Cape native, longtime musician Kent Goodson continues to grow as artist

Nashville, Tennessee, has been good to Kent Goodson, a musician with ties to Cape Girardeau.

"I've had a long career," he said. "I've been really fortunate."

Goodson toured as keyboardist with country-music legend George Jones' band, The Jones Boys, for 28 years. During that time, he appeared on TV shows including "Hee Haw," "The Grand Ole Opry," "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson," "The Late Show with David Letterman," "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" and many others. He owns a small recording studio in Nashville where he has worked with countless talented artists. Most recently, he played piano with Paulette Carlson, singer for Highway 101, and David Frizzell on the "WSM Midnight Jamboree" radio show.

"I make it back to Cape maybe two or three times a year," he said, "and I always try to find time to work with local artists."

Recently, he's played several private parties in Cape Girardeau and been a guest with Bruce Zimmerman's Water Street Band at Port Cape Girardeau. He also has performed with Doug Rees at Stooges in Jackson and at a private party on the Fourth of July.

Musician Kent Goodson grew up in Cape Girardeau.Submitted photo

"I've known both of those guys a long time," Goodson said. "Not only are they both talented, they're also really good to work with, and we work well together. You look for that as a musician."

He said his style has evolved over the years. Where his sound was defined by the band's while playing with The Jones Boys, he lately has been experimenting with different artists' music and styles.

"I've been trying to branch out, trying to challenge myself with new sounds," he said. "I like Billy Joel for that, Frank Sinatra, 'Great American Songbook' songs, show tunes. I really have been spending a lot of time lately on smaller, solo shows around Nashville. I've slowed down with the traveling."

Goodson grew up in Cape Girardeau and graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 1976 with a degree in social work.

"I probably would have done better with a degree in music, careerwise," he said. "Social work was a backup plan, but music degrees didn't really exist the way they do now."

He said a degree in music performance or business would have been preferable, giving him more of an introduction to what would be expected of him in the industry.

"It's unfortunate in some ways, because I would have liked to know more about the business side before starting out, but I picked it up as I went," he said.

Local musician Rees has known Goodson for several years and said he has enjoyed working with him.

"Kent's been doing it just like all of us," Rees said. "It's what we do -- musicians being musicians, that's for sure. I think he'd probably say the same thing. People will say they're going to get away from it but become unhappy very quickly. We've both been lucky in that respect."

Rees said he and Goodson met in the late 1970s, when they were both newly graduated from school and looking for ways to make their music.

"We kept in contact over the years after I went to work full time and he moved to Nashville, went touring," Rees said. "We reconnected in 2000, when I left my full-time job to make music my focus. I moved to Nashville, and Kent got in touch with me. I think of him as my guardian angel. He just introduced me to so many people, helped me out so much creatively. And he's been a great friend, besides."

Zimmerman agrees. He said he met Goodson in the early 1980s through mutual musician friends. Of Goodson, he said, "He's a really quick study. He seems to always come up with exactly the right part without having to be told. Has a real feel for it. Fits perfectly. When I've recorded with him in the studio, he would do almost all of his takes in one track; it was like, 'Whoa, that was perfect!' He's a talented man."

Zimmerman also pointed out Goodson's attention to the human element of music making.

"He's one of those guys who figured out it's more important to be a good person than a good musician, but he finds a way to be both," Zimmerman said. "He's really a great guy."

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

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