That is just evil!

[gsvol]

Those were the last words of a story told me by a wonderful wonderful man by the name of David Schnaufer.

David grew up La Marque Texas, near Texas City. The story starts when he was just four years and old early one morning just about sunrise, his brother who was ten years older, fourteen, shook David awake from the dreamworld saying; "Bubba, Bubba, wake up I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" said David as he rubbed his sleepy eyes and tried to understand what his brother was excitedly saying to him.

His brother said; "We have no old people!"

"What do you mean 'we have no old people'?" asked the four year old.

"Other places have old people Bubba, Texas City doesn't have any old people."

Indeed they didn't, both of David's parents were dead by age 48. The drainage ditch that ran in front of their house had a sort of misty smoke rising off it anytime except when there was a big rain. Bicycles brought by Santa at Christmas had all the paint peeled off by the first of March. Bikes had to be brought into the house at night or the tires would be sure to be flat in the morning. The area was saturated with chemical plants and oil refineries.

David's brother spent as much time as he could away from the home for the next two years, going to summer camps and visiting relatives and when he was sixteen he left for good. And David got away as soon as he could also.

But as soon as possible wasn't soon enough to prevent many life long health problems for David and he passed away two years ago, at age 53, far younger than should have been for a truly great man.

Few people in the world can say they became the world's leading authority in any field, David could.

Some of the people he recorded with; The Judds, Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, Kathy Mattea, Mark Knopfler, Emmylou Harris, Chet Atkins and there are others too numerous to mention, both famous and not so famous but very talented.

Along with Charley Pride, Bill Monroe and Norman Blake, David Schnaufer was one of four musicians invited to play the 25th wedding anniversary of June and Johnny Cash.

He was a truly humble person of great talent and knowledge and he passed that along as best he could.

He mentored many and also revived a great interest among many people for some of the aspects of our culture that most have little knowledge of, indeed there are well funded groups that it would seem would love to eradicate any memory of American heritage by whatever means possible. At least I myself reached that conclusion long ago.

David wasn't all that interested in money or prestige. I once told him a story told me by my informal music
business partner. He said he ran into one of the top
country artists and the guy was just gushing with
gratitude saying; "you're the only one who always
encouraged me, everyone else told me to throw in
the towel at some time or another but you always
said keep trying."

Then my friend said; "and you know the sob didn't
even buy me a drink." And so David said he had
recently run into a guy who had also thanked him
profusely about some studio work David had done
for him, it only took and hour and David was paid
$100. The guy said; "you know that work you did
for me paid for a house in Belle Meade and another
in Jamaica, thanks man." And David said to me;
"you know that sob didn't offer to buy me a drink
either."

David did quite a bit of charity work also, he said
he had recently, along with some of his young
students given a small free concert at a local
retirement home and when they were visiting with
the residents afterward and one couple learned
David was from Texas City they excitedly told
him they were moving there. He tried to convince
the otherwise but they showed him some brochures
about a deal they couldn't refuse. The TC
Chamber of Commerce was offering to put people
in a brand new house if they could come up with
$5,000 and the rest would be financed with no
interest and payments would be adjusted to
whatever the retired people could afford, according
to what their income was and payments were guaranteed
to never get higher.

David said; "That is just evil."

The couple couldn't afford to back out, they had already put up their five grand.

You would think the EPA could do better than tax cow flatulence and to put the proceeds not into the US Treasury but into a fund that, since the USA is a "donor nation" will go into the World Bank and then into the International Money Fund and guess what??? That money will go to pay for the proposed new mega watt coal fired electrical plants in India. How about they tax the holy cow of India to fund that, animals have rights too you know, if I were an American cow I would moo to high Heaven about this injustice.

 

[VolunteerHillbilly]

I had not heard about his passing. I lived in Hillsboro Village for a few years and had many an interesting conversation with David at the Villager. I always enjoyed his Texas drawl.

 

[gsvol]

I had not heard about his passing. I lived in Hillsboro Village for a few years and had many an interesting conversation with David at the Villager. I always enjoyed his Texas drawl.

We have probably met.

What years were you in the Village and who else besides Henry did you know there??

I learned of David's passing this fall when I visited Nashville and needless to say, very disappointed.

I heard Henry has a place in Knoxville now.

 

[VolunteerHillbilly]

Maybe 2000-2004. I have not been back there but once or twice since Henry left and it never felt the same. Plus, it's just not a convenient destination for me anymore. I remember an older guy from Colorado named Martin, who died a few years back. I used to give him a ride home from time to time when it seemed like he couldn't safely make the walk to his apartment on Music Row. I played in the Monday dart draw occasionally and got roped into being on a dart team one season by a lady named Rose and her husband. I remember Gina because she was always there. I am sure I would recall alot of folks from there if I saw them.

 

[gsvol]

Maybe 2000-2004. I have not been back there but once or twice since Henry left and it never felt the same. Plus, it's just not a convenient destination for me anymore. I remember an older guy from Colorado named Martin, who died a few years back. I used to give him a ride home from time to time when it seemed like he couldn't safely make the walk to his apartment on Music Row. I played in the Monday dart draw occasionally and got roped into being on a dart team one season by a lady named Rose and her husband. I remember Gina because she was always there. I am sure I would recall alot of folks from there if I saw them.

Martin did get hit by a car on the way home one time, I offered him a ride home from the Brew House (he was barred from the Villager by then) the night he passed away, he made it home but not to bed, he sat down in an easy chair and gave up the ghost. We still have the chair.

Right after Martin died, I rented in his old apartment for about two years, his grandson called me; "man."

I was over at Martin's son's house helping them move a piano one day after Martin passed on and the little tyke took me by the hand and led me out in the back yard and showed me all his toys and play ground stuff.

Gina's brother and I are good friends, here is one story Gina told me; "When I was a little girl I would sit on the floor of the parlor, playing with my dolls and dad would sit in his platform rocker and read the newspaper. After a while he would start humming a tune and then he would go into the dining room and play the tune on the piano and write down the notes and put words with them and then he would make a telephone call. On Monday or Tuesday someone would knock on the door, like Elvis or Frank Sinatra or Jim Reeves (and she named several more) and dad would take them in and play and sing the song and along about Saturday I would hear the song on the radio. I thought everyone lived like that, when I was a little girl."

She's campaigning to get her dad inducted into the "songwriter's hall of fame." I don't understand why they continue to overlook him either.

I think I have a picture of you in my mind if you are not so tall and have a sort of stocky build. Maybe that's someone else.

It's not the same as it used to be, no doubt. It was a really cool place when Henry had it.

Did you ever play any foosball?

 

[VolunteerHillbilly]

I am no foosball expert but I played some. I'm over 6' and cannot recall being referred to as stocky so you are probably thinking of someone else although it sounds like we probably have met. One other person I thought about from the Villager who was into music and a very interesting guy is Bob E. Baker. I think I still have his CD somewhere.

 

[gsvol]

I am no foosball expert but I played some. I'm over 6' and cannot recall being referred to as stocky so you are probably thinking of someone else although it sounds like we probably have met. One other person I thought about from the Villager who was into music and a very interesting guy is Bob E. Baker. I think I still have his CD somewhere.

The guy I described was always a "go vols" guy with a UT hat that liked to play darts, obviously not you then.

I think the Bob you speak of was teaching the last time I talked with him, he had built his own computer way back when but finally went and bought one because his was so slow. You would never guess he grew up in a hippy commune, he had some really funny stories from his childhood.

There was an Apache who came in there who had his own band, once he had a bass player who was raised by "Diggers" and I asked him what it was like to be raised up with the Diggers and he said; "Each day in the Redwoods was like growing up in God's cathedral."

Then there was Jimbo, his "Panhandlers of Love" album was on the juke.

 

[VolunteerHillbilly]

I forgot about Jimbo. If we are thinking about the same person, he may have one of the most hot-cold running temperments of any person that I've met. There was also a guy who came in there sometimes named Johnny (Doyle?) who was generally banned from entry but Henry would let him in from time to time and he would always get thrown out. He claimed to be homeless and rode a bicycle everywhere. I think Johnny gave me a Gore '00 campaign button.

 

[gsvol]

I forgot about Jimbo. If we are thinking about the same person, he may have one of the most hot-cold running temperments of any person that I've met. There was also a guy who came in there sometimes named Johnny (Doyle?) who was generally banned from entry but Henry would let him in from time to time and he would always get thrown out. He claimed to be homeless and rode a bicycle everywhere. I think Johnny gave me a Gore '00 campaign button.

Definitely on the moody side at times.

Most of the homeless guys around there were Nam vets, some of whom were undergoing chemo, probably caused by exposure to agent orange.