Category: News
August 16:
Elvis Presley died (heart failure), 1977 (was 42)
Kathie Lee Gifford born in Paris, France, 1953 (now 54). The TV icon was once one of the "Hee Haw honeys."
Billy Joe Shaver born in Corsica, Texas, 1939 (now 68)
Vassar Clements died (lung cancer), 2005 (was 77)
August 17:
Wayne Raney born in Wolf Bayou, Arkansas, 1920 (died 1993)
August 18:
Johnny Preston born in Port Arthur, Texas, 1939 (now 68). The singer's biggest hit, "Running Bear," featured guitar work and backing vocals by George Jones.
Hank Penny born in Birmingham, Alabama, 1918 (died 1992)
The Louvin Brothers play their last official show as a duo (opening for Ray Price) in Watseka, Illinois, 1963. According to Charles Wolfe's biography, the duo that once commanded over $1100 per show as headliners received $250 for the performance.
August 19:
Eddy Raven born in Lafayette, Louisiana, 1944 (now 63)
Clay Walker born in Beaumont, Texas, 1969 (now 38)
Lee Ann Womack born in Jacksonville, Texas, 1966 (now 41)
August 20:
Rudy Gatlin born in Olney, Texas, 1952 (now 55)
Jim Reeves born in Galloway, Texas, 1923 (died 1964)
Justin Tubb born in San Antonio, Texas, 1935 (died 1998)
August 21:
Harold Reid born in Staunton, Virginia, 1939 (now 68)
Sam McGee died (tractor accident on his farm), 1975 (was 81)
August 22:
Holly Dunn born in San Antonio, Texas, 1957 (now 50)
Collin Raye born in DeQueen, Arkansas, 1959 (now 48)
Rod Brasfield born in Smithville, Arkansas, 1910 (died 1958)
Connie B. Gay born in Lizard Lick, North Carolina, 1914 (died 1989)
Floyd Tillman died (leukemia), 2003 (was 88)
August 23:
Rex Allen, Jr. born in Chicago, Illinois, 1947 (now 60)
Woody Paul born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1949 (now 58)
Tex Williams born in Anvil, Illinois, 1917 (died 1985)
Kitty Wells became the first woman to hit #1 on the Billboard singles chart with "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels," 1952. The song was very controversial in its day, with many country stations refusing to play the song and the Grand Ole Opry management prohibiting Kitty from performing the tune.
August 24:
Fred Rose born in Evansville, Indiana, 1897 (died 1954)
Jerry Clower died (complications from heart surgery), 1998 (was 71)
Nat Stuckey died (lung cancer), 1988 (was 54)
August 25:
Jerry Rivers born in Miami, Florida, 1928 (died 1996)
Elvis Costello born in London, England, 1954 (now 53). The punk pioneer and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member is a die-hard country music fan who recorded an album of old country songs, Almost Blue, and has performed with numerous country legends including George Jones, Ricky Skaggs, Emmylou Harris, and Charlie Louvin. Johnny Cash recorded Costello's song "The Big Light" on Johnny Cash is Coming to Town.
Billy Ray Cyrus born in Flatwoods, Kentucky, 1961 (now 46)
Jo Dee Messina born in Holliston, Massachusetts, 1970 (now 37)
Cliff Bruner died (cancer), 2000 (was 85)
August 26:
Don Bowman born in Lubbock, Texas, 1937 (now 70)
Wilma Burgess died (heart attack), 2003 (was 64)
August 27:
J.D. Crowe born in Lexington, Kentucky, 1937 (now 70)
Jimmy C. Newman born in Big Mamou, Louisiana, 1927 (now 80)
Carter Stanley born in Dickenson County, Virginia, 1925 (died 1966)
Jim Denny died (cancer), 1963 (was 52). The Country Music Hall of Famer is most infamous for telling a guest arist after an appearance on the Grand Ole Opry, "You ain't goin' nowhere, son. You ought to go back to driving a truck." The person on the receiving end of Denny's criticism was Elvis Presley.
August 28:
Billy Grammer born in Benton, Illinois, 1925 (now 82)
LeAnn Rimes born in Jackson, Mississippi, 1982 (now 25)
August 29:
Shawn Camp born in Perryville, Arkansas, 1966 (now 41)
Archie Campbell died (heart attack), 1987 (was 67)
August 30:
Kitty Wells born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1919 (now 88)
Jim and Jon Hagar born in Chicago, Illinois, 1946 (now 61)
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Whitstein Brothers' Father Dies
Category: News
Roy C. (R.C.) Whitstine, the father of Rounder Records artists the Whitstein Brothers, died Saturday, August 11, at his home in Colfax, Louisiana. He was 83.
R.C. was a local musician in his youth and passed along his love of country music to his sons. His two oldest sons, Robert and Charles, became Grammy-nominated performers. They played on the Grand Ole Opry first as teenagers, then frequently in the 1980s and 90s as guest performers. Robert died in 2001.
R.C.'s popularity as a musician never went outside the central Louisiana land where he lived his entire life, but his sons took the music they learned at his knee to the world.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Hall of Fame Inductees, 2007
Category: News/Opinion
The three inductees for the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007 have been announced. They are:
MEL TILLIS. A prolific singer/songwriter who penned such hits as "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" and "Detroit City" as well as his own long string of hits is inducted for contributions to country music from World War II to 1975
VINCE GILL. The singer/songwriter who got his start as a member of Louisville's Bluegrass Alliance before moving to Pure Prairie League then a long and successful solo career is being honored for contributions to country music since 1975.
RALPH EMERY. From his longtime duties as disc jockey on WSM radio, where he hosted a Monday-Friday interview show with country music stars, to the host of Pop! Goes the Country (which can still be seen weekly on RFD-TV) and Nashville Now, to author of two best-selling autobiographies (Memories and More Memories), Emery is inducted in the non-performer category.
Now, here's the problem...
In music, timing is everything. The timing for the music inductions is way off. Tillis' induction is way overdue; Gill's comes too early. And Ralph Emery? Well...
Mel Tillis was probably kept from induction for so long because the people who put on the TV show were scared of his legendary stuttering lengthening a five-minute acceptance speech into a three-hour affair. (In actuality, Tillis' stuttering is now an act, as he successfully overcame it with speech therapy. And a bit of trivia: Tillis, in the liner notes to Jim Reeves' album Missing You, credits Reeves with offering to pay for speech therapy for Tillis when the latter was a young, struggling songwriter.) Tillis' songs are all over the place. Stonewall Jackson and Ray Price have recorded their fair share of Tillis compositions, and "(Sweet) Mental Revenge" has been recorded by acts as diverse as country's legendary outlaw Waylon Jennings to rock and roll's Long Ryders. "Heart Over Mind" was a hit for Ray Price and an early Tillis composition. Simon Crum (Ferlin Husky's alter ego) even recorded a Tillis song ("Stand Up, Sit Down, Shut Your Mouth") on his one album, The Unpredictable Simon Crum. "Lonely Street" is a gem in Tillis' songwriting repertoire. And this is saying nothing of his long performing career on his own. He had an early hit with "Sawmill" (which later became a top three smash for him in 1973) as a duet with Bill Phillips (who went on to some success with "Put It Off Until Tomorrow"). His band is called the Statesiders, after a minor 1966 hit ("Stateside"). He is so deserving, but this is so overdue.
In contrast, the only reason I can think of for Vince Gill's early induction is the political machine of the Country Music Association. (If you think "politics as usual" just happens in Washington DC, you are sadly mistaken, because I think it is safe to say that you haven't seen politics till you've seen Nashville music politics!) Vince Gill was host of the CMA Awards (as in, Country Music Association, the people who vote on induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame) for 13 years. Is it any coincidence that he's the third youngest living person (behind Cash at 48 and Atkins at 49) to be inducted?
Please do not misunderstand me. Vince Gill is one of the truly nice guys in the world, a gentleman's gentleman who loves his fans and has all the time in the world for them (I remember him being so patient with a Japanese couple who could not get their camera to work for a picture one night at the Opry). He is also a staunch supporter of traditional country music and the history of this wonderful genre. I would not argue his credentials; however, my question is the antithesis of the Tillis question: instead of "why so long," I'm wondering "why so soon?" And I cannot help but believe that the CMA is patting itself on the back with his induction because of his years of hosting their awards show instead of truly honoring Gill for his accomplishments.
And, as usual, the announcement of the inductions brings up a long list of HWAs (that's short for "Hey! What About....?"):
Ernest V. Stoneman. I told Harold Bradley (himself a Hall of Famer) this earlier this year, and I would walk into a room full of voters and say it to their collective faces: every year that passes without Pop Stoneman's induction makes the voters look more and more uninformed about the music they're supposed to know. This man was so vital to country music in the 1920s and 1930s. His recording of "The Great Titanic" is a masterpiece.
Al Dexter. If you open a Billboard magazine and see a "Country Singles Chart," you can thank Al Dexter. The popularity of Al Dexter and His Troopers in the early 40s caused Billboard to create the "Hillbilly and Western" singles chart in 1944, where the first two #1 songs were Al Dexter tunes ("Pistol Packin' Mama" -- first by Bing Crosby and the Andrew Sisters, then Dexter's own recording). In 1997, Billboard charts guru Joel Whitburn listed Dexter as the #117 singles artist of all time -- a man who had not had a charted hit since 1948 ranked that high!
Hank Locklin. "Please Help Me I'm Falling" was the third biggest hit of the entire decade of the 1960s. Locklin (who will be at least 90 before he's inducted, assuming he is alive and inducted next year) began his career in 1948 and had his first #1 hit in 1953.
Jean Shepard. She scored top ten hits in three different decades and is still a popular figure on the Grand Ole Opry. Her contributions to country music, not to mention females in country music, are immense.
Ferlin Husky. The last of the superstars of the 50s who is not in, his megahit "Wings of a Dove" is entry number one on his resume for induction, followed closely by the #2 hit "Country Music is Here to Stay" by his good friend Simon Crum.
Stonewall Jackson. Here is a golden opportunity for the CMA to prove that there is NOT a game of politics going on: induct Stonewall Jackson. His career is worthy. The fact that he currently has a lawsuit against the Grand Ole Opry for age discrimination should not enter into the picture. How I would love to be proven wrong in the case of believing it's all politics, and the best way to prove that is to see Stonewall's plaque go up next year!
The Wilburn Brothers. One of the things that kept Webb Pierce out of the Hall of Fame for so long was the fact that he was loathed by more than a few people in Nashville. The same can be said of Teddy and Doyle Wilburn, who were so ruthless in their business dealings in their publishing company Sure-Fire Music that Loretta Lynn, under contract to Sure-Fire, reportedly refused to do songs she had written so as to not put any money in the Wilburns' pockets. (And, ironically, she was the "girl singer" on their TV show!) But now that Teddy has died (he died in 2003, just days short of his 72nd birthday), it's time to bury the bad feelings and recognize the music these two men made.
The Statler Brothers. When a country song is part of pop culture, it needs to be recognized. That is true of the Statler's first hit, "Flowers on the Wall" from 1965 (which was also a top five pop hit). The Statlers had a long career of hits and a very popular television series on the Nashville Network. They are legends and icons of country music, and their induction, like Tillis', is long overdue.
Bill C. Malone. Next year is the 40th anniversary of the publication of country's "bible," Country Music U.S.A. (which will be celebrated at next year's ICMC conference). No better way to celebrate the anniversary of the publication of this landmark, vital work on country music than to induct its author.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has a controversy brewing because the Dave Clark Five received more votes than Grandmaster Flash, but the powers that be decided to put Grandmaster Flash in anyway. I would hate to see the Country Music Hall of Fame suffer a shameful decline with such a beautiful building, but the fact is that the people who vote for induction need to either do their homework on the music and induct people who are long overdue for the honor (such as Mel Tillis or last year's inductee, Sonny James) or submit their resignation from voting and turn voting rights over to someone who will do their homework.
The three inductees for the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007 have been announced. They are:
MEL TILLIS. A prolific singer/songwriter who penned such hits as "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" and "Detroit City" as well as his own long string of hits is inducted for contributions to country music from World War II to 1975
VINCE GILL. The singer/songwriter who got his start as a member of Louisville's Bluegrass Alliance before moving to Pure Prairie League then a long and successful solo career is being honored for contributions to country music since 1975.
RALPH EMERY. From his longtime duties as disc jockey on WSM radio, where he hosted a Monday-Friday interview show with country music stars, to the host of Pop! Goes the Country (which can still be seen weekly on RFD-TV) and Nashville Now, to author of two best-selling autobiographies (Memories and More Memories), Emery is inducted in the non-performer category.
Now, here's the problem...
In music, timing is everything. The timing for the music inductions is way off. Tillis' induction is way overdue; Gill's comes too early. And Ralph Emery? Well...
Mel Tillis was probably kept from induction for so long because the people who put on the TV show were scared of his legendary stuttering lengthening a five-minute acceptance speech into a three-hour affair. (In actuality, Tillis' stuttering is now an act, as he successfully overcame it with speech therapy. And a bit of trivia: Tillis, in the liner notes to Jim Reeves' album Missing You, credits Reeves with offering to pay for speech therapy for Tillis when the latter was a young, struggling songwriter.) Tillis' songs are all over the place. Stonewall Jackson and Ray Price have recorded their fair share of Tillis compositions, and "(Sweet) Mental Revenge" has been recorded by acts as diverse as country's legendary outlaw Waylon Jennings to rock and roll's Long Ryders. "Heart Over Mind" was a hit for Ray Price and an early Tillis composition. Simon Crum (Ferlin Husky's alter ego) even recorded a Tillis song ("Stand Up, Sit Down, Shut Your Mouth") on his one album, The Unpredictable Simon Crum. "Lonely Street" is a gem in Tillis' songwriting repertoire. And this is saying nothing of his long performing career on his own. He had an early hit with "Sawmill" (which later became a top three smash for him in 1973) as a duet with Bill Phillips (who went on to some success with "Put It Off Until Tomorrow"). His band is called the Statesiders, after a minor 1966 hit ("Stateside"). He is so deserving, but this is so overdue.
In contrast, the only reason I can think of for Vince Gill's early induction is the political machine of the Country Music Association. (If you think "politics as usual" just happens in Washington DC, you are sadly mistaken, because I think it is safe to say that you haven't seen politics till you've seen Nashville music politics!) Vince Gill was host of the CMA Awards (as in, Country Music Association, the people who vote on induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame) for 13 years. Is it any coincidence that he's the third youngest living person (behind Cash at 48 and Atkins at 49) to be inducted?
Please do not misunderstand me. Vince Gill is one of the truly nice guys in the world, a gentleman's gentleman who loves his fans and has all the time in the world for them (I remember him being so patient with a Japanese couple who could not get their camera to work for a picture one night at the Opry). He is also a staunch supporter of traditional country music and the history of this wonderful genre. I would not argue his credentials; however, my question is the antithesis of the Tillis question: instead of "why so long," I'm wondering "why so soon?" And I cannot help but believe that the CMA is patting itself on the back with his induction because of his years of hosting their awards show instead of truly honoring Gill for his accomplishments.
And, as usual, the announcement of the inductions brings up a long list of HWAs (that's short for "Hey! What About....?"):
Ernest V. Stoneman. I told Harold Bradley (himself a Hall of Famer) this earlier this year, and I would walk into a room full of voters and say it to their collective faces: every year that passes without Pop Stoneman's induction makes the voters look more and more uninformed about the music they're supposed to know. This man was so vital to country music in the 1920s and 1930s. His recording of "The Great Titanic" is a masterpiece.
Al Dexter. If you open a Billboard magazine and see a "Country Singles Chart," you can thank Al Dexter. The popularity of Al Dexter and His Troopers in the early 40s caused Billboard to create the "Hillbilly and Western" singles chart in 1944, where the first two #1 songs were Al Dexter tunes ("Pistol Packin' Mama" -- first by Bing Crosby and the Andrew Sisters, then Dexter's own recording). In 1997, Billboard charts guru Joel Whitburn listed Dexter as the #117 singles artist of all time -- a man who had not had a charted hit since 1948 ranked that high!
Hank Locklin. "Please Help Me I'm Falling" was the third biggest hit of the entire decade of the 1960s. Locklin (who will be at least 90 before he's inducted, assuming he is alive and inducted next year) began his career in 1948 and had his first #1 hit in 1953.
Jean Shepard. She scored top ten hits in three different decades and is still a popular figure on the Grand Ole Opry. Her contributions to country music, not to mention females in country music, are immense.
Ferlin Husky. The last of the superstars of the 50s who is not in, his megahit "Wings of a Dove" is entry number one on his resume for induction, followed closely by the #2 hit "Country Music is Here to Stay" by his good friend Simon Crum.
Stonewall Jackson. Here is a golden opportunity for the CMA to prove that there is NOT a game of politics going on: induct Stonewall Jackson. His career is worthy. The fact that he currently has a lawsuit against the Grand Ole Opry for age discrimination should not enter into the picture. How I would love to be proven wrong in the case of believing it's all politics, and the best way to prove that is to see Stonewall's plaque go up next year!
The Wilburn Brothers. One of the things that kept Webb Pierce out of the Hall of Fame for so long was the fact that he was loathed by more than a few people in Nashville. The same can be said of Teddy and Doyle Wilburn, who were so ruthless in their business dealings in their publishing company Sure-Fire Music that Loretta Lynn, under contract to Sure-Fire, reportedly refused to do songs she had written so as to not put any money in the Wilburns' pockets. (And, ironically, she was the "girl singer" on their TV show!) But now that Teddy has died (he died in 2003, just days short of his 72nd birthday), it's time to bury the bad feelings and recognize the music these two men made.
The Statler Brothers. When a country song is part of pop culture, it needs to be recognized. That is true of the Statler's first hit, "Flowers on the Wall" from 1965 (which was also a top five pop hit). The Statlers had a long career of hits and a very popular television series on the Nashville Network. They are legends and icons of country music, and their induction, like Tillis', is long overdue.
Bill C. Malone. Next year is the 40th anniversary of the publication of country's "bible," Country Music U.S.A. (which will be celebrated at next year's ICMC conference). No better way to celebrate the anniversary of the publication of this landmark, vital work on country music than to induct its author.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has a controversy brewing because the Dave Clark Five received more votes than Grandmaster Flash, but the powers that be decided to put Grandmaster Flash in anyway. I would hate to see the Country Music Hall of Fame suffer a shameful decline with such a beautiful building, but the fact is that the people who vote for induction need to either do their homework on the music and induct people who are long overdue for the honor (such as Mel Tillis or last year's inductee, Sonny James) or submit their resignation from voting and turn voting rights over to someone who will do their homework.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Dates of Note in Country Music, August 1-15
Category: News
August 2:
Hank Cochran born in Isola, Mississippi, 1935 (now 72)
Betty Jack Davis died (car wreck), 1953 (was 21)
August 3:
Randy Scruggs born in Nashville, 1953 (now 54)
Gordon Stoker born in Gleason, Tennessee, 1924 (now 83)
Little Roy Wiggins died (heart disease and diabetes complications), 1999 (was 73)
August 4:
Louis Armstrong born in New Orleans, 1901 (died 1971). The legendary jazz trumpet player and singer recorded with the Father of Country Music, Jimmie Rodgers.
Carson Robison born in Oswego, Kansas, 1890 (died 1957)
August 5:
Bobby Braddock born in Lakeland, Florida, 1940 (now 67)
Terri Clark born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 1968 (now 39)
Vern "The Voice" Gosdin born in Woodland, Alabama, 1934 (now 73)
Sammi Smith born in Orange, California, 1943 (died 2005)
Luther Perkins died (injuries from a house fire), 1968 (was 40)
August 6:
Patsy and Peggy Lynn born in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, 1964 (now 43)
Lisa Stewart born in Louisville, Mississippi, 1968 (now 39)
August 7:
Rodney Crowell born in Houston, Texas, 1950 (now 57)
Raul Malo (of the Mavericks) born in Miami, Florida, 1965 (now 42)
B.J. Thomas born in Hugo, Oklahoma, 1942 (now 65)
Homer Haynes died (heart attack), 1971 (was 51)
August 8:
Jamie O'Hara born in Toledo, Ohio, 1950 (now 57)
Mel Tillis born in Tampa, Florida, 1932 (now 75)
Webb Pierce born in West Monroe, Louisiana, 1926 (died 1991)
August 9:
Merle Kilgore born in Chickasha, Oklahoma, 1934 (died 2005)
August 10:
Jimmy Dean born in Plainview, Texas, 1928 (now 79)
Jimmy Martin born in Sneedville, Tennessee, 1927 (died 2005)
August 11:
John Conlee born in Versailles, Kentucky, 1946 (now 61)
August 12:
Mark Knopfler born in Glasgow, Scotland, 1949 (now 57). The lead singer of the rock band Dire Straits won a "Best Country Vocal Collaboration" Grammy with Chet Atkins in 1990 for the song "Poor Boy Blues."
Porter Wagoner born in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, 1927 (now 80)
Buck Owens born in Sherman, Texas, 1929 (died 2006)
August 14:
Johnny Duncan died (heart attack), 2006 (was 67)
Connie Smith born in Elkhart, Indiana, 1941 (now 66)
August 15:
Bobby Helms born in Bloomington, Indiana, 1933 (died 1997)
Lew DeWitt died (complications from Chron's disease), 1990 (was 52)
Will Rogers died (plane crash with Wiley Post), 1935 (was 55)
August 2:
Hank Cochran born in Isola, Mississippi, 1935 (now 72)
Betty Jack Davis died (car wreck), 1953 (was 21)
August 3:
Randy Scruggs born in Nashville, 1953 (now 54)
Gordon Stoker born in Gleason, Tennessee, 1924 (now 83)
Little Roy Wiggins died (heart disease and diabetes complications), 1999 (was 73)
August 4:
Louis Armstrong born in New Orleans, 1901 (died 1971). The legendary jazz trumpet player and singer recorded with the Father of Country Music, Jimmie Rodgers.
Carson Robison born in Oswego, Kansas, 1890 (died 1957)
August 5:
Bobby Braddock born in Lakeland, Florida, 1940 (now 67)
Terri Clark born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 1968 (now 39)
Vern "The Voice" Gosdin born in Woodland, Alabama, 1934 (now 73)
Sammi Smith born in Orange, California, 1943 (died 2005)
Luther Perkins died (injuries from a house fire), 1968 (was 40)
August 6:
Patsy and Peggy Lynn born in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, 1964 (now 43)
Lisa Stewart born in Louisville, Mississippi, 1968 (now 39)
August 7:
Rodney Crowell born in Houston, Texas, 1950 (now 57)
Raul Malo (of the Mavericks) born in Miami, Florida, 1965 (now 42)
B.J. Thomas born in Hugo, Oklahoma, 1942 (now 65)
Homer Haynes died (heart attack), 1971 (was 51)
August 8:
Jamie O'Hara born in Toledo, Ohio, 1950 (now 57)
Mel Tillis born in Tampa, Florida, 1932 (now 75)
Webb Pierce born in West Monroe, Louisiana, 1926 (died 1991)
August 9:
Merle Kilgore born in Chickasha, Oklahoma, 1934 (died 2005)
August 10:
Jimmy Dean born in Plainview, Texas, 1928 (now 79)
Jimmy Martin born in Sneedville, Tennessee, 1927 (died 2005)
August 11:
John Conlee born in Versailles, Kentucky, 1946 (now 61)
August 12:
Mark Knopfler born in Glasgow, Scotland, 1949 (now 57). The lead singer of the rock band Dire Straits won a "Best Country Vocal Collaboration" Grammy with Chet Atkins in 1990 for the song "Poor Boy Blues."
Porter Wagoner born in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, 1927 (now 80)
Buck Owens born in Sherman, Texas, 1929 (died 2006)
August 14:
Johnny Duncan died (heart attack), 2006 (was 67)
Connie Smith born in Elkhart, Indiana, 1941 (now 66)
August 15:
Bobby Helms born in Bloomington, Indiana, 1933 (died 1997)
Lew DeWitt died (complications from Chron's disease), 1990 (was 52)
Will Rogers died (plane crash with Wiley Post), 1935 (was 55)
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Missing You: Jim Reeves, 43 Years Later
Category: NewsForty three years ago, on Friday, July 31, 1964, Jim Reeves was returning to Nashville from a business trip to Arkansas. His piano player and manager, Dean Manuel, went with him, since Dean was a native of Arkansas. Before he left, Jim had asked friend Bonnie Brown of the Browns if she wanted to fly with him as well (the Browns also hail from Arkansas), but she turned him down because she had a sick child to tend to.
That illness was a blessing to Jim Ed's sister. As Reeves' plane approached Nashville a typical summer thunderstorm roared through the area. Reeves, not cleared to fly on instruments, flew on through the storm in an attempt to make it to the airport. He was in contact with the control tower as he flew toward the airport. The last word he uttered was half of the word "negative."
Nearby, Marty Robbins had gone outside to collect rain water to wash his hair in. He heard a loud noise and ran inside and told his wife, "Someone's just been killed out there!"
Reeves' plane was reported missing that evening. The next day, August 1st, many of Reeves' peers in the country music world were searching the woods in southern Nashville for the plane. Mary Reeves, according to Buddy Killen in By the Seat of My Pants: My Life in Country Music, said that at first she did not make the connection between Reeves being late in returning and the announcement that a plane had gone down. "Then," she said, acknowledging that reality set in, "I started thinking about funeral arrangements."
At approximately 1 PM on Sunday, August 2, the wreckage of the plane was discovered. Reeves had apparently had the plane upside down when he nosedived into the woods. The initial impact threw him out of the plane and into the propeller, creating a grisly sight. The word went out: Gentleman Jim Reeves, international country music superstar, was dead, three weeks short of his 41st birthday.
In one of those ironies of life, Reeves had been an honorary pallbearer at Patsy Cline's memorial service 16 months earlier. When the NTSB ruling on the Cline/Copas/Hawkins plane crash was released, it ruled that pilot Randy Hughes had tried to fly in a thunderstorm without proper instrument training. "I'd never make that mistake," Reeves commented. The NTSB's ruling on the Reeves crash was the same as the results of the 1963 tragedy: pilot error.
Reeves' popularity hardly faded after his death. In fact, of his eleven #1 songs on the Billboard Country Singles chart, six of them were posthumous. His demo tapes were overdubbed (sometimes too overdubbed) and released as "new" recordings well into the 1980s. In fact, the 1994 Bear Family release Welcome to My World had two CDs filled with previously unreleased demos. (A Reeves fan website also has CDs of demo and rehearsal tapes, showing the vast amount of music the man recorded.)
In 1998, Michael Streissguth released a controversial biography on Reeves, Like a Moth to a Flame. Fans blasted the book for focusing too much on Reeves' demons and not enough on his music. A more compassionate, balanced biography on the man (by Larry Jordan) has been promised for years, but has yet to surface. His only movie, Kimberly Jim, is out on DVD, as is a wonderful tribute DVD featuring television and concert performances.
Even after 43 years, Reeves' star still shines brightly. People whose parents weren't even born when he died have discovered his music. Good music is eternal, and that is obvious with the enduring legacy of Jim Reeves.
NTSB Report on Reeves' crash
Monday, July 30, 2007
Man Who Inspired "Best Little Whorehouse" Dies
Category: News
Marvin Zindler dies
The movie and play The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas was inspired to some degree by an actual event. In 1973, KTRK "consumer advocate" reporter Marvin Zindler confronted a sheriff who knew that the Chicken Ranch in LaGrange was operating right under the police's nose with no action being taken. In the confrontation, Sheriff T.J. Flournoy ripped Zindler's toupee off and destroyed the film in the camera. Much like the confrontation between Burt Reynolds' Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd and Dom DeLuise's Melvin P. Thorpe in the film, Flournoy launched into a profanity-filled attack on reporter Zindler (although the sheriff destroyed the video footage of the confrontation, the audio remained intact).
Marvin Zindler died in Houston on Sunday (7/29), less than two weeks short of his 86th birthday. He had been diagnosed earlier in July as having advanced pancreatic cancer.
Zindler's expose of the Chicken Ranch made a national magazine and became the stuff of legends. Rockers ZZ Top sang about it in the song "LaGrange," and the story became the basis for the play The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, followed in 1982 by a film version that starred Burt Reynolds and country legend Dolly Parton.
The movie and play The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas was inspired to some degree by an actual event. In 1973, KTRK "consumer advocate" reporter Marvin Zindler confronted a sheriff who knew that the Chicken Ranch in LaGrange was operating right under the police's nose with no action being taken. In the confrontation, Sheriff T.J. Flournoy ripped Zindler's toupee off and destroyed the film in the camera. Much like the confrontation between Burt Reynolds' Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd and Dom DeLuise's Melvin P. Thorpe in the film, Flournoy launched into a profanity-filled attack on reporter Zindler (although the sheriff destroyed the video footage of the confrontation, the audio remained intact).
Marvin Zindler died in Houston on Sunday (7/29), less than two weeks short of his 86th birthday. He had been diagnosed earlier in July as having advanced pancreatic cancer.
Zindler's expose of the Chicken Ranch made a national magazine and became the stuff of legends. Rockers ZZ Top sang about it in the song "LaGrange," and the story became the basis for the play The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, followed in 1982 by a film version that starred Burt Reynolds and country legend Dolly Parton.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Songwriter Lawton Williams Dies
Category: News
While Lawton Williams' name might not be a household word, the songs he penned are very well known to a generation of country and pop fans. He wrote such staples as "Fraulein," "Blue Grass Skirt," "Farewell Party," "Geisha Girl," "Color of the Blues," and "Shame on Me."
Lawton Williams died July 26th, two days after his 85th birthday, in Fort Worth of respiratory illness.
Williams had a modest recording career, signed at one time to Four Star Records in the late 40s. Hank Locklin was also a Four Star artist at that time (his hit "Let Me Be the One" was a Four Star #1 hit in the 1940s), which is where he discovered Williams' songwriting talents. Locklin recorded a number of Lawton Williams tunes (including the hits mentioned above).
Lawton Williams obituary from CMT
While Lawton Williams' name might not be a household word, the songs he penned are very well known to a generation of country and pop fans. He wrote such staples as "Fraulein," "Blue Grass Skirt," "Farewell Party," "Geisha Girl," "Color of the Blues," and "Shame on Me."
Lawton Williams died July 26th, two days after his 85th birthday, in Fort Worth of respiratory illness.
Williams had a modest recording career, signed at one time to Four Star Records in the late 40s. Hank Locklin was also a Four Star artist at that time (his hit "Let Me Be the One" was a Four Star #1 hit in the 1940s), which is where he discovered Williams' songwriting talents. Locklin recorded a number of Lawton Williams tunes (including the hits mentioned above).
Lawton Williams obituary from CMT
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Dates of Note in Country Music, July 21-31
Category: News
July 22:
Margaret Whiting born in Detroit, Michigan, 1924 (now 83). Although primarily a pop singer, Whiting had a series of duets with Jimmy Wakely in the 40s and 50s.
Bob Ferguson died (cancer), 2001 (was 73)
July 23:
Johnny Darrell born in Hopewell, Alabama, 1940 (now 67)
Alison Krauss born in Decatur, Illinois, 1971 (now 36)
July 25:
Roy Acuff Jr. born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1943 (now 64)
Charlie Rich died (blood clot in lung), 1995 (was 62)
July 27:
Bill Engvall born in Galveston, Texas, 1957 (now 50)
Bobbie Gentry born in Chickasaw, Mississippi, 1944 (now 67)
Henry "Homer" Haynes born in Knoxville, Tennessee, 1920 (died 1971)
July 28:
Frank Loesser died (lung cancer), 1969 (was 59). The composer was the "victim" of one of Homer and Jethro's earliest hits, "Baby, It's Cold Outside," in 1949 (which featured a young June Carter singing the female part). It was reported that Loesser had no objection to the parody (from an EP titled Homer and Jethro Fracture Frank Loesser), and only asked that the songwriter credit read, "With apologies to Frank Loesser" (which is on every copy of the song I have ever seen).
July 29:
Pete Drake died (lung disease), 1988 (was 55)
July 30:
Sam Phillips died (respiratory failure), 2003 (was 80)
July 31:
Jim Reeves died (plane crash), 1964 (was 40)
July 22:
Margaret Whiting born in Detroit, Michigan, 1924 (now 83). Although primarily a pop singer, Whiting had a series of duets with Jimmy Wakely in the 40s and 50s.
Bob Ferguson died (cancer), 2001 (was 73)
July 23:
Johnny Darrell born in Hopewell, Alabama, 1940 (now 67)
Alison Krauss born in Decatur, Illinois, 1971 (now 36)
July 25:
Roy Acuff Jr. born in Nashville, Tennessee, 1943 (now 64)
Charlie Rich died (blood clot in lung), 1995 (was 62)
July 27:
Bill Engvall born in Galveston, Texas, 1957 (now 50)
Bobbie Gentry born in Chickasaw, Mississippi, 1944 (now 67)
Henry "Homer" Haynes born in Knoxville, Tennessee, 1920 (died 1971)
July 28:
Frank Loesser died (lung cancer), 1969 (was 59). The composer was the "victim" of one of Homer and Jethro's earliest hits, "Baby, It's Cold Outside," in 1949 (which featured a young June Carter singing the female part). It was reported that Loesser had no objection to the parody (from an EP titled Homer and Jethro Fracture Frank Loesser), and only asked that the songwriter credit read, "With apologies to Frank Loesser" (which is on every copy of the song I have ever seen).
July 29:
Pete Drake died (lung disease), 1988 (was 55)
July 30:
Sam Phillips died (respiratory failure), 2003 (was 80)
July 31:
Jim Reeves died (plane crash), 1964 (was 40)
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Dates of Note in Country Music, July 11-20
Category: News
July 12:
Jimmie Driftwood died (heart attack), 1998 (was 91)
July 13:
Rhonda Vincent born in Kirksville, Missouri, 1962 (now 45)
Bradley Kincaid born in Level, Kentucky, 1895 (died 1989)
Tim Spencer born in Webb City, Missouri, 1908 (died 1974)
Riley Puckett died (blood poisoning), 1946 (was 62)
July 14:
Woody Guthrie born in Okemah, Oklahoma, 1912 (died 1967)
Del Reeves born in Sparta, North Carolina, 1933 (died 2007)
July 15:
Johnny Sea born in Gulfport, Mississippi, 1940 (now 67)
Cowboy Copas born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, 1913 (died 1963)
July 16:
Ronny Robbins born in Phoenix, Arizona, 1949 (now 58)
July 17:
Red Sovine born in Charleston, West Virginia, 1918 (died 1980)
Harry Choates died (results of head injury), 1951 (was 29)
Dizzy Dean died (heart attack), 1974 (was 63). Dizzy is mentioned here because he was credited with giving Roy Acuff the nickname "King of Country Music."
Don Rich died (motorcycle accident), 1974 (was 32)
Wynn Stewart died (heart attack), 1985 (was 51)
July 18:
Ricky Skaggs born in Cordell, Kentucky, 1954 (now 53)
July 19:
George Hamilton IV born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 1937 (now 70)
Sue Thompson born in Nevada, Missouri, 1926 (now 81)
Lefty Frizzell died (stroke), 1975 (was 47)
July 20:
Radney Foster born in Del Rio, Texas, 1959 (now 48)
Sleepy LaBeef born in Smackover, Arkansas, 1935 (now 72)
T.G. Sheppard born in Humbolt, Tennessee, 1942 (now 65)
July 12:
Jimmie Driftwood died (heart attack), 1998 (was 91)
July 13:
Rhonda Vincent born in Kirksville, Missouri, 1962 (now 45)
Bradley Kincaid born in Level, Kentucky, 1895 (died 1989)
Tim Spencer born in Webb City, Missouri, 1908 (died 1974)
Riley Puckett died (blood poisoning), 1946 (was 62)
July 14:
Woody Guthrie born in Okemah, Oklahoma, 1912 (died 1967)
Del Reeves born in Sparta, North Carolina, 1933 (died 2007)
July 15:
Johnny Sea born in Gulfport, Mississippi, 1940 (now 67)
Cowboy Copas born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, 1913 (died 1963)
July 16:
Ronny Robbins born in Phoenix, Arizona, 1949 (now 58)
July 17:
Red Sovine born in Charleston, West Virginia, 1918 (died 1980)
Harry Choates died (results of head injury), 1951 (was 29)
Dizzy Dean died (heart attack), 1974 (was 63). Dizzy is mentioned here because he was credited with giving Roy Acuff the nickname "King of Country Music."
Don Rich died (motorcycle accident), 1974 (was 32)
Wynn Stewart died (heart attack), 1985 (was 51)
July 18:
Ricky Skaggs born in Cordell, Kentucky, 1954 (now 53)
July 19:
George Hamilton IV born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 1937 (now 70)
Sue Thompson born in Nevada, Missouri, 1926 (now 81)
Lefty Frizzell died (stroke), 1975 (was 47)
July 20:
Radney Foster born in Del Rio, Texas, 1959 (now 48)
Sleepy LaBeef born in Smackover, Arkansas, 1935 (now 72)
T.G. Sheppard born in Humbolt, Tennessee, 1942 (now 65)
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Boots Randolph Dies
CATEGORY: News
Boots Randolph died July 3 in Nashville of a sudural hematoma.
NEWS LINK
Homer Louis Randolph was born June 3, 1927 in Paducah, Kentucky. His rendition of "Yakety Sax" (a takeoff of the title of the Coasters' hit "Yakety Yak") became a pop hit and later the theme to Benny Hill's long-running British television show. He was part of Nashville's "A List" of studio musicians, a group that included Country Music Hall of Fame members Harold Bradley and Floyd Cramer. (If Randolph's name is on the Hall of Fame ballots, look for him to be inducted this year.)
A bit of trivia regarding Boots: Country comedian Don Bowman recorded a song titled "Chit Akins, Make Me a Star," a 1964 top 20 country novelty number about a plea from a very bad musician to one of the top producers in country music -- complete with a misspelling and mispronunciation of his name -- for a chance at stardom. Chet Atkins later recounted on a WSM talk show that they needed a really bad guitarist to play the woeful riffs contained in the song, but the problem was that professional musicians just could not play as poorly as the song required. Boots Randolph, however, according to Atkins, "knew just enough on the guitar to be bad," so the legendary saxophonist picked up the guitar and mangled his way through "Wildwood Flower" on the Bowman song.
Boots Randolph was 80.
Boots Randolph's Web Site
Boots Randolph died July 3 in Nashville of a sudural hematoma.
NEWS LINK
Homer Louis Randolph was born June 3, 1927 in Paducah, Kentucky. His rendition of "Yakety Sax" (a takeoff of the title of the Coasters' hit "Yakety Yak") became a pop hit and later the theme to Benny Hill's long-running British television show. He was part of Nashville's "A List" of studio musicians, a group that included Country Music Hall of Fame members Harold Bradley and Floyd Cramer. (If Randolph's name is on the Hall of Fame ballots, look for him to be inducted this year.)
A bit of trivia regarding Boots: Country comedian Don Bowman recorded a song titled "Chit Akins, Make Me a Star," a 1964 top 20 country novelty number about a plea from a very bad musician to one of the top producers in country music -- complete with a misspelling and mispronunciation of his name -- for a chance at stardom. Chet Atkins later recounted on a WSM talk show that they needed a really bad guitarist to play the woeful riffs contained in the song, but the problem was that professional musicians just could not play as poorly as the song required. Boots Randolph, however, according to Atkins, "knew just enough on the guitar to be bad," so the legendary saxophonist picked up the guitar and mangled his way through "Wildwood Flower" on the Bowman song.
Boots Randolph was 80.
Boots Randolph's Web Site
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Dates of Note in Country Music, July 1-10
CATEGORY: News
July 1:
Keith Whitley born in Sandy Hook, KY, 1955 (died 1989)
July 2:
Marvin Rainwater born in Wichita, Kansas, 1925 (now 82)
Ken Curtis (one-time member of Sons of the Pioneers as well as Gunsmoke actor) born in Lamar, Colorado, 1916 (died 1991)
July 3:
Johnny Lee born in Texas City, Texas, 1946 (now 61)
Aaron Tippin born in Pensacola, Florida, 1958 (now 49)
Johnny Russell died (complications of diabetes), 2001 (was 61)
July 4:
Ray Pillow born in Lynchburg, Virginia, 1937 (now 70)
Charlie Monroe born in Rosine, Kentucky, 1903 (died 1975)
Marion Worth born in Birmingham, Alabama, 1930 (died 1999)
Big Al Downing died (leukemia), 2005 (was 65)
July 6:
Jeannie Seely born in Titusville, Pennsylvania, 1940 (now 67)
Roy Rogers died (heart failure), 1998 (was 86)
July 7:
Charlie Louvin born in Rainsville, Alabama, 1927 (now 80)
Lonzo Sullivan born in Edmonton, Kentucky, 1917 (died 1967)
Doyle Wilburn born in Hardy, Arkansas, 1930 (died 1982)
George Morgan died (heart attack), 1975 (was 50)
July 8:
Toby Keith born in Clinton, Oklahoma, 1961 (now 46)
Louis Jordan (a jazz artist who had two country #1 hits in 1944) born in Brinkley, Arkansas, 1908 (died 1975)
July 9:
Jesse McReynolds born in Coeburn, Virginia, 1929 (now 77)
David Ball born in Rock Hill, South Carolina, 1953 (now 54)
Eddie Dean born in Posey, Texas, 1907 (died 1999)
Molly O'Day born in Pike County, Kentucky, 1923 (died 1987)
July 10:
"Hawk" Shaw Wilson of BR5-49 born in Topeka, Kansas, 1960 (now 47)
July 1:
Keith Whitley born in Sandy Hook, KY, 1955 (died 1989)
July 2:
Marvin Rainwater born in Wichita, Kansas, 1925 (now 82)
Ken Curtis (one-time member of Sons of the Pioneers as well as Gunsmoke actor) born in Lamar, Colorado, 1916 (died 1991)
July 3:
Johnny Lee born in Texas City, Texas, 1946 (now 61)
Aaron Tippin born in Pensacola, Florida, 1958 (now 49)
Johnny Russell died (complications of diabetes), 2001 (was 61)
July 4:
Ray Pillow born in Lynchburg, Virginia, 1937 (now 70)
Charlie Monroe born in Rosine, Kentucky, 1903 (died 1975)
Marion Worth born in Birmingham, Alabama, 1930 (died 1999)
Big Al Downing died (leukemia), 2005 (was 65)
July 6:
Jeannie Seely born in Titusville, Pennsylvania, 1940 (now 67)
Roy Rogers died (heart failure), 1998 (was 86)
July 7:
Charlie Louvin born in Rainsville, Alabama, 1927 (now 80)
Lonzo Sullivan born in Edmonton, Kentucky, 1917 (died 1967)
Doyle Wilburn born in Hardy, Arkansas, 1930 (died 1982)
George Morgan died (heart attack), 1975 (was 50)
July 8:
Toby Keith born in Clinton, Oklahoma, 1961 (now 46)
Louis Jordan (a jazz artist who had two country #1 hits in 1944) born in Brinkley, Arkansas, 1908 (died 1975)
July 9:
Jesse McReynolds born in Coeburn, Virginia, 1929 (now 77)
David Ball born in Rock Hill, South Carolina, 1953 (now 54)
Eddie Dean born in Posey, Texas, 1907 (died 1999)
Molly O'Day born in Pike County, Kentucky, 1923 (died 1987)
July 10:
"Hawk" Shaw Wilson of BR5-49 born in Topeka, Kansas, 1960 (now 47)
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Remembering Ira Louvin
CATEGORY: News
After the break-up of the Louvin Brothers in 1963, older brother Ira returned to his native Alabama while Charlie stayed in Nashville, becoming a successful solo artist with a Grammy nomination. The Louvins' record label, Capitol, convinced Ira to record some songs. He recorded 15 tunes in March of 1965, some of which included backing vocals by his wife, Canadian singer/yodeller Anne Young. In anticipation of the upcoming album, Ira played a few dates but quickly realized that life on the road was resurrecting the demons that drove him and Charlie apart as a performing duo. Before departing for the shows, which he went to because he was contractually obligated to do so, Ira told his mother he would never perform after these shows, but would instead devote himself full-time to ministry. "I've run away from God too long," Ira said.
Louvin's statement might seem odd to many, considering all the Gospel songs he wrote in his life. His songs mixed praise ("Thank God for My Christian Home") and preaching ("Satan is Real"). By many accounts, Louvin felt called to be a preacher from a young age. However, as a Baptist, he was shut out of the pulpit because of strict prohibitations against divorce. (Ira was married four times, the first time at age 17.) Nonetheless, he felt he had to devote the rest of his life to the service of God.
The shows were at Genova's Chestnut Inn in Kansas City, Missouri. In his autobiography Whisperin' Bill, Bill Anderson described the Chestnut Inn as an interesting combination of music nightclub where country (and rock -- Chuck Berry played there) performers entertained the crowd, while strippers performed between sets.
Following the shows, Ira, wife Anne, and another couple who were friends of Ira's from the Fort Payne area left Kansas City to return to Alabama. They stopped at an all-night diner at about 3:00 a.m. on Father's Day, Sunday, June 20, 1965, for some food, then continued on their way.
Interstate 70 was under construction at the time, with traffic reduced to one lane in each direction. The car Louvin was a passenger in (his friend from Fort Payne, Billy Barksdale, was driving) was heading east on the dark road, reportedly at a high rate of speed. At approximately 4:40 a.m. a car driven by 53-year-old Tommy Franklin of St. Louis smashed head-on into the Louvin car. Numerous opened liquor bottles and cans were found in Franklin's truck, and the accident was ruled caused by drunk driving.
The results were horrific. Four of the six occupants -- Franklin and his passenger, and Barksdale and his wife -- were killed instantly from the impact. The Louvins, in the back seat, were severely injured. By the time police arrived at the lonely stretch of interstate, Louvin had bled to death. Anne was still alive, but by the time she was transported to a hospital then sent to another one because the first hospital lacked the facilities to treat her, she too had passed away. Ira was 41; Anne was 38.
Charlie Louvin was on tour, performing in West Virginia. His wife, Betty, was home in Nashville. She was contacted while in church and asked to notify her husband that her brother-in-law was dead. Charlie performed his show as scheduled in West Virginia, then went back to Nashville to plan his brother's funeral.
On Wednesday, June 23, 1965, Ira and Anne Louvin were laid to rest in a common grave in the Harpeth Hills Memory Garden cemetery in suburban Nashville. Bill Anderson, who wrote the last hit of the Louvin Brothers' career ("Must You Throw Dirt in My Face"), wrote the epitaph on Ira's marker:
His fame was not a vapor that vanished with the dawn, for he etched upon the hearts of all mankind words and melodies that will remain as eternal as the God with Whom he now rests.
Following the shows, Ira, wife Anne, and another couple who were friends of Ira's from the Fort Payne area left Kansas City to return to Alabama. They stopped at an all-night diner at about 3:00 a.m. on Father's Day, Sunday, June 20, 1965, for some food, then continued on their way.
Interstate 70 was under construction at the time, with traffic reduced to one lane in each direction. The car Louvin was a passenger in (his friend from Fort Payne, Billy Barksdale, was driving) was heading east on the dark road, reportedly at a high rate of speed. At approximately 4:40 a.m. a car driven by 53-year-old Tommy Franklin of St. Louis smashed head-on into the Louvin car. Numerous opened liquor bottles and cans were found in Franklin's truck, and the accident was ruled caused by drunk driving.
The results were horrific. Four of the six occupants -- Franklin and his passenger, and Barksdale and his wife -- were killed instantly from the impact. The Louvins, in the back seat, were severely injured. By the time police arrived at the lonely stretch of interstate, Louvin had bled to death. Anne was still alive, but by the time she was transported to a hospital then sent to another one because the first hospital lacked the facilities to treat her, she too had passed away. Ira was 41; Anne was 38.
Charlie Louvin was on tour, performing in West Virginia. His wife, Betty, was home in Nashville. She was contacted while in church and asked to notify her husband that her brother-in-law was dead. Charlie performed his show as scheduled in West Virginia, then went back to Nashville to plan his brother's funeral.
On Wednesday, June 23, 1965, Ira and Anne Louvin were laid to rest in a common grave in the Harpeth Hills Memory Garden cemetery in suburban Nashville. Bill Anderson, who wrote the last hit of the Louvin Brothers' career ("Must You Throw Dirt in My Face"), wrote the epitaph on Ira's marker:
His fame was not a vapor that vanished with the dawn, for he etched upon the hearts of all mankind words and melodies that will remain as eternal as the God with Whom he now rests.
He is not dead, he is just away.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
SIRIUS Problems
CATEGORY: Opinion
As part of Dish Network, I have access to many of Sirius satellite radio's music stations. This allows a variety of music to come across the television. In many ways, this is a beneficial thing. I became acquainted with the likes of Charline Arthur and Dale Watson on those stations. One problem, however, is in the programming of music on the country music channels.
First, Sirius' "Classic" Country channel is missing something; namely, classic country. Their definition of "classic country" is mostly 80s stuff by Kenny Rogers or 70s songs by Crystal Gayle. Try hearing some Hank Williams on that channel. If you call and ask for Hank Williams, they'll probably play "A Country Boy Can Survive," assuming you meant Hank Williams, Jr.
Worse, though, is the "Outlaw Country" channel. This "country" channel features Little Feat, Lynyrd Skynyrd, John Hiatt, and Molly Hatchet.
I grew up in the 70s. Furthermore, I was stationed in Jacksonville (home of Lynyrd Skynyrd, and where founding member Ronnie Van Zant is buried). I never ever heard them (or their second generation southern rock cousins Molly Hatchet, who also hail from Jacksonville) referred to as "country." Yes, Lynyrd Skynyrd recorded "Blue Yodel #1 (T for Texas)" on One More From the Road and a Merle Haggard song ("I Know a Little") on Street Survivors. That doesn't make them "country," anymore than George Thorogood's rocking rampage on Hank Williams' "Move It on Over" makes "the Delaware Destroyers" "country" or R.E.M. called "country" because they did a falling-down-drunk rendition of Roger Miller's "King of the Road" (which, by their own admission, was so bad "Roger Miller should sue us"). Ernest Tubb recorded Billy Bland's "Let the Little Girl Dance" (and it was the B side of Tubb's version of Connie Francis' song "Everybody's Somebody's Fool"), and among Sonny James' numerous hits were covers of Ivory Joe Hunter tunes ("Since I Met You Baby," "Empty Arms"). However, that doesn't make them R&B singers. Alison Krauss recorded Bad Company's "Oh Atlanta" on Now That I've Found You. That neither makes Krauss FM rock nor Bad Company bluegrass.
At the 24th annual International Country Music Conference last month, Dr. Patrick Huber presented a paper discussing what the true "first country recording" was (the historical consensus gives that honor to Eck Robertson's 78 "Arkansaw Traveler" / "Sallie Gooden" from 1922). He pointed out that a recording of "Turkey in the Straw" dated to 1892 and could be considered the "first country recording." Rather, Dr. Huber argued, the argument might be better answered by seeing what the people of that era considered "country."
I don't totally agree with that position. After all, the first #1 song on Billboard magazine's "Hillbilly and Western Singles" chart when the chart debuted in 1944 was by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters (their rendition of Al Dexter's "Pistol Packin' Mama" -- the Dexter recording was the second #1 single on the charts). Among the country legends with songs that have topped the charts you will also find such decidedly un-country names as Louis Jordan (who had two #1 hits), Nat "King" Cole (Jordan's "Is You Is or Is You Ain't (Ma' Baby)" took over the #1 position from the King Cole Trio's "Straighten Up and Fly Right"), and Lawrence Welk (his version of Spade Cooley's best-known song, "Shame On You," was #1 in 1945). According to Dr. Huber's argument, we must call these artists "country" because the country chart said they were in 1944.
However, these artists never considered themselves "country," and the majority of their fame was not found on the country charts. Lawrence Welk might have "a-one and a-two'd" accordion renditions of country songs on his long-running television show, but he never made an argument that he was "country." Tom Jones made the country chart with "Green Green Grass of Home" and "Say You'll Stay Until Tomorrow," but those were "left-field hits," not songs from a bona fide country singers. Certainly Jones or Welk never dominated the country charts for a year the way Eddy Arnold did in 1948 (there were seven songs to hit #1 that year, six of which were by Mr. Arnold).
Why, then, are those in modern country (artists and outlets such as Sirius) so quick to label as "country" things that, 30 years ago, were staunchly and unashamedly labeled "rock and roll?" It is obvious that modern country artists have grown up in an era of rock and roll and have been influenced by it. There isn't necessarily something "bad" in blending various styles: after all, this thing called "rock and roll" came about when country, rhythm and blues, and gospel were thrown in the proverbial melting pot together. There was, however, a difference: it was considered a new genre. No one then tried to sell that new phenomenon as "country" or "race records." They coined a new term for it (courtesy of Alan Freed).
Or, as Charlie Louvin said, "I'm just country. Let them come up with a new label for their music." Well put. If you pay money for a movie that is classified a "comedy" and you discover instead it's a horror film, you'll be upset. Let's call the music what it is. Ronnie Van Zant was never ashamed to be called a rock and roll singer, so why should the fans of the band he founded try to label him something different, 30 years after his death?
As part of Dish Network, I have access to many of Sirius satellite radio's music stations. This allows a variety of music to come across the television. In many ways, this is a beneficial thing. I became acquainted with the likes of Charline Arthur and Dale Watson on those stations. One problem, however, is in the programming of music on the country music channels.
First, Sirius' "Classic" Country channel is missing something; namely, classic country. Their definition of "classic country" is mostly 80s stuff by Kenny Rogers or 70s songs by Crystal Gayle. Try hearing some Hank Williams on that channel. If you call and ask for Hank Williams, they'll probably play "A Country Boy Can Survive," assuming you meant Hank Williams, Jr.
Worse, though, is the "Outlaw Country" channel. This "country" channel features Little Feat, Lynyrd Skynyrd, John Hiatt, and Molly Hatchet.
I grew up in the 70s. Furthermore, I was stationed in Jacksonville (home of Lynyrd Skynyrd, and where founding member Ronnie Van Zant is buried). I never ever heard them (or their second generation southern rock cousins Molly Hatchet, who also hail from Jacksonville) referred to as "country." Yes, Lynyrd Skynyrd recorded "Blue Yodel #1 (T for Texas)" on One More From the Road and a Merle Haggard song ("I Know a Little") on Street Survivors. That doesn't make them "country," anymore than George Thorogood's rocking rampage on Hank Williams' "Move It on Over" makes "the Delaware Destroyers" "country" or R.E.M. called "country" because they did a falling-down-drunk rendition of Roger Miller's "King of the Road" (which, by their own admission, was so bad "Roger Miller should sue us"). Ernest Tubb recorded Billy Bland's "Let the Little Girl Dance" (and it was the B side of Tubb's version of Connie Francis' song "Everybody's Somebody's Fool"), and among Sonny James' numerous hits were covers of Ivory Joe Hunter tunes ("Since I Met You Baby," "Empty Arms"). However, that doesn't make them R&B singers. Alison Krauss recorded Bad Company's "Oh Atlanta" on Now That I've Found You. That neither makes Krauss FM rock nor Bad Company bluegrass.
At the 24th annual International Country Music Conference last month, Dr. Patrick Huber presented a paper discussing what the true "first country recording" was (the historical consensus gives that honor to Eck Robertson's 78 "Arkansaw Traveler" / "Sallie Gooden" from 1922). He pointed out that a recording of "Turkey in the Straw" dated to 1892 and could be considered the "first country recording." Rather, Dr. Huber argued, the argument might be better answered by seeing what the people of that era considered "country."
I don't totally agree with that position. After all, the first #1 song on Billboard magazine's "Hillbilly and Western Singles" chart when the chart debuted in 1944 was by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters (their rendition of Al Dexter's "Pistol Packin' Mama" -- the Dexter recording was the second #1 single on the charts). Among the country legends with songs that have topped the charts you will also find such decidedly un-country names as Louis Jordan (who had two #1 hits), Nat "King" Cole (Jordan's "Is You Is or Is You Ain't (Ma' Baby)" took over the #1 position from the King Cole Trio's "Straighten Up and Fly Right"), and Lawrence Welk (his version of Spade Cooley's best-known song, "Shame On You," was #1 in 1945). According to Dr. Huber's argument, we must call these artists "country" because the country chart said they were in 1944.
However, these artists never considered themselves "country," and the majority of their fame was not found on the country charts. Lawrence Welk might have "a-one and a-two'd" accordion renditions of country songs on his long-running television show, but he never made an argument that he was "country." Tom Jones made the country chart with "Green Green Grass of Home" and "Say You'll Stay Until Tomorrow," but those were "left-field hits," not songs from a bona fide country singers. Certainly Jones or Welk never dominated the country charts for a year the way Eddy Arnold did in 1948 (there were seven songs to hit #1 that year, six of which were by Mr. Arnold).
Why, then, are those in modern country (artists and outlets such as Sirius) so quick to label as "country" things that, 30 years ago, were staunchly and unashamedly labeled "rock and roll?" It is obvious that modern country artists have grown up in an era of rock and roll and have been influenced by it. There isn't necessarily something "bad" in blending various styles: after all, this thing called "rock and roll" came about when country, rhythm and blues, and gospel were thrown in the proverbial melting pot together. There was, however, a difference: it was considered a new genre. No one then tried to sell that new phenomenon as "country" or "race records." They coined a new term for it (courtesy of Alan Freed).
Or, as Charlie Louvin said, "I'm just country. Let them come up with a new label for their music." Well put. If you pay money for a movie that is classified a "comedy" and you discover instead it's a horror film, you'll be upset. Let's call the music what it is. Ronnie Van Zant was never ashamed to be called a rock and roll singer, so why should the fans of the band he founded try to label him something different, 30 years after his death?
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Kentucky Headhunters At Crusade for Children
CATEGORY: News
The country-rock act the Kentucky Headhunters were the headline performers at the 54th annual WHAS Crusade for Children in Louisville, Kentucky on June 2nd.
The Kentucky Headhunters, hailing from Munfordville, Kentucky, won a Grammy award in 1989 for their debut Mercury album Pickin' on Nashville, which featured the hits "Dumas Walker" and "Oh, Lonesome Me."
The WHAS Crusade for Children is the most successful local telethon in U.S. history, having raised over $118 million in the past 53 years for special needs children. Past headliners have included artists as diverse as Cab Calloway, John Davidson, Peabo Bryson, Johnny Rivers, Ricky Skaggs, Brenda Lee, and Riders in the Sky.
http://www.kentuckyheadhunters.com/
http://www.whascrusade.org/
The country-rock act the Kentucky Headhunters were the headline performers at the 54th annual WHAS Crusade for Children in Louisville, Kentucky on June 2nd.
The Kentucky Headhunters, hailing from Munfordville, Kentucky, won a Grammy award in 1989 for their debut Mercury album Pickin' on Nashville, which featured the hits "Dumas Walker" and "Oh, Lonesome Me."
The WHAS Crusade for Children is the most successful local telethon in U.S. history, having raised over $118 million in the past 53 years for special needs children. Past headliners have included artists as diverse as Cab Calloway, John Davidson, Peabo Bryson, Johnny Rivers, Ricky Skaggs, Brenda Lee, and Riders in the Sky.
http://www.kentuckyheadhunters.com/
http://www.whascrusade.org/
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Missing: Roger Miller
CATEGORY: OpinionOne of the best things about modern technology is the fact that untold masses of old albums have found their way to CD. Without question, one big "thank you" goes to Richard Weize, founder of Bear Family Records, for the proliferation of classic country music available on CD. Without his influence, we might be stuck with the same ten Jim Reeves songs repackaged under a new album title and cover art every three years.
One of the biggest omissions from the CD catalog is the works of Roger Miller. To date, only one extensive compliation, King of the Road - The Genius of Roger Miller - has been issued. The three-CD box set is outstanding, make no mistake. It encompasses Miller's entire career, from his RCA and Starday days through the megahit era to his Tony Award-winning material from Big River.
The problem is that this is pretty much the singular good representative of Roger Miller on CD. Several "greatest hits" packages are currently available (CD Universe lists a dozen different CDs); however, they are either the same songs with a different cover or re-recorded versions (not the "original hit" rendition). Only two packages -- both of which share the title King of the Road -- stand out: the aforementioned box set and a Bear Family single CD that chronicles Miller's stint on RCA shortly before he rose to superstardom.
The worst problem is that the albums that caused Roger Miller to become a household name -- 1964's Roger and Out, 1965's The Return of Roger Miller, and 1966's The Third Time Around -- are nowhere to be found on CD. And the question must be asked: WHY? These albums are vital to the history of country music. Miller's tally of Grammy awards (five in 1964, six in 1965) was a record that wasn't broken until Michael Jackson. "Dang Me" and "King of the Road" are far beyond country songs, they are part of Americana. These are albums that need to be issued on CD.
The only reason I can think of regarding why none of the Smash Records albums of Miller's have been released on CD is the possibility that the original masters are missing or in poor condition. I base my opinion (which is strictly that at this point) on the horrible sound quality of some of the tracks on the Mercury box set 50 Years of Country Music from Mercury. It is apparent by casual listening that some songs in the box set (which seemed to be Mercury's attempt to mimic Decca's superlative From the Vaults box set) were transferred from vinyl, not from original studio tapes (James O'Gwynn's "My Name is Mud," for instance). It could well be that the masters, like some of the songs that were included in the Mercury box set, do not exist any longer.
Even if that is the case, Mercury Records (or someone) should find quality copies of the albums and transfer them to CD. This music is too good and too important to the career of Roger Miller and the history of country music to not be available.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Eddy Arnold
Category: Opinion
Eddy Arnold was the guest of honor at the 24th annual International Country Music Conference (ICMC) in Nashville. The keynote subject of the conference was the 50th anniversary of RCA's legendary Studio B. Mr. Arnold, who just turned 89 on May 15, spoke of his success, which he admitted he was totally unaware of because of the fact he was busy touring and making records. When he went to New York in the early 1950s, the RCA Victor president called Mr. Arnold to his office. "I thought he was gonna fire me," Eddy told the audience of professors, journalists, and authors. When he arrived in the office, Arnold said the president told him that he "just wanted to get a look at" Arnold, because the weekly sales figures for RCA Records always featured the name "Eddy Arnold" at or near the top of the list. Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby had a bet between the two as to who would outsell the other in 1950, and Eddy Arnold outsold them both!
Mr. Arnold is a little hard of hearing and moves slowly. His memory needed jogging by his friend, legendary journalist Charlie Lamb. He has not performed in over a dozen years (save for an impromptu chorus of "Anytime" at the opening of the new Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001). Yet the standing ovation he received at the end of his ten-minute speech clearly moved him. When he left after lunch he was dismissed with yet another standing ovation.
As he should have been. Eddy Arnold is not just a country legend, Billboard's #1 country singles artist of all-time, and the only person to ever receive the "Entertainer of the Year" award after being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Eddy Arnold is a national treasure.
Eddy Arnold was the guest of honor at the 24th annual International Country Music Conference (ICMC) in Nashville. The keynote subject of the conference was the 50th anniversary of RCA's legendary Studio B. Mr. Arnold, who just turned 89 on May 15, spoke of his success, which he admitted he was totally unaware of because of the fact he was busy touring and making records. When he went to New York in the early 1950s, the RCA Victor president called Mr. Arnold to his office. "I thought he was gonna fire me," Eddy told the audience of professors, journalists, and authors. When he arrived in the office, Arnold said the president told him that he "just wanted to get a look at" Arnold, because the weekly sales figures for RCA Records always featured the name "Eddy Arnold" at or near the top of the list. Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby had a bet between the two as to who would outsell the other in 1950, and Eddy Arnold outsold them both!
Mr. Arnold is a little hard of hearing and moves slowly. His memory needed jogging by his friend, legendary journalist Charlie Lamb. He has not performed in over a dozen years (save for an impromptu chorus of "Anytime" at the opening of the new Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001). Yet the standing ovation he received at the end of his ten-minute speech clearly moved him. When he left after lunch he was dismissed with yet another standing ovation.
As he should have been. Eddy Arnold is not just a country legend, Billboard's #1 country singles artist of all-time, and the only person to ever receive the "Entertainer of the Year" award after being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Eddy Arnold is a national treasure.
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