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If
a man is the sum of his experiences, Mayf Nutter
has attained enough success to fill several
lifetimes. Here's a quick scan of just a few
highlights in his career (or should we say
careers). Let's start with MUSIC.
Mayf was the youngest honoree in the Nashville
Country Music Hall Of Fame, Walkway of Stars. On
their opening day celebration, The Bakersfield
Country Music Museum inducted Mayf Nutter and
Buck Owens as their first honorees. Mayf
won the "Video Of The Year" award two
years in a row performing as Artist, Songwriter,
Director, and Producer. He invented the
technique of "acting a role" (not just
being the singer); and was the first, perhaps
only singer, to never use lip synchronization
for a single line of the song; and introduced
the use of dialog in Music Videos. His
"Rock-a-Billy Money " video marked the
first time an artist, not supported by a major
record label, reached the #I spot on CMT. Nhyl
Henson, who conceived the idea and started CMT
said, " Mayf Nutter is the definition of
Recording Artist. He writes the songs, produces
the records, writes the video script, hires the
actors and crew, directs the videos, acts in
them, and produces the whole project. There are
lots of singers, Mayf Nutter is an ARTIST."
Mayf has been a performer at Jamboree In The
Hills nine times, beginning with the first one
in 1977. Inspired by that first event and
encouraged by a fan to write a song about that
first weekend, Mayf wrote the song that has been
used as the Theme Song for this event for the
past 24 years, Before beginning his solo career,
and just out of high school, Mayf was the
guitarist for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Member,
Del Shannon (Classic Hit Song
"Runaway", etc.). Later Mayf became
the leader, front man, and Columbia records
producer for the internationally acclaimed folk
singing group, "The New Christy
Minstrels". Rock icon, Frank Zappa
formed a new record label, just for Mayf Nutter.
He called it Straight Records and the first
release, Everybody's Talkin' from the movie
MIDNIGHT COWBOY, hit the top of radio play lists
across the U.S. and in Europe. The
musicians were Merle Haggard's STRANGERS. The
song was cut in a horse barn that Merle had
converted into a studio at his Bakersfield home.
Soon Capitol Records released more Mayf Nutter
Hits including Never Ending Love, Green Door,
Party Doll and The Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy.
Next Mayf wrote the crowd pleasing songs, Goin'
Skinny Dippin' and " Jamboree In The
Hills" (the song), and others.
Mayf also has the distinction of writing and recording the first
environmental impact song. "Simpson
Creek Won't Never Run Clean Again".
Directly influenced by the
message in the song, mining companies yielded to
public outcry and restored
life to every stream in Mayf's native county in
West Virginia. All life forms had been
previously killed by pollution. A Mayf Nutter
Week Celebration resulted. While flying over miles of the now famous,
Alaskan oil slick, on his way to
a concert in Anchorage, Mayf witnessed the
environmental devastation brought
on by the tragic oil spill caused by the tanker
ship, Exxon Valdez. That night, as he often does
in live performances, he decided to write a song
on stage using suggestions from the audience.
Moments later "The Ballad Of Valdez"
had the audience laughing hysterically. Within a
week the song was recorded and being played on
all formats of radio from Country to Talk shows.
It was featured on ABC TV, CBS TV and was used
on network News shows for months. 100% of Artist
Royalties went to restore fish and wildlife in
Alaska. All this music was somehow scattered
between MOVIES: Starring opposite Sally Field,
Jeff Bridges, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert
Duvall, Glenn Close, James Stewart, Rock Hudson,
and others, with directors such as Oscar Winner
Stanley Kramer, Bob Rafelson, Chris Cain, (more
on resume). Mayf's roles as a TELEVISION
actor, Spans 30 years, from Gunsmoke and Bonanza
to The Waltons, (3yrs.) and Knots Landing (Valene
Ewing's Fiancée, Parker Winslow), from The Dukes
Of Hazzard to Murder She Wrote. Mayf Nutter and
James Stewart were the only regular characters
on the CBS TV series HAWKINS. Those 90 minute
episodes were expanded into full length feature
films for theaters outside the USA. Then
there was The Fall Guy (with Lee Majors), Falcon
Crest, Airwolf, seven TV Movies for SHOWTIME
(Starring as Buddy Tyler in LONESTAR BAR AND
GRILL). Mayf also played three different characters on
Days Of Our Lives plus 58
episodes of The Buck Owens TV Ranch shows and
too many others to list. For
Walt Disney, Mayf has been the Narrator for
Animal Movies and "Wonderful
World Of Disney" films since 1968.
His LIVE PERFORMANCES range from Las Vegas
Headliner to Carnegie Hall. From the Los Angeles
Coliseum (65,000 fans) to The Grand Ole Opry.
From the WWVA World's Original Jamboree in
Wheeling, West Virginia to the Sun Yat Sen
Memorial Center in the Peoples Republic Of China
in 1982 (the concert was broadcast
"live" on China National TV). Thus,
Mayf became, historically, the very First
American to ever sing on China National
Television. Mayf now resides in the Sequoia
National Forest in the Sierra Mountains of
California with his wife of 22 years, the former
Lindsay Bloom (a former Miss USA and star of
"Mike Hammer", "Dallas", and
movies, singer/dancer/comedy actress on The Dean
Martin Show). They love their country home
lifestyle and raising their 3 children (ages 13,
11, and 7) together. Mayf's "Secret for
Happiness and Success" is: "Find
something you would do for nothing, and find
someone to pay you for it". His life's goal
is to "Go about doing Good" as Jesus
did. <Col. Buster
Doss> |
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