Art Satherley

from JEMF Quarterly VOL VIII, PART 1, SPRING, 1972, NO. 25:

Gene Earle and Norm Cohen interviewed A&R man Uncle Art Satherley twice (December 1970 and June 1971)
to tape some of his reminiscences of his long career in the early country music 
industry. The following is drawn from those interviews.

When recording black artists, 

"... I didn't just say, 'Sing this and go out and 
have a drink somewhere. ' I spent my time in that studio 
getting them ready for the people of the world. . . 

When I spoke to those Negroes, I would talk to them, I would 
tell them something about my background as an immigrant. 
I would tell them what we had to expect. 

Then when I found that I had these Negroes in a feeling, I would ask, 
'Before we sing this spiritual . . which one of you have 
lost a loved one in the last year or so?' 

And one would step forward. Then I would say to the fellow that had 
some preaching experience, 'Just say a little short 
prayer before we start preaching. ' 

This was not an act on my part. It was the simplicity of a simplicity to be 
an honest man, to give them what they wanted back. And 
the only way to get it back was to get what they felt in 
their souls. 

How many recording men know that? . . . It's 
all a study. You just don't go in like animals and talk to 
people, whether they're white, black, pink, or any color. 
You just have to know their life a little bit, and they 
have to know that you're not going to hurt them, too."