I first heard the songs of Lefty Frizzell on the radio, I guess . . . but the versions I remember are those by Merle Haggard from one of his '70s tribute albums. Those were some fine records. Bob Wills, Jimmie Rodgers, and Lefty Frizzell -- Merle paid homage to those men who had the biggest influence on him as a performer, and in doing so he had an similar influence on another generation. So, as I listened to this new anthology from antediluvian archive label Raven Records, I was struck by the number of songs I knew, and loved, and by the influence Lefty Frizzell has had on generations of country music. I cannot imagine Dwight Yoakam, for instance, without Lefty's having been there first.
That's The Way Life Goes covers twenty-five years of The Hit Songs and hits they definitely were. There are twenty-eight songs on this collection, ranging from "If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time" to "Falling." The first thing you'll notice is how familiar Frizzell's timing and phrasing are, and perhaps you'll think, "Hmmm, he sounds like everybody else." But he was the trendsetter. He was the man! You can hear the impact he had on a young Merle Haggard, and on country bands, too. There are similarities with Hank Williams, the swing, the shuffle, the steel, and the sweet mellowness of Lefty's voice.
The earliest recordings here were produced by Don Law, the same producer who recorded Robert Johnson in a Texas hotel room. "If You've Got the Money . . . " was brought to Columbia Records by Frizzell in the hopes that Jimmy Dickens would record it. Law liked Frizzell's voice and went with the composer's version, and the rest is history. From early in the '50s Lefty used a regular recording group that provided his trademark sound: Madge Suttee on piano, Jimmy Rollins on lead guitar, Joe Knight on rhythm guitar, Fred Cantu on drums and Artie Glenn on bass. Roy Nichols joined them for a time, and would later appear as Merle Haggard's lead guitarist. Star session players like steel guitarist Curley Chalker, fiddler Johnny Gimble and Wayne Raney on harmonica also shared their talents. Later in his career, the session-band would feature well known players such as guitarists Hank Garland, Harold Bradley, Grady Martin, steel player Don Helms, and bassists Roy Husky or Bob Moore, with Buddy Harman on drums. You can hear the difference this quality of players made to the sessions by how up-to-date the sound is.
Frizzell classics such as "Always Late (With Your Kisses)" and "Shine, Shave, Shower" remind the listener of the quality of Frizzell's song-writing, and the covers show his good taste in others' tunes. "Long Black Veil" was thought to be a traditional song when the Band recorded it, but here it is, written by Marijohn Wilkin and Danny Dill. Frizzell's version of Jimmie Rodgers' "Travellin' Blues" has an authentic sound. Frizzell's cover of Marty Robbins's "Cigarette and Coffee Blues" was a moderate comeback hit in 1958, after a slow period in Frizzell's career, but then times got worse. Lefty was reduced to playing small clubs in California. Then he recorded a song by Bill Anderson called "Saginaw, Michigan" which earned him his only Grammy nomination (he lost out to Bobby Bare's "Detroit City").
Lefty's lack of success led to a dependence on booze and drugs but he continued to write and record good songs. Trouble was, the country market had moved on. Things were changing, and country was getting poppier. There was little room for the kind of authenticity Frizzell offered, but he was still putting out material like "I Never Go Around Mirrors" and Jimmy Buffett's "Railroad Lady." Merle Haggard gave him a minor hit with his "Life's Like Poetry" in 1975.
Lefty Frizzell passed on, victim of of a stroke at the age of 47 in July of 1975 . . . but his legacy lives on. You can hear him in the music of Yoakam and Haggard, in the phrasing of Randy Travis and many others. Thanks to Raven, you don't have to listen to the new guys . . . you can hear all the hits, in order, in remastered beauty. Packaged with an informative and well-illustrated booklet That's The Way Life Goes is a remarkable tribute to a remarkble talent.
