OK,
junie... this is a “Choose your own ending” story:
“Then, one year ... someone took issue. A woman -- so nice and well-meaning -- complained to the president of our group about Rex's encore. The song, she said, was about prostitution. It encouraged and made light of sexual promiscuity. This matter was brought to Rex's attention… The following year’s summer party came around and, on a hot August night, with the smell of smoked brisket still lingering in the air, Rex got himself comfortable on his stool, cradled his old guitar against his ample belly, and sang his great old Americana repertoire that everyone loved and looked forward to, year after year.
The audience was spellbound as usual:
They danced, too--even the grannies-- to the perkier songs!
And when Rex came to the end of his classic old setlist, the crowd before him erupted with love:
Then a few voices in the crowd called out, “
Sally is a good old girl!!!”
Rex paused for a moment, then smiled. He looked out at all those dear familiar friends, spread out across the lawn and under the big ol’ shade trees… He set his guitar down beside him, hitched up his shorts over his potato-belly, leaned back a bit on his stool, and, said to those folks, “Folks, before I play Sally, I got somethin’ to say to y’all. It seems there’s been a complaint about Sally. Someone don’t like it. Someone says it makes good girls go bad."
And the audience was like:
And Rex reached over and picked up his beer and took a good deep swallow (his beer was sitting on a stool right beside him), and then he put down the glass, wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, said to all his friends, “Folks, I’m gonna tell you a story… let me tell you somethin’ about Hank Cochran, the man who wrote that song…"
And Rex talked about how Hank was a Depression baby… how he ended up in an orphanage at one point… hitchhiked across America as a teenager, ended up in Nashville at a young age and started writing hit songs. Rex talked about all the famous singers who’d sung Hank’s songs, like Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson, and Ray Price. “Hell,” said Rex, “even Frank Sinatra sang Hank Cochran’s songs!”
And the crowd all laughed!
And Rex continued, “Now Hank Cochran loved him some women. Hell, he loved them so much he even married five of ‘em. And folks, I love women, too… I love ‘em dearly and deeply. Now, in his song, Hank says, '
Well, the women talked about her but Sally didn’t care…' Folks, Hank loved women and he loved the good ole girl called Sally, and I love her, too. Don't care how she makes a living!"
And the crowd was all like:
And Rex continued, “Folks, I’ve been comin’ to this here party for a good many years, and y’all know that love you!"
And the crowd was all:
"You good people are like family to me. And after all these years Hank Cochran’s Sally has become part of my family,
and I ain’t gonna let her go! Sally’s gonna be here with me now, and she’ll be back for next year’s party and the one after that, too!”And the crowd cheered and clapped wildly and everyone shouted
"SALLY SALLY SALLY!!!!"And Rex took another swig of beer, wiped his mouth again, picked up his guitar and held it close against his big potato-belly, and proceeded to do the MOST KICK-ASS VERSION OF GOOD OLE SALLY that anyone had ever heard!!!
The crowd cheered so damned loud you could hear them over in Blanco County, where, in a funny twist of fate, a record executive was visiting his ole gramma.
Now, that executive was standing out on his gramma's porch, and heard that crowd carryin’ on, and he hopped right into his limousine and followed the noise to the next county, whereupon he heard old potato-belly Rex singing his heart out and was so smitten with the old Texas geezer, he signed him on the spot to a major record deal.
And that’s how Rex became a millionaire. Just like good ole Sally in the song. They just took different paths.
And the moral of this story is: IF YOU LOVE SOMETHING, YOU DON'T GIVE IT UP. ;D