1. The pix of Kenny Rogers and myself was taken a few years back, around
2004, and the occasion was his playing the Indian Casino nearby my
California address. The hat is from Burl Ives, my gift to Kenny, who
loved Burl nearly as much as I did...and still do. Kenny told his band,
all gathered around in the dressing room, "Boys, if it hadn't been for
this man, we wouldn't be here tonight." Wow!

 

2. The snapshot from 1956 shows Ralph Grasso and me. We were both in the
Navy, both winners of The All-Navy Talent Contest and Show. Ralph quickly
became my favorite guitar player, and we continued working together after
we were both discharged.

 3. The photograph of me on the critter, a water buffalo in Thailand,
happened because I had a group on tour there, and the subject of who is
and who isn't a cowboy came up. The small talk quickly escalated to
boasting, and I remember saying something like, "I can ride anything with
four legs." Whoever was driving stopped the vehicle next to these water
buffalo in a rice field. I had no way of knowing how wild or tame these
animals were, but I wasn't about to be proven wrong. No problem. I'm
also a water buffalo-whisperer, and after a few quiet words in his ear, I
was on!