First published in the Texoma Farm and Home Magazine, April 2024 issue. Published by the Whitesboro News. Photos by Mary Jane Farmer unless otherwise noted.
By Mary Jane Farmer
When you sit in a Freddie Lee Spears’ audience, you quickly realize he’s as genuinely classic as the songs he sings.
Freddie Lee, or ‘Fred’ as he’s often called, has been playing guitar since he was 14. He said he tried to learn when he was younger from his dad, also a guitarist, but didn’t quite get it until his early teenage years. Now, he plays not only guitar, but also mandolin, dobro, harmonica, bass, harmonica—just to name a few—all mixed with his soft-yet-powerful voice and the songs’ caring emotions.
“I got to playing mandolin because I wanted to learn to play the fiddle. The scales are the same, but I never transferred to the fiddle,” he said. “I’ve also been enamored with dobro and slide guitar. I never really wanted to play pedal steel, and it’s a shame because two or three times in my life, I’ve had the chance to learn from experts.” He mentioned two pedal steel players of much local renown. “Luther (Thompson) was one of them, and so was Jim Richmond. But look, it’s about knee rotators, 10 strings and 12 strings.”
After a night at the Grand Ol’ Opry, when he was still a little redneck, Freddie Lee said he got to thinking, “Who gets to do that. I saw Jim Reeves, Ernest Tubb was a big star. I liked Lonzo & Oscar.” And that was a bit of an incentive to get serious on the guitar. Serious he got and he’s been playing ever since.
Fred Spears, taken at El Patio Escondido in Van Alstyne, Texas
“I played school dances,” Freddie Lee said. “They had dances at the community-supervised programs for the youth, and I played a lot of them.”
In 1970, Fred got drafted into the U.S. Army and, he said, he spent much of his service time at Dugway Proving Grounds in the middle of Salt Flats, Utah. When his company commander learned that Fred played the guitar, he got Fred some Salt Flats gigs, for $65 a night. “We made $90 a month in the Army, and we all tried to have a side way to make ends meet. I was a janitor, as well. Janitor was good—it was on base and after hours.”
After the Army stint, Freddie Lee found himself in Nashville. “Mostly there, I played Moose Lodges, Elks, VFWs, and American Legions.”
Next up was a stint in Sammi Smith’s band (Help Me Make It Through The Night.) “She was so good, but past the age to be able to have a band.”
So, when he got asked again to travel, it was with David Allen Coe, he said ‘Yes.’ That experience got him into songwriting and he co-wrote with Coe on several songs that made it onto the charts, including “Under Rachel’s Wing.” He said, and it’s confirmed on Wikipedia, that Coe basically went bankrupt and lost all the publishing rights to the songs he and Freddie Lee had co-penned. Fred said that he does still get mailbox money from BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) from airplay on the songs.
From there, Fred went on the road with Rusty Wier as a member of his Tennessee Hat Band, touring from 1975-1980.
“Rusty was a great guy, knew how to work a crowd. He wrote, ‘Don’t It Make You Wanna Dance?’”
And again, a few stints with Coe and that’s when he moved To North Texas. “I moved back to Nashville for a while, but I was down here (Dallas at that time) so much, and I liked living in Dallas.
“But,” he added, “I got tired of driving from Dallas to up here in the Texoma area. We traveled so much, from California to Colorado. We played at Lucille’s and Calhouns a lot, so I just moved up here. I bought me a little place. Sometimes it’s been a struggle to pay for it, but I’ve managed.”
Photo by Brad Nixon. Shown are Bob Penhall, Fred Spears, Shelly New, and Miles Penhall.
For a long time, maybe a decade or more, Fred fronted the band Little Big Iron, one of the more popular ones of the area and the era. Now, he said, he and Brent Frailicks and the young area musician Sawyer Guymon are quite often seen on-stage together, not to even mention Sawyer’s dad, Greg Guymon.
“1-2 check check check” came from the stage at the James Adams Post 376 American Legion in Van Alstyne. Joining Freddie Lee were another of his constant companions, Brent Frailicks, and American Legion member Kenneth Gentry. Three guitars and three vocals in an amazing, very listenable song swap. Quite often, it would be Spears playing lead and Frailicks and Gentry on rhythm, and next time the lead would go to either of the other musicians gracing the stage. Harmonies abound.
And it was the classics, Fred’s favorite music, that all three belted out. “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “Bandy the Rodeo Clown,” and “Green Green Grass of Home,” plus about 3 hours more of the classics that stand today’s earbuds’ and country hearts’ test of time.
Now, at that gig, and just about any other in which Freddie Lee is involved, anyone in the crowd could come up and sing as well. He led the Wednesday night Open Mic Nights at Loose Wheels Texas in Denison until that venue closed a few years ago. And that stage was always packed, as was the listening audience.
When asked what strengths it takes to hold an open mic, Spears jumped right over the suggestions of ‘knowledge,’ ‘experience’ and ‘just what?’ He said, “The best things to be able to not leave a slightly-inexperienced singer up there looking like he’s got egg on his face.”
Having played with many of the Redneck Rock era’s leaders, i.e.: Smith and Wier, Fred has just about seen, heard, or played through it all. When asked that, if he had a chance, what current artist would he want to work with today, he hesitated a bit in thought, then said with certainty, “I would play with Buddy Guy. I’m really also a bluesman, and there are others out there, too, that I would choose.”
“For now, most all of the songs I sing are before 1975, he said. “In certain situations, you have to play what the audience wants to hear. When I play solo, it’s mostly 70s country and pop. When I play with Greg (Guymon), we go off on tangents. As a band, we’d play two fast and one slow song, with a (premade) song list. We spent very little time in between songs.
“I identify with bluegrass more than anything else, and with country ballad. I love R&B, but don’t have a growly-enough voice.”
Taken at The American Legion in Van Alstyne, Texas.
Freddie Lee Spears can be seen and heard every Tuesday night at the North Ridge Grill in Denison (7-10 p.m.); at the American Legion Lakeside on the last Fridays of each month; and every other Thursday at the American Legion in Van Alstyne, again starting at 7 p.m. And then there’s the Ivanhoe Ale Works on a Saturday of “every other month,” he said. He posts the gigs a few days ahead of time on his Facebook page.
“And I have, or am in, a pretty good church band, too,” he said. That Leap of Faith Church has recorded a 6-song Christian CD of its musicians, and this includes three tunes which Fred wrote.
When asked if anyone had told Freddie Lee that he has influenced them and their music, his answer was modest.
“Miles (Penhall) has said so and so has Sawyer (Guymon). That’s encouraging.” Both of the young men were, like Freddie Lee, about 14 years of age at their serious starting part. “Size matters,” Freddie Lee said. “That’s when you get to the size that you can really play the guitar, where your arms can correctly make the chords… and that’s encouraging. It’s kind of a thread that runs up and down through music. Younger people learn from older people.
“Maybe we’re (old-timers) just passing along information, but sharing the passion, too.”
By Mary Jane Farmer for the Van Alstyne News, Scene In Town
By Mary Jane Farmer for the Van Alstyne News, Scene In Town
Perhaps the most active/best attended vendor/sponsor was Adon Complete A/C, which provided not only information about their sales and services, but also a football throw game, a caricature artist, giveaways including corkscrews, and lots of friendly hugs and howdys. Most vendors also supplied warm howdys, and those were warmly returned by the many attendees who joined in the fun Saturday. Many also provided freebies, such as The Crazy Red Rooster which gave away koozies with purchases.
Hessel said it was a timed double-elimination tournament, with participants ranging in age from 6 years old to senior citizens. “It’s a sport for all ages,” she said.
