Oklahoma Hills

05-3-10... Didn't stay away too long, did I? Guess you could say I kind of missed posting old twangy music, and the pone parts are therapy for me. Helps me to keep in check my temptations to feel resentment, anger, indignation and other self-damaging emotions when things don't go my way... or at least the way I think they should go. With my own explanation of my own reasons for resuming the Corn Pone, I just gave a daily dose of it.




A few months ago I played Jack Guthrie's recording of his own song, Oklahoma Hills, and mentioned that somewhere I had stowed away a rather rare version of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys doing the song western swing-style. This was done as one of the Tiffany Transcriptions recordings from 1945-47. I'll talk more about all of this later, because this entire month will be more of the same. Highlight of this one, other than Bob and lead vocalist Tommy Duncan cracking jokes, is the electric guitar break of Junior Barnard. Oklahoma Hills




05-5-10... This month (and probably next) I'll be featuring the music of Bob Wills, the man known as the King of Western Swing. My posts are not history lessons (you can read about him for days on end if you Google his name), but exposure for both those who have never heard his music and those who have heard his music but perhaps not these particular songs.



The first thing you should know is that Mr. Wills usually spouted spoken comments during the music, most often his falsetto "Ah, Ha!" and musician-named cues for one of them to take a solo break. It might take you awhile to get used to hearing him do this, but the reason he did it should be clear. The talented musicians popping their dance-hall beats excited him. His band members were always top-notch musicians, and his goal was to put together ensembles that were every bit as hot as the swinging jazz bands of the 1930's and 40's, but with the inclusion of fiddles, steel guitars, acoustic and electric guitars.




Today's selection is one of his biggest hits, thanks to Patsy Cline who recorded it in 1963, several years after this recording performed by Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys in 1947. The melody is a fiddle tune conceived by his father, John Wills, back when Bob was a child and he and his family played for dances held in individuals' homes. Took him over 30 years before he finally decided to write lyrics for the melody and create a full-blown song. As for who actually wrote the lyrics, the matter of royalties created a rift between Bob and some of his band members, most notably his long-time lead singer, Tommy Duncan. More history if you care to investigate further.



Regardless, end result is a beautiful melody with classically-memorable lyrics. And, this is one of the rare occasions when Mr. Wills didn't interject his shout-outs into the recording. He lets the musicians, melody, lyrics and mesmerizing harmonies do his talking for him. Faded Love







05-7-10... The Judgment" is not some great trial that takes place at the end of our lives. It is a process that goes on in our minds all the time. Judgment is deciding upon the truth or falsity of any thought. What we accept as truth and what we reject as false determines our character.



From 1945 to 1947, Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys recorded what were known as transcriptions for Tiffany Music, Inc. These 16-inch discs were sold in packages to radio stations across the nation, a system similar to today's syndicated programs, where each radio station could sell their own advertising for the program's broadcast. In all, around 220 (known) songs were recorded, and no collection better exemplifies the versatility of the post-World War II Playboy bands, the variety of music they could play whether traditional or original, and the talented songwriting of Bob and his various band members.



As usual, I won't play the whole song, and for this one I cut out the piano break. Still, there's a steel guitar solo, electric guitar, and lastly, one of the most talented fiddle players ever put to record will take his turn. His name is Joe Holley. Bob Wills called him Jody. He played left handed. He was a jazz man who could play any style Bob asked him to play, and in the 1940's no country music fans had ever heard a fiddle treated this way. If you're not impressed, just wait. There will be even hotter licks in days ahead. I Had a Little Mule

The mp3 audio samples are HERE

Hank's a Long Gone Daddy

03-29-10... It seems rather absurd to say any one Hank Williams song could be my favorite. After all, how many bad ones are there? I'll just say that, for its rhythm, its melody, Hank's soulful voice and his true-to-life lyrics, this might be a top-ten for me. Long Gone Daddy Blues


03-31-10... Cast the burden doesn't mean to toss your responsibilities over to someone else. It's useful, purposeful meaning is to insist upon your own peace of mind... to not give in to worry and anxiety over any issue. That's what Charlie Rich is trying to do with his particular issue. There Won't Be Any More







04-02-10... As I sign off Jasper's Corn Pone for a hiatus either temporary or permanent, I will do my best to leave behind something of use. This suggestion is by far the most difficult to accept and implement into daily living. Believe me, I struggle with it constantly, what with the things heard and seen in all media of actions and words perplexing and vexing. But, if we can remember as individuals that our thoughts control our universe, we can plow through all the negative information which bombards us every day. We can remember that all of us are tiny threads of one garment, tiny sparks from one great fire, and then we can hope and pray that those who seem so hell-bent on creating chaos will snap out of it and understand their road is leading them to their own mental destruction. All we can do is help ourselves. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

The Statler Brothers - Elizabeth

MP3 samples of these songs can be found HERE

Tommy Collins is Not a Drink

03-22-10... Born to Run ... No, not the Springsteen variety, but the Emmylou Harris. A song in no way related to the other, but nonetheless a fine one.


03-24-10... Here's some tips for sure-fire methods of making yours a rotten day: Get excited over every trifling occurrence. Never relax... you don't want your body to recuperate. Never exercise... all it does is promote circulation. Read up on all the latest ailments and diseases. Be sure to discuss yours at length. Wear them with pride. Pay no mind to what you eat. After all, your stomach's just a garbage dump.

On the flip side, get up in time to watch the sunrise. Think about how vast the universe is and marvel at the wonders of nature all around you. Listen to a good song with a catchy melody, foot-tapping beat, clever lyrics, and a kick-ass steel guitar break. Here's one by Conway Twitty. That Kind of Girl


03-26-10... Now, folks, I'm telling you up front that this month will be the last for Jasper's Corn Pone... at least for quite some time. Might bring it back months down the road, but for now, there's stuff going on that requires more of my time and sacrifices have to be made. I figure there's 14 months times an average of 13 song samples per month, plus at least half that many entries of advice pone, so more than enough in the archives to keep a visitor occupied. Besides, little of it is anchored to time, so what's posted in 2009 and this year should be valid forever. I will finish this month and the first Friday of April to end the week.

Awhile back I posted a song by Tommy Collins and probably mentioned some of the famous names who cut their chops in Tommy's bands: Buck Owens, Ferlin Husky, Glenn Campbell, Merle Haggard, Floyd Cramer, and many more.



Tommy was born in Oklahoma, 1930, his real name Leonard Sipes. He was a guitarist, vocalist and prolific songwriter, many of his songs cut by the aforementioned and others, once their own careers were off and running. Tommy made his name in and around Bakersfield, California. His first signing with a major label was with Capitol records in 1953, and his first recording session produced the song I'll sample for you, along with the other one I played earlier, You Better Not Do That.





At the height of his career in 1957, he inexplicably decided to join a theologicial seminary in Oakland, CA and studied to become an ordained minister. After six years as a pastor, he decided returning to music was his true calling, and he again signed with Capitol Records to record songs he'd written those in-between years. Not religious music, still country, and he again hit the charts. A couple years later, he signed with Columbia and continued writing music at an astounding pace, all the way up until his death in 2000. Although Tommy Collins is not necessarily a household name, his music has been and still is recorded by megastars. Buck Owens recorded an entire album of nothing but Tommy Collins songs. Merle Haggard recorded a collection of them, and he wrote a tribute to his good friend Leonard Sipes, called simply, Leonard.

Here's today's selection from the Tommy Collins library. I Always Get a Souvenir

Links to mp3 samples of these songs are HERE

Honky Tonk Man

03-15-10... Let's keep it simple on a Monday, shall we? It's all about the music, which is far from simple, because it's old-time bluegrass from Sonny and Bobby, the Osborne Brothers. Roll Muddy River











03-17-10... Does this guy think he's God or something? Hmm... well, oddly enough, perhaps he is. From 1960, Stuart Hamblen sings Remember Me.



03-19-10... Oops! Well, this is late, but still officially Friday, depending on where you live. I mentioned awhile back how Johnny Horton was so much more than The Battle of New Orleans, and of how he was a major star on the Louisiana Hayride and was long ago inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. In other words, the man could sing rock, country and honky tonk styles long before he hit it SUPER big with his themed songs. His personal life was fascinating as well, including some creepy parallels and connections with Hank Williams. Rather than me filling several pages with his bio, I'll direct you to the Johnny Horton page at the Rockabilly Hall of Fame site, and highly suggest you find out all there is to know about this talented and interesting man. Meanwhile, you should have no trouble figuring out why Dwight Yoakam covered this 1956 Johnny Horton classic. Honky Tonk Man

Sample audio links for these songs are HERE