We are Rick and Denise Williams. We grew up in Minnesota where we were dairy farmers in another life. We started over in Tennessee in 1993 and 15 years later it is definitely home now. Rick is a manufacturing engineer and I work in the box office at the Bridgestone Arena. We have two spoiled dogs, Seamus and Guthrie, and a mystic/autistic cat named Mateo.
Starting a house concert series became a dream of ours after experiencing our first at the home of friends Dana and Andy Jones, Cuervo Acres House Concerts in Princeton, Texas. Then we met Ramcey Rodriguez, the Cuban Hillbilly sound man. He had house concert sound knowledge and the talent and gear to do it first rate. With Ramcey providing the final piece in the puzzle, we booked our first concert for June, 2007.
The name Hillbilly Haiku comes from a song lyric by Guy Clark and Mark D. Sanders:
Townes Van Zandt standin' at the bar 
Skinnin' a Hollywood movie star
Can't remember where he parked his car
Or to whom he lost the keys
Full of angst and hillbilly haiku
What's a poor Ft. Worth boy to do
Go on rhyme somethin' for 'em man
Show 'em how you really feel
- Cold Dog Soup
Guy Clark, Mark D. Sanders
I've been told Hillbilly has a negative connotation for some and may not have been the wisest choice for our moniker. To me, Hillbilly is just mountain-speak for 'country' and we come from the country. Hillbilly Haiku. Country Poetry. And coming from a writer like Guy Clark and referring to Townes Van Zandt, well, that is some great company. Our series emphasizes independent singer-songwriters and Roots/Americana artists of conscience.
We are very fortunate to have a great sound man, Ramcey Rodriguez. Ram is from Florida originally and moved to Nashville to be closer to the music he loves. He is self-employed at his custom lighting and shades business during the day, but music is his passion. For 3 years he was the sound engineer for a music-train across Canada, and worked with many of the greatest songwriters ever. Artists such as Steve Young, Mary Gauthier, Tom Russell, Nanci Griffith, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Rod Picott, Fred Eaglesmith and many others. He has a complete sound system, and experience in doing live recordings and mastering. His expertise makes for the very best listening environment right in our living room!
Ramcey is also good with the camera, and some of the photos you see on our website are his work. He is available for hire to provide excellent sound for all types of acoustic-based gigs. You can reach him at ramcey@bellsouth.net.
