COUNTRY MUSIC CLASSICS
Doug Davis
Owner/Publisher/Manager/Editor/
Writer/Gopher/Chief Cook & Bottle Washer
Thursday May 25th, 2017
Email: djdclassics@gmail.com
STORY BEHIND THE SONG
A lot of songs have been written in strange or unusual places and according to
Jack Clement ,his song "It'll Be Me" was certainly one of those tunes!
Jack commented, "Well I was in the bathroom - on the pot - when I wrote that
song. I guess that says a lot for the frame of mind I was in when I wrote the
song. My original idea was "baby if you find a lump in your toilet, well it'll
be me and I'll be looking for you," but I changed that to "If you find a lump in
your sugar bowl, well it'll be me and I'll be looking for you." Now that song
was about me - cause I'm not in all the songs I write...a lot times I'm just
observing things and write about what I see. Sometimes the songs are about me
and sometimes they aren't."
"It'll Be Me" was first released by Jerry Lee Lewis in April 1957 as the B-side
to his "Whole Lot Of Shakin' Going On."
A cover version by Cliff Richard reached number two on the UK singles chart in
1962.
According to Jack Clement – he wrote the song for a follow-up to Jerry Lee
Lewis "Crazy Arms." We were in the studio working on "it's Be Me" and getting
tired of it so
we took a break and I suggested we try something else for a change and one of
Jerry Lee's band members suggested we try a song that they had been doing on the
road
called "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On" so we cut it and when the record came out
– "It'll Be Me" was the B-side."
Another (slower and shorter) version of the song, from a later recording
session, was released in May 1958 on his first album "Jerry Lee Lewis."
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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q: The radio guys were talking about Willie Nelson running for President. What
in the world is that all about?
A: Willie has commented that he came close to running for office a couple of
times but then he sobered up. And he reportedly did receive some write-in votes
during the last election.
Q: According to my sister - George Strait has been given some kind of Texas
award. Do you know anything about that?
A: The state of Texas has named Strait their 2017 State Musician on his 65th
birthday. The designation of Texas State Musician is selected every two years,
via
nominations from by citizens, by the Texas Commission on the Arts. In addition
to Strait — a native of Poteet,Texas — Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett and ZZ Top's
Billy Gibbons have also received the honor, which is appointed through House and
Senate resolutions in the Texas State Legislature.
Q: I always enjoyed The Geezinslaw Brothers. I'm sure Geezinslaw is not their
real name? Do you know?
A: The Geezinslaw Brothers are actually Sam Norris Allred and Raymond Dewayne
Smith
Q: My mom says she remembers hearing Don Gibson sing Morle Haggard's song "All
My Friends Are Gonna Be Strangers" on the radio? Did Gibson record that song?
A: Don Gibson's version of that song is in his 1966 "Don Gibson With Spanish
Guitars" album
Q: I wonder if there is any way to check this out. My brother in law thinks
his family used to be neighbors with Leon Everette in Florida back when Everette
was just a kid. Their neighbors last name was Everette and their little boy Lee
sang.
A: Highly unlikely. Leon Everette was born Leon Everette Baughman in South
Carolina and was raised in New York City.
Q: My favorite song is Jerry Lee Lewis' "There Must Be More To Love Than
This." Did he write that song?
A: The song was written by William E. Taylor and LaVerneThomas
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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 at no
charge.
For information, email me at djdclassics@gmail.com
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NUMBER ONES ON THIS DATE
1945
At Mail Call Today - Gene Autry
1953
Mexican Joe - Jim Reeves
1961
Hello Walls - Faron Young
1969
My Life (Throw It Away if I Want To) - Bill Anderson
1977
Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) - Waylon Jennings
1985
Radio Heart - Charly McClain
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TODAY IN COUNTRY MUSIC HISTORY
Courtesy: Bill Morrison.
1875 - Dr. Humphrey Bate 1875-1936, "Dean of the Grand Ole Opry" was born in
Sumner County, Tennessee. The licensed M.D. would become a country music
pioneer,
and early star of the Grand Ole Opry, along with his band the Possum Hunters.
1893 - Ernest "Pop" Stoneman 1893~1968, of the "Stoneman Family" was born in
Monarat, Virginia. Pop Stoneman will be inducted into the CMHF in 2008.
1936 - Tom T. Hall, The Storyteller, was born in a log cabin, in Olive Hill,
Kentucky. A very special man is Tom T. Hall. I believe it was Ralph Emery who
was once quoted as
saying "If T. could play golf a little better he would be the perfect man." But
then, I might be wrong about that quote. It might have been Grammy winner Randy
Kohrs, a
former member of T.'s band, or any number of Nashville's older music community.
Everybody loves Tom T. and Miss Dixie. I know for sure that Ernest Tubb loved
him like a
son, so that pretty much tells you everything you need to know about this
songwriting legend...except… when Tootsie Bess, owner and founder of Tootsie's
Orchid
Lounge in Nashville died, it was Tom T. who went to the legendary watering hole
and ask to see the cigar box, where Tootsie kept all of the unpaid tabs. These
were the
tabs of unemployed singers, songwriters, and some of the best musicians in the
world, dating back several years. Tom put the tabs on a table, added up the
total amount
due, and paid the debt in full. When Tom came to Nashville he had forty-six
dollars and an old guitar, and a God given gift. Tom T. Hall is a very special
man, and the
history of country music has been enhanced by the man, and his gift.
1938 - Vernon Presley was sentenced to Mississippi's Parchman penitentiary, for
a period of three years, for a forgery conviction. Gladys and Elvis went on
welfare during this period of time.
1943 - Jessi Colter singer, songwriter born "Mirriam Johnson," in Phoenix,
Arizona. Married to Duane Eddy 1961~1968. Married Waylon Jennings in 1969.
1946 - Gene Autry's "I Wish I Had Never Met Sunshine" charted.
1951 - Marty Robbins hosted "Chuckwagon Time" on KPHO, in Phoenix, Arizona
(1948-1951). KPHO was then managed by former Grand Ole Opry manager and WSM
executive Harry Stone. Following a recommendation from Little Jimmy Dickens,
Columbia Records A & R man Art Satherley traveled from Los Angeles, to Phoenix,
and watched Marty do his radio show. Art was impressed with the young singer,
and Marty Robbins was signed by Satherley to a Columbia recording contract on
this date.
1955 - The Louvin Brothers recorded "When I Stopped Dreaming."
1959 - Marty Robbins released "Cap And Gown" b/w "Last Night About This Time."
1961 - Faron Young's "Hello Walls" was #1 on the country charts.
1969 - Whisperin' Bill Anderson's "My Life, Throw It Away If I Want To" was #1.
1973 - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's United Artists album "William E. McEuen
Presents Will the Circle Be Unbroken," was certified Gold.
1974 - Melba Montgomery's "No Charge" went to #1 today on Billboard's chart.
1977 - Waylon Jennings topped the charts with "Lukenbach Texas."
1985 - Charly McClain's "Radio Heart" was #1.
1995 - Dick Curless 1932~1995, The Baron of Country Music, died at age 63.
1996 - Le Ann Rhimes' recording of "Blue," charted.
Courtesy: <http://www.talentondisplay.com/countrycalendar.html>
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THINGS WE LEARNED ABOUT LIFE.
By: Jack Blanchard
So now I'm old.
Funny I never thought this far ahead.
Misty found an old appointment book dated 1982.
In the back of it I had scribbled down a lot of little life tips
that I'd learned over the years from various sources
and from personal experience.
We think they helped us, so I pass them on
in case others find them useful.
I've made little attempt to sort them out.
Be careful of other people's pride, even when they are acting stupid.
Give them a graceful way out. Let them save face.
They could turn out to be friends if you get past the first collision.
ON STAGE:
Never audition for an audience.Don't put yourself on trial.
Be in gentle control. Confidence without arrogance.
Hold some of yourself back. Let your talent come as a surprise.
Be unpredictable.
Cue the audience as to what they like.
(Laugh tracks do this on TV.)
Bring them into the process.
Tell them the story behind the song,
or something about your life.
Speak more slowly that you may be used to.
Avoid precise speech. Maybe slur a little.
Appear relaxed. Don't come off as hip or intellectual.
Don't be slick. Don't be a threat.
Be likable, pleasant, earthy. Be loose.
Look like you belong wherever you are.
Good posture and walk. Natural gestures.
Develop style... the recognition factor.
Desperation shows.
Inflate the audience. Make them feel good about themselves.
No inside jokes or private laughs with the band.
Do it all over the microphone. Don't leave them out.
LIFE IN GENERAL:
When faced with scary problems, jump in.
Don't let the competition see you as a rival.
Learn from the past but don't feel guilty about it.
Think about your goals. Picture them.
Children learn better and faster
surrounded by mirrors and pictures of themselves.
Many entertainers and musicians practice in front of a mirror.
Sometimes it helps to present your material as socially relevant.
Everybody who ever does anything makes mistakes.
Stupidity is no reason not to be a success.
Everybody has it.
If you believe in God, trust your God.
Life is no rehearsal. This is it.
Naturally, we couldn't think of all these things at any one time,
but we drilled them into our brains until it became automatic.
There are lots more of the little suggestions in the old book,
but I'll save them for later.
Jack Blanchard
http://www.jackandmisty.net
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View From The Front Porch-Stan Hitchcock
Yeah, I want y'all to know there are a lot of things I could have growed up to
be besides a dang old hillbilly singer...shoot, I had options out the wazoo…
y'know, like an Animal Trainer, and Star Of The Circus…course, that dad-blamed
old burro in the Methodist Church Live Nativity Scene, crappin' in the Church,
when I was ten years old
and the Shepherd in charge of Burro Minding, kinda squelched that one...or I
could'a been a Star in some Beach Movie in the 50's, practicing my cool moves on
the gravel
bar there on the Pomme de Terre River, singing Roy Acuff songs to the girls when
we parked..and therein lies the problem..the Beach Movies did not feature the
Star
singing Roy Acuff songs, and they located on a California Beach, not an Ozark
gravel bar. Oh well, timing and content is everything as your life develops.
Sure I could'a
been a Sailor and sailed the seven seas (or was it eight? Never did get that
right) looking at the world through a porthole, but after four years of doing
just that, I decided
there must be more to life than this, so I headed back to the hills from whence
I came. Now I could'a been a Race Car Driver...man, I had the juice for that
alright. Having
my head stuck under the hood of my '36 Pontiac, my 39 Ford, my Dad's 54 Mercury
and my '48 Chevy Fleetline...and I might have made it if I hadn't wrecked the
Pontiac,
blew the engine in the '39 Ford and Dad's Mercury...so by the time I finally got
the '48 Chevy at 17 I figgered out Racing on gravel roads was not a cool
occupation to
pursue.
So, ya'see, the only thing left for me to grow up and be was....a dang old
hillbilly singer. A Road Running, Coffee Drinkin', Guitar Slingin' sorry old
dried up Sanger Of
Pitiful Love Songs. Yeah, I reckon that about says it. Been doing it now for
over 60 years and I don't see a career change anytime in the near future. It's
probably just as
well, if I had growed up to be an Animal Trainer, Lions jumping through hoops,
bears balancing a ball on their nose...being a Star In The Circus..Stanley And
His Wild
Animal Show! Yeah, sounds good, huh? But one of them Lions would have probably
eat me for dinner by now...and I have never heard of a hillbilly singer being
eaten by
a Lion, which makes it a very good career move. You just gotta go with the flow
and end up being what you is supposed to be. Uh Huh. stan
www.hitchcockcountry.com -
http://www.hitchcockcountry.com
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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like
gold refined seven times.
– Psalm 12:6 (NIV)
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