COUNTRY MUSIC CLASSICS
Doug Davis
Owner/Publisher/Manager/Editor/
Writer/Gopher/Chief Cook & Bottle Washer
Thursday January 8th, 2015
CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE AT www.countrymusicclassics.com -
http://www.countrymusicclassics.com
Email: Classics@countrymusicclassics.com
STORY BEHIND THE SONG
A lot of the ideas for songs come from writers hearing a line in another song or
even from fictional characters. According to Jack Clement- the idea for the
1960s hit, Millers Cave, came from Tom Sawyer and Hank Williams!
Clement commented, I got a big part of that song from Tom Sawyer. And the idea
for the cave I got from a line in a Hank Williams song, "I'd rather live in a
deep dark cave." So I took the setting from Tom Sawyer - I put a mountain in
Waycross Georgia so he could have a cave there. Well there's no mountain around
Waycross, Georgia...it's a swamp. So I put that in there for a joke and people
have actually gone to Waycross, Georgia looking for it. So I took that setting
and to start with I called it "Dark Old Cave." so then I thought I would give
it a kind of Hollywood name...so I called it "Bella's Cave," then I got to
thinking that it might ought to sound like a real place and I knew this real
place called Miller's Boat Dock outside of Memphis. So that made it more
personal and that's how I came up with the "Miller's Cave" title.
Millers Cave scored a number 9 hit for Hank Snow in 1960 and a number 4 hit for
Bobby Bare in 1964.
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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q: I heard on the radio that Willie Nelson has a song going into the Hall Of
Fame. Do you know anything about that?
A: Willie Nelson's "Stardust" album is included in the list of The Recording
Academy's 2015 Grammy Hall Of Fame inductees - along with "Honky Tonkin'" by
Hank Williams and "San Antonio Rose" by Bob Wills And The Texas Playboys.
Q: I heard that George Strait's last tour set some kind of record. Do you have
any information?
A: George Strait's "Cowboy Rides Away" tour brought in nearly $58 million
dollars to finish as one of the highest-grossing tours of the year.
Q: I know he didn't have many hits but Joe Ely is one of my favorite singers.
Is he still in the business?
A: Ely placed one song on the country charts - All My Love" that peaked at
number 89 in 1977. He still makes music and recently announced a new duet
release with Linda Ronstadt. The track was recorded several years ago but has
never been released.
Q: The radio guys mentioned that Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn and The Oak Ridge
Boys are working on some kind of project. Do you have any details?
A: Merle, Loretta, The Oak Ridge Boys and The Del McCoury Band are scheduled
to perform at the June 26th - 28th Big Barrel Country Music Festival in Dover,
Delaware.
Q: My dad says he has heard Charley Pride sing the Buck Owens hit song "Act
Naturally" on the radio. I've called a couple of radio stations and nobody knows
anything about it. Do you know?
A: Pride's version of "Act Naturally" is in his 1967 "The Country Way" album.
Q: There was a song on the radio several years ago about "Workin' On A
Feelin'." Do you know who had that record?
A: "Workin' On A Feelin'" was a 1973 number 37 hit for Tommy Cash.
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The new year is already off to a great start with the release of a new Ray Price
single. The Sonny Throckmorton-penned classic, "I Wish I Was 18 Again," is new
all over again with Price's incomparable vocal. Previously a Top 40 for the
inimitable George Burns, the song is given new life - and insight with Ray's
interpretation. The single lands as ESPN-TV continues airing College Football
Playoff ads soundtracked by Price's "For The Good Times" and Friday, Country's
Family Reunion Tribute To Ray Price will air on RFD-TV.
The Country Music Hall of Famer's last musical offering, Beauty Is ... the final
sessions (Amerimonte Records) garnered a unique Honorable Mention on
Billboard.com's The 10 Best Country Albums of 2014 list and grabbed the #1 spot
on TheNashvilleBridge.com's Top 10 Albums list. The disc debuted at #22
on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart, giving Ray his highest solo appearance
on that chart in over three decades. Additionally, his duet with Martina
McBride, "An Affair To Remember," scored as #8 on the Hotdisc International
Chart's Top 30 Most Popular Songs of 2014 list after three consecutive weeks at
#1.
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NUMBER ONE ON THIS DATE:
1944
Pistol Packin Mama - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
1952
Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way - Carl Smith
1960
El Paso - Marty Robbins
1968
For Loving You - Bill Anderson & Jan Howard
1976
Convoy - C.W. McCall
1984
You Look So Good in Love - 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
^^^^^^^^^^
NOTHING IS OVER LIKE CHRISTMAS.
by: Jack Blanchard
Nothing is over like Christmas. Months of anticipation,
and then it's gone.
Try to hold on to it and it slides away like this morning's dream.
It's hard to work up the spirit here in Florida,
but we give it a shot every year.
Misty decorates a tree,
and puts Christmas stuff all over the place.
We listen to Christmas music with the air conditioning on
and with palm trees lurking in the yard.
I get sentimental about Christmas,
probably because I had real Christmasy holidays years ago,
with folks who are no longer with us,
and my childish subconscious thinks it will happen again.
I toss up futile prayers for snow here in the subtropics,
but this is the time of year when we get a cheap imitation of autumn.
A couple of trees around here get a touch of red,
and I go look at them.
Television doesn't help, with reports of all night sales,
talking heads urging us to be good consumers,
stranded travelers sleeping in airports,
and carolers singing "Happy Honda Days".
The people who tell us that it's a pagan holiday,
just because it's near the winter solstice,
may not realize what an intrusion that is upon our enjoyment.
We can each bring our own thoughts to the season,
and make it our personal non-pagan celebration.
It's in the spirit of the beholder.
I think I'll write a letter to Santa,
and ask him for one more snowfall in Buffalo,
where the night is silent, the homes are warm,
and Christmas is strong in the air.
Jack Blanchard
http://www.jackandmisty.net
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TODAY IN COUNTRY MUSIC HISTORY
Compiled by Bill Morrison
1909 - Hoke Rice 1909~1974, of The Rice Brothers born in Gainesville, Georgia.
1928 - Luther Perkins 1928~1968, guitarist for Johnny Cashs Tennessee Two, and
Three was born today in Tennessee. Luther was the man who created the Johnny
Cash sound.
1935 - Elvis Aaron Presley, born Tupelo, Mississippi. His twin brother, Jesse
Garon Presley was stillborn, and buried in a shoebox, in an unmarked grave.
Elvis was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1998.
1940 - Christy Lane, born Eleanor Johnston Peoria, Illinois.
1944 - Billboard published its first Country Music popularity chart. Pistol
Packin Mama was the first song to make the chart. Prior to 1944 the chart was
called the Hillbilly Records Chart.
1944 - Ernest Tubb's first chart record was his self-penned Decca single "Try Me
One More Time." The song topped out at #2, and remained on the chart for 17
weeks. Prior to this Ernest had a hit called "Walking The Floor Over You" in
1941, this was prior to country music charts. The Texas Troubadour became a
member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1943.
1946 - Holly Tashian of Barry & Holly, born Holly Paige Kimball in NYC.
1953 - Elvis Presleys parents bought their son his first car, a 1942 Lincoln
Zephyr coupe for $50.00 on his eighteenth birthday.
1959 - Patsy Cline recorded the following songs today in Nashville, for Four
Star Records: "I'm Moving Along" written by Johnny Starr; "I'm Blue Again" by
C.C. Beam, C.L. Jiles, and W.S. Stevenson; "Love, Love, Love Me Honey Do" by
C.C. Beam, C.L. Jiles, and W.S. Stevenson. (Patsy's contract with Four Star
required her to record only songs written by writers who published their
material through Four Star owner's publishing company. Most of the material was
not very good, and Patsy had little success until she was released from that
contract, and began recording for Decca). Today's session was produced by Owen
Bradley, the session personnel included: Patsy Cline~vocals; Hank
Garland~electric guitar; Grady Martin~electric guitar; Harold Bradley~6 string
electric bass; Bob Moore~acoustic bass; Buddy Harman~drums; Floyd Cramer ~piano;
the Jordanaires~Gordon Stoker, Hoyt Hawkins, Neal Matthews, Jr., and Ray
Walker~background vocals.
1960 - Marty Robbins single El Paso topped the charts. The self-penned Columbia
single was recorded in Nashville on April 7, 1959. Don Law and Frank Jones
produced the session (which included "Big Iron). The session personnel included:
Marty Robbins~vocals & guitar; Grady Martin~guitar; Jack Pruett~guitar; Bob
Moore~bass. El Paso was Marty's 21st chart record and his 6th #1 hit.
1960 - Eddie Cochran backed by Buddy Hollys Crickets, completed his last
recording session. The session was held at Goldstar Studios in Los Angeles and
the last song recorded was Three Steps to Heaven. Eddie was killed in a car
wreck on April 17, 1960, while enroute to an airport in England. His friend Gene
Vincent was injured when the Taxi they were riding in crashed.
1968 - Capitol Records released Buck Owens self-penned single How Long Will My
Baby Be Gone" b/w "Everybody Needs Somebody. How Long topped the charts and
became Buck's 39th chart single, and his 16th #1 hit.
1969 - Buck Owens recorded Tall Dark Stranger. The Capitol single charted in
August, went to #1 and remained on the charts for 15 weeks. This was Bucks 45th
hit single, and his 19th #1.
1972 - Johnny Duncan, Doug Kershaw, Gunilla Hutton, and Buddy Alan were featured
guests on Hee Haw.
1972 - Jerry Lee Lewis Would You Take Another Chance on Me was #1.
1979 - Sara Carter Bayes 1899~1979, age 79, Carter Family died in Lodi,
California. Inducted into the CMHF 1970. Sara was laid to rest in the Mount
Vernon Methodist Church Cemetery, in Maces Spring, Virginia.
1981 - Marty Robbins released Completely Out Of Love. The Capitol single became
Martys 86th chart hit the following month.
1993 - Hap Peebles, age 80, winner of the CMAs first Talent Buyers and Promoter
of the Year Award, died in Kansas City, Kansas. Hap was a founding member of the
Country Music Association.
1993 - The U. S. Postal Service released their Elvis Presley stamps.
1996 - John Michael Montgomery and wife Crystal were married today.
1997 - Wade Hayes the pride of Bethel Acres, Oklahoma, was presented with a gold
album for his Columbia release Old Enough To Know Better. The title song from
the album went #1 on Billboards Singles chart in 1994.
2001 - Faith Hill was honored as the Pop/Rock Female Artist of the Year, at the
American Music Awards Show. Favorite Male Artist of the Year in Pop/Rock was
Kid Rock. The AMA is much more honest when associating artists with genres than
the CMA is at this point in country music history. Honesty has never been a
strong suit for Hollywood, or Nashville. The dollar rules in the house of fools,
and truth is an unloved step child.
2002 - MCA released The Best of Donna Fargo.
2003 - Marvin Douglas Brown, age 53, died in Brushy Mountain State Prison. He
was one of two men sentenced to life in prison, for the murder of Grand Ole Opry
star Stringbean, and his wife Estelle, on November 10, 1973.
Courtesy Bill Morrison:
<http://www.talentondisplay.com/countrycalMAR.html>
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VIEW FROM THE FRONT PORCH
By: Stan Hitchcock
View From The River Bank-
My Grandmother, Lena Pearl McAlister Hitchcock, a farm girl from Peoria County,
Illinois, who fell in love with a neighbor farm boy named Walker Nelson
Hitchcock, Jr., was always the heart and soul of our family. I loved her dearly.
Granma Hitchcock spoiled me, from the time that I had sense enough to hold my
head up and look around. The earliest memory I have of her (or anything else for
that matter) was when I was about 1 year old, the Winter of 1937. And a fierce
Winter it was..
Granma had a sister that lived over in Kansas, just a few miles from our home in
Kansas City, Missouri and the sister had gotten sick and Granma wanted to go
visit her. Granma was holding me on her lap, in the back seat of Dads car, and
Dad was fighting to make it through the snow drifts in a snow storm that had
come through that part of the country. My Mom, Ruby, was doing her female part
by telling Dad how to drive, and of course, Dad was ignoring all her helpful
pointers, and doing it exactly his own way, just as Man has been doing since he
realized He and Eve were naked in the Garden of Eden, and Eve offered him a bite
of Apple, and maybe more if he would fall in line and do as he was told.by Eve.
Anyway, my memory of that snowy trip to Kansas has stuck in my mind ever since.
When we got to the farm of Granmas sister and her husband, the snow was so deep
that the car couldnt get up the driveway, so Dad pulled the car over to the side
of the gravel road and stopped. Gonna have to walk in from here. Dad allowed.
Granma started wrapping the blanket around my body and head, to keep the snow
off, but when she stepped out of the back seat of the car, the snow had drifted
over the deep ditch that was there and she and I plunged into the drift of snow,
like jumping into a feather bedso we ended up with just Granmas head and
shoulders out of the snow and her holding me above her head so I wouldnt smother
in the snow.
Dad like to have never got Granma dug out of the snowy ditch, and she was
holding on to me for dear lifecareful not to let the snow get on her precious
little Stanley Edward. And I can remember wanting to jump right into the deep
snow, which turned out to be a life long habit of mine, jumping into things that
were over my head.
I used to love going to visit at Granmas house, after we moved to the Ozarks,
and we would go back to Kansas City to spend time with the old folks. I never
went into her house that the smell of fresh baked cookies didnt hit you first
thing. And there have never been cookies like Granmas cookiesthey were World
Class.
Granma Hitchcock had a big Bible that I would always go and take down to look at
the beautiful pictures engraved on the pages. I loved that old Bible, so heavy I
could hardly lift it when I was little. She taught me to handle it with
reverence and care, as a priceless object of Family history.
Granma lived to be 97 years old, still Independent, long after Grandpa had
passed, and living by herself. She had moved down to Springfield to be near her
sons, who had resettled there, and I always managed to get by to visit her in my
travels after I moved to Nashville.
One time, in about 1975, I was in town to play the Ozark Empire Fair and I
stayed at her house while I was there. On the last day, as I was getting ready
to leave and go back to Nashville, Granma handed me the old Family Bible and
said, Stanley Edward, you always loved this old Book, and I want you to have it,
I know you will love and cherish it. And that was the last time I saw Granma,
for she died a short time later.
And so I haveloved and cherished it. The Old King James Bible was printed in
1864, and we always get it down from its place of prominence in our Library, for
Christmas, and I open it up to the story of Christs Birth and read it again,
just as I have done for all these years. And Granmas memory always fills me with
a warm feeling, like her fresh baked cookies.
To Granmas everywhereyou have such an important part to play in the future lives
of your Grandchildren, you create memories that will never die, in the children
that you pamper and spoilhey, pamper and spoil all you wantsoon enough they will
be out in a world that can knock you to your kneesbut, I just remember the time
Granma held me above the snow and kept me from being snow smotheredand I get
back up and say, You cant beat me, Granma told me so!
Stan Hitchcock
www.hitchcockcountry.com -
http://www.hitchcockcountry.com
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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will
bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:5 (NIV)
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