Since their 1987 major label debut, Shenandoah has earned the Academy of Country Music’s 1991 “Vocal Group of the Year” Award, as well as the 1989 “Favorite Newcomer” Award in the Nashville Network’s Viewer’s Choice polls. They were also voted “Group of the Year” in Radio and Records’ 1989 annual readers’ poll. And to top things off, the band received two 1989 Country Music Association nominations for the “Vocal Group of the Year” and the “Horizon” awards, along with Cashbox Magazine’s “Country Vocal Group of the Year” Award. Sometimes referred to as “the other hit band from Alabama”, Shenandoah have sold nearly two million recordings. The group’s latest offering is titled “Under The Kudzu” (RCA/BMG).
Lead singer Marty Raybon spoke with us about “Shenandoah”.
Q – Marty, when you first arrived in Nashville, what did you think of that city?
A – Well, to tell you the truth, it was nothing like I’d ever envisioned. Of course I’d seen stuff on t.v. But of course Los Angeles and New York wasn’t what I had envisioned either. I thought driving up 65 Highway from Florida, the closer you got to Nashville, you could dial all across your radio dial and pick up a county radio station. And that was not the case.
Q – The first couple of years you spent in Nashville, what did you do for money? Were you able to join a band and sing right away?
A – Yeah, as a matter of fact, when I left Florida, I had a job waiting on me when I got up there, which was really pretty nice. Let me say this, I made the mistake along with two thousand other -people trying to decide to move to Nashville and think there’s a job waiting on every corner, and that’s certainly not the case either. The band in which I was working with at the time had a chance to work for lets say three weeks, then maybe we wouldn’t work for three weeks. As far as being consistent and steady, that was not the case. Bless God. The Lord always looked out for me, and always has. I’ve always been pretty fortunate to a certain degree that I haven’t gone without much, especially when I was up there. The electricity was turned off one time, which happened at one of the worst times it could’ve. It was cold, and that was the year in ‘Nashville we had the bad ice storm. It didn’t hurt a bit, you know, kind of living from hand to mouth every week. It was just times that it made me appreciate what I was doing and it, really showed me how bad I wanted to do it.
Q – Your friend Robert Byrne was a producer in Nashville.
A – No. He was in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. See I lived in Nashville for awhile, and then I got a job down in Muscle Shoals. That job was with the guys I’m working with now and have been since ’85. Mike McGuire the drummer in the group at that time had called me and said I’d like to know if you want the job. Him and his brother used to come down to the Western Room, the group I was playing with, we used to play on Printers Alley at the Western Room. That’s how Mike and I got to knowing each other. He said it don’t pay much, but it’s steady. It’s every week. I said, sure. So I moved to Muscle Shoals, and that’s where we met up with Robert.
Q – It probably didn’t hurt to have a friend who was a producer.
A – No, it didn’t hurt a bit.
Q – Did that make it easier for you to get a record deal?
A – Actually, no. At the time I left Muscle Shoals, I had some interest at RCA and Warner Bros. Trying to move to Nashville put a hiatus on things for a while because I really had to make sure I could continue to make a living more than hopes and dreams of a record label that probably would not come about for a couple of years. That’s usually what happens at label deals. Sometimes they happen very rapidly. At that time in country music, labels were taking their time with the acts they were selecting. They may have interest in you, but that interest may last for six months. It may last a year. As far as having a producer, I kind of had an inside line already. What really seemed to put that deal together was Robert Byrne and Rick Hall, with Fame Productions that had a production deal with Columbia Records. Robert had gone from town to town looking for acts to cut. Mike had invited him to come down to the club where we were playing, and wanted to know if he wanted to sit in with us. Not only was Robert a great producer, but he also was a great songwriter. Anyway, Robert was one of the producers in that production company, and he came down one night to listen to us, but never did sit in with us. At the end of the night he said you all might think I’m crazy, but I’d like to take you into the studio and cut some sides on you. I think you all have a great sound that is really how it started.
Q – Before RCA you were recording for CBS. Why was your contract not renewed?
A – The only thing I can say is, you’d have to ask them. I don’t know. I really don’t. We had a gold album. We were selling records. We were having Number Ones. In fact, we had five Number Ones with Columbia. That’s a question I think all of us have scratched our heads on. It was really kind of strange.
Q – Let me back up for a minute. That whole matter is centered around the group’s name and the fact that another group was called Shenandoah and you ended up in court. What can you tell me about that?
A – There’s only certain things I can talk about. I can’t talk about it in great length or detail.
Q – Why when you took the name Shenandoah didn’t your management team take the time to see if anyone, anywhere was using that name?
A – Actually, at that time, we didn’t have a manager. Because it was a production deal we signed, the one thing I wanted to make sure of was that they didn’t have any claim on our novelty items, our merchandise. The only thing I wanted to make sure of was to check and find out if there was a copyright on the logo. We had understood that Columbia had owned the rights to the logo, which was not true. But, that’s what we were told. All of this came out in litigation. We wanted to call ourselves something different, and the label decided that’s what we were gonna be called. It never crossed our minds, being sued by anybody. At that same production co. there was another group, The Bullets, and that was also a name for a rock n’ roll group. Therefore, when they found out about The Bullets, before the band got themselves in trouble, they changed their name to The Shooters. So you would think if they’re watching it that close, that surely if there was another group with that name they’d know it. Let me be honest with you, when you’re ignorant about a lot of things, you would like to think that people who were gonna sign you and give you a name would at least do a trademark search themselves. Outside of that, we didn’t think to do that.
Q – Was it expensive then to buy the exclusive rights to the name?
A – Very.
Q – What do the awards that Shenandoah wins mean to you? When you get down to it, isn’t the fact that you’re ‘doing what you want to do in life, the greatest award?
A – I’m gonna” tell you honestly, my award if I stay obedient, will be given to me at the Gates of Heaven. That’s where I’m gonna get mine. I patiently wait for that day. I pray that I’m worthy as well.‘ The whole scheme of what Shenandoah is all about and it might sound hokey, but it’s -the honest truth, is to spread peace, love, and joy. We love to have people come out and enjoy themselves, at one of our shows. We love for people to kick their heels up. We love for people to sing along. At the end of the night, what we love more than anything else in the world is to know whether they had a good time or not. And that’s what it’s all about.
Official Website: shenandoahband.com
