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| For purposes of pilgrimage... |
The Hit
When I heard B. W. Stevenson’s “My Maria” for the first time - and that would have been this week - I didn’t quite know how to read it. It has a whiff of country to it, especially in the vocal phrasing, but the rest of it - from the basic rhythm to a mini-chorus singing the second half of the verses to the Laurel-Canyon-esque strains in the rhythm guitar - sounds more like the era’s pop-rock. It left me wondering where B. W. Stevenson would go on the rest of his fair-sized catalog.
I couldn’t find any particularly great stories about either the song or the circumstances of its recording. A short history in the Oakcliff Advocate gives a little more background, at least, mostly quotes and memories. Most come from Daniel Moore, the guy who co-wrote the song with Stevenson - or, more accurately, the guy who brought a song he’d been working on for two years to Stevenson. As Moore relates, Stevenson only needed about 15 minutes to fine-tune the song into the Top 10 hit it ultimately became. The same article notes how people just assumed Stevenson wrote another song - one was titled “Shambala” - when he didn’t have much to do with it. Here’s Moore on that:
“’I busted him for taking credit for writing “Shambala.” He had this big grin on his face and said, “I never said that I wrote it,” Moore told [radio DJ Robynn] James. “Then his grin got bigger, and he said, ‘But I also never said that I didn’t write it.’”
The story that article tells about “Shambala” arguably gets closer to the story of B. W. Stevenson’s career…
The Rest of the Story
“I do have several good ‘war stories’ about chuck. I'll say this all the time he was in the Air Force he kept saying he was going to make it. He said it was like a roller coaster. He's been going up hill so long that the once he reaches the top it will be smooth sailing.”
When I heard B. W. Stevenson’s “My Maria” for the first time - and that would have been this week - I didn’t quite know how to read it. It has a whiff of country to it, especially in the vocal phrasing, but the rest of it - from the basic rhythm to a mini-chorus singing the second half of the verses to the Laurel-Canyon-esque strains in the rhythm guitar - sounds more like the era’s pop-rock. It left me wondering where B. W. Stevenson would go on the rest of his fair-sized catalog.
I couldn’t find any particularly great stories about either the song or the circumstances of its recording. A short history in the Oakcliff Advocate gives a little more background, at least, mostly quotes and memories. Most come from Daniel Moore, the guy who co-wrote the song with Stevenson - or, more accurately, the guy who brought a song he’d been working on for two years to Stevenson. As Moore relates, Stevenson only needed about 15 minutes to fine-tune the song into the Top 10 hit it ultimately became. The same article notes how people just assumed Stevenson wrote another song - one was titled “Shambala” - when he didn’t have much to do with it. Here’s Moore on that:
“’I busted him for taking credit for writing “Shambala.” He had this big grin on his face and said, “I never said that I wrote it,” Moore told [radio DJ Robynn] James. “Then his grin got bigger, and he said, ‘But I also never said that I didn’t write it.’”
The story that article tells about “Shambala” arguably gets closer to the story of B. W. Stevenson’s career…
The Rest of the Story
“I do have several good ‘war stories’ about chuck. I'll say this all the time he was in the Air Force he kept saying he was going to make it. He said it was like a roller coaster. He's been going up hill so long that the once he reaches the top it will be smooth sailing.”
