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stars in country music all came through Wheeling as part of the national circuit, but because the Jamboree wasn’t in Nashville, where so many of the great artists lived, the format was a little different. Members of the Jamboree from the area played for about an hour to get things going, then a popular national headlining act played one or two shows depending on who that headliner was. I remember that a true country legend like George Jones would play two or three shows to packed houses. The great CharleyPride would do as many as four sellout shows in a weekend and he’d add a matinee too. There was such a fan base in West Virginia for classic country that people were always lined up around the block in those days.
    I was already a fan of the Wheeling Jamboree before I could even dream of actually being part of the action on-stage. One time my grandfather won tickets, and he took me with him to see the country star John Conlee. John had lots of popular country hits, like “Common Man,” “Backside of Thirty,” and “Lady Lay Down.” As the show was wrapping up, my grandfather whispered to me that we should leave and try to beat the traffic. I begged Papaw to stay just a little longer because I knew that John Conlee hadn’t sung his best song yet—“Rose Colored Glasses.” My grandfather halfheartedly agreed to wait, and afterward on the way home he told me that I had good taste in songs. I was already interested in what made a country song work, but now that I had confirmation that I had good taste, I was fascinated.
    Returning to the Jamboree—which had helped make me a fan of so many country music artists—to take the stage myself while I was still a kid was just unbelievable. Turns out it also was pretty unbelievable for the man who ran the music on the show. Many years later, the musical director ofthe Wheeling Jamboree Zane Baxter confessed to me that he was completely furious when he heard that Tom Miller had invited a little boy from Glen Dale to come onto the radio program. He’d asked Tom that very night, “Is this going to be the worst thing that we have ever done?”
    For whatever reason, Tom Miller went out on a limb for me and said, “Well, I don’t think so, but I’m willing to go out there and introduce the kid, so don’t worry. Let me take the responsibility for this. I’ll take the blame if he’s awful. But I really think you’ll be surprised.”
    Fortunately, I didn’t know a thing about any of this backstage drama at that time.
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    I was already interested in what made a country song work, but now that I had confirmation that I had good taste, I was fascinated.
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    I was the most excited I had ever been as I walked out on the stage of the Jamboree. Only my guitar was there to help take on the biggest audience I had ever faced. I caught my breath and started to play and sing my only hit—“Born on Christmas Day,” a song I still love. Because I was very young, or not completely horrible, or possibly some combination of the two, the Jamboree audience gave a wonderful and welcoming reception. That very night, Zane Baxter changed his tune and invitedme to return soon. Zane later told me that what really made him take notice of me that night was the fact that here was this young kid who dared to sing an original Christmas song rather than one of the obvious standards. And he could tell I could
play
. Really play. Especially for thirteen years old.
    There’s an important lesson there. If I had gone out there, strummed, and sung something safe, like, say, “Winter Wonderland,” I can’t imagine that the Jamboree would have been as impressed. Or ever ended up inviting me back on the show to be their new, young regular performer. It was the fact that I dared to write and play my own song that made the powers that be sit up and take notice and give me this big and crazy break. Ever