June 15, 2020 • 18 mins
Every once in a while, an artist emerges who will defy and redefine the expectations for the genre. Country star Barbara Mandrell was that artist.
The "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool" singer transformed the notion of what country music was, raising the bar for entertainment while paving the path for the female artists who would follow her.
In 1997, Barbara announced her retirement, but she is back and stepping into the spotlight with Cody Alan on this Cody Cast podcast. Listen now to hear Barbara reveal details behind her hit "Sleeping Single In A Double Bed" and find out how her 1978 track become 2020's infectious dance remix.
PLUS: Barbara Mandrell shares details behind her special friendship with Patsy Cline!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Podcasting from Welcome to Cody Allen's podcast. Hello, Hi is
this Ms Mantrell. This is Barbara's This Cody Allen. This
is yes. Hey. Thank you so much for calling Cody.
I look forward to our visit. Oh man, I've been
looking forward to it since they told me about this
(00:21):
song and send it to me about a week ago. Um.
First of all, I have to tell you that I
remember Barbara Mandrell and the man Drell sisters, and correct
me if I'm wrong. It was on Was it Saturday
Nights on NBC? Yeah? Absolutely, Um, so many memories come
to mind. I remember the TV and where it was
in our my mom and dad's living room, watching that
(00:43):
show as a kid. So um, it brings back so
many great memories hearing your voice. Oh, I'm so glad
your folks made you watch it. It was a great show.
It's really fun back when variety shows were kind of
a big thing, and I wish we had more of
those now. But anyway, let's talk about this song because
sleep been single in a double beds again another one
of the songs we all grew up on. A classic. Um,
(01:04):
but now it's got this like crazy E D M
Dance mixed spin on it from Dave Addie and it's
like the last thing I expected Barbara Mandreel to release.
But I love it. Oh, thank you so much. I
appreciate that well, Dave. I mean, you know, he did
a wonderful, wonderful job. And I was kind of I'm
(01:25):
being started candid, I guess by fatness, but you know,
my anticipation was I thought, man, I wonder what he'll
do to it, you know anyway, you know, I I thought,
you know, this is a good song, and I hope
it remains that way. And it just it was totally, uh,
(01:46):
beyond what I wanted as far as great. I thought, man,
where did he get that? And I love it? At
the end word it's coming up on like repeating, and
you know, and how's he gonna it? Was just yeah,
I gived him a standing ovation. He was wonderful. Tell
me about um the song and how Dave and you
got involved with sort of making this remix. One of
(02:09):
my dearest friends in life is Clint Highen, and he's
has quite the huge name in the world of Yeah,
it's a really really smart guys, brilliant really and and
Clint asked me he wanted to see He wanted to
see that done, and I said, you're kidding. He said no,
(02:30):
and I said, you know, all right, I trust you.
Let's see what happens. And I heard it and I went, man,
you're always right, you know. But I wanted to tell
you before I forget, because it means a lot to me.
Ki Fleming and Dennis Morgan wrote the song, and they
(02:51):
were in Tom Collins, who was my producer at that time.
They were in his publishing company and separate writers. They've
never written together before, and and out of the blue
he told them one day, I want you guys to
write a song together, and I want you to write
it for Barbara Mandrell. He had just been to visit
his parents. I do feel confident that it was his
(03:14):
father that was asked, um, all the years they've been married,
and you know how and what do you attribute that
to and whatever? And he said his dad said, well,
we've just been sleeping double in a single bit and
and and so Tom thought, you know, there might be
something to do that and that, and so he told
(03:35):
that to tie in Dennis, and they turned it and
wrote sleep and single in a double bed. And I
thought that and and that was their first time to
write together, and it was number one. It was number
one for three weeks in a row. And anyway, and
they are the ones that in my life, they I
attribute so much to them. They did so much for
(03:57):
me because, oh my gosh, they wrote many many of
my songs that were hits, and and I think my
favorite one was the one that was the my story
of my life. I was country when country was I
was going to bring that one up because that one still,
um to this day, sounds great coming out of the speakers.
And when that song was so big, what was your
(04:19):
like the highlighted memory of that period? First of all, Um,
Tie and Dennis, we're talking to me one day at
the office and and out of the blue, because I
was born in Texas, but I was raised in southern California,
and I started working when I was eleven, and so
(04:40):
I'm in grade school and I'm working regularly on a
television show on Channel eleven called Townhall Party. Um. And anyway,
they were asking me what was it like, you know,
being in California and doing country music, especially back then,
you know, And I said, and I told him stories
of like I come back to school on Monday morning,
(05:01):
and and I'd hear that country, you know, and you know,
lots of things, lots of things. I went through all
of it, you know, telling them the story of So
I don't remember if it was twenty four hours later
or forty eight, but that's how that's how tight the
time was that I came back and saw them at
the office. They said, can we talk to you? Man
(05:23):
was and I said, well sure. They said that we've
written a song for you. We'd like to know what
you think. And they had taken things I had shared
with them my life and wrote it just and you know,
and I will gladly argue this with you, but at
that time, there had never been the saying of something
(05:45):
something before it was cool. Never they did that, not
me and not anybody else they did that, And since
then there's been so many. Every time I turned around,
I'm hearing something about, yeah, I was some something before
it is cool, you know, And so I give I
attribute that to them. But anyway, when I did it,
(06:06):
we were doing that show that you were so kind
to mention of Barbara Mandrell and Mandrell sisters out in California,
and Tom said, okay, I'm gonna be bringing that song
and whatever else it was out there to to record,
and we'll just do it very bare minimum of you know,
maybe like bass and drums and and rhythm guitar ware.
(06:29):
You know, it won't be much. And then all when
I get back to Nashville, then we'll you know, finish
it off. Whether it matters or not. I'm going to
tell you this because my favorite instrument, my very favorite
in life, is the base period. And I used to
tell the guys in my band, you know, like, you know,
(06:50):
I love you all so much and you're just amazing
and so gifted and talented, and I'm with you. But
if Charlie, and that was my bass player of twenty
some odd years, if Charlie falls off the stage or
he's gone or something, I'm out of here because the
face is all that to me. Well anyway, here I
(07:10):
am in California and I go into the studio. Tom
takes me to record these songs. And it was I
was country when country wasn't cool. Well, the base person,
whoever he was, didn't show up for the session. So
I recorded that. Talk about bare minimum, Okay, So then
Tom takes it back home and meanwhile then he says
(07:31):
to me, you know the line referring to George Jones
and all he said, wouldn't it be wouldn't it be
cool if George would do a cameo on it? And
I said it would be the best. And so he said,
do you know him there? I said, oh yeah, because
actually when I was at Just Her in thirteen was
and I did my first tour and that was on
Johnny Cash's tour and George Jones was one of his
(07:55):
other He had Patsy Klein and George Jones and Tom
Gibson and I get on a flight to come home
and here's what God did for me. So I get
sat down on the plane and right behind me in
the seat there's George Jones. Wow, talk about a blessing.
And so I, you know, after we hugged and kissed
(08:16):
and whatever, and I said I need a favor and
I asked him they said sure. So that took place
in the studio with Tom, but without me. I was
back in California working again, and uh, and then I'm
gonna do a live album and Tom wants that one
on the album and so everything I've just told you
(08:37):
it was done in pieces even the applause, and it
was it was not I did it on the live album. Yeah,
I recorded it, but the but the actual hit had
already happened. And that was Wow. What a great story.
Before I move on from the great George Jones story,
I was curious about you mentioned Johnny Cash. Maybe just
(08:58):
a couple of sentences about a couple all the grades here,
like Johnny, what you remember, what kind of man he was?
And then about Patsy Klein also I know you were friends,
and um, just a couple of thoughts. Uh, well, Patsy.
Patsy was, of course the grown woman that she was.
And I had my birthday December and I had just
(09:18):
turned thirteen and this because this was like in January
or what you know, and so I was a kid.
And long story short there is she wouldn't allow me.
I had my own room on the tour and stuff,
but she wouldn't allow me to stay by myself. She
wanted to stay with her. So I can honestly tell
you straight up, with all truthfulness, I slept with Patsy Conn.
(09:47):
So she was very kind to me, and I did.
She hated her hair that was done at a beauty
shop one day and I said, I do hair, I
can calm it, and I did, and she liked it,
so I calmed it for the rest of the tour
for her and and George Jones. I was on Johnny's
show where I was in the positioning of going on.
(10:10):
I was just before George Jones and uh and with
the steel guitar, and also I played sax then too,
and and I don't I don't know how to say this.
George he had a lot of his hits, you know,
had a lot of steel guitar. Johnny's band, you know,
the guys Marshall and Luther, they didn't have There was
(10:31):
no steel guitar. And I came off and had Encore
and all that going on. And George came to me
and said, if I do a song and then if
I introduce you and bring you back out, would you
play if I give you a list of the songs
and the keys and whatever, um, would you back me
and kick off and whatever of my songs that I'm
(10:53):
gonna do for me on the steel And I said, oh, yeah,
of course I would be honored. So I can also
trutally say play still a guitar for George and Jarones
on that trip and Johnny Cash that you asked about, Um,
he was funny, and he was wonderful, and he was
you know, you've heard stories, I'm sure of even like
at the operaty, it's like you could tell he was
(11:14):
in the building. He just had this talk about charisma.
I mean it was it was in the air. It
was like electricity. But my point is he was. He
was quite the gentleman and quite nice and kind and
thoughtful to me. And the first time I ever flow
was when he and his flow flew. Was when he
and his manager I'll let me fly with him to
(11:36):
start this tour off back, um, you know, in the Midwest,
and uh and and I'm on an airplane and I
was just blown away. I have so many good memories
of the way people they were kind to me. We
have to tell people you're going to release greatest hits
on vinyl after all these years on ju I hear
you hand picked, of course the songs yourself. How did
(11:57):
you decide what songs would kind of make that checked
somebody to choose from. I thank you. I like I
like variety a lot, and I think there I think
I chose a lot of you know, with different feel
to them, in different qualities to add you know, to
the album, and so many good songs. And I can
(12:18):
speak freely with that because I did not write them.
I was there again blessed by some great writers that
wanted me to record them. You know, I think what
makes me the most happy about this is the fact
that it will afford the opportunity for maybe fans that
don't have to be able to get the product, you
know that we're not fans back when. But also I'm
(12:40):
excited that um, lots and lots of people that have
never listen to my products might find it good and
might enjoy it. And that that really, really that excites me.
And that pieces me because I'm retired now for over
twenty years, and uh and love because I worked thirty
(13:01):
eight years in my life and so it was nice
too to just be a wife and mother and and
do things that in my life work not something I
got to do all the time. And um, and so
I'm very happy and and and thrilled. But I also
in my whole, my whole life, I will never forget,
(13:22):
never um, the way fans treat me and the way
they have in my life all my memories are pretty wonderful.
I'll tell you that. Sure. Well, that's what I think
it's great about the single is that sleeping single and
double bed will be one. I think it's like a
little nibble hopefully for a lot of people of like
the entire collection, so like introduces you to a whole
new generation, I believe, real quick before you go, I
(13:43):
wanted to ask about women and country music because a
lot is made of females being played on the radio
or being streamed, and how record companies treat women these days,
and so I just wanted, like your thoughts on that.
Are we digressing progressing? Are we in a good spot?
Is it about the same as it was? Slattered? That
you would want my opinion on it, because, as I said,
(14:07):
I've been out of the business for a long time.
But when you were in the business, you are a
groundbreaking artist, entertainer of the year people UM need to
be reminded in one I mean you were a list
plus plus plus superstar. UM. Looking at it now, you
must have an interesting filter on kind of where country
(14:28):
music is. Well, I think for for what it's worth
as an observer and a fan, Okay, I was the performer, entertainer,
and now I'm a fan and that's you know. But
my observation is back as they say in the day,
when I was working my recollection, that first comes to
(14:48):
my mind, it would be Lauretta and Dolly and Tammy
and I. We're the first of the women and and
pardon my bluntness in many areas here, I don't it
to sound you know, I'm just shooting it as I remember,
but we were, we were the first to um as
individual artists, to headline our own show and have an
(15:10):
opening act. I can speak for myself here, um, and
I'm sure it applies to them too, but I have
a man as an opening act for me. And the
reason I'm not making this up, and it's not an
old joke, it's an old truth, okay. Um. Used to
be commonly said, well, yeah, when they're talking to the
(15:31):
man and working on what his tour is going to
be like, and well, don't forget, you've got to have
you a girl singer, you know, a little girl singer,
and that just that makes my skin crawl. But anyway,
um Um, don't get me wrong, I am a huge
fan of the male performers. I mean I'm I'm human. Okay,
(15:53):
I love I love the mail performers. But um, I
think maybe not to the degree, but I think gets
also a little bit true nowadays as it used to be,
it's still it's easier for the men to get the
crowd really cranked up, especially the feminine side of the crowd,
and the screaming and the reception that they get. Um,
(16:15):
women get it, but you've got to work yourself to
death to get it, you know. And uh, and maybe
I just should think of a nicer way to say it.
But when I look at the talent of the young
female artists and the men too, of course, but the
young females that are that are on the scene now
and new, and they're so fresh, and they're so they're
(16:36):
they're they're bringing, you know, things that are not so
old and and that you've heard before. They're bringing their
own stuff, and uh, that's exciting and that's wonderful, And
I just don't want to see any of them let
down because they happen to be. I love the fact
that of late there's been a lot of push on
(16:56):
the women thing and and girls and women and and
have an all girls show or have all female host
on a said, well, great, because they deserve it. They
you know, we all like to be entertained and enjoy it.
So I think they're still dealing with it too to
some degree. But but it wasn't easy, and it's it, um,
(17:19):
you know, it's just very very grateful looking back to
all the good things that that we're done for me.
I appreciate that so much. I think it's so well
said because so much of what we hear is familiar.
It is themes we've heard before, but yet that fresh
perspective that I think women bring because they are women,
they see things a different way, they write things differently
(17:40):
and can sing them to us differently. I think that's
it always needs to be exposed and people need to
hear it. And I love the doors are opening more so.
I think now this year for for female singers. So yeah, yeah,
and I like the fact that some of them too.
It's like they're not just in one lane. They know
they are diversified, and I know, like, you know, we
(18:00):
talked about sleep and single and you know, and I
was country and country wasn't cool. There was also like
if loving you was wrong, I don't want to be right,
and M. I mean I like d R and B.
I mean I like diversity, and a lot of our
young ladies today are filled with lots and lots of variety. Lusen,
I've taken up a lot of your time already and
(18:20):
it's been just an absolute honor and pleasure. And if
I can ever do anything, let me know. But I'll
be supporting the song and do my best to get
the word out about the new project too. You are
so sweet and kind to me, but you've already done something.
You gave me a great, great visit with your listeners,
and you're great. You really are. You don't you don't
miss a lick. Thank you very very much. I appreciate it.
(18:41):
Thank you so much. Take care. We'll see you soon. Okay,
thanks for listening to Cody Ellen's podcast. This is Cody
Gast
Podcasting from Welcome to Cody Allen's podcast. Hello, Hi is
this Ms Mantrell. This is Barbara's This Cody Allen. This
is yes. Hey. Thank you so much for calling Cody.
I look forward to our visit. Oh man, I've been
looking forward to it since they told me about this
(00:21):
song and send it to me about a week ago. Um.
First of all, I have to tell you that I
remember Barbara Mandrell and the man Drell sisters, and correct
me if I'm wrong. It was on Was it Saturday
Nights on NBC? Yeah? Absolutely, Um, so many memories come
to mind. I remember the TV and where it was
in our my mom and dad's living room, watching that
(00:43):
show as a kid. So um, it brings back so
many great memories hearing your voice. Oh, I'm so glad
your folks made you watch it. It was a great show.
It's really fun back when variety shows were kind of
a big thing, and I wish we had more of
those now. But anyway, let's talk about this song because
sleep been single in a double beds again another one
of the songs we all grew up on. A classic. Um,
(01:04):
but now it's got this like crazy E D M
Dance mixed spin on it from Dave Addie and it's
like the last thing I expected Barbara Mandreel to release.
But I love it. Oh, thank you so much. I
appreciate that well, Dave. I mean, you know, he did
a wonderful, wonderful job. And I was kind of I'm
(01:25):
being started candid, I guess by fatness, but you know,
my anticipation was I thought, man, I wonder what he'll
do to it, you know anyway, you know, I I thought,
you know, this is a good song, and I hope
it remains that way. And it just it was totally, uh,
(01:46):
beyond what I wanted as far as great. I thought, man,
where did he get that? And I love it? At
the end word it's coming up on like repeating, and
you know, and how's he gonna it? Was just yeah,
I gived him a standing ovation. He was wonderful. Tell
me about um the song and how Dave and you
got involved with sort of making this remix. One of
(02:09):
my dearest friends in life is Clint Highen, and he's
has quite the huge name in the world of Yeah,
it's a really really smart guys, brilliant really and and
Clint asked me he wanted to see He wanted to
see that done, and I said, you're kidding. He said no,
(02:30):
and I said, you know, all right, I trust you.
Let's see what happens. And I heard it and I went, man,
you're always right, you know. But I wanted to tell
you before I forget, because it means a lot to me.
Ki Fleming and Dennis Morgan wrote the song, and they
(02:51):
were in Tom Collins, who was my producer at that time.
They were in his publishing company and separate writers. They've
never written together before, and and out of the blue
he told them one day, I want you guys to
write a song together, and I want you to write
it for Barbara Mandrell. He had just been to visit
his parents. I do feel confident that it was his
(03:14):
father that was asked, um, all the years they've been married,
and you know how and what do you attribute that
to and whatever? And he said his dad said, well,
we've just been sleeping double in a single bit and
and and so Tom thought, you know, there might be
something to do that and that, and so he told
(03:35):
that to tie in Dennis, and they turned it and
wrote sleep and single in a double bed. And I
thought that and and that was their first time to
write together, and it was number one. It was number
one for three weeks in a row. And anyway, and
they are the ones that in my life, they I
attribute so much to them. They did so much for
(03:57):
me because, oh my gosh, they wrote many many of
my songs that were hits, and and I think my
favorite one was the one that was the my story
of my life. I was country when country was I
was going to bring that one up because that one still,
um to this day, sounds great coming out of the speakers.
And when that song was so big, what was your
(04:19):
like the highlighted memory of that period? First of all, Um,
Tie and Dennis, we're talking to me one day at
the office and and out of the blue, because I
was born in Texas, but I was raised in southern California,
and I started working when I was eleven, and so
(04:40):
I'm in grade school and I'm working regularly on a
television show on Channel eleven called Townhall Party. Um. And anyway,
they were asking me what was it like, you know,
being in California and doing country music, especially back then,
you know, And I said, and I told him stories
of like I come back to school on Monday morning,
(05:01):
and and I'd hear that country, you know, and you know,
lots of things, lots of things. I went through all
of it, you know, telling them the story of So
I don't remember if it was twenty four hours later
or forty eight, but that's how that's how tight the
time was that I came back and saw them at
the office. They said, can we talk to you? Man
(05:23):
was and I said, well sure. They said that we've
written a song for you. We'd like to know what
you think. And they had taken things I had shared
with them my life and wrote it just and you know,
and I will gladly argue this with you, but at
that time, there had never been the saying of something
(05:45):
something before it was cool. Never they did that, not
me and not anybody else they did that, And since
then there's been so many. Every time I turned around,
I'm hearing something about, yeah, I was some something before
it is cool, you know, And so I give I
attribute that to them. But anyway, when I did it,
(06:06):
we were doing that show that you were so kind
to mention of Barbara Mandrell and Mandrell sisters out in California,
and Tom said, okay, I'm gonna be bringing that song
and whatever else it was out there to to record,
and we'll just do it very bare minimum of you know,
maybe like bass and drums and and rhythm guitar ware.
(06:29):
You know, it won't be much. And then all when
I get back to Nashville, then we'll you know, finish
it off. Whether it matters or not. I'm going to
tell you this because my favorite instrument, my very favorite
in life, is the base period. And I used to
tell the guys in my band, you know, like, you know,
(06:50):
I love you all so much and you're just amazing
and so gifted and talented, and I'm with you. But
if Charlie, and that was my bass player of twenty
some odd years, if Charlie falls off the stage or
he's gone or something, I'm out of here because the
face is all that to me. Well anyway, here I
(07:10):
am in California and I go into the studio. Tom
takes me to record these songs. And it was I
was country when country wasn't cool. Well, the base person,
whoever he was, didn't show up for the session. So
I recorded that. Talk about bare minimum, Okay, So then
Tom takes it back home and meanwhile then he says
(07:31):
to me, you know the line referring to George Jones
and all he said, wouldn't it be wouldn't it be
cool if George would do a cameo on it? And
I said it would be the best. And so he said,
do you know him there? I said, oh yeah, because
actually when I was at Just Her in thirteen was
and I did my first tour and that was on
Johnny Cash's tour and George Jones was one of his
(07:55):
other He had Patsy Klein and George Jones and Tom
Gibson and I get on a flight to come home
and here's what God did for me. So I get
sat down on the plane and right behind me in
the seat there's George Jones. Wow, talk about a blessing.
And so I, you know, after we hugged and kissed
(08:16):
and whatever, and I said I need a favor and
I asked him they said sure. So that took place
in the studio with Tom, but without me. I was
back in California working again, and uh, and then I'm
gonna do a live album and Tom wants that one
on the album and so everything I've just told you
(08:37):
it was done in pieces even the applause, and it
was it was not I did it on the live album. Yeah,
I recorded it, but the but the actual hit had
already happened. And that was Wow. What a great story.
Before I move on from the great George Jones story,
I was curious about you mentioned Johnny Cash. Maybe just
(08:58):
a couple of sentences about a couple all the grades here,
like Johnny, what you remember, what kind of man he was?
And then about Patsy Klein also I know you were friends,
and um, just a couple of thoughts. Uh, well, Patsy.
Patsy was, of course the grown woman that she was.
And I had my birthday December and I had just
(09:18):
turned thirteen and this because this was like in January
or what you know, and so I was a kid.
And long story short there is she wouldn't allow me.
I had my own room on the tour and stuff,
but she wouldn't allow me to stay by myself. She
wanted to stay with her. So I can honestly tell
you straight up, with all truthfulness, I slept with Patsy Conn.
(09:47):
So she was very kind to me, and I did.
She hated her hair that was done at a beauty
shop one day and I said, I do hair, I
can calm it, and I did, and she liked it,
so I calmed it for the rest of the tour
for her and and George Jones. I was on Johnny's
show where I was in the positioning of going on.
(10:10):
I was just before George Jones and uh and with
the steel guitar, and also I played sax then too,
and and I don't I don't know how to say this.
George he had a lot of his hits, you know,
had a lot of steel guitar. Johnny's band, you know,
the guys Marshall and Luther, they didn't have There was
(10:31):
no steel guitar. And I came off and had Encore
and all that going on. And George came to me
and said, if I do a song and then if
I introduce you and bring you back out, would you
play if I give you a list of the songs
and the keys and whatever, um, would you back me
and kick off and whatever of my songs that I'm
(10:53):
gonna do for me on the steel And I said, oh, yeah,
of course I would be honored. So I can also
trutally say play still a guitar for George and Jarones
on that trip and Johnny Cash that you asked about, Um,
he was funny, and he was wonderful, and he was
you know, you've heard stories, I'm sure of even like
at the operaty, it's like you could tell he was
(11:14):
in the building. He just had this talk about charisma.
I mean it was it was in the air. It
was like electricity. But my point is he was. He
was quite the gentleman and quite nice and kind and
thoughtful to me. And the first time I ever flow
was when he and his flow flew. Was when he
and his manager I'll let me fly with him to
(11:36):
start this tour off back, um, you know, in the Midwest,
and uh and and I'm on an airplane and I
was just blown away. I have so many good memories
of the way people they were kind to me. We
have to tell people you're going to release greatest hits
on vinyl after all these years on ju I hear
you hand picked, of course the songs yourself. How did
(11:57):
you decide what songs would kind of make that checked
somebody to choose from. I thank you. I like I
like variety a lot, and I think there I think
I chose a lot of you know, with different feel
to them, in different qualities to add you know, to
the album, and so many good songs. And I can
(12:18):
speak freely with that because I did not write them.
I was there again blessed by some great writers that
wanted me to record them. You know, I think what
makes me the most happy about this is the fact
that it will afford the opportunity for maybe fans that
don't have to be able to get the product, you
know that we're not fans back when. But also I'm
(12:40):
excited that um, lots and lots of people that have
never listen to my products might find it good and
might enjoy it. And that that really, really that excites me.
And that pieces me because I'm retired now for over
twenty years, and uh and love because I worked thirty
(13:01):
eight years in my life and so it was nice
too to just be a wife and mother and and
do things that in my life work not something I
got to do all the time. And um, and so
I'm very happy and and and thrilled. But I also
in my whole, my whole life, I will never forget,
(13:22):
never um, the way fans treat me and the way
they have in my life all my memories are pretty wonderful.
I'll tell you that. Sure. Well, that's what I think
it's great about the single is that sleeping single and
double bed will be one. I think it's like a
little nibble hopefully for a lot of people of like
the entire collection, so like introduces you to a whole
new generation, I believe, real quick before you go, I
(13:43):
wanted to ask about women and country music because a
lot is made of females being played on the radio
or being streamed, and how record companies treat women these days,
and so I just wanted, like your thoughts on that.
Are we digressing progressing? Are we in a good spot?
Is it about the same as it was? Slattered? That
you would want my opinion on it, because, as I said,
(14:07):
I've been out of the business for a long time.
But when you were in the business, you are a
groundbreaking artist, entertainer of the year people UM need to
be reminded in one I mean you were a list
plus plus plus superstar. UM. Looking at it now, you
must have an interesting filter on kind of where country
(14:28):
music is. Well, I think for for what it's worth
as an observer and a fan, Okay, I was the performer, entertainer,
and now I'm a fan and that's you know. But
my observation is back as they say in the day,
when I was working my recollection, that first comes to
(14:48):
my mind, it would be Lauretta and Dolly and Tammy
and I. We're the first of the women and and
pardon my bluntness in many areas here, I don't it
to sound you know, I'm just shooting it as I remember,
but we were, we were the first to um as
individual artists, to headline our own show and have an
(15:10):
opening act. I can speak for myself here, um, and
I'm sure it applies to them too, but I have
a man as an opening act for me. And the
reason I'm not making this up, and it's not an
old joke, it's an old truth, okay. Um. Used to
be commonly said, well, yeah, when they're talking to the
(15:31):
man and working on what his tour is going to
be like, and well, don't forget, you've got to have
you a girl singer, you know, a little girl singer,
and that just that makes my skin crawl. But anyway,
um Um, don't get me wrong, I am a huge
fan of the male performers. I mean I'm I'm human. Okay,
(15:53):
I love I love the mail performers. But um, I
think maybe not to the degree, but I think gets
also a little bit true nowadays as it used to be,
it's still it's easier for the men to get the
crowd really cranked up, especially the feminine side of the crowd,
and the screaming and the reception that they get. Um,
(16:15):
women get it, but you've got to work yourself to
death to get it, you know. And uh, and maybe
I just should think of a nicer way to say it.
But when I look at the talent of the young
female artists and the men too, of course, but the
young females that are that are on the scene now
and new, and they're so fresh, and they're so they're
(16:36):
they're they're bringing, you know, things that are not so
old and and that you've heard before. They're bringing their
own stuff, and uh, that's exciting and that's wonderful, And
I just don't want to see any of them let
down because they happen to be. I love the fact
that of late there's been a lot of push on
(16:56):
the women thing and and girls and women and and
have an all girls show or have all female host
on a said, well, great, because they deserve it. They
you know, we all like to be entertained and enjoy it.
So I think they're still dealing with it too to
some degree. But but it wasn't easy, and it's it, um,
(17:19):
you know, it's just very very grateful looking back to
all the good things that that we're done for me.
I appreciate that so much. I think it's so well
said because so much of what we hear is familiar.
It is themes we've heard before, but yet that fresh
perspective that I think women bring because they are women,
they see things a different way, they write things differently
(17:40):
and can sing them to us differently. I think that's
it always needs to be exposed and people need to
hear it. And I love the doors are opening more so.
I think now this year for for female singers. So yeah, yeah,
and I like the fact that some of them too.
It's like they're not just in one lane. They know
they are diversified, and I know, like, you know, we
(18:00):
talked about sleep and single and you know, and I
was country and country wasn't cool. There was also like
if loving you was wrong, I don't want to be right,
and M. I mean I like d R and B.
I mean I like diversity, and a lot of our
young ladies today are filled with lots and lots of variety. Lusen,
I've taken up a lot of your time already and
(18:20):
it's been just an absolute honor and pleasure. And if
I can ever do anything, let me know. But I'll
be supporting the song and do my best to get
the word out about the new project too. You are
so sweet and kind to me, but you've already done something.
You gave me a great, great visit with your listeners,
and you're great. You really are. You don't you don't
miss a lick. Thank you very very much. I appreciate it.
(18:41):
Thank you so much. Take care. We'll see you soon. Okay,
thanks for listening to Cody Ellen's podcast. This is Cody
Gast
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