Tulsa Time

Background and recording[edit]

In September, 1978,^[2] Flowers and the Don Williams band members were staying at a Sheraton Hotel in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A snowstorm had caused an interruption of their schedule.^[3] Flowers said, "We were all snowed in, and there was absolutely nothing to do. I was sitting there in my room, watching The Rockford Files with some hotel stationery beside me, just bored, and I started writing out some verses."^[4] He spent only a half-hour on it and the song had only two chords. Flowers said he intended to add another chord later, "but Don heard it and liked it the way it was."^[5]


About two months later, Flowers was performing with Williams in Nashville as the opening act for an Eric Clapton concert.^[2] After the performance, Flowers and Williams went to Clapton's hotel room where the three men took turns playing songs. Flowers sang and played guitar on his new song, "Tulsa Time" with Williams singing harmony and Clapton playing slide guitar on a dobro.^[2] Clapton said, "I love that song and I want to record it right away".^[2] Williams said, "You can't record it— I'm going to record it".^[2] Both artists recorded the song, but Williams was first.


Williams' recording of "Tulsa Time" was the first song on his album, Expressions, released in August, 1978. By October the song was number one on the country singles chart.^[4] It became the number one Billboard Country song of 1979.^[6]: 142 The song was named single record of the year in 1979 by the Academy of Country Music^[7]: 539 and Williams won CMA Male Vocalist of the Year. Clapton released two versions of the song: first his 1979 album Backless and second in 1980 on a live album, Just One Night.^[6]: 142 The latter version was more successful and reached number 30 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.^{[4][6]: 142}