Q&A with Michael Twitty
A country music legacy comes home
Interview by Anne Martin

You travel all over the world. Does the Delta go with you?

Absolutely. My wife asked me that question, too. She wanted to know why every time I come down here I get emotional. It’s because the Delta is a part of me and I’m a part of it. Just as sure as I’m living and breathing…the feeling, the heart and soul. Any singer that comes from this part of the world knows what I’m talking about. It’s hard to put in words. I went to Memphis and sang with B.B. King’s band and they said, “You sing pretty good for a white boy!” I said that’s for a reason, I come from the Delta just like B.B. did! We had a big time. So yes, I carry the Delta with me everywhere I go. And it’s always a treat for me to come back home to do a show.

How often do you get back to Moon Lake and to the Delta?

Two, three times a year––not enough! My son told me, “Dad, you ought to move back there.” I said, “Son, who knows, one day I might.” I could live back at Moon Lake real easy. It’s a part of my soul.

How old were you when you first realized your father was a big country star?

Dad was so down to earth; he was just Dad. I knew he sang for a living, but when he was around me it was quality time. I guess it would be 1960 when they bought Conway’s at Moon Lake and “Only Make Believe” was a huge hit. I remember wondering why everyone was making such a fuss over Dad. Then all of sudden I heard that song on the ole juke box and I thought “ahh.” That’s when I got my guitar and started playing along with him.

How did the kids at school treat you, knowing who your father was?

I got a lot of jokes––Itty Bitty Twitty and all that stuff. But it was OK, I understood. Especially with that weird name Conway Twitty! The hardest part was Dad being gone all the time. But I understood it was his job.

What was it like growing up on Moon Lake?

It was great. Happy Days––that’s what I call it and that’s why I love that show; it reminded me of growing up in the Delta. We had our Bo Jenkins like the Fonz. No relation to us, but he was our Fonz. It was Happy Days. That’s the best way I can put it. I don’t remember any problems. I didn’t know what drugs were…I just wish the whole world was like Moon Lake was in the ’60s.

When your father came home, what did the two of you do that was special?

Like my father, I like baseball. Dad was even drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies before he began his recording career. But before he ever got to play, he got drafted by Uncle Sam! First love, baseball. Still today I go to see the Nashville Sounds, which my dad helped start. I inherited that deep love of baseball he had. We’d go to the game, eat hot dogs; I really dug that.

You married a Delta girl?

Of course! She grew up just about a quarter of a mile down the road from me. We went to high school together, but she was younger than me. Like a lot of kids, we got married young and grew up together; but we loved each other. We stayed married 11 years. She realized the music business was too much. We grew up and grew apart; let me put it that way. We are still very close friends. She comes to all of my shows in the area.

Have your children grown up with deep Delta roots?

Absolutely. My daughter Michelle was born in Helena in the same hospital I was delivered in, and by the same doctor who delivered me. I’m real deep into that roots thing.

What are some of the values you grew up with that you want to pass on to your children and grandchildren?

The same things my grandparents taught me––always treat somebody like you want to be treated; always treat your neighbor like he’s your very best friend; and anytime you can go out of your way to help somebody, do it. You know, all the things Southern people, Southern traditions instill. That’s the way I was raised with my grandparents and great-grandparents. The heart and soul of the Delta is from the heart and soul of the people who live here.

What’s the one thing you look forward to most when you come home?

The first thing is to just see that Mississippi River. But also I look forward to seeing so many people I haven’t seen in so long. Life is all about people. People are the main thing that matter in life. Everything is just dirt, rock or wood. But I have to be honest with you, anytime I come close to the Mississippi River, it really touches me deep down inside. Sometimes, I go out there and get on a boat, get down to my drawers and take a swim in it.

What’s your fondest memory of your father at Moon Lake?

Anytime he would come down there and I got on stage to sing with him. I sang my first song when I was 8 years old with Dad––“Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash. And here we did the show tonight with Tommy Cash. And I told Tommy that. And I’ve known Tommy a long time.

Where was that show?

Right there at Moon Lake at Conway’s. So any time Dad would come to Moon Lake, I would always get on stage and sing with him when I was just a kid. Now as I look back on it, it was always neat. I would get up, I would play guitar and sing right along with him. I guess the apple don’t fall far from the tree!

What about Delta food?

Oh gosh, that’s why I’m overweight now! Love it! My grandmother was a great cook and we had Conway’s on Moon Lake. People would come from 150 miles just to eat her cooking. That’s just how good it was. So I guess I was raised on good groceries, as Dad said! I fight hard to keep my waist line but I do love good groceries, good vittels, as Granny Clampet would say.

What was your favorite dish your grandmother would fix for you?

Fried chicken. Mamaw’s fried chicken. The Colonel didn’t have nothing on her, I guarantee it.

How do you feel about your son following in your footsteps and those of his famous grandfather?

Tre’s got his own thing going. I didn’t push him into the music, just like my dad didn’t push me into it. He decided he wanted to do it. I did the same thing with him my Daddy did with me––I tried to scare him out of it. This business is so tough, being gone all the time; it’s just not conducive to a good family life. There are a lot of pitfalls. But I told him to make up your mind and I’ll do for you like my daddy did for me, I’ll take you on the road with me. That’s where he stayed for five years.

How old were you when you realized you wanted to get into the music business?

All my life. I had a band in high school. It was just a hobby, never thought I’d make a living with it. When I was 18 years old we did a show in Memphis at Eddie Bond’s Radio Ranch. I was working there at the time. After the show this guy came up and said he wanted to talk to me. I didn’t know who he was. He was a booking agent from Nashville. I was 18, still wet behind the ears and he said he thought I was good enough to do this professionally. I said “naw, naw,” that I couldn’t do it and that I couldn’t compete with my dad. He pressed on and I asked him how much money I could make. I had a wife and baby, and I wasn’t just going to wander off and do just anything. I was working during the week in construction and played on the weekends. Mel and I talked about it and she said she knew I loved it. She said, “Why don’t we take a shot at it.” So I loaded up the wife and baby in my old ’72 Volkswagen Beetle and off to Nashville we went! And I’ve been there ever since.

Any other memories of Moon Lake you would like to share?

I learned how to fish in Moon Lake. I learned how to swim in Moon Lake. I’m a scuba diver now. My grandmother used to say I spent more time under that water than I did on top of it. So many people I love were born and raised and buried now around Moon Lake. To me, it’s just home. My fondest memories will always be of Moon Lake, and I’m so proud to be raised there because it really made me the person I am. It made a big difference. DM