Showing posts with label country music hall of fame. Show all posts
Showing posts with label country music hall of fame. Show all posts

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Well, This Is Kinda Neat!


I've been fixated on the song, Dreaming My Dreams, and today I found out about an interactive exhibit that the Country Music Hall of Fame has developed, called "Dreaming My Dreams". That's sort of eerie.

Nevertheless, this is awesome! I haven't explored the full range of this exhibit yet, but this is right up my alley! You can click on a 45-RPM record and hear it. Plus, there's tons of neat country-obsessive stuff to explore!

Big kudos to whoever thought this up! You know me; I'm an eighties country-kind-of gal, and this exhibit lets me indulge in all that eighties country stuff: George Strait, Dwight Yoakam, Alan Jackson, the Judds....ahhh....heaven. 

But wait! There's more! The exhibit goes back a long ways; back to Dolly and Johnny Paycheck and all those people; and back further still.. And it goes forward (for you forward-leaning fans); forward to now; today. 

One can get lost in this. It's a good way to get lost. 

Click on this and there is no need to thank me.  I"m just bringing you all the news that's fit to be brought. 

I am rarely floored by anything anymore. This thing floored me.

 

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees - 2009

Don't even get me started about the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Has it become irrelevant, or is it just me? It seems like the electors have to choose three names, so they kind of put a bunch of names into a hat and draw three out. No disrespect. Yes, I guess this sounds disrespectful, but my point is, why some of these artists, and not others who are so OBVIOUS?

I don't want to get into the whole Bobby Bare thing again, but c'mon. And he is but one example of deserving artists who are overlooked. Seriously, Charlie McCoy before Bobby Bare?

I know I'm kind of late with this post, but the 2009 announcement was so irrelevant to me, and I frankly had more important topics to cover, that I kept putting it off. Plus, I wasn't sure how to approach this in an interesting way. But let's give it a try.

Roy Clark

While I can appreciate Roy Clark as an artist, I can't say that I'm a fan. No offense to Roy, but I tend to view him as a novelty act. Granted, he did host Hee Haw (an insult to the intelligence of country fans, if there ever was one), and granted, Buck Owens hosted it, too. But at least Buck Owens had a previous track record as an artist.

I'm not saying that Roy never had a good song. He did have this one, thanks to Bill Anderson:



And granted, he was a very good guitarist. Hence, his version of Malaguena, albeit not even close to a country song:



And he had a hit song in 1974, called "Honeymoon Feelin'":



And he was a banjo picker and a fiddler. As evidenced by:



I guess the problem I have with Roy is stuff like this:



Now, some may like it. It's not my cup of tea. But congrats anyway, Roy.

Charlie McCoy


Charlie McCoy has a long resume as a studio musician. He played on such seminal albums as Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde On Blonde. He also played harmonica on Roy Orbison's recording of Candy Man. Remember that?

Granted, this video has Roy subbing for Charlie McCoy, but I can't pass up an opportunity to post a Roy Orbison video.



But back to Charlie. Here's his rendition of the Orange Blossom Special:



How about some 40's music? Here's Charlie with Choo Choo a'Boogie:



I'm a sucker for '40's swing music, so I like this.

So, overall, I'm kind of getting on board with Charlie being inducted.

Barbara Mandrell


On the other hand, there's Barbara Mandrell. I feel like I'm in a time warp, viewing and listening to Barbara's music, but there's no doubt that, in the seventies especially, Barbara was THE female country singer. I can't deny that I put Barbara's LP's on my stereo and sang along.

First of all, there's this:



And I've said it before, but it bears repeating. Wasn't Barbara the Barbie Doll come to life? Look at that platinum blonde hairdo. Look at those cool false eyelashes and that white lip gloss. And, you know, The Midnight Oil was a great country song.

As was Standing Room Only:



I can't lie; this is one of my very favorite Barbara Mandrell songs (please ignore the Judy Jetson uniform):



One cannot forget (well, okay, I can't forget) that Barbara formed a duo with the late, great David Houston, and had a hit on one of my favorite cult classic songs, "After Closin' Time" (and I love Barbara's pantsuit):



Remember this old Roy Head classic? Barbara put her own spin on "Treat Him Right":



I'm just going to ignore the clunkers like "Sleepin' Single in a Double Bed" and "Crackers".

But what about this?



So, okay, maybe my initial reaction has changed a bit. I think Charlie McCoy deserves his spot.

There was never any question that Barbara Mandrell deserves hers.

But Roy Clark before Bobby Bare? Nah, I just can't get on board with that.

Maybe next year. Right, Hall of Fame deciders?

~~~

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Country Music Hall of Fame Snubs Bobby Bare Again!

I've got some issues with the Country Music Hall of Fame.

One time, a long time ago, I belonged to the CMA. It was so long ago that I didn't remember how the Hall of Fame voting works, so I looked it up:

Hall of Fame Election Procedures

Candidate Criteria


The first inductions were made in 1961. If one counts the latest announcement, from last week, that brings the total inducted to 108.

So, it's not exactly an exclusive club anymore, unfortunately. I was perturbed that it took until the year 2000 (after he had passed away) for Faron Young to get inducted into the Hall. Willie groused about that, too.

Let me be clear that I don't begrudge any artist being awarded the honor. But what's right is right. We're so quick in this throwaway society to discard the old, perhaps out of fear of appearing "uncool" or out of touch. But let's not play the game of leap frog. If a deserving artist gets passed over by someone who came later; much later, does the first guy or gal lose his or her chance completely? Is that how it works? I hope not.

I'm not some kind of Bobby Bare fanatic. I'm frankly not fanatical about any artist, at this stage of my life. I like a whole bunch of artists. It's just that when I started writing this blog, and I started posting about the Hall of Fame, whether it was a recap by year, or whether it was a post about the latest inductees, it occurred to me that Bobby Bare wasn't in the Hall, and I thought to myself, "that's odd".

The link to the criteria I posted above is all fine and dandy. You know, and I know, that these "electors" are not following any type of criteria. But, for the sake of argument, let's say that they are. In which of the criteria does Bobby Bare not fit?

Span of influence?

Bobby had his first hit record (as "Bill Parsons") in 1959. His last charted single was in 1983.

Influence on others?

Let's ask Mel Tillis and Kris Kristofferson. Let's ask Ian Tyson and Tom T. Hall. Let's ask Billy Joe Shaver, among others. I'm guessing that Bobby influenced these guys' careers as songwriters, and it's safe to assume that Bobby also influenced their pocketbooks.

Quantity vs. Quality?

Let's look:





No embed, but this is one of my favorites:

Ride Me Down Easy


If the videos were available, I could post a bunch more.

So, the latest crop of inductees has been announced. I'm not going to quibble with the choices (at least not now). I may write about them at a later time, if I can rouse myself from the slumber that overtook me as I read the names.

I will, however, post this quote from one of the three, Roy Clark:

"I think what happened," he said with a grin, "is that I lasted long enough until they ran out [of other candidates]."

Well, no. You didn't. The Hall just seemed to "forget" about some.

It's time to right the wrong. 2009 would have been a good time. Fifty years since his first hit record. Alas, it didn't happen in 2009.

Let's shoot for 2010. At least 2010. Unless the "e-LEC-torrrs" decide that Carrie Underwood deserves it more. Cuz that would be the "hip", albeit "wrong" thing to do.

By the way, do you wonder who these "electors" are? I do. And do they have any connection with or knowledge of the roots of country music?

Stand up and be counted, guys! (and gals!)

And if you need a lesson in the history of country music, YouTube is great for that. But then again, you'd have to actually have the right search terms.

As a postscript, just for fun, I'll leave you with this:



~~~

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Happy 89th Birthday, Kitty Wells!

Many Candles

Wow, eighty-nine! Happy Birthday, Kitty!

For country music fans who are too young to remember Kitty Wells, suffice it to say that if it weren't for Kitty Wells, there probably wouldn't be a Carrie or a Taylor or a ______ (fill in the blank with any generic female country star of today).

There also wouldn't be a Tammy or a Loretta or a Tanya or a Barbara.

There might not even be a Patsy.

I could delve into the history of women in country music, but Chet Flippo explains it here far better than I could: What Kid Rock and Kitty Wells Can Teach Today's Country

For a more in depth analysis, you may want to read Finding Her Voice: Women in Country Music, 1800-2000

Or, we could just watch Kitty, doing her most memorable hit:

IT WASN'T GOD WHO MADE HONKY TONK ANGELS


So, happy birthday, Kitty!

Maybe have a cup of coffee to go with that cake.

Kitty Wells Mug

Friday, February 15, 2008

The Country Music Hall Of Fame 2008

The 2008 inductees into the Country Music Hall Of Fame were announced this week.

A new twist this year is that the inductees will not be announced during the CMA awards telecast. They wouldn't want to waste valuable time that could be better used to showcase the latest eighteen-year-old sensation, or to feature another performance by someone like that country music stalwart, Sheryl Crow.

It's actually better for the inductees that they get their own separate ceremony. Frankly, most people who watch the CMA awards would have no clue who these people are, and these viewers would be irritated by having to endure such minutia. Bring on Bon Jovi!, they'd scream. Someone who's really country!

But, for those who might care, the inductees this year are:

Emmylou Harris
Tom T. Hall
The Statler Brothers
Pop Stoneman (posthumously)

Emmylou, as everyone is aware, has been a champion of country music for many, many years.

The first time I remember hearing Emmylou was when she did a duet of an old Louvin Brothers song, with Charlie Louvin himself ("If I Could Only Win Your Love"):



Of course, Emmylou was around long before that. She is indelibly linked to the late Gram Parsons, who in essence launched her career.

Through the years, she has recorded many classic songs, in addition to introducing fans to older songs that they may have forgotten.

Here is one of my favorites, from my favorite Emmylou album, "Elite Hotel". This song was written by Rodney Crowell, who is prominently featured in this video. The performance takes awhile to get going ~ there's a lot of, I guess, technical maneuvering prior to the song actually beginning, but it's worth watching, so stick with it. The song is, "Til I Gain Control Again".



Here's one more from Emmylou. This song was written by the late Townes Van Zandt. It was later recorded as a duet by Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, but Emmy did it first. This performance is from 1977. The song is "Poncho And Lefty".



Tom T. Hall is probably better known as a songwriter than as a singer, although he had a string of hits on his own.

I found this video of Tom, along with Johnny Cash, performing a medley of his hits. (You will notice that Johnny plays a prominent role in this particular post).



As I said, Tom was probably better known for the songs he wrote for other artists, including, "You Always Come Back To Hurting Me", recorded by Johnny Rodriguez and "(If I Ever Fall In Love With A) Honky Tonk Girl", which was a hit for Faron Young.

Of course, Tom's best known song is this one:



It just struck me that this song actually has no chorus. It's all verses. So, it's the AAA (verse-verse-verse) song structure, as opposed to AABA (verse-verse-chorus-verse). It seems that most of Tom's songs didn't have choruses. That's sort of quirky. Of course, the song structure that's in style now looks something like A/#$!//B%-** (or something). And you'd better follow this rule, or you will never get a cut in Nashville!

The next inductee is (are?) The Statler Brothers.

I find it difficult to remember a time when the Statler Brothers weren't around. It seems like they've been on the country music scene forever.

They got their first career boost by becoming part of Johnny Cash's road show, and later his television program. And oh, by the way, they took their name from a brand of toilet paper.

Here's the Statler Brothers' first hit song (featuring the late Lew DeWitt):



Here is another Statlers hit, this one is from 1970. "Bed Of Roses":



I always loved when Johnny would do one of his gospel songs on his show, and would feature the entire cast. This performance not only includes the Statlers, but the Carter Sisters and Carl Perkins:



It's difficult to find a YouTube clip with Jimmy Fortune (who replaced Lew DeWitt). This is one of the few I could find, and poor Jimmy is reduced to singing June Carter's part. (On the actual recording of this song, it was Jan Howard who sang the female part, not June Carter. Just some useless trivia that I recall. I can barely remember my own name; yet, this I remember).



By the way, I should probably list the members of the Statler Brothers: Don Reid, Harold Reid, Phil Balsley, Lew DeWitt (originally), and Jimmy Fortune.

And now, for something completely different, here are the Brothers' alter egos, Lester (Roadhog) Moran & His Cadillac Cowboys, appearing on Nashville Now with Ralph Emery:



The posthumous inductee is Pop Stoneman. I don't know much about Mr. Stoneman, but I did manage to unearth some interesting facts:

In July and August 1927, Pop Stoneman helped Ralph Peer conduct the legendary Bristol sessions that led to the discovery of the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers. Ralph Peer was a talent scout, recording engineer and record producer in the field of music in the 1920s and 1930s, working for RCA Records. In August of 1927, while talent hunting in the southern states with Victor Records, Ralph Peer recorded both Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family in the same session at a makeshift studio in Bristol, Tennessee.

But back to Pop Stoneman, he and his wife had 14 children, and the family went on to form the Stonemans, a group that became popular in the bluegrass arena.

So, Pop Stoneman is being honored as an early pioneer of country music.

Next, I will be lobbying to get Bobby Bare inducted into the Hall Of Fame. I actually had to go to the Hall Of Fame website to make sure he wasn't already there. Couldn't believe it. Geez.

Friday, August 31, 2007

2007 Country Music Hall Of Fame

You mean these guys aren't already in??

What??

Here are the three new inductees into the Country Music Hall Of Fame:

Ralph Emery, Mel Tillis, Vince Gill

#1: Ralph Emery

So, no one thought to put him in the hall of fame before? What the heck does it take? Ralph was the voice of WSM Radio overnight for many, many years. All the big stars dropped by, after their appearance on the Opry, to shoot the breeze and to play & sing for Ralph into the wee hours of the morning.

Aside from that, when there actually was a Nashville Network, Ralph had the show, "Nashville Now". Everyone, and I do mean, EVERYONE, appeared on that show. Back when Alan Jackson was working in the mail room of TNN, he appeared on Ralph's show.

Granted, Ralph wasn't my favorite disc jockey back in the day, but that was only because WSM's signal was out of range for me most nights. I listened more to Mike Hoyer on WHO and Bill Mack on WBAP. Cuz their signals came in clearly. But even I knew, back then, that Ralph was the king of late-night country radio.

Here's one of the few videos I could find of Ralph, hosting "Nashville Now". You'll note that his guests that night included Reba McEntire, Crystal Gayle, Eddie Rabbitt, Charley Pride, and Lee Greenwood. "Nashville Now" was a nice show. And generally, the conversations were more interesting than this particular one, about shopping, of all things.




#2: Mel Tillis

Again, Mel Tillis isn't already in the Hall Of Fame?? How many dang hit songs does one have to write to be considered worthy?

Here's just A FEW of the songs that Mel has written:

"Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town"
"Detroit City"
"I Ain't Never"
"Burning Memories"
"Heart Over Mind"
"Mental Revenge"
"I'm Tired"

The list could go on and on. These are but a few highlights.

Who the heck got in before Mel? There's a lot of folks who can thank their lucky stars that Mel wrote such great songs...Folks such as Kenny Rogers, Bobby Bare, Waylon Jennings, Ray Price. You know, some insignificant, obscure country artists.

It was nearly impossible to find any videos of Mel that were of decent quality. Here's one of Mel singing a song her wrote, "Mental Revenge". Waylon had a major hit with this song.




#3: Vince Gill

What? I remember when "I Call Your Name" came out. Was it that long ago? 1990, I guess. Oh, Vince was around long before that. He was a member of Pure Prairie League in 1972. Remember the song, "Amie"? That was Pure Prairie League. Still, it seems like only yesterday that Vince arrived on the scene. Time flies. Here he is in the hall of fame. One could quibble, but why? One could say that others should have gotten there first, but why the heck not Vince? He's bonafide. He's been a troubadour for country music for all these many years. I saw Vince in concert a few (okay, many) years ago. He played into the wee hours. I finally had to leave before it was over, because he just kept on playing, and I had to get up for work the next day. It was a cool concert. One doesn't see concerts like that anymore. The more I think about it, yea, Vince deserves to be in the hall of fame.

Again, there are very few decent videos of Vince on YouTube. This is one of the few that somehow snuck through.




So, there you go. 2007. I hope more of the giants get voted in while they're still around to enjoy the honor. It seems like it's taking a long time.








Friday, August 10, 2007

Merle Haggard


(originally posted 03-11-07)


Isn’t it a good idea to talk about someone and what they mean to you before it becomes a memorial?

I don’t know where the years have gone. It seems like literally yesterday that I was in my best friend’s living room, watching her and her brother’s band practice playing Merle Haggard songs.

I’m not exactly sure when Merle Haggard first entered my consciousness, but I think it was most likely 1967. That’s around the time that my new best friend, Alice, reintroduced me to country music. I’d grown up on Buck Owens and Ray Price albums. That’s what my parents had. But as an adolescent, I’d drifted more toward the music of my time……that being The Monkees and some groups with strange names like Strawberry Alarm Clock and The Boxtops.

My new friend very patiently schooled me in the finer points of country music. Artists like Bobby Bare and Porter & Dolly, who just happened to be a very hot act at that time. I did some research of my own, of course, and found that I really liked a new guy named Waylon Jennings, and also another new guy, Charley Pride. I think the first country album I bought was “Love Of The Common People” by Waylon Jennings, and shortly thereafter, I bought Charley Pride’s album, although I can’t remember the name of it, and I can’t find it on Amazon, but I do remember that the color of the album was kind of orange.


But there was this guy who was always being played on the radio named Merle Haggard. He liked to sing a lot of songs about prison. It seemed edgy. And he had some real twanging lead guitar (later I learned that the lead guitar player’s name was Roy Nichols.) And this Merle character was really cute, which didn’t hurt. He sang songs like, “(I’m A Lonesome) Fugitive”, “Sing Me Back Home”, “Branded Man”. I sensed a theme here. Anyway, it was different. How was it different? Well, the production was very different from the stuff that was coming out of Nashville. The band members were upfront. There weren’t any strings. This was hardcore country. Reminded me a lot of Buck Owens’ stuff. And this guy could sing!

So, subliminally, this Merle guy seeped into my consciousness. I decided I REALLY REALLY liked him (as Sally Field would say.) I sort of became obsessed. I bought every album he put out. I even bought The Strangers’ instrumental album (featuring Roy Nichols and Norm Hamlet, among others). Man, I wish they’d reissue that instrumental album, because that holds a lot of fond memories for me.

How obsessed was I? Well, Merle put out an album called “Hag”, that was a simple white cover with a drawing of Merle. I used to try my hand at drawing, so I studied that album cover and drew that image in pencil. (Okay, maybe I was a dork, but so be it.)

When I decided that I wanted to learn how to play the guitar, my friend Alice offered to teach me some chords. The first songs I learned how to play were Merle Haggard songs. Alice even taught me how to play the lead part to “(I’m A Lonesome) Fugitive”. I can still play that, by the way.

Well, the topper was this………..In 1968, I believe, Merle was coming to town to put on a concert! Back in those days, it was all package shows, so you’d get your main act, and then you’d get some up-and-comers and some artists who were maybe a bit past their prime, but it was a “cavalcade of stars”, so to speak.

Well, Alice & I wasted no time buying our tickets for the Merle Haggard concert. Also featured was that new guy, Charley Pride (”The Easy Part’s Over” was his current hit single), Freddie Hart, who hadn’t quite hit yet with his career-defining record, “Easy Lovin’”, and I think some other folks whose names have escaped me.

So, innocently enough, on the day of the concert, Alice took the school bus home with me, because we’d planned to leave from my place to go to the show. We got home, and my mom said to me, “Guess who just checked in!” (Okay, by way of explanation, my folks owned a motel; the Modern Frontier Motel, to be exact). I could tell that she was trying to contain her excitement, so I figured it wasn’t one of the traveling salesmen who showed up every two weeks or so. She showed Alice and me the registration card, and damn! It was Merle Haggard! Merle Haggard was staying at my place!

Well, this was overwhelming to both Alice and me. What would we do? How could we make him notice us?

Being seventh-graders and in that awkward, stupid stage, the idea we hit upon was……….get out my portable, battery-operated record player and play “Mama Tried” over and over and over again, outdoors, 50 feet from Merle’s room. I just know that had to be supremely impressive to him.

Well, when that didn’t produce any results, we commenced to walk around and around and around the building, past Merle & Bonnie’s room. Eventually, we rounded the bend and saw Merle out walking his little dog! Excellent! We really saw him! But did he see us? Couldn’t tell.

Well, eventually Alice & I came down from our Hag High, long enough to get ready to go to the concert. I think the concert started at 8:00. We were there around 5:00. Had to get those front-row seats! No assigned seating back then, so it was first-come, first-served.

Got through the opening acts. Sort of remember seeing Charley Pride. Even though I liked him, I have little recollection of seeing him perform. There was one person we wanted to see, and that was HAG.

It was damn well worth the wait. Merle did all his hit songs, with Bonnie Owens singing backup. Merle did his impersonations of Marty Robbins, Buck Owens, Hank Snow, and Johnny Cash.

Merle gazed out upon the front row, and HE SMILED AT ME!

The rest is a blank.

Alice & I went around after the show to collect autographs. Back then, everyone would stick around to sign. I have that sheet of paper tacked up on my bulletin board, and smack-dab in the middle is the signature of MERLE HAGGARD!

There’s also signatures from Norman Hamlet, Eddie Burris and Jerry Wood (also from the Strangers), Freddie Hart, who wrote, “To Shelly, a little doll” (how sweet). Faye Hardin (and I’m sorry to say, I don’t know who that is). Oh, and Freddie Hart said to us, “Didn’t I see you walking around the motel?” ha ha ha - I guess somebody noticed.

Well, shortly after that night, Merle put out the album that he recorded live in Philadelphia. Merle put out a lot of albums; “Let Me Tell You About A Song”, for one. I have all of them. Well, at least I have all of them I could find on CD.

Merle wrote and recorded, “Today I Started Loving You Again”. I read once that when he was writing the song, Bonnie Owens told him to lose the second verse. For some reason, I picture him writing that song in a room at the Modern Frontier Motel. I’m pretty sure that’s not true, but that’s how the story goes in my mind.

Alice is gone now. But in my mind, Alice and Merle will always be intertwined. Man, that guy could sing! And man, could he write! And man, how Alice could sing! Alice and Merle are interchangeable in my memory.

So, you see why, taking everything into account, Merle means so much to me. He’s got a heavy burden, at least in my mind. He’s carrying not only the memory of those heady days of 1968, but unbeknownst to him, he’s keeping Alice’s memory alive.

2006 Country Music Hall Of Fame


(originally posted 09-03-06)



The good, no, great news is, George Strait is being inducted into the CMA Hall Of Fame this year. I’m currently listening to George on my computer, and good grief - he is SO good!

Travelling back in time, to the 1980’s, when I’d had my fill of the country music that was being played on the radio (sound familiar????), I switched over to rock (thank goodness, or my kids would be outcasts, being exposed to only country music). And thank goodness, I have “Jump” by Van Halen seared into my brain.

It was around the late ’80’s when we started going out to a nice club called Dakota Lounge (ah, those were the days) to dance to the featured bands. I started hearing songs that were REALLY GOOD. And I thought, hmmmm, maybe I should check out the country radio dial to see what’s up. Naturally, I’d missed the revolution that had happened in country music. There was this guy called “George Strait”. Actually, I remember before that, going over to Mom & Dad’s, and they insisted on playing this VCR tape they had of a “George Strait” concert. I was like, who is this guy? He seems real popular.

But back to the radio dial. There were some really good songs by singers I’d never heard of. Some guy named “Clint Black” was doing “Better Man”. There was this guy in a white cowboy hat, who was “country with an edge”, doing songs like, “Guitars, Cadillacs”. There was a new guy, with a song called, “Here In The Real World”. I really liked him. Then there was a guy named Randy Travis, doing, “1982″. On the female side, there was a group called “Sweethearts Of The Rodeo”, and I really liked their songs. Theirs was actually the first cassette tape I bought, once I decided to take the plunge back into country music.

Anyway, I thought, “just my luck. I finally turned away from country music, and it got GOOD while I was away.”

So, I changed the dial in my car back to the country station, and I heard this guy, George Strait, more and more. And I REALLY liked him. I started anticipating when his next record would be released, because I knew that I would love the songs. I sat at the junior high school, waiting to pick up my kids, and I heard George’s songs on the radio, and all was sublime.

Then it became just obnoxious. I made mix tapes with all George songs on them. I played the tapes in the car. I found out that his birthday was May 18, one day before mine. Once CD’s took over, I would scour the liner notes to see which writers George had chosen to record songs by. I nodded my head in agreement that he had picked people like Jim Lauderdale and Wayne Kemp.

I admired the fact that he liked the old songs, too. “Love Bug”, an old song by George Jones (that all the reviewers mistakenly labeled as a Buck Owens song). “Drinkin’ Champagne”, a song written by one of my favorite overnight disc jockeys, Bill Mack, and recorded by one of my all-time favorite artists, Faron Young.

George could do no wrong.

Now, if this were a cautionary tale, it would end with George somehow betraying my trust and me becoming disillusioned. Naw, George is still NUMBER ONE in my book. I’ve followed him for many a long journey, and I will always buy George’s CD’s (and I don’t buy very many CD’s).

And to the business side of things, record executives in Nashville better THANK THEIR LUCKY STARS that George Strait appeared on the scene. How many millions has he made for these people? How consistent has he been? How many years, and still putting out NUMBER ONE records? Over twenty? Who can match that?

I finally (finally!) got to see George in concert. It was a torturous quest. We travelled to Billings, Montana to see him, only to find out that his tour bus had gotten caught in a snowstorm in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and the concert was cancelled. So, we trudged back to Bismarck, playing my mix tape of George’s songs.

A year or so later, it was announced that George would be appearing at the Fargodome. Okay, on the phone to Ticketmaster, got the tix, got the hotel reservations, and off to Fargo. It was summertime, so no snowstorms!

The audience was crazy. Girls and “older women” standing up on chairs to get a better view. George finally appearing (after the so-so opening act), working the crowd like a politician, working his way to the stage, accompanied by the Ace In The Hole Band playing “Deep In The Heart Of Texas”.

And he was so nonchalant and cool, leaning on his guitar, rarely even strumming it. Knowing that “the voice” was what people had come to hear, and no doubt knowing that the man himself was no slouch to look at, either (!)

The coolest part was when he did an old Conway Twitty song, “Linda On My Mind”. George always threw a song into his concerts that he had never recorded , and this time it was the Conway song. Again, superb taste.

When I got back to work the following Monday, my folks gave me a lot of grief, knowing what a huge fan of George I was. One of them presented me with a picture of George that they had “personally autographed”, just for me. Another person had pictures blown up of George in concert, and gave them to me. I still have those.

I know, as a writer, I should probably be appalled that George doesn’t write his own songs. But, frankly, I don’t care. This man has more talent than all of Nashville and beyond put together. This man truly deserves to be inducted into the CMA Hall Of Fame, and I will record the program on my DVR and fast-forward to the “George” part of the show, and then I’ll pop “Amarillo By Morning” into my CD player and all will be right with the world.