FOUR GREAT COUNTRY DUETS

Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton: "Holding On To Nothing"


Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash: "Jackson"


Bill Phillips & Ruby Wright: "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" (written by Dolly Parton)


Melba Montgomery & George Jones: "We Must Have Been Out Of Our Mind"

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The Grand Ole Opry

I visited the Opry a couple of years ago and sat on a reserved section at the back of the stage. It's a prized place to experience the Opry, but being in the audience is the ideal way to see and hear the artists. Still, it was wonderful to finally make it there and to see and hear Porter Wagoner and Little Jimmy Dickens. In viewing some photos of the Opry online, I came across the above shot, which is such a remarkable drawing of cast members from yesteryear. Wow, would I have loved to see those shows at the old Ryman. It inspired this post of videos from some of those stars, beginning with a phenomenal artist I wrote about on March 9, Mr. Faron Young.

Faron Young: "Dreams"


Webb Pierce, Carl Smith & Marty Robbins: "Why, Baby Why"


June Carter Cash: "He Don't Love Me Anymore"


Ray Price: "Crazy Arms"


Ernest Tubb: "Answer The Phone"


"Grand Ole Opry" Theme Song:


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IT TAKES TWO, WHEN IT USED TO TAKE ONE: Duos I Love, Part 5 > Buck Owens and Don Rich

Buck Owens' pioneering, Bakersfield sound is all but forgotten today in country music. If people remember anything about Buck it's that he co-hosted "Hee Haw," a cornball country comedy show that had it's high and low points. And he had a bit of a comeback in the 90s thanks to Dwight Yoakum's hit with him, "The Streets of Bakersfield." But so much came before that--a string of true country hits that made him an international star. 21 #1 hits, most, if not all, with his "sideman", Don Rich. But if you watch any of these videos, you'll realize Don was his duo partner, adding a rich texture to songs ranging from "Together Again" to "Act Naturally." Don was Buck's collaborator and leader of The Buckaroos until 1974, when he was killed in a motorcycle accident. Don's death marked the end of the band and, without him, Buck's career declined considerably. He reportedly suffered a deep depression that lasted for his remaining years on "Hee Haw, which he came to think helped end his career--he was right. In the 1990s, Buck finally spoke about Don's death: "Don Rich was like a brother, a son and a best friend. Something I never said before, maybe I couldn't, but I think my music life ended when he did. Oh yeah, I carried on and I existed, but the real joy and love, the real lightning and thunder is gone forever."

Let's turn back the clock for a moment and enjoy one of country music's greatest duos, Buck Owens and Don Rich.


"Act Naturally" and "Down To The River"


"Above and Beyond"


"Love's Gonna Live Here"


"Together Again"

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TRUE ARTISTS, Part 4: Amalia

"Fado cannot be explained, it must be felt and experienced."
What is fado? The "soul music" of Portugal. Fado means fate and destiny and its songs are filled with despair, mourning, unrequited love, death. Yes, there are many which are cheery and positive, but most of fado, in my view, is centered on lamentation--a longing for something or someone you cannot have. I've long maintained that, in addition to Portuguese and African influences, fado is largely informed by what was formerly called Arabia. The Moors ruled Portugal for a few hundred years and left an imprint on the culture. Whatever the roots, I love fado, good fado, and the embodiment of this musical genre is Amalia Rodrigues, or simply, Amalia. From 1939 to 1999, the year of her death, there was only one "Rainha do Fado" ("Queen of Fado") and that was Amalia. Her catalogue of masterpiece recordings is unequalled by any artist and her collaboration with the leading Portuguese composers is nothing less than historic, including Alain Oulman of France, who took Amalia to a new height by putting music to the poems of Camoes for her. She was also an exceptionally talented songwriter. As a child, I saw Amalia perform live in the U.S. at least twice, but it is her landmark concert at Town Hall in 1990 that was simply overwhelming for me. There she was, 70 years old and not at her best voice, but she took the stage in her black gown, with a group of guitarists behind her. For the next 90 minutes or so, she ran through 50 years of Portuguese history via fado. A second highlight for me was seeing, three times, a musical in Lisbon based on her life which I hope will eventually make it to the States. While there, I visited her tomb at the National Pantheon, where she lies alongside the great historical figures of Portugal. Following are some videos, few of which do her justice. The inheritor of Amalia's crown is MARIZA, whom I wrote about on March 8. Like Amalia before her, MARIZA is bringing fado to the world.

This is Amalia.

"Estranha Forma de Vida"


"Gaivota" (Camoes/Alain Oulman)


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Whispering Bill...

It took me years to appreciate Bill Anderson... excuse me, "Whispering Bill" Anderson. He is one of the most successful country songwriters ever, having written hits in the '60s for Porter Wagoner, Ray Price ("City Lights", which he wrote at age 19) and Connie Smith, all the way up to the 2000s, for artists including Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney and George Strait ("Give It Away," 2006 song of the year). I don't know of any other writer who can make this boast. He's also had a tremendous career as a singer, with hits ranging from "Still" and "Bright Lights and Country Music" to "Tips Of My Fingers" and "I Got The Fever." In 2002, BMI named Anderson its first country music songwriting Icon, placing him alongside R&B legends Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and James Brown as the only recipients of that award. In 2008, the Academy of Country Music honored him with their inaugural Poets Award. Bill was a longtime game show and talk show host and, prior to singing, was a DJ, so his versatility is pretty remarkable. A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and a cast member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1961, Bill's self-described singing style is "whispering". He doesn't possess the most powerful voice, but it works for him and, at age 72, still has legions of fans, myself included. Here's Bill singing his signature, "Bright Lights and Country Music", plus Bill's protege, Miss Connie Smith, singing his song, "Once A Day", which catapulted her to stardom, and an early version of "City Lights" by Ray Price. Then, a link to Bill and Brad Paisley performing Bill's statement about today's country music, "Too Country?".

"Bright Lights and Country Music" (Bill Anderson)


"Once A Day" (Connie Smith)


"City Lights" (Ray Price & The Cherokee Cowboys")

• "Too Country" (with Brad Pasley)
• Bill Anderson
  

The King of Soul, Funk & Disco & the Embodiment of Groove...

...Barry White. He left us in 2003, but what a rich legacy this 5X-Grammy winner gave us. I saw him in the '70s at the Westchester Premiere Theatre and the first clip below, "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe" kind of recreates the scene that night and what must have been every night globally in the '70s and beyond for Barry. He was a big man and his lyrics were a bit explicit for that time--but, for sure, not by today's rap standards. The difference is he had a real groove. I remember the huge orchestra he toured with--the Love Unlimited Orchestra--and that most members were white, but the front line, the groove line, was all African-American, and they made it happen. "Love's Theme", an instrumental, was a monster hit for Barry in 1974, and was soon followed up by many hits, but the aforementioned "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe", also in '74, was his vocal breakthrough and set the pace for the rest of his career. His popularity waned after the disco era came to a close, but he had a major comeback in the '90s with his record, "Icon Of Love" and his music was featured on the TV show, "Ally McBeal". But, let's step back in time to perhaps a simpler era and enjoy Mr. Barry White.

"Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe" (try to ignore subtitles):


"Let The Music Play"


"Never Gonna Give You Up" (lip-sync'd, but who cares!):


"You're The First, My Last, My Everything"


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TRUE POETS, Part 4, 5, 6: Willie Nelson, Floyd Tillman and Hank Cochran

Two words come to mind when I think of Willie Nelson: Amazing & Prolific. Amazing song stylist, songwriter and guitar player. I love that beat up acoustic with the hole in it and always look forward to his solos--you always know a Willie solo. Prolific--the sheer volume of songs, many great, some not-so-great. Three I don't enjoy--I refer to "Whiskey River", "Always On My Mind" and "On The Road Again". Prolific in the number of albums he puts out--perhaps too many. But there are gems among them. I guess I first became aware of Willie Nelson when he released "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain", a great song recorded years earlier by Roy Acuff. That was a breakthrough for an artist who had written such magnificent tunes as "Night Life", "Crazy" and "Hello Walls", megahits for Ray Price, Patsy Cline and Faron Young, respectively, among many others. He'd also had a helping hand from Ernest Tubb, who featured him on his TV show several times. But "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain" and then his "Stardust" album really put him on the global radar. It's impossible to know every song or record ever made by Willie, but my favorite songs include "It Always Will Be", a tune that showcases his voice and guitar, and the record, "To Lefty, From Willie", a tribute album to a major influence, Lefty Frizzell, that features the best version of "I Never Go Around Mirrors" that I've ever hear.

My very favorite Willie moment is an old episode of "Austin City Limits" featuring a song circle of sorts, with Willie and two of country music's greatest songwriters--Floyd Tillman and Hank Cochran; Ray Price joined them halfway into the show. Floyd Tillman's songs iinclude "Slipping Around", "I Gotta Have My Baby Back", "I Love You So Much It Hurts Me" and "This Cold War With You", were were hits for him, among other artists. He also wrote "Drivin' Nails In My Coffin" and "It Makes No Difference Now", hits for the great Ernest Tubb. Hank Cochran wrote: "I Fall To Pieces"/Patsy Cline; "Don't Touch Me"/Jeannie Seely; "A-11"/Johnny Paycheck; "Don't You Ever Get Tired Of Hurting Me"/Ray Price; "Make The World Go Away"/Eddy Arnold; ''She's Got You"/Patsy Cline; "Little Bitty Tear"/Burl Ives--what an amazing output! Watching that show, my jaw dropped and I emerged with a deep respect for song stylists and songwriters who really know the craft. Willie, Floyd and Hank, three poets whose songs are among the very finest, true country standards.

Here are three classic videos--first, Patsy Cline singing Hank Cochran's "I Fall To Pieces," then Jeannie Seely and her signature "Don't Touch Me," another Cochran masterpiece, then Willie and four songs that became megahits for other stars.

Patsy Cline: "I Fall To Pieces"


Jeannie Seely: "Don't Touch Me"

EVERY AL GREEN SONG IS A GREATEST HIT

Yes, young folks out there, back in the '70s--feels like the 1870s--I went to an Al Green concert at the long-defunct Westchester Premiere Theater. (Great venue--also saw Barry White, Jerry Lee Lewis, many others there, but, again, I digress.) Al Green was absolutely the coolest performer I'd ever seen to that point. Soul and smooth personified. "Tired Of Being Alone", "Full Of Fire", "L-O-V-E" and on and on. Recently in Memphis, we missed an opportunity to see the Rev. Al in his church, but a great DJ here in NY, John Platt of WFUV-FM, said it was an incredible experience. Whether preaching the gospel or singing about love, Al Green is still and will always be "Mr. Soul."

"Tired Of Being Alone:" "Let's Stay Together": "You Ought To Be With Me": "Sha-La-La":
"Take Me To The River":


"L-O-V-E":


"How Can You Mend A Broken Heart":
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I Like Justin Timberlake...There, I Said It

My daughter, Kristen, loves JT. I think he's cool. Great performer, singer, dancer. Very soulful and great groove. See if you agree...



"Cry Me A River"


"What Goes Around Comes Around"


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KILLER COUNTRY

I think it's a shame that Jerry Lee Lewis is still being trotted out to perform. He appears to be frail and forgetful. I think he needs to rest and rejuvenate.

I prefer to remember the Jerry Lee I saw in the early 80s--an amazing performer who somehow centered each song on himself (!) and was one of the fathers of rock 'n roll.

But, did you know that it was country music fans who kept him alive musically for many years?

In May 1958, during a tour of the UK, Jerry Lee admitted he was married to his 13-year-old first cousin and that was the beginning of the end. (Sadly, nowadays, if this came out, he'd have gotten his own primetime reality show, but I digress.) His fee of $10,000 per show dropped to $250 and he didn't record for Sun Records again. But he kept at it and returned to country, scoring big a decade later on the country charts with "Another Place, Another Time," followed by many more hits that sustained him. Here are two songs from the country side of the Killer.

"What Made Milwaukee Famous":


"She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye":


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DOLLY & PORTER, THE REAL THING

Being a trad country fan, I, frankly, didn't enjoy much of the music on the Academy of Country Music awards show on CBS. I made a point of watching just to see what was going on and won't say much beyond that. I was impressed by Taylor Swift for her voice and the fact that she plays several instruments and writes her songs--a rarity for a star of her stature in the music business. But, call me odd, but, when the show ended, I literally ran to YouTube for some trad country oxygen, the real thing from Dolly and Porter. Two lighter songs and a sacred number, "Satan's River," that Porter re-recorded for his last record.

Corny. Yeah. I love it.

"Run That By Me One More Time"


"Milwaukee, Here I Come"


"Satan's River"


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