Damn It All

I was a reticent artist at best. As a DJ during the mid-’60s at Knoxville’s WNOX, Rob Galbraith could be heard spinning everything from Ray Charles to David “Fathead” Newman, resulting in unique, salt-and-pepper playlists that began to season his own songwriting proclivities. After tracking a few effective demoes for hometown artists Clifford Curry, Jonah and the Whale, and Van and Titus Elmore, Galbraith moved to Nashville to shorten the commute between his hometown and Music City. He gained employment at Moss Rose Publishing, earning $80 a week to write and record demos in his emergent rural-soul style. When Epic/Columbia heavyweight Billy Sherrill heard the Galbraith demo “Willie Was A Honkie,” he signed Galbraith to Columbia. Nashville Dirt debuted in 1970. But it was the background that truly suited the bashful Galbraith. He transferred laterally within the label, unsuccessfully shopping bombshell demos for J.J. Cale and Harry Chapin. A songwriting deal with Combine Music paired