Jason Petty is a buddy from high school. He has dedicated his working and creative life to music and music history.
This is one of three stories about guitar players.
A man of many talents, Jason plays guitar, sings, is a master story teller, actor, and music historian. He also happens to be a great guy, and loyal friend to many of us. He is husband to Hope, and devoted father to Loralei and James.
Spend a few minutes with Jason, and you will discover he is a die-hard Tennessee football fan, and keeps up with professional sports of all kinds. Jason is well versed in business, investing, and a dozen more unrelated topics. Like a lot of smart people I know, Jason asks a lot of questions, and he is genuinely interested in what other people have to say.
The first time I heard Jason sing was in a high school talent show. I recall it was an Elvis song. The second time I heard him sing was a couple of years later, at a friend's wedding. Mike and Karen Parkison are still married and doing great, so let's count that as a win too. The third time I heard Jason sing, he was on stage at Opryland in Nashville, in the I Hear America Singing show.
Some of those Opryland performances featured legends like Grandpa Jones, and George, "Goober," Lindsay. Jason tells some wonderful stories about Grandpa Jones trying to get him tickled onstage during a show.
In 1996, and 1997, Jason did a two year run at the Ryman Auditorium. From March, to October, on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, he sang and performed in the show, Lost Highway. We saw him there three times, including the final show.
Side note...Also in the Lost Highway show at the Ryman was Margaret Bowman.
She played Hank's mother, Mamma Lillie. If you know anything about the Williams family, she was the tough one. I later became facebook friends with Margaret, and told her how much I enjoyed her acting and portrayal of Hank's mom. She had a wonderful sense of humor, was a joy to know, and always was gracious and kind.
Here is a link to an interview from 2017. Margaret describes the first time she was ever recognized out in public, for being an actress. She was in a restaurant in Nashville. She was performing in Lost Highway, with Jason, at the time. https://fox5sandiego.com/entertainment/at-the-movies-blog/hell-or-high-water-an-interview-with-actress-margaret-bowman/ Her Wiki page...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Bowman
In the following years, Jason performed in New York City, in an Off Broadway show at the Little Shubert Theatre. That show was enjoyed by fans, and critics.
For his New York show, he won an Obie Award. I did a quick search on that..."Tony Awards cover Broadway Productions. The Obie Award covers Off Broadway productions. It is considered Off Broadway's highest honor."
Since then, Jason has performed from coast to coast, and all over Canada and Europe. He has played large venues, and small.
Terri and I saw Jason most recently in Woodbury, Tennessee. The country was coming out of COVID lockdowns. His one person show, Hank Williams-The Lonesome Tour, was amazing. Jason's talent, and his personality were on display. It was an unforgettable evening.
For a couple of hours, all was right in the world. It was 1950 something, and Hank Williams, and his music were back on stage.
My parents both enjoyed the show, and talked about it for weeks. Several of our classmates from Manchester were also there: Trent Harmon, Richard and Tammy Harrington, and Coach Oscar Dale Gardner, from the football team.
That's the same song Hank used to close out his shows. Don't be surprised if you get a cold chill, and even shed a tear or two.