am

Yeah, Ricky - I understand you quite well, and your situation is yet another evidence that life and the music market ain´t fair. You´re way better than any country-pop act, yet you get way less attention and income from it, and noone can afford to tour for virtually no money in the long run. But I´m very glad you came this way this time anyway!
I wish you, Dale and all other country music people a lot better luck in the future, ´cause you deserve that!
Anders Brundell

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 13 Nov 2001 7:29 pm

Ricky,glad your back,however, I'd like to welcome you to the great, wonderful, exonerating, financually rewarding,happy world of professional "steeling".Mike Cass said it best a few posts back.I can see where you can agree with him. Why do you think I have a steel store? Get me some more of your great product to sell.
Bobbe

Ricky Davis · Post by **Ricky Davis** » 13 Nov 2001 11:06 pm

Hey Thanks Bobbe for the welcome home and the welcome to the on-going tourcher chamber life of a musician that I've been hackin' at for 13 years now.
I know you hacked at it for much longer; before you decided to park your car in one spot..........so do ya need any help in the store pal.....ha.....
I don't have any new products and sold out of the video long ago.....but one day when I get a spare minute..ha...I'll toss something else together......probably on lines of...."how do you carry your steel guitar and clothes bag w/ packaseat in it.....down two escalators and 3 flights of stairs to catch a underground sub that leaves in two minutes and there is no elevators; and your late cause the idiots that drink in the band were hung over and made you late; but now YOU pay the price and this is only the 2nd day of a 5 weeeek tour and you just don't stop being a idiot over night.....ha."...video.
Ricky

Greg Vincent · Post by **Greg Vincent** » 14 Nov 2001 8:51 am

Welcome back Ricky!

Well in one sense it's hard for some of us to hear you sound so tired and discouraged cuz you've been such an inspiration to us.

In another sense it's helpful cuz it lets us all know that even the greats have to struggle sometimes, and that being a musician is NOT easy.

--GV

Ricky Davis · Post by **Ricky Davis** » 14 Nov 2001 10:43 am

Hey Greg thanks...and to everyone else...please don't let my frustrations in certain aspects of this business; be discouraging to you. I believe everyone should experience what I have experienced. There have been some great times on every tour...and I usually look at those in the front of my mind; often. But your only hearing the back of my mind....which is something that everyone should consider; so you have that in your head and know what to expect. I will tour again.....but my price has gone waaaaaaaaaay up....

but then again; I feel like I HAVE paid my dues; and on the other hand...I believe everyone should pay their dues and try to enjoy every bit of it on the way........"as I have". I have some great memories and made some great friends and met some great Fans around the world; and to me that is "Priceless". And one cannot get those benifets unless he wades through the bull-sh!! along the way.
Ricky

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 15 Nov 2001 4:41 am

Ricky....your post about the tour made me shudder..you forgot to mention renting just one room for everyone to shower in because you wouldn't have time to sleep anyway!

Touring is kind of like sex though......the longer it's been since you've done it, the better it sounds!

Paul Awalt · Post by **Paul Awalt** » 16 Nov 2001 6:00 pm

How about teaching, not all greats can teach, that should be challenging enought!

Jim Bob Sedgwick · Post by **Jim Bob Sedgwick** » 18 Nov 2001 10:33 pm

Hoo Boy: Ricky: You forgot about the in state one nighters, 800 miles apart, in a Station Wagon with a trailer, with no sleep, (or shower). The band may have been inexperiened, but they SMELLED RIPE. Also, we must mention the cuisine: Clutch butt and Donkey Dix. For the uninitiated: Cheese and Baloney tours. It's a lot like military service. I don't ever want to do it again, but I wouldn't have missed the experience for the world.