Don Williams – Tulsa Time

The Snowstorm, The Rockford Files, And The Hotel Room Jam With Clapton

Released in October 1978 as the first single from the album Expressions, “Tulsa Time” reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart for one week in January 1979, becoming Don Williams’ eighth chart-topper and spending eleven weeks in the top 40. The song became the number one Billboard country song of 1979 and earned Single Record of the Year from the Academy of Country Music while Williams won CMA Male Vocalist of the Year. For a track written in 30 minutes during a snowstorm layover while watching The Rockford Files, this became one of country music’s most enduring songs about escaping the rat race and finding simplicity. Eric Clapton’s 1980 live version reached number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it a rare country song that crossed into rock radio without changing its DNA.

The single spent sixteen weeks on the country chart and reached number 30 on the Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary chart. The album Expressions peaked at number two on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and number 83 on the Billboard 200. Williams was at his commercial peak, nicknamed the Gentle Giant by CMT for his smooth baritone and laid-back delivery. Between 1974 and 1991, all of Williams’ singles landed in the top 40, an astonishing run that included seventeen number ones and twenty-two additional top five hits. Critics noted the song represented a departure from his typical smooth ballads, praising the upbeat rhythm and funky groove while maintaining his warm, reassuring vocal style. The track helped solidify Williams as one of country music’s most consistent hit-makers.

Danny Flowers, Williams’ guitarist at the time, wrote the song in September 1978 while stranded at a Sheraton Hotel in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A snowstorm interrupted the band’s schedule during a business trip to Williams’ talent agency in town. Flowers retrieved an acoustic guitar from the tour bus and started writing to combat boredom. He told American Songwriter that he was watching The Rockford Files with hotel stationery beside him when verses started forming. The narrative drew from his experience of constant travel and shifting time zones, imagining someone leaving a job in Toledo and heading to Tulsa seeking a slower pace. About two months later, Flowers performed as opening act for an Eric Clapton concert in Nashville. After the show, Flowers and Williams went to Clapton’s hotel room where the three took turns playing songs. Flowers performed the new composition with Williams singing harmony and Clapton playing slide guitar on a dobro. Clapton immediately declared his intention to record it, but Williams claimed it first.

Producer Garth Fundis recorded the track at Jack Clement Recording Studios on Belmont Boulevard in Nashville, the legendary facility engineered by former Sun Records engineer Jack Clement that still operates today as Sound Emporium. The band featured Danny Flowers on guitar, David Cochran on bass, Shane Keister on keyboards, Pat McLaughlin on mandolin, and Kenny Malone on drums and congas. Charles Cochran and Joe Allen provided backing vocals. The arrangement blended country structures with subtle funk influences and rockabilly swagger, driven by a gritty rhythm section that propelled Williams’ signature baritone to a higher emotional register. The dobro accents infused the track with honky-tonk energy while maintaining the warm, effortless groove that became AllMusic’s primary descriptor. Williams placed it as the last song on side one of Expressions, his eighth studio album released on ABC Records.

Clapton recorded his version for the album Backless in November 1978, produced by Glyn Johns for RSO Records. His blues-rock arrangement emphasized guitar work and featured pianist Dick Sims prominently. The album reached number one on the Billboard 200. Clapton’s live version from the Budokan concert hall in Japan appeared on the 1980 album Just One Night and became a single that hit number 30 on the Hot 100, introducing the song to rock audiences. Both artists deliberately recorded different arrangements to honor their agreement. Tulsa’s mayor designated February 4, 1979, as Don Williams Day to recognize his celebration of the city. Brothers Osborne, Reba McEntire, and Sheryl Crow have all covered the track, with Crow performing it with Clapton in 2007.

Williams died on September 8, 2017, at age 78 following a brief illness. Tributes poured in from artists like Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Vince Gill, and Keith Urban, all of whom praised his vast nearly 300-song catalog. Flowers reflected on the 45th anniversary in 2023, recounting the spontaneous creation during the Tulsa layover and its profound career impact. Sometimes the greatest songs emerge from enforced stillness, when snowstorms trap musicians in hotel rooms with nothing but guitars and old detective shows. Williams made it his own through quiet conviction and that trademark gentle delivery, transforming a road-weary guitarist’s boredom into country music’s definitive statement about slowing down and resetting your watch to a simpler time.