Dwight Yoakam, Willie Nelson, Gary Morris, and Michael Peterson

Dwight Yoakam, Willie Nelson, Gary Morris and Michael Peterson. What do these four male country music vocalists have in common? They have all met me, or shall I say, I have met each of them, up close and in person.

Some will consider this name-dropping, and I would tend to agree. However, I prefer to look at it as my way of introducing you to four extraordinary gentlemen who seem to really care about their fans. They perform for our entertainment and they appreciate the chance to connect one on one with their fans.

I have posted another hub that spotlights country music vocalist Deryl Dodd. I felt my story about him warranted a hub of its own.

I hope you enjoy them all and if you ever get a chance to see any of these gentlemen, you should jump on it! It will be worth your time.

I wish I could tell you what year it was. It had to have been the late 80s. I, and about twenty other county employees from around the state of Texas, were taking a class to become certified Texas Assessors-Collectors. Not real exciting material, let me tell you. We had just been released for a fifteen minute afternoon break. Most of us took this time to make a bathroom run and to wander around the lobby of the Hilton Hotel we were in to stretch our legs a bit.

A few of us had already sat back down to prepare for the rest of the class when one of the ladies ran into the room screaming that Dwight Yoakam was out in the lobby. With the room being almost all women, we ran out of the room with the male teacher left standing there asking "Who the heck is Dwight Yoakam?". No time for explaining.

There he was. Dwight Yoakam was standing in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel checking out. He was holding a basketball and looking smaller than I had ever imagined him to be. He was simply the most polite man as twenty giggling women shoved pens and pieces of paper at him for him to autograph. He didn't seem to mind at all.

In 1994, Willie Nelson was arrested for marijuana possession after he was found sleeping in his car along I-35 near Waco, TX. He was taken to the McLennan County Jail. I was working at the county at the time and had lots of friends in other county departments. Someone let us know when he was being released and our boss allowed us to run out to try to catch a glimpse of him. I wanted more than a glimpse. The alley they bring them out into comes out into a one-way street in front of the building I worked in. I walked out into the street when I saw the vehicle he was riding in coming down the alley. He had no alternative but to stop. The rest of my co-workers quickly caught up to me and we simply walked up to the stopped vehicle and he rolled down the window. He signed autographs for all of us. I found him to be very polite and also quite petite.

It was Labor Day Weekend 1990. I was 7 months pregnant with my first child. I stood for the entire concert right in front of the stage. Needless to say my ankles were swollen when I got home.

Gary Morris has been one of my favorites for years. He has an incredible voice. I was a member of his fan club for years and contributed craft items for sale at his Fan Fair booth each year.

You'll probably remember his hits,

• "Wind Beneath My WIngs",
• "Baby, Bye, Bye",
• "Headed for a Heartache",
• "Dreams Die Hard",
• "Secondhand Heart"
• "100% Chance of Rain"

After the show when I had a chance to meet Gary Morris, I found him to be quite cordial and really eager to meet his fans. He was more than willing to pose for pictures. As fate would have it, the picture I took of my girlfriend came out great. The picture she took of me didn't. But, I still got his autograph on a t-shirt.

Fast forward about 20 years and I had another opportunity to meet him. Again, I found him to be incredibly kind and accommodating. This time, the photo was perfect.

It was Labor Day Weekend, sometime in the mid 1990s. I had gone to see him play with some friends of mine. We were able to get right next to the stage. One of the memorable moments was when some cowboy in the audience handed him a glass of beer and he guzzled it down, only to burp and it come right back up. I thought he handled it quite gracefully though.

During the show, he performed his mega hit at the time "Drink, Swear, Steal, & Lie" and then a cover of Keith Whitley's "When You Say Nothing at All". I loved the Keith Whitley song and it meant a lot to me to hear it that night because it reminded me of my daughter because it's a song I had been teaching her to sing as a toddler.

One of the things that impressed me about him is that when people reached up from the edge of the stage to touch him, he not only touched you, he made sure he interlocked fingers with you and looked you directly in the eye. Never missing a beat while he did it. You felt the connection, even if momentarily.

Afterwards, he would pose for photos and sign autographs, but he was most interested in knowing what you liked and didn't like about his performance. That impressed me. It would have been so easy to just stand and smile and nod his head, but he genuinely wanted to know how to improve.

I wanted to find my two favorite Michael Peterson songs to share with you. I found a YouTube video of two people swingdancing to "Drink, Swear, Steal, and Lie". It is shown to the right. My other favorite is "From Here to Eternity" and if you click on his website link below and then click on the little jukebox it will let you choose selections to play. It's the coolest little feature.