As a kid, I remember listening to Marty Robbins sing about gunfighters, bad guys, and good guys stepping up to do the right thing. Marty Robbins, singer/songwriter and stock car racer who drove the number 42 Dodge, sang a story like nobody else. And nothing captures a moment in time like a well told story. Other musical influences go back to Buddy Holly, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Beethoven, and George Strait. Rooted in country, a musical sojourn included rock, folk, classical, and back home to country. Playing rock band and folk solo gigs was great fun but fun didn’t put food on the table. Door to door peddling paid better than mopping floors and provided an additional benefit of securing a priceless education in human nature. Over the years a successful career in sales developed. The days of packing flexible musicians between instruments and around sound equipment to shoehorn a rock band into a questionably functional vehicle had past. But more songs were yet to come. Experiences while traveling and looking for a better life inspired more mature songs that interwove the lives of people, events, and the consequences of good and bad decisions. Trade Winds Records came into being and publishing the music became a priority. As an auto-racing fan, mostly NASCAR, it became apparent that few if any songs about auto-racing were played during televised races, race programs or on the radio. Enter "Stock Car Fever" on the "Let It Ride " CD. It seems that Marty Robbins' influence in songwriting may have also included auto sports.