Mitch Stephen

TUESDAY

About the CD:Billy O’Rourke has played at "The Cowboy Bar" in Helotes, Texas every Tuesday since the beginning of 2001 - No band, No tracks, No Nothin’… just Billy and his guitar …working without a net.

Bill Green Music release a CD titled "Honky Tonk Ballet" which is a full blown recording complete with Drums, Bass, Fiddle, Piano and all the trimmings. Hundreds of copies were sold and many of them were bought by the regulars that visit "The Cowboy Bar." While the CD "Honky Tonk Ballet" was well received (to say the least), one comment kept coming back loud and clear. Patrons kept asking Billy for a solo-acoustic recording that represented the sound they had come to love and listen to every Tuesday. Publisher/ Producer Bill Green stepped up to the plate and gave it to them. For those of us who love this new acoustic sound, we all owe Bill Green a lot of thanks. Thanks Bill!

When I first heard that the Acoustic CD was going to really happen I was elated. The first question was; what songs are you going to do? and the second question was; what are you going to name the new CD? Billy said he wanted to name the CD "Tuesday" in honor of all the friends and fans that come to see him play at The Cowboy Bar…every Tuesday. I thought the name was great. Who in the world would ever think to name anything Tuesday?

I asked Billy if he had written the title song for the CD and he said he hadn’t. You don’t really have to have a song that mimics the title of your CD but I was intrigued by the possibilities of the name "Tuesday". I begun to toy with the idea of what that song might be about, what style it might be and how it could fit into the new acoustic idea.

Then one Saturday (still in my pajamas) it hit me like a bolt of lightening while I was at my computer. Simple, simple, simple… just strum three chords and tell the truth! I wrote about 15 different verses one after another amusing myself every time I’d end with the word "TUESDAY". The more I did it the more ideas I got, the harder I laughed.

By now, recording for the new CD was finished but I figured they could still slide in one more song if they wanted to. I immediately emailed a copy of the lyrics over to Billy and then called him on the phone so I could leave a short rendition of the melody on his voice mail. Later that week I showed up at Billy’s house and he already had it all hammered out. Bill Green was gracious enough to add yet another song to a CD with A LOT OF SONGS. Thank again Bill!

Sometimes it’s fun to look back through old notes and find the beginnings of songs. They always move and grow until they are finally cast in stone at the recording studio. Here’s what "Tuesday" looked like before Billy worked his Magic on it;"Tuesday"

I’ll be showin’ up in faded jeans
A pack a picks, new set a strings
Tryin’ livein’ of the evening
…Tuesday
Yea I’ll be playin’ at the Cowboy Bar
Ya put a tip into my tip jar
The song you pick tells who you are
…Tuesday
Bring your date, Bring your friends
Tell the same old stories again
We got plenty of ears to bend
…Tuesday
I’ll be sittin’ on my bar stool
You’ll be sittin’ on your stool too
I’ll be workin’ You’ll be drinkin’
…Tuesday
I’ll make you laugh, I’ll make you cry
I’ll make low then make you high
Understand you’ll be mine all night
…Tuesday
I’ll do the singin’, You do the sinin’
I’ll do the pickin’, Some of the grinin’
I’ll bit my lip, Watchin the women
…Tuesday
I sing alone You sing along
We can sing until the cows come home
I’ll be your best friend, You buy my CD
…Tuesday
I’ll do Waylon, I’ll do Willie
I’ll do Jerry Jeff and Conway Twitty
I like it best when I just do "ME"
…Tuesday
And when the closin’ time rolls around
And they make ya put your bottle down
Take your CD home, Play it loud
Close your eyes and hear the words we plowed
Come back and tell me what you think about
…"Tuesday"

BILLY O'ROURKE - TUESDAY

THIS ALBUM IS A GIFT. A GIFT FOR MY FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND FELLOW SINGER/SONGWRITERS THAT I ADMIRE. MOST IMPORTANTLY, IT IS A GIFT FOR ALL THE FANS. FANS OF MY MUSIC. FANS WHO SHOW UP NIGHT AFTER NIGHT TO LISTEN. FANS WHO HAVE GIVEN ME THE OPPORTUNITY, ENCOURAGEMENT AND INSPIRATION TO MAKE THIS ALBUM. IT IS ACOUSTIC...JUST ME AND MY GUITAR. I'D LIKE TO THINK THAT IT IS ALSO HONEST AND SINCERE. BILL GREEN AND I WANTED TO KEEP THINGS SIMPLE: 11 NEW TUNES, A FEW MICROPHONES, AND LOTS OF COFFEE! WE BROUGHT BACK TWO SONGS FROM MY LAST ALBUM "HONKY TONK BALLET" WHICH WERE ALSO ACOUSTIC. AND FINALLY, I'VE INCLUDED A SPECIAL SONG THAT I RECORDED WITH DAVID LEE GARZA Y LOST MUSICALES. I HOPE YOU ENJOY THESE SONGS AS MUCH AS I DID WRITING AND RECORDING THEM. IT'S WHO I AM. IT'S TUESDAY...

A VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO:

MY FAMILY (ALL MY LOVE), BGM NETWORK, ELECTRIC CACTUS RECORDS, BILL GREEN, DEBBIE GREEN, DORTHEA IVEY, ANGELA LAMPTON, CD-TEX, MITCH STEPHEN, DAVID LEE GARZA, ADAM GARZA, JO ANN GARZA, RICHARD GARZA, TONY AND BARBARA GARZA, JOEY RODRIGUEZ, LOS MUSICALES (13 WONDERFUL YEARS...BUT WHO'S COUNTING?), ALL THE FANS OF DAVID LEE GARZA Y LOST MUSICALES, TEJANO MUSIC, TEXAS MUSIC, JONNY RAMIREZ AND KXTN, BNET RADIO, CHRIS COFFLAND, DAVID FENLEY, RICH GIPPRICH, THE COWBOY BAR (IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!!!!), CHILI'S ON THE RIVER (KERVILLE, TEXAS), KEN JENKINS AND THE RIVER ROAD ICE HOUSE, KELLY AND THE HICKS FAMILY AT MAYAN DUDE RANCH (BANDERA, TEXAS) BORDERS BOOKS AND MUSIC, TOMMY WILSON'S BARBEQUE, TRAVIS LEMOS, JAMES SOTO, MJ ENTERTAINMENT, HOME PLATE BAR AND GRILL (HOUSTON, TEXAS), BOBBY LOPEZ, JORGE FLORES, AND THE GRAPHIC STUDIO, JET WEB, BOBBY E. BOYD (BARDERA ROB), JAY ERIC, JON ERIC, CRAIG ANDERSON, TED MEYER, ADALBERTO GALLEGOS, BILLY NEEL, EGON BARTHELS, MIKE BENDELE, EDWARD ARGUIJO AT MILLER BREWING COMPANY, RENE AGUILAR AT HALO DISTRIBUTING COMPANY, MICHAEL HERNANDEZ AT BUDWEISER (ABILENE, TEXAS), ENRIQUE'S RESTAURANT (ABILENE, TEXAS), PETE GARCIA, RON WHITTEN AT CAVENDER'S BOOT CITY, ROBERT RESTAURANT (ABILENE, TEXAS), PETE GARCIA, RON WHITTEN AT CAVENDAR'S BOOT CITY, ROBERT LEVER AT WRANGLER, LISA LANKES AT JUSTIN BOOTS.

AND TO OUR UNITED STATES MILITAR AND THEIR FAMILIES: THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY. GODSPEED AND COME HOME SAFE...

All songs published by Bill Green Music except #7: Bill Green Music and Porpoiseful Music/ BME Music and #14 Bill Green Music and D.L. Garza BMI