A Southern Rock Connection

By Tom Poland

 

Back roads took me past pecan groves and cotton fields and eventually to Charlane Woodlands, Chuck and Rose Lane Leavell’s home/tree farm. That evening Chuck and I were to attend an event at Capricorn Records (Mercer Music At Capricorn). Chuck came in from working trees wearing work clothes: shorts, T-shirt, and boots. He went to clean up for the Capricorn event and came out in a black crew neck T, black pants, black jacket, and gold Adidas-Gucci shoes.

“From tree farmer to rocker,” he said.

Chuck was taking part in a book discussion, Allman Joy, Bill Connell’s account of the mid-1960’s musical journey he took as the drummer for The Allman Joys, precursor to The Allman Brothers Band. Chuck wrote the foreword.

We drove up I-16 and scored a parking place in front of the legendary studio. As Chuck and I walked through Capricorn, we passed posters of Southern legends: the Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker Band, Charlie Daniels Band, and Otis Redding. We went into Capricorn’s recording console room and sat among musicians, recording engineers, and others. We all made introductions and the name Paul Hornsby jumped out at me. Paul worked for Capricorn Records as a studio musician and producer, eventually producing The Charlie Daniels Band, The Marshall Tucker Band, Wet Willie, and others.

It thrilled me to meet the man who gave Southern Rock its foundation. That evening Paul told stories of the “glamorous” life on the road as a musician. He told a story of a gig in Paducah, Kentucky, at the Bunny Club in a Quonset hut. He talked about a gig in Bloomington. They had gone without sleep for a long time and looked forward to some rest. They arrived at the wrong Bloomington. The gig was in Bloomington, Illinois, over 200 miles and 3.5 hours away. No sleep. They had to drive like mad to a club that turned out to be a late night joint.

“I was playing with Alex Taylor, James Taylor’s older brother. I did an album with him at Capricorn, and we did a six-week tour in the bitterest winter you ever saw. Most of it was northern gigs, way up in Massachusetts, New York, Canada, and man, I knew I had to get back. I wanted to do studio work.”

Paul started producing, which he chronicled in his book, Fix It in the Mix. Then Malcolm John Rebennack Jr., moved to Macon. Dr. John of “Right Place, Wrong Time” fame.

“I started playing some weekend gigs with him. I was still doing the studio thing but here I was playing the B3 behind Dr. John’s fabulous piano playing. I played with him on weekends for a while, and then I decided do studio work full time again.”

Paul had been playing some with Chuck. It was the spring of ’69 when Paul met Phil Walden of Capricorn Records and moved to Macon to be part of the Capricorn rhythm section.

“In those first few months or so it looked like Capricorn was about to take off,” said Paul. “I called Chuck—we stayed in touch, he was sort of like my kid brother—and said you might want to consider moving over to Macon. I can get you in on the ground floor. I believe things are about to pop here.

“He took my advice, which I wouldn’t advise anybody to take, but he took my advice and dropped out of high school and moved to Macon. He dropped out of the twelfth grade of all things. If I’d been his parents I’d have killed me.

“That’s our connection,” said Paul. “Chuck has persevered; he’s stayed the course, stayed married to the same good woman he had. He’s made good decisions.”

Chuck’s recorded music at FAME Studios and Capricorn Records. He’s played with the Allman Brothers, the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, David Gilmore, and others. He’s a noted conservationist and national tree farmer of the year, results of good decisions that began with a move to Macon at a friend’s urging. A roll of the dice works out pretty good now and then.

 

Georgia native Tom Poland writes a weekly column about the South, its people, traditions, lifestyle, and culture and speaks frequently to groups in the South. Governor Henry McMaster conferred the Order of the Palmetto upon Tom, South Carolina’s highest civilian honor, stating, “His work is exceptional to the state.” Poland’s work appears in books, magazines, journals, and newspapers throughout the South.

Visit Tom’s website at www.tompoland.net

Email him at [email protected]