Help Me Finish What He Helped Me Start

Thomas Koechle is actually the Uncle of my first wife, so technically you could say he was my Uncle-In-Law. Tom Koechle was a hard working union man with the Ford Glass plant in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Originally from Michigan, he was a unique individual who for some reason that I never quite understood out, he liked me a lot.

At a very important time in my life, when most everyone else I knew was too busy laughing at me for wanting to become a singer and songwriter, Tom didn't laugh. Instead, he took his own hard earned money and took me to Nashville, Tennessee, where on April 6, 1986 he paid for me to cut 2 sides of a 45 RPM record at Pollyfox Grand Studios, using some of the best session players in the music recording industry at that time. Even though I admittedly understood later that I was not really ready for all of that yet, it was his confidence in me that I could do it that was what I really needed at the time. I will never forget and will always be grateful to Tom for that and will always honor what he did for me.

I’m posting this today because it is his wife’s birthday (Bobbie Koechle), and as we all know, anytime you find a really good guy you will also find a good woman beside him. Tom has been gone since 2010. When I saw the Facebook notification that it was her birthday today, I was suddenly flooded with the memories of my trip with Tom to Nashville and our experiences there.

One of them was a violent storm that came from out of nowhere while we were sitting at a stoplight at an intersection just a few miles before you get to Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. Standing on the corner in the wind and rain just a few feet outside of the passenger window stood a very weathered looking and downtrodden man in dirty clothes. He had his back to me at the time and what I noticed most was the old beat up guitar on his back that was hanging from nothing but a rope. Mine was of course safe and sound inside it's case sitting on the seat next to me. As Tom and I sat there quietly waiting for the light to change in this freakish storm, for whatever reason, the man slowly turned around and we were now looking at each other face to face through the window for what seemed like several minutes. We could not have been more than a few feet apart, and yet the condition and the state of each man could not have been any farther apart. I cannot adequately describe to you in words what happened to me during those few moments, but it changed my life forever.

Once the light changed, so did the storm, and it disappeared just as quickly as it had came. As we pulled on through the light and I watched the man disappear through the side view mirror as we got farther and farther away, the words began to come . . .

BLUE IN MEMPHIS

There ain't a whole lot of hope, for this old ragged coat Then I might as well throw it away If it rains one more time, on this ole hat of mine

Cause the wind gets through it anyway My fingers go numb, as I hold out my thumb Is the whole, damned world against us I never knew, it got this blue, in Memphis

Well these strings in my shoes, have broken into From walking for so many miles Little children wave hi, from the cars passing by So I try my best to smile Yeah they wave their hands, but they don't understand About alone, and defenseless And I never knew, it got this blue, in Memphis

So me and my pride, are standing on the side Of a long and lonesome highway Yeah this old road haunts me, there ain't nobody wants me And now all that I can say Is I guess I'll move on, guess I'll go on alone Though my dreams, now seem so hopeless And I never knew, it got this blue, in Memphis

No I never knew, I never dreamed That this could happen to someone like me No I never knew, it got this blue, in Memphis

Words & Music by Marty Garrett | BMI Copyright 1986 Lonesome Wind Music | BMI

The song that was written within the next few blocks would become the song Cold In Memphis that I later recorded, and that eventually fell into the hands of legendary Country Music Star Billy Walker, the oldest living member of the Grand Ole Opry (at that time), who loved the song and actually gave me a better title for it. He asked me why I hadn’t used the word blue instead of cold. After thinking it over, I realized what good advice that was so I changed it to Blue In Memphis.

I don't write or sing songs like that anymore after everything that the Lord has done for me, but I still appreciate and respect the moment that this occurrence in my life from that incident happened, because it helped me become a less self-centered person because that's exactly what I was up until that moment.

Many other things happened as a result of that trip and because of Tom’s generosity and his belief in me. His niece (my wife at the time) and I were divorced shortly after that and so I only saw Tom a few more times after this. I regret that.

I think he would enjoy the fact that this small beginning that he helped start, has continued throughout these 31 years and has grown from a single 45 record, into a catalog of more than 30 unique tunes about the Lord Jesus. Somehow I just think that he would have liked that.

Do not despise the day of small beginnings. Out of them arises a mighty work!

Thank you Tom. Thank you very much.

Marty Garrett

I invite you to join together with me and help me finish what Tom Koechle helped me to start by donating to my efforts at Marty Garrett Ministries.

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