Podcast appearances and mentions of Jim Stafford

Welcome back to Rick's Rambles Podcast! February is right around the corner, and that means Groundhog Day is almost here! We're kicking off this episode with some fascinating and fun facts about our furry forecasters. Next, we journey to Tanzania to explore the inspiring story of a young inventor whose creation is transforming lives in his community. Finally, in our Story Behind the Song segment, we're diving into Jim Stafford's classic hit, Spiders and Snakes. You might be surprised to learn who co-wrote this chart-topping tune! Tune in for a mix of trivia, inspiration, and music history. Don't forget to subscribe and share to help others join the ramble!

National Fig Newton day. Entertainment from 2001. The Whiskey A-Go Go opened in LA, Vermont declared its independenc from New York, Playboy magazine quit putting staples in the centerfolds. Todays birthdays - Ethel Merman, Carl Krcher, Ronnie MIlsap, Jim Stafford, Debbie Allen, Maxine Jones, Josie Davis, Aaliyah. Carol Lombard died.Intro - Pour some sugar on me - Def Leppard       http://defleppard.com/Fig Newton TV commercial 1975Independent Woman part 1 - En VogueBorn to fly - Sara EvansBirthdays - In da club - 50 Cent      http://50cent.com/I got rythem - Ethel MermanSmokey Mountain Rain - Ronnie MilsapSpicers & Snakes - Jim StaffordFame - Irene CaraMy lovin' (never gonna get it) - En VogueTry again - AaliyahExit - In my dreams - Dokken     https://www.dokken.net/

This week on Organic Matters, we meet suckler and tillage farmer Jim Stafford. Jim breeds Aubrac cattle, which originally hail from France, alongside his suckler herd. He breeds them both for pedigree breeding purposes and for organic beef and achieves excellent carcase weights. He also grows combi-crops of cereal and pulses for animal feed as well as oats for Flavahans. Jim talks about the importance of maintaining soil health and fertility on his farm with a strong focus on soil sampling and keeping a keen eye on his soil's trace elements.

For those who haven't heard the announcement I just posted , songs from this point on will sometimes be split among multiple episodes, so this is the second part of a multi-episode look at the Byrds in 1966-69 and the birth of country rock. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a half-hour bonus episode, on "With a Little Help From My Friends" by Joe Cocker. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ Resources No Mixcloud at this time as there are too many Byrds songs in the first chunk, but I will try to put together a multi-part Mixcloud when all the episodes for this song are up. My main source for the Byrds is Timeless Flight Revisited by Johnny Rogan, I also used Chris Hillman's autobiography, the 331/3 books on The Notorious Byrd Brothers and The Gilded Palace of Sin, I used Barney Hoskyns' Hotel California and John Einarson's Desperadoes as general background on Californian country-rock, Calling Me Hone, Gram Parsons and the Roots of Country Rock by Bob Kealing for information on Parsons, and Requiem For The Timeless Vol 2 by Johnny Rogan for information about the post-Byrds careers of many members. Information on Gary Usher comes from The California Sound by Stephen McParland. And this three-CD set is a reasonable way of getting most of the Byrds' important recordings. The International Submarine Band's only album can be bought from Bandcamp. Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript Before we begin, a brief warning – this episode contains brief mentions of suicide, alcoholism, abortion, and heroin addiction, and a brief excerpt of chanting of a Nazi slogan. If you find those subjects upsetting, you may want to read the transcript rather than listen. As we heard in the last part, in October 1967 Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman fired David Crosby from the Byrds. It was only many years later, in a conversation with the group's ex-manager Jim Dickson, that Crosby realised that they didn't actually have a legal right to fire him -- the Byrds had no partnership agreement, and according to Dickson given that the original group had been Crosby, McGuinn, and Gene Clark, it would have been possible for Crosby and McGuinn to fire Hillman, but not for McGuinn and Hillman to fire Crosby. But Crosby was unaware of this at the time, and accepted a pay-off, with which he bought a boat and sailed to Florida, where saw a Canadian singer-songwriter performing live: [Excerpt: Joni Mitchell, "Both Sides Now (live Ann Arbor, MI, 27/10/67)"] We'll find out what happened when David Crosby brought Joni Mitchell back to California in a future story... With Crosby gone, the group had a major problem. They were known for two things -- their jangly twelve-string guitar and their soaring harmonies. They still had the twelve-string, even in their new slimmed-down trio format, but they only had two of their four vocalists -- and while McGuinn had sung lead on most of their hits, the sound of the Byrds' harmony had been defined by Crosby on the high harmonies and Gene Clark's baritone. There was an obvious solution available, of course, and they took it. Gene Clark had quit the Byrds in large part because of his conflicts with David Crosby, and had remained friendly with the others. Clark's solo album had featured Chris Hillman and Michael Clarke, and had been produced by Gary Usher who was now producing the Byrds' records, and it had been a flop and he was at a loose end. After recording the Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers album, Clark had started work with Curt Boettcher, a singer-songwriter-producer who had produced hits for Tommy Roe and the Association, and who was currently working with Gary Usher. Boettcher produced two tracks for Clark, but they went unreleased: [Excerpt: Gene Clark, "Only Colombe"] That had been intended as the start of sessions for an album, but Clark had been dropped by Columbia rather than getting to record a second album. He had put together a touring band with guitarist Clarence White, bass player John York, and session drummer "Fast" Eddie Hoh, but hadn't played many gigs, and while he'd been demoing songs for a possible second solo album he didn't have a record deal to use them on. Chisa Records, a label co-owned by Larry Spector, Peter Fonda, and Hugh Masekela, had put out some promo copies of one track, "Yesterday, Am I Right", but hadn't released it properly: [Excerpt: Gene Clark, "Yesterday, Am I Right"] Clark, like the Byrds, had left Dickson and Tickner's management organisation and signed with Larry Spector, and Spector was wanting to make the most of his artists -- and things were very different for the Byrds now. Clark had had three main problems with being in the Byrds -- ego clashes with David Crosby, the stresses of being a pop star with a screaming teenage fanbase, and his fear of flying. Clark had really wanted to have the same kind of role in the Byrds that Brian Wilson had with the Beach Boys -- appear on the records, write songs, do TV appearances, maybe play local club gigs, but not go on tour playing to screaming fans. But now David Crosby was out of the group and there were no screaming fans any more -- the Byrds weren't having the kind of pop hits they'd had a few years earlier and were now playing to the hippie audience. Clark promised that with everything else being different, he could cope with the idea of flying -- if necessary he'd just take tranquilisers or get so drunk he passed out. So Gene Clark rejoined the Byrds. According to some sources he sang on their next single, "Goin' Back," though I don't hear his voice in the mix: [Excerpt: The Byrds, "Goin' Back"] According to McGuinn, Clark was also an uncredited co-writer on one song on the album they were recording, "Get to You". But before sessions had gone very far, the group went on tour. They appeared on the Smothers Brothers TV show, miming their new single and "Mr. Spaceman", and Clark seemed in good spirits, but on the tour of the Midwest that followed, according to their road manager of the time, Clark was terrified, singing flat and playing badly, and his guitar and vocal mic were left out of the mix. And then it came time to get on a plane, and Clark's old fears came back, and he refused to fly from Minneapolis to New York with the rest of the group, instead getting a train back to LA. And that was the end of Clark's second stint in the Byrds. For the moment, the Byrds decided they were going to continue as a trio on stage and a duo in the studio -- though Michael Clarke did make an occasional return to the sessions as they progressed. But of course, McGuinn and Hillman couldn't record an album entirely by themselves. They did have several tracks in a semi-completed state still featuring Crosby, but they needed people to fill his vocal and instrumental roles on the remaining tracks. For the vocals, Usher brought in his friend and collaborator Curt Boettcher, with whom he was also working at the time in a band called Sagittarius: [Excerpt: Sagittarius, "Another Time"] Boettcher was a skilled harmony vocalist -- according to Usher, he was one of the few vocal arrangers that Brian Wilson looked up to, and Jerry Yester had said of the Modern Folk Quartet that “the only vocals that competed with us back then was Curt Boettcher's group” -- and he was more than capable of filling Crosby's vocal gap, but there was never any real camaraderie between him and the Byrds. He particularly disliked McGuinn, who he said "was just such a poker face. He never let you know where you stood. There was never any lightness," and he said of the sessions as a whole "I was really thrilled to be working with The Byrds, and, at the same time, I was glad when it was all over. There was just no fun, and they were such weird guys to work with. They really freaked me out!" Someone else who Usher brought in, who seems to have made a better impression, was Red Rhodes: [Excerpt: Red Rhodes, "Red's Ride"] Rhodes was a pedal steel player, and one of the few people to make a career on the instrument outside pure country music, which is the genre with which the instrument is usually identified. Rhodes was a country player, but he was the country pedal steel player of choice for musicians from the pop and folk-rock worlds. He worked with Usher and Boettcher on albums by Sagittarius and the Millennium, and played on records by Cass Elliot, Carole King, the Beach Boys, and the Carpenters, among many others -- though he would be best known for his longstanding association with Michael Nesmith of the Monkees, playing on most of Nesmith's recordings from 1968 through 1992. Someone else who was associated with the Monkees was Moog player Paul Beaver, who we talked about in the episode on "Hey Jude", and who had recently played on the Monkees' Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd album: [Excerpt: The Monkees, "Star Collector"] And the fourth person brought in to help the group out was someone who was already familiar to them. Clarence White was, like Red Rhodes, from the country world -- he'd started out in a bluegrass group called the Kentucky Colonels: [Excerpt: The Kentucky Colonels, "Clinch Mountain Backstep"] But White had gone electric and formed one of the first country-rock bands, a group named Nashville West, as well as becoming a popular session player. He had already played on a couple of tracks on Younger Than Yesterday, as well as playing with Hillman and Michael Clarke on Gene Clark's album with the Gosdin Brothers and being part of Clark's touring band with John York and "Fast" Eddie Hoh. The album that the group put together with these session players was a triumph of sequencing and production. Usher had recently been keen on the idea of crossfading tracks into each other, as the Beatles had on Sgt Pepper, and had done the same on the two Chad and Jeremy albums he produced. By clever crossfading and mixing, Usher managed to create something that had the feel of being a continuous piece, despite being the product of several very different creative minds, with Usher's pop sensibility and arrangement ideas being the glue that held everything together. McGuinn was interested in sonic experimentation. He, more than any of the others, seems to have been the one who was most pushing for them to use the Moog, and he continued his interest in science fiction, with a song, "Space Odyssey", inspired by the Arthur C. Clarke short story "The Sentinel", which was also the inspiration for the then-forthcoming film 2001: A Space Odyssey: [Excerpt: The Byrds, "Space Odyssey"] Then there was Chris Hillman, who was coming up with country material like "Old John Robertson": [Excerpt: The Byrds, "Old John Robertson"] And finally there was David Crosby. Even though he'd been fired from the group, both McGuinn and Hillman didn't see any problem with using the songs he had already contributed. Three of the album's eleven songs are compositions that are primarily by Crosby, though they're all co-credited to either Hillman or both Hillman and McGuinn. Two of those songs are largely unchanged from Crosby's original vision, just finished off by the rest of the group after his departure, but one song is rather different: [Excerpt: The Byrds, "Draft Morning"] "Draft Morning" was a song that was important to Crosby, and was about his -- and the group's -- feelings about the draft and the ongoing Vietnam War. It was a song that had meant a lot to him, and he'd been part of the recording for the backing track. But when it came to doing the final vocals, McGuinn and Hillman had a problem -- they couldn't remember all the words to the song, and obviously there was no way they were going to get Crosby to give them the original lyrics. So they rewrote it, coming up with new lyrics where they couldn't remember the originals: [Excerpt: The Byrds, "Draft Morning"] But there was one other contribution to the track that was very distinctively the work of Usher. Gary Usher had a predilection at this point for putting musique concrete sections in otherwise straightforward pop songs. He'd done it with "Fakin' It" by Simon and Garfunkel, on which he did uncredited production work, and did it so often that it became something of a signature of records on Columbia in 1967 and 68, even being copied by his friend Jim Guercio on "Susan" by the Buckinghams. Usher had done this, in particular, on the first two singles by Sagittarius, his project with Curt Boettcher. In particular, the second Sagittarius single, "Hotel Indiscreet", had had a very jarring section (and a warning here, this contains some brief chanting of a Nazi slogan): [Excerpt: Sagittarius, "Hotel Indiscreet"] That was the work of a comedy group that Usher had discovered and signed to Columbia. The Firesign Theatre were so named because, like Usher, they were all interested in astrology, and they were all "fire signs".  Usher was working on their first album, Waiting For The Electrician or Someone Like Him, at the same time as he was working on the Byrds album: [Excerpt: The Firesign Theatre, "W.C. Fields Forever"] And he decided to bring in the Firesigns to contribute to "Draft Morning": [Excerpt: The Byrds, "Draft Morning"] Crosby was, understandably, apoplectic when he heard the released version of "Draft Morning". As far as Hillman and McGuinn were concerned, it was always a Byrds song, and just because Crosby had left the band didn't mean they couldn't use material he'd written for the Byrds. Crosby took a different view, saying later "It was one of the sleaziest things they ever did. I had an entire song finished. They just casually rewrote it and decided to take half the credit. How's that? Without even asking me. I had a finished song, entirely mine. I left. They did the song anyway. They rewrote it and put it in their names. And mine was better. They just took it because they didn't have enough songs." What didn't help was that the publicity around the album, titled The Notorious Byrd Brothers minimised Crosby's contributions. Crosby is on five of the eleven tracks -- as he said later, "I'm all over that album, they just didn't give me credit. I played, I sang, I wrote, I even played bass on one track, and they tried to make out that I wasn't even on it, that they could be that good without me." But the album, like earlier Byrds albums, didn't have credits saying who played what, and the cover only featured McGuinn, Hillman, and Michael Clarke in the photo -- along with a horse, which Crosby took as another insult, as representing him. Though as McGuinn said, "If we had intended to do that, we would have turned the horse around". Even though Michael Clarke was featured on the cover, and even owned the horse that took Crosby's place, by the time the album came out he too had been fired. Unlike Crosby, he went quietly and didn't even ask for any money. According to McGuinn, he was increasingly uninterested in being in the band -- suffering from depression, and missing the teenage girls who had been the group's fans a year or two earlier. He gladly stopped being a Byrd, and went off to work in a hotel instead. In his place came Hillman's cousin, Kevin Kelley, fresh out of a band called the Rising Sons: [Excerpt: The Rising Sons, "Take a Giant Step"] We've mentioned the Rising Sons briefly in some previous episodes, but they were one of the earliest LA folk-rock bands, and had been tipped to go on to greater things -- and indeed, many of them did, though not as part of the Rising Sons. Jesse Lee Kincaid, the least well-known of the band, only went on to release a couple of singles and never had much success, but his songs were picked up by other acts -- his "Baby You Come Rollin' 'Cross My Mind" was a minor hit for the Peppermint Trolley Company: [Excerpt: The Peppermint Trolley Company, "Baby You Come Rollin' 'Cross My Mind"] And Harry Nilsson recorded Kincaid's "She Sang Hymns Out of Tune": [Excerpt: Harry Nilsson, "She Sang Hymns Out of Tune"] But Kincaid was the least successful of the band members, and most of the other members are going to come up in future episodes of the podcast -- bass player Gary Marker played for a while with Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, lead singer Taj Mahal is one of the most respected blues singers of the last sixty years, original drummer Ed Cassidy went on to form the progressive rock band Spirit, and lead guitarist Ry Cooder went on to become one of the most important guitarists in rock music. Kelley had been the last to join the Rising Sons, replacing Cassidy but he was in the band by the time they released their one single, a version of Rev. Gary Davis' "Candy Man" produced by Terry Melcher, with Kincaid on lead vocals: [Excerpt: The Rising Sons, "Candy Man"] That hadn't been a success, and the group's attempt at a follow-up, the Goffin and King song "Take a Giant Step", which we heard earlier, was blocked from release by Columbia as being too druggy -- though there were no complaints when the Monkees released their version as the B-side to "Last Train to Clarksville". The Rising Sons, despite being hugely popular as a live act, fell apart without ever releasing a second single. According to Marker, Mahal realised that he would be better off as a solo artist, but also Columbia didn't know how to market a white group with a Black lead vocalist (leading to Kincaid singing lead on their one released single, and producer Terry Melcher trying to get Mahal to sing more like a white singer on "Take a Giant Step"), and some in the band thought that Terry Melcher was deliberately trying to sink their career because they refused to sign to his publishing company. After the band split up, Marker and Kelley had formed a band called Fusion, which Byrds biographer Johnny Rogan describes as being a jazz-fusion band, presumably because of their name. Listening to the one album the group recorded, it is in fact more blues-rock, very like the music Marker made with the Rising Sons and Captain Beefheart. But Kelley's not on that album, because before it was recorded he was approached by his cousin Chris Hillman and asked to join the Byrds. At the time, Fusion were doing so badly that Kelley had to work a day job in a clothes shop, so he was eager to join a band with a string of hits who were just about to conclude a lucrative renegotiation of their record contract -- a renegotiation which may have played a part in McGuinn and Hillman firing Crosby and Clarke, as they were now the only members on the new contracts. The choice of Kelley made a lot of sense. He was mostly just chosen because he was someone they knew and they needed a drummer in a hurry -- they needed someone new to promote The Notorious Byrd Brothers and didn't have time to go through a laborious process of audtioning, and so just choosing Hillman's cousin made sense, but Kelley also had a very strong, high voice, and so he could fill in the harmony parts that Crosby had sung, stopping the new power-trio version of the band from being *too* thin-sounding in comparison to the five-man band they'd been not that much earlier. The Notorious Byrd Brothers was not a commercial success -- it didn't even make the top forty in the US, though it did in the UK -- to the presumed chagrin of Columbia, who'd just paid a substantial amount of money for this band who were getting less successful by the day. But it was, though, a gigantic critical success, and is generally regarded as the group's creative pinnacle. Robert Christgau, for example, talked about how LA rather than San Francisco was where the truly interesting music was coming from, and gave guarded praise to Captain Beefheart, Van Dyke Parks, and the Fifth Dimension (the vocal group, not the Byrds album) but talked about three albums as being truly great -- the Beach Boys' Wild Honey, Love's Forever Changes, and The Notorious Byrd Brothers. (He also, incidentally, talked about how the two songs that Crosby's new discovery Joni Mitchell had contributed to a Judy Collins album were much better than most folk music, and how he could hardly wait for her first album to come out). And that, more or less, was the critical consensus about The Notorious Byrd Brothers -- that it was, in Christgau's words "simply the best album the Byrds have ever recorded" and that "Gone are the weak--usually folky--tracks that have always flawed their work." McGuinn, though, thought that the album wasn't yet what he wanted. He had become particularly excited by the potentials of the Moog synthesiser -- an instrument that Gary Usher also loved -- during the recording of the album, and had spent a lot of time experimenting with it, coming up with tracks like the then-unreleased "Moog Raga": [Excerpt: The Byrds, "Moog Raga"] And McGuinn had a concept for the next Byrds album -- a concept he was very excited about. It was going to be nothing less than a grand sweeping history of American popular music. It was going to be a double album -- the new contract said that they should deliver two albums a year to Columbia, so a double album made sense -- and it would start with Appalachian folk music, go through country, jazz, and R&B, through the folk-rock music the Byrds had previously been known for, and into Moog experimentation. But to do this, the Byrds needed a keyboard player. Not only would a keyboard player help them fill out their thin onstage sound, if they got a jazz keyboardist, then they could cover the jazz material in McGuinn's concept album idea as well. So they went out and looked for a jazz piano player, and happily Larry Spector was managing one. Or at least, Larry Spector was managing someone who *said* he was a jazz pianist. But Gram Parsons said he was a lot of things... [Excerpt: Gram Parsons, "Brass Buttons (1965 version)"] Gram Parsons was someone who had come from a background of unimaginable privilege. His maternal grandfather was the owner of a Florida citrus fruit and real-estate empire so big that his mansion was right in the centre of what was then Florida's biggest theme park -- built on land he owned. As a teenager, Parsons had had a whole wing of his parents' house to himself, and had had servants to look after his every need, and as an adult he had a trust fund that paid him a hundred thousand dollars a year -- which in 1968 dollars would be equivalent to a little under nine hundred thousand in today's money. Two events in his childhood had profoundly shaped the life of young Gram. The first was in February 1956, when he went to see a new singer who he'd heard on the radio, and who according to the local newspaper had just recorded a new song called "Heartburn Motel".  Parsons had tried to persuade his friends that this new singer was about to become a big star -- one of his friends had said "I'll wait til he becomes famous!" As it turned out, the day Parsons and the couple of friends he did manage to persuade to go with him saw Elvis Presley was also the day that "Heartbreak Hotel" entered the Billboard charts at number sixty-eight. But even at this point, Elvis was an obvious star and the headliner of the show. Young Gram was enthralled -- but in retrospect he was more impressed by the other acts he saw on the bill. That was an all-star line-up of country musicians, including Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters, and especially the Louvin Brothers, arguably the greatest country music vocal duo of all time: [Excerpt: The Louvin Brothers, "The Christian Life"] Young Gram remained mostly a fan of rockabilly music rather than country, and would remain so for another decade or so, but a seed had been planted. The other event, much more tragic, was the death of his father. Both Parsons' parents were functioning alcoholics, and both by all accounts were unfaithful to each other, and their marriage was starting to break down. Gram's father was also, by many accounts, dealing with what we would now call post-traumatic stress disorder from his time serving in the second world war. On December the twenty-third 1958, Gram's father died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Everyone involved seems sure it was suicide, but it was officially recorded as natural causes because of the family's wealth and prominence in the local community. Gram's Christmas present from his parents that year was a reel-to-reel tape recorder, and according to some stories I've read his father had left a last message on a tape in the recorder, but by the time the authorities got to hear it, it had been erased apart from the phrase "I love you, Gram." After that Gram's mother's drinking got even worse, but in most ways his life still seemed charmed, and the descriptions of him as a teenager are about what you'd expect from someone who was troubled, with a predisposition to addiction, but who was also unbelievably wealthy, good-looking, charming, and talented. And the talent was definitely there. One thing everyone is agreed on is that from a very young age Gram Parsons took his music seriously and was determined to make a career as a musician. Keith Richards later said of him "Of the musicians I know personally (although Otis Redding, who I didn't know, fits this too), the two who had an attitude towards music that was the same as mine were Gram Parsons and John Lennon. And that was: whatever bag the business wants to put you in is immaterial; that's just a selling point, a tool that makes it easier. You're going to get chowed into this pocket or that pocket because it makes it easier for them to make charts up and figure out who's selling. But Gram and John were really pure musicians. All they liked was music, and then they got thrown into the game." That's not the impression many other people have of Parsons, who is almost uniformly described as an incessant self-promoter, and who from his teens onwards would regularly plant fake stories about himself in the local press, usually some variant of him having been signed to RCA records. Most people seem to think that image was more important to him than anything. In his teens, he started playing in a series of garage bands around Florida and Georgia, the two states in which he was brought up. One of his early bands was largely created by poaching the rhythm section who were then playing with Kent Lavoie, who later became famous as Lobo and had hits like "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo". Lavoie apparently held a grudge -- decades later he would still say that Parsons couldn't sing or play or write. Another musician on the scene with whom Parsons associated was Bobby Braddock, who would later go on to co-write songs like "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" for Tammy Wynette, and the song "He Stopped Loving Her Today", often considered the greatest country song ever written, for George Jones: [Excerpt: George Jones, "He Stopped Loving Her Today"] Jones would soon become one of Parsons' musical idols, but at this time he was still more interested in being Elvis or Little Richard. We're lucky enough to have a 1962 live recording of one of his garage bands, the Legends -- the band that featured the bass player and drummer he'd poached from Lobo. They made an appearance on a local TV show and a friend with a tape recorder recorded it off the TV and decades later posted it online. Of the four songs in that performance, two are R&B covers -- Little Richard's "Rip It Up" and Ray Charles' "What'd I Say?", and a third is the old Western Swing classic "Guitar Boogie Shuffle". But the interesting thing about the version of "Rip it Up" is that it's sung in an Everly Brothers style harmony, and the fourth song is a recording of the Everlys' "Let It Be Me". The Everlys were, of course, hugely influenced by the Louvin Brothers, who had so impressed young Gram six years earlier, and in this performance you can hear for the first time the hints of the style that Parsons would make his own a few years later: [Excerpt: Gram Parsons and the Legends, "Let it Be Me"] Incidentally, the other guitarist in the Legends, Jim Stafford, also went on to a successful musical career, having a top five hit in the seventies with "Spiders & Snakes": [Excerpt: Jim Stafford, "Spiders & Snakes"] Soon after that TV performance though, like many musicians of his generation, Parsons decided to give up on rock and roll, and instead to join a folk group. The group he joined, The Shilos, were a trio who were particularly influenced by the Journeymen, John Phillips' folk group before he formed the Mamas and the Papas, which we talked about in the episode on "San Francisco". At various times the group expanded with the addition of some female singers, trying to capture something of the sound of the New Chrisy Minstrels. In 1964, with the band members still in school, the Shilos decided to make a trip to Greenwich Village and see if they could make the big time as folk-music stars. They met up with John Phillips, and Parsons stayed with John and Michelle Phillips in their home in New York -- this was around the time the two of them were writing "California Dreamin'". Phillips got the Shilos an audition with Albert Grossman, who seemed eager to sign them until he realised they were still schoolchildren just on a break. The group were, though, impressive enough that he was interested, and we have some recordings of them from a year later which show that they were surprisingly good for a bunch of teenagers: [Excerpt: The Shilos, "The Bells of Rhymney"] Other than Phillips, the other major connection that Parsons made in New York was the folk singer Fred Neil, who we've talked about occasionally before. Neil was one of the great songwriters of the Greenwich Village scene, and many of his songs became successful for others -- his "Dolphins" was recorded by Tim Buckley, most famously his "Everybody's Talkin'" was a hit for Harry Nilsson, and he wrote "Another Side of This Life" which became something of a standard -- it was recorded by the Animals and the Lovin' Spoonful, and Jefferson Airplane, as well as recording the song, included it in their regular setlists, including at Monterey: [Excerpt: Jefferson Airplane, "The Other Side of This Life (live at Monterey)"] According to at least one biographer, though, Neil had another, more pernicious, influence on Parsons -- he may well have been the one who introduced Parsons to heroin, though several of Parsons' friends from the time said he wasn't yet using hard drugs. By spring 1965, Parsons was starting to rethink his commitment to folk music, particularly after "Mr. Tambourine Man" became a hit. He talked with the other members about their need to embrace the changes in music that Dylan and the Byrds were bringing about, but at the same time he was still interested enough in acoustic music that when he was given the job of arranging the music for his high school graduation, the group he booked were the Dillards. That graduation day was another day that would change Parsons' life -- as it was the day his mother died, of alcohol-induced liver failure. Parsons was meant to go on to Harvard, but first he went back to Greenwich Village for the summer, where he hung out with Fred Neil and Dave Van Ronk (and started using heroin regularly). He went to see the Beatles at Shea Stadium, and he was neighbours with Stephen Stills and Richie Furay -- the three of them talked about forming a band together before Stills moved West. And on a brief trip back home to Florida between Greenwich Village and Harvard, Parsons spoke with his old friend Jim Stafford, who made a suggestion to him -- instead of trying to do folk music, which was clearly falling out of fashion, why not try to do *country* music but with long hair like the Beatles? He could be a country Beatle. It would be an interesting gimmick. Parsons was only at Harvard for one semester before flunking out, but it was there that he was fully reintroduced to country music, and in particular to three artists who would influence him more than any others. He'd already been vaguely aware of Buck Owens, whose "Act Naturally" had recently been covered by the Beatles: [Excerpt: Buck Owens, "Act Naturally"] But it was at Harvard that he gained a deeper appreciation of Owens. Owens was the biggest star of what had become known as the Bakersfield Sound, a style of country music that emphasised a stripped-down electric band lineup with Telecaster guitars, a heavy drumbeat, and a clean sound. It came from the same honky-tonk and Western Swing roots as the rockabilly music that Parsons had grown up on, and it appealed to him instinctively.  In particular, Parsons was fascinated by the fact that Owens' latest album had a cover version of a Drifters song on it -- and then he got even more interested when Ray Charles put out his third album of country songs and included a version of Owens' "Together Again": [Excerpt: Ray Charles, "Together Again"] This suggested to Parsons that country music and the R&B he'd been playing previously might not quite be so far apart as he'd thought. At Harvard, Parsons was also introduced to the work of another Bakersfield musician, who like Owens was produced by Ken Nelson, who also produced the Louvin Brothers' records, and who we heard about in previous episodes as he produced Gene Vincent and Wanda Jackson. Merle Haggard had only had one big hit at the time, "(My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers": [Excerpt: Merle Haggard, "(My Friends are Gonna Be) Strangers"] But he was about to start a huge run of country hits that would see every single he released for the next twelve years make the country top ten, most of them making number one. Haggard would be one of the biggest stars in country music, but he was also to be arguably the country musician with the biggest influence on rock music since Johnny Cash, and his songs would soon start to be covered by everyone from the Grateful Dead to the Everly Brothers to the Beach Boys. And the third artist that Parsons was introduced to was someone who, in most popular narratives of country music, is set up in opposition to Haggard and Owens, because they were representatives of the Bakersfield Sound while he was the epitome of the Nashville Sound to which the Bakersfield Sound is placed in opposition, George Jones. But of course anyone with ears will notice huge similarities in the vocal styles of Jones, Haggard, and Owens: [Excerpt: George Jones, "The Race is On"] Owens, Haggard, and Jones are all somewhat outside the scope of this series, but are seriously important musicians in country music. I would urge anyone who's interested in them to check out Tyler Mahan Coe's podcast Cocaine and Rhinestones, season one of which has episodes on Haggard and Owens, as well as on the Louvin Brothers who I also mentioned earlier, and season two of which is entirely devoted to Jones. When he dropped out of Harvard after one semester, Parsons was still mostly under the thrall of the Greenwich Village folkies -- there's a recording of him made over Christmas 1965 that includes his version of "Another Side of This Life": [Excerpt: Gram Parsons, "Another Side of This Life"] But he was encouraged to go further in the country direction by John Nuese (and I hope that's the correct pronunciation – I haven't been able to find any recordings mentioning his name), who had introduced him to this music and who also played guitar. Parsons, Neuse, bass player Ian Dunlop and drummer Mickey Gauvin formed a band that was originally called Gram Parsons and the Like. They soon changed their name though, inspired by an Our Gang short in which the gang became a band: [Excerpt: Our Gang, "Mike Fright"] Shortening the name slightly, they became the International Submarine Band. Parsons rented them a house in New York, and they got a contract with Goldstar Records, and released a couple of singles. The first of them, "The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming" was a cover of the theme to a comedy film that came out around that time, and is not especially interesting: [Excerpt: The International Submarine Band, "The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming"] The second single is more interesting. "Sum Up Broke" is a song by Parsons and Neuse, and shows a lot of influence from the Byrds: [Excerpt: The international Submarine Band, "Sum Up Broke"] While in New York with the International Submarine Band, Parsons made another friend in the music business. Barry Tashian was the lead singer of a band called the Remains, who had put out a couple of singles: [Excerpt: The Remains, "Why Do I Cry?"] The Remains are now best known for having been on the bill on the Beatles' last ever tour, including playing as support on their last ever show at Candlestick Park, but they split up before their first album came out. After spending most of 1966 in New York, Parsons decided that he needed to move the International Submarine Band out to LA. There were two reasons for this. The first was his friend Brandon DeWilde, an actor who had been a child star in the fifties -- it's him at the end of Shane -- who was thinking of pursuing a musical career. DeWilde was still making TV appearances, but he was also a singer -- John Nuese said that DeWilde sang harmony with Parsons better than anyone except Emmylou Harris -- and he had recorded some demos with the International Submarine Band backing him, like this version of Buck Owens' "Together Again": [Excerpt: Brandon DeWilde, "Together Again"] DeWilde had told Parsons he could get the group some work in films. DeWilde made good on that promise to an extent -- he got the group a cameo in The Trip, a film we've talked about in several other episodes, which was being directed by Roger Corman, the director who worked a lot with David Crosby's father, and was coming out from American International Pictures, the company that put out the beach party films -- but while the group were filmed performing one of their own songs, in the final film their music was overdubbed by the Electric Flag. The Trip starred Peter Fonda, another member of the circle of people around David Crosby, and another son of privilege, who at this point was better known for being Henry Fonda's son than for his own film appearances. Like DeWilde, Fonda wanted to become a pop star, and he had been impressed by Parsons, and asked if he could record Parsons' song "November Nights". Parsons agreed, and the result was released on Chisa Records, the label we talked about earlier that had put out promos of Gene Clark, in a performance produced by Hugh Masekela: [Excerpt: Peter Fonda, "November Nights"] The other reason the group moved West though was that Parsons had fallen in love with David Crosby's girlfriend, Nancy Ross, who soon became pregnant with his daughter -- much to Parsons' disappointment, she refused to have an abortion. Parsons bought the International Submarine Band a house in LA to rehearse in, and moved in separately with Nancy. The group started playing all the hottest clubs around LA, supporting bands like Love and the Peanut Butter Conspiracy, but they weren't sounding great, partly because Parsons was more interested in hanging round with celebrities than rehearsing -- the rest of the band had to work for a living, and so took their live performances more seriously than he did, while he was spending time catching up with his old folk friends like John Phillips and Fred Neil, as well as getting deeper into drugs and, like seemingly every musician in 1967, Scientology, though he only dabbled in the latter. The group were also, though, starting to split along musical lines. Dunlop and Gauvin wanted to play R&B and garage rock, while Parsons and Nuese wanted to play country music. And there was a third issue -- which record label should they go with? There were two labels interested in them, neither of them particularly appealing. The offer that Dunlop in particular wanted to go with was from, of all people, Jay Ward Records: [Excerpt: A Salute to Moosylvania] Jay Ward was the producer and writer of Rocky & Bullwinkle, Peabody & Sherman, Dudley Do-Right and other cartoons, and had set up a record company, which as far as I've been able to tell had only released one record, and that five years earlier (we just heard a snippet of it). But in the mid-sixties several cartoon companies were getting into the record business -- we'll hear more about that when we get to song 186 -- and Ward's company apparently wanted to sign the International Submarine Band, and were basically offering to throw money at them. Parsons, on the other hand, wanted to go with Lee Hazlewood International. This was a new label set up by someone we've only talked about in passing, but who was very influential on the LA music scene, Lee Hazlewood. Hazlewood had got his start producing country hits like Sanford Clark's "The Fool": [Excerpt: Sanford Clark, "The Fool"] He'd then moved on to collaborating with Lester Sill, producing a series of hits for Duane Eddy, whose unique guitar sound Hazlewood helped come up with: [Excerpt: Duane Eddy, "Rebel Rouser"] After splitting off from Sill, who had gone off to work with Phil Spector, who had been learning some production techniques from Hazlewood, Hazlewood had gone to work for Reprise records, where he had a career in a rather odd niche, producing hit records for the children of Rat Pack stars. He'd produced Dino, Desi, and Billy, who consisted of future Beach Boys sideman Billy Hinsche plus Desi Arnaz Jr and Dean Martin Jr: [Excerpt: Dino, Desi, and Billy, "I'm a Fool"] He'd also produced Dean Martin's daughter Deana: [Excerpt: Deana Martin, "Baby I See You"] and rather more successfully he'd written and produced a series of hits for Nancy Sinatra, starting with "These Boots are Made for Walkin'": [Excerpt: Nancy Sinatra, "These Boots are Made for Walkin'"] Hazlewood had also moved into singing himself. He'd released a few tracks on his own, but his career as a performer hadn't really kicked into gear until he'd started writing duets for Nancy Sinatra. She apparently fell in love with his demos and insisted on having him sing them with her in the studio, and so the two made a series of collaborations like the magnificently bizarre "Some Velvet Morning": [Excerpt: Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra, "Some Velvet Morning"] Hazlewood is now considered something of a cult artist, thanks largely to a string of magnificent orchestral country-pop solo albums he recorded, but at this point he was one of the hottest people in the music industry. He wasn't offering to produce the International Submarine Band himself -- that was going to be his partner, Suzi Jane Hokom -- but Parsons thought it was better to sign for less money to a label that was run by someone with a decade-long string of massive hit records than for more money to a label that had put out one record about a cartoon moose. So the group split up. Dunlop and Gauvin went off to form another band, with Barry Tashian -- and legend has it that one of the first times Gram Parsons visited the Byrds in the studio, he mentioned the name of that band, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and that was the inspiration for the Byrds titling their album The Notorious Byrd Brothers. Parsons and Nuese, on the other hand, formed a new lineup of The International Submarine Band, with bass player Chris Ethridge, drummer John Corneal, who Parsons had first played with in The Legends, and guitarist Bob Buchanan, a former member of the New Christy Minstrels who Parsons had been performing with as a duo after they'd met through Fred Neil. The International Submarine Band recorded an album, Safe At Home, which is now often called the first country-rock album -- though as we've said so often, there's no first anything. That album was a mixture of cover versions of songs by people like Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard: [Excerpt: The International Submarine Band, "I Must Be Somebody Else You've Known"] And Parsons originals, like "Do You Know How It Feels To Be Lonesome?", which he cowrote with Barry Goldberg of the Electric Flag: [Excerpt: The International Submarine Band, "Do You Know How It Feels To Be Lonesome?"] But the recording didn't go smoothly. In particular, Corneal realised he'd been hoodwinked. Parsons had told him, when persuading him to move West, that he'd be able to sing on the record and that some of his songs would be used. But while the record was credited to The International Submarine Band, everyone involved agrees that it was actually a Gram Parsons solo album by any other name -- he was in charge, he wouldn't let other members' songs on the record, and he didn't let Corneal sing as he'd promised. And then, before the album could be released, he was off. The Byrds wanted a jazz keyboard player, and Parsons could fake being one long enough to get the gig. The Byrds had got rid of one rich kid with a giant ego who wanted to take control of everything and thought his undeniable talent excused his attempts at dominating the group, and replaced him with another one -- who also happened to be signed to another record label. We'll see how well that worked out for them in two weeks' time.  

National fig newton day. Entertainment from 1989. 18th Amendment to the constitution ratified, prohibition will start in a year, The WQhiskey A-Go Go opened in LA, Vermont declared its independenc from New York. Todays birthdays - Ethel Merman, Carl Krcher, Ronnie MIlsap, Jim Stafford, Debbie Allen, Maxine Jones, Josie Davis, Aaliyah. Carol Lombard died.Intro - Pour some sugar on me - Def Leppard http://defleppard.com/Fig Newton TV commercial 1975My perogative - Bobby BrownShe's crazy for leavin' - Rodney CrowellBirthdays - In da club - 50 Cent http://50cent.com/I got rythem - Ethel MermanSmokey Mountain Rain - Ronnie MilsapSpicers & Snakes - Jim StaffordFame - Irene CaraMy lovin' (never gonna get it) - En VogueTry again - AaliyahExit - It's not love - Dokkenhttps://coolcasts.cooolmedia.com/

Linda Ronstadt's fifth solo studio album would be her breakout one.  Heart Like a Wheel is a folk/country/rock mixture of covers and originals, and was the last album Ronstadt released on the Capitol Records label after she had moved to Asylum records.  It would reach the top of the Billboard 200, spend 51 weeks on the chart, and fuel Ronstadt's rise to the first "arena class" female rock star.Linda Maria Ronstadt is the third of four children born to a family of Mexican and German descent and a long history in Arizona.  Her professional start is considered to be the folk rock trio called the Stone Poneys, who had a hit in 1968 with the song "Different Drum."  Ronstadt is famous for touring in the early 70's with a backing band that included Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner - artists who would go on to form the Eagles.  Her four earlier albums produced only moderate success before her fortune turned dramatically upward with "Heart Like a Wheel."While Ronstadt's style is often referred to as country rock, she called it "Mexican bluegrass" in 1968.  Over time she would record songs in a variety of styles from rock to folk and country, including some Spanish language songs and even rock songs reimagined as lullabies.  Her ability to cross genres contributed both to her success and her share of criticism from those expecting something different.  Success did not always agree with her, as she felt she was encouraged to project a tough rock image that did not accurately reflect her true self.  Linda Ronstadt was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, shortly after her retirement from music in 2011.Bruce presents this breakthrough country rock album in this week's podcast. I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)This cover was originally written and recorded by Hank Williams back in 1951.  It went to number 2 on the Billboard country singles chart back then.  A bunch of people have covered this song, but Ronstadt's cover is the most successful, going to number 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and winning her a Grammy in 1976 for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.You're No GoodThe first single released from the album went to number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.  It is a cover of a song written by Clint Ballard Jr. and first performed by Dee Dee Warwick in 1963.  The success of this "glad to be broken up" song would set the template for Ronstadt over the next five years of doing remakes of classic rock and roll songs.Faithless LoveAn original recording rather than a cover, this deeper cut was written by J.D. Souther, who wrote or co-wrote songs for both Ronstadt and the Eagles.  It would hit number 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart when Glen Campbell covered it in 1984. Willin'This song was first performed by Little Feat and was written by their front man, Lowell George.  Ronstadt's cover was used in James Cameron's film "The Abyss" in 1989.  Lowell wrote this song while he was a member of the Mothers of Invention. ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:Dance of the Reed Flutes (from the nature documentary "Animals Are Beautiful People")In addition to its frequent use in the Christmas ballet "The Nutcracker," this piece was also used in the nature documentary STAFF PICKS:Whatever Gets You Through the Night by John LennonLynch kicks off the staff picks with a song originally inspired by Lennon's habit of late night channel surfing.  He caught the phrase from Reverend Ike, an evangelist on TV, and turned it into this song.  It went to number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Lennon got Elton John to provide the vocal duet for this song, and in return Lennon appeared onstage with John during his Thanksgiving concert at Madison Square Garden - one of his last major live appearances.I Can Help  by Billy SwanWayne brings us a song we all thought was performed by Ringo Starr.  Billy Swan was better known as a country songwriter than a solo artist, but this single would be his sole number 1 hit.  It is a particularly positive song, with a nice reprise at the end of the album cut.Must of Got Lost by the J. Geils Band Rob features an early hit from the J. Geils Band, reaching number 12 on the charts.  It has a funky hook, and a grammatically incorrect title, with lyrics that explore why a relationship went wrong.Wishing You Were Here by ChicagoBruce closes out the staff picks with a song off the Chicago VI album.  Chicago gets some assistance from the Beach Boys, who contribute to the backing vocals on this song about missing the one you love while on the road with a touring band. COMEDY TRACK:Wildwood Weed by Jim StaffordWe finish off with a story in song about that whacky tobackey in a country setting

Kip was rude to our guest, Dawn Wells aka Mary ann of "Gilligans Island".

Hosts Erika Lance and Mark Muncy wade into the swamp water to investigate some infamous swamp witches, including Hog Island, Black Water Hattie, and the real story that inspired the Blair Witch! #eerietravels #markmuncy #erikalance #calliemuncy #witchcraft #witches #swampwitch #legend #lore #jimstafford #blairwitch #hogisland #florida #swamp #roadtomothman To send us your own listener tales, email us at mark@eerietravels.com or visit eerietravels.com and contact us! Episode Credits: Hosts - Erika Lance @authorerikalance - Mark Muncy @eerietravels Producer - Calista Muncy Intro/Outro Music - Destini Beard @destinibeardmusic Links: Breaking News - https://www.fox13news.com/news/rare-pink-dolphin-spotted-in-gulf-of-mexico-could-be-famous-pinky-i-have-never-seen-anything-like-it?utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR2x-h0caenpJv6Kf4Mrp3UayrT19k-Ld-Gh819dGIMvRT9DeyDFakW-I3E Swamp Witch song by Jim Stafford - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IB0SxXTR_UI Sponsors: Paranormality Magazine - https://paranormalitymag.com/?ref1257 Use Code: Travels for 10% Off The Voice From Hell - Dick Terhune - https://dickterhune.com/

There is no single type of novelty song, although they all have something that distinguishes them. Sometimes it is the topic and sometimes it is the format, but a novelty song that endures should also be a good piece of music. Novelty songs were popular in the 1970s and this episode examines some of the most popular ones, including "Spiders and Snakes" by Jim Stafford, "The Cover of the Rolling Stone" by Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show, and "Mr. Jaws" by Dickie Goodman. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/amy-lively/message

Yeehaw! We went back in time to one of the most popular variety shows of the 70's and 80's. Hee Haw ran up to the early 90's and was consistently a high rated show, even outside of the heartland of America. There's just something about puns, dad jokes, goofy skits, and manic energy that makes a show work. We had a good time chatting about this one. Maybe we even had more fun talking about it than we did watching it. If you have any thoughts on Hee Haw, send us some email!Next week, Stephen is taking us back to the high heeled, bell bottomed, big tie 70's with The Flip Wilson Show! Watch it for free on Daily Motion. Special guests are Redd Fox, Joan Rivers, and Helen Reddy.The Flip Wilson Show on Daily MotionSend us feedback about the show on Twitter at @thosedaysshow or email us thosewerethedaysshow@gmail.comFollow us on Twitter!StephenAmyAudieTvsTravisSupport 2Dorks on PatreonJoin us every Monday at 9pm ET on Twitch to watch live! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

National Martin Luther King jr Day. Pop culture from 1997. Prohabiton ratified, Vermont declares independence from New York, No more staples in centerfolds. Todays birthdays - Ethel Merman, Ronnie Milsap, Carl Karcher, Jim Stafford, Debbie Allen, Maxine Jones, Josie Davis, Aaliyah. Carol Lombard died.

Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot would see his commercial success zenith with this tenth studio album, Sundown.  Lightfoot got his start in music at an early age, singing in the choir at St. Paul's United Church in Orillia, Ontario as a child. As a young man he lived in California for a short period, studying jazz composition and writing jingles to support himself, but he soon chose to return to his native Canada and never left.  Gordon Lightfoot would inspire many artists - Bob Dylan considered him a type of mentor - and numerous artists would cover his songs, including artists like Glenn Campbell, Olivia Newton-John, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, and the Grateful Dead. Sundown showcases Lightfoot's folk and country blend.  It hit number 1 on the US Billboard 200 charts, the only Lightfoot album to do so to date.  Lightfoot's baritone voice and acoustic-led approach to songwriting would prove a powerful formula for success in the soft rock genre of the 70's.  Gordon Lightfoot would continue writing songs for many years, and his 21'st studio album was released in 2020.Brian brings us this album for today's podcast. SundownThe title track was inspired by Lightfoot's then-girlfriend, Cathy Smith.  She would spend a lot of time drinking in the bars during the day while Lightfoot was working on the album, and he worried about her running off with someone.  And yes, the song was written around sundown.  It was Lightfoot's only Number 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100.High and DryThis upbeat folk song references the sea as a metaphor for a girl who the singer hopes will settle down before she gets left high and dry.  The female harmonies on this song are from Cathy Smith, with whom Lightfoot was having a tumultuous relationship (see above: “Sundown.”).The Watchman's GoneSpeculation abounds that the Watchman in this deeper cut may be alcohol, or the devil, or maybe death.  "You better beware, knowin' the watchman's always there."Carefree HighwayThis song peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.  It tells of the highway as a means to escape the oft-returning thoughts of a relationship that was lost long ago.  Lightfoot saw a sign to Carefree, Arizona, and that inspired the title. ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:Day By Day by Robin Lamont (from the motion picture “Godspell”) This song was on the charts at the time.  It came from the motion picture, based on the musical "Godspell." STAFF PICKS:Music Eyes by Hartsfield Wayne leads off the staff picks with an underrated but epic song.  JC Hartsfield and Perry Jordan created the band in 1970 in Chicago, though the band has more of a country rock or southern rock sound.  Perry Jordan died in 2011, and JC Hartsfield died after a motorcycle accident in 2014.  The song was written by Jordan and inspired by a friend's 3 year-old daughter.Spiders and Snakes by Jim StaffordRob brings us this novelty song with a swamp rock feel.  Stafford cautions all the guys on being a bit too boyish around the women.  "I don't like spiders and snakes, and that ain't what it takes to love me."Rock On by David Essex Bruce's staff pick takes a psychedelic turn.  Essex would take this song to number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.  It is an ode to the old days of Rock and Roll, with its reference to James Dean, blue suede shoes, and summertime blues.  Michael Damian would take a cover to number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1989.Boogie Down by Eddie KendricksBrian's staff pick takes a dangerously disco turn.  Singer-songwriter Eddie Kendricks who co-founded the Temptations would do well in this solo outing.  This falsetto song just missed the top of the charts, hitting number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.     COMEDY TRACK:The Streak by Ray StevensAnd with that, we're off and running.  He likes to show off his physique.  Boogity, Boogity!

Jeff Pearson his a hit writer who has written songs for Jim Stafford, Barbara Mandrell, Ricky Van Shelton, Chris Young, The Oak Ridge Boys, Hank Williams Jr. and more. He was the host of the Sunday night writers' rounds at the legendary Blue Bird Cafe. He has so much songwriting knowlege to share. A very informative podcast with great music live around the Dining Room table.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/songwriter-connection/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Happy Halloween to you! And happy 50th episode to us! This week Danny and Tyler discuss four of country music's finest spooky novelty songs. PLUS, a few ghost stories! Hear the full songs below:"(It's a) Monster's Holiday" by Buck Owens and the Buckaroos"Haunted House" by John Anderson"Swamp Witch" by Jim Stafford"Marie Laveau" by Bobby BareGet bonus episodes, blog posts, and more by supporting us on Patreon HERE! A new Patreon-exclusive episode recapping our recent trip doing comedy in Chicago is coming soon!See Danny and Tyler do the podcast live in St. Louis MO this November at the Flyover Comedy Festival! ST. LOUIS TICKETS tickets HERE - 11/10 at The Improv ShopFor everything else click HERE!

You have heard of bulletproofing your reports, but can you do the same thing with your appraisal business? Jim Stafford joins Dustin again this week to break down some of the things you should be doing to make sure your appraisal business stays strong.

Jim Stafford joins Dustin to talk about two acronyms HARD and EASY. There is a hard way to run your appraisal business and, of course, an EASY way. These acronyms will make it easier to put in place the processes which will make your business run more smoothly.

Here is the first entry Castle Doctrine: Castles, Compounds and Palaces in the Ozarks, a sporadic series exploring the history, lore, legal proceedings, and the weirdos around the large buildings and projects that could loosely be defined as "castles". We meet shrewd businessman and Guy With His Name on Stuff, Robert W. Plaster and learn about his private town, his alleged crimes, and his 30,000 sq ft glass and marble residence/conference center on the edge of Table Rock Lake. Now More Than Ever, Support Your Local Abortion Fund: Arkansas Abortion Support Network www.arabortionsupport.org/ Missouri Abortion Fund www.mofund.org/ The Roe Fund (Oklahoma) www.roefund.org Find an abortion fund or services near you: National Network of Abortion Funds abortionfunds.org www.hootnhollerpod.com www.patreon.com/hootnhollerpod @hootnhollerpod on Twitter and Instagram facebook.com/hootnhollerpod hootnhollerpod@gmail.com Theme: "When the Moon Comes Down in Blood" As sung by Reba Dearmore, Mountain Home, Arkansas on January 7, 1969. Cat. #0647 (MFH #709) in the Max Hunter Folk Song Collection at Missouri State University. maxhunter.missouristate.edu/songinforma…aspx?ID=647 Outro: "Down on Table Rock Lake" As performed by Various Branson Performing Artists from the 90s Heyday. From the 90s promotional special of the same name. Produced by Rodney Dillard and Jim Stafford

This week: Remember the UK band, the EQUALS? If you were around in the late 60's early 70's there's no way you escaped hearing their smash hit 'Baby Come Back' all over the radio. Well, this week, founding member Patrick Lloyd joins me to tell us what it was like being one of the world's first multi-racial groups, how difficult it was for EDDY GRANT to recover from injuries sustained in a car accident and what the band is up to today. Yes, they're still around! They even have a new single out. In our One-Hit-Wonder segment, I'm excited to introduce you to, Mr Spiders and Snakes, JIM STAFFORD - best known for his humorous country novelty songs of the mid-'70s. The multi-instrumentalist also enjoyed a lengthy career as a television personality and live entertainer and gives us the lowdown on his career high and lowlights as well as his marriage to singer songwriter, BOBBIE GENTRY. Kiwi superstar singer/songwriter, SHARON O'NEILL built up a huge following in Australia and NZ during the 80's and was a firm favourite with the boys. In fact, you could say she was something of a heart throb. Just ask one of our listeners who asked to me to find Sharon for him. I happily gave Steve the opportunity to say hi to his long time crush and he told us that he still gets into trouble with his wife for remembering Sharon's birthday and not hers. You too can meet Sharon this week. She has some terrific stories to tell! Join me? And if you'd like to request a guest simply send me a message through the website www.abreathoffreshair.com.au https://linktr.ee/abreathoffreshair

Set sail on Episode 8, Season 1 of the Love Boat, the worlds greatest romantic comedy drama television series of all time! In this episode we follow an all star cast that includes Sandy Duncan, Jim Stafford, Steve Allen, Polly Bergen, James Bond III, Jo Ann Harris, and Loni Anderson as they deal with overwhelming heartbreak, feigned infidelity, underhanded scheming, and mind boggling child endangerment. We also welcome back our previous guest and good friend Steven P Slivka who surprises Istvan with his traumatic take on this episode as well as a very cool and unexpected birthday gift at the close of the show. Thanks for listening to the podcast and joining us on this voyage and by all means consider subscribing to the show as well as Paramount+ so you can watch the episode with us. We promise you'll be glad that you did. * Be sure to check out Istvan's other amazing podcast for kids and families, Istvan's Imaginary Podcast available everywhere podcasts are found. * Find and Follow our new Instagram profile here: @lovin_the_love_boat * And follow Istvan on Instagram: @iamistvan or on his website: www.istvansongs.com

His career began in earnest when a young John Elefante auditioned as the new lead singer and keyboardist for Kansas, in 1981. That year, the band was one of the top-grossing concert acts in the world and Elefante had never been in a band apart from his family. Although several of the top vocalists of the day applied for the job (e.g. Sammy Hagar, Doug Pinnick, Jim Stafford), Elefante received the part.Elefante sang the lead vocals and performed keyboards on two Kansas albums. He was also a major songwriting contributor (along with lead guitarist/keyboardist/songwriter Kerry Livgren). On 1982's Vinyl Confessions, he co-wrote and sang the No. 4 Billboard Mainstream Rock hit, "Play the Game Tonight". He also wrote the acoustic-based classic "Chasing Shadows", along with the Top 40 single, "Right Away". The next year, on the following album, Drastic Measures, he wrote the early MTV favorite, "Fight Fire with Fire", which remains the band's highest charting single at No. 3 (Mainstream Rock) as well as a staple of Kansas' live shows to this day. Elefante was also responsible for "Everybody's My Friend," which was released as the second single from the album and reached No. 34 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.Around this time the band began to buckle under the increasing strain of maintaining the consistent radio hits and record company commercial expectations. In addition, contemporary pop music was quickly becoming antithetical to the band's organic, sophisticated aesthetic. A new age of sequenced synthesizers and drum machines confronted Kansas with the near-impossible challenge of maintaining their musical essence and commercial integrity. In 1984, on the retrospective collection The Best of Kansas, Elefante wrote the album's one new track, "Perfect Lover". That same year Elefante, Kerry Livgren, and Dave Hope left Kansas.In 1985, "Young and Innocent" appeared on the soundtrack to St. Elmo's Fire and was credited to "Elefante" as a collaborative effort by brothers John and Dino Elefante.1985–1989Elefante discovered another calling while still with Kansas—record producer. In 1984, he produced Perfect Timing for ground-breaking Southern California group, Sweet Comfort Band. While not a major commercial success, Petra's Back to the Street was a Grammy-nominated, breakthrough, commercial success for both Elefante and the band. He also contributed songwriting, keyboards, background vocals and engineering to the effort.With both John and Dino Elefante as the band's primary producers, Petra's already popular Christian pop/rock niche was given a timely boost. Their accolades include multiple gold albums, 10 consecutive CCM Magazine Reader's Choice Awards, induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and Hard Rock Cafe, and the only artist to ever have four albums in the SoundScan top-100 Christian chart.In 1987 while producing a various artists album called California Metal, the album's production team of John and Dino Elefante ended up one track short and they decided to add a song written for Kansas called "Wasn't It Love" (originally entitled "What About Love") under the name Mastedon. Regency later requested a full-length album which became Mastedon's debut, It's a Jungle Out There.Closing out the decade, Elefante had produced five major label albums, and performed on 12. Over the next five years, Elefante worked at an almost frenetic pace as one of the most in-demand producers in Nashville. In addition to Petra's further releases, he worked as the producer on 30 other albums. He usually performed on the releases as well, often sharing songwriting credits, as well. Elefante was committed to his role as producer, eschewing other opportunities such as an offer to replace Bobby Kimball as lead singer for Grammy winners, Toto.

Matt is in town for a special project Branson, Missouri was once a mecca for world-famous live entertainment. Nestled away in the beautiful rugged Ozarks in Southwest Missouri, it once attracted millions of visitors each year with shows covering every genre and variety. Throughout the 80's into 00's, stars such as Mickey Gilley, Barbara Mandrell, Roy Clark, Glen Campbell, The Oak Ridge Boys, Mel Tillis and others called Branson home. By the mid-90's, the city boasted more than one hundred performances each day, allowing stars to make millions of dollars by headlining residencies at their own theaters on a strip much like Las Vegas. Branson was seen as a great alternative to touring while still performing regularly. By 2015, Branson's theater shows became less attractive with many high profile and longtime entertainers leaving town. In 2014, Jim Stafford's iconic theater was under new ownership but retained his name. However, a new demographic and change in the touring industry has forever altered the landscape of the city that was once flourishing with high profile celebrities. Many of Branson's iconic theaters, including Stafford's, are being demolished to pave the way for new attractions, but some musicians are still finding success, such as Mickey Gilley. Matt Bailey is in town working on a special project, and is catching some shows. In this guestless episode, Matt talks about seeing Gilley and Johnny Lee, two of country's most prominent singers who gained famed during the Urban Cowboy movement in the 80's. We also discuss Branson's impact on the industry and tease Matt's project. Be sure to subscribe to The Music Universe Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode, we live in fear of Max Cady as we explore the original Cape Fear and the 1991 Martin Scorsese remake starring Robert De Niro! Sources: Cape Fear (1962) "Cape Fear" by Jim Stafford, TCM "He's Out Now: Cape Fear (1962)" by Larry Wallace, Medium   Cape Fear (1991) "Martin Scorsese Ventures Back to Cape Fear" by Janet Maslin, The New York Times "The Making of Cape Fear", featurette

Jim Stafford is the singer-songwriter famous for unique ‘70s hits including "Spiders & Snakes", "Swamp Witch," "My Girl Bill", and "Wildwood Weed.” His great sense of humor and charm led his to success on a bunch of TV variety and talk shows and even his own summer series and regular role on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. We talk about all of it on this week’s episode of RPM45.

On this Richard Bennett interview, GREAT stories about playing with Mark Knopfler, Neil Diamond, Billy Joel, Helen Reddy, Jim Stafford, Glen Campbell, Steve Earl, Al Casey… his unique approach to writing and recording, a difficult low point that found Richard struggling for almost a year, becoming a top producer and realizing he had to stop… how he went from playing dingy beer joints at 14, to playing on the most desirable sessions and touring the world, by “falling forward”... favorite musicians he’s enjoyed playing with, and the ONE musician who taught him more than he could ever have imagined… 2 toughest decisions he’s ever made, humility, kindness, eating well and carrying less on your shoulders. INCREDIBLE conversation, what a lovely guy Richard Bennett is THE most successful side man I’ve had on this show. He’s also as humble as he is talented. He’s been Mark Knopfler’s guitar player in the studio and on the road since 1994 (26 yrs), and spent 17 years before that as Neil Diamond’s guitar player - again, both studio and touring. Here’s a very small sample of the people he’s played with since his first session in 1968. Bear in mind, for most of these artists, Richard played on several to many of their records: Eric Anderson, Big Al Anderson, Al Casey, David Cassidy, Partridge Family, Steve Earl, Vince Gill, Billy Joel, Dave Mason, Mac McAnally, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Lee Roy Parnell, Helen Reddy, Jim Stafford, Nancy Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Weird Al, Duane Eddy, Glen Campbell, the Ventures & about a dozen soundtracks including The Wrecking Crew documentary and one of my favorite movies, Westworld. He’s also produced LOADS of records for major artists, and released 6 excellent instrumental CDs of his own. Support this Show: http://www.everyonelovesguitar.com/support  Subscribe https://www.everyonelovesguitar.com/subscribe/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EveryoneLovesGuitar/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everyonelovesguitar/ 

Jim Stafford spent many years on the other side of the desk. He has some critical insights, after reviewing over 20,000 appraisal reports, on what Fannie and underwriters want to see in your appraisal reports.

This week we welcome one of Branson’s favorite entertainers, Rick McEwen! There earliest Rick McEwen can remember singing was at Beulah Church of Christ in Cullman, Alabama. He started playing music when he was 13. Self taught with help from my Cousin's the Hart Brothers.. three chords and a prayer from his Mother. Rick was praying to get a gig soon and “mom” was praying he’d get out of her sewing room. He moved to Nashville in Nashville,Tn. where he toured with The Blackwood Singers, Vasser Clements, and spent two years with Earl Scruggs. He began singing demo's for a few producers in Nashville, one in particular Alan Reynold's ( Garth Brooks, Crystal Gayle, Don Williams, Kathey Matea ). This led to him working with The Dillards (the Darlin' Family on Andy Griffith TV Show) and touring The U.S., Canada, Mexico, England. Moved to Branson in 1984. His first Branson job was in the 4,000-seat amphitheater, Echo Hollow, at Silver Dollar City. The show operated five seasons. During that time Rick helped produce over 120 live radio shows, national cable TV special, and performed before 1.7 Million over the next five years. Following that he was with the 7th founding show in Branson, the Ozark Jubilee and the featured male vocalist and bass guitar player. Rick spent one year as lead singer for the Ozark Mountain Boys where he opened for many of his heroes: Waylon Jennings, George Jones, Jerry Reed, Loretta Lynn, Dottie West, Connie Smith, Johnny Russell, John Connelly, Asleep at The Wheel, Mason Dixon, Mike Snider, and many others..... He then joined the Jim Stafford show for over 14 years. In 1991, Eureka Springs beaconed him to make the short trip down the highway to perform with the Ozark Mountain Opry. In his spare time he played on recordings and help produce projects for an IMAX Theatre and Movie Short. This led to working with Andrew Belling ( Disney Productions) on a Disney Theme Park Music Project for The Enchanted TiKi Hut Ride. In 1993, his relationship with Andrew and Rodney Dillard landed his a bass playing spot in the Mayberry Revisited Network special, hosted By Andy Griffith and Don Knotts. He was asked to play with The Dillard's on The Mayberry Cast reunion show at The Opryland Hotel.... These many years later he is also a veteran of the Country Tonite show and Penny Gilley TV show on RFD. The past seven season he’s been a part of the Marty Robbins Tribute in Branson. In 2020, Rick started a Tribute to Kenny Rogers and My Great American Songbook Show as well as running shotgun on the “Nashville Roadhouse Live Show”. For more information or to purchase tickets, call the Star Theater Box Office: 417-693-4432, or visit: BransonStarTheater.com. Choices Concert Hall can be contacted by calling: 417-320-6242, or ChoicesConcertHall.com.

Well-known musician, songwriter and comedian Jim Stafford joins us for this special episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast on location at the Don Gibson Theatre. Jim recounts his surprise encounter with Don Gibson many years ago in Nashville and the pleasant afternoon they spent talking about songwriting. He came to Shelby to do a songwriter’s show at the Theatre, but he rarely travels these days because he lets the people come to him. Jim has been playing at The Jim Stafford Theatre in Branson, Missouri, for more than 3 decades, and he still enjoys it just as much as Year 1. As you may know, Jim writes unique songs that have humorous or unexpected twists and are so entertaining that people come time and again to hear these stories through song. During this interview, he describes for Carl the inspiration behind the song “The Swamp Witch” as well as his tendency to test out new songs on the audience and make adjustments based on their reactions before recording. Jim’s songs have the exceptional capacity of captivating audiences young and old, and he has enjoyed seeing the sizes of the crowds grow over the years as more people come to appreciate his art. He is particularly encouraged by events hosted at historic theaters like the Don Gibson Theatre because of the element of preserving the past and celebrating the present and future at the same time.   Connect with Jim Stafford: https://www.jimstaffordtickets.com/   Connect with us: http://www.lifeinthecarolinas.com/ https://www.lifeinthecarolinaspodcast.com/ Carl@lifeinthecarolinas.com

J.C. Hulsey has lived in Midlothian, Texas over thirty years. He's a father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He has been married for 59 years. He enjoys Western movies and TV Shows, (especially the older ones) and reading about Mail-Order Brides. He is also the owner of six cats (all stray cats, showed up on the back porch) and one dog (rescue dog) He worked for 33 years at Bell Helicopter. He served in the USAF for five years, and the Air National Guard for four years. He started writing songs in his early twenties. He recorded a couple of songs in the late 1960s. He started writing poetry in the 1970s to share with others. He self-published them on Amazon in 2013. He still felt the need to write something different. He tried writing a book in the 1970s, but it was never finished. In 2014, he felt the urge to write a Western novel. However, he needed something different than what was on the market. What about a young Christian Gunfighter? That book turned into a series of seven books that won First Place for Best Westen Series in 2015 from Texas Association of Authors. Music by Jim Stafford, Fletcher Jowers & Jim Glaser  Special Guest Author T.J. Cyr

Trump haters attack in the William Barr hearings and the shocking flashback to Jim Stafford's My Girl BillSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some more beatles muzak for your cheezy shopping pleasure....we profile a seemingly forgotten 70s novelty icon and a trip to the Limburger Lounge reminds us why some music sounds better when you are even slightly intoxicated

Jim Stafford's 1974 debut album is the topic of this week episode. Dive into the sounds heard & I provide lyrics to most of the songs. You can also listen to this album on YouTube, a playlist can be found on my YouTube page Used And Abused Pod. Thoughts & prayers to my family who are dealing with the passing of an Aunt, Mother, Sister, Sister-In-Law, Grandmother & Niece; also to the family, band members, friends & fans of Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul who also passed away this weekend. Used & Abused can be found on Social Media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/UsedAbusedpod EMail: usedandabusedpod@gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/usedandabusedpod/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGNJfmkCR6OtKIHl5avhz3A?view_as=subscriber Until next week, have a great weekend & work week! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/used--abused-podcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/used--abused-podcast/support

We howl at the moon as we look at the original Wolf Man from 1941 and the 2010 remake! Sources for this episode: "The Harmful History of 'Gypsy'" by Jessica Reidy, Bitch Media "History of the Werewolf Legend", History.com "Werewolf Legends Around the World", Historic Mysteries The Wolf Man (1941) Film historian commentary with Tom Weaver Pure in Heart: The Life and Legacy of Lon Chaney, Jr., The Wolf Man Legacy Collection "The Wolf Man (1941)" by Jim Stafford, TCM "12 Howling Facts About the Wolf Man" by Mark Mancini, Mental Floss    

In 1967, Bobbie Gentry's recording of a song she wrote, called "Ode to Billie Joe," directly influenced the future of every major musical genre in America. In the early '80s, she disappeared. What happened in the decade between? Why did Bobbie Gentry vanish? Who was she, even? Since we can't ask Bobbie for answers, these are mysteries we either have to learn to live with or try to solve for ourselves. People you'll hear about in this episode: Glen Campbell, Elvis Presley, Jim Stafford, Nick Lowe, Kanye West, Eminem, Drake, Lauryn Hill, Snoop, A Tribe Called Quest, Jody Reynolds, Rick Hall, Lou Donaldson, Sheryl Crow, kd lang, Lucinda Williams, Alfred Hitchcock, Barry White, Bobby Womack, Burt Bacharach and, believe it or not, more. Also, you may not like what you hear if you're a fan of Jim Ford. Source

Jim Stafford, W4QO, was recognized at the 2010 Dayton Hamvention for over 50 years of ham radio achievements that include mentoring and elmering, QRP building and operating, and revitalizing the North Fulton Amateur Radio League into one of the premier ham radio clubs in the USA. Jim tells his amateur radio story to Eric, 4Z1UG, in this QSO Today.

You remember his hits “Spiders and Snakes”, “Swamp Witch”, and “Cow Patti”. Now, he's celebrating 25 years at his theater in Branson, MO. Singer, guitarist, and comic genius Jim Stafford is Matt's guest today! The pair talk about everything from Jim's string of 70's comedy hits to what makes this septuagenarian an open and avowed […] The post Episode 91-Jim Stafford appeared first on Talk For Two.

You remember his hits “Spiders and Snakes”, “Swamp Witch”, and “Cow Patti”. Now, he’s celebrating 25 years at his theater in Branson, MO. Singer, guitarist, and comic genius Jim Stafford is Matt’s guest today! The pair talk about everything from Jim’s string of 70’s comedy hits to what makes this septuagenarian an open and avowed […] The post Episode 91-Jim Stafford appeared first on Talk For Two.

"I don't likes spiders and snakes," as Jim Stafford's hit song lamented...Apart from primal fears, why do we experience phobias?

For 80 years the Los Angeles River has been less a river than a flood control channel winding from Simi Valley to Long Beach. Its concrete-lined course seemingly carries little more than a trickle of water, and its banks lie largely fallow and off limits despite long-running efforts to restore public access to and green spaces along its edges. Now, an ambitious plan to turn 125 acres of an under-utilized downtown rail yard into a thriving public space could transform not just the river but the entire city, uniting its residents as well as its urban and natural environments. As architects and planners grasp the rare opportunity to work on a site in the heart of the city, they’re focusing on a broader question: what would an integrated, healthier city look like? Zócalo invited a panel including Cal Poly Pomona’s Michael Woo, Marc Salette of Chee Salette Architecture, Jim Stafford of Perkins+Will, Mia Lehrer of Mia Lehrer + Associates, and Michael Maltzan of Michael Maltzan Architecture to discuss the promise of a revitalized Los Angeles, and how to build it.

New Jessi & The River Cats, Kaitlin Butts, String Cheese Incident, Spunj + Honest Mechanik, Yogoman, Donna Godchaux, The Toyes, Wood Brothers, Jim Stafford, Wildsteed... Birthdays for Johnny Tillotson, Luther Vandross, Craig Frost