Back in college, when I first got into country music by default--taking over a country show on WFUV--the holy grail of country for me consisted of Hank Snow, George Jones, Merle Haggard and "ET", Ernest Tubb. Everyone--audiences and artists, alike--loved ET. And why not? You knew what you were getting--true honky tonk, true country. I had the privelege of seeing him twice, once at the old and wonderful Lone Star Cafe in NY, when, even ill, he walked up the stairs from performing and turned around that guitar, which said "THANKS". The second time was at a New Jersey venue, when I had the awesome pleasure of going on his bus, The Green Hornet, and interviewing him. One thing he said always stuck in my mind, in his words, "I wouldn't change for anything. If I knew it would sell ten million records, I wouldn't try to do something I didn't believe in. I believe in country music and I'm going to stay with country music."
And he did stay country. A true pioneer of country music, he was heavily influenced by the Father of Country Music, Jimmie Rodgers. He told me, while he had the chance to see Rodgers performs at least once, he opted not to so that the iconic image he had of Rodgers wouldn't be altered. Rodgers' widow help him land his first record contract. He didn't hit until 1940, when "Walking The Floor Over You" took the country world by storm. A year earlier, he had had a tonsillectomy, which affected his voice, making it very distinctive and, in his words to me, "not that pretty!" He is quoted as saying he was sure that guys in bars playing him on the jukebox would turn to their girlfriends and say they could sing better than Tubb, and he acknowledged they were probably right! But I love his voice. And I love the fact that he was a loving entertainer who cherished his audiences and fostered the careers of many artists, from Hank Snow and Stonewall Jackson to Willie Nelson and Loretta Lynn. When no one would have Willie on TV, he put him on his TV show. And when Decca Records asked him to cut a series of duo records, he could have picked anyone, but choose Loretta Lynn, who proudly stated last year at a show my son opened, "Ernest was my first duo partner, even before Conway!"
ET hit the country charts 91 times and his "Texas Troubadour" bands included awesome artists, several of whom went on to great success, like Cal Smith ("Country Bumpkin") and Jack Greene "There Goes My Everything", "Statue of a Fool"). Throughout his recordings, he would call out to band members to take solos, guitarists with nicknames like "Butterball" to Billy Byrd and Leon Rhodes, who proved to his grandchildren that he'd been a Texas Troubadour by playing a few songs where ET called out, "C'mon Leon."
ET died of emphysema in 1984. He looked much older than his 70 years, worn down by illness and constantly being on the road. He left behind a legacy ranging from the Ernest Tubb Record Shop to a song catalogue that helped define the golden age of country to perhaps his grand-nephew, Lucky Tubb, who has been putting out some interesting music on his own.
ET still rocks, at least in my book.
ET: Try Me One More Time
ET: Thanks A Lot; ET & Loretta Lynn: Who's Gonna Take The Garbage OutET & Friends: Walkin' The Floor Over You
I've written previously about FADO, or fate, the traditional, soul music of Portugal, first popularized globally by the late Amalia Rodrigues and today by the incredible Mariza (see 4/22/09 and 3/8/09 posts). Before I experienced Mariza, my favorite fadista was a young woman named Ana Maria Bobone. Always on the hunt for fado, perhaps 12 years ago, I went to the beautiful NJ Performing Arts Center for a "fado package show" and there she was. I was mezmerized by her hauntingly beautiful voice and her beauty. I had never heard a voice like that and it stuck in my head. I saw her again live there a year later and then she hosted a program on fado on RTP, Portuguese television for a year or so. Surfing YouTube, I chanced upon some clips of Ana Maria Bobone and wanted to share them with you. They do not fully showcase her artistry, but they will give you a sense of how well-suited she is to fado. Her star is somewhat overshadowed by Mariza and a host of other fado singers today. Regardless, Ana Maria Bobone is a true artist and I hope we'll be hearing more from her.
"Nome De Mar"
"Azenha"
"Que Deus Me Perdoe" (very strangely, a guy is painting pidgeon sculptures; try to ignore him!)
By now, you may have guessed that my favorite music is traditional country music and bluegrass. Whenever I think of the state of country music over the past couple of decades, I cringe, yet I bite my tongue and dare not comment fully. Maybe, when I'm old, rich and famous, I will. (Doubtful the rich and famous part will happen; the old part is well underway!)
I seem--AM--addicted to YouTube, but maybe that's not a bad addiction. Last night, I came across a clip from 2000 of two country stars of Yesteryear--Jean Shepard and Ferlin Husky--singing a classic country tearjerker, "A Dear John Letter," a number one hit for them 47 years previous. I've never been a fan of Husky--who broke out with "Gone" as "Terry Preston" in the early 50s, went on to do comedy songs under the pseudonymn, "Simon Crum" and whose biggest hit was the religious anthem, "Wings Of A Dove".
But I have always admired Jean Shepard. Jean broke out around 1953, right after Kitty Wells scored big in 1952 with "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels," the answer song to Hank Thompson's "The Wild Side Of Life." (Ironically, Jean Shepard was discovered by Hank Thompson, who helped her get on Capital Records.) Jean's first big hit was the aforementioned "A Dear John Letter," a duet of sorts with Husky doing a recitation, in '53. It went to #1 on the country charts and #5 on the pop charts. Interestingly, since she was 20 at the time and considered a minor, her parents had to sign over "rights" to Husky so they could tour.
Jean had a few hits in the following years, most notably, "Second Fiddle To An Old Guitar" and, in 1960, married rockabilly/country star Hawkshaw Hawkins, who stood six-feet-six and combined blues, boogie and honky tonk...and was a snappy dresser, too! Tragically, he died on that ill-fated flight in 1963 with Patsy Cline and Cowboy Copas. Jean Shephard was pregnant at the time with their son, who'd be named after his dad, and his biggest hit, the classic "Lonesome 7-7203" had just hit the charts three days before his death. (See related post, "The Second Day The Music Died".)
After Hawkshaw's death, Jean carried on, had a few hits, including Bill Anderson's "Slippin' Away," but was never a mega-star. Still, she is an active member of the Grand Ole Opry and seems to be really respected by young and old in the cast. Plus, her voice is still strong and she's kept it country.
So here's to Jean Shephard, now 75, even Ferlin, who's 83, and the other older country artists who are still out there playing state fairs and, in Jean's case, reminding Opry fans that TRUE country still rocks!
Jean Shephard: "Just Give Me Love"
Jean & Ferlin, 2000: "A Dear John Letter"
Hawkshaw Hawkins: "Shotgun Boogie"
Hawkshaw Hawkins, Jr.: "Her Name's Got A Ring To It Now"
Audio; Jean & Ferlin, 1953: [Note: Try to block out the "tinkly" piano!]: "A Dear John Letter"
When even my mother, who is almost 80, mentioned she liked Coldplay, I figured I have to write about the band. Yes, Coldplay is a band, but so much of their sound and notoriety is wrapped around lead singer, Chris Martin, who is undeniably talented--great voice, very charismatic, connects with the audience incredibly well, with an energy and enthusiasm that is not seen often these days. It's been written repeatedly that Martin "endlessly examines his feelings" in his songs, but I enjoy the exploration. I also appreciate the integral role of piano in the Coldplay repertoire. In a not-all-too-positive review of an earlier record, Allmusic wrote, "They, by any stretch of the imagination, do not rock -- rocking is simply against their nature. They are a meditative band, reflecting on their emotions instead of letting them go in a cathartic blast of noise and rhythm." That's fine by me.
Benny Goodman was at the top of his game in 1938, when he had another big break. He was booked to play Carnegie Hal, a gig one critic described as "the single most important jazz or popular music concert in history: jazz's 'coming out' party to the world of 'respectable' music." Until his death in 1986, he was the undisputed "King of Swing", a title bestowed on him by the legendary Gene Krupa. During that six-decade run, he gave us some of the most ridiculously great big band jazz and classical music--and made his mark on civil rights, too, by integrating his band, most notably with Lionel Hampton--"If a guy´s got it, let him give it. I´m selling music, not prejudice." Hampton was just one of the legends who got their start with Goodman; others included Krupa and Harry James. As a kid, I remember seeing Goodman on perhaps the "Ed Sullivan Show" or "Hollywood Palace," but it took years for me to appreciate his artistry. The other night, I saw a clip of the full 7 or 9 minute version of "Sing, Sing, Sing", featuring outstanding solos by him and Krupa and it prompted me to write this piece. Let's start things off with an introduction of Goodman and his band by "The Vagabond Lover," Rudy Vallee, then on to a brief clip of "Sing, Sing, Sing," a news report on his death and finally a late-career reunion with Hampton and Krupa.
Way back on March 6, my first nominee for TRUE ARTIST was Ryan Adams. I didn't do him justice in that post, simply uploading a video, but I realized this morning that the Trinity of Alt/Folk/Country/Rock/Pop Artists at the moment is Teddy Thompson, Josh Ritter and Ryan Adams, hence this continued post. At age 16, Ryan dropped out of school, formed Whiskeytown, recorded three records with the band, and then left to go solo, after five years. His creative output is mindblowing and it's excellent, too. I think he is the son Gram Parsons never had, musically that is, and every record is a new discovery. One of my favorites is "Jacksonville"--from the cover art to nearly every track it's perfect in its imperfection. He doesn't pretty it all up. His voice is loud, then softens to barely a whisper. Recently, he's been in the news for taking some time off and marrying Mandy Moore. From a news account of her recent performance at Joe's Pub, Ryan seems really happy, which is the way it should be. Here's a very, very brief survey of the musical artistry of Ryan Adams.
Our bicentennial year, 1976, resulted in at least two incredible births, Teddy Thompson (see June 5 blog) and Josh Ritter. At age 18, Josh was inspired to write his first song after hearing Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan's version of "Girl From The North Country". Since releasing his first record at age 21, he has amassed an incredible catalog of songs that are folk and rock and alt and his own! I was introduced to his music by my son, singer/ songwriter Anthony da Costa, who regularly dips into the Ritter catalog for great covers. I love that he sells out medium-sized theaters and tours with a great band--precisely what I know Anthony will be doing post-College. If you've not heard Josh before, you're in for an wonderful ride.
Back in college, when I first got into country music by default--taking over a country show on WFUV--the holy grail of country for me consisted of Hank Snow, George Jones, Merle Haggard and "ET", Ernest Tubb. Everyone--audiences and artists, alike--loved ET. And why not? You knew what you were getting--true honky tonk, true country. I had the privelege of seeing him twice, once at the old and wonderful Lone Star Cafe in NY, when, even ill, he walked up the stairs from performing and turned around that guitar, which said "THANKS". The second time was at a New Jersey venue, when I had the awesome pleasure of going on his bus, The Green Hornet, and interviewing him. One thing he said always stuck in my mind, in his words, "I wouldn't change for anything. If I knew it would sell ten million records, I wouldn't try to do something I didn't believe in. I believe in country music and I'm going to stay with country music." 
