by Randy Willis
Introduction
June 17, 1994, was a Friday. The event was the Ben Crenshaw, Willie Nelson, Darrell Royal Youth Classic at the Woodlands Country Club near Houston. Two days of golf followed by two nights of music. It would be one of the most memorable weekends of my 60-year friendship with Johnny Rodriguez.
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The day before, we took a not-so-memorable drive from my home in Austin to the Woodlands. Coach Darrell Royal had two condos reserved for us.
During the drive, we did what we always did on these drives. We listened to music. We also listened to cassettes of Western novels, such as those by Louis L’Amour. And shall I dare add our “duets?” Our favorite singer since we were in our mid-teens was Merle Haggard. We had long since “enhanced” all of his songs, as well as Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Sr., and Marty Robbins’ classics and other unsuspecting “victims.”
On the drive, it was George Jones’ turn. The first song was She Thinks I Still Care.
For those that can’t remember the lyrics, the song begins: “She thinks I still care
“Just because I asked a friend about her
Just because I spoke her name somewhere
Just because I rang her number by mistake today
She thinks I still care”
I kicked it off, “Just because I cut her tires today, she thinks I still care.”
Johnny sang the second verse, “Just because I shot her new boyfriend, she thinks I still care.”
I sang in the family key. “Just because I wrote her name on Exxon’s restroom wall, she thinks I still care.”
By this time, I was thinking of a Grammy. I know, thank God it was a short drive.
Oh, about the most memorable nights in our 60-year friendship. Keep reading.
Coach Darrell Royal called me. He invited Johnny Rodriguez once again to play in the annual Ben Crenshaw, Willie Nelson, Darrell Royal Youth Classic. This year it was held at the Woodlands Country Club near Houston.
After 18 holes of golf and dinner in the country club’s restaurant, many people gathered in the adjoining lobby. It was 30 minutes before Johnny was to perform in the main ballroom. They waited for his performance as they watched on two big screen TVs in the lobby. The New York Knicks took on the hometown Houston Rockets in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
I called Johnny in his condo, “It’s showtime in 15 minutes, ‘Boy Wonder'” (the nickname I gave him when he got his first top ten hit, Pass Me By. My cousin Jerry Kennedy, who was the head of Mercury Records in Nashville, signed Johnny to his first recording contract. I wrote an article about that and Jerry Kennedy at this link: Jerry Kennedy – Randy Willis Newsletter
Johnny later retaliated by calling me “Colonel” after Colonel Tom Parker. He did this when I got him paid for a gig that no other acts were paid for. It was no big deal. My concentration in Business Administration was in accounting in college.
I was a “bean counter” on steroids. And a farm boy educated in “arithmetic” at the Harvard of the South, Southwest Texas State University. Still am. The truth is, I saw several opening acts upset because they weren’t paid. Any hayseed cowboy, which I am, would have noticed.
I approached the venue’s owner and said, “I’m here to collect the balance of our money according to our contract.”
“I’ll will pay you out of the door at the end of the night,” he smiled. The venue was already standing room only.
“No problem, I totally understand.” I smiled back and turned to our band leader and said, “Load up, we are out of here.” He “miraculously” discovered the balance of our money in his safe.
I did not learn that in college. I learned it from my dad, Jake Willis. He was a “horse trader” from the old school. You had to be shrewd to buy horses and mules, as well as cows and used farm equipment. Still do, especially so-called “kid horses.”
I never allowed a band member or roadie tell Johnny about any problems beforehand. This was to keep him focused on the music. I would have to break my own rule at the Woodlands Country Club. It would be in front of two of my idols: Coach Darrell K Royal and Coach Bum Phillips.
As I spoke with Coach Royal and Coach Phillips, one of the TVs suddenly switched to a scene in California. Within minutes, the Woodlands ballroom almost emptied into the lobby. O.J. Simpson was leading police on a wild chase in a white Bronco driven by his former teammate, Al Cowlings. Simpson had a gun to his head.
Johnny Rodriguez, Darrell Royal, Bum Phillips, and Randy Willis. The Woodland Country Club.
Coach Phillips said, “I use to coach Cowlings.”
Fifteen minutes passed as Johnny arrived. He looked at me and said, “You don’t expect me to play Colonel, do you?”
I looked towards the ballroom and saw at least 200 people seated. I then looked at Coach Royal, who had a “the show must go on” look. I replied, “Your set is only five songs. Here’s your setlist.” Johnny looked at me as if I had asked him to sing our new version of, She Thinks I Still Care.
We walked into the ballroom, and Johnny sang, although in what appeared to be a new up-tempo version of each.
By then, all of the broadcast networks and CNN were carrying every bit of O.J. Simpson’s drama live. On NBC, the chase produced the most bizarre split-screen ever at The Woodlands. On one side of the screen, the Knicks and the hometown Rockets battled for NBA supremacy at Madison Square Garden.
On the other screen, the white Bronco inched down a Los Angeles freeway. O.J. Simpson still had a gun to his head. Hundreds of police followed in non-hot pursuit.
Some 95 million people watched the chase that night while Johnny sang “Pass Me By” and four other hits. The last being We’re Over, which should have been sung as Thank God We’re Over.
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Across America, people stood in large groups. They gathered in front of televisions in bars, restaurants, and other public places. They were gawking at the spectacle from highway overpasses. There were no cell phones in 1994 with the capacity to watch TV. The technology was decades away.
The world seemed to stop as Simpson held a gun to his head.
The world seems to stop and watch as Simpson holds a gun to his head in this Ford Bronco. The current owner offered it for sale in 2024 for $ 1.5 million.
After Johnny’s set, he and I went to his bungalow and watched the new movie Tombstone. “O.J. once sat on stage at a concert of mine in Los Angeles. I met him, and he seemed like a nice guy,” Johnny said. That was all that was said about that drama as the movie began! We were both emotionally worn out.
My friend from college, Powers Boothe, played Curly Bill Brocius. Johnny had met him in 1987 on the set of the movie Extreme Prejudice. The protagonist in the film was Nick Nolte. His character was modeled after Texas Ranger Joaquin Jackson, who introduced Johnny to Happy Shahan.
Johnny, Powers, and I would reunite in Austin at La Zona Rosa in 1997. Johnny was playing there. Our old friend Powers Boothe walked in with an array of talent. This included Dana Delany, Annabeth Gish, and a young actress I’d never heard of, Angelina Jolie. They were all in a TV Mini-series entitled True Women. The entourage would attend two more gigs I booked for Johnny.
We were both glad we did not disappoint Coach Royal or the folks who paid to hear the music. That money was used to benefit children in need.
I’ve often been asked who the most challenging act was Johnny ever followed. “Oh, that’s easy, O.J. Simpson.”
Two days later, on the drive home, we saw a sign. It advertised a fancy restaurant on IH 10. The sign read “Champagne brunch.” We looked at each other, and both said “Yes.” I exited the highway. Tequila would have been a more appropriate choice.
We listened to my new Gary P. Nunn album on the way home and marveled at how underrated he was. I decided to invite him to perform on a new TV show I was co-producing. We filmed two shows that day, one with Sonny Throckmorton and the other with Nunn.
Coach Royal said, “He will shoot himself.” Why did he believe that I didn’t ask, but I did know they knew each other? O.J. Simpson played football against the University of Texas while at the University of Southern California (USC). The year before, John Wayne was Coach Royal’s guest on the sidelines. Wayne, too, played football for USC.
John Wayne Backstory
Saturday, September 17, 1966. On this day, John Wayne was on the Texas Longhorns’ bench as a guest of Coach Darrell K Royal.
The following year, my friend James Street was a sophomore. He was not yet the starting quarterback for the University of Texas Longhorns.
Street, who watched as a sophomore from the sidelines, as O.J. Simpson rushed for 158 yards against the Longhorns on September 23, 1967. Simpson was arguably the best college running back at the time.
James told me, “As a kid from Longview, I was intimidated. I was a backup quarterback at Texas behind one of the best athletes I had ever seen, Bill Bradley. The guy could dunk a basketball with two hands.
“And seeing John Wayne seated on the Longhorn bench as a freshman, I felt somewhat overwhelmed at Texas.”
Two games into the 1968 season, Street took over as the starting quarterback. He led the Longhorns to an undefeated 20-0 record, including the 1969 National Championship. He never lost a game as a starting quarterback at the University of Texas. Yes, I believe his number 16 should be retired. That is after Arch Manning finishes his career at the University of Texas, since he wears the same number. James Street was one of the most charismatic, yet humble, persons I have ever known. One only needed to be around him for five minutes to realize he was a natural-born leader.
James was thoughtful, as this letter shows. RIP James.
James Street, Sammy Allred, Doug English, Randy Willis, Johnny Rodriguez, and Bob Cole. KVET Radio. Austin, Texas.
James Street and Randy Willis are pictured here. Randy is in a red shirt. They are with half of the customers at Matt’s El Rancho Mexican Restaurant in Austin.
I had to ask about Coach Royal’s friendship with Wayne. It was over dinner at Matt’s El Rancho. Coach Royal loved Mexican food, and I did too. After a couple of glasses of wine, he was relaxed. It was a good time to ask about John Wayne.
Coach Darrell Royal, a friend of Randy Willis, and Randy Willis. Matt’s El Rancho, Austin, Texas
Wayne invited Coach Royal to the set of The Alamo during the filming of the movie in 1960. I had been told about this before by Happy Shahan, who owned the ranch where the movie set was built. The movie set was later known as Alamo Village in Brackettville, Texas. Johnny Rodriguez was discovered there a decade later. His first manager was Happy Shahan.
We all came together in 1972 at Cisco’s Mexican Restaurant in East Austin. Darrell Royal, Johnny Rodriguez, Happy Shahan, Willie Nelson, and I were present. Coach Royal invited an array of dignitaries to meet Johnny, including United States Representative J.J. Pickle. Johnny and I became lifelong friends with the legendary owner of Cisco’s, Rudy Cisneros. The restaurant was our favorite for breakfast in Austin.
I had never read or heard about the time when Coach Royal invited John Wayne to dinner, though. This occurred while he was in Austin during the weekend of the 1967 game.
Coach Royal said that he and John Wayne went to dinner at The Headliners Club. The club was then located at the Driskill Hotel. As they approached the Driskill, a man walked up to John Wayne and said, “You don’t look so tough. I am going to whip your a_______.”
Wayne explained to the man that the characters he played in the movies were not him.
Then, the man spat on John Wayne.
Coach Royal told me that John Wayne hit him with a right cross and knocked him down with one punch.
They helped the stunned man recover and asked if he needed a taxi. The man ran away.
Coach Royal asked Wayne, who had asked him to call him “Duke,” a question over dinner. “I thought you only did that in the movies.”
The Duke smiled.
Years ago, I joined the Headliners Club on the 21st floor of Chase Tower. At that time, I asked if they had ever heard that story. They had only two “old timers” on their staff who knew of the story. I later nominated Earl Campbell for membership at his request. This was our first lunch together at the Headliners Club. We would also host charity events there.
Randy Willis The Headliners Club
Randy Willis at The Headliners Club in Austin.
Randy Willis at The Headliners Club in Austin.
One of the reasons I love Texas. I last saw Lady Bird Johnson at the Headliners Club in Austin at an event that honored a couple people. I was one of them. As always, she was escorted by two Secret Service Agents. She was gracious and kind as always.
Lady Bird Johnson later had her book “Wildflowers Across America” hand-delivered to me at my home in Austin.
“For Randy Willis
“A hero for Children’s Hospital and for our family. Your wisdom and your grace are our blessings.
“With generations of gratitude.”
Lady Bird Johnson
Luci Baines Johnson (Her daughter)
Nicole Nugent Covert (Her Granddaughter)
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A few other photos from The Ben Willie Darrell at The Woodlands Country Club
Mike Sole, Danny Steagall (Red Steagall’s brother), Freddy Powers, Johnny Rodriguez and Randy Willis.
Bud Lee co-wrote Friends in Low Places made famous by Garth Brooks. The girl on the right was an FBI agent in training at the time. She was Johnny’s date. I had to ask, “Johnny, hopefully, she won’t be after Hannibal Lecter tonight.” We both loved the movie “The Silence of the Lambs.” She gave him an FBI t-shirt. He loved it because he loved cops.
Johnny and Lana’s wedding. I was Johnny’s best man.
Many of my friends have passed away. RIP and thanks for the memories, Coach Darrell K Royal, Coach Bum Phillips, and James Street. Thanks also to James White, Sammy Allred, and Freddy Powers. This year, we remember Johnny Rodriguez.
Doug English, Bethany Campbell, Randy Willis, Bum Phillips, and James Street.
The Headliners Club. Austin, Texas. A benefit for Azleway Children’s Homes.
Willie Nelson’s Luke, Texas
Darrell Royal, James White, Randy Willis, James Street, Doug English, and Johnny Rodriguez. Lunch at the Broken Spoke in Austin.
Coach Royal. Randy Willis is on the far right. Pickin’ Party at Randy Willis’s Home.
Coach Royal and Randy Willis in Randy Willis’s backyard.
Sonny Throckmorton, Randy Willis, Darrell Royal, and Freddy Powers
Kimarie, Randy Willis, and Coach Royal at my Austin Home.
Kimarie and Randy Willis
Randy Willis, Kimarie, and Darrell Royal. The Ben Willie Darrell Benefit. Barton Creek Country Club. Austin, Texas.
Coach Royal, Randy Willis, and Sonny Throckmorton. Randy Willis’s backyard.
Randy Willis, Johnny Rodriguez, and Darrell Royal. Randy Willis’s backyard.
Randy Willis and Coach Darrell Royal. Randy Willis’s Austin Home.
Freddy Powers, friend, Randy Willis, and Darrell Royal. Randy Willis’s Austin home.
Earl Campbell, Randy Willis, and Bum Phillips. Earl’s office in Austin, Texas.
Darrell Royal, Johnny Rodriguez, Johnny Bench, and Randy Willis. Johnny Bench is widely considered the greatest catcher in baseball history. I agree.
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Randy Willis and Coach Mack Brown. The Headliners Club, Austin, Texas
RIP “Boy Wonder”
L to R: Johnny Rodriguez, Randy Willis, and friends. Garner State Park Dance Pavilion. Easter, 1968. Three months later, the infamous goat-stealing incident occurred during the 4th of July holiday.
Johnny Rodriguez and Randy Willis. Rosie’s Tamale House. Bee Cave, Texas.
Johnny Rodriguez and Randy Willis. The Bob Davis Ranch near Garner State Park. The 25th Anniversary of stealing this Angora goat’s g-g-g-g-g-grandma. Photo courtesy: Country Weekly Magazine.
Randy Willis, in the blue shirt, is leaning over to touch his shoe, and Johnny Rodriguez is with the guitar. Garner State Park 1966
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Vaya con Dios Boy Wonder. The “Colonel”
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Many today have just enough religion to inoculate them from knowing Christ. —Randy Willis
Self-improvement will not qualify you for salvation, for God’s Word says, “There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10)
Comparing yourself to others will not work either: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
We seek to commend ourselves to God. However, God says our good works are like filthy rags in His sight [Isaiah 64:6]. If we are ever accepted in the eyes of God, it must be through Christ our Lord. There is no other way.
If you could be good enough to pay for your sins, think about this. Why did Jesus have to die for you?
Jesus bore your cross and my cross. He took our place. He shed His blood for our sins on that cross high on a hill for all the world to see. The just for the unjust. The Righteous for the unrighteous. The sinless Lamb of God for the sinner.
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According to the Bible, we all have feet of clay and fall short of God’s glory. Our righteousness is described in the Bible as filthy rags. God’s grace (his undeserved favor) is available to us all. However, we must accept His gift of forgiveness. This gift was bought and paid for on the cross with Jesus Christ’s blood. You can say yes to Jesus’ free gift right now.
Our greatest need is forgiveness. Christ came to forgive us, but we must accept that free gift. Jesus said in Revelation 3:20:
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. (NKJV)
Jesus knocks, but you must open the door to your heart, to your life, to your future. Notice there is no doorknob on the outside.
It’s not a prescribed list of words. In Luke 23:42, one of the criminals crucified with Jesus pleads, “Lord, remember me when You come into your kingdom. His heartfelt cry of faith from the cross saves him.
Jesus answers in the next verse with a promise. He says, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” The first person to accompany Christ to Heaven was this lowly thief on the cross.
Isn’t it time to decide which “thief” on the cross you are? Are you the one who put his faith in Jesus Christ? Or are you the one who rejected our Savior who gave His lifeblood for us?
The most famous 25 words ever written: “For God so loved the world. He gave His only begotten Son. Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
If these words are how you feel in your heart, then pray:
“Heavenly Father,
I pray to You, asking for the forgiveness of my sins.
I confess with my mouth. I believe with my heart that Jesus is Your Son. He died on the cross at Calvary so that I might be forgiven.
Father, I believe that Jesus rose from the dead. I ask Jesus to come into my life as my personal Lord and Savior.
I turn from my sins and will surrender to your will throughout my life.
Your word is truth. I confess with my mouth that I am born again. I am cleansed by the blood of Jesus!
In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen!”
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