The award-winning entertainer is kicking off a new series of live albums from The Country Music Cruise.
To celebrate a decade of bringing country music fans together on the high seas, The Country Music Cruise is kicking off a series of live solo albums showcasing entertainers who have performed on its star-studded stage. The inaugural release: Moe Bandy: Live From the Country Music Cruise, which will be available starting this weekend via StarVista Music.
It features 19 tracks, including such Bandy standards as “Just Good Ol’ Boys,” “Bandy the Rodeo Clown,” “Till I’m Too Old to Die Young,” and “Hank Williams, You Wrote My Life,” along with nine of his signature comedic skits.
The highlight: A medley of tunes that Bandy admits he turned down — before they became hits for other people. You’ve probably heard of some of them: “Amarillo By Morning,” “All My Exes Live in Texas,” and “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” At the end of the cut, Bandy comically comments on his own short-sightedness: “D’oh!”
We recently talked with Bandy about Moe Bandy: Live from the Country Music Cruise. Here are some highlights from our conversation, edited for brevity and clarity.
Cowboys & Indians: How long has this album been in the works?
Moe Bandy: Well, we did the live album on the cruise ship in January, and they’ve been putting it all together until now. We actually did three shows, and they took the best of each show and put it on this album. And I tell everybody, you got to take a Dramamine before you listen to the album, because you're going to feel like you're floating.
C&I: Was it difficult to whittle it down to just these songs?
Bandy: Yeah, it was. We had to pick out the ones that come off the best. And it’s not a quality of an album that you get in the studio. You got to realize it’s live, but you try to get the best sound you can.
C&I: Are there any songs you had to drop, because the recording just wasn’t up to speed?
Bandy: Not many. I think we used most of ‘em. We actually did. And they used all my corny jokes.
C&I: You do sound like you’re having fun interacting with the audience.
Bandy: I really didn’t know they was going to put the jokes in there, but they did. So when I go on the next cruise, I’m going to have start all over, because I figure if they heard the record, they’ve already heard all my old jokes.
C&I: Do you still have women tossing their panties up at you while you’re on stage?
Bandy: All the time. I’m trying to get that stopped, but I just can’t do nothing about it. [Laughs] No, I don’t have that happen. They haven’t done that lately.
C&I: I notice you said “lately.”
Bandy: [Laughs] Yeah. Right.
C&I: Are you ever surprised when your audiences request certain songs? Maybe some deep cuts on early albums? Or songs you recorded that weren’t smash hits, but people still call out for you to play?
Bandy: Yeah, it’s amazing the life of these songs. And that’s what keeps me in business. And over the years, the people that followed me from the start — they got their kids into my music. And their grandkids. We’re seeing crowds where a lot of kids are sitting there, singing every word. There’s certain songs, like “Bandy, the Rodeo Clown,” that are always requested. And “Till I’m Too Old to Die Young” is big there too. But like I say, it’s just amazing that all this is going on, with those songs still having life.
C&I: Is it still as much fun being on the road as it was earlier in your career? Do you still get a rush of excitement when you’re on the stage and you get the response from the audience?
Bandy: I still have fun. There’s no rush, exactly. It’s more like, when the audience is just right with you and going with you — that is just unbelievable. It’s a little bit harder to travel like I used to. But that’s just the traveling itself. As far as the stage goes, I love to go out and entertain people. And I do get a big rush every time I go on stage and I hear a lot of applause. It’s just something that the good Lord has given me and I’m so thankful for.
