Monkey Bidness Music

Written on a piece of Hotel Stationery, without an instrument available, at the Park Vista Hotel in Gatlinburg, TN, in about 30 minutes, "Tulip Magnolia" marks John's first love song written to an inanimate object; in this case, a tree.  Tickled by the opportunity for double entendre in the lyric, John had passed this tree daily, for years and marveled each year at its blooming season.  Knowing it resembled a both a Tulip Poplar and a Magnolia, he asked what it was called, and, well ... "Tulip Magnolia became (its) name."

Armed with two acoustic piano and one electric piano tracks, a lyric and a melody, John came in with an "unpolished stone." With the help of Jere, Bill, Edwin Milam (with the vocals) and Wardlaw Steele (with the strings), the arrangement came together in the studio, and we got this "gem."