Dirt Track Boogie: Hank Jr. guitarist mixes motocross with music

"So in the scheme of things," says Ricky Chancey, "we have a pretty good time out here."

Chancey says it in an understated way, but the circumstances speak for themselves. It's a glorious September Sunday in the piney woods outside Wagarville, Ala., as bright as full summer and as cool as mid-fall. Chancey is putting in a day at the office, if you want to call it that, looking out over a stretch of rolling green countryside wrapped around a tangle of dirt track, the burble and buzz of motocross bikes drifting up the hill as riders slide and jump and occasionally soar through its 1.5 miles of dust and complications.

And here's the thing: Overseeing this scene is what Chancey does when he's not out playing guitar for Hank Williams Jr. This is his day job.

This all came together piece by piece. Back in 2003, Chancey was a well-established performer on the Mobile-area music scene, known for both his guitar and harmonica skills. He was part of the Boogie Chillin band that recorded Hank Becker's "Chillin' at Play" album, which remains one of the best-loved local albums ever produced in Lower Alabama. He also played with The Wet Willie Band, a latter-day version of Wet Willie featuring a mix of new and original members.

The latter gig is probably what put him on the radar of Jimmy Hall, the Mobile native who fronted Wet Willie in its '70s heyday (and still does on occasion), singing "Keep on Smilin'," "Country Side of Life" and other Southern rock classics. Hall went on to a multifaceted career in Nashville, which included a long-term role as Hank Williams Jr.'s touring bandleader. Hall also plays sax and harmonica in the band, but in the summer of 2003 he needed a fill-in, someone who could play harmonica at one show and guitar at the next. He tapped Chancey, things gelled, and the one-time fill-in gig became a long-term thing.

Chancey still plays guitar for Hank Jr. And if Hall has to be somewhere else, for example when he's touring as vocalist for Jeff Beck, Chancey steps in on harmonica. It's not a full-time job, by any means. Williams' iconic stature gives him certain latitude. "Hank said, 'I'm going to play when I want to, where I want to, for who I want to," Chancey says. That works out to 25 or 30 shows a year.

For Chancey, that means he occasionally drives up to Nashville to catch a ride on the tour bus. If a given show is closer to home, he just drives straight there. It's not the rock and roll fantasy of life on the road, but it does regularly put Chancey in front of crowds that can be as big as 40,000 or 50,000 people.

About four years ago, Chancey and his wife, Rebecca, bought a 275-acre plot on Ala. 56 west of Wagarville that already had a history as a dirt track. He began a series of upgrades, and as things stand now, it's an impressive full-service facility. In addition to the main course there's a pee-wee track and nine miles of trails. Not to mention vast parking space, 30 RV hookups, a dedicated bike wash area and a garage with a suite of shower stalls.

It all gets put to use on major race weekends, which can draw competitors from statewide and beyond; the next is a Southern Hard Core Championship Series event on Oct. 17-18. (For details of track activities, visit the "MX 56 Track & Trails" page on Facebook.) Other weekends are more like this, with the track open for individuals and family groups out for recreational riding, or racers keeping their bikes tuned and their skills sharp. Admission is $25 per rider, discounted to $15 for those 10 and younger. Four-wheel ATVs aren't allowed on the track, but can use the trails. The track's Facebook page advises folks to "call before you haul," to make sure the track is open.

On this particular day, the riders include 16-year-old racer Hagen Hill, who's doing a little bit of tune-up work. He's based locally, racing for the Johnson Motorsports team run by "Yogi" Johnson, who happens to be a cousin to Chancey. Hill has been riding since he was four and regularly travels to compete; his dad, Tommy Hill, says they've raced in Meridian, Miss., and Tallassee, Ala., in recent weeks and have traveled as far away as Texas.

It's not a gentle sport. When Tommy Hill asks his son how many bones he's broken over the years, Hagen's first response is, "Not counting my fingers?" The answer is somewhere around 13, he figures.

Having a facility like MX 56 this close to home is a huge asset, says Tommy Hill, who reckons the next closest comparable site is in Meridian.

That sentiment is echoed among a much different group of riders using the shade of a nearby tree as their base of operations. Garrett Stuart and Joseph Seymour have come up from Mobile and Grand Bay with five kids age 12 and younger. Seymour, in particular, praises the kid-friendly side of MX 56. The smaller bikes have little wheels and don't fare well in the deep ruts you might find on an adult track. The pee-wee track and the trails give the small fry a place to get their basic skills together as they grow.

"We either come here or we ride six and a half hours to Cedartown Georgia, to a place called KTM World," Seymour says.

Seymour says dirt bikes offer a welcome contrast to most youth sports, in that the whole family can participate. He's ridden since he was a teen; now he can ride with his wife, who's not on hand today, and with son Trey, 12, and daughters Tye and Reese, 8.

"There's more than the big three," Seymour says, meaning baseball, football and soccer. "It should be the big four ... You can't all go play out on the football field. You can't all go play out on the baseball field. But you can all go ride together."

The kids wear serious protective gear and ride bikes with engines ranging from 50 to 85 cc, with automatic shifters on the smaller ones. As they putter around, you get the feeling they're picking up a certain sense of self-reliance. Seymour agrees. "If they get stuck," he says, "they've got to figure it out."

Chancey suggests there's more work to this than you might think. He wants the grounds to look clean, which means a lot of time pulling a bush hog. The track requires regular maintenance, he says, to smooth out ruts, tune jumps and rebuild berms.

Even on a relatively light day like this he stays on the move, roaming the grounds on his four-wheel ATV, often with his canine helper C.C. riding up front, tucked between the handlebars and the rifle rack. Chancey says C.C. keeps clear of the track, but the dog obviously feels at home everywhere else.

In the garage there's a calendar that lists a mix of Hank Jr. dates and motocross events. It's about the only hint you'll find of the other side of Chancey's career. Still, word gets around.

Chancey says, "Half these guys that come down here go, 'You the one plays with Hank?'"

You know their next question is "What's it like?" You know it gets asked a lot. Chancey has a ready answer, amiable and low-key, that seems to fit his whole situation here.

"Yes," he says, "it's a pretty good gig."