Whiskey Preachin meets Loney Hutchins

BY TONY SEXTON

What era would you most like to go back to if such a thing were possible? Is there a specific time and place that captures your imagination? Ancient Egypt, perhaps? Maybe the Savoy Ballroom in full swing or Berlin in the ‘20s? The Cavern Club, CBGBs? Personally, I find this sort of question particularly difficult to answer, but an evening at the Armadillo World Headquarters would be a lot of fun. If you spend some time, as I have, immersing yourself in the music presented on “Buried Loot – Demos from the House of Cash & ‘Outlaw’ Era’ 73-’78,” I’d be surprised if you didn’t end up wishing you could have been there, as well.

Loney Hutchins was there. Hutchins grew up in the poverty-stricken hills of East Tennessee, and by the mid-1960s, decided his best route out of the mountains and to university was by way of the military.

He signed up but managed to avoid Vietnam when his natural ability with numbers saw him stationed at a nuclear missile base in Arizona. The following years saw him posted to Germany and the border with the USSR and back to the U.S. He finally found a regular posting in Kansas. It was here that he found himself a wife and started a band. His desire to pursue a career in music led him to quit the army and move to Nashville, where he soon found himself with a job at the House of Cash, working as a writer and, later, as manager. During this period, Loney made the demonstration recording that we are allowed to hear now for the first time.

The music collated on “Buried Loot” is a joy of a listen, taking us back to a period in country music history that most anyone reading this article will have a reverence for. It was both a pleasure and a privilege to be asked to interview Loney Hutchins about this album, his time at House of Cash, and his plans for future releases. Here’s what he had to say.

T.S.: The recordings on “Buried Loot – Demos from the House of Cash & ‘Outlaw’ Era ‘73 – ‘78” were made as demonstrations of songs available through Johnny Cash’s publishing company House of Cash. Can you explain what your role at House of Cash was and how these songs came to be recorded? How would these recordings have been used?

L.H.: I began as a staff writer, then promoted to song plugger, then publishing manager. Writers wrote songs, and when they, or with other writers, had enough for a demo, a session was booked with available players; usually a three-hour session, the demos were used to promote to labels and artists for cuts.

T.S.: These recordings have been selected for this album from your personal tapes. What was that process like for you? What criteria did you use when selecting the songs for the final album as we hear it today? How many more recordings are there that have yet to be heard by the public?

L.H.: Every writer ended up with personal tapes of their songs. I always made sure to store them in a safe, dry space. My son, Loney John Hutchins, began archiving them in 2017. He spent through 2018 digitizing everything I could find. When it came time to put this compilation together, he chose songs he felt both told my personal story and those that speak to the era I was working at House of Cash. There were quite a few love songs that didn’t make the cut; tunes I was writing expressly with a commercial angle in mind for other artists to cut. My son estimates there is enough material for at least two single L.P. compilations—material from the ‘70s through mid ‘80s.

T.S.: There are some first-rate players on these recordings – Buddy Emmons, DJ Fontana, Lloyd Green, to name just a few. Then there are a host of current-day musicians, including your son Loney John Hutchins, who have recorded over-dubs on some tracks. Which tracks have been over-dubbed, and why was this decision made?

L.H.: As the compilation came together, my son made the decision to embellish a small portion of the tracks to make the album have a better throughline/ listening experience. Michael Rinne (Miranda Lambert) is playing upright bass on “Who’s Gonna Be My Fire” and “Whippoorwill.” Pete Finney (Michael Nesmith, Chris Scruggs) added steel to “Every Day’s a Monday.” Elsewhere we have Americana Fest’s 2021 instrumentalist of the year, Kristin Weber, playing violin on “Reedy Creek.” She also joined a really talented cellist, Austin Hoke, on “Hillbilly Ghetto” and “My Tennessee Hills.” It was a way to match what we felt was the great quality of some of the already produced sessions and letting some of today’s A-teamers share in the project, as well. On the whole, very minor additions.

T.S.: Was it common practice for top-flight musicians to play on demos if they weren’t booked in on sessions, or was this just because it was House of Cash?

L.H.: Those A-Team session players worked full schedules every day if they could, usually for three-hour sessions a day. It was their full-time dream job. When they weren’t booked for master sessions, they booked demo sessions. They loved the House of Cash studio. It was grand, large, and lush; just a beautiful ambiance and a fun place to hang. Charlie Bragg was also a friend and iconic engineer.

T.S.: What was the day-to-day like at House of Cash? Who decided which songs would be taken on board? Would artists and producers come to you to see what you had, or were you taking the songs out and selling them? How did that work?

L.H.: Day-to-day was a lot of work and a lot of play. The day started at 10 a.m. and lasted till you stopped; sometimes till you went to bed at night. I decided on songs to take in and contract, pass along to John, etc. Sometimes producers came to me, or song pluggers. I hit Music Row three or four times a week, pushing our catalog to anyone in the conduit to an artist. I always knew who was recording when and where. There was no set way to work it.

T.S.: Some of the songs on this album were written by Johnny Cash, some by other songwriters, and some by you. Which songs are yours, and do you have a favorite?

L.H.: Two by John, one by Helen Carter, one co-written by me and Phil Gaddis, one by Hazel Smith, and the other 19 by me. Songs are like children; it’s hard to pick a favorite.

T.S.: “Committed to Parkview” was written by Johnny Cash, who would later record it for his 1976 album, “One Piece At A Time,” then again with the Highwaymen. Porter Wagoner recorded it for his last album, “Wagonmaster,” in 2007; it became his last single. When was this demo of “Committed to Parkview” recorded? Do you recall that session? Who was playing on it? Is there a story to your recording this demo version of the song?

L.H.: “Committed to Parkview” was probably 1975. I recall the session but not specific players, though it was definitely A-Teamers. John handed me a .25” tape that he’d put a rough version of the song on. I knew the place that the song was about, and had visited someone there before. I also knew some of the people referred to in the song. I remember feeling that I’d been entrusted with something very personal and intimate.

T.S.: This album is released on your son Loney John’s label, Cleft Music, operating as a subsidiary of your label, Appalachia Record Co, which has been dormant for two decades. Why has it taken so long for these recordings to see the light of day? Is it just that now seems like the right time?

L.H.: I’ve always been a creator that writes or creates work… Then document for copyright or protection put them away, and continue the creative process, not looking back, always forward. That includes songs, poems, short stories, books, paintings, and other passions. Deep down, I suspected discovery but never dwelt on that. This process of discovery began with restoration to prevent deterioration, and I had promised friends and family that I’d get around to releasing an album that I had released in 1983 that was limited to 500 cassette copies that I had sold out of the trunk of my car. The rest of the resulting discovery and bringing to light is thanks to my son. I do think the timing now is perhaps better than back when, but I’ve always tried to produce work that is timeless. The right time is unpredictable, but I think it’s similar to every good wine having its time.

T.S.: You will be releasing your 1983 album “Appalachia” on vinyl for the first time in March 2022 (the album was originally released on cassette). It must be exciting to have another album release to look forward to. Do you have an archive of other unreleased recordings we can all look forward to?

L.H.: There is a huge archive. Plus, I haven’t stopped writing. I suspect there is enough for as many albums as we choose to put out. Shoot, maybe even enough for most to have a career. That’s not up to me or what I want it to be. That’s up to my son, his team, and the label.

T.S.: Working at House of Cash, you met a who’s who of country music stars. What was the scene like at House of Cash? Was it very business-like, or more like a family, or a non-stop party?

L.H.: Almost anyone of note could or would show up there or at the lakeside room of the Cash residence. It was a combination of business, family and pleasure—a lot like year-round Christmas.

T.S.: You started working at House of Cash in 1973. Before that, you had joined the army at an early age. Was this out of a sense of patriotic duty, or was it the best way of getting to see the world outside of the holler and your Appalachian mountain home?

L.H.: The best way I could see to get out of the holler and break the bonds of poverty was to finish high school and go to college (both firsts in my family). The only path to college was the G.I. bill. That meant enlisting in the middle of the Vietnam War, as I had no other recourse. It did help that I was a patriot! I was a bookworm and had seen the world through a reader’s eyes, but getting to see it with open eyes was another plus of giving three precious years to my country.

T.S.: You got to see some of the world in the army, being stationed in numerous places, including a missile base in Arizona and on the Soviet border in Germany. When you finally got a fixed posting at Fort Riley in Kansas, you started a band called Hickory Wind, named for the song by The Byrds. The band played music from what could be considered the country-rock side of the counterculture. Was there a point where musical life and military life became incompatible? What finally prompted you to quit the army and move to Nashville?

L.H.: I was offered an appointment to West Point if I would reenlist and serve another eight years. Very tempting, but something about Nashville and the music world was too embedded in my gut. I thought about New York and was aware of a developing music scene in Austin, Texas. I chose Nashville over the others, it was near home, and I knew I was good enough to make it there.

T.S.: What advice would you give to a young songwriter moving to Nashville today?

L.H.: Listen to everybody that you respect, learn from them and then listen to your own mind, heart, and rhythm. Do your own way, don’t compromise those things, and eventually, you’ll know who you are as a creator. Find a way to survive and keep your creative self free; wisdom, love, and happiness is the most important thing. Hone, hone, hone your craft. Persevere! Believe! If you put in the work, something has to happen, and the doors will always be open to you.

T.S.: You are still playing and singing today. How often do you go out and perform? Where is your favourite place to play?

L.H.: I play and sing every day. I’m creating every day. I’ve always been open to performing when asked! I really have no favorite place. Any place to share myself through my music is good; anything from a nursing home, schools, festivals, special events, clubs, venues, etc. It’s all about connecting! That can be anywhere or just one person.

T.S.: Do you listen to much new country music today? Who do you think cuts the mustard these days? L.H.: I can’t say I listen to contemporary country radio today. Simply because it doesn’t fill my soul or need of any kind. I never really listened to music in one place or was limited to one genre. The innovators of any ilk, past and present, are the ones that cut the mustard. I gravitate to the standalone songwriters and singers of all genres in music. I’d say anyone that stands out today, like Chris Stapleton or Sturgill Simpson, certainly don’t need this old timer’s seal of approval!

T.S.: What records do you like to listen to when you want to relax?

L.H.: As far as singer-songwriters, I’m more apt to listen to someone like Prine or Mickey Newbury. Or a lot of Willie Nelson’s crossover stuff is really mellow. More than anything, I listen to blues or classical to relax.

Loney Hutchins and the Nashville Suite

Loney Hutchins, circa 1970s, with Johnny Cash