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Kix Brooks calls Hargus 'Pig' Robbins the Elvis of session players in Nashville. "Elvis had entered the building when Pig came in," Kix recalls, talking to The Boot about the recent Country Music Hall of Fame inductee. "When Pig walked in the room, all the musicians stopped and waited to see how he was gonna take the song."
Pig's first recording session in Nashville was with George Jones on his single, 'White Lightning.' He also played piano on Bob Dylan's 'Blonde on Blonde' album and on a multitude of country sessions with the likes of Merle Haggard, Chris Young, Loretta Lynn, Kenny Rogers, Tanya Tucker, Ronnie Milsap, Tom T. Hall, Alan Jackson, Mark Chesnutt and Travis Tritt.
Kix says Pig didn't play on any of the Brooks & Dunn sessions, but he did play on some of his early demos as a solo artist. "That tells you a lot about him," Kix emphasizes. "He was playing with all these huge rock stars and on every hit country record out of Nashville and then he would show up to play on my demos when no one had ever heard of me. He would bring that amazing great stuff with him and do a great job for me."
As for Connie Smith, Pig's fellow inductee, Kix says he can't remember when he first heard of her ... and that's actually a compliment. "I can't tell you the first time I heard her, or (Merle) Haggard or (George) Jones either. They've always been there. When I think of country music, Connie Smith is in the psyche. When you talk about girl singers, her name always comes up.
"Connie