Dick Flood Interview Part 6
by Christian Lamitschka for Country Music News International Magazine & Radio Show
Lamitschka:What’s the best compliment a fan has ever given you?
Answer: I remember one of the best compliments I have ever received. Although it was what I would call an indirect compliment. I am quite sure that the beautiful young lady that delivered it did not mean it as a compliment, but here goes;
I was on a huge country music package show. And during one of the intermissions several of the acts on the show and I were out there in front of the stage signing autographs. The young lady in my story handed me her autograph book. I wrote a short ‘thank you’ message in it and signed it. I pointed in the direction of the artist standing next to me and politely asked her, “Before I hand your book back to you would you like his autograph too?“ And as she quickly snatched her autograph book from me she loudly blurted, “Oh was he on the show too?“
Her answer had both astonished me and embarassed me. And I remember thinking to myself, “Oh boy! I sure hope that great and very famous country music artist standing next to me didn’t hear that!“
Before I could answer her the young lady vanished into the crowd.
And just who was that very great and very famous country music artist standing next to me?
Friend it was none other than our very great and very famous headliner the ‘The Possum’ himself Mr. George Jones!
Lamitschka: What’s your favorite song that you wish you could have recorded?
Answer: Oh there are bunches of my favorite songs that I wish I had recorded. Mr. Don Mclean’s rendition of American Pie Pt. 1 is one that stands out in my mind right now.
Oh I love singing;
“Bye bye Miss American Pie
Drove my chevy to the levee but the levee was dry“
Lamitschka: What message would you like to send your European fans?
Answer: If I do have any European fans I’ll be delighted and very surprised. Just in case I do have any I say this; I am deeply touched and very gratetful to have you as a fan. It makes me both proud and humble. I would love to someday shake your hand in person. My alter ego OKEFENOKEE JOE feels likewise.
Lamitschka:How do you feel about being winning the CMA Award? What has it done for your career?
Answer: The greatest award I ever received was my CMA award for writing “Trouble’s Back in Town“, recorded by the Wilburn Brothers on Decca Records and voted the # 1 country song of the year in 1962.
It certainly helped my DICK FLOOD career especially in procuring bookings all across the country.
Some other highlights of my career as both as my alter ego OKEFENOKEE JOE and myself DICK FLOOD is having been inducted into the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association in 2019.
Another is having been inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015.
Here is a photo of beautiful Miss Jo Walker-Meader handing me my 1962 CMA Award for “Trouble’s Back in Town”
Many years later in 1995 Miss Jo Walker- Meader was very deservedly inducted into the Nashville Country Music Hall of Fame
Lamitschka: You have a new love in your life? Can you tell us something about it?
Answer: Hmnn..Since I have now become an old dinosaur I do pretty much what old dinosaurs are supposed to do. I take life easy. Been off the road for about four years now and although I sometimes miss seeing all the folks and performing for them, And occasionally I do a show here and there.
But being a dinosaur I just do not go much anymore.
So now-a-days at 88 years old my greatest new love is living way out here in in my own little patch of woods in my own little wood framed home, writing about my life and also writing and recording more and more of my songs.
Lamitschka: Fans are always hungry for good road stories. Do you have one you can share with us (come on don’t be shy)?
Answer; Ha ha! How much time do we have? Friend I can remember story after story of ‘life upon the wicked road’. Truth be known we all had a slogan we lived by way back when and the word was; “What goes on out on the road stays out on the road“. And it still holds true today. I’ll think on it. Maybe there are a few road stories that will be OK for me to tell. Ha hah