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 February 21st, 2011
CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE AT www.countrymusicclassics.com
STORY BEHIND THE SONG
A lot of hit songs have been inspired from a line or a scene from a movie.
According to Norro Wilson, Charlie Rich’s 1974 number one, “A Very Special Love Song” was one of those songs.
Wilson commented, “That little melodic thing in that song was inspired from “The Summer Of 42.” I wouldn’t say that I stole anything from the movie, but that theme song is my all-time favorite. I was doodling with that little pattern one day in Billy Sherrill’s office and it caught his ear. He had a recording session coming up for Charlie Rich and he suggested we write a very special love song. And that’s how that song came about.”
Rich’s Epic records single, “A Very Special Love Song” entered the country music charts February 23rd, 1974 and was at the top of the charts the week of April 6th, where it stuck for three weeks.
It was his 14th charted song and his 4th number one and was on the charts for 14 weeks.
The single also scored a # 11 on the pop charts.
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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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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
QUESTION: I heard on the radio that Willie Nelson was performing at a “jam festival.” Do you know anything about that?
ANSWER: Willie Nelson will headline the first Rapids Jam Music Festival in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina June 16th through the 18th.
QUESTION: Does Glen Campbell have a new album? My mom says she heard about on the radio.
ANSWER: Glen Campbell says he will release what is to be his final album, "Ghost on the Canvas," this summer through Surfdog Records, and support the project with a farewell tour. Campbell worked on the album last year with producer Julian Raymond, who also teamed with Glen for his 2008 set "Meet Glen Campbell."
QUESTION: I found a Jim Reeves RCA record of “Am I Losing You” at a garage sale but my dad says it’s not the same recording he heard years ago. Was there more than one record?
ANSWER: Reeves original recording of “Am I Losing You” peaked at # 3 in 1957. He re-recorded the song in 1960 and that version made it to # 8.
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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: Do you know where Jeanne Pruett was raised? I keep thinking she might have been my neighbor in Oregon as their last name was Pruett and their daughter would be her age.
ANSWER: Jeanne was raised in Alabama and she was born Norma Jean Bowman.
QUESTION: I’m wondering why Charley Pride is not in the hall of fame. I think he deserves to be there.
ANSWER: Charley Pride was inducted into The Country Music Hall Of Fame in 2000
QUESTION: I have a tape recording made from the radio of Roger Miller singing about “Little Children Run And Play.” I’ve called two radio stations and they have no information about a Roger Miller recording of that title. Do you have any information?
ANSWER: “Little Children Run And Play” was the flipside of Roger Miller’s 1968 # 15 hit, “Vance.”
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Your comments, suggestions, gripes, etc. concerning this newsletter---are welcome. Email to:Classics@countrymusicclassics.com
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NUMBER ONE ON THIS DATE:
1945
I’m Losing My Mind Over You - Al Dexter
1953
I Let the Stars Get in My Eyes - Goldie Hill
1961
North to Alaska - Johnny Horton
1969
Until My Dreams Come True - Jack Greene
1977
Near You - George Jones & Tammy Wynette
1985
Make My Life with You - The Oak Ridge Boys
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TO ALL WHO HAVE ASKED:
Yes - I am on Facebook. If you’d like to be a Facebook friend, the page is : Doug Davis
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FUNNY LITTLE ROUND NOTES.
By: Jack Blanchard
I've been reading a book titled "Conversations with Great Jazz and Studio Guitarists".
Guitar has never been a main focus of mine,
except for my 1970s and 80s obsession with dobros and lap steels.
But I found it interesting enough to read it all the way through, and parts of it over again.
The book is filled with anecdotes about musicians I remember,
studio and live performance stories,
and some interesting guitar tunings and chord uses.
It was written by Jim Carlton and published by Mel Bay.
Inside the cover the author signed it to me as his "friend and mentor".
How 'bout that?
One thing most of the successful New York and L.A. session players have in common
is that they are good readers of those funny little round notes on lined paper.
In Nashville we usually just use chord numbers written in crayon on brown paper bags.
I've never been able to read any music notes fast enough to play them.
The odd thing is that I can write arrangements for orchestras.
For several years I made extra money writing band arrangements for variety acts and strippers.
I wrote them special charts that would fit most any club house band they ran into.
Some clubs would have just a trio, piano, drums, and a horn,
and you never knew what the horn would be... trumpet, tenor or alto sax, clarinet, trombone, etc.,
so I wrote lead parts in C, Bb, and Eb, which would work with any of those.
After that it gets complicated.
The club bands would vary in size and instrumentation.
You never knew what you were going to get.
Somebody had to play second and third part harmony in the bigger bands,
so I wound up writing enough parts for a larger group,
with written instructions about which parts to use or ignore
according to the band you were confronted with... one-size-fits-all arrangements.
It took a lot of time and I worked cheap, but it kept me off the streets.
I also wrote the arrangements for bands to back up our vocal quartet, The Dawn Breakers.
On one tour, I got complaints from some of the musicians,
which was giving me a complex about my writing.
In a big theater in Canada,
we ran on stage and started singing our opener, a fast tune in a minor key.
It sounded funny and we looked into the orchestra pit
and saw a lady in a house dress playing an out-of-tune upright piano,
her thirteen year old kid banging on a K-Mart drum set,
and my sheet music strewn all over the floor.
To make it much worse, we made the first key change and they didn't.
We were singing in one key and they were playing in another.
It was a challenge.
On the six week tour I hardly ever heard anything that sounded familiar from the combos.
I'd just about forgot what I had written, until we got back to a major Buffalo night club.
On opening night it was a shock to hear the music played as I'd written it.
After the show I complimented the band leader,
and he said "Really great charts, man. We dug playing them."
And that's how I got my groove back, man.
Jack Blanchard
Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan...
Grammy Nominees. Billboard's Country Duet of the Year.ASCAP and BMI Awards. ^^^^^^^^^^^^
TODAY IN COUNTRY MUSIC HISTORY
compiled by Bill Morrison
1926 - Donald Wesley "Don" Reno 1926-1984, singer, songwriter, and banjo player, of "Reno & Smiley" was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
1938 - Two days after joining the cast of the Grand Ole Opry, Roy Acuff and his band began broadcasting a morning show on WSM at 7:00 A.M. Roy and the band were also teamed with the Delmore Brothers on personal appearances.
1946 - Averal Ava Ekiss Aldridge 1946-2003, singer, songwriter, born in Arizona.
1948 - Eddy Arnold topped the charts with "I'll Hold You In My Heart."
1952 - Jerry Lee Lewis, age 16, married his first wife Dorothy Barton, age 17.
1953 - Hank Williams' "Kaw-Liga" b/w "Your Cheatin' Heart" went to #1 on Billboard's country chart seven weeks after Hank died.
1957 - Buck Owens signed a recording contract with Capitol Records in Los Angeles, California.
1958 - Mary Chapin Carpenter, singer, songwriter born Princeton, New Jersey. CMA Female Vocalist Of The Year 1992 & 1993, and has won numerous Grammy Awards.
1964 - Stonewall Jackson topped the charts with "B.J. the D.J.
1970 - Bobbie Gentry & Glen Campbell's Capitol Records single "All I have To Do Is Dream" charted this week.
1970 - Marty Robbins' "My Woman, My Woman, My Wife," charted, and went to #1. Marty wrote the song about his wife Marizona.
1973 - Waylon recorded "Honky Tonk Hero's" and "Never Could Toe The Mark."
1974 - Today was declared "Loretta Lynn Day" in the state of Georgia. Loretta addressed the state legislature and told them’Ķ"I don't know what you-all are doing, but I sure hope it comes out all right."
1976 - Faron Young and Crystal Gayle were featured guests on "Hee Haw."
1976 - Willie & Waylon's album "Wanted The Outlaws" became the first country music album to go platinum.
1979 - Ray Whitley 1901-1979, age 78, singing cowboy film star, songwriter, and guitarist died in Baja California, Mexico.
1981 - Boxcar Willie a.k.a. Lecil Travis Martin, joined the Grand Ole Opry.
1984 - Leslie York of "The York Brothers" died at the age of 66.
1988 - Merle Haggard's "Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Star" topped the charts.
1994 - Trace Adkins' second wife; shot him with a 38-caliber revolver. The bullet passed through both lungs and both chambers of his heart.
2001 - Johnny Cash won his tenth Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance.
2001 - Malcolm Yelvington 1918-2001, age 82, Sun Records recording artist, died in Memphis, Tennessee. One of Malcom's hits was "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee."
2004 - Julie Roberts' Mercury single "Break Down Here" charted today. This was Julie's first chart record.
2005 - An American Airlines flight from St. Martin to Miami experienced electrical failure and the engines were completely shut down, requiring an emergency landing. Passengers on the plane included Billy Ray Cyrus, songwriters Scotty Emerick, Jeffery Steele, Chuck Cannon, and Bob DiPiero and video director Shawn Silva. The Nelson twins, sons of Ricky Nelson who died in a plane crash on December 31, 1985 were also on board. No injuries were reported.
2006 - Every bodies favorite Outlaw Jessie Colter released her new album "Out of the Ashes." Jessi's last album was released nine years ago.
Courtesy Bill Morrison: http://www.talentondisplay.com/countrycalMAR.html
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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
A NEW BEGINNING
Now is the time for a new beginning, ridding ourselves of all doubts and fears.
Time to move on with faith and forgiving, putting aside all grievances and tears.
God is our refuge. His spirit will lead us, strength and anxiety no longer here.
All pain is gone; burdens have left us, sweet peace is ours. God makes it so clear.
We seek new paths…so joyful and daring. Talents and gifts we surely will find.
And we’ll help others with our compassion. Negative thoughts are left behind.
Now is the time for a new beginning – knowing through faith all things we can do.
God is our refuge, our Lord, our redeemer. Jesus, our Savior, makes everything news!
Edna Massimilla
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