Lufkin-based singer-songwriter Randy C. Moore has released another tremendous album by doing what he does best, writing songs about his life experiences, places he’s been and things he knows. It’s an album where every song is enjoyable, and you won’t be tempted to skip ahead.
Luckenbach was made in a “roundabout way,” according to Moore.
“The title cut (“Luckenbach”) was recorded, gosh, I’d say maybe three years ago. So it’s not new, and I have a lot of things that have been recorded, and I’ve kind of just waited on and just looking for the right time,” says Moore.
Moore says the song idea came about when he took his girlfriend (now wife) to visit Luckenbach on a whim. He says hardly anyone was there; they had a great day, and she fell in love with the atmosphere.
“I wanted that song to be about places that are unassuming and that nobody, maybe but one somebody would care about. It was the right time to put it out because I’d started playing it for a lot of the radio programmers and people, and they were getting really excited about it.”
Moore co-produced “Luckenbach” with Norbert Putnam. Putnam went to Nashville in 1965 as part of the Muscle Shoals musicians brought to play with Elvis. It Is fitting Putnam played with Elvis, because Elvis and Sun Studios is weaved throughout Moore’s album. Putnam, who worked with the King and numerous other heavyweights, helped to popularize the sound that put Jimmy Buffett on the map. He produced Buffett’s breakthrough hit Margaritaville and other Buffet staples.
Moore says the song was recorded in February 2018 in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
“It was cold. I told him (Putnam) I wanted it to feel like summer, and he goes, ‘that’s not a problem.’ So we made it feel like summer. We gave it that sort of, a little south of the border, a little south of South Padre feel to it,” said Moore.
Moore is backed on the track by an all-star rhythm section including Putnam on bass, Pat Buchanan on guitars, Greg Morrow on percussion, and Randy McCormick on keys.
Released to Texas Radio just days ago, “Luckenbach” is already receiving tremendous feedback. It is the second most downloaded song this week from the CD Tex database used by many Texas music radio programmers.
Two of the album’s songs were co-written by Moore and the late great Carl Perkins. They were recorded in 2003 during a late night “marathon recording session” at Sun Studios on Moore’s birthday.
“One is called Big Bertha, which is the actual original version of a song that got recorded in 2021 by Ronnie Milsap and Vince Gill and was released as a single. This version on my record is my version, so it’s a little different,” he said. “The other song is called “I’ll Save a Place for You,” which was a story song Carl and his daughter worked on but never completed. So, I made the song, and when I played it for Perkin’s daughter, she said, ‘that’s how daddy was doing it.’”
Moore says the two songs fit the record, and he’s glad they ended up there.
Another fun song on the record is “James Dean Dream,” a tongue-in-cheek song about middle-aged Nashville men Moore and his friends observed buying fast cars and motorcycles. Moore said they weren’t having a second childhood but rather a “second teenage-hood; they wanted to go back and be like James Dean.”
“A Mother’s Prayer” may be the most tender song. Co-written with Ricochet lead singer Heath Wright, Moore said the idea came to him after his mother spoke of God’s power and the high priority He gives a mother’s prayer for her children. The song details a mother’s journey as she gives her child up for adoption. After completing the song, Wright told Moore he was an adopted child who had recently found his birth mother and wanted to sing the song for her as a gift on Mother’s Day.
He says a song called “Before Elvis” is a true story about his Uncle Gene, who went to high school with Elvis and knew him before Elvis became famous and known as the King of Rock and Roll.
Randy C. Moore has a talent for drawing people into his songs. His mature vocals are pleasing to hear, and his style is versatile. His lyrics will likely remind you of home, family, growing up and an easier time of life. The album is fantastic, and seeing Moore perform is also a must. He holds a crowd’s attention and has them listening intently to new originals, as well as singing along to some well-known country standards. Moore was inducted into the European Country Music Hall of Fame last year along with Carrie Underwood.
