Oscar Woodrow "Woody" Stanley (D)
(4:01) Mr. Stanley discusses his interest in music. This clip includes a recording of a song he wrote. This interview is part of an oral history project funded by a grant from the Alabama Historical Records Board, managed by the Alabama Department of Archives and History staff, using funds provided...
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| Format: | Electronic |
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Florence-Lauderdale County Public Library
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| Online Access: | https://cdm15947.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/oral_hist/id/133 |
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Electronic |
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Oral Histories Collection |
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Florence-Lauderdale County Public Library |
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Florence-Lauderdale County Public Library |
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Oral histories -- audios and transcripts |
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Oral histories -- audios and transcripts Oscar Woodrow "Woody" Stanley (D) Florence-Lauderdale Public Library |
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Oral histories -- audios and transcripts Christmas presents; Music |
| description |
(4:01) Mr. Stanley discusses his interest in music. This clip includes a recording of a song he wrote. This interview is part of an oral history project funded by a grant from the Alabama Historical Records Board, managed by the Alabama Department of Archives and History staff, using funds provided by the National Historical Preservation and Records Commission.Florence- Lauderdale Public Library Digital Archive
Interview with Oscar Woodrow “ Woody” Stanley April 22, 2009 Florence, Alabama Conducted by Rhonda Haygood and Patti Hannah
( Also present: Lou Letson, Mac Letson)
Clip 4 of 7
Rhonda Haygood: What did you do at Christmas when you were little? Did you do any special traditions, or—
Oscar Stanley: Well, ah, my dad would always get a hold of little, few dollars and a cap pistol was the big thing at Christmas time. And he bought a fifty cent Hohner harmonica and gave me one Christmas and I’m a pretty good harmonica player. Tried to be a, kind of a song writer. Lou was telling a while ago; what was that song, what was you saying Lou? Franklin D, ah—
Lou Letson: Yeah. He wrote a song about Franklin D.
OS: All right. I wrote another song this year that, ah, they, they do the recording. Mac, there is a, he’s a renowned square dance caller; they’ve been all over the world. China, Japan, Germany, England, everywhere square- dancing, you wouldn’t believe it. And he’s got recording equipment out there and I’ve got a song I’m going to come out there, and ah, get us, kind a make a demo of it. It’s a truck driving song and I believe if it was to make a hit, there’s probably ten million truck drivers in the United States and if a million of them bought the record it’d make somebody rich.
RH: Were you interested in music when you were growing up?
OS: Well, just that harmonica, that, that was my music.
RH: Did you have a lot of music around your house? Did your parents play instruments or sing?
OS: No, not really. Ah, course my mother used to sing religious songs when she was in the house. My dad, never do remember my dad ever singing anything, singing any, no.
Patti Hannah: How did you get into song writing?
OS: I don’t know. I actually got out of the restaurant business and I got to selling restaurant equipment all over North Alabama, just sitting up there in my car for a hour at a time, you know, and something would come in my head and I wrote one about George C. before he got, before he got shot, you know, and then Franklin D. was in my mind before that. We had to start it off, “ Forty odd years ago in my life span, A great depression spread throughout our land, If times like these should once more be, would we have again another Franklin D?” Mac there was in the recording, square dance, you know. And, ah, so, he lined up over at David Johnson’s Broadway Studios over here in Sheffield. And, ah, he got Ava, Ava Aldridge, Ava’s dead now, y’all know she’s in the Hall of— Walk of the Hall of Fame out there at Tuscumbia.
Mac Letson: She and Sue Richards were background.
OS: And Sue Richards they were her backup. And, ah, a pretty neat tune. Just never did sell a million copies, never did get it going.
[ Mr. Stanley provided a copy of the cd recording containing the song ‘ Franklin D’ from which this clip is taken.]
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Oscar Woodrow "Woody" Stanley (D)Christmas presents; Music(4:01) Mr. Stanley discusses his interest in music. This clip includes a recording of a song he wrote. This interview is part of an oral history project funded by a grant from the Alabama Historical Records Board, managed by the Alabama Department of Archives and History staff, using funds provided by the National Historical Preservation and Records Commission.Florence-Lauderdale Public LibraryFlorence-Lauderdale Public LibraryOscar Woodrow "Woody" Stanley2009-4-22sound; textaudio/mp3; text/pdfEnglishIs part of the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library collection.Contact the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library for permission to use.Florence- Lauderdale Public Library Digital Archive
Interview with Oscar Woodrow “ Woody” Stanley April 22, 2009 Florence, Alabama Conducted by Rhonda Haygood and Patti Hannah
( Also present: Lou Letson, Mac Letson)
Clip 4 of 7
Rhonda Haygood: What did you do at Christmas when you were little? Did you do any special traditions, or—
Oscar Stanley: Well, ah, my dad would always get a hold of little, few dollars and a cap pistol was the big thing at Christmas time. And he bought a fifty cent Hohner harmonica and gave me one Christmas and I’m a pretty good harmonica player. Tried to be a, kind of a song writer. Lou was telling a while ago; what was that song, what was you saying Lou? Franklin D, ah—
Lou Letson: Yeah. He wrote a song about Franklin D.
OS: All right. I wrote another song this year that, ah, they, they do the recording. Mac, there is a, he’s a renowned square dance caller; they’ve been all over the world. China, Japan, Germany, England, everywhere square- dancing, you wouldn’t believe it. And he’s got recording equipment out there and I’ve got a song I’m going to come out there, and ah, get us, kind a make a demo of it. It’s a truck driving song and I believe if it was to make a hit, there’s probably ten million truck drivers in the United States and if a million of them bought the record it’d make somebody rich.
RH: Were you interested in music when you were growing up?
OS: Well, just that harmonica, that, that was my music.
RH: Did you have a lot of music around your house? Did your parents play instruments or sing?
OS: No, not really. Ah, course my mother used to sing religious songs when she was in the house. My dad, never do remember my dad ever singing anything, singing any, no.
Patti Hannah: How did you get into song writing?
OS: I don’t know. I actually got out of the restaurant business and I got to selling restaurant equipment all over North Alabama, just sitting up there in my car for a hour at a time, you know, and something would come in my head and I wrote one about George C. before he got, before he got shot, you know, and then Franklin D. was in my mind before that. We had to start it off, “ Forty odd years ago in my life span, A great depression spread throughout our land, If times like these should once more be, would we have again another Franklin D?” Mac there was in the recording, square dance, you know. And, ah, so, he lined up over at David Johnson’s Broadway Studios over here in Sheffield. And, ah, he got Ava, Ava Aldridge, Ava’s dead now, y’all know she’s in the Hall of— Walk of the Hall of Fame out there at Tuscumbia.
Mac Letson: She and Sue Richards were background.
OS: And Sue Richards they were her backup. And, ah, a pretty neat tune. Just never did sell a million copies, never did get it going.
[ Mr. Stanley provided a copy of the cd recording containing the song ‘ Franklin D’ from which this clip is taken.]
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Oscar Woodrow "Woody" Stanley (D) |
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Oscar Woodrow "Woody" Stanley (D) |
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