The Music of Illness

My story was published in the Nashville Music Guide, Dec 2010/Jan 2011 issue.  It tells the story about how Lucky Kelson and I hooked up again, not just with our biker reunions, but with collaborating on music together.  I share how writing music helped me to heal during my battle with cancer.  Check out page 41.

Nashville Music Guide

My daughter, Sally, took this picture to go with the song I wrote, I Wear My Father’s Clothes.  While my father was dying of cancer, my own cancer was showing its ugly head.  But I wouldn’t know it was there until after I buried my dad.  I wore his coat to all my chemo treatments.  It helped to make it feel like he was with me and I wrote this song while hooked to those IV’s. 

We are in the process of adding some samples of my music to the website, but for now, if you would like to hear a couple of my songs, please email me at kenbaby1955@yahoo.com.

I Wear My Father’s Clothes

written by Ken Boutwell & Lucky Kelson

I wear my daddy’s clothes, they fit a little loose
Takes two pair of socks, just to fill his boots.
An old cowboy hat, some gloves that he wore,
Mean more to me now, than ever before.

There’s something that I do that nobody knows,
When I miss my father, I wear his clothes.

I miss my ol’ man, my buddy, my best friend.
I like to wear his clothes every now and then.
It’s just my way of keepin’ him around,
I’ll put on his ol’ gloves, take a walk, and hold his hand.

Daddy was the kind of man who took pride in what he wore.
He loved to wear those snake skin boots, as a kid he couldn’t afford.
Daddy never wore a suit, but one thing I know,
When Daddy put on his cowboy coat, it was the man that made the clothes.

I sat at the foot of my daddy’s bed, & swamp some guitar for his woes
Beneath the sheets I see he’s still keeping time with his toe
Daddy kept his pain to himself, so no one else would know
Then my Daddy left this world, and now I wear his clothes.

Someday before I go, I’ll hang his old clothes up,
Hope my kids will wear them, and think of us and say…

We miss our ol’ man, our papa, our two best friends.
We like to wear their clothes every now and then.
It’s just our way of keepin’ them around.
We can put on their ol’ gloves, take a walk, and hold their hands.