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Friday, September 5, 2008
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Big man in the cowboy hat
Entertainment Editor The voice - now deeper and more rugged - is about the only thing about Red Johnson that's changed since he broke through in 1964 with his Capitol Records hit, "There's a Grand Ol' Opry Show Playing Somewhere." At 75, this traditional country crooner is still a tall, confident presence in a cowboy hat who dominates the stage.
"I'm at ease with the crowd," Johnson said in a recent phone interview from his Champlin home. "I can lay a few jokes to em. I've found out that once you get the crowd giggling, you got em. It feels good."
Johnson will perform at 1 and 7 p.m. Friday and 4:45 p.m. Saturday at the Crow Wing County Fairgrounds as part of the second annual Cowboy & Hobo Days. He was one of the most popular performers last year, and event co-founder "Boxcar" Bob Selby has a couple theories why.
"I've never met a nicer, less pretentious person in my life," Selby said. "And although Red's a little older than I am, he's just as energetic as anybody I've met. He definitely has stage presence, and always has a big smile on."
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If you go
What: Cowboy & Hobo Days Festival.
When: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday.
Where: Crow Wing County Fairgrounds, Brainerd.
Admission: $8 (daily), $15 (three-day pass).
Phone: 763-3662.
Web site: www.cactuswillie.net.
Cowboy & Hobo Days schedule
10 a.m. - The Cowboy and Hobo Show.
11 a.m. - The Shaffer Family.
Noon - Joyce Leonard.
1 p.m. - Red Johnson.
2 p.m. - The Nelsons.
3 p.m. - Vern Bishop.
4 p.m. - Joyce Leonard.
5 p.m. - The Nelsons.
6 p.m. - Johnny Jay Huhta.
7 p.m. - Red Johnson.
8 p.m. - Vern Bishop tribute to Hank Williams Sr.
9 p.m. - The Cowboy and Hobo Show.
10 a.m. - The Cowboy and Hobo Show.
10:45 a.m. - Casey Aro.
11:30 a.m. - The Shaffer Family.
12:15 p.m. - Angie Senger.
1 p.m. - Geoff Elvee.
1:45 p.m. - Sonny Winberg.
2:30 p.m. - Duke Ellingson.
3:15 p.m. - Vern Bishop.
4 p.m. - The Nelsons.
4:45 p.m. - Red Johnson.
5:30 p.m. - Joyce Leonard.
6:15 p.m. - Johnny Jay Huhta.
7 p.m. - Gary Timbs.
7:45 p.m. - The Cowboy and Hobo Show.
8:30 p.m. - The Festival Country Jamboree (many of the day's performers).
10 a.m.-noon - Gospel show.
Noon-3 p.m. - Open stage.
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Johnson gained national attention for "There's a Grand Ol' Opry Show Playing Somewhere." But since retiring from a carpentry career in 1994, he's been more prolific than ever as he does his part to keep traditional country music alive. He's pragmatic about the odds, though.
"I think there is an audience among our age group," Johnson said. "Once we die out, that's probably gonna be it."
Johnson has a following from his live shows in the Midwest and down south - he and wife Flo spend winters in Donna, Texas - and from appearances on a country show on the RFD satellite TV channel.
"The RFD show has been a godsend for me," said Johnson, whose most recent album is 2007's "Country Gospel." "I've got 25 orders to go out after I'm done talking to you. It's because of the shortage of my kind of music. People are starved for it; I've found a need and filled it. Twenty-five years ago, I probably couldn't have sold peanuts."
Johnson grew up on a farm near Detroit Lakes. During his teenage years, the nearest country shows were in Crookston and Fargo, N.D., or through the radio waves on "The Texas Ranger." No one else in his family played music.
"I was a lone ranger," Johnson said. "I was self-taught. I'd go and watch performers do it, then see if I could do it. I've always written since I was 12. That's always been a passion. I like to write because it gives me a chance to work with words, to see if you can say the same old thing better.
"At first I liked the feel of (country music). It's got heart. It had nice steel guitars and fiddles in it, and I love those old instruments. I could visualize my songs done up with some of them instruments."
In the Air Force from 1950-54, Johnson was stationed at a resupply depot in England. He was one of many musicians in the military, but one of the few from up north.
"I learned a lot on guitar from the Southern boys in the service," he said. "My first time on stage was at a British Legion. The guys got me up to sing a song, and I thought I'd died and went to heaven."
His military stint not only launched his performance career, it also gave him topics to write about. "Veteran's Day" is the most well-known of Johnson's many tributes to the troops.
"I was reading about how they like to sweep veterans under the rugs if they can, and I thought, man, the only reason they get a chance to do that is they fought," Johnson said. "I wrote it as tribute to veterans, and it works. I get a standing ovation every time."
Although audience recognition is nice, it's not the driving force behind Johnson's music. He writes because he needs to express himself. For example, he wrote "United We Stand" in response to 9/11.
"I thought the American people had something we wanted to say to bin Laden," Johnson said. "I don't usually do that kind of thing, but (writing) keeps you off the couch. If you've got a problem, get it down on paper. It seems to ease it a lot. That's true for any problem - write it down and you'll find it isn't as bad as you thought it was."
His songwriting hasn't gone unnoticed by his peers. Johnson was inducted into the Minnesota Rock & Country Hall of Fame in 2005 and the National Traditional Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007.
"That's nice, that you done something that people remember," Johnson said. "It's kind of an emotional thing. So many years you say to someone, I write songs,' and they kind of look at you down their nose. Now, it's a little different. That's not the reason I did it, but that's the way it worked out. I'd write anyway, even if it never got out of the drawer."
JOHN HANSEN may be reached at john.hansen@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5863.
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