Buffalo Brown
"You know, what Nashville needs right now is a good, strong baritone voice, and I’m just the guy to give it to them!" Johnny Duncan leans back, laughs and means every word he’s saying.
John Richard Duncan, known to millions of country fans as Johnny, has returned to the recording studio in as fine and resonant a voice as ever after a self-imposed hiatus. "Country tastes have changed to some degree," he acknowledges. "I’m not going to limit myself. We’re doing some two-steps and ballads, yeah, but I’m cutting some country rock as well. It cooks. Hey, you can line dance to this stuff."
Duncan’s early life was steeped in West Texas music. He picked this up naturally as a boy listening to his mother play rhythm guitar in his uncle’s country band. Later, he began sharpening his vocal skills, influenced by his early idols Eddy Arnold, Perry Como, Jim Reeves, and Frank Sinatra. Johnny was born into a musical family. He is very proud of his talented and famous cousins, including Eddie Seals, Jimmy Seals of Seals & Croft, and country singer Dan Seals. After playing and singing with his musically-gifted family for a few years, he decided to move where the bigger action was—Nashville, Tennessee. The dream began…
Starting out in Music City isn’t always easy. Early jobs came in the form of construction work and progressed to a local radio station, where he was an air personality. During this last stint, he began his on-going songwriting career. The radio station afforded him accessibility to artists, and he was able to start pitching them his songs. That dream became a reality when popular singers such as Charley Pride, Marty Robbins, Chet Atkins, Conway Twitty and Jim Ed Brown recorded Duncan-penned songs.
While working at the Franklin, Tennessee radio station, he’d sometimes sing a jingle or write a song on the air. Guest appearances followed on Nashville’s local television. Ralph Emery invited Duncan to sing on his celebrated WSM-TV morning show, which led to a spot on Bobby Lord’s afternoon program. Don Law of CBS Records happened to be watching and was very excited about Duncan’s performance. The next thing he knew, Duncan was signing his first recording contract. The charismatic Libran’s next performance wasn’t on radio or a daytime talk show. It was in front of an audience of thousands at a CBS Showcase at Fan Fair. The dream continued…
His first CBS single was "Rainbow Road". About three years later, Duncan joined forces with famed producer Billy Sherrill in a long-running partnership. It took a couple of years and some minor hits until the new team found the perfect formula matching Johnny’s smooth baritone styling with the quality of songs which best suited his sexy voice. The results were worth the wait.
"Sweet Country Woman", "Stranger", "Thinkin’ of a Rendezvous", "It Couldn’t Have Been Any Better", "Slow Dancing" and his biggest single, "She Can Put Her Shoes Under My Bed Anytime", were solid proof the new formula worked. In just a few short years, Duncan racked up an impressive string of number one records, many of them certified gold. Most of those hits are still played on today’s country radio.
A few years after beginning his recording career, Johnny met a young jingle singer from the Dallas, Texas area. Janie Fricke had a beautiful voice which nicely complemented his styling. He soon included Fricke in his shows and on his records, leading to a Country Music Association nomination for Best Vocal Duo and to Fricke’s own contract with Duncan’s CBS label.
During these years, success came naturally to the handsome 6’4" Texan. He toured the world, performed on numerous national television shows and even was in the movies, including Clint Eastwood’s Any Which Way You Can.
After the years of great success, the road-weary singer began to think more and more about home and Texas. With much soul-searching, he elected to go on a hiatus from the business of singing and to plunge into the business of raising his children. He later remarried, this time to a pretty Georgia native named Connie Smith. A few years later, their son John Isaac was born.
"While I was away from Nashville, I was never completely removed," Duncan recalls. "I worked about 10 dates a month to keep my voice in shape, but I worked at my own pace, always thinking of an eventual return to Nashville and recording." In 1997, that goal was realized as he went back into the studio to work on songs for an upcoming album. The dream comes full circle…
With homes in both Nashville and Texas, Johnny Duncan combined his career with his home roots. Along the way, he found the best of both worlds. "When you’re an entertainer, you can’t just sit and do nothing. It’s in your blood, and it never leaves. I guess I’ll be singing and writing forever." Sadly, he passed away on 14th August 2006 at the age of 67 in Fort Worth, Texas
From Johnny Duncan Web Side
www.johnnyduncanmusic.com
More And More
Johnny Duncan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm forgetting the past
More and more I'm livin' at last
Day by day I'm losin' my blues
More and more I'm forgettin' 'bout you
You know how I tried to keep you by my side
And oh how I cried when you said "goodbye"
More and more I'm forgettin' 'bout you
But oh how I tried to keep you by my side
And oh how I cried when you said goodbye
Day by day I'm losin' my blues
More and more I'm forgettin' 'bout you
Day by day I'm losin' my blues
More and more I'm forgettin' 'bout you
The lyrics to Johnny Duncan's song "More And More" describe the process of moving on from a past relationship. The singer acknowledges how much they had tried to keep the person by their side, but in the end, had to let them go. They express the pain they went through when their partner said goodbye and how they had cried. However, as time goes by, they are slowly forgetting their past and starting to live again. The singer is gradually losing their blues and feeling better. They repeat that they are forgetting about their past love interest more and more every day.
The lyrics demonstrate a common theme in many pieces of music, that of heartbreak and the steps it takes to heal after a breakup. Many can relate to the emotions conveyed in this song, as it appears to be a reflection of the pain and sorrow one feels after losing someone close. The gradual healing process demonstrated in the lyrics, and the repetition of the chorus "More and more I'm forgetting 'bout you," illustrate the power of time in helping one come to terms with a relationship ending.
In conclusion, Johnny Duncan's song "More And More" is a poignant depiction of the journey one takes after a painful breakup. It highlights the pain one can face, but also the power of time and healing to slowly help them move on and forget their past.
Line by Line Meaning
More and more
As time passes, my emotions are changing for the better
I'm forgetting the past
I am no longer dwelling on past memories
More and more I'm livin' at last
I am finally moving on and living my life fully
Day by day I'm losin' my blues
My sadness and pain are gradually diminishing with each passing day
More and more I'm forgettin' 'bout you
My heart is slowly letting go of the person who hurt me
You know how I tried to keep you by my side
I made every effort to keep you close to me
And oh how I cried when you said 'goodbye'
Your departure caused me immense pain and led to many tears
But oh how I tried to keep you by my side
My efforts to hold onto you were in vain
Day by day I'm losin' my blues
Each day, I am feeling better and moving on from my heartache
More and more I'm forgettin' 'bout you
I am slowly forgetting about you and the pain you caused me
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Webb Pierce, Merle Kilgore
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cindy Keeling Bates
Thanks for the great music!
Martin Cotterell
This never made the top 20 but spent weeks "bubbling under".
paul tidswell
Awesome
Glenn Johnson
Glenn Johnson Good as this is,i prefer the acoustic version on his "Tennessee Songbag album",the year before in 57
OldiesAl
Yeah I know what you mean Joe, it has grown on me though,