Country music stars George Jones and Randy Owen offered to perform with a former recording artist-turned-state lawmaker in Alabama in exchange for his vote on pro-gambling legislation, according to phone calls secretly recorded by the FBI and played this week during a federal gambling corruption trial.

The stars sought to capitalize on a request that then-state Sen. Bobby Denton, known as the "singing senator," made before he was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in March 2010, the Montgomery Advertiser reported.


When Denton had asked Owen, lead singer of the country band Alabama, if he could sing a song from his Christmas CD, Owen told him he would sing with him if he voted for the gambling legislation, according to wiretap of a casino developer and his two lobbyists who discussed the conversation.

Country Crossing developer Ronnie Gilley told lobbyist Jennifer Pouncy and her boss, Jarrod Massey, to let Denton know that if he voted for the legislation, Jones would sing with him too and that music executive James Stroud would produce it, the newspaper reported. All three involved in the case have pleaded guilty to charges relating to corruption, bribery and conspiracy.

Gilley said earlier in the trial that Owen, who may still be called to testify, also pushed then-state Sen. Charles Bishop to vote for the legislation.

Owen's manager did not return a message from FoxNews.com seeking comment.

Denton, who had traditionally opposed gambling legislation, voted for the bill that month. Even though it passed in the Senate, it died in the Alabama House after the FBI announced its investigation of state corruption the next month.

Denton, known for recording some of the first hits out of Muscle Shoals, retired from the Senate in 2010 but is not a defendant in the trial. He has not been accused of any wrongdoing. But the testimony on Wednesday focused on him to show how hard supporters of the bill were working to get the necessary 21 votes.

Pouncy has testified that she offered $2 million in campaign contributions to indicted Sen. Jim Preuitt and $100,000 to indicted Sen. Larry Means to win their votes for the legislation. Country Crossing, a family entertainment center that opened in 2009 with more than 1,700 electronic bingo machines, closed after being raided and accused of running illegal slots.

The bingo games have not been allowed to operate since the state Supreme Court tightened the definition of what constitutes an electronic bingo machine. Cross Country's facilities may be allowed to reopen this year if new machines are installed.

Venues at the facility are named after country singers, including Owen, Lorrie Morgan, John Anderson and Darryl Worley. A bed and breakfast is named for George Jones.

Denton said in an interview Wednesday with The Associated Press that he was not influenced by Jones' and Owen's participation in the induction. He said he decided to vote for the bill to avoid a fllibuster so the legislative session could get on to other critical issues like the state budget.

"As far as pressure or taking about the issue, we didn't do it," he said.

Prosecutors say they could wrap up their portion of the seven-week-old trial early next week after Pouncy's testimony wraps up Friday and four more witnesses are called. Defense attorneys are trying to stop two of the remaining witnesses from appearing.

Prosecutors want one of Gov. Bob Riley's former aides, Josh Blades, to testify about what Preuitt told Blades about another defendant, Sen. Harri Anne Smith. Prosecutors also want to present an FBI agent to offer government and bank records to back up testimony that has been presented by Gilley and others.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/07/22/country-stars-made-singing-offer-to-alabama-senator-for-his-vote-on-gambling/#ixzz1SuhihEiw

Wow, so ethical. That is A LOT of money in bribes!

It happens all the time LP.......on either side of the political spectrum. You wanna see why nothing changes? That's part of why.

This time it was taken to far, people got to greedy and was VERY illegal.

I got news for you Lp, A LOT of what they do is VERY illegal. This is just a small piece of what they do.

Every donation to a politician is a bribe to vote a certain way. All donations should be illegal.

You know I get candidates coming to my front door and calling me on the phone asking for my vote and I turn ask them to support certain things if they want my vote. I will not vote for someone I don't believe will do what I consider to be the right thing, if I could get them to sign a contract with me stating they would do all the great and wonderful things they claim to stand for that would be the best but we all know that will never happen. So what if they said yeah I'll play but you got do this for me, I think all American citizens should put stipulations on their vote!

Yea but people's positions change over time or they compromise to either get something they want tossed in or out or compromise to make it not as bad as proposed.

If it were illegal they would get prosecuted. Everything they do is under a microscope.

Yes and no.

"Very"? As opposed to 'sort of' or 'kind of' illegal? Is that like being 'a little pregnant'?

How would you classify what Tom DeLay, the first Congressional leader to ever be indicted and convicted of a felony, did?

Contrast that with what John Edwards did and was arrested for.

Only speaking for myself, I'm hope Edwards gets the book thrown at him and that DeLay isn't able to use the legal system forever to avoid having to take the perp walk.

-Kerry O.

They also vote the same ******** back into office every time too.

Because the vote for things like skin color or rockstar image and not what really counts and matters, EXPERIENCE!