COUNTRY MUSIC CLASSICS
Doug Davis
Owner/Publisher/Manager/Editor/
Writer/Gopher/Chief Cook & Bottle Washer
Thursday December 11th, 2014
CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE AT www.countrymusicclassics.com -
http://www.countrymusicclassics.com
Email: Classics@countrymusicclassics.com
STORY BEHIND THE SONG
Many hit songs have been written while the artist or writer was on the road -
sometimes from a pleasant experience and other times - a not so pleasant
experience.
Hank Williams Jr.'s 1981 number one "Dixie On My Mind" was one of those
unpleasant ones!
The "unpleasantness" that prompted Hank to write "Dixie On My Mind" came from
his gig at The Lone Star Cafe in New York City.
According to his manager Merle Kilgore - the place was so small that performers
could have shaken hands with the bartender while on stage plus the fact that the
audience was just a little too upscale to suit Hank.
Kilgore commented "Hank couldn't wait to get out of that place."
And out of that unpleasant experience - Hank Jr. wrote "Dixie On My Mind," which
came on the country music charts May 30th, 1981 and was at the top of the charts
on August 1st.
The Elektra/Curb single was his 57th charted song and was on the charts for 14
weeks.
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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q: Do you know anything about Willie Nelson performing at a Grammy concert. My
daughter says it was on the TV news.
A: Willie will perform at the 17th annual Grammy Foundation Legacy Concert
February 5th at The Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles.
Q: The radio guys mentioned Dolly Parton selling Christmas trees for charity.
What is that about?
A: Dolly will take part in the Parade OF Trees at The Gaylord Opryland Resort
in Nashville - in which 15 Christmas trees are decorated and sold to the highest
bidder. Proceeds will benefit the not-for-profit organization designated for
the tree. The winning bidder will receive the tree's decorations and all the
prizes for that tree. Dolly's tree which benefits The Imagination Library will
include four tickets to Dollywood, including a meet and greet with Dolly, signed
photos, a personal book from Dolly, and 38 Imagination Library books.
Q: Do you have any information about Merle Haggard and Billy Bob Thornton
doing something together? I heard about it on the radio.
A: Billy Bob Thornton presented Haggard the first ever "Artist Of A Lifetime"
award at the recent CMT Artists Of The Year ceremony.
Q: Any info on Reba McEntire teaming up with Brooks and Dunn? My wife says it
was on the radio.
A: Reba McEntire will team up with Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn for a Las Vegas
residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas beginning in June of
next year.
Q: Emmylou Harris is my favorite singer and I heard on the radio that she is
recording with Rodney Crowell. Is that true?
A: Emmylou is currently working on a duets album with Rodney. The title and
release dates have not yet been announced.
Q: On an old radio program - Porter Wagoner sand the old song "Fallen Leaves."
Did he ever record that song?
A: Porter's version of that song is in his 1969 "The Carroll County Accident"
album.
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NUMBER ONE ON THIS DATE:
1948
One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart) - Jimmy Wakely
1956
Singing the Blues - Marty Robbins
1964
Once a Day - Connie Smith
1972
Got the All Overs for You (All Over Me) - Freddie Hart & The Heartbeats
1980
Smoky Mountain Rain - Ronnie Milsap
1988
If You Aint Lovin (You Aint Livin) - George Strait
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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.
NOT AVAILABLE TO INTERNET STATIONS)
The feature is available at no charge.
For information, email me at
classics@countrymusicclassics.com
^^^^^^^^^^
A CRABBY LITTLE CHRISTMAS.
By: Jack Blanchard
Starflakes were falling. The moonlight was dreamy.
The snow was all drifty, and tasted whip creamy
Toyland was singing on this Christmas Eve.
Santa's sleigh was all packed up and ready to leave.
"The big rush is over!", I heard an elf shout.
They gathered together as Santa came out.
The boss shook each hand as he passed through the group.
Mrs. Santa appeared with a thermos of soup.
"Ho ho", laughed the chief, as he thanked every one
"for your loyal support, and a job so well done."
He climbed to the cockpit. "Let's rock!" he cried.
The reindeer all giggled till they nearly died.
He tucked in the blanket along by his knees,
And took aim at the Milky Way over the trees.
There was shouting and waving and kisses goodbye.
He fastened his seatbelt and soared to the sky.
The crowd went inside to get out of the weather.
Time for the annual Elf Get-together.
All except one, who just slouched on a stump,
Crabby Bassnaster, the neighborhood grump.
"What is it, Crabby", asked toymaker Spiro?
"We do the work", he crabbed. "Santa's the hero."
"Merry Christmas, big deal", and "Humbug", he said.
"Just put it into my paycheck instead."
Back to the workshop he stumped with a grumble,
grumping back over his shoulder to mumble:
"Land, if there's one thing that I jes' cain't take,
it's singin' an' dancin', an' ice cream an' cake!"
Toyland was darkened, and spookily still.
Not a sound of a hammer, much less a drill.
Rumble and grumble, he slumped through the halls,
Even his shadow looked sad on the walls.
By the light on his workbench he fumed and he fussed,
brushing away at a small speck of dust.
"One more 'ho-ho' from jolly ol' Santa,
And I'm gonna pack an' go back to Atlanta.
Sweeping the floor in a circle of light,
He saw something shiny there, off to the right.
"A leftover present? How can that be?
How come these troubles all happen to me?"
Tied with a ribbon and stuck with a pearl,
the card was addressed:" To a good little girl".
"The name an' address are marked here inside,
so it looks like I'm in for a cold midnight ride."
He hitched up the sleigh for the unscheduled run.
"The work of a pore elf jes' ain't never done."
(Later that Christmas Eve...)
"Now, let me see, this looks like the house.
I hope I don't stir up no critter nor mouse."
Then from the roof, down the chimney he slid.
"They ain't makin' chimleys the way that they did."
There by the fire a little girl sat.
"Jes' what I need, a wide awake brat."
She said, "Are you Santa"? He seemed sort of scarey.
"Do bloodshot eyes twinkle? Is my nose a cherry?
No, I'm just a gopher, a regular jerk.
He gets the glory, an' we do the work."
"I love you", she melted. "You ARE kinda cute!'
His face turned as red as his little red suit.
"I just couldn't sleep. I was feeling so bad.
It's my first Christmas Eve away from my dad."
Suddenly sobbing and snurfing and sighing.
Could all of that racket be Bassnaster crying?
He gave her the gift, and he kissed her goodbye,
With almost a twinkle in one teary eye.
Up to the rooftop, and into the sleigh,
He cranked up the reindeer and roared them away.
"Back to the party! Les move this ol' crate!
I better not miss out on ice cream an' cake!"
And, I heard him shout, as he dropped 'er in gear,
"Merry Christmas, y'all, and a Happy New Year!"
Jack Blanchard
http://www.jackandmisty.net
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TODAY IN COUNTRY MUSIC HISTORY
Compiled by Bill Morrison
Arthur Q. Smith, songwriter, born "James Arthur Pickett" Griffin, GA 1909.
Cousin Jody "James Summey," born Sevierville, TN 1914.
Dollie Good, born "Dorothy Goad," "Girls of the Golden West," Mount Carmel, IL
1915.
Tom Brumley, steel guitarist, born Powell, MO 1935.
Brenda Lee, born "Brenda Mae Tarpley," Atlanta, Ga., 1944. Inducted CMHF 1997.
Tony Brown, record producer/songwriter/piano, born Greensboro, NC 1946.
Fiddlin' John Carson, age 80, 20's recording artist, died 1949.
Butch Baldassari, Bluegrass/mandolin/guitar, born 1952.
Red Foley released "Hearts of Stone,"/"Never," 1954.
June Carter married Edwin Nix 1957.
Jerry Lee Lewis married his third wife Myra Gail Brown, while still married to
his second wife, Jane Mitcham in 1957. Myra, was his 13 year old cousin, and the
marriage almost ended the Killer's career. Jane Mitcham was the mother of Jerry
Lee's first child, Jerry Lee Lewis Jr. Jerry Lee married Jane Mitcham in 1954,
while he was still married to first wife Dorothy Barton.
Tex Ritter, and the plane that he was a passenger on, were hijacked to Cuba in
1968.
Loretta Lynn debuted on the TV series "Fantasy Island" 1982.
Lee Ann Womack performed at the Nobel Peace Prize concert in Oslo, Norway in
2000.
Scotty Moore, Elvis Presley's lead guitar player, was hospitalized in critical
condition, after brain surgery in a Nashville hospital 2003.
Tim McGraw headlined the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize concert in Oslo, Norway.
Gary Allan's single "Nothing On But The Radio" topped the charts 2004.
Courtesy Bill Morrison:
<http://www.talentondisplay.com/countrycalMAR.html>
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
VIEW FROM THE FRONT PORCH
By: Stan Hitchcock
An Ozark Christmas-1950
One of my fondest Christmas memories is not the Lionel Electric Train that
really smoked, which I got in 1941, nor the .22 rifle I got in 1948 at twelve
years old, but rather in 1950 when all the kids from the New Salem Methodist
Church went caroling on a snowy night before Christmas. We had to park the cars
and trucks down at the farm to market road and hike in through the knee deep
snow about a quarter mile to reach the ancient widow womans log house. About
twelve of us gathered around the coal oil lit window, extra light spilling from
the holes in the missing clay chinking between the logs which were leaning at a
rather precarious angle, and started singing our Christmas Carols in our ever
changing teen voices. The front door opened and the 80 something years old lady
stood there with tears streaming down the channels that the years of hard toil
had left on her face, that were not scars as much as road maps of her long
journey. She spoke, barely above a whisper, and invited us in her home. We had
prepared a Christmas box with a Ham or Turkey, assorted canned goods, a 5 pound
sack of taters and some cookies and a cake our Mothers had baked, to guarantee
this sweet lady would have a good meal for Christmas. She put a pan of milk
on the old wood stove, filled it with milk she had taken from her cow just that
morning, added cocoa and sugar from her pantry and served us the best hot
chocolate I have ever tasted. We sang a couple more Christmas songs for her as
she stood in the dim light from the coal oil lamps, the fire place quietly
burning behind her, eyes closed as she listened while the music took her to
Christmas past and times we could never know. Somehow, not the presentsnot the
foodbut, that old time worn face has remained a central part of my Christmas
memories, for it is moments like that which are precious.
Stan Hitchcock
www.hitchcockcountry.com -
http://www.hitchcockcountry.com
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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
For we live by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV)
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