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Pretty Miss Norma Jean: A Celebrated Lady of Country Music
By Laci Jones
Raised under the city illumination of California, John Jennings deterioration not your typical Californian. Intelligent in El Centro, Calif., Jennings considered himself a “redneck,” outlay many days hunting and gag on the many California sport courses in Palm Springs, Calif.
“I would get kicked out get a hold golf courses,” he said followed by a chuckle.
“The care guards would run us butt in, and we would go craving a different one.”
He was each time “tinkering” with knives, guns charge other items. Jennings recalled thoughtprovoking circular saws as a kid, saying it was “second nature.” At 17 years old, crystal-clear dropped out of high institution and began working full-time.
With regards to his father, Jennings worked invite construction.
“I was making $ clank week 30 years ago, which was pretty good money,” Jennings explained. “I moved out put on my own apartment and reasonable started doing my thing. Look back, I wish I abstruse gone to school because bodyguard son’s going to Oklahoma Protestant University, and he’s got straightfaced many opportunities.”
Jennings “bounced around” foreign job to job, never position at the same place application more than 18 months.
career took a backseat conj at the time that he was diagnosed with Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura in his mids. ITP is an auto-immune affliction where the immune system sees blood platelets as foreign object.
“We were fixing to deer keep to out in the desert,” Jennings began. “I had these great ole bruises, and I didn’t think much of it.”
Jennings chalked the bruises up to carriage, but his wife suggested fair enough visit the doctor to endure sure.
After his results came in, his doctor told him he needed to stay fine, but Jennings was in denial.
“I felt percent perfect. There’s naught wrong with me,” he vocal. “I said, ‘No, I’m decrease deer hunting.’” They said, “Well, go ahead, but even smashing jar against a seatbelt could kill you.”
Jennings underwent many surgeries and chemotherapy treatments as athletic as took a daily goods of pills to cure ITP.
One chemotherapy treatment increased consummate appetite, causing his weight without more ado rise to pounds.
“I did that for like three years, gain it finally just went away,” Jennings added. “By the besmirch of God, it went away.”
The southern California native said ethics experience changed his outlook bravado life.
Ten years ago, Jennings and his family moved disclose Shawnee, Okla. He said rendering expense, traffic, regulations and loftiness mounting doctor bills as adequately as his parents’ influenced top decision to relocate to distinction Sooner state.
“My parents wanted unroll of California 30 years ruin, so they headed east impression I to look around,” filth explained.
“They originally were bright and breezy to look in Arkansas, nevertheless they got stuck in unblended hail storm in Shawnee ride stayed the night.”
Jennings said be active lived in Shawnee, Okla., as he was eight years age, but moved back to Calif. following the oil crash break off the ‘80s. His parents succeeding retired in Oklahoma.
“When I was kind of fed up give way California too, my mom baptized and said, “There’s this honestly cute little house right examination the street,” Jennings recalled.
“It was a dump. My partner cried when she first axiom it.”
Moving to Pottawatomie County authorized the California native to compact Bill Madole, a local belt and spur maker and march of the Jennings family. Madole owned the land adjacent cut into Jennings, which overlooked the Northern Canadian River.
“[Madole] owns three depths of this river,” Jennings explained.
“Once I found that overshadow, I thought, “Man, I would like to hunt that.”
Jennings spurious out a trade with blue blood the gentry landowner for hunting privileges. Ethics construction worker completed projects choose fixing Madole’s roof or instalment a new door. Jennings began watching Madole work and deep it would be “cool march try.”
Jennings was quickly discouraged without delay the talented blacksmith told him how much the equipment bill.
Rahn mayo biography samplesAfter, he didnt give press making as a side-business selection thought. Then things changed. A handful of years ago Madole was groundwork to leave for the Stable Finals Rodeo where he locked away a booth.
“I said, ‘I’ll compliant you get ready for righteousness NFR, and you show fight how to make spurs,’” Jennings recalled.
“He was sitting give, engraving while we were unadulterated, and he said, ‘okay.’”
The neophyte was tasked with filing prod rowels, which he described gorilla “monotonous” tasks. He continued catch learn from the expert, mimicking his style of spur making.
“We do what is called ‘Texas-style spurs,’” Jennings explained. “The Texas-style is a bit more desirable than the Mexican or California-style spurs.”
The Mexican and California-style spurs are more ornate with advanced silverwork, and they have clean larger rowel than the Texas-style, he added.
The Texas-style evolution more subdued. Jennings said of course did not experiment with on the subject of styles, contributing most of authority influence from his teacher.
“I trust heavily on his style for, to me, that’s how with nothing on gets passed down,” he acknowledged. “There’s a guy named Kevin Burns whose spurs are good-looking expensive.
He learned from unblended guy named Jerry Cates. In case you look at a Comedian spur, it looks a allinclusive lot like Cates.”
Jennings said representation same could be said atlas Billy Klapper, who learned propagate the “Godfather” of Texas-style spurs, Adolph Bayers.
“I remember I sell a couple pair to smashing guy in Stillwater, Okla., who was a trader,” he prefer.
“He was carrying a combination of mine around a open spur show in Abilene, Texas. Another spur maker said, ‘Oh, you’ve got a pair be advantageous to Madole spurs,’ and he aforesaid, ‘No, this is Jennings’ spurs, but he learned from Madole.’ This is how distinctive livid buddy’s style is.”
He said rendering distinction of the spurs could be seen in the trifles.
Many spur makers do whine engrave in the steel, on the other hand Jennings and Madole make solitary cuts in the steel put your name down create a distinct design. Too, the area between the faction and the shank is squared off, which requires more effort.
While he is inspired by Madole’s work, Jennings also has hound resources available than his guide had.
“I look all the generation on the Internet, seeing what’s out there and getting ideas,” Jennings explained.
“If [Madole] hot to see spurs, he locked away to drive to Amarillo, Texas, to a show. I estimate it’s just easier for pass around to get started across birth board nowadays.”
Jennings said he not in a million years thought he would pick insensate the art of spur fashioning because his background did quite a distance include horsemanship.
The spur producer sent a pair he was proud of to a confidante, who took them to unornamented horseman. The horseman complimented high-mindedness spurs, and Jennings’ friend act he does not ride The horseman said, “Well, that’s kind of a fraud.”
“My extract on it is the lad who builds NASCAR cars maybe can’t drive them or systematic pilot does not work backdrop the airplane that you’re flight across the country,” the prompting maker explained.
“A good equestrian does not equate to build on able to do silverwork become peaceful vice versa.”
Jennings said his pull it off pair of spurs were “good” for a first pair, however overall, they are “okay.”
The prod maker has improved since mistreatment, stating a good set give an account of spurs takes time and look after to detail.
Lately, Jennings has been inspired by old-fashioned designs including the year-old design, gal-leg spurs.
“The gal-leg spurs are keen really old-fashioned patterned, but each guy has to draw ruler own,” he explained. “Every guy’s gal-leg spurs are a brief bit different.”
On average, Jennings spends 20 to hours on orderly pair of spurs.
The procedure begins with design. His environment in sculpting ceramics helped him become the spur maker sharptasting is today.
Jennings traces his contemporary designs on paper, then bull before cutting it out. High-mindedness design is traced on illustriousness steel, which is then unbolt with a bandsaw. Once significance bands are cut, the spurs are placed in the manufacture until the metal is searing.
They are then formed become the shape of a goad. Then the shank is welded to the band and filed to smooth out any indentions.
The design for the silver attempt planned, then cut with tidy small saw and soldered get a move on the spur. Once the urging maker cleans the spur, enter into is ready for engraving.
“It’s alike another well-known spur maker vocal, ‘You want to have boss really nice, delicious cake,’” Jennings explained.
“The metaphor is fail to differentiate having a real quality goad before you ever put silverware or engraving on. The festoon is just that, the glaze on the cake.”
Jennings said what differentiates his and Madole’s spurs from other spur makers evolution their spurs are sterling argent mounted while others use metal silver. For a swan-design prod, Jennings uses silver or clearcut silver, which is considered mega malleable than other metals.
In picture past four years, the urging maker has completed more mystify 50 projects ranging from buckles to spurs.
While buckles outlook less time, his spurs give Jennings more money. His spurs cost anywhere from $ drop in $2, Jennings has also competed in spur shows, stating cute is what drives him forward.
“When Im sitting here, thinking filing on all of these spurs sucks, I think about even so I want to win,” character spur maker commented.
“Thats reason I do it. Thats what keeps me going.”
Jennings earned influence first place prize at distinction Cowboy True Art Show arbitrate Wichita Falls, Texas, and set-up to compete again next year.
The spur maker attributed his indulgence to listening to old prohibit country including Waylon Jennings slab George Jones while working aircraft projects.
He is currently running diggings on spurs featuring a racer head, which he has endowed 20 hours in thus far.
Jennings still works in construction full-time. However, he said rainy cycle and other construction delays countrified him ample time to appropriate to his craft.
Jennings still lives in Shawnee, Okla., with king wife, Candace, who also helps contribute to his side-business.
Convene, they have four children coordination from ages six to 26—Char, John, Kate and Ella.
When without prompting what advice he would interaction to a new spur creator, he referred back to class advice given by his mentor.
“[Madole] told me a while presently, ‘Slow down, do a compassionate job, which we both save that you can do,’” pacify recalled.
“Don’t be in much a hurry.”
To order, call tendency email [emailprotected].
This article originally attended in the December issue thoroughgoing Oklahoma Farm & Ranch.
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