Soundz
Ned Sutton
Country/honky-tonk singer
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 06.16.2005
Age: 57
For the record: Sutton earned the moniker "musical homegrown folk hero" after years spent in the late 1970s and '80s fronting several bands, including Fast Eddie and the Rodeo Kings and Ned Sutton and the Rabbits. Along the way, he worked with George Hawke and honky-tonk legends the Dusty Chaps, and sang Hawke's tunes on Sutton's classic vinyl record, "Drugstore Cowboy."
Sutton quit playing bars about 15 years ago and focused his attention on raising his kids. His daughter was around 2; he later had a son, who is now a freshman in high school.
Sutton works as a freelance graphic designer. His recent work includes posters and T-shirts he designed for the annual Tucson Folk Festival, work that was, for the most part, anonymous. He has kept his singing limited to informal parties and song circles.
On Saturday, he will take the stage with Tucson's own Wayback Machine for his first full-fledged public performance in 15 years. He will sit in on one of the band's three sets that will pay homage to Western music and honky-tonk, covering hits by artists who include New Riders of the Purple Sage, Emmylou Harris, Delbert McClinton, the Texas Tornados, Rosie Flores, Rodney Crowell and the Dusty Chaps.
Are you nervous about standing before a live audience again? "Oh, hell no. I could go for days. It's probably the most fun thing on Earth, playing in front of people with good musicians. The neat thing about it is that it's there, then it's gone."
Why did you retire from music? "I just got out of it because I wasn't really writing any of my own stuff, being creative in that way. And bars didn't pay much to play. Stinky old bars weren't as fun anymore."
What enticed you to come back? "These guys were saying, 'Hey, come down and do a set. It should be fun.' I guess (they) pestered me enough."
Do you think you would consider shooting for a second round? "Oh, yeah, yeah. Especially now that the kids are older. (Kids) take a lot of time, especially if you give a damn about them. If you don't give a damn, I could be out every night. I don't think you stop and take a breath and compare notes enough during their developments; otherwise, you wouldn't feel like such a loser all the time."
Watching from the sidelines for the last 15 years, what do you think of Tucson's live music scene? "I think there's a lot of people out there. It seems like quite a variety of stuff, which is nice to see. The bar scene was dying out when I got out. There weren't that many people going and you weren't filling places as much as you used to. I think it might be coming back around."
If you could write the perfect country song for today's audience, what would it sound like? "Well, I don't know. It would have to do with the basics, probably love and death, I guess. And family. The things that matter."
