Following the comedic lineage established by Homer and Jethro, Sandy Pinkard and Richard Bowden delivered boisterous farmyard wit through their satirical song versions. Their approach stood apart because the material frequently veered into coarser territory, with lyrics sometimes profane enough to trigger parental advisory stickers—the first such distinction for any country comedy act.
Each man had already built careers as performers and composers prior to their partnership. Pinkard launched his path alongside Ramblin' Jack Elliott on the West Coast. An initial attempt at a Nashville contract failed, prompting him to pursue professional rodeo work in Fort Worth, Texas. In 1975 he crossed paths with John Anderson, who reviewed Pinkard’s recordings, urged a second Nashville effort, and even supplied a round-trip ticket. The renewed push proved successful: Tanya Tucker, Ray Charles, and Brenda Lee all cut his material, while Mel Tillis reached the top of the charts in 1979 with Pinkard’s “Coca Cola Cowboy.” Additional number-one successes came via David Frizzell and Shelly West on “You’re the Reason God Made Oklahoma,” Anne Murray with “Blessed Are the Believers,” and Vern Gosdin’s “I Can Tell By the Way You Dance.”
Bowden began in the Texas outfit Shiloh, whose lineup included future Eagle Don Henley. After the band dissolved, both musicians joined Linda Ronstadt’s group, which also featured another future Eagle, Glenn Frey. Once Frey and Henley departed to form the Eagles, Bowden briefly collaborated with former Flying Burrito Brother Sneaky Pete Kleinow, then toured widely with acts including Roger McGuinn. In the early ’80s his band Blue Steel served as opening act for the Eagles.
Mutual friend and producer Jim Ed Norman connected Pinkard and Bowden. Their joint songwriting attempts consistently turned humorous rather than serious, so they took the resulting act onto the national comedy-club circuit and cultivated an audience. The debut album Writers in Disguise included parodies such as “Blue Hairs Drivin’ in My Lane.” Their first chart entry arrived with the medley “Adventures in Parodies.” Other notable tracks encompassed “Elvis Was a Narc,” “She Thinks I Steal Cars,” and “Libyans on a Jet Plane.” The 1992 release Cousins, Cattle, and Other Love Stories contained further send-ups, among them “Propane,” a reworking of Eric Clapton’s “Cocaine.” By the early ’90s the pair concentrated more on comedy-club dates than country releases and began guest spots on rock-radio morning programs to promote their shows. The material grew bluer and darker, exemplified by “Friends in Crawl Spaces,” drawn from the crimes of serial killer and cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer.
