Purple Gene’s review of Jeffrey Steele live at the Bluebird Café in Nashville, Tennessee…..celebrating the Club’s 25th Anniversary:
JEFFREY STEELE IS THE HARDEST WORKING MAN IN COUNTRY !
No kidding…Jeffrey Steele is the James Brown of Country Music ….when he performs; it’s as if he has Billy Clyde’s (“Semi-Tough” (1977) pissing flask taped to his leg…because Friday night Jeff got on stage at the Bluebird Café in Nashville to celebrate the 25th anniversary of this premier world famous music venue….and he stayed on that stage…..he didn’t get off for almost 4 ½ hours…not a single break in the music…and Mister Steele proceeded to play almost every song he’s written that has made so many great singers famous….. Jeffrey Steele has been called the “Cole Porter of Country”….he is the most prolific and successful songwriter in town today…..I was watching Billy Ray Cyrus on CNN the other day, talking about his role as “Hannah Montana’s” dad on the Disney Channel and he was discussing his new music album coming out…..with a single, “Flyin’ By”, written by a guy named Jeffrey Steele who Cyrus called “The greatest songwriter in the world” !!! well that may be stretching it…..and Jeffrey told me Billy Ray is a little bit of a liar…..but as far as I’m concerned …it ain’t far from the truth !!!!
YOU’D NEVER KNOW THIS GUY IS THE KING OF COUNTRY SONGWRITERS !
So Jeff just wanders on to the stage Friday night, looking like a homeless biker…picks up an acoustic guitar….wraps himself around it and starts playing….every person in this packed living room like club, including Jeffrey’s wife and daughter, Amy the owner and over 100 adoring fans were treated to perhaps the greatest performance of their lives ! It was truly a “Hit Parade” of songs Jeffrey has written….number one after number one ….all made famous by other singers like Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Rascal Flatts, Trace Atkins, Montgomery Gentry, Van Zant, Diamond Rio, Kevin Sharp and Leann Rimes to just mention a few….and a new song called “This Cowboy Life is Killin’ Me” that’s on hold for George Strait to record. Jeff dredged up an old song he wrote for his wife, Stephanie, called “Drunk Girl”…. and with a tattoo on the right arm of his recently deceased son Alex and his daughter on the left he performed a beautiful version of “What Hurts the Most” ….the song of the year in 2006 !
HE JUST WON’T GET OFF THE STAGE !
As the clock approached 1:45 AM…and after Jeffrey asked the crowd if he could do a couple more (for the 4th time), the “Man of Steele” with the “Heart of Gold”….in his bare feet had mercy on the crowd and did just one more….oh what a night ! Jeffrey Steele, Bob DePiro, Tony Mullins and Craig Wiseman are known all over as the “Hit Men of Music Row” …..but Purple Gene pronounces Jeffrey Steele as the….. THE KING OF COUNTRY MUSIC SONGWRITERS !