My posts here trailing my original posts have brought me to February 2010
02-1-10... A report about something might be incorrect, but if you believe it to be true, then it will have the same effect on you as if it were true.
To kick off February, I'll kick out a sh#t-kicker bluegrass version of a cowboy song, courtesy of the talented musicians of Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys. Red River Valley
02-3-10... What you think about grows. Whatever you allow to occupy your mind becomes more and more a part of your own life. Obviously, the thinking can be on the positive or negative side of the ledger, and so training your mind to dismiss the negatives by immediately switching subjects is key to making your day what it is.
Worry is one of those negatives -- a useless, time and energy-consuming exercise. This guy refuses to entertain it. T. Texas Tyler sings Bummin' Around
02-5-10... This piece certainly shows off Lefty Frizzell's fine voice, and although the lyrics might seem sappily sentimental, I suppose it all depends upon how you feel about yours. From 1959, Mom and Dad's Waltz
Links to mp3 music samples (2 minutes per) for these songs are HERE.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Lester and Earl's Cabin on the Hill
01-25-10... Thought control is key to individual destiny, and one sure-fire way to keep negatives like anger or jealousy from taking over and ruining your mood is to substitute. For example, if you hear about something stupid that Rush Limbaugh said, think instead of something sweet, like donuts, or of how Homer Simpson so dearly loves donuts... or, you could think of this melody which was first put to record in 1928 by the Carter Family. Wildwood Flower
01-27-10... Practice makes perfect. Simplicity itself, and applicable to both thought and action.
Here's another song about a train. Steam engine, of course, as the rhythmic chugging of steam-powered drive train powers the tempo, motion and emotion of Jimmy Dickens and his version of Fireball Mail.
01-29-10... At age 18, Bolivar Lee Shook jumped a freight train, but in jumping off he broke his leg, crippling him for life. Unable to do manual labor of worth, he turned to music, learned piano and taught it. He also composed songs of his own. You can see where this is headed... had he not injured himself, he probably would never have written this classic, first published in 1943 and made famous by Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys when they recorded it in 1959.
Turns out it was their first chart-topper, and despite all the great songs we know by Flatt & Scruggs, this one remained on the charts longer than any of them. Another milestone, it is the first song in which they used five-part harmonies, and did so quite admirably, I might add. See... or hear... what you think. Cabin on the Hill
Hear two-minute mp3 audio samples of these three songs HERE
01-27-10... Practice makes perfect. Simplicity itself, and applicable to both thought and action.
Here's another song about a train. Steam engine, of course, as the rhythmic chugging of steam-powered drive train powers the tempo, motion and emotion of Jimmy Dickens and his version of Fireball Mail.
01-29-10... At age 18, Bolivar Lee Shook jumped a freight train, but in jumping off he broke his leg, crippling him for life. Unable to do manual labor of worth, he turned to music, learned piano and taught it. He also composed songs of his own. You can see where this is headed... had he not injured himself, he probably would never have written this classic, first published in 1943 and made famous by Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys when they recorded it in 1959.
Turns out it was their first chart-topper, and despite all the great songs we know by Flatt & Scruggs, this one remained on the charts longer than any of them. Another milestone, it is the first song in which they used five-part harmonies, and did so quite admirably, I might add. See... or hear... what you think. Cabin on the Hill
Hear two-minute mp3 audio samples of these three songs HERE
Friday, June 11, 2010
Merle's Big Family
Time for the third week of January, 2010.
01-18-10... I hope you're coming off a weekend where you found some intimate time alone with your significant other. If you're a man, and you got some of that time, I'll bet you're still thinking about her. Uh-huh, I know, Monday morning and you're still remembering... still wanting more... can't wait for the work shift to end so you can get home to touch, to kiss, and like JOHN CONLEY, to tell her what she means to you. He says it in song. In My Eyes
01-20-10... Spirit cannot be destroyed. It is the opposite of matter. Matter wears out, but spirit does not because spirit is substance. Ask John Lennon. He said it this way, and this is just a couple of the phrases from his extremely introspecitve song: There's nothing you can do that can't be done. Nothing you can know that can't be known. Nothing you can see that can't be shown.
Fitting for the times, I think, that Mr. Lennon's song is currently featured in a television advertisement. We should listen carefully when it runs. Same could be said for Bob Nolan's song from 1934. In some parts of the U.S., it seemed the earth was destroying itself, and this cowboy tune performed by Mr. Nolan and the Sons of the Pioneers metaphorically tells of lives displaced by the Dust Bowl and Great Depression. Tumbling Tumbleweeds
01-22-10... Now that it's all a done deal, I'll tell you what I find saddest of all regarding NBC's big screw-up with Conan O'Brien. He tried to take the Tonight Show back to the Johnny Carson style, a true talk show. Conan conversed with his guests. Knew when to shut up and listen. Knew when to interject and keep it lively. Did you notice how his guests were staying after their segment? Sitting on the couch until the show ended, rather than just coming on to plug their whatevers and then leaving? Celebrities interacting and enjoying themselves makes for great television. That's how Johnny did it. He created an atmosphere where his guests wanted to stay for the entire party. And it was a party. That's why we watched. It's too bad the network heads couldn't give Conan and company time to re-establish that tradition as he was trying to do.
All right, there's a dozen other reasons why NBC's decision is such a head-scratcher, but I'll get on with the music pone.
Nine kids and a wife? Man, this guy sure knows how to boink it, and Merle Haggard sure knows how to sing it. Working Man Blues
These two-minute song samples are posted as mp3's at this web site HERE.
01-18-10... I hope you're coming off a weekend where you found some intimate time alone with your significant other. If you're a man, and you got some of that time, I'll bet you're still thinking about her. Uh-huh, I know, Monday morning and you're still remembering... still wanting more... can't wait for the work shift to end so you can get home to touch, to kiss, and like JOHN CONLEY, to tell her what she means to you. He says it in song. In My Eyes
01-20-10... Spirit cannot be destroyed. It is the opposite of matter. Matter wears out, but spirit does not because spirit is substance. Ask John Lennon. He said it this way, and this is just a couple of the phrases from his extremely introspecitve song: There's nothing you can do that can't be done. Nothing you can know that can't be known. Nothing you can see that can't be shown.
Fitting for the times, I think, that Mr. Lennon's song is currently featured in a television advertisement. We should listen carefully when it runs. Same could be said for Bob Nolan's song from 1934. In some parts of the U.S., it seemed the earth was destroying itself, and this cowboy tune performed by Mr. Nolan and the Sons of the Pioneers metaphorically tells of lives displaced by the Dust Bowl and Great Depression. Tumbling Tumbleweeds
01-22-10... Now that it's all a done deal, I'll tell you what I find saddest of all regarding NBC's big screw-up with Conan O'Brien. He tried to take the Tonight Show back to the Johnny Carson style, a true talk show. Conan conversed with his guests. Knew when to shut up and listen. Knew when to interject and keep it lively. Did you notice how his guests were staying after their segment? Sitting on the couch until the show ended, rather than just coming on to plug their whatevers and then leaving? Celebrities interacting and enjoying themselves makes for great television. That's how Johnny did it. He created an atmosphere where his guests wanted to stay for the entire party. And it was a party. That's why we watched. It's too bad the network heads couldn't give Conan and company time to re-establish that tradition as he was trying to do.
All right, there's a dozen other reasons why NBC's decision is such a head-scratcher, but I'll get on with the music pone.
Nine kids and a wife? Man, this guy sure knows how to boink it, and Merle Haggard sure knows how to sing it. Working Man Blues
These two-minute song samples are posted as mp3's at this web site HERE.
Friday, June 4, 2010
The Treasure of George Jones
01-11-10... Hank Williams wants to get away from a hurtful woman and start fresh, but his mind isn't ready. So, he concedes defeat with his uniquely pained vocaling in You Win Again.
01-13-10... Thinking "I can" brings expansion and forward movement. Thinking "I can't" brings retraction.
Carson Robison's the rube come to the big city. Rather than saying "I can" fend for myself to find good times, he puts his trust (and his money) to a complete stranger, with bad result the obvious outcome, in I'm Going Back.
01-15-10... Sometimes events occur on levels anywhere from personal to global which make us wonder what in the hell we're doing here. Sometimes we're made to feel so small and insignificant that our spirits are sapped, our energy and optimism drained, and we teeter on the edge of a depression from which we're not sure we can recover.
Fortunately, there is one universal element always available to support us -- love -- love of a mate, love of family, love of humankind in all possible expressions. Music is one of those expressions, and every now and then we are gifted with a near-perfect coming together of melody, lyrics, voice and instruments. For me, this song is one that never fails to lift my spirits regardless of whatever's dragging me down. It's the voice of George Jones circa 1957, and not surprisingly, the title includes the word love. The Treasure of Love
MP3 links for these song samples can be found right HERE.
01-13-10... Thinking "I can" brings expansion and forward movement. Thinking "I can't" brings retraction.
Carson Robison's the rube come to the big city. Rather than saying "I can" fend for myself to find good times, he puts his trust (and his money) to a complete stranger, with bad result the obvious outcome, in I'm Going Back.
01-15-10... Sometimes events occur on levels anywhere from personal to global which make us wonder what in the hell we're doing here. Sometimes we're made to feel so small and insignificant that our spirits are sapped, our energy and optimism drained, and we teeter on the edge of a depression from which we're not sure we can recover.
Fortunately, there is one universal element always available to support us -- love -- love of a mate, love of family, love of humankind in all possible expressions. Music is one of those expressions, and every now and then we are gifted with a near-perfect coming together of melody, lyrics, voice and instruments. For me, this song is one that never fails to lift my spirits regardless of whatever's dragging me down. It's the voice of George Jones circa 1957, and not surprisingly, the title includes the word love. The Treasure of Love
MP3 links for these song samples can be found right HERE.
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