American Idol - Time's A'Wastin'!

Wow, did this week's show seem rushed? Usually, the show is waaay too long (with, of course, too many commercials), but this one seemed like there was a fire alarm going off in the building or something. Poor Michael Johns. He barely got a, "I think you did a g......". And then it was on to Hell's Kitchen, or whatever was on next.

It would have been nice to see Dolly actually working with the contestants. Which I'm sure she did. But in the editing, it seemed like they each sang a couple of lines, she hugged them, and then it was on to the next contestant! That would have been kind of a let-down for them, if it had really transpired that way. (For some reason, I'm reminded here of Andrea Bocelli - I think? -a couple of seasons back, making poor Chris Daughtry lie on the floor and sing - ha ha ha!)

As for the performances themselves, well, Dolly is a great songwriter, but I don't know what happened. Most of the contestants were boring.

Again, I must (begrudgingly) give the nod to Little Archie for probably the best performance of the night. I (don't think) I'd ever heard that Dolly Parton song before, but it makes me kind of want to search it out, to see if I might want to download it. Arch sang it with a lot of feeling, so good job, Little Archie!

The others that are even worth mentioning were David Cook ("Cookie" - you GO, Cookie!), Jason Castro, who I think did a fine job with the song he chose, and it was an excellent choice for him, regardless of the judges' comments. What was he supposed to sing? "Love Is Like A Butterfly"?? For pete's sake. Also, I liked Carly's rendition of, "Here You Come Again", and I'm no Carly fan.

I'll stop here to mention the fact, however, that Simon was reading my mind. As Carly was prancing around the stage, I thought, ick, her ensemble is pretty bad! I mean, c'mon! They must have some sort of clothing budget on that show. If she's really hard up, I could maybe dig through my closet and find something to lend her that looks way better than what she was wearing. And believe me, my clothes are nothing to write home about.



















And, if you're thinking about going into Show Bizzz, you might want to get a tattoo that's a little less conspicuous. But I suppose she's competing with her husband's face.

I also thought Michael Johns was really goo........Oops! We're out of time! Anyway, I like the blues and I thought that he did a really good job with the song. (I wrote that really fast.)

As far as who goes, I don't really give a rip if it's Ramiele, Syesha, or Kristy. They're all really boring, but at least watching Kristy is like watching a train wreck. You don't want to miss whatever really bad thing is going to happen.

But all is well that will end well with Kristy, whether she goes this week or the next. I'm sure some record label in Nashville will sign her, because she has "the look". And that's all you need, really. Either "the look" or "the personality". Kellie Pickler has "the personality"; Kristy has "the look". We'll worry about "the voice" some other time.

Blast From The Past - Top Country Hits Of 1968

Some of the top hits from 1968 were:




Sing Me Back Home - Merle Haggard


Skip A Rope - Henson Cargill




Take Me To Your World - Tammy Wynette



Fist City - Loretta Lynn


The Legend Of Bonnie & Clyde - Merle Haggard

Honey - Bobby Goldsboro

(Without a doubt, one of the WORST songs EVER. Click on this video if you want to puke - sorry, I just hate this song.)

She wrecked the car

And she was sad

And so afraid

That I'd be mad

But what the heck

(KILL, KILL, KILL!!)



D-I-V-O-R-C-E - Tammy Wynette



Folsom Prison Blues - Johnny Cash



Mama Tried - Merle Haggard



Harper Valley PTA - Jeannie C. Riley (writ' by Tom T. Hall - a camp classic)


I Walk Alone - Marty Robbins



Stand By Your Man - Tammy Wynette



Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell



By The Time I Get To Phoenix - Glen Campbell


Big Girls Don't Cry - Lynn Anderson


The Easy Part's Over - Charley Pride


Flattery Will Get You Everywhere - Lynn Anderson




The Last Thing On My Mind - Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton


Promises Promises - Lynn Anderson


We'll Get Ahead Someday - Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton


Wild Weekend - Bill Anderson




Your Squaw Is On The Warpath - Loretta Lynn

Gee, was 1968 a banner year for country music, or what? Some of these songs are what you'd call CLASSICS.

I guess, from this list, it appears that 1968 was the year of MERLE HAGGARD, Tammy Wynette, Porter & Dolly, Lynn Anderson, Loretta Lynn, Glen Campbell , and, of course, George Strait (ha ha - I'm just kidding on that one).

Porter

I've been reading the news coverage this week on CMT, (thanks again, Chet Flippo) and surprisingly, on Entertainment Weekly.com.

I didn't know if I had anything to say, and if I did, what would it be?

But, since I've saddled myself with the mantle of acknowledging and celebrating the country music of my generation, I thought it was only fitting that I say something, but only if it was something personal.

So, I'll start here:

Carroll County Accident, 1969 (?)



Porter was almost too "country" for my tastes back then. But my friend, Alice, introduced me to some of these "too country" songs, and I gained an appreciation for them, based upon her recommendations.

I remember listening to that song in Alice's living room, played on her parents' hi-fi stereo. But what I remember most is that we wrote a parody of that song. It was pretty much ripe for parody. I won't quote any of the lyrics that we wrote, because they're really not politically correct, but it was fun, and it's a memory that still resides with me, mostly because Alice and I came up with the words together. Funny how I still remember that, after all this time.

I had no frame of reference for Porter Wagoner up until that time, but I started watching his syndicated show, and I appreciated it for what it was. The Wagonmasters included a doofus comedian by the name of Speck Rhodes, whose act was a bit too corn-pone for my tastes. Porter also had an electric banjo picker by the name of Buck Trent, who ended every song by going up on the last chord. "da-DOWWW". That's how all Porter's songs ended.

I was vaguely aware that Porter had done a song called, "A Satisfied Mind", but it wasn't until Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives re-recorded the song that I really learned to appreciate it.

I have to say, though, that what really brought Porter into my consciousness was his pairing with Dolly Parton.

I believe the first duet I heard by Porter & Dolly was, "The Last Thing On My Mind", a song written by Tom Paxton.

I was drawn to the song when I heard it on the radio, because it was so well done. Porter's harmonies complimented Dolly's vocals so perfectly. This was obviously a natural partnership.

My favorite song that Porter & Dolly recorded is, "Just Someone I Used To Know".



I think that Dolly brought out the playfulness in Porter. Check out this youtube video:



Porter had a lot of success. But his greatest success was hiring Dolly to be his girl singer. A great partnership, to be sure.

Porter was looking for a replacement for Norma Jean, who left to get married, or for some other reason, if you read some interviews with Porter.....

But anyway, here's to you, Porter. I hope you left this old world with a satisfied mind: