Welcome to this installment of
Boomer Norman’s
GUITARS ON THE WEB

(Interview conducted in Fall 1999)

Today I’m talking to Boomer’s 1972 Fender Telecaster.
 
Guitars on the Web: Welcome… So, you are Boomer Norman’s Telecaster.
Boomer Norman’s Telecaster: Yep, that is correct.

G o/t W: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

BN’s T: Well, my neck is stamped November ‘72, but there is some debate as to
the possibility that my body is actually from the late '60s. I've been with
Boomer since 1985. He found me on the wall at Southpaw Guitars in Houston,
Texas.
 
G o/t W: Houston, Texas. Where are you located now?
BN's T: Austin, Texas
 
G o/t W: I see. Tell us a little about Boomer. I guess you probably know him
about as well as any guitar.
BN’s T: Yeah, I guess I do. Well. Boomer grew up in Houston where he attended
the High School for Performing and Visual Arts.
In 1984 he moved to Austin. Almost immediately he started picking up work
playing country gigs. From there he started working with songwriters including a
fellow named Charlie Beaver. Together Boomer and Charlie formed the Charlie
Beaver Band...playing a strange mix of country and rock & roll in beer joints
and honky-tonks all over the Austin area.
 
G o/t W: Playing original country songs?
BN's T: That's right. I think they made some of the more introspective, folk
oriented songwriters nervous though, they were a pretty wild band. Their slogan
was "The Charlie Beaver Band, appearing in a stupor near you.
 
G o/t W: Oh my…and you were a part of this?
BN‘s T: Yes…I was right in the middle of it. They had quite a sound back then.
That was '85 - '87. From there, Boomer has gone on to work with so many bands
and songwriters…so many projects.
 
G o/t W: Well, I’m going to ask you about that in a minute but first. I have to
ask the tough question. Are you a stock Telecaster? You don't look like you've
been modified any.
BN’s T: No, absolutely not. No modifications... I haven’t been hot-rodded. I
have had three fret jobs though, since I've been with Boomer. About every four
years he just wears my frets out…in fact, I’m due right now, or very soon, for
my forth fret job.
 
G o/t W: Three fret Jobs in 13 years! Wow, That's a lot of playing,
BN’s T: Yes it is. Boomer has played over 200 gigs a year for years now…plus he
practices a lot at home. We do scales, chord study, picking exercises, we learn
new tunes…and we do a lot of noodling too. As I said he works with, and has
worked with so many bands over the years.

G o/t W: Ok. So, who is Boomer working with these days? Also, I’m curious to
find out about some of the higher profile projects he has been involved with.
BN’s T: Well, Boomer has been a free-lance musician for years now. His theory
has always been that every band works a little but no band works a lot. Stop The
Truck is one of Boomer’s two main bands these days. They work all over Central
Texas playing great original country music with a lot of swing , rock & roll,
reggae, and cojunto influence. In fact the pictures of me were taken at a Stop
The Truck gig in San Angelo Texas last December
Boomer has played with Stop The Truck since March of '94 and is featured playing
me on both Stop The Truck records… CD's… I still call them records out of habit.
CDs were unheard of back when Boomer and I made our first recordings.
      Boomer also plays with Jim Stringer and the AM Band. The AM band, or
Austin Music Band, plays a wonderful mix of western swing, jazz, honky-tonk,
rock & roll, and general guitar weirdness. They have a CD out called "Swang",
and they will be starting their next recording very soon. Thc AM band plays
every Thursday at the Carousel Lounge in Austin…plus they will be touring some
in 2000. You can find out more about the AM Band at http://www.musicroom.org/. At that
address you can also find out about the highly acclaimed "Travis Country Pickin"
CD that Boomer was part of. 

G o/t W: I see. Well, who else has Boomer played with’?
BN's T: Boomer has worked with Don McCalister off and on for about 10 years. He
played on Don's CDs, "Brand New Ways" and "Love Gone Right". Both of these
recordings feature the legendary Texas fiddle / mandolin player Johnny Gimble.
Boomer got to record, playing yours truly, with Johnny during the "Love Gone
Right" session
In November of 95, Boomer took me to Italy for a Don McCalister tour and I was
with him when he and Don played the Bluebird Café in Nashville… in the summer of
'91, I think…I don't remember for sure. Boomer has also worked with Austin
songwriter Walt Lewis… the Walt Lewis Band… for 8 or 9 years. He played me on
Walt's CD "Wrong, Wrong, Wrong".
 
G o/t W: That was a great recording! Boomer was featured from beginning to
end... playing you I assume?
BN’s T: Yes, he played me exclusively on that record. We must have done a good
job because he received some very nice quotes in the reviews. John Conquest said
in the Music City Texas of December, 94, "Boomer Norman, one of the finest
country guitarists around, a man of infinite resource and sagacity, whose
playing is fabulous throughout…". Sagacity… can you believe it? Boomer had to
get out the dictionary and look that word up.
 
G o/t W: What a great compliment. You must have been proud.
BN’s T: Absolutely. We played an incredible show the night he read that review
for the first time.

G o/t W: Any other projects or people that you and Boomer have been involved
with that need mentioning?

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