About George Thompson
Location: Missouri
Occupation: Writer
Bio: Bio I was born in the small town of Ironton, Missouri in the mid-40s. My father was a minister and my mother was the devoted pastor’s wife. We moved when I was three to Kansas City where Dad pastored several churches, then moved to Fulton in 1960 where I graduated from Fulton High School in 1962. Dad was pastor at the Southside Baptist Church from 1960 through 1967. It was during those teenage years that I started writing poetry, articles, short stories and novels. Many poems were of a “grim” nature because I was usually either frustrated or felt depressed when I wrote them. Further in-depth study of myself helped me to see matters in a different, more enlightened way and gave me a much greater peace Bio of mind. That feeling came about when I realized that a Higher Power held control over my life and although I felt free here on earth to explore many things because God gave me the mind to make my own decisions based on the “terms” I had set for myself it was I who set the terms and levels of frustration and worry. Once I turned everything over to God, my writings became more positive and that feeling of emptiness I once had was lifted. My faith in God and the good intentions of mankind grows daily. I believe in the power of words, whether they are written, spoken or through the motions and spelling in sign language. They can be used to empower or defeat, accept or deny. My poetry is just one of many means of communicating. Retired now, I make my home in Ironton once again after being gone for sixty years. I write a poem every day, an article or two a week and have a continuing column at wickedwordsmith.com on the Web. My pleasures are writing, feeding birds and taking care of my new cat, Mandi.
Posts: 146
More from this author
Randy McAllister is an original. He’s his own man and proud of that fact. Dope Slap Soup is his seventh album to date, and he has quite a following. He doesn’t really fit any particular country category and carries off his music perfectly. From crooning to basic barroom bawry songs, he’s capable of capturing the mood and letting his audience enjoy the ride.
He’s been compared to many, but I found him to be a “little” like Ricky van Shelton, his harmonica playing reminiscent of the guy with Willy Nelson and singing songs that Brooks and Dunn would sing. He’s got blues, honky tonk, uptown, downtown, and just about everywhere else in between covered on this CD. And, it doesn’t get much better than that.
Born in Texas, the title of the CD is from a made-up town called Dope Slap. It’s the kind of town we’ve all probably been in. The kind of place we go to when we’ve only got ten dollars in our pocket and the nearest sandwich cost $127 (the name of one of the songs on the CD). We’ve been there when our girlfriend or boyfriend has left us for someone else and we’re at the end of our rope. But, there’s always some hope in sight and Randy sings about that hope. Keep your fingers crossed if you’re ever in Dope Slap, Texas.
I liked the strong beats on the songs and none of them were twangy. They were—hate to say it—“citified.” Guess that’s what I meant earlier when I said “uptown.” This is grown-up music that each of us can identify with and say, “Dad gum right. Go get ‘em, Randy!”
The group consists of the following: Randy McAllister: vocals and harmonica; 4 guitar players on different songs; 3 drummers; 1 bassist, 2 (B-3 and piano); 2 (background vocals). There are twelve songs on this CD including: “Clear My Head,” “Can’t Pick Your Relatives,” “The Girl Ain’t Right,” and “Blame Yourself.” All are fine songs and run the gamut of emotions with Randy’s strong voice coming through on each one. Check him out at http://www.randymcallister.com. You won’t be disappointed, believe me.
