Richard J. Dobson & W.C. Jameson - Plenty Good People

Plenty Good People was recorded in April 2015 at The Lodge, Georgetown, Texas. Most of the songs on the record come from co-writing sessions, when a chance suggestion looked like challenge and opportunity. It has now come to life.

Aside from Kenny Williams (upright bass), the players on this project are the same team we used on Gulf Coast Tales in 2014: Franci Jarrard (accordion, keyboards, vocals); Lynette Perkins (percussion, vocals); Andre Mathews (lead guitar); Javier Chaparro (violin). Produced with Rick Dinsmore (vocals) and Bradley Hartman; engineering by Bradley Hartman (arm-long list of engineering credits, including Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris). Made in Texas by Texans. Cover art by Julie Sola.

Richard Dobson

When I was eight years old my family lived in The Hague, Netherlands for a year where my younger sister and I were sent to an English school. Though neither of my parents played a musical instrument, they decided at this time that it would be a good idea for me to take piano lessons. I agreed, reluctantly; a rebellious kid, I was often disinclined to go along with their suggestions. But it was apparent from the outset that the teacher and I were not going to get along. She and the other teachers at the school found my Texas accent barbaric, and said as much. After a couple of lessons I told my parents I wanted to quit and they said okay. I remember being surprised that they didn't make a stronger case for me to continue.

 Twelve years later I bought a secondhand guitar in a shop in Cali, Colombia and began teaching myself to play. More years passed while I busied myself with finishing college, a stint in the Peace Corps, and the daunting task of trying to learn to write. Through it all I kept a guitar close by, and I used to pick it up and play awhile whenever I was stalled. After my first manuscript was turned down by several publishers, I moved to New Mexico to begin another. There a series of revelations occurred, and what had been my sideline became my mainline; I became seriously addicted to songwriting and put everything else on the back burner.

Inspired by the example of Kris Kristofferson and the records Bob Dylan had made there I moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1971, beginning a series of peregrinations back and forth to Texas that continued for almost three decades. In the late seventies I began a series of newsletters published in an English fanzine calledOmaha Rainbow . I recorded my first LP, In Texas Last December, an album of original songs released on Buttermilk Records, a small Houston based label in 1977. I began selling records overseas by mail order. I began touring Europe in the eighties, which led to a recording deal with Brambus Records in Switzerland, an affiliation which has lasted to this day.

Occasionally people ask me if I've been able to make a living at this business, and I've always answered that while you couldn't call it a living, I wouldn't trade the life. Music has enriched my existence immeasurably and brought so much joy, I would be a fool to complain about the hard times. A privileged and ancient profession, music can open doors and take you to places where the rewards are not counted in money. It is a window on the world like no other. Looking back I can truthfully say I have few regrets. only sometimes I wish I had kept up with those piano lessons.

W.C. Jameson

W.C. Jameson is the award-winning author of more than ninety books, 1500 articles and essays, 380 songs, and dozens of published poems. He is the creator and author of the best-selling "Beyond the Grave" series including books on Billy the Kid, John Wilkes Booth, Butch Cassidy, and a forthcoming one on Amelia Earhart. His Buried Treasures of America series numbers thirty-six books and counting. Jameson is the best selling treasure author in the United States and his prominence as a professional fortune hunter has led to stints as a consultant for the Unsolved Mysteries television show, the Travel Channel, and a number of other television projects. He served as an advisor for the film National Treasure starring Nicolas Cage and appears in an interview on the DVD. His book, Treasure Hunter: Caches, Curses, and Deadly Confrontations, was named Best Book of the Year (2011) by Indie Reader. He recently appeared in the documentary The Desert’s Lost River of Gold, and has been interviewed on The History Channel, The Travel Channel, PBS, and Nightline. Recently, he has been featured on the program Gunslingers on the American Heroes Channel, and on the series Legends and Lies on Fox News.

Jameson has recorded seven CDs of original music. In 1999 he was named Songwriter of the Year by the Texas Folk Music Guild. He has written the sound tracks for four feature films and two PBS documentaries, his music has been heard on NPR, and he wrote and performed in the musical, “Whatever Happened to the Outlaw, Jesse James?” Jameson has also appeared as an actor in five films.

When not working on a book or involved in a treasure recovery operation, W. C. Jameson tours the country as a speaker, conducting writing and poetry workshops, and performing his music at folk festivals, concert halls, roadhouses, and on television.