VENTURA : If It Sounds Country, It Must Be the Mayor

Ventura City Hall was transformed into a backcountry bar Monday night as Mayor Tom Buford sang the “City Council Blues,” his tongue-in-cheek tale of bickering politicians, budget woes and badgering press.

Exhibiting a fair country twang, Buford entertained his council colleagues, those in the chambers, and a televised audience with his lighthearted tune, which he first performed several weeks ago at a Rotary Club meeting in Ventura.

Buford strummed his acoustic guitar and sang:

Believe me when I say it ain’t pretty. Believe me when I say I didn’t choose/To spend my time contesting every point/That’s why I sing the City Council blues.

Buford said he has been sporadically playing guitar and singing since high school, when he and two friends, Danny Johnson and Lee Williams, formed a band--playing songs by Peter, Paul and Mary, the New Christy Minstrels and other ‘60s folk groups. Johnson is now a professional musician in Australia, Buford said.

His performance of “City Council Blues” at the Rotary Club was so well-received that Buford played the tune for some city employees. They liked it so much that he decided to play it at the City Council meeting.

“I like everything from Eric Clapton to Bill Monroe, rock ‘n’ roll to bluegrass,” Buford said. “I’ve heard enough of my daughter’s rap to know the words to that too. But whatever it is, I’ve heard that it all comes out country when I sing it.”

Buford said he welcomes any record executives to sign him up, saying he understands he may be able to profit from his songwriting hobby.

But for now, he said, he’ll be happy with the “City Council Blues.”

He sang:

Believe me when I say it ain’t pretty. Believe me when I say that it’s a zoo/But we’re the ones the voters put in office for our terms/so we’ll just sing the City Council blues.