COUNTRY MUSIC CLASSICS
Doug Davis
Owner/Publisher/Manager/Editor/
Writer/Gopher/Chief Cook & Bottle Washer
Email: djdclassics@gmail.com
STORY BEHIND THE SONG
You've heard that songs have been written in just about every place you could
imagine – some even written in the bathroom and according to Jack Clement – that
was the case of his song titled "It'll Be Me."
Jack commented, "Well I was in the bathroom - - - on the pot - - - when I wrote
that song. I guess that says a lot for the frame of mind I was in when I wrote
it. My original idea was "baby if you find a lump in your toilet, well it'll be
me and I'll be looking for you," but I changed that to "If you find a lump in
your sugar bowl, well it'll be me and I'll be looking for you." Now that song
was about me....cause I'm not in all the songs I write...a lot of times I'm just
observing things and write about what I see. Sometimes the songs are about me
and sometimes they aren't."
"It'll Be Me" was released in April 1957 as the B-side to Jerry Lee Lewis single
"Whole Lot Of Shakin' Goin On."
Another slower and shorter version of the song, from a later recording session,
was released in May 1958 on his first album "Jerry Lee Lewis."
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We seemed to have collected quite a batch of diet and nutrition
books over the years and here's a sample:
390 page hardback "Eat Right For Your Type-The Individualized diet solution for
staying healthy-living longer & Achieving Your Ideal Weight" – 1996 - PLUS: 319
page "New Atkins Made Easy" – How To Lose Up To 15 lbs. in Two Weeks – 2013 -
PLUS: 378 page biblically based "Hallelujah Diet" 2006 PLUS: 256 page hardback
"Fast Metabolism Diet" – the way to eat more food and lose more weight – 2013 -
PLUS: 320 page "The Carbohydrate Addicts Diet – 1993 – PLUS: 260 page "The
Rotation Diet" – How to lose a pound a day and never gain it back – 1986 - PLUS:
155 page "Anti-Fat Nutrients" How To Reduce Your Body Fat In 15 Days – 1993 -
PLUS 96 page "Weight Watcher Planner" - PLUS: "Lose 30 Lbs. In 30 Days" – a
book on CD by Kevin Trudeau – 2004 – ALL EIGHT BOOKS P L U S THE CD FOR
35.00 – AND I'LL PAY SHIPPING. PayPal – Check or Money Order – reply to
djdclassics@gmail.com
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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q: A friend was telling me about a George Strait tribute to Merle Haggard. Do
you know anything about that?
A: During his April 22nd Las Vegas concert - George Strait paid tribute to
Merle Haggard with a medley which included "Mama Tried," "The Fightin' Side of
Me" and "My Life's Been Grand." The giant video screens above the stage switched
from shots of Strait onstage to footage of old Haggard performances.
Q: My dad tells me that Elvis Presley bombed the first time he played in Las
Vegas. That is hard to believe but is it true?
A: On April 23, 1956 Elvis Presley made his debut in Las Vegas — for what
was supposed to be the first night of a two-week residency at the New Frontier
Hotel. But Newsweek magazine reported that the audience "sat through Presley as
if he were a clinical experiment," and his appearance before the mostly
middle-aged audience was like "a jug of corn liquor at a champagne party." Elvis
was canned after only one week. But In 1969, he returned to the famous Las Vegas
Strip. He was booked for a month-long residency at the International Hotel,
making more than $1 million in four weeks and becoming one of the city's
biggest attractions. Presley remained a fixture in Vegas until his death in
1977.
Q: I heard that Vince Gill and Emmylou Harris have received some kind of
special award. Do you have any information?
A: The National Music Council will present The American Eagle Awards to
Emmylou Harris and Vince Gill. The award is given to celebrate "an individual or
organization's long-term contribution to America's musical culture and
heritage."
Q: You have mentioned Dolly Parton going on tour. Do you know when and where
the tour will start?
A: Dolly will begin the first leg of her "Pure & Simple Tour" on June 3rd in
Greensboro, N.C. at Greensboro Coliseum.
Q: Have you heard anything about Vince Gill writing a tribute song to Merle
Haggard. My daughter says the radio guys were talking about it.
A: Vince Gill debuted his tribute to Haggard titled "A World Without
Haggard" on April 15th on The Grand Ole Opry.
Q: Cal Smith's "Country Bumpkin" is my all-time favorite. Do you know who
wrote that song?
A: Cal's 1974 number one was written by Don Wayne.
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A T T E N T I O N: R A D I O S T A T I O N S:
Our short form daily radio feature, "Story Behind The Song" is now
available to radio stations at no
charge.
For information, email me at djdclassics@gmail.com
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NUMBER ONES ON THIS DATE
1950
Long Gone Lonesome Blues - Hank Williams
1958
Oh Lonesome Me - Don Gibson
1966
I Want to Go with You - Eddy Arnold
1974
Hello Love - Hank Snow
1982
Crying My Heart Out Over You - Ricky Skaggs
1990
Love on Arrival - Dan Seals
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A lot of our readers are going thru – or - have gone thru - health problems –
some of them life threatening. And a lot of you believe in alternative or
natural approaches to health problems.
Well - whether you believe in them or not – I urge you to check out this
website:
www.lynncapehartwellness.com -
http://www.lynncapehartwellness.com
– a site which strives earnestly to
provide cutting edge wellness information not available any place else.
The site contains blogs about everything from sleep problems, to hair and
eyebrow loss, heart disease, asthma, high cholesterol, cancer, morning sickness,
erectile dysfunction, hangovers, bad breath, fatigue, flu, sports injuries,
allergies, body sculpting exercises, and much more.
So - P L E A S E - take the time to check it out !
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TODAY IN COUNTRY MUSIC HISTORY
1953
Born on this day in Jackson, Mississippi, was Fred Knoblock, singer, songwriter.
Prior to his solo career, Knoblock had been a member of Let's Eat, a 1970s rock
band. He later wrote George Strait's "Meanwhile" and Lorrie Morgan's "Back In
Your Arms Again."
1969
Winners at the Academy of Country Music Awards hosted by Dick Clark at The
Palladium, Hollywood included: Man of the Year - Tom Smothers, Top Female
Vocalist of the Year - Cathie Taylor, Top Male Vocalist of the Year - Glen
Campbell, Top Vocal Group - Johnny Mosby and Jonie Mosby, Most Promising Female
Vocalist of the Year - Cheryl Poole and Most Promising Male Vocalist of the Year
went to Ray Sanders.
1973
Charlie Rich scored his first #1 on the Billboard country chart with "Behind
Closed Doors", which spent 20 weeks on this chart, and also became a crossover
hit on the pop charts. The song earned awards for Song of the Year (for writer
Kenny O'Dell) and Single of the Year (for Rich) from both the Country Music
Association and the Academy of Country Music, and Rich also received a Grammy
Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. In 2003, it ranked #9 in CMT's
100 Greatest Songs in Country Music.
1987
Waylon Jennings was at #1 on the Country charts with "Rose in Paradise",
Jennings' twelfth #1 single. Chris Young has a remake of the song as a duet with
Willie Nelson on the album The Man I Want to Be.
1991
"Rockin' Years" by Dolly Parton and Ricky Van Shelton was at #1 on the Country
chart, giving Parton her twenty-third #1 Country chart-topper. Parton had first
recorded a version of the song with George Jones in 1988.
2008
George Strait was at #1 on the country chart wiith Troubadour, his 25th studio
album. The lead-off single, "I Saw God Today", was the highest-debuting single
of Strait's career, and his forty-third #1 on the Billboard country charts. The
album earned the Grammy Award for Best Country Album, the first Grammy win of
Strait's career.
Courtesy: www.thisdayincountrymusic.com -
http://www.thisdayincountrymusic.com
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OH, TO BE YOUNG AGAIN AND FULL OF FALSE HOPE!
By: Jack Blanchard
I was riding on a bus early one hangover morning,
going into Buffalo from Tonawanda to look for a job.
I saw a peaceful little chapel in a graveyard across the road.
I asked the driver to stop
and I went across and into the unlocked chapel.
There were just three or four pews on each side of the aisle.
The colored light rays coming through the stained glass windows
gave it the mood I needed at that point in my life, serenity.
I got a job at the cemetery just so I could eat lunch in the chapel.
Misty Morgan and I were never Nashville insiders,
and we never got paid for most of our efforts,
but for some reason we still love our work,
and will never retire.
We're waiting for some excitement... a tour...
the Big Break.
HOW WE GOT TOGETHER...
Misty and I were aware of each other
because we both played piano in Hollywood FL
and our pictures were often in the paper.
I went to a club where she had her band, and checked her out.
I made a date with her, and she stood me up
because her friends had told her I was a gangster, which wasn't true.
I just worked for them.
A few months later we were both playing piano bars
in downtown Hollywood, on US #1, about a block apart.
I dropped in on my club on my night off
to see how they were doing, and Misty was talking to my boss,
trying to get my job.
We began seeing a lot of each other.
The boss told Misty that he was happy with me on piano,
but he invited her to stay and have dinner.
It was a first class Italian restaurant called The Copa.
Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jimmy Durante all dropped in when in town.
I met Joe DiMaggio there and had dinner with him.
Misty and I tried working together
and wound up homeless on the street for a while.
Then we lived happily ever after.
I was playing at a piano bar in Hollywood.
On a break, a woman at a table alone, called me over.
She motioned to me to lean down
so she could whisper something to me.
She said softly "You think you're so hot playing up there
being the center of attention.
Well, I think your music stinks and I don't like your hair."
I jumped back and shouted "FIFTY DOLLARS?!"
Then SHE was the center of attention.
IN ONE YEAR AND OUT THE OTHER.
I'm blessed... to have Misty as a life partner.
I'm hopeful... that we make our music together for many more years.
I'm lucky...to have so many helpful friends,
many of whom I've never met face to face.
This may or may not be the best year of my life,
but I'm glad to be in it.
Jack Blanchard
http://jackandmisty.net
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VIEW FROM THE FRONT PORCH
By: Stan Hitchcock
Okay, I promise this is the last I'll mention of my Television network story....
A Push Down…..Or A Hand Up
The Independent Network Perspective
I was having lunch in Nashville a couple of years ago, with one of my music
friends, and he asked me, "Hitch, why do you keep doing television networks with
all the stress and worries involved with it?" I sat there for a moment trying to
come up with a proper answer, and finally, just said, "Because I think it is
important." Later, back at my BlueHighways TV office, still thinking about it, I
realized that really was why we do what we do.
As an independent television network-founder today, I feel sure that some of the
independent network founders of recent history felt the same way. The confidence
that what they were doing was important to their loyal audience, and served a
greater good than just another business opportunity, and it had to give them the
strength to keep going in the face of severe challenges. Surely my personal
heroes of early independents such as John Hendricks, Founder of Discovery and
Robert Johnson; Founder of Black Television, faced disappointment and rejection
in their early startups. John Hendricks had run out of operating money and his
Network was being sold on the Courthouse steps, when the Cable Cowboy, John
Malone, stepped in and bought the Network, let John Hendricks keep some
ownership and continue his vision, and Discovery went on to be the Leading
Network of the World. Yes, an industry should nurture its young , it is what
makes any industry grow and prosper, but, unfortunately the Communication
Industry has changed drastically since those early days. Today, Communication is
controlled by a very few Giant Corporations and they are not friendly to
Independent Networks that they do not own or have some interest in. And, believe
me Family Friendly programming of Classic Country Music and Country Lifestyle is
not something that the Giants appreciate.
I have been involved with the startup of three independent television networks,
starting with CMT in 1984, Americana Television Network in 1992 and still going,
until we stepped aside yesterday, with BHTV. It hasn't gotten any easier. An
independent hangs out on a limb with no safety net below and it can get mighty
lonely at times.
It's always been a mystery to me how people that have the vision for a Network
hardly ever have unlimited funds to grow it and compete in the Communications
marketplace. So, the visionaries have to seek funding from investors to create
their vision of a Network. Back in the 80's a group of believers and myself
raised a total of 6 Million dollars to grow CMT from an idea to 12 Million
households, and a career building window for a whole raft of new singers,
musicians, songwriters, producers and video producers in Country Music, and sure
enough, by 1990, soon as we reached that magic number of 12 Million subscribers,
the Network was taken over by Gaylord and Group W…because Money talks…the
Hillbilly walks. And first thing big money does is change the programming…which
is what Viacom has done with CMT, when they bought it…because again, Money Talks
and from their other Network, MTV, they figure only Kiddy Country brings in the
bucks.
When Denise and I started Americana Television Network in 1991, the Network was
in it's infancy and doing good…until1994 when the FCC froze Cable TV. We were
left dangling over the cliff and the same hero, John Malone, bought controlling
interest in Americana in 1995…five years later, he let me buy back the assets of
Americana and use that 600 hours of original programming we had created to do
the start up of BlueHighwaysTV. That BHTV signal going up on the Satellite to
beam down to cable systems around the country was 10 years ago. I have been
blessed to be a part of it.
Times change, new investors come in and the vision that Denise and I and the
original partners of BHTV believe in so strongly…did not mesh with the big money
idea of a modern network of sitcoms, movies and all to take the place of our
Classic Country Music and Country Lifestyle programming. Once again…Money Talks.
Lord I am Thankful for the many years You have blessed me with the Joy of Music
and taking Music to the People that love it so. Lead us in new paths and use us
for Good, to be encouragers and an example of just how You will use even the
weak and simple, such as I…to reach beyond themselves to follow where you
direct. God Bless Us All. stan
Stan Hitchcock
www.hitchcockcountry.com -
http://www.hitchcockcountry.com
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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Love the Lord, all his faithful people! The Lord preserves those who are true to
him, but the proud he pays back in full. Be strong and take heart, all you who
hope in the Lord.
– Psalm 31:23-24 (NIV)
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