A 1972 hit song”Garden Party” was written by Rick Nelson and recorded by him and the Stone Canyon Band on the album Garden Party. The song tells the story of Nelson being booed at a concert at Madison Square Garden.
As the hit song says, he was there to play his old songs, but he didn’t look the same. He had let his hair grow long. And the audience couldn’t handle the change and refused to hear his songs.
My dad told me a story of a similar experience Rick Nelson had when he showed up to sing at a prison rodeo. The convicts didn’t like the change in his appearance either and when he started to sing, they also began to boo and then to yell, “Bring on the bulls!”
The story from my dad inspired the “Bring On the Bulls!” song which I wrote and recorded while serving as Southwest Airlines Ambassador of FUN. The message in the song: no matter what you do and how well you do it, some will say STOP, others YES, DO IT.
Not everyone may like the way singer-songwriter Willie Nelson sings, but that didn’t stop Willie from having a net worth of $25 million. Both Rick Nelson and Willie Nelson (not related to my knowledge) made the decision to stay true to who they are and play to those who want to listen.
Your *gift* may not be for everyone. But, if it’s good enough for enough, then keep sharing it. And keep on keeping on, even if some yell, “Bring on The Bulls!”
