It has been my distinct pleasure of late, to talk on the phone many times with a man by the name of Don Unterfer. Don was the lead guitar player for Carl Butler & Pearl for nine and a half years and has been more than gracious about talking with me about his many experiences. Thank you Don, I truly appreciate your time spent talking with me.
One of my favorite Carl Butler & Pearl tunes is "Sundown In Nashville". In talking to Don, I have discovered that this tune was NOT a "hit" amongst the "Suits" of the music business. I guess they just couldn't face the bitter truth smacking them in the face even back in late 1969!
Carl only had two more singles released on the Columbia label after this song came out. Hmmm, I wonder why that is? Can you say money talks? Below you will find the words to this song, as Carl Butler & Pearl sang them, NOT the softened up version of the song that Marty Stuart does.
SUNDOWN IN NASHVILLE
Written by: Dwayne Warwick
The sign says Welcome to Nashville,
From whatever road you've been down.
It seems like the first of the milestones.
For here is the city, the town.
It's a quaint, old mystical city,
Where Idols and Legends have stood.
Its a city where dreams come to harbor,
A country boys Hollywood.
Chorus:
But it's lonely at sundown in Nashville,
That's when beaten souls start to weep.
Each evening at sundown in Nashville,
They sweep broken dreams off the street.
You walk down 16th to Broadway,
You walk past the new hall of fame.
And the record man with the big cigar,
He never once asked me my name.
You'll find some discarded love songs
And visions of fame on the ground.
And pieces of dreams thats been shattered,
They drift to the outskirts of town.
Chorus:
