This is a cool thread. Over a 40 year career in multiple genres, it is really hard to narrow one down, because there are HUNDREDS of memorable gigs. But here is one of my favorites.

I've had a pretty fruitful career in Nashville, in that while I haven't had the "marquee" career with tons of big radio hits and record sales, I've sort of created my own niche as someone who has songs many come to know, like, talk about, and my performances have always been fairly consistent. I have been approached by all the hit writers I've worked with and much of what I know come from people who have been at the top of the charts. That's what led me to my favorite gigs.

For 25 years, I've made an annual pilgrimage to the Gulf Coast of Florida and Alabama for the FRANK BROWN INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITER'S FESTIVAL. About 200 plus writers and artists descend on the area the first of November for what amounts to a "family reunion." For ten days we are all treated like songwriters should be and rub elbows, swap music and stories and really connect with all sides of our industry. It is the coolest thing anyone could ever do who has an interest in songwriting, and I always invite you all to join us.

During that, I would connect with dozens of hit writers, producers, publishers and label people, and many were drawn to my shows. One of those turned out to be producing legend Larry Butler. Larry was a legend, being a child prodigy, up to one of the top Nashville "A" Team studio musicians, to Grammy Award winning producer. As a writer, he wrote songs like "HEY, WON'T YOU PLAY ANOTHER SOMEBODY DONE SOMEBODY WRONG SONG" for BJ Thomas, and as a producer, he produced seemingly EVERYBODY through the 70's and into the 80's. His Grammy came from producing THE GAMBLER for Kenny Rogers and Revitalizing the latter half of Kenny's career.

As I also played down there in different parts of the year besides the festival, I ended up becoming a really good friend with Larry and his wife Peggy and daughter Shannon, (who is married to Nigel Olsen, drummer for Elton John) Great folks.

Larry put on this annual concert during a celebrity golf tournament hosted by football legend Kenny Stabler. Having seen "The Snake" play growing up was a thrill. Larry would always put this show on the Saturday night of the three day weekend, and it was a huge honor to be invited on it. One year he asked me. I was blown away.

I got to this huge Antibellum hotel in Mobile, Alabama sitting right on Mobile Bay. It was incredible and very wealthy, and felt like the old south. The first part was the cocktail party, where I got to meet and intreact with actors, football player legends. Players like Stabler, Jerry Kramer, sports writers, celebrities like James Hampton and "Bubba "Gillim. You probably all know Bubba if you watched "Blazing Saddles", he was the main henchman under Slim Pickens, trying to get Clevon Little to "sing some black spirituals" and sitting around the campfire after beans with a huge gas scene. he was also "President of the flying Elvis's Utah Chapter" in Honeymoon in Vegas. One of those character actors you have seen a million times.
I was somewhat star struck and didn't say a lot. But it was MEGA COOL.

After a huge dinner, we all settled in for the show and I saw what I was in for. On this HUGE stage in a ballroom, were my three fellow performers. I knew each one but have never played with them. And as the night kicked in, each one started with one of their biggest hits. Stuart Harris kicked it off with "No One Else on Earth" from Wynonna Judd.
Jim McBride did "Way Down Yonder on the Chattahoochie." from Alan Jackson. Then, of course, Larry has to do "Hey, won't you play...."

Your turn. What do you play?

That's what I had to follow. I didn't have the big hits but did have some cuts. So I kicked off with my first cut, "THAT'S WHERE IT HURTS", by SHELBY LYNNE. Thank Goodness it worked and everyone in the crowd as well as my fellow performers all were great to me. Even thought I didn't have the radio hits, they acted like it was in the league as their songs. After I finished it suddenly hit me. I HAD to go to the bathroom!!!! Note to self, don't drink ten glasses of water and two beers before a huge show!
So I made a big joke about it and ran off backstage and went.When a guy's gotta go, a guy's gotta go.

The show went great and we all got a couple of standing ovations. Was a great night.

Then came the AFTER PARTY.
I have two sets of pictures from that night. One, of many of the actors and sports figures before and after the show. Before are the "polite shots" us standing next to each other. The "AFTER SHOTS" are them hugging all over me, and taking pictures from their own cameras. Bubba gave me his business card and invited me to his ranch in Texas, Stabler bought 50 of my CD's for his friends.

And the coolest one was a man who came over at the bar. He said "Are you a Tennessee Titans fan?" I said "Yeah. They're our team in Nashville. He said "Do you think you could keep your loyalties down if I got you into a game on the sidelines?" Turned out he was the wide receivers coach for the St. Louis Rams, the team that had just beaten us by one yard in the 2000 Super Bowl. I said "of course" and gave him my contact info. I never expected to hear from him again, but about two months later, I get a call from his assistant, and found myself on the St. Louis sidelines for a pre-season game between the Titans and Rams on MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL.

So all of that made for one of my most memorable gigs.

MAB