Trails to Heartache – and Success An Interview with Country Music Artist Jeffrey Michaels
In the 1980’s, when I was a sophomore in high school, there was a boy who could always make me smile – which was quite a feat back then when I was well-known for my stoic ways. His name was Jeff Ruffner, and he was constantly clowning and performing for Lee Ann, Lance, and me. The four of us hung out a lot together that year, but soon after, we drifted our seperate ways. A few years ago, I caught up with Jeff (now known as Jeffrey Michaels) through the power of Facebook , and we bonded again over mutual back problems. I was still recovering from the kind of spinal surgery he had several years before. He encouraged me to accept my situation – the pain, the heartache – and to smile again as I got back on that horse called life. His hard knocks experience and endless optimism drives his music. With a voice that swoons between the likes of John Denver and Dwight Yoakam, his original songs are no quaint imitation of past greats – they are genuine country classics that echo the sights, sounds, and soul of the western Pennsylvania we once knew and still love. Thank God for country boys . . . – Cathi Gerhard
How did you make the transition from cargo pants and breakdancing at Danceland to jeans and cowboy hats in Honky Tonks?
How did Jeff Ruffner become Jeffrey Michaels?
Never married. Came close, but it didn’t take. No kids. Hollywood starlets? Hmmmmmmm, I’ve been seen with a few.
Simple. My middle name is Michael. Jeffrey Ruffner had a lot of F’s. I was Jeffrey Michaels in high school: I just had a hard time convincing y’all of that. Where did you grow up? Loyalhanna. Woot! Woot! Shout out. Derry Area High – most of the time that gets a laugh when I tell magazines. My family still lives back there. My folks, Jerry & Rita Ruffner, are great and very supportive. My dad was a welder, retired now. Mama was a mama. There were five of us kids, and they all live in Latrobe, PA.
I started out playing Country music, and always stuck to the roots. As far as the breakdancing, I was just rollin’ with the times. I’m a Renaissance Man. Tell me about the journey from Loyalhanna to California.
May 18th At Vickies Crossroads with my band, and a few casual acoustic gigs TBA. Jon Gold, one of the founding members of Oingo Boingo with Danny Elfman, will be on bass. Jon is also a multi-instrumentalist. We’ve been playing music together for about 17 years. He played piano and keyboards and The Jews Harp aka Jaw harp on my albums.
I packed up and road my beat up old motorcycle out here 20 years ago. The gypsy wind called, and still does. I was your exclusive, personal makeup artist for the stage back in high school plays and musicals. Do you miss me and my skills for creating that natural, but fake 3-day stubble? Of course! That make-up inspired my sideburns. Tell me about your personal life. Have you dated lots of Hollywood starlets?
Describe a day in your life, other than performing. Horses, Horses, Horses. I’m in the studio a lot. I produce and play on other artists albums. Mainly I just do what I do best. Show Off! Drifter and Treble are my horses, and I work and train others. I have a small house in Burbank, and my neighborhood is zoned for horses. It’s funny what they call horse property out here. What types of venues do you play in – mostly honky tonks? Explain the difference between the California bars and the ones in Western PA. A lot of honky tonks, rodeos, corporate gigs, and festivals. Crowds are different all over. California has alot more line dancing than anywhere else. How many shows do you perform per week? Where does touring take you? I play three or four shows a week and have managed to play in 48 of the states and Canada. How often do you go on the road and do you get back to Pennsylvania very often? I do several week-long trips throughout the year and week-enders. About twice a year, full tours. I don’t get back to Pennsylvania enough. 2005 was the last time. What are your favorite things about western PA ? Haluski, Halupki, Perogies. I love Hunkies.
26 - Summer 2013
Upcoming dates in Pennsylvania?
A musician since the age of five, Michaels plays a variety of instruments including fiddle and guitar. How many albums have you recorded? Four solo albums, and currently working on a fifth. And an untitled Christmas EP this year. • Endless Road • I Chose A Different Way • Jeffrey Michaels (self-titled) • No Fast Lanes On A Country Road • The Trail to Heartache How long does it take to make an album – from writing to recording to release? I’m always writing. Not every song makes it on an album. Sometimes they’re just for me. Sometimes they just don’t work for the overall sound of an album and make it on the next one. I’ve taken two years to record a CD; sometimes two months. When I think of country music, I think Patsy Cline and Willie Nelson. Who are your country music heroes and influences? Marty Robbins, Buck Owens, Rodney Crowell, Marty Stuart, EmmyLou and Allison Krauss. LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST