MAMA V's BOYS
by Joe CookMama V is a lady,
With a heart of gold.
Taught her boys about Jesus
For they were her heart and soul.
She's a little bit bashful,
But she's also proud,
When asked the origin of their talents
Says, "Praise the Lord" out loud!They were born and raised in Oak Cliff,
A part of ole "Big D,"
To their mama, Martha
And their daddy, Jimmie Lee.
Jimmie's middle name is Lawrence -
No "Junior" for me said dad,
But when pressed to name another -
Stephen Ray was the name she had!Big Jim advised, "Don't risk your lives
Workin' on a scaffold like me -
Boys, you better stay in school
And see what you can be!"
But their ears were tuned to the radio,
And their heads were filled with blues;
Their dreams were full of guitars
When the time came to choose.Mama V was playing records
Big band music off the wall.
There was dancing in the living room
And out into the hall.
Yes, their parents taught them rhythm,
This would help them find their call;
One day they would play together
In the great Carnegie Hall.You could smell Van Camp's beans a-cookin'
At the factory down the street.
You could tell the boys were home from school
When their amps began to peak.
They would need a lot of practice
If they were to play the blues,
And for awhile things were really jumpin'
Down on Glenfield Avenue!They played some clubs in Dallas,
The top forty list they had to use.
"Hey, play these on your guitar -
And forget about the blues!"
But Austin city was a-callin',
Jimmie's "T-Bird" rhythm came to town,
Little brother would come later
With the hottest licks around.Theirs became the house bands
At One Nighter and ole' Antone's.
Austin must have been proud
To have them as their own!
Jammed with great entertainers
All along the way,
And traveled the world over
Their brand of blues to play.Jimmie said, "Got to make our record now!
No more talk of after while!"
Soon they recorded their own CD
They called it "Family Style."
But one night there was a crash
On the side of Alpine Hill.
Five were scattered on the ground,
Their minds and hearts were still...We will always wonder, "Why?"
Stevie was stuck down in his prime,
Why the Master didn't give him
Just a little more time.
But we have to have faith
And thank Him now and then,
I know Stevie's spirit
Is riding on the wind.Jimmie's been working with Stevie's music,
Trying to save the best of the stack.
Austin has a statue of Stevie
Down by the jogging track.
Jimmie's showin' his ole' fancy cars,
Gee, I think it's grand!
And these days he's playin'
With his "Tilt-A-Whirl" band.Now and then we see them
In pictures on the wall,
And talk about their growin' up,
As best we can recall.
We pray their talents will be passed on,
And their music will never end.
I thank the Lord for havin' them
As my next of kin.Sometimes when I hear someone playin',
Trying to pick up on their styles,
I imagine Stevie up in heaven
Listening, with a great big smile!
Now I hope you better understand them,
These boys and how they grew,
And how things started jumpin'
Down on Glenfield Avenue!
-December 24, 1997
Copyright © 1997, Joe A. Cook , All Rights Reserved.Note: "Mama V" was coined by Jill Savage-Puckett, a super D.J. formerly with Station Q-102 in Dallas, Texas.
Back