Terrell: The man and his music

The journey began in the shadows of the old Dunson Mill Village just blocks from the West Point Pepperell Mill that sustained several generations of LaGrange families.
It continues today for Pat Alger, a LaGrange High School graduate and member of the Class of 1965.
As a youth in the Dunson Mill Village, Pat found himself in possession of a cheap guitar made of plywood with an instructional book from which he learned to play some rudimentary chords. Pat recalls that the chords are the same chords that popular music has been created around since the beginning of time.
He laughs now thinking back, “I had no technique. The instrument was impossible to play and sounded like it was-just some plywood with strings attached.”
At the time, he had no idea the plywood guitar would be his ticket for a life of music.
Months later Pat’s dad, who had a television repair shop, traded a television for a beat-up guitar in a funky old case. Pat was not impressed until his fingers began to pick some chords.
At the age of 15, little did Pat realize he had received a gift of a lifetime.
Pat continued to teach himself to play and joined in bands with high school classmates until graduation. He spent the summer working in the cotton mill and registered for courses at Georgia Tech, thinking of a future as an architectural engineer.
However, in Atlanta he found the music scene more to his liking and on weekends he began performing in local clubs playing folk songs, as well as some of his original music.
In the late 60s, Pat traded the Georgia Tech classroom and his architectural studies to follow his dreams of picking and playing under the umbrella of a growing and iconic Atlanta music scene.
The future Hall of Fame songwriter said, “Atlanta was a great springboard for entertainment. I hit the streets and quickly learned how to play on a stage and then began to concentrate on song writing.
“At the same time, there was a cultural shift in Atlanta and you could feel it in the air. Those were the strange days of Lester Maddox on one side of the street, Julian Bond and Andrew Young on the other side of the street and music in the middle. Music was everywhere, different genres, different styles.
“During all of this, you could feel and hear the expansion and evolution of southern rock and roll music but I spent my time playing in the clubs that promoted acoustic music. By the time I left Atlanta in 1973, I felt I was at the top of Atlanta. It was time to move on,” he added.
Pat had one other advantage as he labored in the marquee lights in Atlanta.
The guitar his dad had traded for a television turned out to be more than “… a beat-up guitar in a funky old case.”
What he had was a rare 1927 C.F. Martin 000-28 that was even then worth about a $1,000. Today, it would be worth $10,000.
“Of course, we had no idea about its value at the time but there I was with a quintessential instrument that sounded wonderful and was very playable so I began to practice relentlessly. I practiced hours and hours every day until I was able to reach an acceptable level,” Pat said.
“When I went to Georgia Tech I discovered how valuable the guitar was because there were other students there playing Martin guitars and my vintage instrument opened a lot of doors for me and in a way led me to the people that would give me my first opportunities.”
The LaGrange musician played and sang with various groups and duos, as well as playing solo, and was able to make a living doing what he wanted to do.
Hungry for more, he moved to Woodstock, N.Y. in 1973 where he fell in with the Woodstock Mountain Review. The classic ‘70s sound was going strong and he began his song writing in earnest.
Pat knew early on that he wanted to put words to paper and paper to music and the Woodstock group was the final push Pat needed.
A number of famous folk and pop musicians were there including John Sebastian of The Loving Spoonful and Paul Butterfield of The Butterfield Blues Band. The trio made three albums together and Pat branched out and began to record demos as a solo artist, eventually moving to New York City in 1978.
Together with this trio and many other great Woodstock players they cut three albums.
His horizon brightened in 1979 when Livingston Taylor, James Taylor’s younger brother, recorded one of Alger’s songs that became a Top 40s hit. That song, “First Time Love”, followed by “City Lights”, a duet with brother James Taylor, marked the transition from live performer to professional songwriter.
Pat took that money and headed for the lights of Nashville. In 1984 he signed on as the opening act for The Everly Brothers World Tour, a tour that carried him across the United States and Europe until 1992.
A look at his impressive resume reflects his skill at writing and playing, and tells the rest of the story that lead to the Nashville music industry recognizing Alger’s talents on multiple occasions.
Today his credits include songs recorded by Kathy Mattea, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Hal Ketchum and Don Williams.
Other well-known artists that have recorded Alger’s music include Peter, Paul and Mary, Dolly Parton, Lyle Lovett, Crystal Gayle and Brenda Lee.
His song lists include “Unanswered Prayers”, “Small Town Saturday Night”, “The Thunder Rolls”, “She Came From Forth Worth”, “That Summer”, and “Calloused Hands”.
In 1991, Pat was named Songwriter of the Year by the Nashville Songwriter’s Association International. He was also recognized as Jukebox Songwriter of the Year by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).
ASCAP honored him in 1992 as the Country Songwriter of the Year and the Country Music Association gave him two Triple Play awards for having three number one hits within a year.
In 2010, Pat was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and in 2013 he was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.
Today Pat continues to live in Nashville, teaches lyric writing at Belmont University, is active with the Nashville scene and still finds time to hit the road and perform.
Regrets? Pat says he has experienced a few but his music continues to sooth his soul.
“It’s been a great life,” he says, reaching for his guitar and playing some familiar chords. “Life has been good!”
(Editor’s Note: Pat and the author were high school classmates and remain friends.
They recently got together when Pat returned to his hometown in October to play at an Explore Georgia Songwriters event at LaGrange College.)
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Jimmy Terrell is retired from a career in law enforcement in Barrow County and is a Winder city councilman-elect. He can be reached at ejterrell65@gmail.com.