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
Thursday, January 12th 2012
CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE AT www.countrymusicclassics.com
STORY BEHIND THE SONG
During a 1980's interview, John Denver commented, "I want to take that experience or that observation I put into a song and make it as much of a universal expression as I possibly can.
I think there is something in all of us that binds us together. That's where all of my music comes from--from the belief that all people are basically the same-no matter where they might be. And I try to direct my music to that shared experience we all have."
Denver's "Back Home Again" album was recorded in just 15 days in a Los Angeles, California studio—something unheard of these days. The title track was released as a single on June 23rd, 1974 and entered the country music charts September 28th and was in the number one slot the week of November 30th.
The RCA Victor single was his 5th charted song and his 1st number one. It became the CMA Song Of The Year and also scored a # 5 on the pop music charts.
John Denver (real name: Henry John Deutschendorf), placed 27 songs on the country music charts between 1971 and 1989, including three number ones.
Twenty one of those 27 songs also scored 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.
For information, email me at classics@countrymusicclassics.com
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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
QUESTION: My favorite recording is Johnny Rodriguez' "You Always Come Back To Hurting Me." Did he write the song?
ANSWER: That 1973 number one was written by Johnny R. and Tom T. Hall
QUESTION: During one of the old TV shows, Barbara Fairchild sang a song about "You Make Me Feel Like Singing A Song." Did she record that?
ANSWER: That song was the flipside of her 1972 number one, "Teddy Bear Song."
QUESTION: Found a Jerry Lee Lewis cassette tape at a garage sale. It has a song on it I'd never heard, "In Loving Memories." Do you know when that was recorded and was it a hit?
ANSWER: "In Loving Memories" peaked at # 48 in 1971
QUESTION: My dad is trying to remember a song from years ago about the Army by a guy named "Sandler" or something like that. Can you help?
ANSWER: I think the song you referring to was "Ballad Of The Green Berets" which was a # 2 hit for Sgt. Barry Sadler in 1966. Sadler died in 1989.
QUESTION: I have the George Morgan recording of "You're The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me." I remember hearing someone else sing that song. Am I right?
ANSWER: George Morgan's version made it to # 4 in 1960. The song has been in dozens of albums but the only other chart version was a # 29 by Jim Reeves in 1978.
QUESTION: Bobby Bare's "Detroit City" is one of my favorites. My dad says that song was a hit for some other singer but they changed the name. Is that true?
ANSWER: "Detroit City" peaked at # 6 in 1963 for Bobby Bare. Earlier that same year, Billy Grammer took the song to #18 under the title of "I Wanna Go Home."
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I'm now in the middle of reading the brand new 672 page "Jim Reeves: His Untold Story." I recommend you go to www.jimreevesbook.com and order your copy. If you think you've read all there is to know about Jim Reeves, think again. This book contains the FULL story—beginning with the day Jim was born---his life—his career and more--PLUS the book contains many never before published photos. If you're a Jim Reeves fan--and who isn't--this is one to add to your library. So buy it--read it--then tell me what you think!
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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:
1948
I'll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) - Eddy Arnold
1956
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1964
Love's Gonna Live Here - Buck Owens
1972
Would You Take Another Chance on Me - Jerry Lee Lewis
1980
Coward of the County - Kenny Rogers
1988
I Can't Get Close Enough - Exile
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LOCAL FLY FOUND DEAD ON WINDOWSILL
By: Jack Blanchard
Work hard at your music career, devote your life to it, and you'll be successful.
Over the course of your life you'll get literally several people interested.
We had a teenage trio. Jerry and Ronny Loft on guitar and bass, and me on piano.
Being Mohawk Indians,
they took me to the big July 4th races at the Six Nations Reservation, in Canada.
In the middle of the night they woke me up and we tiptoed downstairs.
They sat me at an organ that you work by pumping the air with your feet,
and went and got their instruments.
We were jamming a boogie when the lights went on.
Their whole family was there watching. Enough Indians to make a John Wayne movie.
And it was a funeral parlor with a dead body in it. A weird gig.
n 1970 we went to LA to be on Dick Clark's American Bandstand.
We stayed at the old Hollywood Plaza Hotel.
It was way past it's heyday,but a former hangout and home for movie stars.
The lobby was populated with retired actors ... old familiar faces.
We had trouble with our air conditioner, and Maxie Rosenbloom, himself, came up to fix it.
If you don't know who he was, just Google him.
I wish I could write one column, just once in my life, without a tTypo.
My grandfather used to be sent down in the mine
to make sure it was safe for the canaries.
Breaking news headline: "LOCAL FLY FOUND DEAD ON WINDOWSILL"
For some unknown reason I was just reading about armadillos on Wikipedia.
It told why they are often roadkill.
When startled, armadillos have a habit of jumping three feet straight up.
My Aunt Bess had that same habit.
I occasionally see a live armadillo here. They are kinda suicidal, I think.
For some reason armadillos are the only animals that can get leprosy.
I'm taking mine back to the pet store.
On the news they said the price of peanut butter was going up 40% the next day.
I asked Misty to pick up a jar for me. I'm going through that jar like an armadillo through your lawn.
When I was a kid and Winter came, we all cuddled up to my sister.
She had a fever.
I don't like TV shows about celebrities, like Entertainment Tonight and TMZ.
Most celebrities are annoying when not working from the script.
I don't want to hear about their grandfather's long underwear,
or their kids' cute antics.
I hate cute antics unless I'm doing them.
This one sounds like I'm being channeled by Andy Rooney.
A customer once asked Misty if she could play "Autumn Leaves".
She said: "I can play it with my brain tied behind my back."
It's not an easy song.
You have to play all those fancy downward runs to illustrate dead vegetation falling.
A friend has been carrying on a never ending campaign to convert my spiritual thinking to theirs.
Why can't people respect the beliefs of others?
Why are they convinced that theirs is right and everybody else's is wrong?
Maybe if they could show me some identification, like angel wings, I could accept them as God's agent.
I value friendship, but it's draining sometimes.
I believe this person is sincerely trying to "save" me, but their beliefs are actually offensive to me.
Like my life has been evil and I should let God kill it and give me a new one.
I've had a good worthwile life, an adventure all the way, and not evil. Maybe a little wild at times.
I think this person must have had an unpleasant past.
On the news just now:
Palmetto roaches crawling in and out of the air vents on a commercial airliner.
Those roaches are going to wind up in Phoenix
and wonder how the hell they got there.
Palmetto roaches are big, ugly, and can fly, but not very well.
Hackers have invaded Facebook posting offensive pictures using other people's names.
Nobody knows who the porn hackers are.
Just some creepy wankers sitting in the dark, annoying the world,
and hoping their mother doesn't catch them at it.
The other night I took Misty to the emergency room.
We were there about three hours while they took tests.
They gave her some medicine and prescriptions and sent her home,
but we stopped at McDonald's take-out window on the way.
She has an internal infection.
The medicine will fix it, but not before she turns a little orange, according to the MD.
Jack Blanchard
The Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan Home Page: http://jackandmisty.com
Restoration and mastering studio: 407 330 1611.
CD Baby: http://cdbaby.com/cd/jackmisty
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TODAY IN COUNTRY MUSIC HISTORY
compiled by Bill Morrison
1905 - Woodward Maurice 'Tex' Ritter 1905~1974, born Panola Country, Texas. Joined the cast of the Grand Ole Opry in 1965, Tex was inducted into the CMHF 1964, NSHF 1971, and the Texas CMHF 1998. Tex has also been inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame.
1926 - Ray Price was born in Perryville, Texas. During Ray's recording years he charted 109 country music hit singles on Billboards Country charts, and 34 albums Ray joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1952, and was inducted into the CMHF 1996. Ray was one of Hank Williams best friends. You can still see Ray Price in concert. He is 81 years young and just appeared down the street from my house two weeks ago with Willie, and Merle.
1939 - William Lee Golden, of the "Oakridge Boys," born in Brewton, Alabama.
1949 - Tommy Duncan recorded his first session for Capitol Records.
1952 - Ricky Van Shelton singer, songwriter, and guitarist was born in Danville, Virginia, and raised in Grit, Virginia. Ricky's first chart record was on the Columbia Label "Wild-Eyed Dream" in 1986. Ricky became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1988. That same year he was honored by the CMA as their Horizon Award Winner, The following year He was the CMA Male Vocalist of the year. Ricky's last chart record was "The Decision" released on Audium in 2000.
1953 - LaWanda Lindsey recording artist was born in Tampa, Florida. During her career she recorded for Chart, Capitol, and Mercury Records.
1953 - Kitty Wells recorded "Paying For That Back Street Affair."
1953 - Johnny & Jack recorded "Hank Williams Will Live Forever."
1957 - Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper joined the Grand Ole Opry 1957.
1959 - Marty Robbins released "The Hanging Tree" b/w/ "The Blues Country Style."
1959 - Ferlin Husky released "My Reason For Living."
1962 - Claudia Church singer, songwriter, born in Lenoir, North Carolina. Claudia recorded for Reprise Records, and married Rodney Crowell in 1997.
1965 - NBC-TV's musical variety show "Hullabaloo" aired for the first time.
1971 - Roger Miller, Peggy Little, and Bobby Murcer were featured guests on "Hee Haw."
1972 - Jerry Lee Lewis' single "Would You Take Another Chance On Me" topped the charts.
1974 - Tex Ritter, Catherine McKinnon, Gunilla Hutton and Don Rich were featured guest on Hee Haw.
1976 - "Wanted! The Outlaws" the first country album to sell a million units was released today.
1978 - Paul Warren, age 59, fiddler, for Flatt and Scruggs, died in Nashville.
1980 - Willie Nelson's "My Hero's Have Always Been Cowboys," charted.
1991 - Johnny Paycheck was released from an Ohio prison, after serving two years of a seven-year sentence for shooting a man in a tavern. The Governor of Ohio commuted the singer's sentence.
1993 - Marty Stuart is presented with his first gold album for "This One's Gonna Hurt You."
1998 - Gene Vincent inducted into the R&RHF.
1999 - Mike Henderson released his album "Thicker Than Water."
2001 - The very popular movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou" opens in theaters across the nation. As a result of this film and the soundtrack, bluegrass music gets a real shot in the arm.
2003 - The 29th Annual Peoples Choice Awards in Pasadena, California presented Faith Hill with their "Favorite Female Musical Performer" award.
2006 - Sugarland was among the featured guests on the NBC Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
2006 - Brad Paisley's Time Well Wasted Tour, featuring Sara Evans and Billy Currington, played their first concert in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
2007 - Wilma Lee Cooper joined the Grand Ole Opry 50 years ago today. After suffering a career ending stroke in 2001 while on the Opry stage, this very talented lady was greeted with a standing ovation when she walked on the stage in 2005 to say hello to the fans.
Courtesy Bill Morrison: http://www.talentondisplay.com/countrycalMAR.html
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In response to many requests, YES I am on Facebook and you are welcome to become a friend—UNLESS you are one of those that posts photos of your grandkids or your pet cat every other day. I don't have the time or interest for that. SO—if that's what you do on Facebook.. just forget me !
I'm the Doug Davis with the photos of the guitars.
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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
SO LITTLE TIME
So little time to say the things you'd really like to say
Before you even find the words, the time just slips away.
So little time to do the things you feel that you must do.
So treasure, like the purest gold, the time God's given you.
So little time to dream your dreams, for youth has passed its prime,
And all too soon you realize that there's…so little time.
So little time to reach the height to which you're bound to climb,
For swiftly pass the waning years, and there's…so little time.
So little time for past regrets, and less, to make amends,
Yet God can heal the deepest wounds in chosen, cherished friends.
So little time to share God's love and beauty here on earth,
And know, before His endless time, their meaning and true worth.
Oh, yes, there is so little time to seek the hidden door
That opens up to heaven's time, where time's forevermore.
Sister Miriam Barker
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