European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 7, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The Roches a speak in Harmony by Hillel Italie associated press when the Roches a Sisters Maggie Terre and Suzzy a sing Harmony their voices done to just join they overlap Tike hands clasped in support. Their records sound As spontaneous As sing along in the Back seat of the car As intimate As late night talks around the Kitchen table. Bui doubts haunt these family heart to hearts on the Roches seventh album speak question Marks hang Over declarations of love disappointments Are grudgingly accepted As facts of life. Humor becomes a final defense against despair. A i think one of the reasons we be been Able to keep a real intense sort of creative integrity going if i May be so bold is because we have the support of each other Quot Terre said in a recent interview in new York. Quot if i were one person dealing with business people and record people who Are constantly giving feedback i would t have been Able to make it. We re constantly checking in checking the pulse of what we re doing what we want to  music brings the Good news. On feeling is Mutual the Pace is relaxed easy the percussion gently keeping time. The singing is assured even relieved the sound of three Wise women gratified to still be together. Quot when you re listening to this record you re listening to people who have been basically singing together at least 20 years which is a very seasoned blending of voices Quot Suzzy said �?�1 think it would be hard to arrive at that without  the Roches grew up in Park Ridge n.j., winning local Talent shows and attracting enough attention for Maggie and Terre to tour Folk clubs around the country. Younger sister Suzzy at first stayed behind. Avowed fans of Paul Simon upon learning that he had expressed interest in their singing backup on his 1973 album there goes rhyming Simon the Roches decided to accept his offer a without bothering to Tell him. Quot we kind of crashed the session Quot Terre recalled. Quot we had three Days off because a gig had been cancelled so we took the bus from Pittsburgh Down to muscle Shoals Alabama and we just showed up at his studio and said we heard that you wanted us to  Quot Quot there was a moment when we first arrived Quot Maggie added Quot and they All had gone out to lunch. The person did no to know who we were and we said we re looking for Paul Simon and he went into this a get away from Here  Only Maggie and Terre appeared on their debut album seductive reasoning in 1975. Suzzy permanently joined them for the acclaimed the Roches released four years later. The Sisters camped their Way through lost love menial jobs and anxiety about the Roches Terre Suzzy and Maggie health food. The sound was All natural featuring acoustic guitars and proudly a dubbed vocals. A decade later the production is More polished and the Only out and out laughs come on the anti sex backlash of the is Suzzy a selected transcript of a conversation Between her Sisters. Otherwise the mood is More reflective sentimental As the Roches sing of Quot listening to rain falling in the darkness Quot and proudly declare Quot i love my  a i think people who tend to see what we re doing As being humorous it always strikes me that they re not looking at it closely enough Quot Terre said. Quot a lot of situations you run into the very Edge of sadness or trouble usually sort of turns into something that a almost a grotesque kind of humor. Sometimes you see a terrible Accident but you re inclined to  big nut Hin recalls the Early years when the Roches seemed just a song or concert away from commercial Success. Terre compared it to the poem in which a Man sees a Ball of Gold in the sky and reaches for it. When the prize is finally in his hands he discovers the Ball of Gold is merely a Rock. They Learned to Stop reaching in 1985 after parting ways with Warner Bros. Minus outside pressure the Roches a now signed with Mca a finally relaxed handling Day to Day struggles with a resigned shrug of the shoulders. Quot in a very practical sense when we separated from Warner Bros., the whole question of can we make a living without the big machinery was such a struggle Suzzy said. Quot even though we have the creative Freedom it s a struggle constantly and i think we did a lot of soul searching during that time and really came out much better for  his exp a really do live in Texas by Joe Edwards associated press three failed marriages helped country music songwriter Sanger d. Quot Whitey Quot Shafer to compose the memorable All my sex s live in Texas. In fact he wrote the amusing ditty a recorded by George Strait a with his fourth wife a assistance. The 1987 song is probably Shafer s Best known work in a 25-year composing career that a yielded 200 recorded tunes. Quot i think i be written something about everything that a Ever been written about Quot the 55-year-old Shafer said in Nashville recently. His wry look at former spouses embellished by the Catchy title became one of the most popular country songs of the past decade. Local country music bands everywhere have the song in their repertoire. The tune also helped Strait win the prestigious Quot entertainer of the year award from the country music association last year. And attention All those sex s the royalties helped Shafer too. Shafer and his current wife Lyndia who have been married eight years wrote the song about his three a wives. It s not malicious and listeners tend to feel sorry for the fellow in the song who can to even return to the River where he Learned How to swim. Quot that a Why i hang my hat in Tennessee Quot the song says. Quot head like to go to Texas but things Are Kinda hot Down there Quot explained Shafer born and raised in the Waco Texas area. Quot it was a fun song to write. I did change the names to protect the  the rhyming title which has become one of the most famous in country music is a follow up to a line he wrote in the 1970s for another song Quot i was following the rodeos in Texas and being chased by the fathers of my sex  Quot some titles done to Tell the whole Story but this one did Quot said Shafer who got the nickname Quot Whitey Quot in High school because of his Light coloured hair. He gives Strait a fellow texan credit for taking a Chance on the song others considered inappropriate. Quot i think if he had not have Cut that it would never have been recorded Quot Shafer said. Quot people Are funny about cutting cute songs but that one just had something about it. It was too cute to pass  the inevitable question is whether his three sex wives really do live in Texas and How they reacted to the song. Quot they do live there but one sort of drifts Back and Forth Between California and Texas Quot Shafer said. He s not sure How two of them feel but sex wife Darlene took it Fine. Quot we re still friends Quot he said. Last year Shafer wrote i wonder do you think of me which was the first release by country Singer Keith Whitley after Whitley died in May of an accidental overdose of alcohol it was a no. 1 record. Some of Shafer s other top songs include does fort Worth Ever Cross your mind recorded by Strait that s the Way love goes a no. 1 country music record by both Merle Haggard and Johnny Rodriguez and i never go around mirrors also recorded by Whitley. Shafer moved to Nashville from Texas in the mid-1960s with the idea of becoming a Singer. He did some performing but found the Competition stiff. So he turned to songwriting. Quot for some reason i be always been Able to retain a string of notes i be heard Quot he said. Quot it just seems like i know what kind of idea will go with a certain  Shafer who recently was inducted into the Nashville songwriters Hall of Fame describes himself As a writer of traditional country music with Little interest in pop oriented styles. Give him a few Beers and his favorite instrument and hell come up with a country song. Quot it just seemed like a guitar and six pack went together Quot he said. Page 16 a a a the stars and stripes a a a top a pop a singles 1. Escapade a Janet Jackson 2. Dangerous a Rosette 3. Roam a the b-52�?Ts 4. Black velvet a Alannah Myles 5. Price of love a bad English. 6 opposites attract a Paula Abdul amp the wild pair 7. No More lies a Michelle 8. Here we Are a Gloria Estefan 9.1 go to extremes a Billy Joel 10. Love will Lead you Back a Taylor Dayn top a up s 1. 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