Classic Country

My husband's been at an art show most of the afternoon, and it's raining, so I'm listening to the music channels on cable. I worked my way through Christmas for about 30 minutes and decided it's just a little early with Thanksgiving being next week. Then I did some blues and jazz and Christian gospel. Now I've settled on Classic Country, which seems to be the 70s through about 1985 before country went to town with bling and pop. I didn't know there was a song about a 1957 Chevy. Sung by Billie Jo Spears--hadn't heard about her either. She's probably doing the retirement home circuit now--born in 1937. Also enjoying the Statlers, George Strait, Johnnie Cash and George Jones.

Do they write love songs about Toyotas?

Do you still own a "record player?"

We still own a turn table/record player--it's in my husband's office and soon we might start playing the old Christmas records. At the library I saw a 1981 Time Life album of the Statler Brothers for 50 cents, still sealed, so I bought it.

Side One: Flowers On The Wall/You Can't Have Your Kate And Edith Too/Ruthless/Bed Of Roses/Do You Remember These? Side Two: Class Of '57/I'll Go To My Grave Loving You/Who Am I To Say?/Do You Know You Are My Sunshine? Really like that Class of '57 written by the two who actually are brothers, Harold and Don Reid. The group's name comes from a box of tissues in their hotel room when they were starting out.

A blog about prisons

I've been in a number of prisons, not as a prisoner, but as a visitor primarily following the same guy through the system until after seven years or so he was "shock parolled" after his 5th wife was murdered by her boyfriend leaving a baby to raise. I guess the parole board thought he was the guy to do it. The reason he had a baby was that he had escaped in the prison garbage truck and they left town together.

Yesterday the Conestoga group met at the Ohio Historical Society (now open only on Saturdays due to budget cuts by the state) to hear David Meyers talk about the local music scene. Wonderful presentation with great photos. David has over 4,000 pages of manuscript on this topic and a huge rare record collection--that's sort of what a fascination with local history can do. But he has also written about Ohio's prisons, and his latest book is out. While checking that web page I came across his blog, Central Ohio's Historic Prisons. Because of Dave's encyclopedic interests in music, records, film, prisons, local history (he also worked on Columbus Unforgettables series now out of print), screen writing, religion and family, he somehow manages to merge all of them in his blog--with photos. See the record labels about the great Ohio Penitentiary fire, April 21, 1930! And did you know the Professor of psychology at OSU who coined the term "moron" was once the coach of the USC Trojans? It's all on Dave's blog. Ah, a blogger after my own heart.

He's also on Facebook, and a member of UALC for you locals.

This is Americana?

While flitting around this morning cleaning, I decided to listen to on some music, so turned on the cable to "Americana." My husband has been in Haiti for a construction and teaching short term mission, so I thought it might be nice to have things tidy when he got home. Americana seems to be an offspring of country and western, but 21st century. What ever happened to "somebody done me wrong" songs, or "honky tonk women," or "who left the chewing gum on the bedpost overnight?" This stuff is so pop-psych I almost can't take it. When did country go to college?

Country Music

Over at America Matters, there's a good post on country music.

I had the opportunity once again with my family to visit Branson Mo. over the Thanksgiving Holiday. Sure it's a heavily traveled tourist town. But the vibe and feel of the town is what got me. I was re-invigorated by the end of our three day stay. Every show we saw proudly spoke of God and honored our Veterans. Every shop we went to had a patriotic theme. This town wears their love of God and America on its sleeve. This invigorating vibe was every where. I loved it and I feel all is well in America because of it. There is a lot to say about our folks who make up our small towns and who make country music. They are grounded and as real as it gets.

Here's a great line

Randall Bloomquist of WGST, Atlanta, reviews Graig Havighust's book, "Air Castle of the South," (U. of I. Press) in today's WSJ. It's about the rise and fall of WSM, an AM station in Nashville, which was created by National Life and Accident Insurance Company in 1925 to sell insurance to rural folk and ended up creating and spreading country music and the Nashville sound. I'll probably never read the book, but I loved this line:

"As history it is engaging but less than definitive. . . demanding that WSM [now owned by Gaylord Entertainment] live or die by the media economy's new rules feels a bit like asking your grandmother to work at Burger King to make ends meet."