Nov 24, 2004
Bellamy Brothers To Give Troops In Korea Holiday Treat
By STEVE KORNACKI
skornacki@tampatrib.com
DARBY – The Bellamy Brothers have scheduled a one-week concert tour of U.S. military bases in Korea before and after Christmas.
“It’s going to be a real interesting thing standing near the DMZ line, playing country music,” David Bellamy said. “We’ll be doing seven shows for the troops in Korea. We’ve done shows on bases before and in Europe, and it’s always great.”
Bellamy said they would perform on Christmas Eve, Christmas and during that week before finishing the tour New Year’s Eve.
David and brother Howard Bellamy, who have performed together 36 years and have been nominated 18 times for the Country Music Association’s vocal duo of the year award, are at home in Darby for a family Thanksgiving feast and to allow Howard time to mend.
Howard Bellamy, who had rotator cuff and bone spur surgery on his left shoulder last week in Gainesville, also recently got engaged to Jennifer Wright.
“My wife, Susan, and Jenny are going to Korea with us,” David Bellamy said. “Jenny is from east Texas, around Beaumont. We always end up marrying Texas women. Susan is from Fort Worth.”
Their next album, “Angels & Outlaws,” will be released in March after about a year of delays. The CD has Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Neil Diamond, George Jones, Alan Jackson, Charlie Daniels, Mel Tellis, the Oak Ridge Boys and Chaka Khan combining with the brothers on remakes of their hits and new tracks.
“We had a nightmare with the legalities on this album,” David Bellamy said. “They warned us of this with a guest artist album. You talk to Neil Diamond, who we’ve known for a long time, and everything is OK. But the labels and attorneys get involved and it becomes a long, drawn-out thing.
“People at the labels get paranoid over the timing of your album and their artist’s new album. But we finally got it all sorted out. We’ve never put this much time into a project, but it’s going to be worth it.”
Khan, a rhythm and blues singer, does their signature single, “Let Your Love Flow,” and Parton sings their 1979 hit, “If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body (Would You Hold It Against Me).”
Nelson combines with them on a new song, “Guardian Angel,” which David refers to as “gospel-outlaw.”
Nelson recently released a live album, “Willie Nelson & Friends: Outlaws & Angels,” from a USA Network TV special.
“I’m pretty sure Willie’s manager stole that title from us,” David Bellamy said.
He said they’re also looking to get guitar straps similar in style to the red-white-and- blue strap Nelson wears around his neck.
“Howard’s shoulder surgery is because of a guitar strap injury,” his brother said. “It’s from strapping a guitar onto your shoulder for over 30 years, and I’m afraid I might have the problem, too.
“Willie has that weird little crocheted strap, but it takes the weight off his shoulder. We’re going to check into that big time.”
David said his sons, Jesse and Noah, joined them on concert dates last weekend in San Antonio and Midland, Texas.
“The boys played guitar for us and Howard got a rest,” he said. “Jesse and Noah played four of their own songs in the middle of the concert, and for the encore we sang `Rainy Day Women’ by Bob Dylan together.”
His sons, trying to make it in Nashville as a country-rock duo, recently changed the name of their group from Elston Gunnn to simply Jesse and Noah Bellamy. Their former name was the pseudonym Dylan, whose real name is Robert Zimmerman, once used.
“People booking us had trouble having the word `gun’ in our title, even though it had three N’s,” Jesse Bellamy said. “We’re shopping for labels, and getting close to landing a deal.”
The boys are scheduled to play with their father and uncle Jan. 15 in a concert at the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation in Clewiston. Jesse said he and his brother will return in time for Christmas, but music obligations will keep them away from Darby for Thanksgiving.
“And we’re going to have some feast,” David Bellamy said. “There will be ham, turkey and biscuits. And oyster dressing, turnip and mustard greens. And our mom Frances’ famous potato salad.”