1972 - A Bob Gallion Production - Walking Into Fresno (Writer: Bill Aken) video free download

1972 - As a child growing up in Madera, California in The San Joaquin Valley I often encountered migrant workers. I played with their children, made new friends, and lost them when they had to move on with their parents. I often heard the adults discussing the hardships they were going through, and I never forgot. When harvest was over they would leave by car, truck, bus, and even on foot ...."Walking Into Fresno."

I wrote this song in 1969 recalling the impressions I had gathered as a child. Nobody wanted to touch this song about migrant workers until Bob Gallion of the W.W.V.A. Jamboree USA asked me to give him the song. In a few short weeks he had the song recorded and released on record. Bob produced the song with a country singer whose name I can't even remember. The night they introduced the song on "Jamboree USA" and credited me as the writer, Bob called me on the phone saying, "Billy, they love the song. They don't really understand it yet but they love it and that's all you can ask for." And it was o.k. that the singer screwed up the lyrics a little.... I lost the old 45 Rpm record and all I have is this old tape. But that night in West Virginia made me a 'recognized and legitimate' country music songwriter... so Thank you Mister Gallion...

And the song itself has become a small part of the history of Fresno, California. And that's appropriate because I played guitar on television for the first time on the Dave Stogner Show at The Fresno Barn... where I met Kitty Wells....

Recorded At: W.W.V.A. Jamboree Studio

Produced By: Bob Gallion

Publishers:

WelDee Music, BMI

Bo-Gal Music, BMI

Lukesy Music, BMI

Writer/Arranger: Bill Aken, BMI

Copyright Renewal 2002 Bill Aken