Hal Bynum

Hal Bynum is a legendary country songwriter and his classic country song "Lucille" has sold over 100 million records, and made Kenny Rogers a household name. So when ace producer and Warner Bros. President Jim Ed Norman called to tell me that he was producing a Hal Bynum record, I was intrigued. I was even more interested when he told me that the record would be mostly recitations. He asked if I would be interested in composing the underscore to enhance the stories, and I accepted the challenge. The project was a bit like an old radio show. Hal's heartfelt, home-spun stories speak of the good and bad in all of us, our daily struggles, and a longing for the simpler days of the past. The stories needed emotional, cinematic music, and though I utilized a string section, much of the music was guitar-based, as a few of the stories were set in the Southwest. To keep the score softer and warmer, we decided to use classical (nylon-string) guitar, and the guitarist I chose was John Mock, who, incidentally, is an amazing composer and arranger in his own right. American Indian singer/songwriter Bill Miller contributed Indian flute and percussion, and harmonica legend Charlie McCoy played on several tracks, as well. The album (titled "If I Could Do Anything") led to a series of "Cracker Barrel Country Store" radio ads, and a second Hal Bynum record, named "The Promise", which I produced. On "The Promise", Hal is joined by singer Tommy Cash (Johnny's brother), guitarist Reggie Young, Mickey Rafael, and others. "The Promise" continues Hal's tradition of spinning both wisdom and humor into entertaining stories and songs. _______________________________________________ _More: ______________"Tennessean" review_________________Hal Bynum's Website