Whiskey River (Take My Mind): The True Story of Texas Honky-Tonk

279 Pages·2007·4.821 MB·English

by  Johnny Bush

(cid:2) (cid:3)
whiskey river (take my mind) i
(cid:2)
introduction
00 Bush rev pg proofs 000i-xxiv i i 12/11/06 9:58:38 AM
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
w h i s k e y r i v e r
( t a k e m y m i n d )
iii
(cid:2)
(cid:2) The True Story of (cid:3)
T e x a s H o n k y- T o n k
by johnny bush
with rick mitchell
foreword by willie nelson
University of Texas Press, Austin
introduction
00 Bush rev pg proofs 000i-xxiv iii iii 12/11/06 9:58:39 AM
iv copyright © 2007 by the university of texas press
(cid:3)
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
First edition, 2007
Requests for permission to reproduce material from this work should be sent to:
Permissions
University of Texas Press
P.O. Box 7819
Austin, TX 78713-7819
www.utexas.edu/utpress/about/bpermission.html
∞ The paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements of
ansi/niso z39.48-1992 (r1997) (Permanence of Paper).
library of congress cataloging-in-publication data
Bush, Johnny.
Whiskey river (take my mind) : the true story of Texas honky-tonk / by Johnny
Bush with Rick Mitchell ; foreword by Willie Nelson. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes discography (p. ), bibliographical references (p. ), and index.
isbn-13: 978-0-292-71490-8 (cl. : alk. paper)
isbn-10: 0-292-71490-4
1. Bush, Johnny. 2. Country musicians—Texas—Biography. 3. Spasmodic
dysphonia—Patients—Texas—Biography. 4. Honky-tonk music—Texas—
History and criticism. I. Mitchell, Rick, 1952– II. Title.
ml420.b8967a3 2007
782.421642092—dc22
[B]
2006033039
whiskey river (take my mind)
00 Bush rev pg proofs 000i-xxiv iv iv 12/11/06 9:58:39 AM
Dedicated to v
(cid:2)
John Bush Shinn, Jr., my dad,
who encouraged me to follow my dreams.
introduction
00 Bush rev pg proofs 000i-xxiv v v 12/11/06 9:58:39 AM
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
contents
vii
(cid:2)
foreword by Willie Nelson ix
introduction xi
acknowledgments xix
prologue xxi
-1- I Love You So Much It Hurts 1
-2- The Pipeliner Blues 15
-3- Forever and Always 29
-4- Crazy Arms 43
introduction
00 Bush rev pg proofs 000i-xxiv vii vii 12/11/06 9:58:39 AM
-5- Night Life 59
-6- Devil’s Disciple 77
-7- The Other Woman 93
-8- The Sound of a Heartache 111
-9- Undo the Right 127
-10- You Gave Me a Mountain 143
-11- Whiskey River 157
-12- Man with No Soul at All 175
-13- Time Changes Everything 189
-14- Please Talk to My Heart 207
-15- Home to Texas 219
johnny bush discography 239
viii selected reading list 243
(cid:3)
index 247
permissions 253
whiskey river (take my mind)
00 Bush rev pg proofs 000i-xxiv viii viii 12/11/06 9:58:39 AM
ix
(cid:2)
foreword
By Willie Nelson
J

ohnny bush.
Good friend. Good drummer. Good singer. Good levitator.
Johnny Bush and I go way back, at least fi fty years, to when I
was a deejay at KBOP in Pleasanton, Texas, and playing clubs in and
around San Antonio. I played in his band, and at one time I was also
his personal manager. I was mostly a guitar player and John was the
singer.
I remember we played a club in San Antonio called Al’s Country
Club. The owner later changed the name of the club to Mugwomp’s.
We asked him why he changed the name. He said, “The mugwomp
is the meanest animal on the planet. It is like a huge dog with a head
introduction
00 Bush rev pg proofs 000i-xxiv ix ix 12/11/06 9:58:39 AM