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?".
...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!):
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.
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":
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.
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.
