COUNTRY MUSIC CLASSICS
Doug Davis
Owner/Publisher/Manager/Editor/
Writer/Gopher/Chief Cook & Bottle Washer
Thursday May 14th, 2015
CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE AT www.countrymusicclassics.com -
http://www.countrymusicclassics.com
Email:
Classics@countrymusicclassics.com
STORY BEHIND THE SONG
The idea or melody for a lot of hit songs were carried around in the minds or in
the pockets of the writers for awhile before actually being written.
The Bellamy Brothers 1982 number one - "For All The Wrong Reasons" was one of
those songs!
David Bellamy wrote the song after carrying around the melody for the chorus for
several months.
The song was originally recorded as part of their first album for Elektra
Records titled "When We Were Boys."
"For All The Wrong Reasons" was produced by Jimmy Bowen and The Bellamy Brothers
and came on the country music charts March 27th, 1982.
The Elektra Records single was in the number one slot on June 12th.
It was their 15th charted song and their 5th number one.
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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q: I heard that one of Bob Wills band members had passed away. Do you have any
information?
A: 88 year old Johnny Gimble - who was a member of Bob Wills Texas Playboys from
the late 1940's to the early 1960's - passed away recently in Dripping Springs,
Texas.
Q: My brother used to hang around with a singer named Joe Ely. Just wondering
if Ely ever made it in the music business.
A: Ely's record success was limited to one single for MCA which barely got
inside the top 100 in 1977. But he has been appointed the Official Texas State
Musician for 2016 in a ceremony at the Texas State Capitol in Austin - in
recognition of his commitment to the arts in Texas.
Q: Have you heard any updates on Jim Ed Brown? I had heard that he was
seriously ill.
A: After undergoing chemo and radiation for lung cancer - 81 year old Jim Ed
Brown has been declared cancer free!
Q: According to my daughter - Ricky Skaggs is joining some blues performers for
a project. Do you have any information?
A: Ricky Skaggs and his wife Sharon White are joining blues singer Ry Cooder
for a road show. The "Cooder - White - Skaggs Tour" - will start in June in Salt
Lake City and will feature a program of blues, gospel and bluegrass.
Q: The radio guys mentioned Kris Kristofferson in a new TV series. Do you have
any details?
A: Kris has the feature role in a TV mini-series "Texas Rising" for The
History Channel starting May 25th. The series details the fight for Texas
independence following the Battle Of The Alamo.
Q: My dad says Charlie Louvin had a version of the Connie Smith song "Once A
Day" on the radio years ago. Did Charlie record that song?
A: The Charlie Louvin version of "Once A Day" is in his 1965 "Less And Less"
album
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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
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NUMBER ONES ON THIS DATE
1950
Long Gone Lonesome Blues - Hank Williams
1958
Oh Lonesome Me - Don Gibson
1966
I Want to Go with You - Eddy Arnold
1974
Is It Wrong (For Loving You) - Sonny James
1982
Always on My Mind - Willie Nelson
1990
Help Me Hold On - Travis Tritt
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IN THE STUDIO.
By: Jack Blanchard
THE RECORDING SESSION...
In Rock it doesnt seem to matter so much,
but in Country we want to hear the words.
I hear too many recordings where the lyrics are lost.
If the words arent audible there are several possible culprits.
The singer may not be making them clear,
or the producer and engineer arent recording them right.
Sometimes the singer tries too hard to sound Southern or Country,
and it comes out slurred and run together.
Heres a trick to get rid of Singers Lockjaw:
Pretend youre singing to a deaf person who is reading your lips.
When Misty and I record vocalists (ourselves and other artists)
we use a soft-knee compressor on the mike and maybe later in the mixdown.
The compressor brings out the low notes, the soft words,
and the nuances that give an artist identity.
The compressor should be set conservatively at 2.5:1 or less.
The compressor itself should be inaudible.
We try to get backup lead instruments to play in the cracks
between the singers phrases, not during,
and we try not to have too much going on in the singers frequency range.
Misty and I find it helpful to analyze the lyrics beforehand,
marking on lyric sheets where we want to take breaths,
and which words we want to punch.
If a song is good enough to record the lyrics should be heard.
Each of us has different methods and tastes.
Im sharing ours just in case it may help somebody.
THE MIXDOWN...
I've listened to tips from well known producers and engineers
on getting recordings to sound good.
I used to tune my studio speakers by putting white noise through them,
and holding up a microphone connected to a frequency analyzer.
The analyzer would show red and green lights
indicating which sound frequencies were too soft or too loud.
I would then use a graphic equalizer to make them all even, or "flat".
I told my method to a famous producer/studio owner in Nashville
and he said it was wrong. He said to do this:
Hang your speakers, and then sit down for a week or so
and listen to big hit major label recordings through them,
adjusting the tone controls until they sounded best.
Then mix your recordings to sound as good as the proven hits
on the same speakers.
Also, I learned somewhere along the line to place my near-field monitor
speakers
so that my head is the third point of a perfect triangle.
If the speakers are too close I will hear too much stereo spread,
and not enough of the middle.
If they are too far away I don't get enough stereo,
and I start to get distracting room ambient sounds.
I learned to be very conservative with EQ,
which means adjusting the tone to you folks at home.
THE MASTERING...
So, you've got a great mix...is your music ready for the world?
Not yet. It can still be a lot better.
Send it to a good mastering studio and hear what you've been missing.
It will knock your hosiery off!
About "presence"...
Sometimes the voice needs presence, or edge.
To add vocal presence we boost the frequency slightly at 2 kHz,
and maybe a touch at 4 kHz.
Too much presence can make the voice brassy and thin.
A little can make it sound good and bring out the lyrics.
Enhancers like Aphex and BBE can help with general clarity,
and instrument/vocal separation,
but they can be overdone, if were not careful.
The bass drum (kicker) has two separate frequencies...
the low part and the higher tap of the pedal on the head.
The bottom sound should not go below 40 Hz unless you're doing hip-hop.
I cut off all sound below 40 Hz because it takes up a bunch of air space
better used by the rest of the music.
Also, many stereo systems have trouble reproducing sounds that low.
The tap of the pedal is much higher,
up in the mid-range area, where most of your "presence" is found.
If the String bass is at a very low frequency in the mix,
I make the bass drum higher, and vice versa.
About "punch"...
Punch just means how the audience feels the beat,
and that depends upon how far the speaker cone moves back and forth
to push the sound out.
Some mastering engineers like to use compressors to get maximum volume.
This holds down the loud sounds, and brings up the quieter ones.
Everything gets loud, but the speakers don't move very far.
I prefer to use a hard limiter.
This leaves the bass and drum peaks loud,
just clipping off the tips of the peaks to even them up.
It makes the speakers punch out the beat, and the listeners feel it.
Music lovers go out and buy equipment for low bass and high treble,
but most humans can't hear sounds higher than about 16 kHz,
and bass below 40 Hz is a muddy rumble,
and interferes with the clarity of the recording..
The human ear hears mid-range best.
Recordings with more mid-range sound louder,
even though they don't move the needle on the meter.
It's called "apparent loudness" and was used a lot on vinyl singles
to get the music to jump out of the car radio.
Too much mid-range sounds tinny.
It takes a good experienced ear to get it just right.
There are hundreds of useful effects available today,
which, when used properly, can enhance the sound of your music.
SUMMING UP...
I've also learned that you can get a hit record without knowing any of this.
Jack Blanchard
http://www.jackandmisty.net
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myhillbillymusic.com is now found more readily by those searching for such
music. Simply go to a-1audionetwork.com/classiccountry/ to access or you can
still go to myhillbillymusic.com.
In addition to myhillbillymusic/a-1 classic country, our group also offers
mybluegrassfavorites.com, mymountainviewmusic.com (music of Mountain View,
Arkansas), a new site dedicated to classic southern gospel called
myhope1079.com.
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TODAY IN COUNTRY MUSIC HISTORY
Compiled by Bill Morrison
1903 - Jenks Tex Carman 1903~1968, vocalist, and steel guitarist was
born in Hardinsburg, Kentucky.
1914 - Foy Willing 1914~1978, singer, songwriter, guitarist, bandleader and
actor was born Foy Willingham in Bosque County, Texas. After moving to
Hollywood, Foy became a member of Jimmy Wakley's Saddle Pals, appearing
in Western movies, and on the Hollywood Barn Dance. Foy later formed the
"Riders of the Purple Sage."
1927 - The Ryman Auditorium played host to their first Old-Time Fiddlers
Contest."
1932 - Bob Johnston, producer, and Capitol Records executive was born in
Hillsboro, Texas.
1937 - The Light Crust Doughboys recorded twenty-one songs on this date.
1943 - Sonny Garrish, session steel guitarist, was born in Fairplay, Maryland.
1949 - Eddy Arnolds #1 single One Kiss Too Many charted.
1950 - Hank Williams topped the charts with Long Gone Lonesome Blues."
1952 - Tex Ritter recorded High Noon, for the Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly movie of
the same name. The song became Ritters signature song.
1956 - Buddy Holly's optometrist gave him contact lenses for his 20/800
eyesight. Buddy was not comfortable wearing them, so he wore the trademark black
glasses the rest of his life.
1958 - Don Gibsons Oh Lonesome Me was #1 on the country chart in 1958. The
self-penned RCA Victor single was Don's second chart record, and his first #1
hit.
1966 - George Oscar Uncle Bud Landress 1881~1966, member of The Georgia Yellow
Hammers, died at age 85.
1966 - Eddy Arnold sat atop the charts with his RCA Victor recording of I Want
To Go With You." The Hank Cochran penned tune remained on the Billboard chart
for nineteen weeks, six weeks at #1. This was Eddy's 91st country chart hit.
1968 - Beasley Smith, songwriter, orchestra leader, died in Nashville,
Tennessee.
1969 - The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour featured John Hartford, Marty Paich
Orchestra, Pat Paulsen, Bell Medley, Merilee Rush, George Lindsey, the Earl
Brown Singers and the George LeFave Dancers.
1974 - Sonny James topped the charts with Is It Wrong For Loving You."
1984 - Willie Nelson and Julio Inglesias' Columbia album To All The Girls Ive
Loved Before was certified Gold.
1986 - Moses Mose Rager 1911~1986, Muhlenberg Country, Kentucky guitarist, died
today at age 75.
1988 - Tammy Wynette co-hosted; and Porter Wagoner, Lyle Lovett and the San
Diego Chicken appeared on Hee Haw.
1990 - Conway Twittys album The Very Best Of Conway Twitty was certified
Platinum.
1994 - Shenandoahs If Bubba Can Dance, went to #1 on the country charts.
2002 - Old Hat Productions released Ed Bruces This Old Hat".
2003 - Family friends reported that June Carter Cash was near death at Baptist
Hospital in Nashville, after having open-heart surgery on May 7, 2003.
2005 - Jimmy Martin 1927~2005, age 77, The King of Bluegrass, died in a
Nashville hospice. Jimmy was laid to rest in Nashville's Spring Hill Cemetery.
Courtesy Bill Morrison:
<http://www.talentondisplay.com/countrycalMAR.html>
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VIEW FROM THE FRONT PORCH
By: Stan Hitchcock
Ah, the symphony of a Country Morning. At the break of Dawn here on the Porch,
the farms around us come alive and add to the already musical treat of the birds
in our trees. Up the road the neighbors Burro starts his morning complaint, Hee
Hawing at the top of his voice. Then the Herd of Cattle up on the hillside
pasture across the way begin calling back and forth, as it to assure each other
that they have made it through another night, "Pearl are you alright?" "Yes,
Flossie, just a little stiff from laying on my tail the wrong way." Just up the
road, a neighbors Rooster, strutting around the yard, puffing up his chest
feathers and letting out a large "Cockle-Doodle-Do!" in an effort to impress the
Hens, who have heard this same thing every day of their lives from some
smart-aleck rooster, and go on about their business of scratching for a bug or
two, ignoring the show-off.
Meanwhile, here on the Front Porch...Old Buck The Collie, who has been sleeping
quietly at my feet, snaps awake, and with his long Collie Nose pointed toward
the Creek, gives a resounding bark at some Deer that he knows is attempting to
creep by him, although nothing is in sight, and I suspect was only dreaming Deer
Dreams of times gone by.
So goes another morning of a Country Symphony, from the Front Porch, overlooking
the Chuckling Creek, where the Sycamores stand, silent in their tall strength,
not a leaf moving from any breath of wind, with the Sunrise breaking behind them
in full Glory of another day. Thank you Lord for all Your Blessings and the
Creation of such a Wonderful World.
Stan Hitchcock
www.hitchcockcountry.com -
http://www.hitchcockcountry.com
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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our
knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he
has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may
participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world
caused by evil desires.
2 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV)
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