I've been there before
And I'll try it again
But any fool knows
That there's no way to win
Those lyrics have been sung by Ray Charles, Norah Jones, Nancy Sinatra, Dean Martin, and George Strait; even Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis have performed an arrangement of "Here We Go Again."
This legendary song, and a host of other hits, were written by Russell Don "Red" Steagall. He has released fourteen of his own albums. He has performed for President Reagan and other heads of state and has made three tours to the Middle East, East Asia, Europe, Australia, and South America. This is in addition to his dabbling in acting and hosting radio and TV programs.
Now a bona fide global star, Red was raised in a small oil field town in the Texas Panhandle. Before wrangling with polio at age 15, he was already a fixture on the rodeo bull-riding circuit. Music was his rehabilitation therapy.
This is a story of how Western culture permuted through twentieth-century America. In 1985, when country music changed, Red changed too. He began writing cowboy poetry and cowboy songs, with his music emphasizing the Western lifestyle that he loves. As a producer, as a host, as a broadcaster, and as a multihyphenate award-winning artist, he never forgot his roots and he never failed to bring the West to everyone he encountered.