As incredible as it seems to me, I was present at the 70th Birthday party for a life-long dear friend, Fred Satterfield… This man and I go back to 1973, if my memory serves me correctly, and we have been as Thick as Thieves ever since (An Historic Understatement, if ever one existed). It was all supposed to be a secret and his wife Brenda made sure that happened, as hard as that actually was.
I drove in from the Hills of East Tennessee to a remote location west of Nashville that wasn’t easy to find. The first day and night was just myself, Fred and Brenda and we stayed up until 12:08AM! Telling stories and laughing like little kids. Finally Freddy looked at his watch and said, “I’m TIRED…I’m going to bed!!”… That cracked me up… I guess we aren’t 30 anymore…
People started showing up the next day. Notable attendees include Paul Uhrig and his wife. Paul played bass with the Oak Ridge Boys a couple of different times… Sometime during the Truman Administration, if I remember correctly… We go so far back that our signatures have been found by notable anthropologists on cave walls in Egypt!
Bill Kenner and his Bride were there as well. Bill has been a friend for 40 years at least. A great songwriter and producer that has worked extensively with Leon Russell, JJ Cale and Ray Benson just to name a few. He was involved in several projects with Fred and myself over the past hundred years. Brenda Fielder, who is Jimbeau Hinson’s widow, was with us as well and I have always thought the world of her. Jimbeau cast such a wide shadow over all of us for so many years and she is still in touch with all of us.
Brenda Satterfield’s cousins kept us laughing so hard that I think I may have a small hernia. They live not too far from me on a big farm, and I see us staying in touch for sure. Jim Roberts and some other people that we are associated with were there too. It was just a great visit and I needed that.
People like Fred come into our lives so infrequently that we need to continue to nurture that. That is as rare as hound’s teeth, as the saying goes. Fred and I met in the early 70’s and started working together soon after. We were members of The Downings, among others. In ’79 we were both hired by the Oak Ridge Boys to begin what I affectionately like to call, “The Wild Ride” (and it sure was).
Life is not over, and we are staying close. I am only 3 years behind him and it just doesn’t seem possible that so many years have gone under the keel… but they have. The moral of this story is… ”Keep your Friends Close.” Screw enemies… I don’t wanna think I have any…
The 2 pictures on the stairs are sort of a Brady Bunch Moment! They represent all of us WITH the Trademark Satterfield Red Sunglasses and again without… We thought it was really clever.
What an amazing life history of accomplishments and list of friends you have had thus far Ronnie!! You deserve every blessing God has given you personally and professionally. Honored to know you and call you my friend. Wish we could hear some of those stories. You need to write a book!!!