Cure For The Common Heartache
1996: I’m in a co-publishing deal with McSpadden-Smith Music and my good pals, Carl Jackson and Jim Rushing. On my way up I-65 North from Music Row one evening I see a road sign espousing the benefits of a new medicine, said to be the closest thing yet to a cure for the common cold. Of course, we have all heard it said that if one could find a cure for the common cold, he or she would win the Nobel Prize for medicine. I immediately thought…. Yeah, but if we could find a cure for the common heartache there would be lines a mile long around every drug store in the country. I put it in my ideas book. The next day I have a writing session with 2 of my favorite songwriters, singers & people, Leslie Satcher, who is somewhere north of brilliant and the great Melba Montgomery, a country music hall of famer as far as I’m concerned. She was George Jones’ duet partner long before Tammy for crying out loud!
We get together at Leslie’s publisher, Island Bound Music. I tell the idea to Les & Melba and we make a big old country waltz out of it. As best as I recall Leslie got the 1st line & it just took off from there. We had such a great time writing and singing together that day. It stands out so vividly in my mind. Much laughter, much admiration for my co-writers, Melba’s great road stories from being on the road with Lonzo & Oscar. It was just a great day and got us a song that we’re really proud of. Julie Daniels who owns Leslie’s publishing company, Island Bound Music, plays it for Terri Clark sometime in ’97…. She just loves it and records it on her gold selling “How I Feel” album, which is released in 1998.
Terri really has a way with country songs and she got every ounce of it on her recording plus, she sang it on the stage of the world famous Grand ‘Ol Opry! What a cool thing. I have always loved Terri’s voice as far back as the 1st time I heard her. Early in her Nashville years she worked at Boot Country on Gallatin Rd and would come sit in with Glen & I, when we were the Wednesday night house band at the Bell Cove Club in Hendersonville, TN. I thought back then she was destined to be a star. Turns out, I was right. When I was putting the song list together for the duets CD, I ran into Terri and asked her if she would do the ‘Cure’ with me. Being the friend that she is. She graciously agreed. I love this cut on here. Terri really hooks her parts again and the track features some great back vocals from my wonderfully talented friends and Monday night band mates, Val Storey & Carl Jackson.
Thank you so very much Miss Terri.