Flatt & Scruggs--The Ballad of Jed Clampett (1962)

     It might come as a surprise to many that I am not, nor ever have been, much of a television watcher. We all have our favorite media, and for me, the radio (and now the internet) has always been my preferred carrier of information and entertainment. Having said that, there are still some shows that have been favorites over the years no matter how many times  I've watched them, and one of them are The Beverly Hillbillies.

     The opening of the show is one of the more iconic songs in the history of television and was written by Paul Henning who was actually a producer and writer. The voice you hear on the song is that of Jerry Scoggins who had spent over a decade on TV and radio as a member of Gene Autry's Cass County Boys. By the early 60's however, he was working as a stockbroker when the call came for him to record this song.
     Of course, what made it not only a touchstone to early 60's television, but a great bluegrass number was the picking of Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys. Although very successful in bluegrass and county, this was the closest thing to a pop hit the group ever got, reaching #44 on the Hot 100 chart, however they would hit the charts again in 1968 with "Foggy Mountain Breakdown", which was used as the main theme for the movie, "Bonnie and Clyde". The song also reached #1 on the Country charts which was the first time a television theme had done that, and the only time other than Waylon Jennings, "Good Ole' Boys" from the series, "The Dukes of Hazzard" in 1980.

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Sunday Morning Vault: Jimmy Dean--Big Bad John (1961)

     If you are under the age of 50, the name of Jimmy Dean probably is linked (no pun intended) to sausage. Pretty good sausage too as Jimmy and his brother Don founded the company in 1969 and his business acumen secured him a great deal of success. However, an older generation knew Dean as an all-round entertainer....

     He spent much of the 1950's recording a bunch of singles, but outside of the top 5 country hit, "Bumming Around" in 1952 he had no success to speak of. He was however making a name for himself on television hosting and singing on several local shows. The big break came in 1957 as Dean's show, "Country Style" on WTOP in Washington DC was picked up by CBS. and renamed "The Morning Show", which lasted for 8 months. The network then hosted "The Jimmy Dean Show" which lasted from September 1958 to June of 1959.

      Jimmy made the charts in a big way with, "Big Bad John" hitting number 1 on the country and pop charts in late 1961.  This led to a series of top 40 hits in 61' and 62'. From 1963-66 he starred on "The Jimmy Dean Show" on the ABC network, which kept him in the spotlight and helped keep the hits coming on the country charts through the mid-60's.

     All of this gave him a lot of recognition and when the chance came about to start the sausage company, it was decided that he would be in the ads. The homespun humor that made him a hit with TV viewers was also helpful in the early success of the business.  He also did quite a bit of acting during that time being on several variety shows, Daniel Boone and The Love Boat. Interesting to note that Dean played billionaire Willard Whyte in the James Bond movie, "Diamonds Are Forever"

     Dean sold his part of the company in 1984, but continued to have a hand in it's running until old age, and poor health forced him to step aside for good. Jimmy died June 13 of 2010...

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Sunday Morning Vault: Skeeter Davis--The End of The World

     There is a healthy crossover between country and pop artists on the charts anymore, but at one time (prior to Garth Brooks), it was more the exception than the rule. Before Tammy Wynette and Dolly Parton made it commonplace for female country artists to cross from country into pop, there was Patsy Cline, but even more so, Skeeter Davis.
      Skeeter was born Mary Penick in Dry Ridge, Kentucky in 1931. Her dad started calling her Skeeter due to her being so full of energy as a child (in this area, a 'Skeeter' is a slang term for a mosquito) She had success in gospel then country in the 50's as the other half of the duo, "The Davis Sisters", although partners Betty Jack Davis and later Betty's sister Georgia were not related to Mary.
     She retired from music in 1956, but returned a couple of years later to focus on a solo career. 1960 brought her success on the pop charts with two top 40 hits, "(I Can't Help You) I'm Falling Too" and "My Last Date (With You)". Her next placement on the charts would be in 1963 with the massive hit, "The End of The World".
     Written by Arthur Kent and Sylvia Dee, and produced by Chet Adkins, the song not only was a hit on the country and pop charts, but has become the most successful crossover hit in history. The song peaked at #1 on the Adult Contemporary charts, #2 on the pop charts, #2 on the country charts, and #4 on the R&B chart!
     The song has been covered many times, and although Davis would score another top 10 pop hit that year, "I Can't Stay Mad At You", she would always be identified by this song. She had a total of 8 songs in the top 100, with 4 of them in the top 40. Her hit making in country would last well into the 70's, and would be a concert favorite up to near her death in 2004.

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Patsy Cline--Crazy (1961)

    Looking back over 50 years now it seemed like a natural pairing, the great Patsy Cline and the great Willie Nelson....two giants of country music right?
    Well at the time it wasn't seen as such. Cline had a hit in 1957 with, "Walkin After Midnight" which had gained exposure through her appearance on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. She didn't have a crossover hit for another 4 years. Much of this was due to her contract with Four Star Records, who clearly didn't know what to do with her, and some of it to Cline herself who was more comfortable singing honky-tonk music.
     Her 1960 contract with Decca-Nashville and relationship with producer Owen Bradley changed all of that however. Bradley's use of strings and directly marketing for crossover exposure wasn't necessarily Cline's cup of tea, but after over 5 years and 50 recording, most going nowhere, she was willing to work with Bradley to change her style.

     The difference was magic. The first hit from this professional union was, "I Fall To Pieces" which might have done even better if she had been able to promote it. However, she was involved in a car wreck that took her out of commission for some time. While recovering she was introduced to a song that songwriter Willie Nelson had pitched to her husband. He loved the song called, "Crazy", as did Owen Bradley, Cline however hated it. She was still very uncomfortable singing in the "Nashville Sound" style that was Bradley's trademark, and Nelson's demo of the song she thought too difficult for her to sing.
     Nelson was a songwriter who was just starting to get on his feet in Nashville, having just moved there a couple of years before, he got a gig playing bass for Ray Price's touring band. He had some success writing for Faron Young, Roy Orbison and Billy Walker. It was Walker in fact who he had written "Crazy" for in the first place, but Billy rejected it and Willie was looking for someone to record it.
     Stories vary about how she was able to wrap herself around the song, but the short of it is that it became her signature song and biggest hit. Over the next year and a half, before her death in March of 1963, she became not only the biggest name in country music, but became a direct mentor to a whole generation of female country singers, as well as a myriad of country and pop singers over the last 50 years. 
     "Crazy" put Nelson on the map, but never was comfortable with Nashville and it's very rigid promotion machine. It wasn't until a move to Austin in 1973 that things began to change, and Willie began his move to stardom.

   

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Sunday Morning Vault: Ray Charles--I Can't Stop Loving You (1962)

     By 1962, Ray Charles was already considered a ground breaker. As an r&b singer, who broke through in the late 40's and early 50's as a considerable talent. Later as the man who fused r&b with gospel and created what was known as soul music, and now, a move to country music?
     Looking back, you might have been able to see this coming. One of his first hit singles with ABC-Paramount was, "Georgia On My Mind", which mixed the blues, gospel, and country. However, he had always been a fan of country music. Even back in his days with Atlantic, he had covered Hank Snow's, "I'm Movin' On". It would be understood however, that  a total move wasn't in the cards based on his output of 1960/61, which included, "One Mint Julep", "Unchain My Heart", and "Hit the Road, Jack".
     Despite some of his songs having country overtones, nothing could have prepared his audience for, "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music". It doesn't seem like it now, but it was a risky move for Charles, and for ABC Paramount. A black man had never attempted to put out a recording of country and western (as it was known then) and the record company was already getting some flack over the potentially unwise choice. In addition, Charles had just been busted for heroin possession in late 61', and putting an album that could possibly alienate his fan base just after this brush with the law was risky as well. 
     There were no worries however, as the album became a soul classic, but a County classic as well. Charles took the songs, and instead of singing them in a "Country" style, he put a stamp on them that truly made them his own. Take "I Can't Stop Loving You" for instance. Don Gibson wrote the song in 1957 and his version went to #7 on the country charts. A year later, Kitty Wells covered the song and did well with it. But Charles, took the song, with very little change in it's actual notation, and with orchestration (which he was given total control over it's content) transformed it. The album, and it's follow-up broke down many barriers. As Billy Joel put it, commenting on the album, "it was taking the whitest music and singing it in the blackest possible way". If Charles had not already solidified his brilliance as a musician...he did it here.

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Music Review: Glen Campbell--Ghost on the Canvas (2011)

Take this link to my review of this CD: www.associatedcontent.com/article/8725163/music_review_glen_campbellghost_on.html?cat=37

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Glen Campbell--Rhinestone Cowboy (1975)

     One of the things that can happen as one gets older is something I call generational arrogance. It's usually caused by an assumption that just because people of my age group knows something, that everyone (including anyone younger than us) ought to know it too. However after running into a few people who had no idea who he was, I found myself surprised that after over 250 blogs this year, that this song hadn't come up on my list of things to do. After just releasing his highly acclaimed album just a few weeks ago and heading off into retirement, it's time to remind folks that at one time, there wasn't a singer who was hotter on the pop or country charts than Glen Campbell

      I don't want to write a bio about him, but let's go over a few things that you might not know. First of all, he moved to California from Arkansas in the late 50's to be a guitar player and session man. He can first be heard on the 1959 hits, "Tequila" by the Champs. His distinctive guitar style moved him up quickly and soon became part of a group of  top session players called "The Wrecking Crew" who performed on a number of "A" list performers. He replaced Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys on the 1964/65 tour after Wilson had a nervous breakdown and retired from performing on stage. In fact, Glen was invited to join the Boys, but turned the opportunity down which eventually went to Brian Johnston.

      He had a few solo releases in the early/mid 60's, but it was his breakthrough single, "Gentle On My Mind" that put him on the map. It was his later hits, "By the Time I Get To Phoenix, Galveston, and Wichita Lineman, all written by Jimmy Webb that pushed him into superstar territory. He had his own television show for several years as well. Campbell's last burst on the pop charts was in the middle 70's, when several songs reached the top 10. The first one of those, become somewhat of a signature song.

      Larry Weiss wrote Rhinestone Cowboy and recorded it on his own album, "Black and Blue" in 1974. His version didn't make a dent, however a cover version later that year by Neil Diamond saw some action on the Adult Contemporary charts. Campbell first heard the song while on tour and was very impressed, as were the folks of Capitol. He would have another #1 within a year ("Southern Nights") and would have success on the country charts all the way up to the mid-80's.

 
   
 

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Patsy Cline--Crazy (1961)

     The song "Crazy" put two different artists on the musical map. The singer who made her signature song, and the writer who would later become an star in his own right.....

     By 1961, Patsy Cline had just taken a turn in her career that would help her break through in a big way. In 1955, she had signed a contract with Four Star Records, but there was stipulation that she could only record songs by Four Star songwriters. This didn't set well with her as she struggled to find a sound suitable for her husky voice. Through appearances on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts in 1957, the song, "Walkin' After Midnight" reached the charts, but it was the only song in 5 years that even charted.

     Her contract went out in 1960 and she signed with Decca Records-Nashville under the direction of legendary producer Owen Bradley. Her first single, "I Fall to Pieces" went to No. 1, but the next song, "Crazy", was one she didn't like, nor did she like the way it was sung. Part of the problem seemed to be that Nelson's demo was a faster tempo than Cline was comfortable with, and the second was the attempt to sing it with the vocal breaks like Nelson. Anyone who has heard Willie's music knows his vocal style is truly one of a kind, so an adjustment to a ballad type style, along with Patsy's smoothing out of the rough edges of the vocals created a musical masterpiece.

    Two years later Cline was gone, but in that short time, the music, and her take charge attitude concerning her career totally redefined country music for generations of women. Although it would take Nelson another decade to break through on his own terms, "Crazy" gave a hint of what would make him a star. This song, became the base for which the both of them became American icons.

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Buck Owens--I Got A Tiger By The Tail (1965)

      Buck Owens is known in the last couple of generations as one of the hosts of "Hee Haw" the long running comedy and music show. During the 60's, one could suggest that he was one of the biggest hit makers in the business. Between 1959 and 1968 he had 28 straight county top 20's with 14 of those consecutive #1's. It was no wonder between his success as a performer and his ability to connect with an audience (see video above) that he was chosen to host "Hee Haw" along with Roy Clark. The hits continued (partially because of the extra exposure) until 1979, then had a bit of revival in the late 80's. Much of that was linked to the success of Dwight Yoakam, who was deeply influenced by Owens' music.

     Owens was born in Texas but spent his older childhood and teenaged years in Arizona. As a young adult he took a job as a truck driver, which is where he first drove through the San Joaquin Valley and was impressed enough with it that with his wife, relocated there in 1951. His ability on the guitar got him gigs in Hollywood with rock and rockabilly artists through the 50's. It was that experience along with the music of his childhood, country and Mexican polkas which blended into what was many years later to be known as the "Bakersfield Sound". 

    

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Bobby Gentry: Ode to Billy Joe (1967)

      Bobby Gentry was born Roberta Lee Streeter and most notable in music history as the one of the first female country artists to write and produce her own song, much of which was written based on her Mississippi roots. She was raised by her grandparents after her parent's divorce until the age of 13 when she went to live with her mother who had moved to California. After graduation she started at UCLA, then transferred to the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music to develop her songwriting skills. During her time in college she sang in clubs until signed to a contract with Capitol records in 1967.

     "Ode to Billy Joe" is a brilliant work of  Southern Gothic writing. The song itself won 8 Grammys, three for Gentry and one for producer Jimmie Haskell who's understated arraignment fit the song perfectly (the glissando by the strings near the end stick as much in the listener's as well as any lyrical hook). It was actually recorded as a "B" side, but DJ's soon flipped it over. Gentry's herself had no idea what happened to Billie Joe....

     "Those questions are of secondary importance in my mind. The story of Billie Joe has two
more interesting underlying themes. First, the illustration of a group of peoples' reactions to the life and death of Billie Joe, and its subsequent effect on their lives, is made. Second, the obvious gap between the girl and her mother is shown when both women experience a common loss (first Billie Joe, and later, Papa), and yet Mama and the girl are unable to recognize their mutual loss or share their grief."

    It's popularity and endurance led Warner Brothers to commission author Herman Raucher to write a novel and screenplay based on the song. Of course, this not only popularized the song again, but has led many to actually believe it was a true event. She had more success on the charts and on television worldwide (especially in Europe) up through the mid-70's.

                                    

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Sunday Morning Vault: Iain Matthews--Seven Bridges Road (1973)

     It was a normal afternoon in the basement of my childhood home. Not sure why I was down there, but was, as usual, listening to my favorite FM radio station, KSHE 95, when out of the speakers came the smoothest harmonies I'd ever heard on underground radio. It then launched into a country rock/folk tune that stuck in my ears now for the last 38 years. The fact the Eagles made the hit out of it has slightly annoyed me over the years since in my opinion it is the weaker of the three versions. (More on my Eagles bias later....)

      The singer, Iain Matthews joined Fairport Convention in 1967 but left just two years later as they began to move in a more British folk direction. He released his first solo album, "Matthews Southern Comfort" then built a band around it and released two more albums under that name in 1969-70. He also spent short period with the group Plainsong, all the while working on solo material. So by 1973, he had already released his 5th solo album, "Valley Hi"...

      The song, "Seven Bridges Road" was written by Seven Young in 1969 for his album, Rock Salt & Nails. Young would later be considered a pioneer in the "outlaw country" movement and greatly influenced Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. He was known to mix quite of bit of rock into his country, but "Seven Bridges Road" was about as country as he ever got. In the version here, you get a beautiful country ballad.....

     In my opinion the person (for better or worse depending on which version of the song you like), is Michael Nesmith. He was asked to come in the produce the album, "Valley Hi" for Iain. Am not sure who made the decision to change the arrangement, but having heard all of Nesmith's solo work, his stamp is all over the song. All three men are writing and recording music...I invite you to check all three out for some quality county/rock/folk music....

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Pop Goes the Country: Lynn Anderson (1970) and Bill Anderson (1963)

Country pop in my eyes took on two different sides. First there was the pop song that was given a bit of a country treatment, we see most of them in the 70's. The other was songs that made it so big on the Country charts that it's sales were big enough to show up on the pop charts. We are looking at two different examples of that tonight.

Whisperin' Bill Anderson had a vocal delivery all his own, and used it to great success, especially in the 60's. The most popular of these was "Still" which reached #8 on the pop charts in the spring of 1963. His chart action continued unabated until the late 70's. However, he continued to write songs for others after that and won a Grammy in 2004 for "Whiskey Lullaby" and again in 2006 with "Give It Away"

Lynn Anderson was a rising star in country already when she hit #3 in late 1970. She had four more hits on the charts during the 70's, but became a superstar in country music. She still tours today and still rides horses. As late as 1999 and 2000 she was winning Equestrian tournments.

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