Monday August 16, 2010 C O U N T R Y M U S I C C L A S S I C S

 

C O U N T R Y    M U S I C    C L A S S I C S

 

 

Doug Davis
Owner/Publisher/Manager/Editor/

Writer/Gopher/Chief Cook & Bottle Washer 

 

Monday August 16, 2010

 

 

 

                     CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE AT   www.countrymusicclassics.com

 

 

                           

                                     STORY   BEHIND   THE   SONG

 

 

A lot of hit songs have had strange titles and Curly Putman admits that Tanya Tucker’s 1973 # one, “Blood Red And  Goin’ Down” was a strange title!

 

Curly commented, “I’m a big Erskine Caldwell fan and he wrote books about poor Southern whites with titles like “Tobacco Road” and  “Trouble In July.” And his writings did influence my songs.  I’ve written several songs around towns in Georgia and the phrase “Blood Red And Goin’ Down” just sounded different.  But the phrase actually refers to a Georgia sunset. The song just seemed to set a mood for the lonely looking part of the day when you see that redness in the sky as the sun is going down. And that just sort of set the stage for a little boy—or it could have been a little girl—who was searching for their mom—who had left.”

 

He added, “I took the song to Billy Sherrill, who picked it for a Tanya Tucker recording session.”

 

Tanya Tucker’s “Blood Red And  Goin’ Down” came on the country music charts July 21^st, 1973 and was at the top of the charts the week of September 29^th.

 

It was her 5^th charted song and her 2^nd number one.

 

The Columbia records single also scored a # 74 on the pop music charts.

 

 

 

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                                  QUESTIONS    AND    ANSWERS

 

 

QUESTION:  I had heard that Billy Joe Shaver was recovered from illness and back on the road , the later I heard that he was not. Do you have any info?

 

ANSWER:     Seventy one year old Billy Joe Shaver has cancelled appearances for the month of August to recover from operations on his arm and his heart. He recently had surgery to repair a couple of tears to his bicep ligament, and last month he underwent a procedure in which doctors inserted a stent to improve the blood flow to his heart.

QUESTION:  The radio folks mentioned Reba McEntire and a “Lifting Lives” organization. What is that all about?

ANSWER:      Reba McEntire is among  the artists joining ACM Lifting Lives to bring awareness to different charitable organizations. At last April's Academy of Country Music Awards, ACM Lifting Lives turned the artist gift lounge into a place where the stars could give back to their favorite charity instead of receiving gifts themselves. Performers also filmed a video about their chosen charities in the lounge. Reba is supporting Oasis Center. Clips can be viewed and donations can be made to the charities via ACMLiftingLives.org.  ACM Lifting Lives is the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Country Music.

QUESTION:   Is Loretta Lynn’s “Coal miner’s Daughter” being released again?

ANSWER:       Loretta Lynn is being saluted with a special CD titled "Coal Miner's Daughter: A Tribute to Loretta Lynn,"  to be released November 9th. The project coincides with the 50th anniversary of the release of Loretta Lynn's first single, "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl," and is one of several honors recognizing the country legend. Next month her best-selling memoir, "Loretta Lynn: Coal Miner's Daughter" will return to stores in paperback, as an e-book, and as an audio book narrated by Sissy Spacek -- who won an Academy Award for portraying Lynn in the 1980 film "Coal Miner's Daughter." Loretta is providing a new forward for the memoir, which has been out of print for over a decade. Loretta will also be honored at the October 12th GRAMMY Salute to Country Music with The Recording Academy's President's Merit Award in honor of her contributions to country music.

 

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“Country Music Classics”  is made possible only by donations from subscribers like you. If you enjoy receiving this newsletter, please support us by sending a check payable to “Country Music Classics”  for any amount to:

Doug Davis—Country Music Classics—3702 Pleasant Grove Road-Texarkana, Texas 75503.  Or use   PAYPAL  ( http://www.paypal.com ) and donate (via your account or their secure credit card site) directly thru our email address (classics@countrymusicclassics.com). Thank you.

 

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QUESTION:  The radio folks were talking about some special award for Carl Perkins. Do you have any details?

ANSWER:      Carl Perkins recently received a star on the Brass Note Walk of Fame on the legendary Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee.  Perkins died in Jackson, Tennessee in 1998.

QUESTION:   My mom says that the TV News said that some of the children of The Oak Ridge Boys were killed. Do you have anything on that?

ANSWER:      Fifteen year old Zachary Sterban, the grandson of Oak Ridge Boys bass singer Richard Sterban  died from injuries sustained in a car crash after the first full day of school. Zachary died one week after the car he was riding in hit another vehicle. A front-seat passenger, 17 year old Damon Dunn Jr.,  died at the scene. Zachary’s brother Matthew Sterban, 17, was driving the car and was also injured.  State troopers reported that none of the boys were wearing seat belts.

 

QUESTION:    Did Ray Price ever record a song about “A Tearful Earful?” My mom says he did but I have never heard of it.

 

ANSWER:       “Tearful Earful” was the flipside of Price’s 1965 #2 hit, “The Other Woman”

 

 

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Your comments, suggestions, gripes, etc. concerning this newsletter---are welcome. Email to:Classics@countrymusicclassics.com

 

 

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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 features, “Classic Country First” and “Story Behind The Song” are now available to radio stations.

Both features are available  at no charge  thru  barter.

For information, email me at classics@countrymusicclassics.com

 

 

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NUMBER  ONE  ON  THIS  DATE:

 

 

1951
Hey, Good Lookin’ - Hank Williams

1959
Waterloo - Stonewall Jackson

1967
I’ll Never Find Another You - Sonny James

1975
Wasted Days and Wasted Nights - Freddy Fender

1983
He’s a Heartache (Looking for a Place to Happen) - Janie Fricke

 

 

 

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DONN AND ME.

   By: Jack Blanchard

 

We named him Donn, but called him Donny when he was little.
He was a beautiful kid.

His mother, my ex-wife, raised him, except for a couple of years,
so when we finally met, as people, he was all grown up.

We tried to figure each other out, and worked at getting to know one another.
At first he had resentments toward me and tried to hide them,
but we both felt something needed to be resolved.

For some reason it was hard to talk directly at the REAL subject.
I knew that he had heard a lot of things about me from his mother… not all good.
Some were probably true.

Then he went away for a few more years before we tried again.
The next time was better. We both had had time to think things over.

People told us we walked and laughed exactly alike.
Genetics are some kind of magic. We understood each other's humor.
We were sitting with our wives in a barbecue restaurant on one of his visits.
We both reached for the check, and I said,
"I've never done a damn thing for you, so I'm going to do this one thing,
and then THAT'S IT!"
And Donn said this: "Aw, gee, pops. I wanted to go to college."
We all broke up laughing.

That was the last time Misty and I saw him alive… at least I think so.
That whole period is sort of mixed up in my mind.

He was riding his Harley in traffic when the car in front of him hit the brakes.
Donn's bike hit the car and threw him.

A lawyer said a faulty helmet caused the damage, and he wanted us to sue.
Later he told us the lawsuit wouldn't work
because Donn had been taking pain medicine for a chronic ailment.

We rushed from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale to the hospital,
and he looked perfectly healthy, except he was brain dead.
I talked to him anyway. After that it's all a blur.
Somebody pulled the plug and Donn died,
There was a little funeral on a weedy field in northern Tennessee.

I keep thinking of things I should have said and done differently.
I guess that's natural.

Maybe someday we'll get another chance to hash it all out.

Here's a picture of Jack & Donn in the 1990's:
http://tinyurl.com/9fk29

 

Jack Blanchard

Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan...

Grammy Nominees. 

Billboard's Country Duet of the Year.

ASCAP and BMI Awards.

HOME PAGE: http://jackandmisty.com

 

 

 

 

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               TODAY IN COUNTRY MUSIC HISTORY

                           compiled by Bill Morrison

 

Paul Warmack, "Gully Jumpers," born Whites Creek, TN 1889.

 

Emory Martin, banjo, born Hickman County TN 1916.

 

Phyllis Brown born Chicago, IL 1930.

 

Patsy Montana recorded "I Want To Be A Cowboy's Sweetheart," 1935.

 

Tandy Rice, Entertainment executive, born Franklin, TN 1938.

 

Billy Joe Shaver born Corsicana, TX 1941.

 

Paul Wormack born 1945.

 

Danny Flowers, guitarist/songwriter, born Henderson, NC 1948.

 

Elvis Presley appeared on The Steve Allen Show 1956.

 

Buck Owens released his single "Love's Gonna Live Here/Getting Used To Losing You" 1963.

 

Merle Haggard's "Workin' Man Blues" went to #1 in 1969.

 

Capitol Records released Buck Owens' single "Rollin' In My Sweet Baby's Arms" 1971.

 

Emile Robison "Dixie Chicks" born 1972.

 

Elvis Presley, age 42, died in Memphis, 1977.  Inducted R&RHF 1986. CMHF 1998.

 

Willie Nelson, Johnny Bush, Kris Kristofferson, and Lefty Frizzell inducted Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, 2003.

 

Courtesy Bill Morrison: http://www.talentondisplay.com/countrycalMAR.html

 

 

 

 

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                                            THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

 

THE SUN IS ALWAYS SHINING

 

Whenever things look gloomy on a dismal day of rain,

We know the sun will shine again and glisten on a pane…

 

And when the mist does cover the countryside to hide,

It won’t be long before we see the weather’s other side…

 

For the sun is always shining, though we see it not some days,

But it’s waiting to enfold us with its golden, warming rays.

 

                   Virginia Borman Grimmer

 

 

 

 

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