Podcast appearances and mentions of Tennessee Waltz

American popular/country music song

  • 44PODCASTS
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  • 1EPISODE EVERY OTHER WEEK
  • Jun 16, 2025LATEST

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Best podcasts about Tennessee Waltz

Latest podcast episodes about Tennessee Waltz

Music From 100 Years Ago
Leftovers #36

Music From 100 Years Ago

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2025 38:08


Records include: Riverboat Shuffle by Isham Jones, A Trumpeter's Lullaby by Leroy Anderson, 3 O' Clock Blues by B.B. King, Tennessee Waltz by Jo Stafford, Mozart's Piano Sonata #12 by Aldo Ciccolini and Our Delight by Tadd Dameron.

the Mountain Echo
2025 May: Special Episode: National Police Week: New Lookout Mtn.GA Chief Jason Lewis Says Hello to the Community

the Mountain Echo

Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2025 58:32


National Police Week 2025 is May 11-17    www.policeweek.org 'Honoring Our Fallen, Supporting Our Survivors'TME would like to dedicate this episode to Officer Julie Jacks, Officer Tim Chapin , Officer Nicholas Galinger and Deputy Sheriff Donald Bonds, as well as all other fallen officers. We also honor former Lkt. Mtn Chief Chuck Wells who recently passed.Click here for the link to see Chattanooga Police Dept.'s list of fallen officers:Chattanooga Police Department, Tennessee, Fallen Officers****************************This episode is sponsored by Mountain Lights & Safety of Lookout Mountain.CALL BO (423) 463-7704Outdoor Lighting - Home Security - Smoke & Fire Detection****************************Welcome Chief Jason Lewis!Chattanooga Police Department's loss is our gain! Also, welcome Asst. Chief Brian Dedmon!  Lookout Mountain is very fortunate to have both of you experienced professionals in such key roles in our community - thank you to both of you.Join in and hear from Jason Lewis about his life and the big decision to try law enforcement and how that path has finally led to Lookout Mountain. Hear about his years at CPD and how he met the love of his life, Shelly. You think you know what 'fun' is...wait till you hear what Chief Lewis' idea of 'fun' is and also hear about what instrument he plays and if his singing career ever got off the ground. From start to finish, this is a great, relaxing and funny conversation from a very humble and very knowledgeable, talented individual. After listening, you will feel like you know him better and you will certainly agree that our community 'got it right' with Jason Lewis! Welcome Jason, we are so glad you chose us!Click here to see Chattanoogan.com related article: Lookout Mountain, Ga. Swears In New Police Chief - Chattanoogan.comSpread the word! Find us at ...theMountainEcho.orgPlease "Like" and 'subscribe' for notification of new episodes on your media player's podcast menu. Also, on regular, full length, non-bonus episodes, many thanks for closing music featuring the Dismembered Tennesseans and vocals by the amazing Laura Walker singing Tennessee Waltz. Opening fiddle music played by the late Mr. Fletcher Bright.

the Mountain Echo
2025 May: "We're not just sittin' around drinking tea and arranging flowers" - Lookout's Ann Brown on the 'Spring Plant Sale' Saturday May 3

the Mountain Echo

Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2025 40:01


Laurelwood Garden Club, Garden Club of Lookout Mountain & Lookout Mountain Beautiful Garden Club, are three of our community's garden clubs - all mentioned in this episode!It's that time of year folks!The Spring Plant Sale is Saturday May 3 from 8-2pm at the GA town hall.TIP: Go early before some items sell out.This year will be a major event with all club 'hands' on deck and best of all - proceeds go to two of our top, mountain treasures - our schools. Baked goods - garden art - plants - herbs - vegetables - casseroles - gift baskets - food - etc...Also hear Ann discuss and share about some of the following topics: Monarchs Over The Mountain poster contest, 'native plants vs invasive plants, 2 local most wanted: ivy & euonymus, and Who is Sandy Loam??, Tennessee Smart Yard Program, Dogwood winter vs Blackberry winter, perennial food forests, is it ketchup and mustard: no, it's a gaillardia!, Lewis and Clark, Tommy Jefferson, Is a pupa a bad thing??, How do the 'queens' do their thing? and much more. back to the sale:Expect a lot of excellent cut flowers - many -most even - grown here on Lookout.Expect to pay for event goodies with: CASH, CARD and VENMO.Ann has agreed to sign autographs - for cash of course.Next stop; mid-summer episode about : soil, Lkt Mtn bird sanctuary & food forests.THNK YOU ANN BROWN!!!! You did GREAT as always! See everyone at 'THE SALE" Saturday morning - sale secrets revealed in the episode so listen in!tME Spread the word! Find us at ...theMountainEcho.orgPlease "Like" and 'subscribe' for notification of new episodes on your media player's podcast menu. Also, on regular, full length, non-bonus episodes, many thanks for closing music featuring the Dismembered Tennesseans and vocals by the amazing Laura Walker singing Tennessee Waltz. Opening fiddle music played by the late Mr. Fletcher Bright.

the Mountain Echo
2025 April: Mayes 'Go Fast' Starke Shares about Moving to Lookout and His Passions: Family, Faith and of Course, Running

the Mountain Echo

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2025 67:01


April is Gospel Month on the Mountain Echo and this episode will include some music towards this theme. Also, this episode is sponsored by Bo Newberry and the good folks at Mountain Lights & Safety of Lookout Mountain.(423) 463-7704Outdoor Lighting - Home Security - Smoke & Fire Detection****************************"Run Forest Run!" Runners will delight in hearing our guest in this special episode! Hide the chocolate covered cookies! Lookout's Mayes Starke is our guest, and he shares about growing up and living in the 'Big City of The South - Hot Lanna". He shares about attending Westminster School and how he left the state of Georgia to follow in his dad's college footsteps at a college we all know very well. He shares about how he 'stole away' the love of his life, Kim and, how she saved his life not that long ago. Hear about the shoes you want to go running in and some local spots - that may or may not be secrets - that are great for running. He shares some names of some local folks - you may know them- that you will want to know if you are a runner....or if you are a semi-recovering chocaholic like Mayes!Also, hear how he and Kim landed on this rock from Atlanta and what they think about that decision now.  How fortunate Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church is to have you and Kim as members. You all are true blessings in the community.Mayes doesn't hold back and he certainly, 'runs hard' throughout this podcast. He is a pleasure to listen to with a great voice - listen in and you'll be glad you did.Mayes - job well done friend - I know Dad, .... and Coach Kash are proud - we certainly are.tME**Special thanks to the movie, Forest Gump, Ralph Stanley with 'I'll Fly Away' & 'Because He Loved Me', and AE Housman's poem, 'To an Athlete Dying Young'Spread the word! Find us at ...theMountainEcho.orgPlease "Like" and 'subscribe' for notification of new episodes on your media player's podcast menu. Also, on regular, full length, non-bonus episodes, many thanks for closing music featuring the Dismembered Tennesseans and vocals by the amazing Laura Walker singing Tennessee Waltz. Opening fiddle music played by the late Mr. Fletcher Bright.

This Day in Jack Benny
Mary's Sister Babe

This Day in Jack Benny

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2025 32:52


April 1, 1951 - Leaving New York to do his TV show, Jack takes Babe Livingstone to the train station. References include The Kefauver Committee, Dick Tracy, the song "The Tennessee Waltz", the radio show Suspense, and Claudette Colbert, Basil Rathbone and Robert Motgomery who would be on his TV show.

the Mountain Echo
2025 Spring: Lookout's Favorite Eatery at The Commons is Back! Hear about the new plans for The Mountain Munchery with Founders Wharton and Hoover

the Mountain Echo

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2025 44:11


'The Ladies' are back! Stephanie Wharton and Starr Hoover are returning for another great season at The Mountain Munchery - Lookout's eatery at The Commons. Parents of young ones - you will want to hear this!Join us in this episode as we learn a lot including how it all began, the headaches and struggles and the new plan for summer 2025. The 'S's' weave a funny tale with twists and turns and funny stories of children paying and all the great memories they already have from operating this great option for hungry and thirsty folks while they are at our town commons. You will hear some specifics about menu items and beverages for this spring/ summer covering both popular returning items and new offerings. These two just bring a smile to your face hearing them share about the adventures of the Munchery and folks at the commons. This is a fun listen and a very informative one - also hear about the signal/sign that they are indeed open. Lots of good info in this episode!Note: This episode was recorded in two segments - one from 2024 and the newest portion from this spring -2025. Enjoy! Your Team at the Mountain EchoThis episode is sponsored by Mountain Lights & Safety of Lookout Mountain.Bo Newberry 463-7704 Outdoor Lighting - Home Security - Smoke & Fire Detection****************************Spread the word! Find us at ...theMountainEcho.orgPlease "Like" and 'subscribe' for notification of new episodes on your media player's podcast menu. Also, on regular, full length, non-bonus episodes, many thanks for closing music featuring the Dismembered Tennesseans and vocals by the amazing Laura Walker singing Tennessee Waltz. Opening fiddle music played by the late Mr. Fletcher Bright.

the Mountain Echo
2025 March - Spring Business/ Legal Episode: The Rocket City Kid Makes Lookout Home and Launches Midtown Intellectual Property in Chattanooga

the Mountain Echo

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2025 55:57


Huntsville's loss is Chattanooga's gain!In this episode of the Mountain Echo, we're thrilled to welcome Dr. Schlecht, a dedicated advocate for intellectual property and the owner of Midtown Intellectual Property, PC. Founded in 2018 and headquartered right here on Lookout Mountain, Midtown IP offers legal services to businesses and startups in Chattanooga and the surrounding area. Serving diverse industries, including pharmaceuticals, life sciences, mechanical engineering, and AI, Midtown IP delivers a range of services, such as patent drafting and prosecution, trademark registration, and IP strategy consulting. With a focus on innovation, the firm supports clients in transforming ideas from the benchtop to the marketplace. Join us as Dr. Schlecht shares his journey to make his home here in our mountain community.Join us as we hear how a little boy living outside of Huntsville and who grew up visiting the Space and Rocket Center and attending summer camp at Covenant College went on to become one of the smartest kids in town and then on to earn a doctorate in Chemistry before moving into the area of law where he now practices - business law, patents and trademarks. And as a bonus, his wife is a Covenant College grad! Dr Schlecht (which ironically is German for 'bad', yet, he is so good!) has moved with his family, and during COVID of all times, to find a lovely home and wonderful life here on Lookout. This episode is fun to listen to as he weaves seamlessly through different topics and as he shares about some of the nuances of services that he now offers clients here on Lookout. He has opened Midtown Intellectual Property (MidtownIP.com) in town and he is open to receiving new clients both individual and companies. Listen in and hear the other various services that Midtown IP offers such as legal counsel, contracts, NDA, patents, trademarks, logos and other business legal needs.As always there are other topics covered and mentioned and some of those in this episode are: Huntsville, Hazel Green, the German language, Rocket City, Space Camp, Chrysler, Redstone Arsenal, Branch Technology, Summit Summer Camp, Covenant College, St. Louis, Goodmans Coffee, Washington University, 'farming grass', Midtown Intellectual Property, quid pro quo, Pylon AI, NDA, etc... Thank YOU for listening!!www.MidtownIP.comEmail Dr. Schlecht at    admin@midtownip.comSpread the word! Find us at ...theMountainEcho.orgPlease "Like" and 'subscribe' for notification of new episodes on your media player's podcast menu. Also, on regular, full length, non-bonus episodes, many thanks for closing music featuring the Dismembered Tennesseans and vocals by the amazing Laura Walker singing Tennessee Waltz. Opening fiddle music played by the late Mr. Fletcher Bright.

the Mountain Echo
2025 Feb: Special Parents Episode- Children's Health and Nutrition with the Experts at Chattanooga's Nutrition World

the Mountain Echo

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2025 74:01


This episode is sponsored by Mountain Lights & Safety of Lookout Mountain.(423) 463-7704Outdoor Lighting - Home Security - Smoke & Fire Detection****************************This episode has been months in the planning and tME hopes that the knowledge and expertise presented will be a welcome resource for parents with children ages infant through high school - and even for parents too!Join in and give a fun listen to Chattanooga Treasure Mr Ed Jones and his amazingly talented daughter Mrs. Cady Kuhlman as they bring just a pinch of their deep knowledge to the listeners of tME. These are two very PASSIONATE health professionals and you will learn this for yourself as you hear some of their stories about how we can help our children. This episode has been talked about for a year or more with listeners and tME is thrilled to finally have it a reality and in the library as a resource for local parents. Coming in at a hair over an hour, this episode is well worth hearing - truly - even if you need to finish it in two listens! You will hear about a lot of topics and terms such as: traditional medicine, acute care, chronic illness, knowledge deficits, ADHD, autism, sick children, immune systems, skin issues, food systems, toxicity, medicine 3.0, protein for children, carb dangers, olive leaf, The CORE FOUR for children, Vital Health Radio, The Holistic Navigator just to name some we remembered!This episode is a MUST for any parents with young children! Hear some great support info for raising young children and what teenagers with demanding schedules need in their health toolbox every day.This is already one of our favorite episodes and as soon as you hear it you will understand why - it's exciting and empowering to know that we can be helping ourselves and our children be our BEST selves every day. Thank you Sir Ed and Dear Cady - you are both Chattanooga Treasures.tMEHome - Nutrition WorldThe Holistic NavigatorVital Health Radio – All About Living a Healthy LifeSpread the word! Find us at ...theMountainEcho.orgPlease "Like" and 'subscribe' for notification of new episodes on your media player's podcast menu. Also, on regular, full length, non-bonus episodes, many thanks for closing music featuring the Dismembered Tennesseans and vocals by the amazing Laura Walker singing Tennessee Waltz. Opening fiddle music played by the late Mr. Fletcher Bright.

the Mountain Echo
2025 Jan - After a decade on Lookout, Atlantan Strib Stribling shares his passions: Family, Relationships and Helping People Discover Their Dream Destinations in the Great Outdoors

the Mountain Echo

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 25, 2025 59:23


This episode is sponsored by Mountain Lights & Safety of Lookout Mountain.(423) 463-7704Outdoor Lighting - Home Security - Smoke & Fire Detection****************************Have you ever dreamed of going to a special place?Do you ever want or need to get away from the hustle and bustle?Do you want to go somewhere but you're just not sure where? Or how to do it.Warning: the following podcast episode may unlock your dreams, high adventure and possibly even some danger - use caution if you proceed!Do yourself a huge favor and join us for another great episode on The Mountain Echo as Strib Stribling opens up about himself, family, relationships and of course, fishing; you will be so glad you did.Do you have a travel wish? A long-held destination wish? This fun and inspiring episode may just be the 'sign' you've been waiting for. Growing up in Atlanta and falling in love with a girl form Lookout, Strib is at his best just relaxing and sharing great stories. Atlanta to Lookout, and parenting along the way, he weaves a great listening experience for listeners as he shares a very powerful message to folks. Strib founded and operates Stribling and Company and he helps people have great experiences via travel and trips in the great outdoors. He does a really good job of explaining what this cool, Lookout-based company does for people, families and groups, Strib has more stories than he does fishing lures - and that's saying a lot!  Sit back for a real treat for your ears, and your heart as this wonderful, talented, skillful and gracious man encourages you to dream big and to have the courage to act on your desires to travel. Spoiler alert: His real goal is even bigger - helping people discover new feelings about themselves and those around them - and the power of relationships.Stribling and Company is the real deal for serious travel - whether personal discovery or group relations and dynamics - friends or corporate. Give Strib a call and talk to him - he's great to talk with and incredibly knowledgeable about many places and about different types of trips. People who have used him already know - ' Strib IS THE Guy'Strib - 'thank you', you did a great job - tMEhttps://www.Striblingandcompany.comSpread the word! Find us at ...theMountainEcho.orgPlease "Like" and 'subscribe' for notification of new episodes on your media player's podcast menu. Also, on regular, full length, non-bonus episodes, many thanks for closing music featuring the Dismembered Tennesseans and vocals by the amazing Laura Walker singing Tennessee Waltz. Opening fiddle music played by the late Mr. Fletcher Bright.

the Mountain Echo
2025 Jan: Ole Miss Student Carter Bennett shares about his new service for mountain residents - The Lookout Shuttle

the Mountain Echo

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 3, 2025 31:10


Join us for another episode of our Young Leaders of Tomorrow series with a brief sit-down featuring Mr Carter Bennett as he shares about himself, his college, his friends and family as well as a new business service he has launched here on Lookout. Carter covers a lot of ground in this fun and casual episode where he mentions a lot of people and places, such as: Chattanooga Christian School, McCallie School, The Incline, Covenant College, McLemore, Camp Alpine, Canyon Grill, and others. Please join in and give a good listen to this impressive young man who is acting on an idea he had and, with the help of his brother Hunt, working to establish it as a needed service for our community. If the The Lookout Shuttle can't help you out- please remember Mr. Ben Wharton who also drives and serves the community with local rides and even rides to Atlanta and Nashville and Knoxville. Ben is online and on the mountain neighborhood page.  Spread the word! Find us at ...theMountainEcho.orgPlease "Like" and 'subscribe' for notification of new episodes on your media player's podcast menu. Also, on regular, full length, non-bonus episodes, many thanks for closing music featuring the Dismembered Tennesseans and vocals by the amazing Laura Walker singing Tennessee Waltz. Opening fiddle music played by the late Mr. Fletcher Bright.

the Mountain Echo
2025 Jan: Lookout Mtn, Georgia Police Chief Dewayne Steele shares about his career, this great community and the challenges of modern police work

the Mountain Echo

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 1, 2025 74:58


This episode is sponsored by Mountain Lights & Safety of Lookout Mountain.(423) 463-7704*****************************Note - this episode was recorded earlier last year. Happy New Years Day! Happy 1 Year Anniversary Chief!What better way to celebrate than with a great podcast episode featuring a true, life-long public servant who has reached the top of the organization structure. What an impressive law enforcement officer Lkt Mtn GA has in Chief Dewayne Steele. His professionalism and grace combine to give a rare total package in law enforcement today - a gentleman. Chalk up a huge 'W' for the Georgia side of the mountain with the promotion to Chief of Dewayne. This is clearly a big win for the community and huge congratulations are in order for all those involved with installing Chief Steele.Job well done!Happy 1-year anniversary (PLUS), Dewayne - keep up the great work! We are lucky to people of your caliber, expertise and character. Lookout Mountain Georgia - well done. You are fortunate to have Chief Steele. Spread the word! Find us at ...theMountainEcho.orgPlease "Like" and 'subscribe' for notification of new episodes on your media player's podcast menu. Also, on regular, full length, non-bonus episodes, many thanks for closing music featuring the Dismembered Tennesseans and vocals by the amazing Laura Walker singing Tennessee Waltz. Opening fiddle music played by the late Mr. Fletcher Bright.

the Mountain Echo
2024 Christmas Special: 'Inherit the Truth", Chattanooga Legend Mr. Jerry Summers shares about the 100th Anniversary of the true Trial of the Century - The Scopes Trial

the Mountain Echo

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2024 55:48


**NOTE**  This episode is dedicated to Mr. George (Butch) Harless a true man and true friend to many, including to his dear friend, Mr. Jerry Summers.And, to Orange Grove Center of Chattanooga for all the care and support they give and where Jerry Summers and others offer help and support. This episode is sponsored by Mountain Lights & Safety of Lookout Mountain.Please join us for our End of Year Grand Finale episode and you will be glad you did. ****************************************************************************************Who would you have if you rolled the following people into one person - Lewis Grizzard, Will Rogers, Bobby Lee Cook and maybe some Perry Mason and Andrew Jackson on the side?You might have a guy named Jerry.Listen in and hear a lot of names and a lot of Tennessee history including aspects that will amaze you about this event in American history. Traditionalism vs Modernism is what some have called this famed event. The Mountain Echo is honored to host a true legend in Chattanooga history - a true 'oak' from White Oak, the famed attorney Mr. Jerry Summers as he shares about a special event coming up about a historic event in US and world history - The Scopes Trial from 1925.This story begins which a wild cast of characters such as: a tennis coach, a pharmacist, the 'father' of TVA, a coal company executive and newspaper folks and of course a football coach. In the summer of 2025, a huge event will take place in the town of Dayton, Tennessee to commemorate the 'Scopes Trial' which s considered my many historians to be one of the most significant trials in US history. The trial captured the attention of our nation and some parts of the world as the trial played out and arguments unfolded and finally as the world waited for the outcome. Jerry does a truly masterful job of walking us through the setting and the significance of it all - a truly mesmerizing tale of American law, politics and social temperature in 1925 - 100 years ago.Join in and enjoy hearing from an authoritative voice as Mr. Summers weaves an excellent layup and story, concluding with many unknown facts about the entire event that just add more and more intrigue as the story unfolds. Many of you may think you may know the story, but you probably have not ever heard anything like this well-researched reedition. You will need to sit down, get comfortable and buckle your seatbelt.Misc. points of discussion include: Sewanee University, UTC, Bryan College, Tennesse history, Chattanooga history, WGN, Dr Harry Lawrence, Lookout Mountain, Central High School, U.S. Supreme Court, Ku Klux Klan, ACLU, Clarence Darrow, Wm Jennings Bryan, Chattanooga Times Free Press, book - Tennessee trivia and more... Many thanks to you Dear Jerry - you are a true gift and blessing to our town and community and we hope to enjoy you for many more years to come. You did a great job here!Your friends at 'the Mountain echo'.* Special thanks to Mr. Chuck Clowdis for his advice, help and support. Thank you Chuck!Spread the word! Find us at ...theMountainEcho.orgPlease "Like" and 'subscribe' for notification of new episodes on your media player's podcast menu. Also, on regular, full length, non-bonus episodes, many thanks for closing music featuring the Dismembered Tennesseans and vocals by the amazing Laura Walker singing Tennessee Waltz. Opening fiddle music played by the late Mr. Fletcher Bright.

the Mountain Echo
2024 Dec - The Lookout Mountain Grand Prix 2025 is getting close - Plan Now

the Mountain Echo

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2024 36:01


tME sits down with longtime mountain resident Mr Chandler Rennick to hear all about the upcoming car race on Lookout Mountain which will 100%, directly benefit the LMS and Fairyland, elementary schools.*********************************************************Many thanks for his time and a job very well done to Chandler. This is a fantastic episode for parents with children who may welcome a fun, challenging activity for these colder winter months - and the great news as Chandler explains is the ease and structure of how it all works. Thanks in large part to his team/ board and community members, this event is planned as a win-win for all involved - see if you know any of these mountain folks - bet you do.Listen in and hear how to learn more, how to participate and when and where the fun will occur. Sounding like a seasoned radio personality, Chandler effortlessly eases the listener through the entire event from all aspects - alpha to omega.  There are some steps you will want to click on and easily complete and the cost is very doable - this event is about supporting our community schools and this simply offers a smart and fun way to do that support. Kudos to Chandler and his talented and supportive wife, Jamie Ann who was instrumental in the event ever happening in the first place. Thank you, Jamie Ann.Helpful info:Chandler Rennick  - CRennick1@gmailwww.EventBrite.comSpread the word! Find us at ...theMountainEcho.orgPlease "Like" and 'subscribe' for notification of new episodes on your media player's podcast menu. Also, on regular, full length, non-bonus episodes, many thanks for closing music featuring the Dismembered Tennesseans and vocals by the amazing Laura Walker singing Tennessee Waltz. Opening fiddle music played by the late Mr. Fletcher Bright.

the Mountain Echo
2024 Nov: Veterans Day Salute - Giving, Serving, Leading and Loving - Lookout's Lt. Col./ DA Clayton Fuller shares what his life is all about

the Mountain Echo

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 11, 2024 75:52


Sounds of Service Series - Part 2 of 2This episode is DEDICATED to Mr. Gene Fuller of Hall County, GA, born 1923, passed 2017 - a true hero to our nation, ... and to his family. What a fine grandson you have, Sir.Wow. Where to even begin?You may have to just sit and listen to this one, folks...there is a lot to unpack and digest in this featured episode for Veterans Day 2024. How lucky we are to have the caliber of individual we have in Clay Fuller.From the banks of the Chattahoochee to Timbuktu - this little fella and he ain't so little, towers in to any space he wants. Making Granddad proud, he is living life to the fulle(r)st from the Pentagon to the Red Sea and from Summerville to Trenton, he is glad to be home and ready to get back to work - a huge thank you to Chief Assistant District Attorney Kevin Baugh and team!He deployed for six months as a legal advisor to military operations in the Middle East in support of the United States Central Command.From the shops in Helen to the fields in Colorado Springs, he has served in the White House and at the Pentagon where he earned the Office of the Secretary of Defense's Award for Outstanding Achievement for work performed in counterterrorism.Listen in and hear how family, faith and a commitment to serve have given Clay a life he could not have better designed himself. Hear the struggles and the stoic observations that we can all relate to and draw strength from as he weaves his story form north Georgia to the high seas of danger with masterful ease.There are sudden surprises in this tale of adventure and with his amazing 'British Bulldog' at his side, they get through it all together. Family, friends, faith, fear, fortitude, strength, perseverance - it's all here. Spoiler alert, you may need a tissue box nearby - this is 'real world' folks - not a drill.And as the newly elected District Attorney for the northwest potion of the State of Georgia - the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit - the bad guys in North Georgia had better watch out - there's a tall new Sheriff back in town and he's from a place called Sautee Nacoochee - yeah, he's tough. The law has another warrior back on the field for sure.Please join in and let's give newly commissioned Lt. Col. Clayton Fuller a standing ovation for a job well done and a service completed.Welcome home safe Dear Clay - your sacrifice and that of your family, your wife Kate and your children is noted - we are grateful.  Welcome home. May your Veterans Day be a good one Clay, your Grandfather is smiling. Annuit Coeptis Clay,tMESpread the word! Find us at ...theMountainEcho.orgPlease "Like" and 'subscribe' for notification of new episodes on your media player's podcast menu. Also, on regular, full length, non-bonus episodes, many thanks for closing music featuring the Dismembered Tennesseans and vocals by the amazing Laura Walker singing Tennessee Waltz. Opening fiddle music played by the late Mr. Fletcher Bright.

the Mountain Echo
2024 Nov Veterans Day Salute: Chattanooga Airman from Lookout, USAF Captain Wil Powell Makes World News Serving Our Country

the Mountain Echo

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 10, 2024 43:53


Our Sounds of Service Series continues for Veterans Day 2024 with two inspiring individuals who have and continue to serve our country. Note* Audio quality was affected due to our interview being over the phone.Thank you for making this interview happen Wil!"Catastrophic aircraft failures", "Averting Catastrophe", Exceptional Airmanship""Heroic recovery at 1,200 ft and dropping", "worst possible case emergency"Air Force Global Strike Command gave the bomber crew the famed General Curtis E. LeMay Award - a rare, high honor.In the first episode, little Wil Powell from LMS isn't little anymore - he's all grown up and soaring high above the clouds and seeing the world with the US Air Force. A master B-52H Stratofortress pilot, Captain Wil Powell is living at one of our nation's two main Air Force bases for this beast of a plane - he is down in Louisiana with the 11th Bomb Squadron. Hear about him almost freezing to death and now how he is practically melting in the summers. Now with a family, Wil shares about growing up on Lookout, his friends, Baylor, McCallie, Auburn, and how he made it to the controls of such an important aircraft. Also, hear about a recent incident that made both national and world news and how Wil was directly involved. Join in and hear from the man himself, making Lookout proud!Thank you, Wilson Powell - thank you for your service!Come home and visit Lookout!Spread the word! Find us at ...theMountainEcho.orgPlease "Like" and 'subscribe' for notification of new episodes on your media player's podcast menu. Also, on regular, full length, non-bonus episodes, many thanks for closing music featuring the Dismembered Tennesseans and vocals by the amazing Laura Walker singing Tennessee Waltz. Opening fiddle music played by the late Mr. Fletcher Bright.

the Mountain Echo
2024 Oct "That's Amore!" After 35 wonderful years, The Pizza Place on Signal is closing and new chapters begin for all

the Mountain Echo

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2024 23:15


Join tME as we hear from owner/ operator Mr Paul Roberts as he shares the origin story and the evolution of this iconic Signal Mountain pizzaria - The Pizza Place. As goes the world, change is coming to The Plaza Shopping Center on Signal Mountain and, after 35 good years, The Pizza Place is closing its doors. Listen in with Paul Roberts as he shares stories from he past, Signal Mtn history, and gives shout outs and thanks to many mountain folks who have been involved in this very American business story over the past 3 and a half decades. Hear about Pual's plans for the future and possible plans for this great location on Signal Mountain.  Also, many thanks to Olivia and her staff including Preston and McKenzie who help us say "goodbye" at the end.  Ronnie - we will of course miss you too. The Pizza Place has set a high bar and been a great example for community businesses to see an example of partnership and cooperation benefits everyone. 35 Years.....Job Well Done Paul Roberts and Team, well done indeed.Spread the word! Find us at ...theMountainEcho.orgPlease "Like" and 'subscribe' for notification of new episodes on your media player's podcast menu. Also, on regular, full length, non-bonus episodes, many thanks for closing music featuring the Dismembered Tennesseans and vocals by the amazing Laura Walker singing Tennessee Waltz. Opening fiddle music played by the late Mr. Fletcher Bright.

the Mountain Echo
20th Anniversary - No Way! "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" Lookout readies for the big tradition with Doug Stein

the Mountain Echo

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 18, 2024 31:40


This episode sponsored by Mountain Lights and Safety.20th Anniversary of the 'New' Great Pumpkin re-start in 2004Dedication: This episode is dual-dedicated to both the late Mrs. Wright of Fairyland and the late Gilbert Stein of Marvin Lane, creator of this wonderful event.Please join in and give a quick listen to hear all about this mountain tradition - the Great Pumpkin (of Fairyland). History, tradition and great memories all combine to make this event a must attend for everyone at least once if not every year. Children of all ages, 1 - 100, please come out and see the joy on Marvin Lane as the fun and awe return this Halloween for everyone. Doug Stein, a longtime friend and close associate of The Pumpkin, will share info on when to come and how to get there and what parents can expect.This has been a fun event that mountain children often refer to, once grown, as some of their great memories from growing up in our community. Parents, please bundle up and come by - you will be very glad you did. Again, many, many thanks to Doug Stein and his family for this gift to our community. Spread the word! Find us at ...theMountainEcho.orgPlease "Like" and 'subscribe' for notification of new episodes on your media player's podcast menu. Also, many thanks for closing music featuring the Dismembered Tennesseans and vocals by the amazing Laura Walker singing Tennessee Waltz. Opening fiddle music played by the late Mr. Fletcher Bright.

the Mountain Echo
2024 Oct - Lookout Community Joining Relief Efforts for People Impacted by Hurricane Helene

the Mountain Echo

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2024 17:25


Lookout Community Leaders Directing Relief Efforts for People ImpactedLet's follow the lead of Dr. K and Kate!Challenge: 1 bag per house - quicklyJoin in for a quick bonus episode as we issue an all-call for mountain folks to bring items to the centralized collection point on Lookout - Lookout Mountain Dental and The Hive. The effort is being led by Dr Leigh Kuyrkendall and Kate Fuller. Residents are asked to bring any items- all types of daily necessity items - for direct donation via a small church in Greenville, TN. Listen in for details of where to bring supplies and who all is involved. Please consider a small bag of clothes, warm blankets and/or any items regularly needed in daily life. even consider items like flashlights, batteries and can openers. No donation is too small and everything will help. Please drop off at least one bag from each house. Again, many thanks and job well done to Dr K (Leigh) for her willingness to drive our community donation to the impacted area. Spread the word! Find us at ...theMountainEcho.orgPlease "Like" and 'subscribe' for notification of new episodes on your media player's podcast menu. FOLLOW us on our Facebook page!Also, many thanks for closing music featuring the Dismembered Tennesseans and vocals by the amazing Laura Walker singing Tennessee Waltz. Opening fiddle music played by the late Mr. Fletcher Bright.

the Mountain Echo
2024 Oct - Bluegrass Special - Eleanor Bright talks about her passions - family and music & the '3 Sisters Festival'

the Mountain Echo

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2024 13:04


'3 Sisters Festival' Last minute bonus episode featuring Eleanor, member of the New Dismembered Tennesseans, as she shares with our listeners about bluegrass, different instruments, the festival lineup and also about helping children discover their musical interests. Many thanks to Eleanor as she was about to go onstage as we recorded next to the stage at Ross's Landing on the riverfront. Here's to a great Three Sisters Festival 2024!Thank you, Eleanor!https://www.3sistersbluegrass.com/ Spread the word! Find us at ...theMountainEcho.orgPlease "Like" and 'subscribe' for notification of new episodes on your media player's podcast menu. FOLLOW us on our Facebook page!Also, many thanks for closing music featuring the Dismembered Tennesseans and vocals by the amazing Laura Walker singing Tennessee Waltz. Opening fiddle music played by the late Mr. Fletcher Bright.

the Mountain Echo
2024 S3 OCT: IT"S CARNIVAL TIME ON LOOKOUT! LMS Fall Carnival Highlights and Promo

the Mountain Echo

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2024 22:39


Season Three kicks off with this quick BONUS episode promoting the Lookout Mountain School's annual FALL FESTIVAL. Join in and hear from two awesome moms on the Carnival committee - Laura Patterson and Kiran Eberle. These ladies do a great job of helping listeners know what to expect at this year's festival including changes and new additions for this fall. This is a quick and helpful episode for anyone planning on going to the carnival and also a good episode for folks just wanting to keep up with how this wonderful Lookout Mtn tradition is continuing and evolving.Also hear a shoutout to others on the committee and others who are helping keep this tradition alive and well.Spread the word! Find us at ...theMountainEcho.orgPlease "Like" and 'subscribe' for notification of new episodes on your media player's podcast menu. FOLLOW us on our Facebook page!Also, many thanks for closing music featuring the Dismembered Tennesseans and vocals by the amazing Laura Walker singing Tennessee Waltz.

30 Albums For 30 Years (1964-1994)
Otis Redding-Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul

30 Albums For 30 Years (1964-1994)

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 17, 2024 15:34


#23- Otis Redding-Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul (Stax) Released October 1966, Recorded May-September 1966  Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul, recorded at Stax Recording Studios in Memphis, is a seminal work in Otis Redding's career and soul music. Produced by Jim Stewart, Isaac Hayes, and Booker T. Jones, the album features legendary Stax studio musicians like Steve Cropper, Donald "Duck" Dunn, Al Jackson Jr., Booker T. Jones, and the Memphis Horns. It includes standout tracks such as the iconic "Try a Little Tenderness," "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)," and "My Lover's Prayer." It covers like "Day Tripper" and "Tennessee Waltz," each showcasing Redding's dynamic vocal range and the band's tight, soulful arrangements. The album received critical acclaim, reaching No. 5 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 73 on the Billboard 200, solidifying Redding's legacy as a master of soulful expression and musical innovation. Full Album on YouTube https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn1E4mv4x-I4oNQ0qlroeWXxa4lDD4Lj9&si=6SlxhnkIL8UdM3Ms Full Album on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/25uNcuL4dAoV62eKmr8Q0Y?si=hK3DknToSX2TkN_3ggWDiA Curated 1966 Playlist Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7I6dzYc5UJfko8unziRMWf?si=a07e4d1e27944d00

Classic 45's Jukebox
Tennessee Waltz by Bobby Comstock and The Counts

Classic 45's Jukebox

Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2024


Label: Blaze 349Year: 1959Condition: M-Price: $18.00This is the greatest rock'n'roll version of one of my very favorite Country tunes. It's been covered many times in many styles, but with its terrific rockabilly guitar break, this one's something special. The flip is also in my iTunes library, a tuneful ballad in a Ricky Nelson/Buddy Holly sorta style. FYI, this was a non-album single. Note: This beautiful copy grades Near Mint across the board (Labels, Vinyl, Audio), with only very minor flaws. The vinyl has very light surface noise.

Pops on Hops
Twoflight Time (Bennie Wallace and Hiatus Brewing Company)

Pops on Hops

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 19, 2024 118:43


Barry and Abigail discuss Twilight Time by Bennie Wallace and sample Time Stands Still, Twinger, Mangoes At Work, and They Call Me Baltastic from Hiatus Brewing Company in Ocala, Florida. Barry has a personal connection to Bennie Wallace through his friend “Uncle” Steve Moore, whose Oscar-nominated animated short “Redux Riding Hood” features a score written by Bennie. Watch "Redux Riding Hood" or read Uncle Steve's blog post about its production! Many thanks to Lucas Frank, owner and brewer of Hiatus Brewing Company, for sitting down with us to talk about the history and the branding of the brewery! Barry shared his other Los Angeles jazz experiences at Chadney's, across the street from the NBC Studios. One memorable performance was by trombone player Matt Finders, who was part of Tonight Show with Jay Leno Band led by Kevin Eubanks. Check out Barry's playlist of the songs that were covered by Bennie Wallace on this album! Abigail could not help but hear Silver Bells in The Tennessee Waltz. Abigail and Barry compared Willie Mae to Linus and Lucy by Vince Guaraldi Trio, from the soundtrack to “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Up next… Diorama by Silverchair, submitted to our Virtual Jukebox by Ian Rees Jingles are by our friend Pete Coe. Visit Anosmia Awareness for more information on Barry's condition. Follow Barry or Abigail on Untappd to see what we're drinking when we're not on mic! Leave us a rating or a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! Facebook | Instagram | X | YouTube | Website | Email us | Virtual Jukebox --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pops-on-hops-podcast/message

Pinkie The Pig Podcast
0967 Pinkie The Pig Podcast/ Instrumental "Tennessee Waltz" SING ALONG !

Pinkie The Pig Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 24, 2024 2:57


Instrumental "Tennessee Waltz" SING ALONG !Time to Sing and Dance !Melody Written by : Pee Wee KingLyrics Written by : Redd Stewart 1946Producer Renee plays her version on Piano + Guitar Here are the lyrics: I was dancing with my darling to The Tennessee WaltzWhen an old friend I happened to seeI introduced her to my fella and while they were dancingMy friend stole my fella from meI remember the night and The Tennessee WaltzNow I know just how much I have lostYes, I lo...st my fella on the night they were dancingTo The  Beautiful Tennessee WaltzNow I wonder how a dance like The Tennessee WaltzCould have broken my heart so completeWell I could blame my fellaBut who could help but a fallingIn love with my fellow so sweetWell it must be the fault of The Tennessee WaltzWish I'd known just how much it would costBut I didn't see it comingIt's all over but the cryingI blame it all on The Tennessee WaltzIt must have been The Tennessee Waltzhttp://PinkieThePigPodcast.com

Pinkie The Pig Podcast
0966 Pinkie The Pig Podcast/ Tuesday's Tune ***** PINKIE SINGS "Tennessee Waltz"

Pinkie The Pig Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2024 5:37


PINKIE SINGS "Tennessee Waltz"Melody Written by : Pee Wee KingLyrics Written by : Redd Stewart 1946Producer Renee: Vocals/ Piano/ Guitar http://PinkieThePigPodcast.com

Bourbon and BS Podcast
Episode 296.1: Nashville Barrel Co. OHLQ picks and Crowned Heads Tennessee Waltz

Bourbon and BS Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2023 53:56


We had the opportunity to help select the newest release of OHLQ's Single Barrel Saturday collection from Nashville Barrel Company. We are discussing the selections and the process we did with OHLQ. We are also smoking something based out of Nashville and something typically only available in Tennessee, the Tennessee Waltz from Crowned Heads. Part Two: Embrace the Change As we get closer to the end of the year, it is a perfect time to think about how 2023 has gone for us. How do you handle things changing and also staying the same. Are you busier than you thought, have you grown, and what is changing for you? Ask questions on the feed during the show or after if you want to be part of the conversation! Pour one more...light up another...we'll figure it out together. Please Drink Responsibly byjack.com/bourbonandbs to buy some shirts! Thanks to our sponsors: All of you that have been supporting us! Join our patrons at patreon.com/bourbonandbspodcast to help support the continuing growth of the show and the community. Tinder Box at Easton for the weekly featured cigar and check them out for their current featured cigar at eastontinderbox@gmail.com Altadis USA for the weekly second cigar and the continued support BS Cigar Company for the continued support! Check them out at bscigarcompany@gmail.com for ordering the BS Gold and BS Silver

the Mountain Echo
2023 A Message from the past, to Us, of today, for Thanksgiving

the Mountain Echo

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2023 74:13


SPECIAL THANKSGIVING EPISODEA two-part message- from the past- for each and all of us this Thanksgiving.1) the importance of perseverance2) the importance of friends3) the importance of working togetherThis is not a long or stuffy official message. It is not from a famed or even a noted historian. It has not been approved or reviewed by a board or anyone for that matter. It is simply a message of hope for a world that seems to always need some. No politics were used in the creation of this message - just three books and years of study on the subject. Also present is the wholehearted and fully accepted belief that many opinions can exist and that little in life is black and white and that much is gray. May we focus on the glass being half full and may we do our best to keep on the sunny side of life and each other. With a humble heart - may we all give thanks - even, and especially when it is the darkest...Enjoy...Spread the word! Find us at ...theMountainEcho.orgPlease "Like" and 'subscribe' for notification of new episodes on your media player's podcast menu. FOLLOW us on our Facebook page!Also, many thanks for closing music featuring the Dismembered Tennesseans and vocals by the amazing Laura Walker singing Tennessee Waltz.

the Mountain Echo
It's BLOCK PARTY Time Folks! It's 'Halloween on Hardy'! Saturday Oct 28, 2023

the Mountain Echo

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 28, 2023 5:41


Limos, Lip Fillers and Libations.... what more could you want??Everyone is invited to come to the Mountain Hall next to the GA fire hall. The fun starts at 5:00pm ... remember to bring some cash for the donations. All proceeds go to support the Georgia Fire and Police. We hope to see YOU there!Spread the word! Find us at ...theMountainEcho.orgPlease "Like" and 'subscribe' for notification of new episodes on your media player's podcast menu. FOLLOW us on our Facebook page!Also, many thanks for closing music featuring the Dismembered Tennesseans and vocals by the amazing Laura Walker singing Tennessee Waltz.

the Mountain Echo
2023: US Navy Flight Surgeon, Doctor, Priest, Missionary, Husband and Father - 92 Full Years and Going Strong, Lookout Treasure Harry Lawrence shares his life story and his advice for us all - Don't miss it

the Mountain Echo

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2023 54:36


'The Hound of Heaven'This is a treat for the ears and the heart.Harry is a rare and blessed one indeed - Join us for a delightful discussion with a truly amazing man - Mr. Harry Lawrence. A graduate of the Caulkins School, then Lookout Mountain Elementary, then Baylor School, then Washington and Lee University and UT Memphis Medical School and then Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Hear how his family was a very familiar household name in Chattanooga for decades as their family business served many folks. Harry shares about his service in the armed forces and how it led him to his ultimate vocation in medicine. He even helped to oversee the residency program for new eye doctors here in Chattanooga for many years - and loved it. Harry also shares about what the Episcopal Church has meant to him over the years and how the' hound of heaven' finally came for him. Also powerful in Harry's life has been his work abroad and he kindly shares how he served through medical missions around the world. Claiming he is 92 years young, you have to hear this amazing man, - he surely means 29, not 92! Please don't miss his advice for each of us as we navigate today's troubled world. Harry - thank you for making my job so easy and for the good laughs - you did great!Spread the word! Find us at ...theMountainEcho.orgPlease "Like" and 'subscribe' for notification of new episodes on your media player's podcast menu. FOLLOW us on our Facebook page!Also, many thanks for closing music featuring the Dismembered Tennesseans and vocals by the amazing Laura Walker singing Tennessee Waltz.

the Mountain Echo
"Lookout Says 'Thank You'" event - Lookout residents Invited this Wednesday morning, October 4th, at Canopy Coffee

the Mountain Echo

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2023 2:45


Residents of both town communities are invited to attend the "Lookout Says 'Thank You'" event at Canopy coffee from 9 until 10 am Wednesday morning October 4. This is the Lookout version of the national Coffee with a Cop event that is held nationwide on the first Wednesday of October in communities across the nation. The first event of this national program on Lookout was back in the fall of 2020 which was handled as a coffee drop off event due to the COVID pandemic and social distancing. This year will see the return of the Lookout Mountain version of this event which is more than Coffee with a Cop but rather, coffee with EMS, Fire and Police - all together. Both Georgia and Tennessee communities are of course a part of this event and both Chiefs plan to attend as well as some of the new members of each department. Lookout Mountain has been very fortunate in so many ways and one of those is certainly that we have well trained and certified first responders especially in the medical field. Spread the word! Find us at ...theMountainEcho.orgPlease "Like" and 'subscribe' for notification of new episodes on your media player's podcast menu. FOLLOW us on our Facebook page!Also, many thanks for closing music featuring the Dismembered Tennesseans and vocals by the amazing Laura Walker singing Tennessee Waltz.

This Is Nashville
From ‘Rocky Top' to ‘Tennessee Waltz,' corruption scandals are an old song in Tennessee

This Is Nashville

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 21, 2023 50:42


As the state legislature enters its special session, reporters and watchdogs are circling to make sure everyone plays by the rules. In their new book, Welcome to Capitol Hill, authors Joel Ebert and Erik Schelzig reveal that Tennessee has had more than its fair share of political scandals over the last 50 years. From bribery to sexual harassment to selling pardons for cash, these scandals, and their aftermath, have helped shape today's political landscape and the rules politicians and lobbyists have to follow. This is Nashville sits down with the authors and with Keel Hunt, whose book Coup investigates why a Democrat-controlled Tennessee legislature changed history by installing a Republican governor three days early. First, we'll talk with WPLN news producer Cindy Abrams about a visit to Nashville from one of soccer's biggest stars. Guests: Joel Ebert, assistant director of the speaker series at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics, co-author of Welcome to Capitol Hill Erik Schelzig, editor of Tennessee Journal, co-author of Welcome to Capitol Hill Keel Hunt, columnist for The Tennessean, author of Coup This episode was produced by Char Daston.

The Cigar Social Podcast
Jon Huber from Crowned Heads Cigars and the Tennessee Waltz

The Cigar Social Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2023 71:18


Matt sits with Jon Huber, Co Owner of Crowned Heads Cigars. We chat about his experience, his brand and how he got his start in the cigar industry.  #CYOP #CrownedHeads #cigars #thecigarsocialpodcast #podcast #Adictivo #SmallBatch #malt #whiskey #tenneseewaltz #pssita #botl #sotl #ChiTownCrew #CigarDojo #CAO #like #subscribe #listen #share #support #thankyou   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecigarsocial/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecigarsocial/support

A History Of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs
Episode 163: “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding

A History Of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2023


Episode 163 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay", Stax Records, and the short, tragic, life of Otis Redding. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a twenty-three minute bonus episode available, on "Soul Man" by Sam and Dave. 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 this week, as there are too many songs by Redding, even if I split into multiple parts. The main resource I used for the biographical details of Redding was Dreams to Remember: Otis Redding, Stax Records, and the Transformation of Southern Soul by Mark Ribowsky. Ribowsky is usually a very good, reliable, writer, but in this case there are a couple of lapses in editing which make it not a book I can wholeheartedly recommend, but the research on the biographical details of Redding seems to be the best. Information about Stax comes primarily from two books: Soulsville USA: The Story of Stax by Rob Bowman, and Respect Yourself: Stax Records and the Soul Explosion by Robert Gordon. Country Soul by Charles L Hughes is a great overview of the soul music made in Muscle Shoals, Memphis, and Nashville in the sixties. There are two Original Album Series box sets which between them contain all the albums Redding released in his life plus his first few posthumous albums, for a low price. Volume 1, volume 2. Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript A quick note before I begin -- this episode ends with a description of a plane crash, which some people may find upsetting. There's also a mention of gun violence. In 2019 the film Summer of Soul came out. If you're unfamiliar with this film, it's a documentary of an event, the Harlem Cultural Festival, which gets called the "Black Woodstock" because it took place in the summer of 1969, overlapping the weekend that Woodstock happened. That event was a series of weekend free concerts in New York, performed by many of the greatest acts in Black music at that time -- people like Stevie Wonder, David Ruffin, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, the Staple Singers, Sly and the Family Stone, Nina Simone, and the Fifth Dimension. One thing that that film did was to throw into sharp relief a lot of the performances we've seen over the years by legends of white rock music of the same time. If you watch the film of Woodstock, or the earlier Monterey Pop festival, it's apparent that a lot of the musicians are quite sloppy. This is easy to dismiss as being a product of the situation -- they're playing outdoor venues, with no opportunity to soundcheck, using primitive PA systems, and often without monitors. Anyone would sound a bit sloppy in that situation, right? That is until you listen to the performances on the Summer of Soul soundtrack. The performers on those shows are playing in the same kind of circumstances, and in the case of Woodstock literally at the same time, so it's a fair comparison, and there really is no comparison. Whatever you think of the quality of the *music* (and some of my very favourite artists played at Monterey and Woodstock), the *musicianship* is orders of magnitude better at the Harlem Cultural Festival [Excerpt: Gladys Knight and the Pips “I Heard it Through the Grapevine (live)”] And of course there's a reason for this. Most of the people who played at those big hippie festivals had not had the same experiences as the Black musicians. The Black players were mostly veterans of the chitlin' circuit, where you had to play multiple shows a day, in front of demanding crowds who wanted their money's worth, and who wanted you to be able to play and also put on a show at the same time. When you're playing for crowds of working people who have spent a significant proportion of their money to go to the show, and on a bill with a dozen other acts who are competing for that audience's attention, you are going to get good or stop working. The guitar bands at Woodstock and Monterey, though, hadn't had the same kind of pressure. Their audiences were much more forgiving, much more willing to go with the musicians, view themselves as part of a community with them. And they had to play far fewer shows than the chitlin' circuit veterans, so they simply didn't develop the same chops before becoming famous (the best of them did after fame, of course). And so it's no surprise that while a lot of bands became more famous as a result of the Monterey Pop Festival, only three really became breakout stars in America as a direct result of it. One of those was the Who, who were already the third or fourth biggest band in the UK by that point, either just behind or just ahead of the Kinks, and so the surprise is more that it took them that long to become big in America. But the other two were themselves veterans of the chitlin' circuit. If you buy the Criterion Collection Blu-Ray of Monterey Pop, you get two extra discs along with the disc with the film of the full festival on it -- the only two performances that were thought worth turning into their own short mini-films. One of them is Jimi Hendrix's performance, and we will talk about that in a future episode. The other is titled Shake! Otis at Monterey: [Excerpt: Otis Redding, "Shake! (live at Monterey Pop Festival)"] Otis Redding came from Macon, Georgia, the home town of Little Richard, who became one of his biggest early influences, and like Richard he was torn in his early years between religion and secular music -- though in most other ways he was very different from Richard, and in particular he came from a much more supportive family. While his father, Otis senior, was a deacon in the church, and didn't approve much of blues, R&B, or jazz music or listen to it himself, he didn't prevent his son from listening to it, so young Otis grew up listening to records by Richard -- of whom he later said "If it hadn't been for Little Richard I would not be here... Richard has soul too. My present music has a lot of him in it" -- and another favourite, Clyde McPhatter: [Excerpt: Billy Ward and the Dominoes, "Have Mercy Baby"] Indeed, it's unclear exactly how much Otis senior *did* disapprove of those supposedly-sinful kinds of music. The biography I used as a source for this, and which says that Otis senior wouldn't listen to blues or jazz music at all, also quotes his son as saying that when he was a child his mother and father used to play him "a calypso song out then called 'Run Joe'" That will of course be this one: [Excerpt: Louis Jordan, "Run Joe"] I find it hard to reconcile the idea of someone who refused to listen to the blues or jazz listening to Louis Jordan, but then people are complex. Whatever Otis senior's feelings about secular music, he recognised from a very early age that his son had a special talent, and encouraged him to become a gospel singer. And at the same time he was listening to Little Richard, young Otis was also listening to gospel singers. One particular influence was a blind street singer, Reverend Pearly Brown: [Excerpt: Reverend Pearly Brown, "Ninety Nine and a Half Won't Do"] Redding was someone who cared deeply about his father's opinion, and it might well have been that he would eventually have become a gospel performer, because he started his career with a foot in both camps. What seems to have made the difference is that when he was sixteen, his father came down with tuberculosis. Even a few years earlier this would have been a terminal diagnosis, but thankfully by this point antibiotics had been invented, and the deacon eventually recovered. But it did mean that Otis junior had to become the family breadwinner while his father was sick, and so he turned decisively towards the kind of music that could make more money. He'd already started performing secular music. He'd joined a band led by Gladys Williams, who was the first female bandleader in the area. Williams sadly doesn't seem to have recorded anything -- discogs has a listing of a funk single by a Gladys Williams on a tiny label which may or may not be the same person, but in general she avoided recording studios, only wanting to play live -- but she was a very influential figure in Georgia music. According to her former trumpeter Newton Collier, who later went on to play with Redding and others, she trained both Fats Gonder and Lewis Hamlin, who went on to join the lineup of James Brown's band that made Live at the Apollo, and Collier says that Hamlin's arrangements for that album, and the way the band would segue from one track to another, were all things he'd been taught by Miss Gladys. Redding sang with Gladys Williams for a while, and she took him under her wing, trained him, and became his de facto first manager. She got him to perform at local talent shows, where he won fifteen weeks in a row, before he got banned from performing to give everyone else a chance. At all of these shows, the song he performed was one that Miss Gladys had rehearsed with him, Little Richard's "Heeby Jeebies": [Excerpt: Little Richard, "Heeby Jeebies"] At this time, Redding's repertoire was largely made up of songs by the two greats of fifties Georgia R&B -- Little Richard and James Brown -- plus some by his other idol Sam Cooke, and those singers would remain his greatest influences throughout his career. After his stint with Williams, Redding went on to join another band, Pat T Cake and the Mighty Panthers, whose guitarist Johnny Jenkins would be a major presence in his life for several years. The Mighty Panthers were soon giving Redding top billing, and advertising gigs as featuring Otis "Rockin' Robin" Redding -- presumably that was another song in his live repertoire. By this time Redding was sounding enough like Little Richard that when Richard's old backing band, The Upsetters, were looking for a new singer after Richard quit rock and roll for the ministry, they took Redding on as their vocalist for a tour. Once that tour had ended, Redding returned home to find that Johnny Jenkins had quit the Mighty Panthers and formed a new band, the Pinetoppers. Redding joined that band, who were managed by a white teenager named Phil Walden, who soon became Redding's personal manager as well. Walden and Redding developed a very strong bond, to the extent that Walden, who was studying at university, spent all his tuition money promoting Redding and almost got kicked out. When Redding found this out, he actually went round to everyone he knew and got loans from everyone until he had enough to pay for Walden's tuition -- much of it paid in coins. They had a strong enough bond that Walden would remain his manager for the rest of Redding's life, and even when Walden had to do two years in the Army in Germany, he managed Redding long-distance, with his brother looking after things at home. But of course, there wasn't much of a music industry in Georgia, and so with Walden's blessing and support, he moved to LA in 1960 to try to become a star. Just before he left, his girlfriend Zelma told him she was pregnant. He assured her that he was only going to be away for a few months, and that he would be back in time for the birth, and that he intended to come back to Georgia rich and marry her. Her response was "Sure you is". In LA, Redding met up with a local record producer, James "Jimmy Mack" McEachin, who would later go on to become an actor, appearing in several films with Clint Eastwood. McEachin produced a session for Redding at Gold Star studios, with arrangements by Rene Hall and using several of the musicians who later became the Wrecking Crew. "She's All Right", the first single that came from that session, was intended to sound as much like Jackie Wilson as possible, and was released under the name of The Shooters, the vocal group who provided the backing vocals: [Excerpt: The Shooters, "She's All Right"] "She's All Right" was released on Trans World, a small label owned by Morris Bernstein, who also owned Finer Arts records (and "She's All Right" seems to have been released on both labels). Neither of Bernstein's labels had any great success -- the biggest record they put out was a single by the Hollywood Argyles that came out after they'd stopped having hits -- and they didn't have any connection to the R&B market. Redding and McEachin couldn't find any R&B labels that wanted to pick up their recordings, and so Redding did return to Georgia and marry Zelma a few days before the birth of their son Dexter. Back in Georgia, he hooked up again with the Pinetoppers, and he and Jenkins started trying local record labels, attempting to get records put out by either of them. Redding was the first, and Otis Redding and the Pinetoppers put out a single, "Shout Bamalama", a slight reworking of a song that he'd recorded as "Gamma Lamma" for McEachin, which was obviously heavily influenced by Little Richard: [Excerpt: Otis Redding and the Pinetoppers, "Shout Bamalama"] That single was produced by a local record company owner, Bobby Smith, who signed Redding to a contract which Redding didn't read, but which turned out to be a management contract as well as a record contract. This would later be a problem, as Redding didn't have an actual contract with Phil Walden -- one thing that comes up time and again in stories about music in the Deep South at this time is people operating on handshake deals and presuming good faith on the part of each other. There was a problem with the record which nobody had foreseen though -- Redding was the first Black artist signed to Smith's label, which was called Confederate Records, and its logo was the Southern Cross. Now Smith, by all accounts, was less personally racist than most white men in Georgia at the time, and hadn't intended that as any kind of statement of white supremacy -- he'd just used a popular local symbol, without thinking through the implications. But as the phrase goes, intent isn't magic, and while Smith didn't intend it as racist, rather unsurprisingly Black DJs and record shops didn't see things in the same light. Smith was told by several DJs that they wouldn't play the record while it was on that label, and he started up a new subsidiary label, Orbit, and put the record out on that label. Redding and Smith continued collaborating, and there were plans for Redding to put out a second single on Orbit. That single was going to be "These Arms of Mine", a song Redding had originally given to another Confederate artist, a rockabilly performer called Buddy Leach (who doesn't seem to be the same Buddy Leach as the Democratic politician from Louisiana, or the saxophone player with George Thorogood and the Destroyers). Leach had recorded it as a B-side, with the slightly altered title "These Arms Are Mine". Sadly I can't provide an excerpt of that, as the record is so rare that even websites I've found by rockabilly collectors who are trying to get everything on Confederate Records haven't managed to get hold of copies. Meanwhile, Johnny Jenkins had been recording on another label, Tifco, and had put out a single called "Pinetop": [Excerpt: Johnny Jenkins and the Pinetoppers, "Pinetop"] That record had attracted the attention of Joe Galkin. Galkin was a semi-independent record promoter, who had worked for Atlantic in New York before moving back to his home town of Macon. Galkin had proved himself as a promoter by being responsible for the massive amounts of airplay given to Solomon Burke's "Just Out of Reach (of My Two Open Arms)": [Excerpt: Solomon Burke, "Just Out of Reach (of My Two Open Arms)"] After that, Jerry Wexler had given Galkin fifty dollars a week and an expense account, and Galkin would drive to all the Black radio stations in the South and pitch Atlantic's records to them. But Galkin also had his own record label, Gerald Records, and when he went to those stations and heard them playing something from a smaller label, he would quickly negotiate with that smaller label, buy the master and the artist's contract, and put the record out on Gerald Records -- and then he would sell the track and the artist on to Atlantic, taking ten percent of the record's future earnings and a finder's fee. This is what happened with Johnny Jenkins' single, which was reissued on Gerald and then on Atlantic. Galkin signed Jenkins to a contract -- another of those contracts which also made him Jenkins' manager, and indeed the manager of the Pinetops. Jenkins' record ended up selling about twenty-five thousand records, but when Galkin saw the Pinetoppers performing live, he realised that Otis Redding was the real star. Since he had a contract with Jenkins, he came to an agreement with Walden, who was still Jenkins' manager as well as Redding's -- Walden would get fifty percent of Jenkins' publishing and they would be co-managers of Jenkins. But Galkin had plans for Redding, which he didn't tell anyone about, not even Redding himself. The one person he did tell was Jerry Wexler, who he phoned up and asked for two thousand dollars, explaining that he wanted to record Jenkins' follow-up single at Stax, and he also wanted to bring along a singer he'd discovered, who sang with Jenkins' band. Wexler agreed -- Atlantic had recently started distributing Stax's records on a handshake deal of much the same kind that Redding had with Walden. As far as everyone else was concerned, though, the session was just for Johnny Jenkins, the known quantity who'd already released a single for Atlantic. Otis Redding, meanwhile, was having to work a lot of odd jobs to feed his rapidly growing family, and one of those jobs was to work as Johnny Jenkins' driver, as Jenkins didn't have a driving license. So Galkin suggested that, given that Memphis was quite a long drive, Redding should drive Galkin and Jenkins to Stax, and carry the equipment for them. Bobby Smith, who still thought of himself as Redding's manager, was eager to help his friend's bandmate with his big break (and to help Galkin, in the hope that maybe Atlantic would start distributing Confederate too), and so he lent Redding the company station wagon to drive them to the session.The other Pinetoppers wouldn't be going -- Jenkins was going to be backed by Booker T and the MGs, the normal Stax backing band. Phil Walden, though, had told Redding that he should try to take the opportunity to get himself heard by Stax, and he pestered the musicians as they recorded Jenkins' "Spunky": [Excerpt: Johnny Jenkins, "Spunky"] Cropper later remembered “During the session, Al Jackson says to me, ‘The big tall guy that was driving Johnny, he's been bugging me to death, wanting me to hear him sing,' Al said, ‘Would you take some time and get this guy off of my back and listen to him?' And I said, ‘After the session I'll try to do it,' and then I just forgot about it.” What Redding didn't know, though Walden might have, is that Galkin had planned all along to get Redding to record while he was there. Galkin claimed to be Redding's manager, and told Jim Stewart, the co-owner of Stax who acted as main engineer and supervising producer on the sessions at this point, that Wexler had only funded the session on the basis that Redding would also get a shot at recording. Stewart was unimpressed -- Jenkins' session had not gone well, and it had taken them more than two hours to get two tracks down, but Galkin offered Stewart a trade -- Galkin, as Redding's manager, would take half of Stax's mechanical royalties for the records (which wouldn't be much) but in turn would give Stewart half the publishing on Redding's songs. That was enough to make Stewart interested, but by this point Booker T. Jones had already left the studio, so Steve Cropper moved to the piano for the forty minutes that was left of the session, with Jenkins remaining on guitar, and they tried to get two sides of a single cut. The first track they cut was "Hey Hey Baby", which didn't impress Stewart much -- he simply said that the world didn't need another Little Richard -- and so with time running out they cut another track, the ballad Redding had already given to Buddy Leach. He asked Cropper, who didn't play piano well, to play "church chords", by which he meant triplets, and Cropper said "he started singing ‘These Arms of Mine' and I know my hair lifted about three inches and I couldn't believe this guy's voice": [Excerpt: Otis Redding, "These Arms of Mine"] That was more impressive, though Stewart carefully feigned disinterest. Stewart and Galkin put together a contract which signed Redding to Stax -- though they put the single out on the less-important Volt subsidiary, as they did for much of Redding's subsequent output -- and gave Galkin and Stewart fifty percent each of the publishing rights to Redding's songs. Redding signed it, not even realising he was signing a proper contract rather than just one for a single record, because he was just used to signing whatever bit of paper was put in front of him at the time. This one was slightly different though, because Redding had had his twenty-first birthday since the last time he'd signed a contract, and so Galkin assumed that that meant all his other contracts were invalid -- not realising that Redding's contract with Bobby Smith had been countersigned by Redding's mother, and so was also legal. Walden also didn't realise that, but *did* realise that Galkin representing himself as Redding's manager to Stax might be a problem, so he quickly got Redding to sign a proper contract, formalising the handshake basis they'd been operating on up to that point. Walden was at this point in the middle of his Army service, but got the signature while he was home on leave. Walden then signed a deal with Galkin, giving Walden half of Galkin's fifty percent cut of Redding's publishing in return for Galkin getting a share of Walden's management proceeds. By this point everyone was on the same page -- Otis Redding was going to be a big star, and he became everyone's prime focus. Johnny Jenkins remained signed to Walden's agency -- which quickly grew to represent almost every big soul star that wasn't signed to Motown -- but he was regarded as a footnote. His record came out eventually on Volt, almost two years later, but he didn't release another record until 1968. Jenkins did, though, go on to have some influence. In 1970 he was given the opportunity to sing lead on an album backed by Duane Allman and the members of the Muscle Shoals studio band, many of whom went on to form the Allman Brothers Band. That record contained a cover of Dr. John's "I Walk on Guilded Splinters" which was later sampled by Beck for "Loser", the Wu-Tang Clan for "Gun Will Go" and Oasis for their hit "Go Let it Out": [Excerpt: Johnny Jenkins, "I Walk on Guilded Splinters"] Jenkins would play guitar on several future Otis Redding sessions, but would hold a grudge against Redding for the rest of his life for taking the stardom he thought was rightfully his, and would be one of the few people to have anything negative to say about Redding after his early death. When Bobby Smith heard about the release of "These Arms of Mine", he was furious, as his contract with Redding *was* in fact legally valid, and he'd been intending to get Redding to record the song himself. However, he realised that Stax could call on the resources of Atlantic Records, and Joe Galkin also hinted that if he played nice Atlantic might start distributing Confederate, too. Smith signed away all his rights to Redding -- again, thinking that he was only signing away the rights to a single record and song, and not reading the contract closely enough. In this case, Smith only had one working eye, and that wasn't good enough to see clearly -- he had to hold paper right up to his face to read anything on it -- and he simply couldn't read the small print on the contract, and so signed over Otis Redding's management, record contract, and publishing, for a flat seven hundred dollars. Now everything was legally -- if perhaps not ethically -- in the clear. Phil Walden was Otis Redding's manager, Stax was his record label, Joe Galkin got a cut off the top, and Walden, Galkin, and Jim Stewart all shared Redding's publishing. Although, to make it a hit, one more thing had to happen, and one more person had to get a cut of the song: [Excerpt: Otis Redding, "These Arms of Mine"] That sound was becoming out of fashion among Black listeners at the time. It was considered passe, and even though the Stax musicians loved the record, Jim Stewart didn't, and put it out not because he believed in Otis Redding, but because he believed in Joe Galkin. As Stewart later said “The Black radio stations were getting out of that Black country sound, we put it out to appease and please Joe.” For the most part DJs ignored the record, despite Galkin pushing it -- it was released in October 1962, that month which we have already pinpointed as the start of the sixties, and came out at the same time as a couple of other Stax releases, and the one they were really pushing was Carla Thomas' "I'll Bring it Home to You", an answer record to Sam Cooke's "Bring it On Home to Me": [Excerpt: Carla Thomas, "I'll Bring it Home to You"] "These Arms of Mine" wasn't even released as the A-side -- that was "Hey Hey Baby" -- until John R came along. John R was a Nashville DJ, and in fact he was the reason that Bobby Smith even knew that Redding had signed to Stax. R had heard Buddy Leach's version of the song, and called Smith, who was a friend of his, to tell him that his record had been covered, and that was the first Smith had heard of the matter. But R also called Jim Stewart at Stax, and told him that he was promoting the wrong side, and that if they started promoting "These Arms of Mine", R would play the record on his radio show, which could be heard in twenty-eight states. And, as a gesture of thanks for this suggestion -- and definitely not as payola, which would be very illegal -- Stewart gave R his share of the publishing rights to the song, which eventually made the top twenty on the R&B charts, and slipped into the lower end of the Hot One Hundred. "These Arms of Mine" was actually recorded at a turning point for Stax as an organisation. By the time it was released, Booker T Jones had left Memphis to go to university in Indiana to study music, with his tuition being paid for by his share of the royalties for "Green Onions", which hit the charts around the same time as Redding's first session: [Excerpt: Booker T. and the MGs, "Green Onions"] Most of Stax's most important sessions were recorded at weekends -- Jim Stewart still had a day job as a bank manager at this point, and he supervised the records that were likely to be hits -- so Jones could often commute back to the studio for session work, and could play sessions during his holidays. The rest of the time, other people would cover the piano parts, often Cropper, who played piano on Redding's next sessions, with Jenkins once again on guitar. As "These Arms of Mine" didn't start to become a hit until March, Redding didn't go into the studio again until June, when he cut the follow-up, "That's What My Heart Needs", with the MGs, Jenkins, and the horn section of the Mar-Keys. That made number twenty-seven on the Cashbox R&B chart -- this was in the period when Billboard had stopped having one. The follow-up, "Pain in My Heart", was cut in September and did even better, making number eleven on the Cashbox R&B chart: [Excerpt: Otis Redding, "Pain in My Heart"] It did well enough in fact that the Rolling Stones cut a cover version of the track: [Excerpt: The Rolling Stones, "Pain in My Heart"] Though Redding didn't get the songwriting royalties -- by that point Allen Toussaint had noticed how closely it resembled a song he'd written for Irma Thomas, "Ruler of My Heart": [Excerpt: Irma Thomas, "Ruler of My Heart"] And so the writing credit was changed to be Naomi Neville, one of the pseudonyms Toussaint used. By this point Redding was getting steady work, and becoming a popular live act. He'd put together his own band, and had asked Jenkins to join, but Jenkins didn't want to play second fiddle to him, and refused, and soon stopped being invited to the recording sessions as well. Indeed, Redding was *eager* to get as many of his old friends working with him as he could. For his second and third sessions, as well as bringing Jenkins, he'd brought along a whole gang of musicians from his touring show, and persuaded Stax to put out records by them, too. At those sessions, as well as Redding's singles, they also cut records by his valet (which was the term R&B performers in those years used for what we'd now call a gofer or roadie) Oscar Mack: [Excerpt: Oscar Mack, "Don't Be Afraid of Love"] For Eddie Kirkland, the guitarist in his touring band, who had previously played with John Lee Hooker and whose single was released under the name "Eddie Kirk": [Excerpt: Eddie Kirk, "The Hawg, Part 1"] And Bobby Marchan, a singer and female impersonator from New Orleans who had had some massive hits a few years earlier both on his own and as the singer with Huey "Piano" Smith and the Clowns, but had ended up in Macon without a record deal and been taken under Redding's wing: [Excerpt: Bobby Marchan, "What Can I Do?"] Redding would continue, throughout his life, to be someone who tried to build musical careers for his friends, though none of those singles was successful. The changes in Stax continued. In late autumn 1963, Atlantic got worried by the lack of new product coming from Stax. Carla Thomas had had a couple of R&B hits, and they were expecting a new single, but every time Jerry Wexler phoned Stax asking where the new single was, he was told it would be coming soon but the equipment was broken. After a couple of weeks of this, Wexler decided something fishy was going on, and sent Tom Dowd, his genius engineer, down to Stax to investigate. Dowd found when he got there that the equipment *was* broken, and had been for weeks, and was a simple fix. When Dowd spoke to Stewart, though, he discovered that they didn't know where to source replacement parts from. Dowd phoned his assistant in New York, and told him to go to the electronics shop and get the parts he needed. Then, as there were no next-day courier services at that time, Dowd's assistant went to the airport, found a flight attendant who was flying to Memphis, and gave her the parts and twenty-five dollars, with a promise of twenty-five more if she gave them to Dowd at the other end. The next morning, Dowd had the equipment fixed, and everyone involved became convinced that Dowd was a miracle worker, especially after he showed Steve Cropper some rudimentary tape-manipulation techniques that Cropper had never encountered before. Dowd had to wait around in Memphis for his flight, so he went to play golf with the musicians for a bit, and then they thought they might as well pop back to the studio and test the equipment out. When they did, Rufus Thomas -- Carla Thomas' father, who had also had a number of hits himself on Stax and Sun -- popped his head round the door to see if the equipment was working now. They told him it was, and he said he had a song if they were up for a spot of recording. They were, and so when Dowd flew back that night, he was able to tell Wexler not only that the next Carla Thomas single would soon be on its way, but that he had the tapes of a big hit single with him right there: [Excerpt: Rufus Thomas, "Walking the Dog"] "Walking the Dog" was a sensation. Jim Stewart later said “I remember our first order out of Chicago. I was in New York in Jerry Wexler's office at the time and Paul Glass, who was our distributor in Chicago, called in an order for sixty-five thousand records. I said to Jerry, ‘Do you mean sixty-five hundred?' And he said, ‘Hell no, he wants sixty-five thousand.' That was the first order! He believed in the record so much that we ended up selling about two hundred thousand in Chicago alone.” The record made the top ten on the pop charts, but that wasn't the biggest thing that Dowd had taken away from the session. He came back raving to Wexler about the way they made records in Memphis, and how different it was from the New York way. In New York, there was a strict separation between the people in the control room and the musicians in the studio, the musicians were playing from written charts, and everyone had a job and did just that job. In Memphis, the musicians were making up the arrangements as they went, and everyone was producing or engineering all at the same time. Dowd, as someone with more technical ability than anyone at Stax, and who was also a trained musician who could make musical suggestions, was soon regularly commuting down to Memphis to be part of the production team, and Jerry Wexler was soon going down to record with other Atlantic artists there, as we heard about in the episode on "Midnight Hour". Shortly after Dowd's first visit to Memphis, another key member of the Stax team entered the picture. Right at the end of 1963, Floyd Newman recorded a track called "Frog Stomp", on which he used his own band rather than the MGs and Mar-Keys: [Excerpt: Floyd Newman, "Frog Stomp"] The piano player and co-writer on that track was a young man named Isaac Hayes, who had been trying to get work at Stax for some time. He'd started out as a singer, and had made a record, "Laura, We're On Our Last Go-Round", at American Sound, the studio run by the former Stax engineer and musician Chips Moman: [Excerpt: Isaac Hayes, "Laura, We're On Our Last Go-Round"] But that hadn't been a success, and Hayes had continued working a day job at a slaughterhouse -- and would continue doing so for much of the next few years, even after he started working at Stax (it's truly amazing how many of the people involved in Stax were making music as what we would now call a side-hustle). Hayes had become a piano player as a way of getting a little extra money -- he'd been offered a job as a fill-in when someone else had pulled out at the last minute on a gig on New Year's Eve, and took it even though he couldn't actually play piano, and spent his first show desperately vamping with two fingers, and was just lucky the audience was too drunk to care. But he had a remarkable facility for the instrument, and while unlike Booker T Jones he would never gain a great deal of technical knowledge, and was embarrassed for the rest of his life by both his playing ability and his lack of theory knowledge, he was as great as they come at soul, at playing with feel, and at inventing new harmonies on the fly. They still didn't have a musician at Stax that could replace Booker T, who was still off at university, so Isaac Hayes was taken on as a second session keyboard player, to cover for Jones when Jones was in Indiana -- though Hayes himself also had to work his own sessions around his dayjob, so didn't end up playing on "In the Midnight Hour", for example, because he was at the slaughterhouse. The first recording session that Hayes played on as a session player was an Otis Redding single, either his fourth single for Stax, "Come to Me", or his fifth, "Security": [Excerpt: Otis Redding, "Security"] "Security" is usually pointed to by fans as the point at which Redding really comes into his own, and started directing the musicians more. There's a distinct difference, in particular, in the interplay between Cropper's guitar, the Mar-Keys' horns, and Redding's voice. Where previously the horns had tended to play mostly pads, just holding chords under Redding's voice, now they were starting to do answering phrases. Jim Stewart always said that the only reason Stax used a horn section at all was because he'd been unable to find a decent group of backing vocalists, and the function the horns played on most of the early Stax recordings was somewhat similar to the one that the Jordanaires had played for Elvis, or the Picks for Buddy Holly, basically doing "oooh" sounds to fatten out the sound, plus the odd sax solo or simple riff. The way Redding used the horns, though, was more like the way Ray Charles used the Raelettes, or the interplay of a doo-wop vocal group, with call and response, interjections, and asides. He also did something in "Security" that would become a hallmark of records made at Stax -- instead of a solo, the instrumental break is played by the horns as an ensemble: [Excerpt: Otis Redding, "Security"] According to Wayne Jackson, the Mar-Keys' trumpeter, Redding was the one who had the idea of doing these horn ensemble sections, and the musicians liked them enough that they continued doing them on all the future sessions, no matter who with. The last Stax single of 1964 took the "Security" sound and refined it, and became the template for every big Stax hit to follow. "Mr. Pitiful" was the first collaboration between Redding and Steve Cropper, and was primarily Cropper's idea. Cropper later remembered “There was a disc jockey here named Moohah. He started calling Otis ‘Mr. Pitiful' 'cause he sounded so pitiful singing his ballads. So I said, ‘Great idea for a song!' I got the idea for writing about it in the shower. I was on my way down to pick up Otis. I got down there and I was humming it in the car. I said, ‘Hey, what do you think about this?' We just wrote the song on the way to the studio, just slapping our hands on our legs. We wrote it in about ten minutes, went in, showed it to the guys, he hummed a horn line, boom—we had it. When Jim Stewart walked in we had it all worked up. Two or three cuts later, there it was.” [Excerpt: Otis Redding, "Mr. Pitiful"] Cropper would often note later that Redding would never write about himself, but that Cropper would put details of Redding's life and persona into the songs, from "Mr. Pitiful" right up to their final collaboration, in which Cropper came up with lines about leaving home in Georgia. "Mr Pitiful" went to number ten on the R&B chart and peaked at number forty-one on the hot one hundred, and its B-side, "That's How Strong My Love Is", also made the R&B top twenty. Cropper and Redding soon settled into a fruitful writing partnership, to the extent that Cropper even kept a guitar permanently tuned to an open chord so that Redding could use it. Redding couldn't play the guitar, but liked to use one as a songwriting tool. When a guitar is tuned in standard tuning, you have to be able to make chord shapes to play it, because the sound of the open strings is a discord: [demonstrates] But you can tune a guitar so all the strings are the notes of a single chord, so they sound good together even when you don't make a chord shape: [demonstrates open-E tuning] With one of these open tunings, you can play chords with just a single finger barring a fret, and so they're very popular with, for example, slide guitarists who use a metal slide to play, or someone like Dolly Parton who has such long fingernails it's difficult to form chord shapes. Someone like Parton is of course an accomplished player, but open tunings also mean that someone who can't play well can just put their finger down on a fret and have it be a chord, so you can write songs just by running one finger up and down the fretboard: [demonstrates] So Redding could write, and even play acoustic rhythm guitar on some songs, which he did quite a lot in later years, without ever learning how to make chords. Now, there's a downside to this -- which is why standard tuning is still standard. If you tune to an open major chord, you can play major chords easily but minor chords become far more difficult. Handily, that wasn't a problem at Stax, because according to Isaac Hayes, Jim Stewart banned minor chords from being played at Stax. Hayes said “We'd play a chord in a session, and Jim would say, ‘I don't want to hear that chord.' Jim's ears were just tuned into one, four, and five. I mean, just simple changes. He said they were the breadwinners. He didn't like minor chords. Marvell and I always would try to put that pretty stuff in there. Jim didn't like that. We'd bump heads about that stuff. Me and Marvell fought all the time that. Booker wanted change as well. As time progressed, I was able to sneak a few in.” Of course, minor chords weren't *completely* banned from Stax, and some did sneak through, but even ballads would often have only major chords -- like Redding's next single, "I've Been Loving You Too Long". That track had its origins with Jerry Butler, the singer who had been lead vocalist of the Impressions before starting a solo career and having success with tracks like "For Your Precious Love": [Excerpt: Jerry Butler, "For Your Precious Love"] Redding liked that song, and covered it himself on his second album, and he had become friendly with Butler. Butler had half-written a song, and played it for Redding, who told him he'd like to fiddle with it, see what he could do. Butler forgot about the conversation, until he got a phone call from Redding, telling him that he'd recorded the song. Butler was confused, and also a little upset -- he'd been planning to finish the song himself, and record it. But then Redding played him the track, and Butler decided that doing so would be pointless -- it was Redding's song now: [Excerpt: Otis Redding, "I've Been Loving You Too Long"] "I've Been Loving You Too Long" became Redding's first really big hit, making number two on the R&B chart and twenty-one on the Hot One Hundred. It was soon being covered by the Rolling Stones and Ike & Tina Turner, and while Redding was still not really known to the white pop market, he was quickly becoming one of the biggest stars on the R&B scene. His record sales were still not matching his live performances -- he would always make far more money from appearances than from records -- but he was by now the performer that every other soul singer wanted to copy. "I've Been Loving You Too Long" came out just after Redding's second album, The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads, which happened to be the first album released on Volt Records. Before that, while Stax and Volt had released the singles, they'd licensed all the album tracks to Atlantic's Atco subsidiary, which had released the small number of albums put out by Stax artists. But times were changing and the LP market was becoming bigger. And more importantly, the *stereo* LP market was becoming bigger. Singles were still only released in mono, and would be for the next few years, but the album market had a substantial number of audiophiles, and they wanted stereo. This was a problem for Stax, because they only had a mono tape recorder, and they were scared of changing anything about their setup in case it destroyed their sound. Tom Dowd, who had been recording in eight track for years, was appalled by the technical limitations at the McLemore Ave studio, but eventually managed to get Jim Stewart, who despite -- or possibly because of -- being a white country musician was the most concerned that they keep their Black soul sound, to agree to a compromise. They would keep everything hooked up exactly the same -- the same primitive mixers, the same mono tape recorder -- and Stax would continue doing their mixes for mono, and all their singles would come directly off that mono tape. But at the same time, they would *also* have a two-track tape recorder plugged in to the mixer, with half the channels going on one track and half on the other. So while they were making the mix, they'd *also* be getting a stereo dump of that mix. The limitations of the situation meant that they might end up with drums and vocals in one channel and everything else in the other -- although as the musicians cut everything together in the studio, which had a lot of natural echo, leakage meant there was a *bit* of everything on every track -- but it would still be stereo. Redding's next album, Otis Blue, was recorded on this new equipment, with Dowd travelling down from New York to operate it. Dowd was so keen on making the album stereo that during that session, they rerecorded Redding's two most recent singles, "I've Been Loving You Too Long" and "Respect" (which hadn't yet come out but was in the process of being released) in soundalike versions so there would be stereo versions of the songs on the album -- so the stereo and mono versions of Otis Blue actually have different performances of those songs on them. It shows how intense the work rate was at Stax -- and how good they were at their jobs -- that apart from the opening track "Ole Man Trouble", which had already been recorded as a B-side, all of Otis Blue, which is often considered the greatest soul album in history, was recorded in a twenty-eight hour period, and it would have been shorter but there was a four-hour break in the middle, from 10PM to 2AM, so that the musicians on the session could play their regular local club gigs. And then after the album was finished, Otis left the session to perform a gig that evening. Tom Dowd, in particular, was astonished by the way Redding took charge in the studio, and how even though he had no technical musical knowledge, he would direct the musicians. Dowd called Redding a genius and told Phil Walden that the only two other artists he'd worked with who had as much ability in the studio were Bobby Darin and Ray Charles. Other than those singles and "Ole Man Trouble", Otis Blue was made up entirely of cover versions. There were three versions of songs by Sam Cooke, who had died just a few months earlier, and whose death had hit Redding hard -- for all that he styled himself on Little Richard vocally, he was also in awe of Cooke as a singer and stage presence. There were also covers of songs by The Temptations, William Bell, and B.B. King. And there was also an odd choice -- Steve Cropper suggested that Redding cut a cover of a song by a white band that was in the charts at the time: [Excerpt: The Rolling Stones, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"] Redding had never heard the song before -- he was not paying attention to the white pop scene at the time, just to his competition on the R&B charts -- but he was interested in doing it. Cropper sat by the turntable, scribbling down what he thought the lyrics Jagger was singing were, and they cut the track. Redding starts out more or less singing the right words: [Excerpt: Otis Redding, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"] But quickly ends up just ad-libbing random exclamations in the same way that he would in many of his live performances: [Excerpt: Otis Redding, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"] Otis Blue made number one on the R&B album chart, and also made number six on the UK album chart -- Redding, like many soul artists, was far more popular in the UK than in the US. It only made number seventy-five on the pop album charts in the US, but it did a remarkable thing as far as Stax was concerned -- it *stayed* in the lower reaches of the charts, and on the R&B album charts, for a long time. Redding had become what is known as a "catalogue artist", something that was almost unknown in rock and soul music at this time, but which was just starting to appear. Up to 1965, the interlinked genres that we now think of as rock and roll, rock, pop, blues, R&B, and soul, had all operated on the basis that singles were where the money was, and that singles should be treated like periodicals -- they go on the shelves, stay there for a few weeks, get replaced by the new thing, and nobody's interested any more. This had contributed to the explosive rate of change in pop music between about 1954 and 1968. You'd package old singles up into albums, and stick some filler tracks on there as a way of making a tiny bit of money from tracks which weren't good enough to release as singles, but that was just squeezing the last few drops of juice out of the orange, it wasn't really where the money was. The only exceptions were those artists like Ray Charles who crossed over into the jazz and adult pop markets. But in general, your record sales in the first few weeks and months *were* your record sales. But by the mid-sixties, as album sales started to take off more, things started to change. And Otis Redding was one of the first artists to really benefit from that. He wasn't having huge hit singles, and his albums weren't making the pop top forty, but they *kept selling*. Redding wouldn't have an album make the top forty in his lifetime, but they sold consistently, and everything from Otis Blue onward sold two hundred thousand or so copies -- a massive number in the much smaller album market of the time. These sales gave Redding some leverage. His contract with Stax was coming to an end in a few months, and he was getting offers from other companies. As part of his contract renegotiation, he got Jim Stewart -- who like so many people in this story including Redding himself liked to operate on handshake deals and assumptions of good faith on the part of everyone else, and who prided himself on being totally fair and not driving hard bargains -- to rework his publishing deal. Now Redding's music was going to be published by Redwal Music -- named after Redding and Phil Walden -- which was owned as a four-way split between Redding, Walden, Stewart, and Joe Galkin. Redding also got the right as part of his contract negotiations to record other artists using Stax's facilities and musicians. He set up his own label, Jotis Records -- a portmanteau of Joe and Otis, for Joe Galkin and himself, and put out records by Arthur Conley: [Excerpt: Arthur Conley, "Who's Fooling Who?"] Loretta Williams [Excerpt: Loretta Williams, "I'm Missing You"] and Billy Young [Excerpt: Billy Young, "The Sloopy"] None of these was a success, but it was another example of how Redding was trying to use his success to boost others. There were other changes going on at Stax as well. The company was becoming more tightly integrated with Atlantic Records -- Tom Dowd had started engineering more sessions, Jerry Wexler was turning up all the time, and they were starting to make records for Atlantic, as we discussed in the episode on "In the Midnight Hour". Atlantic were also loaning Stax Sam and Dave, who were contracted to Atlantic but treated as Stax artists, and whose hits were written by the new Stax songwriting team of Isaac Hayes and David Porter: [Excerpt: Sam and Dave, "Soul Man"] Redding was not hugely impressed by Sam and Dave, once saying in an interview "When I first heard the Righteous Brothers, I thought they were colored. I think they sing better than Sam and Dave", but they were having more and bigger chart hits than him, though they didn't have the same level of album sales. Also, by now Booker T and the MGs had a new bass player. Donald "Duck" Dunn had always been the "other" bass player at Stax, ever since he'd started with the Mar-Keys, and he'd played on many of Redding's recordings, as had Lewie Steinberg, the original bass player with the MGs. But in early 1965, the Stax studio musicians had cut a record originally intending it to be a Mar-Keys record, but decided to put it out as by Booker T and the MGs, even though Booker T wasn't there at the time -- Isaac Hayes played keyboards on the track: [Excerpt: Booker T and the MGs, "Boot-Leg"] Booker T Jones would always have a place at Stax, and would soon be back full time as he finished his degree, but from that point on Duck Dunn, not Lewie Steinberg, was the bass player for the MGs. Another change in 1965 was that Stax got serious about promotion. Up to this point, they'd just relied on Atlantic to promote their records, but obviously Atlantic put more effort into promoting records on which it made all the money than ones it just distributed. But as part of the deal to make records with Sam and Dave and Wilson Pickett, Atlantic had finally put their arrangement with Stax on a contractual footing, rather than their previous handshake deal, and they'd agreed to pay half the salary of a publicity person for Stax. Stax brought in Al Bell, who made a huge impression. Bell had been a DJ in Memphis, who had gone off to work with Martin Luther King for a while, before leaving after a year because, as he put it "I was not about passive resistance. I was about economic development, economic empowerment.” He'd returned to DJing, first in Memphis, then in Washington DC, where he'd been one of the biggest boosters of Stax records in the area. While he was in Washington, he'd also started making records himself. He'd produced several singles for Grover Mitchell on Decca: [Excerpt: Grover Mitchell, "Midnight Tears"] Those records were supervised by Milt Gabler, the same Milt Gabler who produced Louis Jordan's records and "Rock Around the Clock", and Bell co-produced them with Eddie Floyd, who wrote that song, and Chester Simmons, formerly of the Moonglows, and the three of them started their own label, Safice, which had put out a few records by Floyd and others, on the same kind of deal with Atlantic that Stax had: [Excerpt: Eddie Floyd, "Make Up Your Mind"] Floyd would himself soon become a staff songwriter at Stax. As with almost every decision at Stax, the decision to hire Bell was a cause of disagreement between Jim Stewart and his sister Estelle Axton, the "Ax" in Stax, who wasn't as involved in the day-to-day studio operations as her brother, but who was often regarded by the musicians as at least as important to the spirit of the label, and who tended to disagree with her brother on pretty much everything. Stewart didn't want to hire Bell, but according to Cropper “Estelle and I said, ‘Hey, we need somebody that can liaison between the disc jockeys and he's the man to do it. Atlantic's going into a radio station with six Atlantic records and one Stax record. We're not getting our due.' We knew that. We needed more promotion and he had all the pull with all those disc jockeys. He knew E. Rodney Jones and all the big cats, the Montagues and so on. He knew every one of them.” Many people at Stax will say that the label didn't even really start until Bell joined -- and he became so important to the label that he would eventually take it over from Stewart and Axton. Bell came in every day and immediately started phoning DJs, all day every day, starting in the morning with the drivetime East Coast DJs, and working his way across the US, ending up at midnight phoning the evening DJs in California. Booker T Jones said of him “He had energy like Otis Redding, except he wasn't a singer. He had the same type of energy. He'd come in the room, pull up his shoulders and that energy would start. He would start talking about the music business or what was going on and he energized everywhere he was. He was our Otis for promotion. It was the same type of energy charisma.” Meanwhile, of course, Redding was constantly releasing singles. Two more singles were released from Otis Blue -- his versions of "My Girl" and "Satisfaction", and he also released "I Can't Turn You Loose", which was originally the B-side to "Just One More Day" but ended up charting higher than its original A-side. It's around this time that Redding did something which seems completely out of character, but which really must be mentioned given that with very few exceptions everyone in his life talks about him as some kind of saint. One of Redding's friends was beaten up, and Redding, the friend, and another friend drove to the assailant's house and started shooting through the windows, starting a gun battle in which Redding got grazed. His friend got convicted of attempted murder, and got two years' probation, while Redding himself didn't face any criminal charges but did get sued by the victims, and settled out of court for a few hundred dollars. By this point Redding was becoming hugely rich from his concert appearances and album sales, but he still hadn't had a top twenty pop hit. He needed to break the white market. And so in April 1966, Redding went to LA, to play the Sunset Strip: [Excerpt: Otis Redding, "Respect (live at the Whisky A-Go-Go)"] Redding's performance at the Whisky A-Go-Go, a venue which otherwise hosted bands like the Doors, the Byrds, the Mothers of Invention, and Love, was his first real interaction with the white rock scene, part of a process that had started with his recording of "Satisfaction". The three-day residency got rave reviews, though the plans to release a live album of the shows were scuppered when Jim Stewart listened back to the tapes and decided that Redding's horn players were often out of tune. But almost everyone on the LA scene came out to see the shows, and Redding blew them away. According to one biography of Redding I used, it was seeing how Redding tuned his guitar that inspired the guitarist from the support band, the Rising Sons, to start playing in the same tuning -- though I can't believe for a moment that Ry Cooder, one of the greatest slide guitarists of his generation, didn't already know about open tunings. But Redding definitely impressed that band -- Taj Mahal, their lead singer, later said it was "one of the most amazing performances I'd ever seen". Also at the gigs was Bob Dylan, who played Redding a song he'd just recorded but not yet released: [Excerpt: Bob Dylan, "Just Like a Woman"] Redding agreed that the song sounded perfect for him, and said he would record it. He apparently made some attempts at rehearsing it at least, but never ended up recording it. He thought the first verse and chorus were great, but had problems with the second verse: [Excerpt: Bob Dylan, "Just Like a Woman"] Those lyrics were just too abstract for him to find a way to connect with them emotionally, and as a result he found himself completely unable to sing them. But like his recording of "Satisfaction", this was another clue to him that he should start paying more attention to what was going on in the white music industry, and that there might be things he could incorporate into his own style. As a result of the LA gigs, Bill Graham booked Redding for the Fillmore in San Francisco. Redding was at first cautious, thinking this might be a step too far, and that he wouldn't go down well with the hippie crowd, but Graham persuaded him, saying that whenever he asked any of the people who the San Francisco crowds most loved -- Jerry Garcia or Paul Butterfield or Mike Bloomfield -- who *they* most wanted to see play there, they all said Otis Redding. Redding reluctantly agreed, but before he took a trip to San Francisco, there was somewhere even further out for him to go. Redding was about to head to England but before he did there was another album to make, and this one would see even more of a push for the white market, though still trying to keep everything soulful. As well as Redding originals, including "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)", another song in the mould of "Mr. Pitiful", there was another cover of a contemporary hit by a guitar band -- this time a version of the Beatles' "Day Tripper" -- and two covers of old standards; the country song "Tennessee Waltz", which had recently been covered by Sam Cooke, and a song made famous by Bing Crosby, "Try a Little Tenderness". That song almost certainly came to mind because it had recently been used in the film Dr. Strangelove, but it had also been covered relatively recently by two soul greats, Aretha Franklin: [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "Try a Little Tenderness"] And Sam Cooke: [Excerpt: Sam Cooke, "Live Medley: I Love You For Sentimental Reasons/Try a Little Tenderness/You Send Me"] This version had horn parts arranged by Isaac Hayes, who by this point had been elevated to be considered one of the "Big Six" at Stax records -- Hayes, his songwriting partner David Porter, Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn, Booker T. Jones, and Al Jackson, were all given special status at the company, and treated as co-producers on every record -- all the records were now credited as produced by "staff", but it was the Big Six who split the royalties. Hayes came up with a horn part that was inspired by Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come", and which dominated the early part of the track: [Excerpt: Otis Redding, "Try a Little Tenderness"] Then the band came in, slowly at first: [Excerpt: Otis Redding, "Try a Little Tenderness"] But Al Jackson surprised them when they ran through the track by deciding that after the main song had been played, he'd kick the track into double-time, and give Redding a chance to stretch out and do his trademark grunts and "got-ta"s. The single version faded out shortly after that, but the version on the album kept going for an extra thirty seconds: [Excerpt: Otis Redding, "Try a Little Tenderness"] As Booker T. Jones said “Al came up with the idea of breaking up the rhythm, and Otis just took that and ran with it. He really got excited once he found out what Al was going to do on the drums. He realized how he could finish the song. That he could start it like a ballad and finish it full of emotion. That's how a lot of our arrangements would come together. Somebody would come up with something totally outrageous.” And it would have lasted longer but Jim Stewart pushed the faders down, realising the track was an uncommercial length even as it was. Live, the track could often stretch out to seven minutes or longer, as Redding drove the crowd into a frenzy, and it soon became one of the highlights of his live set, and a signature song for him: [Excerpt: Otis Redding, "Try a Little Tenderness (live in London)"] In September 1966, Redding went on his first tour outside the US. His records had all done much better in the UK than they had in America, and they were huge favourites of everyone on the Mod scene, and when he arrived in the UK he had a limo sent by Brian Epstein to meet him at the airport. The tour was an odd one, with multiple London shows, shows in a couple of big cities like Manchester and Bristol, and shows in smallish towns in Hampshire and Lincolnshire. Apparently the shows outside London weren't particularly well attended, but the London shows were all packed to overflowing. Redding also got his own episode of Ready! Steady! Go!, on which he performed solo as well as with guest stars Eric Burdon and Chris Farlowe: [Excerpt: Otis Redding, Chris Farlowe and Eric Burdon, "Shake/Land of a Thousand Dances"] After the UK tour, he went on a short tour of the Eastern US with Sam and Dave as his support act, and then headed west to the Fillmore for his three day residency there, introducing him to the San Francisco music scene. His first night at the venue was supported by the Grateful Dead, the second by Johnny Talbot and De Thangs and the third by Country Joe and the Fish, but there was no question that it was Otis Redding that everyone was coming to see. Janis Joplin turned up at the Fillmore every day at 3PM, to make sure she could be right at the front for Redding's shows that night, and Bill Graham said, decades later, "By far, Otis Redding was the single most extraordinary talent I had ever seen. There was no comparison. Then or now." However, after the Fillmore gigs, for the first time ever he started missing shows. The Sentinel, a Black newspaper in LA, reported a few days later "Otis Redding, the rock singer, failed to make many friends here the other day when he was slated to appear on the Christmas Eve show[...] Failed to draw well, and Redding reportedly would not go on." The Sentinel seem to think that Redding was just being a diva, but it's likely that this was the first sign of a problem that would change everything about his career -- he was developing vocal polyps that were making singing painful. It's notable though that the Sentinel refers to Redding as a "rock" singer, and shows again how different genres appeared in the mid-sixties to how they appear today. In that light, it's interesting to look at a quote from Redding from a few months later -- "Everybody thinks that all songs by colored people are rhythm and blues, but that's not true. Johnny Taylor, Muddy Waters, and B.B. King are blues singers. James Brown is not a blues singer. He has a rock and roll beat and he can sing slow pop songs. My own songs "Respect" and "Mr Pitiful" aren't blues songs. I'm speaking in terms of the beat and structure of the music. A blues is a song that goes twelve bars all the way through. Most of my songs are soul songs." So in Redding's eyes, neither he nor James Brown were R&B -- he was soul, which was a different thing from R&B, while Brown was rock and roll and pop, not soul, but journalists thought that Redding was rock. But while the lines between these things were far less distinct than they are today, and Redding was trying to cross over to the white audience, he knew what genre he was in, and celebrated that in a song he wrote with his friend Art

united states america god love new york new year california live history black chicago europe uk washington soul dogs england hell dreams change pain germany san francisco dj home ohio washington dc walking transformation reach army south nashville wisconsin new orleans respect indiana security fish sun cleveland christmas eve atlantic louisiana mothers beatles martin luther king jr mine manchester rolling stones doors elvis failed clowns democratic losers rock and roll apollo butler shake bay clock bob dylan billboard oasis beck djs dolly parton impressions floyd lp invention satisfaction paul mccartney jenkins shooters woodstock singles temptations steady stevie wonder clint eastwood tina turner djing booker confederate jimi hendrix james brown motown warner brothers grateful dead midwestern marvin gaye ruler bernstein kinks orbits hamlin mg dock wu tang clan nina simone mod cooke tilt collier sly ike ray charles monterey sentinel partons walden volt janis joplin little richard my heart deep south conley westchester leach hampshire san francisco bay oh god revolver sam cooke strangelove redding bing crosby rock music taj mahal gold star booker t capone hold on macon lear buddy holly muddy waters grapevine it takes two atlantic records toussaint otis redding ax dominoes byrds dowd family stone be afraid jerry garcia fillmore lincolnshire isaac hayes jefferson airplane stax destroyers mgs sittin my girl john r wrecking crew wexler muscle shoals gonna come allman brothers band john lee hooker midnight hour all right ry cooder sgt pepper pitiful soul man ninety nine mahalia jackson fifth dimension big six wilson pickett sausalito southern cross bobby darin george thorogood marvell righteous brothers dog walking go let jackie wilson stax records brian epstein eric burdon ricky nelson missing you staple singers polydor in la bill graham allen toussaint robert gordon duane allman eastern us steve cropper melody maker solomon burke cropper what can i do moonglow louis jordan david ruffin green onions irma thomas william bell carla thomas booker t jones atco southern soul tomorrow never knows james alexander bar kays rock around whisky a go go david porter paul butterfield monterey pop festival i walk rufus thomas jim stewart jerry butler al jackson upsetters johnny taylor country joe rob bowman bobby smith mike bloomfield eddie floyd little tenderness rodney jones tom dowd hawg monterey pop jerry wexler montagues in memphis winchester cathedral jordanaires kim weston tennessee waltz wayne jackson lake monona galkin huey piano smith stax volt these arms al bell ribowsky soul explosion estelle axton charles l hughes tilt araiza
Australian Music Archives
Australian-Charts-EP.40 1966 January

Australian Music Archives

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 17, 2022 30:34


This week: A return to the Chart series and January of 1966; the year that some historians claim to be the pivotal year for 1960s musical culture. In Australia, 1966 began with three big hits of the weeks ahead entering the chart: Tony Barber, ex-Aztec with Someday, The Easybeats with Women/In My Book, and Ray Brown and The Whispers with Tennessee Waltz. No future No.1 entered the chart but these three 60s classics did; Gloria, Sounds of Silence and, Barbara Ann. Plenty more of course, including a vocal outing for Rob E.G. Cruise into 1966 with some great Australian sounds!

Trivia Tracks With Pryce Robertson
Patti Page: The Singing Rage

Trivia Tracks With Pryce Robertson

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2022 3:26


A look at the singing star whose smooth, beautiful vocals carried such hits as "Tennessee Waltz" and "Doggie in the Window".

Instant Trivia
Episode 522 - Hi Ya, Maya! - Faulkner Titles - A "D" In History - The Waltz - English Lit

Instant Trivia

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 17, 2022 7:32


Welcome to the Instant Trivia podcast episode 522, where we ask the best trivia on the Internet. Round 1. Category: Hi Ya, Maya! 1: Maya Angelou's "The Heart of a Woman" was the first nonfiction work selected for this woman's book club. Oprah. 2: For this president's inauguration, Maya wrote and recited the poem "On the Pulse of Morning". Bill Clinton. 3: In 1977 Maya played Nyo Boto on this acclaimed miniseries. Roots. 4: It's the avian title of the first volume of Maya Angelou's autobiographical works. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. 5: Maya wrote all the original poems performed by this actress in the 1993 film "Poetic Justice". Janet Jackson. Round 2. Category: Faulkner Titles 1: "Go Down...". Moses. 2: "Intruder in the...". Dust. 3: "Absalom...". Absalom. 4: "As I Lay...". Dying. 5: "Light in...". August. Round 3. Category: A "D" In History 1: To keep Delaware's capital away from the invading British, it was moved to this city in 1777. Dover. 2: James Oglethorpe founded Georgia in 1733 as a haven for people in trouble for this back in Britain. debt. 3: In 1868 and again in 1880, he was succeeded as British Prime Minister by William Gladstone. Disraeli. 4: In 1952 the U.N. started a commission on this to make the world a less lethal place. disarmament. 5: In the 16th century these assemblies of German potentates took place at Speyer, Augsburg and (yummy!) Worms. a diet. Round 4. Category: The Waltz 1: Waltzes are characterized by swift, gliding turns and music that has this many quarter notes to a measure. 3. 2: A dance in the 1786 opera "Una Cosa Rara" popularized this waltz style named for a city. Viennese. 3: Act III of this 1893 Engelbert Humerpdinck opera features the "Gingerbread Waltz". Hansel and Gretel. 4: Although known as the "Waltz King", he also composed many marches and well-known polkas. (Johann) Strauss. 5: Pee Wee King co-wrote this waltz and had a country hit with it in 1948; later it became a state song. "The Tennessee Waltz". Round 5. Category: English Lit 1: The "Book of the Duchesse" is an elegy for the Duchess of Lancaster by this author of "The Canterbury Tales". Geoffrey Chaucer. 2: Chapters in this novel include "Wickfield and Heep" and "Mr. Micawber's Gauntlet". David Copperfield. 3: Published in 1590, "The Legend of the Red Cross Knight" is the first of 6 books in this poetic epic. The Faerie Queene. 4: Her title "Sonnets from the Portuguese" referred to her husband's nickname for her. Elizabeth Barrett Browning. 5: She's the heroine of the long-banned 18th century novel "Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure". Fanny Hill. Thanks for listening! Come back tomorrow for more exciting trivia!

Heirloom Radio
Big Band Countdown - Top 10 Songs - First Week Feb, 1951_AFRTS

Heirloom Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 9, 2022 52:32


This is an Armed Forces Radio and Television Service Broadcast of "Big Band Countdown" to Europe from the first week of Feb. 1951. Songs in order of play (including a few extras) are: "Harbor Lights" - "Tennessee Waltz" - Les Paul and Mary Ford; "One O'Clock Jump" - Count Basie "So Long It's Been Good To Know You" - Weavers and Pete Seeger "Rovin' Kind" - Mitch Miller "Local 802 Blues" - Metronome All Stars including Miles Davis. "The Thing" - Phil Harris "IF" Perry Como "You're Just In Love" - Perry Como and Fontaine Sisters "Build That Railroad" - Duke Ellington "Be My Love" - Mario Lanza "My Heart Cries For You" - Guy Mitchell and Mitch Miller "You're the One" - Frank Sinatra and "Tennessee Waltz" Patti Page Broadcast also includes messages to military listening on a variety of issues they may need help with as they come home from Europe. Playlist: "Big Band and Jazz"

Reso Hangout Newest 20 Songs
TENNESSEE WALTZ IN G

Reso Hangout Newest 20 Songs

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 29, 2021


Re did in G I hope you enjoy

Whiskey Lore: The Interviews
Fugitive Spirits's Co-Founder Jim Massey // Writers and Whiskey

Whiskey Lore: The Interviews

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2021 56:42


Just when I thought I had been to every Tennessee distillery or at least met a distiller from each, along came Jim Massey. Jim was actually on the forefront of the current Tennessee whiskey revival. We'll taste his whiskey and chat about the Tennessee Waltz, helping Tennessee agriculture through whiskey, and his literary inspiration for the company name.

RADIO Then
HOWARD MILLER "Patti Page"

RADIO Then

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2021 14:23


Patti Page, was an American singer of pop and country music and occasional actress. She was the top-charting female vocalist and best-selling female artist of the 1950s, selling over 100 million records during a six-decade-long career. She was often introduced as "the Singin' Rage, Miss Patti Page". Page signed with Mercury Records in 1947, and became their first successful female artist, starting with 1948's "Confess". In 1950, she had her first million-selling single "With My Eyes Wide Open, I'm Dreaming", and eventually had 14 additional million-selling singles between 1950 and 1965. Page's signature song, "Tennessee Waltz", was one of the biggest-selling singles of the 20th century, and is recognized today as one of the official songs of the state of Tennessee. It spent 13 weeks atop the Billboard's best-sellers list in 1950/51. Page had three additional number-one hit singles between 1950 and 1953, "All My Love (Bolero)", "I Went to Your Wedding", and "(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?". Chicago DJ Howard Miller chats with pop singer Patti Page on his CBS Radio Network show, July 19, 1955.

The Cigar Dungeon Podcast
Ep.237 Crowned Heads Tennessee Waltz, Buffalo Trace & Ranker.com Best Crued 90s Cartoons

The Cigar Dungeon Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2021 75:39


This podcast we smoke Crowned Heads Tennessee Waltz , drink Buffalo Trace & look at Ranker.com best cured 90s cartoon along with our typical sophomoric behavior.   Follow @TheCigarDungeon  On twitter/Instagram/facebook   Follow @WarPigsSC On twitter/Instagram/facebook  Join the War Pigs Social Club closed facebook group and get your free club patch. Facebook link: WARPIGS S.C. CLOSE FACEBOOK GROUP

Natchez Trace: A Road Through the Wilderness
Tennessee-Alabama State Line

Natchez Trace: A Road Through the Wilderness

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2021 2:09


"Today we are leaving Alabama and going into the state of Tennessee. In 1663 King Charles II granted the Carolina Colony all the land starting at the Atlantic Ocean and running west between the 31st and 36th parallel. The 31st parallel is the bottom border of Mississippi below Natchez. The 36th parallel is now the northern boundary of North Carolina and Tennessee. When North and South Carolina separated they established the border between them as the 35th parallel. North Carolina released it's claim on lands west of the Appalachian Mountains, and this became the state of Tennessee the 16th state, entering the Union in 1796. So, the 35th parallel became what is now the southern border of Tennessee. "John Coffee, supervised the survey of this line between 1817 and 1822, some 10 years later John Coffee negotiated for the United States in the Treaties of Dancing Rabbit Creek and Pontotoc Creek. "Just for the record, I checked the almanac under Tennessee... the state flower is the iris, Motto: AGRICULTURE AND COMMERCE, state bird: the same as Mississippi, the mockingbird, tree: tulip poplar and the state song: THE TENNESSEE WALTZ. "Join us next time when we will visit SUNKEN TRACE. For Natchez Trace a road through the wilderness, I'm Frank Thomas."

A History Of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs
Episode 123: “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'” by the Righteous Brothers

A History Of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs

Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2021


Episode 123 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", the Righteous Brothers, Shindig! and "blue-eyed soul".  Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a ten-minute bonus episode available, on "Wooly Bully" by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. 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/ Erratum I say the music in the bridge drops down to “just the bass”. Obviously there is also a celeste on that section. Resources No Mixcloud this week due to the number of Righteous Brothers songs. A lot of resources were used for this episode. Time of My Life: A Righteous Brother's Memoir is Bill Medley's autobiography. Always Magic in the Air: The Bomp and Brilliance of the Brill Building Era by Ken Emerson is a good overview of the Brill Building scene, and I used it for bits about how Mann and Weil wrote their songs. I've referred to two biographies of Spector in this episode, Phil Spector: Out of His Head by Richard Williams and He's a Rebel by Mark Ribkowsky. This two-CD set contains all of the Righteous Brothers recordings excerpted here, all their hits, and a selection of Medley and Hatfield's solo work. It would be an absolutely definitive set, except for the Spector-era tracks being in stereo. There are many compilations available with some of the hits Spector produced, but I recommend getting Back to Mono, a four-CD overview of his career containing all the major singles put out by Philles. Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript Today we're going to look at a record that according to BMI is the most-played song of the twentieth century on American radio, and continued to be the most played song for the first two decades of the twenty-first as well, a record that was arguably the artistic highpoint of Phil Spector's career, and certainly the commercial highpoint for everyone involved. We're going to look at "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" by the Righteous Brothers: [Excerpt: The Righteous Brothers, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"] In this episode we're going to take one of our first looks at an American act who owed their success to TV. We've seen these before, of course -- we've talked in passing about Ricky Nelson, and there was an episode on Chubby Checker -- but there have been relatively few. But as we pass into the mid-sixties, and television becomes an even more important part of the culture, we'll see more of this. In 1964, ABC TV had a problem. Two years before, they'd started a prime-time folk TV show called Hootenanny: [Excerpt: Jack Linkletter introducing Hootenanny] That programme was the source of some controversy -- it blacklisted Pete Seeger and a few other Communist folk musicians, and while Seeger himself argued against a boycott, other musicians were enraged, in part because the term Hootenanny had been popularised by Seeger, Woody Guthrie, and other Communist musicians. As a result, several of the top names in the folk scene, like Joan Baez and Ramblin' Jack Elliott, refused to appear on the show.  But plenty of performers did appear on the show, usually those at the poppier end of the spectrum, like the New Christie Minstrels: [Excerpt: The New Christie Minstrels, "This Train (live on Hootenanny)"] That lineup of the New Christie Minstrels featured, among others, Barry McGuire, Gene Clark, and Larry Ramos, all of whom we should be seeing in future episodes.  But that in itself says something about the programme's problems, because in 1964, the music industry changed drastically. Suddenly, folk music was out, and rock music was in. Half the younger musicians who appeared on Hootenanny -- like those three, but also John Sebastian, John Phillips, Cass Elliot, and others -- all decided they were going to give up singing mass harmony versions of "Go Tell it on the Mountain" accompanied by banjo, and instead they were going to get themselves some electric guitars. And the audience, likewise, decided that they'd rather see the Beatles and the Stones and the Dave Clark Five than the New Christie Minstrels, the Limeliters, and the Chad Mitchell Trio, if that was all the same to the TV companies. And so ABC needed a new prime-time music variety show, and they needed it in a hurry. But there was a problem -- when the music industry is shifting dramatically and all of a sudden it's revolving around a style of music that is based on a whole other continent, what do you do to make a TV show featuring that music? Well, you turn to Jack Good, of course.  For those of you who haven't listened to all the earlier episodes, Jack Good had basically invented rock and roll TV, and he'd invented it in the UK, at a time when rock and roll was basically a US-only genre. Good had produced a whole string of shows -- Six-Five Special, Oh Boy!, Boy Meets Girls, and Wham! -- which had created a set of television conventions for the presentation of rock and roll, and had managed to get an audience by using a whole host of British unknowns, with the very occasional guest appearance by a visiting American rocker. In 1962, he'd moved to the US, and had put together a pilot episode of a show called "Young America Swings the World", financed with his own money. That programme had been on the same lines as his UK shows, and had featured a bunch of then-unknowns, like Jackie DeShannon. It had also featured a band led by Leon Russell and containing Glen Campbell and David Gates, none of whom were famous at the time, and a young singer named P.J. Proby, who was introduced to Good by DeShannon and her songwriting partner Sharon Sheeley, whose demos he worked on. We talked a bit about Proby back in the episode on "LSD-25" if you want to go back and listen to the background on that. Sheeley, of course, had known Good when he worked with her boyfriend Eddie Cochran a few years earlier. "Young America Swings the World" didn't sell, and in 1964, Good returned to England to produce a TV special for the Beatles, "Around the Beatles", which also featured Millie singing "My Boy Lollipop", Cilla Black, Sounds Incorporated, the Vernons Girls, and Long John Baldry singing a Muddy Waters song with the Beatles shouting the backing vocals from the audience: [Excerpt: Long John Baldry, "Got My Mojo Working"] The show also featured Proby, who Good had brought over from the US and who here got his first TV exposure, singing a song Rufus Thomas had recorded for Stax: [Excerpt: P.J. Proby, "Walking the Dog"] Around the Beatles obviously sold to the US, and ABC, who bought it, were suddenly interested in Jack Good's old pilot, too. They asked him to produce two more pilots for a show which was eventually named Shindig! Incidentally, I've seen many people, including some on the production staff, say that the first episode of Shindig! was an episode of Ready Steady Go! with the titles changed. It wasn't. The confusion seems to arise because early in Shindig's run, Around the Beatles was also broadcast by ABC, and when Dave Clark later bought the rights to Around The Beatles and Ready Steady Go!, he released a chunk of Around the Beatles on VHS as a Ready Steady Go special, even though it was made by a totally different production team. Good got together with Sharon Sheeley and her husband, the DJ Jimmy O'Neill, and they started collaborating on the pilots for the show, which eventually credited the three of them as co-creators and producers. The second pilot went in a very different direction -- it was a country music programme, hosted by Roy Clark, who would later become a household name for co-hosting Hee-Haw, and featuring Johnny Cash, along with PJ Proby doing a couple of cover versions of old folk songs that Lonnie Donegan had made famous -- "Rock Island Line" and "Cumberland Gap".  But for the third pilot, Good, Sheeley, and O'Neill went back to the old Oh Boy! formula -- they got a couple of properly famous big guest stars, in this case Little Richard and the Angels, who had had a number one the previous year with "My Boyfriend's Back", and a rotating cast of about a dozen unknown or little-known musical acts, all local, who they could fill the show with. The show opened with a medley with all or most of the cast participating: [Excerpt: Shindig Pilot 3 Opening Medley] And then each artist would perform individually, surrounded by a dancing audience, with minimal or no introductions, in a quick-paced show that was a revelation to American audiences used to the polite pacing of American Bandstand. For the most part, they performed cover versions -- on that pilot, even the Angels, rather than doing their own recentish number one record, sang a cover version of "Chapel of Love" -- and in a sign of the British influence, the pilot also featured what may be the first ska performance by an American group -- although they seem to think that "the ska" is a dance, rather than ska being a style of music: [Excerpt: the Hollywood All-Stars, "Jamaica Ska", plus Jimmy O'Neill intro] That show featured Delaney Bramlett, who would later go on to become a fairly well-known and important performer, and the Blossoms, who we've talked about previously. Both of those would become regular parts of the Shindig cast, as would Leon Russell, Bobby Sherman, Jackie and Gayle, Donna Loren, and Glen Campbell. That pilot led to the first broadcast episode, where the two main star acts were Sam Cooke, who sang a non-waltz version of "The Tennessee Waltz" and "Blowin' in the Wind", both from his cabaret act, and the Everly Brothers -- who as well as doing their own songs performed with Cooke at the end of the show in a recording which I only wish wasn't so covered with audience screams, though who can blame the audience? [Excerpt: Sam Cooke and the Everly Brothers, "Lucille"] Shindig was the first prime-time pop music show in the US, and became massively popular -- so much so that it quickly spawned a rival show on NBC, Hullabaloo. In a sign of just how much transatlantic back-and-forth there was at this time, and possibly just to annoy future researchers, NBC's Hullabaloo took its name, though nothing else, from a British TV show of the same name. That British TV show was made by ABC, which is not the same company as American ABC, and was a folk and blues show clearly patterned after Hootenanny, the show Shindig had replaced on American ABC. (And as a quick aside, if you're at all interested in the early sixties British folk and blues movements, I can't recommend Network's double-DVD set of the British Hullabaloo highly enough). Shindig! remained on air for two years, but the show's quality declined markedly after Jack Good left the show a year or so in, and it was eventually replaced on ABC's schedules by Batman, which appealed to largely the same audience. But all that was in the future. Getting back to the first broadcast episode, the Everlys also appeared in the opening medley, where they sang an old Sister Rosetta Tharpe song with Jackie and Gayle and another unknown act who had appeared in the pilot -- The Righteous Brothers: [Excerpt: Jackie and Gayle, The Righteous Brothers, and the Everly Brothers, "Gonna Build a Mountain/Up Above My Head"] The Righteous Brothers would appear on nine out of sixteen episodes broadcast between September and December 1964, and a further seventeen episodes during 1965 -- by which time they'd become the big breakout stars of the show, and had recorded the song that would become the most-played song, *ever*, on American radio, beating out such comparatively unpopular contenders as "Never My Love", "Yesterday", "Stand By Me" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You", a record that was played so much that in thirty-six years it had clocked up forty-five years of continuous airtime.  The Righteous Brothers were a Californian vocal duo consisting of baritone Bill Medley and tenor Bobby Hatfield. Medley's career in the music business had started when he was nineteen, when he'd just decided to go to the office of the Diamonds, the white vocal group we mentioned in passing in the episode on "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" who much like the Crew Cuts had had hits by covering records by Black artists: [Excerpt: The Diamonds, "Little Darlin'"] Young Bill Medley fancied himself as a songwriter, and he brought the Diamonds a few of his songs, and they ended up recording two of them -- "Chimes of My Heart", which remained unreleased until a later compilation, and "Woomai-Ling", which was the B-side to a flop single: [Excerpt: The Diamonds, "Woomai-Ling"] But Medley was inspired enough by his brief brush with success that he decided to go into music properly. He formed a band called the Paramours, which eventually gained a second singer, Bobby Hatfield, and he and Hatfield also started performing as a duo, mostly performing songs by Black R&B artists they grew up listening to on Hunter Hancock's radio show. While Medley doesn't say this directly in his autobiography, it seems likely that the duo's act was based specifically on one particular Black act -- Don and Dewey. We've mentioned Don and Dewey before, and I did a Patreon episode on them, but for those who don't remember their brief mentions, Don "Sugarcane" Harris and Dewey Terry were an R&B duo signed to Specialty Records, and were basically their second attempt at producing another Little Richard, after Larry Williams. They were even less successful than Williams was, and had no hits themselves, but they wrote and recorded many songs that would become hits for others, like "Farmer John", which became a garage-band staple, and "I'm Leaving it Up to You", which was a hit for Donny and Marie Osmond. While they never had any breakout success, they were hugely popular among R&B lovers on the West Coast, and two of their other singles were "Justine": [Excerpt: Don and Dewey, "Justine"] And "Ko Ko Joe", which was one of their few singles written by someone else -- in this case by Sonny Bono, who was at that time working for Specialty: [Excerpt: Don and Dewey, "Ko Ko Joe"] Hatfield and Medley would record both those songs in their early months working together, and would also perform them on Shindig! The duo were different in many ways -- Medley was tall and Hatfield comparatively short, Medley sang in a deep bass-baritone and Hatfield in a high tenor, and Hatfield was gregarious, outgoing, and funny while Medley was self-effacing and shy. The duo would often perform comedy routines on stage, patterned after Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, and Hatfield was always the comedian while Medley was the straight man. But on the other hand, Hatfield was actually quite uncomfortable with any level of success -- he just wanted to coast through life and had no real ambition, while Medley was fiercely driven and wanted to become huge. But they both loved R&B music, and in many ways had similar attitudes to the British musicians who, unknown to them at the time, were trying to play R&B in the UK. They were white kids who loved Black music, and desperately wanted to do justice to it. Orange County, where Medley and Hatfield lived, was at the time one of the whitest places in America, and they didn't really have much competition on the local scene from authentic R&B bands. But there *was* a Marine base in the area, with a large number of Black Marines, who wanted to hear R&B music when they went out. Medley and Hatfield quickly became very popular with these audiences, who would address them as "brother", and called their music "righteous" -- and so, looking for a name for their duo act, they became The Righteous Brothers. Their first single, on a tiny local label, was a song written by Medley, "Little Latin Lupe Lou": [Excerpt: The Righteous Brothers, "Little Latin Lupe Lou"] That wasn't a success to start with, but picked up after the duo took a gig at the Rendezvous Ballroom, the surf-rock venue where Dick Dale had built his reputation. It turned out that "Little Latin Lupe Lou" was a perfect song to dance the Surfer's Stomp to, and the song caught on locally, making the top five in LA markets, and the top fifty nationally. It became a standard part of every garage band's repertoire, and was covered several times with moderate success, most notably by Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, whose cover version made the top twenty in 1966: [Excerpt: Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, "Little Latin Lupe Lou"] The Righteous Brothers became *the* act that musicians in Southern California wanted to see, even though they were very far from being huge -- Elvis, for example, would insist on his friends coming to see the duo when he was in LA filming, even though at the time they were playing at bowling alleys rather than the more glamorous venues his friends would rather visit. Georgie Woods, a Black DJ in Philadelphia who enjoyed their music but normally played Black records coined a term to describe them -- "blue-eyed soul" -- as a way of signalling to his listeners that they were white but he was going to play them anyway. The duo used that as the title of their second album, and it soon became a generic term for white people who were influenced by Black music -- much to Medley's annoyance. As he put it later "It kind of bothers me when other singers call themselves “blue-eyed soul” because we didn't give ourselves that name. Black people named us that, and you don't just walk around giving yourself that title." This will, of course, be something that comes up over and over again in this history -- the question of how much it's cultural appropriation for white people to perform in musical styles created by Black people, and to what extent it's possible for that to be given a pass when the white musicians in question are embraced by Black musicians and audiences. I have to say that *to me*, Medley's attempts to justify the duo's use of Black styles by pointing out how much Black people liked their music don't ring *entirely* true, but that at the same time, I do think there's a qualitative difference between the early Righteous Brothers singles and later blue-eyed soul performers like Michael Bolton or Simply Red, and a difference between a white act embraced by Black audiences and one that is mostly appealing to other white people. This is something we're going to have to explore a lot more over the course of the series, and my statements about what other people thought about this at the time should not be taken as me entirely agreeing with them -- and indeed it shouldn't be taken as me agreeing with *myself*. My own thoughts on this are very contradictory, and change constantly. While "Little Latin Lupe Lou" was a minor hit and established them as locally important, none of their next few singles did anything at all, and nor did a solo single that Bobby Hatfield released around this time: [Excerpt: Bobby Hatfield, "Hot Tamales"] But the duo picked up enough of a following as a live act that they were picked for Shindig! -- and as an opening act on the Beatles' first US tour, which finished the same week that Shindig! started broadcasting. It turned out that even though the duo's records hadn't had any success, the Beatles, who loved to seek out obscure R&B records, had heard them and liked them, and George Harrison was particularly interested in learning from Barry Rillera, the guitarist who played with them, some of  the guitar techniques he'd used. Shindig! took the duo to stardom, even though they'd not yet had a hit. They'd appear most weeks, usually backed by a house band that included Delaney Bramlett, James Burton, Russ Titelman, Larry Knechtel, Billy Preston, Leon Russell, Ray Pohlman, Glenn Hardin, and many other of the finest studio musicians in LA -- most, though not all, of them also part of the Wrecking Crew. They remained favourites of people who knew music, even though they were appearing on this teen-pop show -- Elvis would apparently regularly phone the TV company with requests for them to sing a favourite song of his on the next week's show, and the TV company would arrange it, in the hopes of eventually getting Elvis on the show, though he never made an appearance. Medley had a certain level of snobbery towards white pop music, even after being on that Beatles tour, but it started to soften a bit after the duo started to appear on Shindig! and especially after meeting the Beach Boys on Shindig's Christmas episode, which also featured Marvin Gaye and Adam Faith. Medley had been unimpressed with the Beach Boys' early singles, but Brian Wilson was a fan of the Righteous Brothers, and asked Medley to accompany him into the men's toilets at the ABC studios -- not for any of the reasons one might imagine, but because the acoustics in the room were so good that the studio had actually installed a piano in there. There, Wilson asked Medley to listen to his group singing their version of "The Lord's Prayer": [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "The Lord's Prayer"] Medley was blown away by the group's tight harmonies, and instantly gained a new respect for Wilson as an arranger and musician. The two became lifelong friends, and as they would often work in adjoining rooms in the same studio complex, they would often call on each other to help solve a musical problem. And the reason they would work in the same studios is because Brian Wilson was a huge admirer of Phil Spector, and those were the studios Spector used, so Wilson had to use them as well. And Phil Spector had just leased the last two years of the Righteous Brothers' contract from Moonglow Records, the tiny label they'd been on to that point. Spector, at this point, was desperate to try something different -- the new wave of British acts that had come over were swamping the charts, and he wasn't having hits like he had been a few months earlier. The Righteous Brothers were his attempt to compromise somewhat with that -- they were associated with the Beatles, after all, and they were big TV stars. They were white men, like all the new pop stars, rather than being the Black women he'd otherwise always produced for his own label, but they had a Black enough sound that he wasn't completely moving away from the vocal sound he'd always used.  Medley, in particular, was uneasy about working with Spector -- he wanted to be an R&B singer, not a pop star. But on the other hand, Spector made hits, and who didn't want a hit? For the duo's first single on Philles, Spector flew Mann and Weil out from New York to LA to work with him on the song. Mann and Weil took their inspiration from a new hit record that Holland-Dozier-Holland had produced for a group that had recently signed to Motown, the Four Tops: [Excerpt: The Four Tops, "Baby I Need Your Loving"] Mann and Weil took that feeling, and came up with a verse and chorus, with a great opening line, "You never close your eyes any more when I kiss your lips". They weren't entirely happy with the chorus lyric though, considering it a placeholder that they needed to rewrite. But when they played it for Spector, he insisted that "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" was a perfect title, and shouldn't be changed. Spector added a long bridge, based around a three-chord riff using the "La Bamba" chords, and the song was done. Spector spent an inordinate amount of time getting the backing track done -- Earl Palmer has said that he took two days to get one eight-bar section recorded, because he couldn't communicate exactly how he wanted the musicians to play it. This is possibly partly because Spector's usual arranger, Jack Nitzsche, had had a temporary falling out with him, and Spector was working with Gene Page, who did a very good job at copying Nitzsche's style but was possibly not as completely in tune with Spector's wishes. When Spector and Mann played the song to the Righteous Brothers, Bill Medley thought that the song, sung in Spector and Mann's wispy high voices, sounded more suitable for the Everly Brothers than for him and Hatfield, but Spector insisted it would work. Of course, it's now impossible to think of the song without hearing Medley's rich, deep, voice: [Excerpt: The Righteous Brothers, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"] When Mann first heard that, he thought Spector must have put the record on at the wrong speed, Medley's voice was so deep. Bobby Hatfield was also unimpressed -- the Righteous Brothers were a duo, yet Medley was singing the verses on his own. "What am I supposed to do while the big guy's singing?" he asked. Spector's response, "go to the bank!" But while Medley is the featured singer during Mann and Weil's part of the song, Hatfield gets his own chance to shine, in the bridge that Spector added, which for me makes the record -- it's one of the great examples of the use of dynamics in a pop record, as after the bombast of the chorus the music drops down to just a bass, then slowly builds in emotional intensity as Medley and Hatfield trade off phrases: [Excerpt: The Righteous Brothers, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"] The record was released in December 1964, and even though the Righteous Brothers didn't even perform it on Shindig! until it had already risen up the charts, it made number one on the pop charts and number two on the R&B charts, and became the fifth biggest hit of 1965 in the US.  In the UK, it looked like it wasn't going to be a hit at all. Cilla Black, a Liverpudlian singer who was managed by Brian Epstein and produced by George Martin, rushed out a cover version, which charted first: [Excerpt: Cilla Black, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"] On their second week on the charts, Black was at number twelve, and the Righteous Brothers at number twenty. At this point, Andrew Oldham, the Rolling Stones' manager and a huge fan of Spector's work, actually took out an ad in Melody Maker, even though he had no financial interest in the record (though it could be argued that he did have an interest in seeing his rival Brian Epstein taken down a peg), saying: "This advert is not for commercial gain, it is taken as something that must be said about the great new PHIL SPECTOR Record, THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS singing ‘YOU'VE LOST THAT LOVIN' FEELING'. Already in the American Top Ten, this is Spector's greatest production, the last word in Tomorrow's sound Today, exposing the overall mediocrity of the Music Industry. Signed Andrew Oldham P.S. See them on this week's READY, STEADY, GO!" The next week, Cilla Black was at number two, and the Righteous Brothers at number three. The week after, the Righteous Brothers were at number one, while Black's record had dropped down to number five. The original became the only single ever to reenter the UK top ten twice, going back into the charts in both 1969 and 1990. But Spector wasn't happy, at all, with the record's success, for the simple reason that it was being credited as a Righteous Brothers record rather than as a Phil Spector record. Where normally he worked with Black women, who were so disregarded as artists that he could put records by the Ronettes or the Blossoms out as Crystals records and nobody seemed to care, here he was working with two white men, and they were starting to get some of the credit that Spector thought was due only him.  Spector started to manipulate the two men. He started with Medley, who after all had been the lead singer on their big hit. He met up with Medley, and told him that he thought Bobby Hatfield was dead weight. Who needed a second Righteous Brother? Bill Medley should go solo, and Spector should produce him as a solo artist. Medley realised what was happening -- the Righteous Brothers were a brand, and Spector was trying to sabotage that brand. He turned Spector down. The next single was originally intended to be a song that Mann and Weil were working on, called "Soul and Inspiration", but Spector had second thoughts, and the song he chose was written by Goffin and King, and was essentially a rewrite of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'". To my mind it's actually the better record, but it wasn't as successful, though it still made the US top ten: [Excerpt: The Righteous Brothers, "Just Once in My Life"] For their third Philles single, Spector released "Hung on You", another intense ballad, very much in the mould of their two previous singles, though not as strong a song as either. But it was the B-side that was the hit. While Spector produced the group's singles, he wasn't interested in producing albums, leaving Medley, a decent producer in his own right, to produce what Spector considered the filler tracks. And Medley and Hatfield had an agreement that on each album, each of them would get a solo spot.  So for Hatfield's solo spot on the first album the duo were recording for Philles, Medley produced Hatfield singing the old standard "Unchained Melody", while Medley played piano: [Excerpt: The Righteous Brothers, "Unchained Melody"] That went out on the B-side, with no production credit -- until DJs started playing that rather than "Hung on You". Spector was furious, and started calling DJs and telling them they were playing the wrong side, but they didn't stop playing it, and so the single was reissued, now with a Spector production credit for Medley's production. "Unchained Melody" made the top five, and now Spector continued his plans to foment dissent between the two singers. This time he argued that they should follow up "Unchained Melody" with "Ebb Tide" -- "Unchained Melody" had previously been a hit for both Roy Hamilton and Al Hibbler, and they'd both also had hits with "Ebb Tide", so why not try that? Oh, and the record was only going to have Bobby Hatfield on. It would still be released as a Righteous Brothers record, but Bill Medley wouldn't be involved. That was also a hit, but it would be the last one the duo would have with Philles Records, as they moved to Mercury and Medley started producing all their records. But the damage had been done -- Spector had successfully pit their egos against each other, and their working relationship would never be the same. But they started at Mercury with their second-biggest hit -- "Soul and Inspiration", the song that Mann and Weil had written as a follow-up to "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'": [Excerpt: The Righteous Brothers, "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration"] That went to number one, and apparently to this day Brian Wilson will still ask Bill Medley whenever they speak "Did you produce that? Really?", unable to believe it isn't a Phil Spector production. But the duo had been pushed apart. and were no longer happy working together. They were also experiencing personal problems -- I don't have details of Hatfield's life at this period, but Medley had a breakdown, and was also having an affair with Darlene Love which led to the breakup of his first marriage. The duo broke up in 1968, and Medley put out some unsuccessful solo recordings, including a song that Mann and Weil wrote for him about his interracial relationship with Love, who sang backing vocals on the record. It's a truly odd record which possibly says more about the gender and racial attitudes of everyone involved at that point than they might have wished, as Medley complains that his "brown-eyed woman" doesn't trust him because "you look at me and all you see are my blue eyes/I'm not a man, baby all I am is what I symbolise", while the chorus of Black women backing him sing "no no, no no" and "stay away": [Excerpt: Bill Medley, "Brown-Eyed Woman"] Hatfield, meanwhile, continued using the Righteous Brothers name, performing with Jimmy Walker, formerly the drummer of the Knickerbockers, who had been one-hit wonders with their Beatles soundalike "Lies": [Excerpt: The Knickerbockers, "Lies"] Walker and Hatfield recorded one album together, but it was unsuccessful, and they split up. Hatfield also tried a solo career -- his version of "Only You" is clearly patterned after the earlier Righteous Brothers hits with "Unchained Melody" and "Ebb Tide": [Excerpt: Bobby Hatfield, "Only You"] But by 1974, both careers floundering, the Righteous Brothers reformed -- and immediately had a hit with "Rock and Roll Heaven", a tribute to dead rock stars, which became their third highest-charting single, peaking at number three. They had a couple more charting singles, but then, tragically, Medley's first wife was murdered, and Medley had to take several years off performing to raise his son. They reunited in the 1980s, although Medley kept up a parallel career as a solo artist, having several minor country hits, and also having a pop number one with the theme song from Dirty Dancing, "I've Had the Time of My Life", sung as a duet with Jennifer Warnes: [Excerpt: Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, "I've Had the Time of My Life"] A couple of years later, another Patrick Swayze film, Ghost, would lead to another unique record for the Righteous Brothers. Ghost used "Unchained Melody" in a crucial scene, and the single was reissued, and made number nineteen in the US charts, and hit number one in many other countries. It also sparked a revival of their career that made "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" rechart in the UK.  But "Unchained Melody" was only reissued on vinyl, and the small label Curb Records saw an opportunity, and got the duo to do a soundalike rerecording to come out as a CD single. That CD single *also* made the top twenty, making the Righteous Brothers the only artist ever to be at two places in the top twenty at the same time with two versions of the same song -- when Gene and Eunice's two versions of "Ko Ko Mo" had charted, they'd been counted as one record for chart purposes. The duo continued working together until 2003, when Bobby Hatfield died of a cocaine-induced heart attack. Medley performed as a solo artist for several years, but in 2016 he took on a partner, Bucky Heard, to perform with him as a new lineup of Righteous Brothers, mostly playing Vegas shows. We'll see a lot more blue-eyed soul artists as the story progresses, and we'll be able to look more closely at the issues around race and appropriation with them, but in 1965, unlike all the brown-eyed women like Darlene Love who'd come before them, the Righteous Brothers did become the first act to break free of Phil Spector and have hits without him -- though we will later see at least one Black woman Spector produced who became even bigger later. But still, they'll always be remembered primarily for the work they did with Spector, and somewhere, right now, at least one radio station is still playing "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", and it'll probably continue to do so as long as radio exists. 

christmas america tv love american new york time history black world lord uk lost soul las vegas england ghosts british philadelphia walking inspiration batman leaving network train angels abc wind nbc mountain southern california beatles cd dvd rolling stones west coast marine elvis rock and roll stones rebel memoir mercury vhs djs weil orange county diamonds lsd music industry communists steady californians my life johnny cash crystals beach boys motown chapel bmi brilliance excerpt marvin gaye mono hung lovin george harrison wham surfer dirty dancing cooke tilt feelin sham patrick swayze dewey stomp little richard my heart brian wilson medley sam cooke rock music british tv dean martin muddy waters stand by me jerry lewis hatfield abc tv phil spector go tell joan baez chimes spector ramblin michael bolton pharaohs blossoms my soul woody guthrie pete seeger glen campbell george martin blowin richard williams wrecking crew la bamba four tops everly brothers knickerbockers billy preston leon russell shindig simply red sister rosetta tharpe hee haw chubby checker john phillips dick dale righteous brothers hullabaloo ronettes dave clark seeger american bandstand brian epstein darlene love marie osmond ricky nelson hootenanny larry williams cilla black sonny bono liverpudlian eddie cochran melody maker unchained melody john sebastian my boyfriend bill medley jimmy walker james burton roy clark jennifer warnes brill building dave clark five goffin rufus thomas mitch ryder farmer john gene clark barry mcguire cynthia weil jackie deshannon cass elliot jack elliott barry mann cumberland gap holland dozier holland david gates curb records andrew loog oldham jack nitzsche ebb tide lonnie donegan long john baldry his head wooly bully detroit wheels bobby sherman tennessee waltz never my love why do fools fall in love little darlin' proby i've had andrew oldham everlys my boy lollipop larry ramos russ titelman donna loren tilt araiza don sugarcane harris
Instant Trivia
Episode 46 - States In Song - Emeril's Tv Dinners - 4-Letter Clothes - World Heritage Sites - 4-Syllable Words

Instant Trivia

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2021 6:53


Welcome to the Instant Trivia podcast episode 46, where we ask the best trivia on the Internet. Round 1. Category: States In Song 1: According to Beach Boys' hit, state with the cutest girls in the world California. 2: State where you'd find Elvis' rain and Diamond's woman Kentucky. 3: The alternate lyrics to "I've Been Working On The Railroad" "The Eyes Of Texas". 4: Patti Page hit that is official song of a southern state "The Tennessee Waltz". 5: It's where I came from with a banjo on my knee Alabama. Round 2. Category: Emeril's Tv Dinners 1: You might like this bird a l'orange; Emeril puts it in his special burritos with--BAM!--chili corn sauce duck. 2: Who says "real men don't eat" this? Emeril makes one filled with shrimp and cheese and eats it while he's watching football quiche. 3: To kick it up a notch, Emeril adds jalapenos to these deep-fried cornmeal balls--that'll shush your doggies! hush puppies. 4: Emeril's momma taught him that this pungent bulb is a beautiful thing; he drizzles it with olive oil and roasts it garlic. 5: Give Emeril some pork bely and kosher salt and he wont just "bring home" this meat, he'll make it himself bacon. Round 3. Category: 4-Letter Clothes 1: Ballet wear, perhaps for Desmond Tutu. 2: After it comes back pink from the wash, you might use something similar to fire your laundress Slip. 3: Piece of clothing in the title of the first feature film in Cinemascope The Robe. 4: Piece that turns a man's 2-piece suit into a 3-piece suit Vest. 5: One may be wedding, prom or dressing Gown. Round 4. Category: World Heritage Sites 1: This entire country is a site, but then it's only 108.7 acres the Vatican. 2: Komodo National Park and the Sangiran early man site Indonesia. 3: The Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork and the Wieliczka Salt Mine Poland. 4: UNESCO lauded the art and architecture of Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas in this country Venezuela. 5: This concentration camp in Poland is on the list as evidence of the inhumane nature of the racist Nazi policy Auschwitz. Round 5. Category: 4-Syllable Words 1: It takes a very steady hand... this term for a medical procedure also describes a math process like addition operation. 2: Also a physiological term, it's the distribution of copies of a periodical among readers circulation. 3: This type of "theory" explains how an event results from a plot by a covert group conspiracy. 4: A collection of monkeys and mambas on exhibit a menagerie. 5: "Wise fool" is an example of this 8-letter figure of speech oxymoron. Thanks for listening! Come back tomorrow for more exciting trivia!

Danny Lane's Music Museum
Episode 65: From the Vault - Those Were The Days #6 (as heard on WTMY)

Danny Lane's Music Museum

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2021 113:21


How many times recently have you said “Those were the days”? We all know that you can’t go back, but you can remember the good old days. Danny Lane’s Those Were The Days series is just the way to remember. This is nostalgia at its best and it just might be the best hour of your day. Enjoy. ---- Join the conversation on Facebook at ---- https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008232395712 ---- or by email at: dannymemorylane@gmail.com ---- This episode includes: 1) The All-Night Record Man by Charlie Barnet & His Orchestra (with Charlie Barnet and Judy Ellington, vocals) 2) Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby? By Dinah Washington 3) Too Close For Comfort by The Count Basie Orchestra (with Joe Williams, vocal) 4) Can't Teach My Old Heart New Tricks by Benny Goodman & His Orchestra (with Martha Tilton, vocal) 5) You And The Night And The Music by Frank Sinatra [with Count Basie and his Orchestra, Nelson Riddle - arranger, conductor] 6) Give My Regards To Broadway by Al Jolson 7) Forty-Second Street (from the 1933 production of Forty-Second Street) by Somethin' Smith & The Redheads 8) Guys And Dolls by Bobby Darin 9) That's Entertainment! (from the musical comedy film, The Band Wagon - 1953, starring Fred Astaire & Cyd Charisse) by Judy Garland 10) Chicago by Tony Bennett (with Count Basie & His Orchestra) 11) Jumpin' Jive by Cab Calloway & His Orchestra 12) Peggy The Pin-Up Girl by Major Glenn Miller & The 418th Army Air Force Training Command Band (with Ray McKinley & The Crew Chiefs) 13) Mambo Italiano by Dean Martin 14) It's Only A Paper Moon by Nat King Cole 15) And That Reminds Me by Della Reese 16) Darktown Strutter's Ball by Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra (with June Richmond) 17) El Rancho Grande by Artie Shaw & His Orchestra (with Tony Pastor, vocal) 18) Let's Fall In Love by Betty Carter 19) In The Cool, Cool, Cool Of The Evening (from Here Comes the Groom - 1951) by Bing Crosby (with Jane Wyman) 20) Flight Of The Bumblebee by Harry James & His Orchestra 21) Rocks in My Bed by Duke Ellington & His Orchestra (with Ivie Anderson, vocal) 22) The Old Soft Shoe by Dinah Shore & Tony Martin 23) Destination Moon by Dinah Washington 24) Watch The Birdie by Gene Krupa (with Anita O'Day, vocal) 25) Make Someone Happy by Jimmy Durante 26) Beer Barrel Polka (Roll Out The Barrel) by The Andrews Sisters 27) I Got the Sun in the Morning by Doris Day (with Les Brown & His Orchestra) 28) Manana (Is Soon Enough For Me) by Peggy Lee 29) Slow Poke by Pee Wee King 30) You'll Never Know by Dick Haymes (with The Song Spinners) 31) Rhythm Is Our Business by Jimmie Lunceford (with Willie Smith and The Band) 32) Something's Gotta Give by Ella Fitzgerald 33) At The Jazz Band Ball by Bob Crosby 34) Lazy Bones by Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra (with Louis Armstrong and Pee Wee Hunt, vocals) 35) Hallelujah, I Love Her So by Harry Belafonte 36) Smack Dab In The Middle by Ray Charles (with The Raeletts) 37) Tennessee Waltz by Patti Page 38) Remembering You ("All In The Family" Closing Theme) by Roger Kellaway

Whiskey Lore
Interview: Jim Massey of Fugitive Spirits

Whiskey Lore

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 25, 2021 60:08


A surprise Burns Night interview here on Whiskey Lore. I had hoped to do an episode around the Scottish Bard, Robert Burns, but the Whiskey Rebellion kinda took over (as rebellions will). But in honor of a poet with a passion for all things Scottish, I was approached by a whiskey distiller whose namesake's were poets with a passion for the land.  Listen as I talk with Fugitive Spirits co-founder Jim Massey about his whiskey, the inspiration of Vanderbilt University's Fugitives, and getting laws changed so he can benefit Tennessee agriculture by producing whiskey.  In this episode we'll discuss: Gypsy distiller Emphasizing Tennessee agriculture to bring craft distilling to the state Selling his dad on using the farm for distilling What about Tennessee whiskey? The Lincoln Henderson Angels Envy inspiration Doing what Jack Daniel's and Brown-Forman couldn't do How craft benefited George Dickel My poetry blind spot The Fugitives at Vanderbilt University Why the Fugitives? Artists in Nashville The Corsair Papa Smurf tie in What is meant by heirloom corn - talk about his varieties Playing with varieties of corn and mash bills Redbreast inspiration Tasting Grandgousier Elements that make a whiskey different from others How brains out do computers Dealing with COVID bumps and will there be a Fugitive's distillery or tasting room? The Tennessee Waltz and how it relates to what is in the bottle The Tennessee Tug Making your own Lincoln County Maple Why all the orange in Nashville? Where you can find the Fugitive Spirits

Cigar Dave Show
Cigar Dave 1-14-21 Lightation Ceremony - Tennessee Waltz from Crowned Heads

Cigar Dave Show

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 14, 2021 15:59


Today's International Cigar Lightation Ceremony is being conducted with a heavy heart in honor of longtime friend and owner of the Humidor Store, Jim Blanton, who passed away on Sunday night. To honor him I've chosen the Tennessee Waltz from Crowned Heads, a medium-to-full bodied cigar with a dark Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper with Nicaraguan tobaccos for the filler and binder.

Teacher Breathe
Scott Rovner Final Mix 1.1.21 1.48 pm mixdown

Teacher Breathe

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 1, 2021 19:13


Scott Rovner is a professional musician turned banker.  His health conditions make exposure to COVID-19 a death sentence.  What results is a high stakes discussion of distress at our national response and Scott's concrete strategies for dealing with the new normal.  In short, golf, music, and family has kept him afloat. At the end of the podcast, Scott performs "The Tennessee Waltz," a touching country classic of heartbreak--appropriate during our age of disruption. 

Coping Conversations
83: Patti Page: One of the Music Industry's Best-Selling Singers

Coping Conversations

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2020 14:01


Do you remember the song "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window"? One of the most popular songs of all time was a hit for my guest, the late Patti Page. One of the music industry's best-selling singers, also known for her hits "Cape Cod", "Tennessee Waltz", and "Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte", we discuss a career that has lasted more than five decades, as well as some of the difficulties she has endured during her life.

Fun Times with Dana and Heidi
The Tennessee Waltz and Virtual Thanksgiving

Fun Times with Dana and Heidi

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2020 25:28


Join co-hosts Dana and Heidi as they discuss this week's positive news stories, including an act of gratitude from a coronavirus patient, positive updates from Zoom, innovations in cancer screenings, and more!

The Joe Jackson Interviews
The Chieftains 2002 play a medley Live for Joe Jackson. Three times, before the agree they got it right! Musical perfectionism for all to hear.

The Joe Jackson Interviews

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 13, 2020 10:34


I have been a champion of the music of the Chieftains since 1990 when I did my first interview with Paddy Moloney. I explain why, at the start of this podcast. It has something to do with U2. Championing the Chieftains led to my sitting in on a recording session they did in Frank Zappa's home - check my Zappa podcast - with Tom Jones singing the vocal on Tennessee Waltz. Later again I write the sleeve notes fro their album The Chieftains: The Wide World over: A 40 Year Celebration. We did a radio show around the same time and here you have the group playing live for me a track from that album. I include the three takes we did - two have never been heard- to highlight the perfectionism of the Chieftains. 

Carole Baskins Diary
1997-11-29

Carole Baskins Diary

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2020 9:44


My mother arrived here at 9:15 am and I knew she came to tell me my Grandfather was dead.  He died at 1:00 this morning while my brother, Chuck was sitting with him.  He said BigDaddy was breathing slower and slower, yet still able to talk somewhat as he passed on.  I cry even typing this because I will miss him.  I am glad his suffering with this brain cancer is over, for his sake, and I have felt helpless to relieve his suffering for the past four months.   His favourite song was the Tennessee Waltz and I don't know the words  so I went out and bought every version of it I could find on CD and a CD player in a feeble attempt to make his last few weeks more bearable.  I tried to go sit with him two Sundays ago, and when he saw it was me he turned his head and made those funny eyes at me he always does and said “Well Hello Babydoll!”.  The next words out of his mouth, for as far back as I can remember, would always be “you are so beautiful!” but this time he said “you are so….so….so something, I can't remember the words anymore”.   The cancer had taken his mobility, his ability to communicate and his memory in just a few short months.  I was there for several hours, but I was no help to anyone, because all I could do was cry and cry and cry.  I tried not to let him see or hear me cry and spent most of my time there holed up in the bathroom.  I've never had to deal with the death of anyone I knew and I wasn't handling it well at all.   As much as this hurts, I know that it was for the best and I will be able to close this chapter of my life, albeit sorrowfully.  I can't lay the book down where Don is concerned.  I still wonder every day if he is alive, if he is in prison, if he is in some mental ward, if he is rotting in a swamp or laying at the bottom of the gulf.   On Thanksgiving I had guests in the cabin.  (Norma's sister from Ft. Lauderdale and her husband).  They are quite wealthy and seemed like wonderful people, but I had forgotten to ask Dad to bring in the coffee and doughnuts, so I made cinnamon rolls and coffee for them and delivered it to the cabin.  They were sitting outside at 7:30 in the morning in their pajamas, and looking a little wild eyed.   The husband asked the history on the cabin and when I told him he said he was expecting something a little more dramatic and when I asked why he said, “because it's haunted”.  He claims that last night he heard loud shoes, like boots come up the steps, the gush of air as though the door had opened and as he turned to see who it was, he and his wife both felt the bed sink as though someone had climbed in to go to sleep.  The next evening I noticed the trail lights were out and the switch was flipped off and the box left open, just like Don did almost every night since I bought those things.   I am going over to hug Momma Jacquie this morning although I know that she, like me would rather be alone.  I will take Jamie with me.  Jamie didn't want to see BigDaddy last Sunday after church, but I dragged her anyway to at least say hello to Momma Jack.  Jamie said she wanted to remember BigDaddy the way he was, strong and funny.  I know that is how he would have wanted us to remember him.   My dad is taking this worse than just about anyone, other than my mom, who is BigDaddy reincarnate.  Dad and BigDaddy built the cabins together, did the flea markets and auctions and a lot of traveling together.  Dad couldn't even come tell me about the death because he was so overwhelmed by it.  I have to catch four cats, 2 Lynx and 2 Western Cougars, today so I hope he will be able to help me with that, without getting himself hurt.   I've been writing my story since I was able to write, but when the media goes to share it, they only choose the parts that fit their idea of what will generate views.  If I'm going to share my story, it should be the whole story.  The titles are the dates things happened. If you have any interest in who I really am please start at the beginning of this playlist: http://savethecats.org/   I know there will be people who take things out of context and try to use them to validate their own misconception, but you have access to the whole story.  My hope is that others will recognize themselves in my words and have the strength to do what is right for themselves and our shared planet.    You can help feed the cats at no cost to you using Amazon Smile! Visit BigCatRescue.org/Amazon-smile   You can see photos, videos and more, updated daily at BigCatRescue.org   Check out our main channel at YouTube.com/BigCatRescue   Music (if any) from Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com) This video is for entertainment purposes only.

Arroe Collins
Louise Mandrell Releases The Album Playing Favorites

Arroe Collins

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2020 19:14


There's something magical about the musical marriage of a timeless song and a compelling voice, and nowhere is that more evident than on Louise Mandrell's new album Playing Favorites. The 15-song collection includes her take on such well-loved country classics as "Crazy Arms," "He Thinks I Still Care," "You Don't Know Me," "Tennessee Waltz" and "Today I Started Loving You Again." Produced by Nashville legend Buddy Cannon, Time Life is set to release the new album on October 4, 2019. Playing Favorites is a return to the spotlight for Mandrell, who hasn't released a new album in over 30 years. "A lot of people have asked if I've retired and I'd say, 'No, I've been on hiatus' because with my family if you say retired, they expect you to stay that way," says the vivacious brunette, who became an international star working with siblings Barbara and Irlene on the television variety show "Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters." Longtime friend Clint Higham encouraged her to record the new album. With Playing Favorites, Mandrell brings a lifetime of experience to the project, infusing each song with a unique blend of passion and professionalism cultivated by years in the spotlight. With one listen, it is obvious her voice has retained all of its sultry warmth, and the relationship she has with these classic songs imbues the project with a soulfulness and emotional weight that resonates with listeners. Working on this album was a labor of love for Mandrell because these songs are old friends with warm memories attached. Among the standards Mandrell puts her stamp on are the Conway Twitty classic "Hello Darlin'" and Johnny Cash's staple "Ring of Fire." Her friendships with both men and with other artists represented on the album make each song that much more special. These days, Mandrell is enjoying a unique moment in her career. She's both an established veteran with a wealth of experience

Arroe Collins
Louise Mandrell Releases The Album Playing Favorites

Arroe Collins

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2020 19:14


There's something magical about the musical marriage of a timeless song and a compelling voice, and nowhere is that more evident than on Louise Mandrell's new album Playing Favorites. The 15-song collection includes her take on such well-loved country classics as "Crazy Arms," "He Thinks I Still Care," "You Don't Know Me," "Tennessee Waltz" and "Today I Started Loving You Again." Produced by Nashville legend Buddy Cannon, Time Life is set to release the new album on October 4, 2019. Playing Favorites is a return to the spotlight for Mandrell, who hasn't released a new album in over 30 years. "A lot of people have asked if I've retired and I'd say, 'No, I've been on hiatus' because with my family if you say retired, they expect you to stay that way," says the vivacious brunette, who became an international star working with siblings Barbara and Irlene on the television variety show "Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters." Longtime friend Clint Higham encouraged her to record the new album. With Playing Favorites, Mandrell brings a lifetime of experience to the project, infusing each song with a unique blend of passion and professionalism cultivated by years in the spotlight. With one listen, it is obvious her voice has retained all of its sultry warmth, and the relationship she has with these classic songs imbues the project with a soulfulness and emotional weight that resonates with listeners. Working on this album was a labor of love for Mandrell because these songs are old friends with warm memories attached. Among the standards Mandrell puts her stamp on are the Conway Twitty classic "Hello Darlin'" and Johnny Cash's staple "Ring of Fire." Her friendships with both men and with other artists represented on the album make each song that much more special. These days, Mandrell is enjoying a unique moment in her career. She's both an established veteran with a wealth of experience

中国陶笛精选轻音乐
The Tennessee Waltz

中国陶笛精选轻音乐

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2020 2:32


如果你喜欢我的作品,请帮我多多分享哦!学习陶笛也可以私聊我哟,可定量身定制化教学,线上线下专业教学陶笛!

中国陶笛精选轻音乐
The Tennessee Waltz

中国陶笛精选轻音乐

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2020 2:32


如果你喜欢我的作品,请帮我多多分享哦!学习陶笛也可以私聊我哟,可定量身定制化教学,线上线下专业教学陶笛!

中国陶笛精选轻音乐
The Tennessee Waltz

中国陶笛精选轻音乐

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2020 2:32


如果你喜欢我的作品,请帮我多多分享哦!学习陶笛也可以私聊我哟,可定量身定制化教学,线上线下专业教学陶笛!

Fiddle Hangout Newest 100 Songs

Mark Paninos singing and playing the fiddle at our old time jam.

Fiddle Hangout Newest 100 Songs

Mark Paninos singing and playing the fiddle at our old time jam.

The CoverUp
098 - If I Had A Hammer - The CoverUp

The CoverUp

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 11, 2019 31:57


The evolution of modern folk music in one song. Start with a good song built around a big message and end up with some of the greatest American vocal talents ever. If I Had A Hammer, originally by The Weavers, covered by Peter, Paul and Mary, and by Sam Cooke. Outro music is Tennessee Waltz, also by Sam Cooke (which he manages to sing as a non-waltz but it still works.)

HoeDown SloDown
13 | Women In Country Music

HoeDown SloDown

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2019 54:35


1A. I Walk The Line by Connie Francis 2A. I’ll Give A Lot of Lovin’ To You by Melba Montgomery 3A. The Dirt That You Throw by Delia Bell 4A. The Root of All Evil (Is a Man) by Jean Shepard 5B. Will Your Lawyer Talk to God? by Kitty Wells 6B. A Girl Named Sue by Lois Williams 7B.Country Sunshine by Dottie West 8B. Green by Debbie Lori Kaye 9C. Husband Hunting by Liz Anderson 10C. Nashville Lady Singer by Jill Croston or Lacy J. Dalton 11C. He Called Me Baby by Dinah Shore 12C. Don’t Touch Me by Jeannie Seely 13D. Habit, Not Desire by June Stearns 14D. Baby by Wilma Burgess 15D. Tennessee Waltz by Patti Page 16D. Wave BYE BYE to The Man by Lynn Anderson 17E. Born A Woman by Connie Smith

Tímaflakk með Bergsson og Blöndal
Tímaflakk með Bergsson og Blöndal 03.02.2019

Tímaflakk með Bergsson og Blöndal

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2019


Tímaflakkið með Bergsson og Blöndal fer heil 68 ár aftur í tímann að þessu sinni en við heimsækjum árin 1951, 61, 71 og 81. Árið 1981 hélt Verslunarbanki Íslands upp á aldarfjórðungs afmæli og fagnaði með rjómatertu fyrir gesti og gangandi. Verslunarbankinn varð svo einn af bönkunum sem sameinuðust í Íslandsbanka árið 1990 og árið 1971 fóru fuglaverndunarmenn í sérstakt átak til verndar síminnkandi arnarstofninum á Íslandi. Árið 1961 upplýsti lögreglan um 70 stolin úr frá Kaupmannahöfn sem hafði verið smyglað og seld grandalausum Íslendingum en tímaflakkið byrjaði árið 1951 þegar Nilla Pizzi vann San Remo söngvakeppnina með hinu rómantíska Grazie dei fior eða takk fyrir blómin og Patty Page gerði allt vitlaust með Tennessee Waltz. Tímaflakkið með Bergsson og Blöndal er alltaf á sunnudögum kl. 15.00 á Rás 2

Tímaflakk með Bergsson og Blöndal
Tímaflakk með Bergsson og Blöndal 03.02.2019

Tímaflakk með Bergsson og Blöndal

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2019


Tímaflakkið með Bergsson og Blöndal fer heil 68 ár aftur í tímann að þessu sinni en við heimsækjum árin 1951, 61, 71 og 81. Árið 1981 hélt Verslunarbanki Íslands upp á aldarfjórðungs afmæli og fagnaði með rjómatertu fyrir gesti og gangandi. Verslunarbankinn varð svo einn af bönkunum sem sameinuðust í Íslandsbanka árið 1990 og árið 1971 fóru fuglaverndunarmenn í sérstakt átak til verndar síminnkandi arnarstofninum á Íslandi. Árið 1961 upplýsti lögreglan um 70 stolin úr frá Kaupmannahöfn sem hafði verið smyglað og seld grandalausum Íslendingum en tímaflakkið byrjaði árið 1951 þegar Nilla Pizzi vann San Remo söngvakeppnina með hinu rómantíska Grazie dei fior eða takk fyrir blómin og Patty Page gerði allt vitlaust með Tennessee Waltz. Tímaflakkið með Bergsson og Blöndal er alltaf á sunnudögum kl. 15.00 á Rás 2

Music From 100 Years Ago
Three Quarter Time Part One

Music From 100 Years Ago

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 28, 2018 46:00


Famous waltzes, including: Sidewalks of New York, I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles, The Tennessee Waltz, The Band Played On, The Waltz of the Flowers and the Blue Skirt Waltz. Musicians include: Guy Lombardo, Bradley Kincaid, Cowboy Copas, Arthur Rubinstein, Tino Rossi and Ted Lewis.

Oklahoma Music Legends
# 29 The Four Wannabe Oklahoman's; Eddie Cochran, Cowboy Copas, Al Clauser and Eddie Cletro

Oklahoma Music Legends

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 11, 2018 8:39


20th Century Performers, Eddie Cletro, Cowboy Copas, Al Clauser and Eddie Cochran all believed telling fans that they were from Oklahoma would help their careers.

Face B
Face B : Keren Ann

Face B

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2018 18:26


FACE B - PASTILLE RADIOPHONIQUEDes groupes phares par des morceaux rares Artiste auteure-compositrice-interprète, d'origines néerlandaise, israélienne et française, Keren Ann Zeidel (dite "Keren Ann") s'est faite connaître en co-écrivant avec Benjamin Biolay le tube "Jardin d'Hiver" d'Henri Salvador. Retour sur l'histoire de Keren Ann au travers de titres rares :- (extrait : My Name Is Trouble)- Fingertips (2003)- Greatest You Can Find (2004)- Tennessee Waltz (2007)- Daddy You Been On My Mind (2011) Retrouvez davantage d'informations dans le podcast de l'émission...Et rejoignez ici la communauté Facebook de Face B - pastille radiophonique !

The Carolina Shout - Ragtime and Jazz Piano with Ethan Uslan
Ep. 41: Getting to Know Jesse Eisenberg

The Carolina Shout - Ragtime and Jazz Piano with Ethan Uslan

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2018 34:24


Ethan welcomes academy-award nominated actor Jesse Eisenberg to the podcast studio. They talk about Jesse's musical interests, including "March of the Siamese Children" from the King and I (which Ethan plays on piano). Then, the duo performs a Jesse Eisenberg original entitled "Sports are Important to Men." Finally the two connect with their roots and sing Kosher-for-Passover versions of "By the Beautiful Sea" and "The Tennessee Waltz." 

State of the Human
Caretaking (full episode)

State of the Human

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2018 33:47


How do we take care of the past after it turns to ash? We visit with families digging through the rubble of their homes in Sonoma after the fires as they sift for memories. This episode asks how we care for people, and what to do if there's no obvious path to healing. Along the way, we meet a midwife, some worms, and a daughter caring for her mother and herself. Host: Claudia Heymach Producers: Claudia Heymach, Crystal Escolero, Emma Heath, Bella Lazzareschi, Helvia Taina, Sarah Jiang, Eileen Williams Featuring: Roshni Thachil, Ronnie Falcoa, Claire Mollard, Josh Weil Show music: "The Flight of the Lulu" by Possimiste Story 1: Midwife Crisis We don’t always think of caretaking in a professional terms, but for a homebirth midwife, the emotional and physical wellbeing of others is the whole job. Producer: Emma Heath Featuring: Ronnie Falcoa Story 2: From the Ashes We went to Sonoma County after the fires to help residents dig through the rubble of their homes. Along the way, we asked about what they took with them, what they wanted to take, and what they’re looking for now. Producers: Crystal Escolero, Helvia Taina, and Claudia Heymach Featuring: Claire Mollard and Josh Weil Story 3: Depression 1, 2, 3 Living with mental illness means living with the mysterious and mundane. Caretakers of loved ones with depression, anxiety or psychosis must come to grips with both sides, and resist the tug of their own demons in the process. This is an ongoing story about a mom, her daughter and the everyday work of love. Producers: Sarah Jiang and Eileen Williams Music: “Undersea Garden” and “Love Sprouts” by Podington Bear, "Tennessee Waltz" by Patti Page Show Image courtesy of Jake Warga

Verso
Verso: Jazz at the Barnes - The Jōst Project

Verso

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 21, 2017 5:33


Jazz musician Tony Miceli (vibraphone), together with Paul Jōst (vocals) and Kevin MacConnell (acoustic bass), combine to form The Jōst Project. Catch Tony’s conversation with Kathleen Greene of the Barnes about the upcoming performance for First Friday at the Barnes, featuring selections from the group’s ever-expanding repertoire including rock/pop classics such as Iron Butterfly’s “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” Redd Stewart and Pee Wee King’s “Tennessee Waltz,” and the Beatles’ “Come Together.” Tune in to learn more!

Electric Western
Electric Western Radio Episode 044

Electric Western

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2017 54:02


SET 1 1. Hang Up My Rock N Roll Shoes - Chuck Willis 2. Shake Rattle and Roll - Bill Haley & His Comets 3. Dooby Dooby Wah - Ritchie Valens 4. Wont’cha Come Home - Lloyd Price 5. I Can’t Complain - J.D. McPherson SET 2 6. Think - The 5 Royales 7. Down The Road A Piece (stereo mix) - Chuck Berry 8. Rock Billy Boogie - Johnny Burnette 9. Love Me Right - LaVern Baker 10. Smokey Joe’s Cafe - The Coasters SET 3 11. Dancing In The Street - Little Richard 12. Too Many Fish In The Sea - The Marvelettes 13. Leave My Kitten Alone - Sam the Sham & The Pharoahs 14. Hold It Baby - Sam & Dave SET 4 15. Soul Girl - Jeanne & The Darlings 16. Come To Mama - Ann Peebles 17. Tennessee Waltz (remastered) - Otis Redding 18. Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy - The Tams 50srocknroll 60srocknroll soul doowop girlgroups garagerock rocknroll rock&roll classicsoul

In the Corner Back By the Woodpile
In the Corner Back by the Woodpile #64: Fluorescent Decade on a Hill V

In the Corner Back By the Woodpile

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2016 53:56


More tripping backwards to the 1980's where this time around we chat about The Kinks doing it again, a Tennessee Waltz crush in Zimbabwe, hanging in a dragon's park, watching sci-fi writers compose at a window and swim team follies.

11 Things with Leigh Jones
Episode 50: Oil Derek

11 Things with Leigh Jones

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2016 68:00


Derek Clatterbuck (who performs and releases music under the moniker Oil Derek) is a native of the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia. Listen in as Derek talks about his family's deep musical roots (his grandma was best buds with June Carter and his great-uncle wrote the "Tennessee Waltz"), his attraction to the cowboy lifestyle, becoming friends with Ramblin' Jack Elliott, and his involvement with the artists collective on wheels, Splendor All Around. www.oilderek.bandcamp.com

Music From 100 Years Ago
Leftovers #18

Music From 100 Years Ago

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 27, 2014 45:12


Records left off earlier podcasts.  Songs include: Tennessee Waltz, Knock Me a Kiss, Round and Round, You're Laughing At Me and Limehouse Blues.  Performers include: Patty Page, Chu Berry, Pete Seeger, Count Basie, Kay Starr, Licia Albanese and the Memphis Jug Band.

Pemrose Media, Ltd
Echoes Of Laughter – Episode# 8 – Havin’ A Hand Slappin’, Foot Stompin’ Good Time At Opryland USA

Pemrose Media, Ltd

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2013 22:29


It has been referred to as the “Home of American Music”, “America’s Musical Showpark” and promised “Great Shows, Great Rides and Great Times”. The park originally opened  with 120 acres of rides and attractions. It opened on June 30, 1972 and remained open until December 31, 1997. At the parks peak in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s the park enjoyed the attendance over 2 million guests annually. Welcome to Opryland USA. Opryland USA, which was usually referred to as Opryland was born due to the popularity of its namesake The Grand Ole’ Opry and the move of the Opry from its long time location at the Ryman Auditorium to its current location at the Grand Ole Opry House. But before we tell the story of the park, we’ll tell the story of The Grand Ole Opry itself… Stepping back it in time we go back to the Roarin’ 20’s, 1925 to be exact. The Grand Ole Opry started out as the WSM Barn Dance. What was WSM you may ask? WSM was an AM radio station owned by the National Life & Accident Insurance Company. The radio studio was housed on the fifth floor of their building in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. In October of 1925 the station began a program featuring “Dr. Humphrey Bate and his string quartet of old-time musicians”. A couple of weeks after the program aired WSM hired what would become their long-time program director and announcer George D. “Judge” Hay. Hay wasted no time, after coming on board he quickly recruited the seasoned 77 year old fiddler Uncle Jimmy Thompson and then on November 28, 1925 and re-launched the WSM Barn Dance, and although the phrase would not actually be mentioned on air for another 2 years, that date is credited for being the official birth date of The Grand Ole Opry. During the 1930’s the popularity of the program led to many artists, who would later become country music legends, performing on the Opry as well as the length of the Saturday night show being extended to 4 hours. Being broadcast at that time at 50,000 watts, the show became a staple in homes in 30 states eventually becoming a national show when it was picked up by NBC Radio in 1939. All the time this was happening, the live audience of the show grew quickly leading the show to being moved from its original studio to larger and larger venues to accommodate the audience size. Eventually the audience grew to such a size that measures were taken to control attendance by charging a 25 cent admission charge. That, having little effect to dissuade attendance, led to the show being moved to the Ryman Auditorium. It was during the Ryman years that music legends such as Hank Williams (who was eventually banned in 1952 due to his alcohol problems), Patsy Cline, Roy Acuff, The Carter Family, Bill Monroe, Ernest Tubb, Kitty Wells, Minnie Pearl and many others came to be frequent performers on the Grand Ole Opry Stage. The Opry’s growing attendance numbers due to its popularity along with deterioration issues with the Ryman Auditorium led to the decision to find a new home for the show. It was decided by WSM, Inc., the operator of the Opry that it would be relocated nine miles east of downtown Nashville, on a tract of land that was owned by a sausage manufacturer (Rudy’s Farm) in the Pennington Bend area of Nashville, it was also decided to build a theme park and hotel/convention center with the new Grand Ole Opry House becoming the crown jewel of the grand entertainment complex. Ironically, the theme park would open on June 30, 1972 prior to the Grand Ole Opry House debuting there on March 16, 1974. The park would receive its original name from WSM disk jockey, Grant Turner’s early morning show, Opryland USA, with its own name honoring the stars of the Grand Ole Opry. Although the Grand Ole Opry had always dedicated itself to mostly featuring traditional, conservative Country Music (with only a couple of exceptions); Opryland USA’s overall theme was more of a generalized blend of American Music consisting of bluegrass, gospel, jazz, pop and rock and roll with the theme carrying through not only to the rides but the shows as well. As a matter of fact the Rock N’ Roller Coaster was a opening day attraction. WSM’s bet paid off in a big way as the entire complex proved extremely popular and spurred its first expansion in 1975. In a move that would fit right in with culture of the park the “State Fair” area was created featuring carnival games, the Wabash Cannonball roller coaster, the Tennessee Waltz swing ride and the Country Bumpkin Bumper Cars. As would become the norm because of the parks limited size, the park would have to remove an attraction in order to add a new one. In this case it was the park’s buffalo exhibit that would disappear in favor of the new attractions. But the Wabash Cannonball roller coaster would prove to be one of the favorite rides at the park until it’s closure 22 years later. In a setback for the park for its 1975 season, not too long before the park was set to open the Cumberland River experienced a large flood that inundated most of the park with some areas submerged by up to 16 feet of water. Fortunately, the park was able to recover from the flood quickly with the opening day being delayed only for one month, but on a sadder note several of the animals from the petting zoo did not survive the ordeal. Attendance continued to grow throughout the 1970’s and into the 1980’s partly due to the parks location and its ability to draw guests throughout Tennessee and several surrounding states being that there were no other comparable parks within a reasonable driving distance. Most other parks such as St. Louis’s Six Flags over Mid-America, Charlotte’s Carowinds, Atlanta’s Six Flags over Georgia and the northern King’s Island in Cincinnati were a 4 to 6 hour or more drive making them impractical for a day trip. As park attendance grew and attractions grew, it ushered in the need for a hotel in order to keep guests onsite for more than a day. In 1977 the Opryland Hotel, a large resort hotel, was built next to the park. Then in 1979 the Roy Acuff Theater next door to the Grand Ole Opry House in the plaza area and was the primary venue for the theme parks premier musical events and productions. In a shrewd business move the theater was actually built outside the park’s perimeter and while because of this you did not need theme park tickets to attend events, productions held there usually did require separate tickets from park admission and in most cases drew day guest’s from the parks to the events as well as the general public, thereby increasing the park’s revenue. In 1982, things changed for the Opryland complex in an abet, “Grand” way. The parent company of WSM, Inc., (National Life and Accident Insurance Company, later NLT Corporation) was absorbed by American General from Texas. Unlike it’s predecessor, who had benefitted from the advertising value and name recognition of owning and supporting the Grand Ole Opry, American General had no experience with or running an entertainment business and furthermore had no interest in running a theme park nor the broadcast business. It almost immediately set about the task of finding a buyer for all of NLT’s former entertainment assets and approached some of the larger entertainment and hospitality corporations such as MCA, Anheuser-Busch and the Marriott Corporations about the possibility of selling them all as a “package” deal. While some potential buyers were interested in individual parts like the theme park, the hotel, or the Grand Ole Opry itself; no one company was interested in buying them all at once. After a time, American General began considering that the only way they would be able to divest themselves of these properties would be to split them up into different entities. As fate would have it, just about that time Gaylord Broadcasting Company of Oklahoma City stepped in and bought nearly all of them lock, stock and barrel. The Opryland Complex, the WSM radios stations and it would have bought the WSM-TV station as well had they had not been at their limit of television stations that they were allowed to own by the government. After the purchase was complete, the name was changed to Gaylord Entertainments Company. In fact, Ed Gaylord, who was then heading the media empire was instrumental in Opryland’s acquisition. Mr. Gaylord, as it turned out was a huge fan of the Opry and spearheaded the effort to purchase it and keep it intact. As an added bonus, the acquisition also included then fledgling WSM cable network, TNN (The Nashville Network) and its production division Opryland Productions. TNN has since gone on to become a television network dedicated entirely to Country Music. For a number of years TNN’s offices and production facilities continued to be located on-site in Opryland as well as one of its shows, Nashville Now (then later Music City Tonight) was filmed in the Gaslight Theater within the park itself and the park was often used as a backdrop for numerous concerts and performances of popular country music stars. With Gaylord now owning and backing the park and the enthusiastic leader of the parent company as a fan, the future looked bright for Opryland USA…and for a while at least it would be, but the clouds were beginning to gather. With the purchase of the park now behind them, 1982 would bring more expansion to the park but with growth would come more growing pains due to the limitations of space. Future expansion from this point would mean that for every new addition to the park, something would have to go. In 1984, a third roller coaster arrived in the New Orleans area of the park. It was named “ The Screamin’ Delta Demon”. A second, yet more subtle park gate was also added adjacent to the parking lot as well for the 1984 season. As the 1980’s pressed on, the park would face an issue that it never really had to deal with before…competition. As I had mentioned earlier the park had faired well during the 1970’s and early 1980’s because, while other attractions did exist in Tennessee and it’s surrounding states, there we’re no direct competitors that equal to Opryland USA using te same model. But that was about to change with the opening of kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, Kentucky and the former Silver Dollar City in Pigeon Forge, Tenessee rebranded and improved to become Dollywood, a partnership between the Herschend Brothers and singer, songwriter and actress Dolly Parton. Now with two other parks within driving distance and both competing for Opryland’s guest’s the park stepped up it’s game by committing to making annual changes to retain it’s local and out-of-town guests and adding major attractions such as the General Jackson Showboat (which still continues to operate to this day near Opry Mills), they also added new roller coasters and water rides until the end of the decade with the opening of the “Chaos” roller coaster.  In 1992 the Chevy-Geo Celebrity Theater opened and for two seasons the performances here were included with the regular park admission. Then in 1994 and 1995 the park began up-charging guests for the concerts held in the theater. Then in a short-lived attempt to capitalize on the success and revenue of the Chevy-Geo Celebrity Theater, Opryland added two more venues; Theater By The Lake and The Roy Acuff Theater each, receiving renovations and expansions, and added them to the concert series and billing it as Nashville On Stage. However, it turned out to be “too much of a good thing by creating more supply than there was demand for the live entertainment” and due to the lackluster sales the multi-venue concert series was moved back to the Chevy-Geo Celebrity Theater serving as the single concert venue inside the park. Many other things were promoted to bring visitors to the park such as the taping of several weeks of the popular Mark Goodson Game Show “Family Feud” featuring some of the biggest stars in country music at the time including, just to name a couple, the Mandrell’s and the Statler Brothers. Also in reference to TNN’s coverage of NASCAR and Opryland’s designation with NASCAR the annual “TNN Salute to Motorsports” would take place one weekend a year at the park starting in the early 1990’s and continuing until the parks final closing. Large events were held in the late years of the park, for example the Grizzly River Rampage was used as a course for the NationsBank Whitewater Championships, which (in 1995 alone) served as a qualifier for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. After the events were completed, the course was drained and a temporary Halloween attraction—"Quarantine", tied into the storyline of the neighboring indoor roller coaster "Chaos"—was constructed in its bed and would run during the halloween season from1995 through 1997. In 1995, in what would come to be the final large attraction would open at the park, The Hangman roller coaster was opened. Also starting in 1994, Gaylord began investing heavily in the rejuvenation of the downtown Nashville entertainment district. The company renovated an old and dilapidated Second Avenue building into what became the Wildhorse Saloon and was also behind the major rennovation and reopening of the Ryman Auditorium. With the investment made in the downtown entertainment district they began to offer a water taxi service between the downtown district and the theme park and solidified the connection between the two areas by renaming the theme park as Opryland Theme Park and using the existing name of Opryland USA as the figurehead name for all of Gaylord Entertainment’s Nashville properties. Now with all of the investment going into the area and a new coaster for the park you would think that would signal good things for the future of the park but short-sighted planning and baseless decisions would soon signal the beginning of the end for Opryland theme park. For a moment, we’re going to step back in time to 1993. At the time the theme park had grown to 200 acres in size. Let’s put that in perspective. For those of us who are familiar with Disney’s theme parks let’s compare Opryland Theme Park’s 200 acres  to Walt Disney’s Magic Kindom Park coming in at approxamately 142 acres or Disney’s Hollywood Studios Theme Park at 154 acres. Granted EPCOT is over 100 acres larger at 300 acres but I think you get the picture. Opryland at the time was not a small theme park by any means and still needed room to grow. However, that was not to be. A project that would put the final nails in the preverbial coffin for the theme park was to be called “The Delta” and it would be started in 1993 and would open in 1996. The project was huge, in fact it was the largest construction project up to that point in Nashville’s history. It would add a massive new atrium, 1,000+ guest rooms and a new convention center to the Opryland hotel. It  would also come to occupy almost every single square foot of land that would have allowed the theme park to grow and evolve. Coming back to late 1995, the Gaylord company management at the time had turned a scutinizing eye towards the theme park, and perhaps a bit of predjudice. Nashville’s climate while pleasant throughout the majority of the year, prrevented the park from operating during the winter except for a short run during the Christmas season. The park was also only able to open on weekends during the spring and fall. But the park was open daily during the summer season. According to reports, it was shown that attendance to the parks did somewhat plateau throughout the 1990’s. However, the actual number of visitors to the park made the park profitable, but obviously not profitqable enough for the executives running the company at the time. In 1997 Gaylord management decided that a move back towards it’s core hospitality business was in it’s best interest and in keeping with this directive, it was decided that the Opryland Theme Park property would no longer make a return on investment equal to what was desired for it’s properties and was unlike to do so in the future. Which in light of the consuption of property from the construction of The Delta, seemed to be a self –fufilling prophesy. Either way, one thing was clear, Opryland Theme Park’s journey was coming to an end. In 1996, a third park gate was finally added near the "Chaos" roller coaster, which allowed pedestrian traffic between Opryland Hotel and Opryland Themepark for the first time in the parks history. Previously, hotel guests wishing to visit the amusement park would have to take a shuttle running back and forth between the hotel and the entrance of the park. At the end of 1997 the "Christmas in the Park" season was promoted as "one last chance" for the residents of Nashville to see Opryland Theme Park, but guest arrived to find that only a very small portion of the park was open for the season, many of the larger attractions were already being dismantled. Then abruptly on December 31, 1997 the gates were locked and Opryland USA began to fade from reality into history. As it so often happens in the wake of closing an amusement park, efforts were made to sell off the larger rides and attractions to other parks to recoup as much revenue as possible from the dying park and in some cases they succeeded in others, deals went bad leaving some dismantled rides to either sit in outdoor storage and deteriorate or being sold off for scrap… an end not befitting the memories, laughter and fun times that they had generated for so many years before. The park site was cleared and paved over and relegated to serving as the parking lot for Opry Mills and the Grand Ole Opry House while construction of the mall took place on the site of the Theme Park’s parking lot. Opry Mills opened in May of 2000. But for a time some vestiges of the park remained, as a few still do today for those who know where to look. A long, short concrete levee wall that once separated the State Fair, The New Orleans and the Riverside areas is still visible and from the McGavock Street entrance you can still see the remains of the embankment which once supported the rails for Opryland’s railroad. The administration building that was located however briefly outside the gates of the park was moved near the Cumberland landing docks and serves as offices for the General Jackson and the Music City Queen riverboats. Quite a bit of the Opry plaza area remains intact and for that matter open for business. The Roy Acuff Theater, The Grand Ole Opry Museum, and of course The Grand Ole Opry House herself have remained in regular use before, during, and after the demolition of the park. It should be noted as well that the Grand Ole Opry show also returns yearly for a limited seasonal run at it’s original home at the Ryman Auditorium.  The buildings that once housed Roy Acuff’s and Minnie Pearls Museum became administrative offices for WSM radio and as for the Gaslight Theater it is still the only building that is still standing from inside the gates of the them park and has been used for Gaylord’s annual ICE! exhibit for a time, as a rental facility for television production, and for various other events. Though all of the rides had long since gone, the man-made channel for Grizzly River Rampage remained as a visible reminder of the park for fourteen years until Gaylord, in clearing the area for a new events center razed the course…and with that the last recognizable feature of Opryland Theme Park was gone. While many people have called for the park to be rebuilt, it was not to be. The time of Opryland Park had pasted. For it is now, like so many other parks ever to remain destined to operate only in the memory of those who can’t forget the fun they had in Opryland, USA. Thank you for joining us for this episode of Echoes Of Laughter. You can listen to this show as well as all of our other shows by visiting us at our website at: ithrivehere.com and of course at echoesoflaughter.com. Please remember that if you like our shows we ask that you subscribe to them and give us a positive rating on iTunes, after all that is how other people are able to find our shows as well. If you would like to help support our shows like this one, check out the show’s show notes where you can find books and other products from Amazon.com relating to the topics of our shows. When you click through our link it won’t cost you a penny more to purchase products, but we will make a small commission that helps pay for the cost of producing and hosting these shows for everyone to enjoy. Thank s so much for joining us and don’t forget to remember the laughter…

Reso Hangout Top 20 Old-Time Songs

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Reso Hangout Top 20 Old-Time Songs

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