Showing posts with label vince gill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vince gill. Show all posts
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Just To Prove My Point About Critics
If you go back and read the two posts before this one, I listed a gaggle of what I consider to be "essential" country albums.Well, it seems that good old EW decided to follow my lead! Hey, I love Entertainment Weekly, so I'm just happy that they decided to do a list at all.
25 Country Albums You Need To Hear (Even If You Hate Country Music)
EW is heavy on the more modern albums, but I was pleasantly surprised by some of their choices.
But remember when I wrote this?
"Essential" means different things to different people. If one is a music critic, the list will include the usual suspects ("Red Headed Stranger", "Will The Circle Be Unbroken", anything by Gram Parsons or Johnny Cash; you get my drift).
Well, here you go......highlights from their list.....
Johnny Cash at Folsom PrisonCritics love this album. But, I don't know. I guess if you were actually around in 1968, it may have long ago lost its cache.
I like Johnny Cash. But, to critics, he holds some kind of "original outlaw" status.
I'm not all that concerned with image. I just like good music.
I didn't include this on my essential albums list, and I still stand by that. I will say, however, that anyone just learning to play guitar should just sit and strum/pick along with "Folsom Prison Blues". You'll sound like a virtuoso to yourself in no time.
Home - Dixie ChicksWell, "Fly" was far superior.
Critics like this album because this was released around the time that the DC just started becoming "political".
Props to "Traveling Soldier". Buy the mp3 single; skip the album.
Unless you really feel like contributing to their "cause". Whatever that may be.
Dwight Yoakam - Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.No quibbles here. This was Dwight's first album, and it's got
a couple of Dwight classics.
I, however, would recommend one of the greatest hits packages or one of a number of other superior offerings.
Pick any one of them. You can't really go wrong.
Loretta Lynn - Van Lear RoseThe reason critics like this one is because Jack White produced it.
I bought it. I played it one time.
Pretty picture, though, huh?
Willie Nelson - Red Headed Stranger
The reason critics like Willie Nelson is that he plays and records with pretty much everyone in the world. I have a shoebox sitting here that Willie will be recording his next album with. Looking forward to it!
This album does have "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain", so that's a plus. It's a stark recording. I just like a little more instrumentation on the songs I listen to. I do like Willie, though. Just kinda wish he was a little more discerning about who/what he records with. But that's Willie.
Buck Owens - Carnegie Hall ConcertAlready mentioned it. In fact, it was the first album I listed.
Nice of EW to follow my lead, though.
(EW then listed a bunch of modern-day stuff that you can or cannot buy. Whatever. It's your dollar.)
Gram Parsons - The Complete Reprise SessionsI'm not overly knowledgeable about Gram Parsons. I basically know him as Emmylou's mentor.
That said, I appreciate his love and respect for older country music.
The reason that critics flock to his music is that he died young. Much like Jim Morrison.
Guys that write EW articles aren't exactly sitting back, grooving to classic country music. But I do give them credit for trying to appear relevant!
Dolly Parton - Coat of Many ColorsWeird thing about me and Dolly: I like Dolly; I just don't like like like Dolly.
It's hard to explain. While I definitely appreciate her enormous talent, and while I really loved her duets with Porter, I can't actually sit and listen to a whole album of Dolly at one sitting. I guess a little Dolly goes a long way for me.
Why do critics choose one of her albums? Because she crossed over. She recorded with Kenny Rogers, with that godawful, yet catchy! Barry Gibb song, Islands In The Stream. She starred in Nine To Five. You just know the critics aren't cranking up the far superior, Tomorrow Is Forever.
Emmylou Harris - Elite HotelYea, I beat 'em to it again. But compliments from me on their good taste!
I already said that this is Emmylou's finest album. If you don't own it, you really should.
Robbie Fulks - Georgia HardRobbie Fulks = Alt Country.
Alt Country = Country That Used To Be Country, But Is Now Too COUNTRY To Be Called Country.
Is that clear? Cuz it seems kind of nonsensical, but that's just the way it is.
I don't actually own this album, but I own a bunch of Robbie Fulks CD's. I think I might have to get this one.
Critics like Robbie Fulks because he's "alt". I like him because he likes country music. And he's unique.
Listen to Tears Only Run One Way. That sounds like country to me. Do you think maybe Rodney Crowell was influenced by Robbie? I think that's a pretty safe bet.
Hank Williams - Gold
The only reason I didn't include Hank Williams on my lists is because it seems like kind of a no-brainer.
I mean, isn't it just assumed that Hank Williams would be included among the essential country albums?
Just listen to this, and it tells you all you really need to know about country music.
Hag: The Best of Merle HaggardOkay, if you want to do Merle Haggard on the cheap.
I still say, buy Down Every Road. It's a tremendous bargain. Especially for the successor to Hank's throne.
Shania Twain - Come On OverAgreed. This is Shania's best album.
When this album was released in 1997, we music fans were supposed to feel stupid for liking it. Poppycock.
This albums stands up. I don't care if you think it's poppy schlock or really, what you think of it. It's good.
I got up, like a drunken fool, with my best friend, at another friend's wedding dance, and sang this song. I had morning-after regret, but you know, it's a really good song! Recorded with Bryan White, I think it's actually the perfect wedding song!
Steve Earle - Guitar TownIt's not that I meant to exclude this album. I just sort of forgot.
Step inside any honky tonk in the nineties, and you would hear the driving strains of Guitar Town, not to mention Hillbilly Highway. All that's missing here is Copperhead Road.
Sadly, Steve Earle pretty much had one great album. He's recorded a lot of them, but I guess one shouldn't peak too soon. It kind of makes everything else you do sound like second best.
Guitar Town has some of the most clever and catchy lines ever written in a country song. It makes songwriters strive to capture that fairy dust. Alas, it's not easy.
Vince Gill - These DaysOkay, I'll admit it. I don't own this album. I know that's it's purported to be Vince's best, and a four-disc set, to boot.
Is this worth purchasing? Let me know.
What track should I listen to from this set, to make me want to buy it?
I'm a Vince Gill fan; don't get me wrong. I just sort of stopped listening to country a few (okay, five) years before this album was released, so I missed it.
I have no doubt, however, that it's as great as all the critics say it is.
Almost Blue - Elvis Costello
Why do critics like it? Well, it's a rock star doing country music.
It's sort of, you know, like how the critics latched on to country music when Keith Richards recorded a country album. It's the unexpected.
Critics don't really give a hoot about country music until one of their icons tells them that country music is cool. Then they'll listen. I'm waiting for Springsteen to record his country album. Oh, and it's coming. Trust me.
I have this album. I'm not one of those Costello worshipers. But I do appreciate what he did here. And if Elvis can get folks (like critics) to listen to country, then God bless Elvis Costello.
Raising Sand - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
This is one of my favorite albums ever!
I didn't exclude it from my list on purpose. I just didn't know that it was a country album!
Killing The Blues is one of my favorite songs from this LP (LP - how much does that date me?)
And, of course, Gone Gone Gone.
Why do critics like this? Well, a critic would have to be a real dunce not to like Alison Krauss. But aside from that, well, it's Robert Plant, after all. Led Zeppelin?
The juxtaposition between Robert Plant doing Robert Plant-like stuff, and Robert Plant doing T Bone Burnett stuff just boggles the critics' minds.
T Bone really deserves the credit here. Sure, if you, as a producer, have two stellar voices to work with, it might seem easy. But it's the production that really cinches the deal.
After all, before he even imagined pairing Alison and Plant, he hooked us with this song, ably lip-synched by George Clooney in the Coen (Minnesota!) Brothers movie, O Brother, Where Art Thou?
So, yes, I skipped a bunch of EW's recommendations. I really had no comments to make on some of them, since I couldn't really tell you if they're good, not so good, terrible, or pathetic. (I will say, for the record, however, that I do consider Big & Rich to fall into the "pathetic" column.)
My EW grade? Cuz, you know, if you read Entertainment Weekly, the critics love to give a grade to everything they review.
Actually: B+
Nice effort, for someone who is (I assume) playing catch up with country music. Whoever you are, writer, you've done an admirable job.
Those remedial courses are working out nicely!
~~~
Saturday, May 23, 2009
The CMA Awards - More For You in '92
We're countin' 'em down, folks! Gettin' nearer to the finish line (at least my finish line). At a certain point, this whole CMA awards retrospective will need to end for me, not because I've run out of years, but because I will have run out of patience (with country music, that is).
But that time is not now! In 1992, country music was still alive and kickin' (which is also the name of one of my favorite local bands from that time, Alive & Kickin' - wonder whatever happened to them).
First, of course, a bit of background on the year that was 1992.
In perusing the world events of that year, I find that war broke out in Yugoslavia, and there were some other unpronouncable countries in the news, such as Bosnia and Herzegovinia.
Closer to home, Ross Perot announced his candidacy for President of the United States. Watch it here:
And I REALLY, REALLY miss Phil Hartman.
In the world of movies, A League Of Their Own was a hit:
In pop music, and delving right into the CMA awards, I am thrilled to include probably the biggest hit of 1992; country or non-country.
SINGLE OF THE YEAR ACHY BREAKY HEART - Billy Ray Cyrus
Sure, it got sickening. But not "Friends In Low Places" sickening. And dang it, it's catchy and I LIKE it. If you watched CMT back then, like I did, you saw this video scores of times. And what better lyrics than, "you can tell my arms go back into the farm"? What?
The sad news, aside from Billy Ray's mullet, is that he has spawned some sort of freakazoid teen daughter, who has consumed the music business with her questionable "singing skills", but yet has ensured Billy Ray a very comfortable retirement, albeit at the expense of we, the listening public. But hey! Much like the line dancing of yore, we are adaptable! And we aren't actually forced to listen to her! So it's a win-win. I guess.
The MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR was once again Mark O'Connor. Yes, Mark had a good run (for a couple of years), but selfishly, I'm hoping that he doesn't continue to win, because frankly, the number of Mark O'Connor videos is severely limited.
But, for at least this time around, here's one, called, "Bowtie":
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR went to Alan Jackson (the fifth finger of the hand that was the nineties ~ I guess you have to read my previous posts to make sense of that).
I'm a sucker for those minor chords and, of course for anything relating to Hank Williams, so this song by the tall lanky Georgian is tops in my book.
Here's Midnight In Montgomery:
SONG OF THE YEAR was this one, written by Vince Gill and Max D. Barnes (wonder what the "D" stands for, and why he feels that it's necessary to include it ~ but I'm just riffing because I already included this song in my last retrospective, and I don't really have anything more to say about this song, except that I'm a fan of it!
Here is, Look At Us:
Was this Vince's only award in 1992? No. It wasn't! Vince was also named MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR.
I'm ecstatic that I was able to find this beautiful live performance of Vince, singing, "I Still Believe In You":
Vince Gill I Still Believe in You (live) - The most amazing bloopers are here
Finally, FINALLY, I get to include one of my favorite country artists EVER, in the pantheon of CMA award winners.
The VOCAL EVENT OF THE YEAR was won in 1992 by Marty Stuart and Travis Tritt, for "this one", coincidentally called, "This One's Gonna Hurt You (For A Long Long Time)":
Seems that there was a new VOCAL DUO on the scene in 1992; a couple of guys named Ronnie and Kix. Wonder whatever happened to them.
In the great tradition of Billy Ray Cyrus, these two guys cornered the line dancing market in the 1990's. Yes, set foot inside any honky tonk at that time, and one would immediately be accosted by this song (not that that's a BAD thing). One of the greatest country voices, combined with one of the most enthusiastic duet partners, made for one class act; the act they call BROOKS & DUNN.
Here's Boot Scootin' Boogie:
The VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR is one that I can definitely get on board with ~ Diamond Rio!
I actually had the opportunity to see the group in concert at a casino, and as I was eating my dinner, I noticed poor Gene ("mandolin") Johnson just trying to eat his steak dinner in peace, while numerous fans came up to his table to bother him. I thought, how rude. I was sitting at a table right behind him, and I wouldn't have even considered bothering the poor man. All he wanted to do was enjoy his baked potato. Poor guy. But the concert (later) was fantastic! Here's Mirror, Mirror:
It's so nice to see some fresh faces on the awards stage, for a refreshing change. And here's another.
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR - Mary Chapin Carpenter
I always liked Mary Chapin. Where did she go?? Oh, here she is. Still singing, still writing. Not incognito, per se; just not getting played on the radio anymore....but then again, who over age 30 is? Well, I, for one, am glad that Mary Chapin got her award in 1992 (and maybe even one in 1993 ~~ time will tell).
The HORIZON AWARD in 1992 was bestowed upon another great female vocalist, Suzy Bogguss. Yes, another "old" (a year younger than me) artist that radio threw away. I think Suzy had the last laugh, though. She took charge of her career, and by the sounds I heard on her website, she still sounds wonderful.
Here's a nice live performance from Suzy, of "Someday Soon":
This all leads us, of course, to the ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR award.
No offense to Garth (and his hat), but I'm hoping (for my blogging purposes) that Garth doesn't win again for awhile. Because I am having a heck of a time finding Garth videos, and the ones I do find aren't really faves of mine (but that's just me....and my hat).
This single was actually released in 1990, but eh. I do what I can do.
Garth Brooks is/was a great artist, and a heck of a nice guy, and I know that I sound rather blase about him, but he just never was one of my idols. So shoot me.
Anyway, after that wonderful introduction, CONGRATS, Garth. Oh, and here's "Unanswered Prayers":
COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME
Frances Preston
Frances Preston began her working life as a receptionist at a life insurance company in Nashville. (Did all those people back then work for a life insurance company? I read about this all the time. Is Nashville, unbeknownst to me, the life insurance capital of the world?)
Luckily for Frances (and through hard work, too, I'm sure), she went on to eventually become president and CEO of BMI. I'm guessing there was a pay raise, too.
Since I have no video of Frances, here's a picture:
(Frances is second from the right).
George Jones
It actually took until 1992 for George to get into the Hall of Fame?? The HOF is not known for its promptness.
Well, what's there to say about ol' George that hasn't already been said? Nothin'. So, let's just enjoy some videos, instead, okay? (and I purposely looked for some older performances).
Walk Through This World With Me
The Race Is On
White Lightning (vintage!)
Milwaukee, Here I Come (with Tammy Wynette)
One Woman Man
Love Bug
She Thinks I Still Care
The Grand Tour
A Good Year For The Roses (with Alan Jackson)
And, of course:
He Stopped Loving Her Today
That's a pretty dang good career, Possum. In the interest of brevity (ha!), I left a lot of great ones out.
Congrats, George Jones, for your belated entry into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
So, 1992, in a (really huge) nutshell. We saw the yin and the yang of country music, from "Look At Us" to "Achy Breaky Heart". We saw big hats. We saw some classic singers that we won't ever hear again on the radio. We saw the Possum put most of them to shame.
All in all, a pretty good year.
~~
But that time is not now! In 1992, country music was still alive and kickin' (which is also the name of one of my favorite local bands from that time, Alive & Kickin' - wonder whatever happened to them).
First, of course, a bit of background on the year that was 1992.
In perusing the world events of that year, I find that war broke out in Yugoslavia, and there were some other unpronouncable countries in the news, such as Bosnia and Herzegovinia.
Closer to home, Ross Perot announced his candidacy for President of the United States. Watch it here:
And I REALLY, REALLY miss Phil Hartman.
In the world of movies, A League Of Their Own was a hit:
In pop music, and delving right into the CMA awards, I am thrilled to include probably the biggest hit of 1992; country or non-country.
SINGLE OF THE YEAR ACHY BREAKY HEART - Billy Ray Cyrus
Sure, it got sickening. But not "Friends In Low Places" sickening. And dang it, it's catchy and I LIKE it. If you watched CMT back then, like I did, you saw this video scores of times. And what better lyrics than, "you can tell my arms go back into the farm"? What?
The sad news, aside from Billy Ray's mullet, is that he has spawned some sort of freakazoid teen daughter, who has consumed the music business with her questionable "singing skills", but yet has ensured Billy Ray a very comfortable retirement, albeit at the expense of we, the listening public. But hey! Much like the line dancing of yore, we are adaptable! And we aren't actually forced to listen to her! So it's a win-win. I guess.
The MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR was once again Mark O'Connor. Yes, Mark had a good run (for a couple of years), but selfishly, I'm hoping that he doesn't continue to win, because frankly, the number of Mark O'Connor videos is severely limited.
But, for at least this time around, here's one, called, "Bowtie":
Watch more On the Mark videos on AOL Video
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR went to Alan Jackson (the fifth finger of the hand that was the nineties ~ I guess you have to read my previous posts to make sense of that).
I'm a sucker for those minor chords and, of course for anything relating to Hank Williams, so this song by the tall lanky Georgian is tops in my book.
Here's Midnight In Montgomery:
SONG OF THE YEAR was this one, written by Vince Gill and Max D. Barnes (wonder what the "D" stands for, and why he feels that it's necessary to include it ~ but I'm just riffing because I already included this song in my last retrospective, and I don't really have anything more to say about this song, except that I'm a fan of it!
Here is, Look At Us:
Was this Vince's only award in 1992? No. It wasn't! Vince was also named MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR.
I'm ecstatic that I was able to find this beautiful live performance of Vince, singing, "I Still Believe In You":
Vince Gill I Still Believe in You (live) - The most amazing bloopers are here
Finally, FINALLY, I get to include one of my favorite country artists EVER, in the pantheon of CMA award winners.
The VOCAL EVENT OF THE YEAR was won in 1992 by Marty Stuart and Travis Tritt, for "this one", coincidentally called, "This One's Gonna Hurt You (For A Long Long Time)":
Seems that there was a new VOCAL DUO on the scene in 1992; a couple of guys named Ronnie and Kix. Wonder whatever happened to them.
In the great tradition of Billy Ray Cyrus, these two guys cornered the line dancing market in the 1990's. Yes, set foot inside any honky tonk at that time, and one would immediately be accosted by this song (not that that's a BAD thing). One of the greatest country voices, combined with one of the most enthusiastic duet partners, made for one class act; the act they call BROOKS & DUNN.
Here's Boot Scootin' Boogie:
The VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR is one that I can definitely get on board with ~ Diamond Rio!
I actually had the opportunity to see the group in concert at a casino, and as I was eating my dinner, I noticed poor Gene ("mandolin") Johnson just trying to eat his steak dinner in peace, while numerous fans came up to his table to bother him. I thought, how rude. I was sitting at a table right behind him, and I wouldn't have even considered bothering the poor man. All he wanted to do was enjoy his baked potato. Poor guy. But the concert (later) was fantastic! Here's Mirror, Mirror:
It's so nice to see some fresh faces on the awards stage, for a refreshing change. And here's another.
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR - Mary Chapin Carpenter
I always liked Mary Chapin. Where did she go?? Oh, here she is. Still singing, still writing. Not incognito, per se; just not getting played on the radio anymore....but then again, who over age 30 is? Well, I, for one, am glad that Mary Chapin got her award in 1992 (and maybe even one in 1993 ~~ time will tell).
The HORIZON AWARD in 1992 was bestowed upon another great female vocalist, Suzy Bogguss. Yes, another "old" (a year younger than me) artist that radio threw away. I think Suzy had the last laugh, though. She took charge of her career, and by the sounds I heard on her website, she still sounds wonderful.
Here's a nice live performance from Suzy, of "Someday Soon":
This all leads us, of course, to the ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR award.
No offense to Garth (and his hat), but I'm hoping (for my blogging purposes) that Garth doesn't win again for awhile. Because I am having a heck of a time finding Garth videos, and the ones I do find aren't really faves of mine (but that's just me....and my hat).
This single was actually released in 1990, but eh. I do what I can do.
Garth Brooks is/was a great artist, and a heck of a nice guy, and I know that I sound rather blase about him, but he just never was one of my idols. So shoot me.
Anyway, after that wonderful introduction, CONGRATS, Garth. Oh, and here's "Unanswered Prayers":
COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME
Frances Preston
Frances Preston began her working life as a receptionist at a life insurance company in Nashville. (Did all those people back then work for a life insurance company? I read about this all the time. Is Nashville, unbeknownst to me, the life insurance capital of the world?)
Luckily for Frances (and through hard work, too, I'm sure), she went on to eventually become president and CEO of BMI. I'm guessing there was a pay raise, too.
Since I have no video of Frances, here's a picture:
(Frances is second from the right).
George Jones
It actually took until 1992 for George to get into the Hall of Fame?? The HOF is not known for its promptness.
Well, what's there to say about ol' George that hasn't already been said? Nothin'. So, let's just enjoy some videos, instead, okay? (and I purposely looked for some older performances).
Walk Through This World With Me
The Race Is On
White Lightning (vintage!)
Milwaukee, Here I Come (with Tammy Wynette)
One Woman Man
Love Bug
She Thinks I Still Care
The Grand Tour
A Good Year For The Roses (with Alan Jackson)
And, of course:
He Stopped Loving Her Today
That's a pretty dang good career, Possum. In the interest of brevity (ha!), I left a lot of great ones out.
Congrats, George Jones, for your belated entry into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
So, 1992, in a (really huge) nutshell. We saw the yin and the yang of country music, from "Look At Us" to "Achy Breaky Heart". We saw big hats. We saw some classic singers that we won't ever hear again on the radio. We saw the Possum put most of them to shame.
All in all, a pretty good year.
~~
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.
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.
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