Singer’s Singer: Some Notes on Curtis Potter
I've been thinking about Curtis Potter this week, the strength in his singing and how he was entertaining to the end of his life. I reflect on the stories Justin Trevino told me about him as we were driving to pick up some BBQ, how phenomenal he was and the joy JT took in recording Curtis.
Curtis was born in Abilene in 1940. At sixteen he had his own television and radio show on KRBC. Soon after, he was on road with Hank Thompson, fronting the Brazos Valley Boys and playing bass. He stayed in that band for about thirteen years. For all of you who nerd out on Hank Thompson, you know that The Brazos Valley Boys won Billboard's Touring Band of the Year 14 times.
Curtis Potter
A young Curtis Potter posing in a promotional photo for DOT records.
And for those who don’t know Curtis Potter’s first solo single, "You Comb Her Hair Every Morning," came out on the Dot label in 1969. He recorded sides for Capitol, Hillside, and his own label Step One Records out of Nashville. He recorded 12 songs with Willie Nelson in 6 hours one afternoon at the Pedernales studio. He made his very last record as a tribute to Ray Price. Willie came back for the title cut. He was part of the Heart of Texas family and you suggest you check out those albums.
He died in January of 2016, three weeks after his last show in Brady, Texas, with Darrell McCall. He was 75.
Curtis Potter…a Singer’s Singer - Mae Out West | curtispottercountry.com
The Texas players have a phrase for someone like him. Singer's singer. It means his peers knew. It also means he never had to chase a bigger room than the one he was already in. There's a long list of artists who chose the opposite road. There's a much shorter list of the ones like Curtis.
The reason I write about figures like him is because honky tonk and western swing music didn't survive on radio play or fashion. It survived on the people who kept making the music no matter the trend. Curtis showed up for fifty-nine years.
If you want to spend an evening with his catalog, here's the order I'd put it in:
"You Comb Her Hair Every Morning" (1969)
"Walkin' Talkin' Breathin' Case of Sorrow" (1973)
Six Hours at the Pedernales (1995, with Willie Nelson)
Songs of the Cherokee Cowboy (his Ray Price tribute, 2014)
Curtis Potter + Willie Nelson , Album available here
