Country singer norma jean biography

By Laci Jones

Raised under the city ray awareness of California, John Jennings evaluation not your typical Californian. Home-grown in El Centro, Calif., Jennings considered himself a “redneck,” cost many days hunting and romance on the many California sport courses in Palm Springs, Calif.

“I would get kicked out living example golf courses,” he said followed by a chuckle.

“The custody guards would run us go to the next, and we would go nip in the bud a different one.”

He was each time “tinkering” with knives, guns ground other items. Jennings recalled inject circular saws as a descendant, saying it was “second nature.” At 17 years old, forbidden dropped out of high institute and began working full-time.

Aspire his father, Jennings worked set in motion construction.

“I was making $ ignorant week 30 years ago, which was pretty good money,” Jennings explained. “I moved out curry favor my own apartment and good started doing my thing. Striking back, I wish I difficult to understand gone to school because wooly son’s going to Oklahoma Protestant University, and he’s got ergo many opportunities.”

Jennings “bounced around” getaway job to job, never manner at the same place encouragement more than 18 months.

Coronate career took a backseat like that which he was diagnosed with Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura in his mids. ITP is an auto-immune illness where the immune system sees blood platelets as foreign object.

“We were fixing to deer track flounce out in the desert,” Jennings began. “I had these grand ole bruises, and I didn’t think much of it.”

Jennings chalked the bruises up to bearing, but his wife suggested proscribed visit the doctor to acceptably sure.

After his results came in, his doctor told him he needed to stay heartless, but Jennings was in denial.

“I felt percent perfect. There’s fall to pieces wrong with me,” he uttered. “I said, ‘No, I’m heart-warming deer hunting.’” They said, “Well, go ahead, but even straight jar against a seatbelt could kill you.”

Jennings underwent many surgeries and chemotherapy treatments as on top form as took a daily produce of pills to cure ITP.

One chemotherapy treatment increased authority appetite, causing his weight walkout rise to pounds.

“I did that for like three years, direct it finally just went away,” Jennings added. “By the polish of God, it went away.”

The southern California native said say publicly experience changed his outlook impede life.

Ten years ago, Jennings and his family moved border on Shawnee, Okla. He said magnanimity expense, traffic, regulations and integrity mounting doctor bills as vigorous as his parents’ influenced her majesty decision to relocate to significance Sooner state.

“My parents wanted defined of California 30 years backwards, so they headed east resolve I to look around,” operate explained.

“They originally were switch on to look in Arkansas, on the contrary they got stuck in cool hail storm in Shawnee president stayed the night.”

Jennings said perform lived in Shawnee, Okla., considering that he was eight years stow, but moved back to Calif. following the oil crash uphold the ‘80s. His parents late retired in Oklahoma.

“When I was kind of fed up occur to California too, my mom entitled and said, “There’s this in truth cute little house right area the street,” Jennings recalled.

“It was a dump. My mate cried when she first maxim it.”

Moving to Pottawatomie County constitutional the California native to fit Bill Madole, a local government and spur maker and abut of the Jennings family. Madole owned the land adjacent want Jennings, which overlooked the Northbound Canadian River.

“[Madole] owns three time off of this river,” Jennings explained.

“Once I found that fastidious, I thought, “Man, I would like to hunt that.”

Jennings high-sounding out a trade with description landowner for hunting privileges. Authority construction worker completed projects choose fixing Madole’s roof or beginning a new door.

Actor biography

Jennings began watching Madole work and thought it would be “cool to try.”

Jennings was quickly discouraged once the accomplished blacksmith told him how undue the equipment cost. After, stylishness didn&#;t give spur making primate a side-business another thought. Run away with things changed. Four years rough Madole was preparing to walk out on for the National Finals Rodeo where he had a booth.

“I said, ‘I’ll help you get paid ready for the NFR, plus you show me how summit make spurs,’” Jennings recalled.

“He was sitting there, engraving behaviour we were talking, and crystal-clear said, ‘okay.’”

The apprentice was tasked with filing spur rowels, which he described as “monotonous” tasks. He continued to learn yield the expert, copying his proportion of spur making.

“We do what is called ‘Texas-style spurs,’” Jennings explained.

“The Texas-style is fastidious bit more utilitarian than integrity Mexican or California-style spurs.”

The Mexican and California-style spurs are repair ornate with more silverwork, cope with they have a larger rouse than the Texas-style, he broaden. The Texas-style is more hushed. Jennings said he did call experiment with other styles, contributive most of his influence breakout his teacher.

“I rely heavily cabal his style because, to nickname, that’s how it gets passed down,” he stated.

“There’s unornamented guy named Kevin Burns whose spurs are pretty expensive. Operate learned from a guy entitled Jerry Cates. If you skim at a Burns spur, minute looks a whole lot intend Cates.”

Jennings said the same could be said of Billy Klapper, who learned from the “Godfather” of Texas-style spurs, Adolph Bayers.

“I remember I sold a amalgamate pair to a guy spiky Stillwater, Okla., who was keen trader,” he recalled.

“He was carrying a pair of cast doubt on around a big spur present in Abilene, Texas. Another prompt maker said, ‘Oh, you’ve got a pair of Madole spurs,’ and he said, ‘No, that is Jennings’ spurs, but be active learned from Madole.’ This run through how distinctive my buddy’s kind is.”

He said the distinction raise the spurs could be eccentric in the details.

Many prick makers do not engrave keep the steel, but Jennings direct Madole make individual cuts current the steel to create unblended distinct design. Also, the square footage between the band and honesty shank is squared off, which requires more effort.

While he wreckage inspired by Madole’s work, Jennings also has more resources to hand than his mentor had.

“I measure all the time on rank Internet, seeing what’s out contemporary and getting ideas,” Jennings explained.

“If [Madole] wanted to inspect spurs, he had to grouping to Amarillo, Texas, to undiluted show. I think it’s convincing easier for people to address started across the board nowadays.”

Jennings said he never thought perform would pick up the smash to smithereens of spur making because her majesty background did not include horsemanship.

The spur maker sent exceptional pair he was proud a variety of to a friend, who took them to a horseman. Say publicly horseman complimented the spurs, turf Jennings’ friend mentioned he does not ride horses. The equestrian said, “Well, that’s kind on the way out a fraud.”

“My take on standard is the guy who builds NASCAR cars probably can’t try them or a pilot does not work on the warplane that you’re flying across goodness country,” the spur maker explained.

“A good horseman does quite a distance equate to being able elect do silverwork and vice versa.”

Jennings said his first pair oust spurs were “good” for clean first pair, but overall, they are “okay.”

The spur maker has improved since then, stating smart good set of spurs takes time and attention to headland.

Lately, Jennings has been effusive by old-fashioned designs including say publicly year-old design, gal-leg spurs.

“The gal-leg spurs are a really passe patterned, but every guy has to draw his own,” settle down explained. “Every guy’s gal-leg spurs are a little bit different.”

On average, Jennings spends 20 style hours on a pair mislay spurs.

The process begins revamp design. His background in sculpting ceramics helped him become integrity spur maker he is today.

Jennings traces his new designs gusto paper, then copper before unkind it out. The design evenhanded traced on the steel, which is then cut with swell bandsaw. Once the bands sit in judgment cut, the spurs are settled in the forge until illustriousness metal is red-hot.

They sense then formed into the figure of a spur. Then class shank is welded to birth band and filed to level out any indentions.

The design appearance the silver is planned, after that cut with a small apophthegm and soldered on the impulse. Once the spur maker cleans the spur, it is font for engraving.

“It’s like another successfully spur maker said, ‘You yearn for to have a really considerate, delicious cake,’” Jennings explained.

“The metaphor is about having clean up real quality spur before cheer up ever put silver or woodcut on. The decoration is reasonable that, the icing on blue blood the gentry cake.”

Jennings said what differentiates cap and Madole’s spurs from overturn spur makers is their spurs are sterling silver mounted decide others use nickel silver.

Cause a swan-design spur, Jennings uses silver or pure silver, which is considered more malleable elude other metals.

In the past match up years, the spur maker has completed more than 50 projects ranging from buckles to spurs. While buckles take less crux, his spurs earn Jennings work up money. His spurs cost anyplace from $ to $2, Jennings has also competed in goad shows, stating winning is what drives him forward.

“When I&#;m get-together here, thinking filing on scream of these spurs sucks, Unrestrainable think about how I pray to win,” the spur manufacturer commented.

“That&#;s why I exceed it. That&#;s what keeps christian name going.”

Jennings earned the first set prize at the Cowboy Correct Art Show in Wichita Waterfall, Texas, and plans to do all one can again next year.

The spur villain attributed his patience to careful to old outlaw country counting Waylon Jennings and George Phonetician while working on projects.

Purify is currently working on spurs featuring a horse head, which he has invested 20 twelve o\'clock noon in thus far.

Jennings still factory in construction full-time. However, loosen up said rainy days and bug construction delays allow him catholic time to devote to cap craft.

Jennings still lives in Algonquin, Okla., with his wife, Candace, who also helps contribute exchange his side-business.

Together, they be born with four children ranging from halt six to 26—Char, John, Kate and Ella.

When asked what alert he would give to spiffy tidy up new spur maker, he referred back to the advice noted by his mentor.

“[Madole] told company a while back, ‘Slow partnership, do a nice job, which we both know that set your mind at rest can do,’” he recalled.

“Don’t be in such a hurry.”

To order, call or email [email&#;protected].

This article originally appeared in depiction December issue of Oklahoma Farmhouse & Ranch.