continued from Part 2.....

 

Richard Young: So what happened was, by Mark being in the band and having a Blues based voice, when they did the movie Hail, Hail, Rock N Roll, which was Keith Richards baby.......He wanted Johnnie to be a part of it because he knew how important Johnnie Johnson was to Chuck Berry's music. I don't know this. I wasn't there, but the tale goes that Johnnie was actually as much apart of Chuck Berry songs as Chuck was himself. I mean, let's face it, Chuck Berry was one of the greatest lyricist of all time, but I feel like, maybe Johnnie enhanced Chuck by contributing to the writing of music and them songs.

 

So, you know, Keith Richards found Johnnie and he put him together with Chuck, cleaned everybody up got out.......and did the Hail, Hail Rock N Roll movie and it brought Johnnie back a little bit to the forefront. So Keith and Eric Clapton and NRBQ did a little Blues quartet in the studio and they recorded Johnnie Johnson's first solo album......When they finished with it, they decided they wanted to do another one and they were toying around with who would be good to do this album? How would you do this? It was actually Pierre (de Beauport), who is Keith Richards assistant and right hand guy, (that) said, "Why don't you get the Headhunters to do it? They got that farm down there and they can bring Johnnie in and write songs. They're good guys," and all that kind of jazz. So.....called us up and said, "Well, Pierre and Keith think you should do the record." So we went into the studio. We'd just finished Rave On, which was the first album without the Phelps boys (Doug & Ricky Lee) and was a lot of fun to make. Within 3 months we recorded 2 albums. We recorded Rave On and then we went right into the studio and recorded That'll Work with Johnnie Johnson.

 

It was a pretty amazing time, now that I look back on it. I realize now why we drank so much beer (laughs). It was to get through it man. It was a time. But I don't drink Jagermeister. That's cough medicine. That's to strong for me. I just stick with Pabst Blue Ribbon. I can't even do that anymore. I'm down to the light stuff. I'm actually a Michelob Ultra guy these days, in my old age. 

 

Man, you know, that was pretty much the story at that point. We had to almost like lose the Phelps boys for a while, to get Johnnie Johnson. To be a part of the Blues. All of a sudden instead of just being accepted by Country Music fans, you know, all these other guys we'd admired, the Rock N Roll heroes, admired us. So we had the best of both the worlds.

 

Then we just kept making records, man. That's all we've done is make albums when we feel like making one. We make one every couple of years, every 2 and a half years. This year will be a marathon. This is the 20th Anniversary of Pickin' On Nashville.....We'll be doing a 20th anniversary package, provided I can convince Universal to do it. I'm speaking out of turn, but I think I can. It will be the Pickin' On Nashville record with an hour long DVD which will include the special we did with VH-1 and about 30 minutes of behind the scenes. We can't show to much of that because we were fightin' and pullin' guns on each other and all of that crazy stuff. So we're gonna sort through that and find 30 minutes of decent film footage from behind the scenes.

 

There's a live album we recorded in Cleveland Ohio at the Agora Ballroom. We actually did the 40th anniversary of the Agora Ballroom years ago and the only request they had was to close with All The Young Dudes because 40 years ago that night was the first show and it was Mott The Hoople.That night we recorded a live album, I think Westwood One recorded it to radio, but we actually snuck the tapes off and I've had them hid for 20 years. I got to call Westwood One and tell'm that we actually just mixed the one they used. (laughs) I hope they agree, it would be sad for them not to.

 

We've got that and also we've got 20 songs we cut with Johnnie Johnson that nobody has ever heard and we're getting ready to put that out. I don't know how many songs. We'll probably narrow it down to 12. It's gonna blow people's minds. It's great. I'm very proud of that. Then in October, I think, we are releasing a new Kentucky Headhunters album. A regular record. So we've got our hands full this year and of course, you know about Black Stone Cherry, my son's (Drummer, John Fred Young) band. I co-manage them and they're like little Rock Stars in Europe now. They're doing quite well in America but WOW, they got it goin on in Europe. They're getting ready to leave. Them and Nickelback are going over there together. So that should be big.

 

SplatterTribe: Yeah, that will probably be massive.

 

Richard Young: I got to tell you a funny story. Last year, John Fred called me. They were with Whitesnake and Def Leppard last year, over there. My son John Fred calls me about 4:00 in the morning. There's a 6 hour difference, so it was actually just 10:00 at night over there, but he said, "Dad, I got somebody that wants to talk to you." I said, "Who is it?" I'm all sleepy, you know. He said, "It's Jimmy Page." I said, "Aw, call me in the morning and quit joking around." The next morning I get on the internet and there's a picture of Jimmy Page and actually Ritchie Sambora from Bon Jovi was one of them. They had gone to see the boys play. I'm sure they went to see the guys in Whitesnake because Jimmy and him (David Coverdale) are friends, but anyway, he kind of fell in love with Black Stone Cherry. Then he put 2 and 2 together and realized Itchy Brother and Black Stone Cherry, you know......It's pretty cool.

 

SplatterTribe: Do you do any traveling with Black Stone Cherry?

 

Richard Young: A lot. I have not been to Europe with them. I'm sad to say because that's were they're the biggest, but I'm going. I'm going to go this year. I probably won't go for the Nickelback run, but I know when they finish that they're goin' and doing.....Download (Festival), they're in Barcelona, Spain for a big festival. A lot of the big festivals happen in June. Then they're going back in October for their second headlining tour. They did the last headlining tour in November, December of last year. If I'm not out with the Headhunters, I'm getting on a plane. I'm going over there and I'm gonna go see what Paris, France really looks like.

 

SplatterTribe: Have you done any oversees touring with the Headhunters?

 

Richard Young: You know, right when we were getting ready to go, Dire Straights were huge over there. They were playing.....not arenas, they were playing stadiums. You know, Wembley Stadium and things like that. They chose us as their opening act. Right when we were getting ready to go the Gulf War broke out. So Dire Straights put that on hold. By the time it was time to go again, it was kind of like, you know, the Phelps boys done quit. So we didn't get to do it. So I'm kind of living that dream through my sons band.

 

Oddly enough, it's funny, every time there's an article about them, they bring up the Headhunters, you know. So who knows, maybe we'll have to go over some time.

 

SplatterTribe: I've also heard your name associated with a band called Stitch Rivet, is that a band you're also involved with?

 

Richard Young: Man, I've got my finger in everything. Yeah, actually I am......How do you know those guys?

 

SplatterTribe: Well, a friend of mine, Mike from Blastzone Entertainment, who's close to the band had mentioned something about it to me.

 

Yeah, I actually love the band. I'm working with them. That's one of my Rock N Roll projects I've got. I work with Black Stone Cherry, of course they have a management company in New York City, but I was able to produce their first album and get them up there and get all of it goin. I'm kind of like the go between guy. I make sure the record label and management check in with me.

 

But I'm having fun with it man. I've got a couple of little bands I'm working with. I've got the Stitch Rivet boys. I think they got something going on. So I'm trying to help them. I've also got a band called WillowShade, that you're gonna hear about. Actually Chris Robertson from Black Stone Cherry's little brother is the bass player in the band. I've had them out here at the Music House for about 6 months working with them. (I) actually put'm on a Ten Years show last week in Nashville. They were fantastic. I got them on 2 Black Stone Cherry shows.

 

I actually just spoke to the guys in Stitch Rivot. Jay, the manager for them.  The guy that I'm working with, we're gonna bring Willow Shade up and they're gonna do a gig together in Richmond, Kentucky. That should be quite interesting.

 

Here's the thing about it, you know Luie, is I've had a charmed life. I've lived a charmed life. (I've) lived here on the farm all of my life and been able to play Rock N' Roll. I told my brother, about last October we played at B.B. King's in New York City, after the show we were over in Times Square and went to a bar-b-cue place to get something to eat. We were standing out on the street in Times Square. (There were) all the lights and all this stuff. The next night at the same hour we were on the tractor feeding hay. I said, "You know, it's a charmed life that we get to be on the farm, but also get to play in Time Square, you know?"

 

So it's been a very charmed life, you know, very, very fortunate and very lucky man. To be able to do that and then to have my son's band be successful. To watch them grow. It's a double-edged sword, I want him to go to college. All of those boys because they're very intelligent fellas, but the thing of it is is this is what they want, you know? You can't make your kids do always what you want because it will stifle them. The way I look at it is if they do this ten years and it doesn't do what they want it to do then we'll all go to college together, you know. Then go substitute teach or something.

 

I actually have a little company I put together called Animal Management because I only manage animals. That's what bands are, you know. I've got that little thing I'm doin' and you know what? I'm doin' it for fun. I'm also doing it for piece of mind because, you know, I've been doing this forty years and I've been able to see my own band succeed and to see my son's band and his friends from school succeed and I want to help other bands, if I dig it............................ (continued)