Podcast appearances and mentions of Tom T Hall

Book Vs Movie: “Harper Valley PTA"The 1968 Song Vs the 1978 Movie (really!)(It's one of our favorite episodes from the past!) The song was written by Tom T. Hall and performed by country singer Jeannie C. Riley in 1968. The story about a “widowed bride” who is slut-shamed by her daughter's junior high school PTA (Parents Teachers Advisory) and gives a takedown at a meeting that is spectacular in its shade and incisiveness was one of the first feminist anthems and managed to become a number one hit in the U.S. on both the pop and country charts. (Past episode, Dolly Parton did the same in 1980 for 9 to 5!)The 1978 movie is an R-rated cuckoo bananas production starring Barbara Eden (a stone-cold fox!) as Stella Johnson, who exacts a Porky's style revenge on the local yokels who dare to take her on. She is also wooed by an equally sexy Ronny Cox and is teamed up with Nanette Fabray in this film that played in drive-in theaters in 1978 and made millions.  It features nudity, wrap dresses, elephants, revenge porn, makeovers, and a helicopter proposal.  So, between the song and the movie--which did we prefer? Have a listen and find out!  Follow us on the socials!Join our Patreon page “Book Vs. Movie podcast”You can find us on Facebook at Book Vs. Movie Podcast GroupInstagram: Book Versus Movie @bookversusmoviebookversusmoviepodcast@gmail.com Margo D's Blog: Brooklynfitchick.comMargo D's Instagram “Brooklyn Fit Chick”Margo D's TikTok Margo D's YouTube: @MargoDonohueMargo P's Instagram: @shesnachomama Margo P's Blog: coloniabook.comMargo P's YouTube Channel: @shesnachomamaOur logo was designed by Madeleine Gainey/Studio 39 Marketing Follow on Instagram @Studio39Marketing & @musicalmadeleine 

Aretha Franklin got her start at an early age in Gospel music.  As the granddaughter of Gospel great Mahalia Jackson and the daughter of a prominent Baptist preacher, Franklin was heard on her father's "gospel caravan" tours at the age of twelve.  By the time she became an adult in 1960 she had decided that she wanted to go into more pop music, and moved to New York for this purpose.  She signed a deal with Columbia Records, in 1960, but her career would not really take off until moving to Atlantic Records in 1966.  By 1968 she was considered by many to be the most successful singer in the nation, and already crowned the "Queen of Soul."Franklin toured outside the US for the first time in late April 1968 through May 1968.  She performed in Paris on May 7, 1968, and this concert would be released as the live album Aretha in Paris in the fall of 1968.  It was Franklin's second live album, and the first for Atlantic Records where most of her hits were recorded.Some have criticized the backing band as not up to the task of supporting Franklin.  However, this album captures Franklin at the top of her game at a time when she was cranking out some of the biggest hits of her career.  It would be difficult for any supporting band to keep up, particularly one assembled for an overseas tour.  Regardless, this is a great album to explore as a snapshot of Aretha Franklin at the height of success.Lynch brings us a high energy live soul album from the Queen of Soul in her prime for today's podcast. (I Can't Get No) SatisfactionThis Rolling Stones cover is the lead-off track to the album and to the concert.  The Stones had released this song in 1965, and it had become their first number 1 song in the States.  Franklin takes the tempo up for this cover.(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural WomanCarole King and Gerry Goffin wrote this song for Franklin based on an idea from producer Jerry Wexler.  It originally appeared on Franklin's album "Lady Soul", and went to number 8 on the U.S. charts.  It would make history when it hit the UK charts a week after Franklin's death in 2018, 51 years after the single was first released. (Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been GoneThe original single for this live song was released on the "Lady Soul" album, and reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.  This song was written by Franklin and her then-husband Teddy White. The studio version of this song utilized the talents of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, who were flown in from Alabama to record in a New York City studio.Chain of FoolsSongwriter Don Covay wrote this song in his youth, and presented it to producer Jerry Wexler as a song for Otis Redding.  Wexler decided to have Franklin record it instead of Redding.  It was a big hit, taking the number 1 slot on the R&B charts for four weeks, number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and delivering Franklin a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance. ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:Theme from the television comedy show “Laugh In”This sketch comedy show would capture a lot of American counter-culture of the time from Tiny Tim to "sock it to me!" STAFF PICKS:Ride My See Saw by the Moody BluesWayne kicks off the staff picks with a psychedelic song from the second Moody Blues album, "In Search of the Lost Chord."  The song is about leaving school and finding that the world isn't what you thought it would be.  On the album, the song is preceded by a spoken word introduction called "Departure."Harper Valley PTA by Jeannie C. RileyRob's staff pick is a storytelling song written by Tom T. Hall about a widow named Mrs. Johnson and her tangle with the PTA.  When her teenage daughter received a note from the Harper Valley PTA criticizing the way she is living, Mrs. Johnson attends the next meeting and reveals some indiscretions of the other PTA members.Light My Fire by Jose FelicianoBruce features an acoustic cover of the Doors hit single with a Latin twist.  Jose Feliciano is best known for the Christmas song "Feliz Navidad," but this Puerto Rican artist also had a hit with this cover that peaked at number 3 on in late summer 1968.  His album "Feliciano!" is a selection of acoustic cover songs, and his most successful one.  He won "Best Male Pop Vocal Performance" at the 1969 Grammy Awards for this cover.Son of a Preacher Man by Dusty SpringfieldLynch closes out the staff picks with a song that writers John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins wrote with Aretha Franklin in mind.  When Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler heard it, he thought it would be a good fit for Dusty Springfield who was recording her "Dusty in Memphis" album at the time.  INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:And I Love Her by Jose FelicianoWe double up on the Latin acoustic stylings of Feliciano as this Beatles cover takes us out of this week's podcast.   Thanks for listening to “What the Riff?!?” NOTE: To adjust the loudness of the music or voices, you may adjust the balance on your device. VOICES are stronger in the LEFT channel, and MUSIC is stronger on the RIGHT channel.Please follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/whattheriffpodcast/, and message or email us with what you'd like to hear, what you think of the show, and any rock-worthy memes we can share.Of course we'd love for you to rate the show in your podcast platform!**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.

Sub to the PPM Patreon to keep the show on the road:patreon.com/ParaPowerMappingAnd now for something different... "Anatomy of a Rug Pull: Crypto-Resistance or Jailbreak Hoax?" is the first podcast interview with internet prankster William Banks following his massively viral Free William Banks "Jail Saga" and the fake prison break that broke the web.Intro - 02:00Interview begins - 41:30 In which Klonny hangs up his deep history hat and switches into undercover journo mode.We embark on a brief history of Banks' "White Moses" alternate reality game / running bit that's composed of a series of vignettes purporting to show his "life behind bars" following his "arraignment" on charges of 6th degree larceny in the state of Connecticut for stealing pro-Israel lawn signs.For clarification: he did in fact steal the yard signs and a warrant was issued for his arrest, but Banks was never imprisoned. He turned himself in in February of last year and bonded out of detainment after mere hours. He appears to have rented a former prison in the state of Florida, possibly with financing help from his roommate Peter McIndoe (fellow internet prankster behind the somewhat comparable "Birds Aren't Real" conspiracy hoax), in order to produce the series of videos that he's been releasing to create the illusion of his incarceration over recent months at a steady drip. Since his charges were filed, his case appears to have concluded in December of last year and it was statutorily sealed (likely meaning it was dismissed on a technicality, he was acquitted, or... I'm not quite sure).We will seek to disambiguate some of reality from William Banks's fictions; see if we can catch him out in any narrative contradictions; ask him point blank about his stand up set posing as a Marine at the West Point Masonic Lodge on Apr. 1st of '22 to see if we can verify my contention that it actually happened contrary to it being a hoax; hear his response to some basic ideological & political questions re Israel, the resistance, & the genocide; provide him with an opportunity to respond to critiques from Calla Walsh, a communist & anti-Zion°ist saboteur who recently endured a 2 month prison sentence for damages caused to the Israeli-owned arms manufacturer El*bit Systems; and also politely press Banks on the finances of his crypto rug pulls and merch sales to see whether we can get definitive, comprehensive receipts re exactly how much of his earnings were donated to Gaza and whether he's lived up to his guarantees.A note re my interviewing methodology: I decided to try and meet Banks at his level by acting as if I'd returned to believing in the jailbreak to see if I could get him to be a little more forthcoming that way.Along the way, I think we may just manage to capture the most authentic glimpse of the real William Banks—glimpsed between the lines of his looping personification & self-mythologizing.All in all, one of the more fascinating episodes & interviews I've embarked on.A possible postmortem analysis of the interview may follow depending on developments.Songs & clips:| Various William Banks vids | | Tom T Hall - "A Week in Country Jail" | | Fetty Wap - "Trap Queen" |

Send us a textSo much about a country song depends on how an artist interprets the songwriters words. Here's a combination of what I mean. TRACY BYRD, JOE DIFFIE, STAN WEBB. TOM T. HALL, KENNY ROGERS, CHARLIE PRIDE, THE EVERLY BROTHERS, JIM ED BROWN,,,,, and a bit of a laugh regarding one of the big time, smash hits way back when. Much more my friends. Enjoy and please share.

Sure, in 1982, George may have “Gone Troppo” … but who could've guessed that some 43 years later, his old pal Ringo would have “Gone Conttro”? That's right! Buckle your buckles, scoot those boots, and pour out'cher ten gallon hats, because this week the Twangin' Two dish deep not just on Ringo's new Nashville-infused release, “Look Up”, but they Look Back on their own Americana and country music roots. Join us as we hit the open highway with our radios tuned to Tom T. Hall, Dave “Curley” Dudley, and Dick Butkus, and along the ride we ask:  

Kevin and Steve discuss the importance of ideas, world view, and art in culture. Tom T. Hall, a country singer and a nihilist, wrote a song entitled “The Man Who Shot Himself,” then ended up shooting himself and committing suicide over 40 years after the song came out. Ideas are powerful things. The habits and patterns that are set in younger years will affect the later years of our lives. This is why it is vital that we remember and fear God in the days of our youth, and separate ourselves from self-destructive art, lest we move into despair and nihilism. This program includes: 1. The World View in 5 Minutes with Adam McManus (Canada's Justin Trudeau on brink of resigning, Swiss gov't removed 16-year-old girl from parents over trans issue, Two by Twos cult involved in child abuse) 2. Generations with Kevin Swanson

Kevin and Steve discuss the importance of ideas, world view, and art in culture. Tom T. Hall, a country singer and a nihilist, wrote a song entitled "The Man Who Shot Himself," then ended up shooting himself and committing suicide over 40 years after the song came out. Ideas are powerful things. The habits and patterns that are set in younger years will affect the later years of our lives. This is why it is vital that we remember and fear God in the days of our youth, and separate ourselves from self-destructive art, lest we move into despair and nihilism.This program includes:1. The World View in 5 Minutes with Adam McManus (Canada's Justin Trudeau on brink of resigning, Swiss gov't removed 16-year-old girl from parents over trans issue, Two by Twos cult involved in child abuse)2. Generations with Kevin Swanson

Thankfulness For Us All - In this episode Paul talks about many of things he is thankful for "I Love" by Tom T. Hall

Six String Hayride Classic Country Podcast Episode 43, The 70's Part TWO 1975-1979. A discussion of Outlaw Music and the late 1970's with Chris and Jim. For years, Artists have been wanting more creative control over their music and recording contracts. Waylon and Willie beat the system to finally earn a fair deal and make their finest albums. The Music Business calls this "Outlaw". Audiences notice the "Countrypolitan Sound" has gotten way too soft and pretty and start looking to music that gets back to its roots of Three Chords and the Truth. Waylon and Willie lead the way with Jessi Colter, Guy Clark, and Townes Van Zandt. Loretta Lynn, Freddy Fender, Merle Haggard, Linda Ronstadt, Emmy Lou Harris, and Tom T Hall deliver the hits we love. George and Tammy break up and then make their finest single. Glen Campbell and Charlie Rich go Pop. We're going to the movies for JAWS, Monty Python, Smokey and the Bandit, and Star Wars. We reflect on the loss of Bob Wills, Groucho Marx, ELVIS, Sara and Maybelle Carter. Recipe for Elvis Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich and a drink from the John Wayne Cocktail Guide. Available wherever you get Podcasts.https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086513555749https://www.patreon.com/user?u=81625843

Music with No Judgement or Preaching.Jack McKeon's, A Nashville-based singer-songwriter with an honest, plainspoken vocal, an eclectic-roots sound and a knack for bringing crystalline characters to life without the moral judgement.You''ll hear how he crafts such incredible music grounded in the power of observation, humanity, and connectionFirst inspired by literary music icons from Hank Williams and Guy Clark to Tom T. Hall and John Hartford.You can find Jack performing all over Nashville and beyond.He was chosen to perform at the Country Music Hall of Fame in the Songwriter Round for their Acoustic Guitar Project. Recently he was selected as one of the 24 finalists for the prestigious Grassy Hill New Folk contest at the legendary Kerrville Folk Fest. He joined a long list of great writers that have previously held this honor, including Lyle Lovett, Caroline Spence and Steve Earle. Jack's debut album titled Talking to Strangers was released on June 21st. 10 mesmerizing songs landing in the sweet spot between country, bluegrass and folk rock. With literary lyricism and easy going vocals, Jack embraces the comfort of Appalachian soul.You'll Also Discover…The Mason Via Playlist Where We Discovered Jack's Song.They Day He Quit His Job and Moved to Nashville.The Nashville Diner that Inspires His Song Writing.What Happened to Him an 18-Day Music Festival.What It's Like Playing to 400-Person Silent Audience.The Biggest Misconception About His Music.Why He Selected Dee's in Nashville for His Album Release.The Legacy He'd Like to Leave.Find Jack here: https://jackmckeonmusic.com/

Send us a Text Message.WHEN I STARTED MY MUSICAL CAREER, QUITE FRANKLY I DIDN'T KNOW WHO JIMMIE ROGERS WAS. WELL MY FRIENDS, OVER THE YEARS I TRULYY LEARNED WHAT ONE MAN'S INFLUENCE  WAS AND CONTINUES TO BE IN ALL GENRES OF THE MUSIC WORLD. HOPE YOU ENJOY HEARING WHAT JOHNNY CASH, MERLE HAGGARD, TOM T HALL, LEFTY FRIZZEL , EARNEST TUBB, JACK GREENE  AND CAL SMITH all did because of the influence of this one man.

Jamey Rodgers has joined Sylvan and I on the Perfectly Good Podcast to talk about John Hiatt but today, we are getting off the John train and talking a little Bruce and a lot of the genius of American Storyteller - Tom T. Hall. Jamey shares where his love of Tom's songs originated and how he continues to find comfort in those songs and stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a Text Message.I'm pretty sure a lot of my listeners aren't aware of the artists we have lost over the recent years and before. Today brought back a lot of memories. Hope you enjoy TRACY BYRD,STAN WEBB, JOE DIFFY, TOM T HALL, KENNY ROGERS, CHARLIE PRIDE, JIM ED BROWN and even the EVERLY BROTHERS and more. Be sure to share with someone.

This week's show, after a 1978 Saints slurp: brand new Chameleons, Bevis Frond, Blueboy, Paul Collins, Decemberists, Meatbodies, and Suburban Resistance, plus Tremeloes, Solomon Burke, Liverbirds, Tom T. Hall, Bo Diddley, Missing Links, and Master's Ap...

Jamey Rodgers has joined Sylvan and I on the Perfectly Good Podcast to talk about John Hiatt but today, we are getting off the John train and talking a little Bruce and a lot of the genius of American Storyteller - Tom T. Hall. Jamey shares where his love of Tom's songs originated and how he continues to find comfort in those songs and stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom T. Hall wrote twelve no. 1 hit songs including a no. 1 pop crossover hit “Harper Valley PTA.” It won a Grammy, a CMA award, and inspired a movie and TV program of the same name. Even though the song sold in the millions, he only made about $90,000. He had other hits you might remember including “I Love” and “The Year that Clayton Delaney Died.” Tom was born in Kentucky and organized a band called the Kentucky Travelers. He enlisted in the Army and while performing in Germany he wrote songs about his experiences. He also worked as a disc jockey for a few years, but don't hold that against him. Tom wrote songs for Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, George Jones, and Alan Jackson. He wrote a song for Johnnie Wright, “Hello Vietnam,” that was used in the war movie “Full Metal Jacket.”

National Wine day.  Entertainment from 1967.  SpiderDan climbed Sears Tower, Deadliest aviation disaster in US history, Goofy debuted as Dippy Dawg.  Todays birthdays - Mr. Bogangles, Kitty Kallen, Tom T. Hall, Sir Ian McKellen, Frank Oz, Laus Meine, Connie Sellecca, Mike Myers, Anne Heche, Justin Henry.  CJ Walker died.Intro - Pour some sugar on me - Def Leppard    http://defleppard.com/Hey brother pour the wine - Dean MartinGroovin' - The Young RascalsSam's place - Buck OwensBirthdays - In da club - 50 Cent    http://50cent.com/Just a crazy song - Mr. Bojangles  Bill RobinsonLittle things mean a lot - Kitty KallenI like beer - Tom T. HallRock you like a hurricane - ScorpionsExit - Its not love - Dokken    http://dokken.net/Follow Jeff Stampka on Facebook

NOT LIVE from New York... and London... and Los Angeles, it's Office Hours UNPLUGGED and drop-free! Pull up a wooden stool and enjoy our first ever pre-recorded episode with the holy trinity zooming in from around the globe, a bunch of your pre-taped video and hotline messages, and of course plenty of fun and laughs! Topics covered include Doug's European Adventure and the food in London, Tim's experience as a guest at (not on) SNL, the Munsters car, and a big announcement from Uncle Phil. Enjoy! Watch or listen to more with the Holy Trinity including a deep dive into Tom T Hall's high guitar, yet another Vic's New Guy, a dip into Eurovision, and get tons of other stuff when you subscribe to OFFICE HOURS+. Get a FREE seven-day trial at patreon.com/officehourslive. By da way we're cooking up a special LIVE variety show episode next week (Thurs. 5/30) and during the second half we'll be inviting YOU to share your talents. If you have a skill or talent that can be demonstrated in 2-3 minutes on zoom, it's time to check your internet connection and start rehearsing! Find everything Office Hours including the merch store at officialofficehours.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who better than the story teller himself TOM T HALL  to start things off about what he loves?  BOB LUMAN,  CHARLIE RICH  and FARON YOUNG  tell it  in a different way. BILL ANDER SON  and DOLLY had smash hits about love. I believe you're gonna love RODNEY CARRINGTON  as well as JERRY REED'S and to cap it all off you'll hear ELVIS and BARBRA STREISAND in a duet that believe it or not was done after ELVIS  died.  Hope you enjoy. Please share.

Everybody from  ROGER MILLER to ERNEST TUBB had a song about drinkin. WILLY NELSON, BRAD PAISLEY, MERLE HAGGARD, SHELLY WEST , TOM T HALL ,DAVE DUDLEY, JIM ED BROWN, DAVID FRIZZELL and one of my favorites by an artist named JOE NICHOLS  sings "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off".Duets with ALLEN JACKSON and JIMMY BUFFET, TOM T and DAVE DUDLEY are a real hoot. Enjoy my friends and please share with someone.

HANK SNOW, MERLE HAGGARD, ERNEST TUBB, TOM T HALL, JACK GREENE,LEFTY FRIZZEL CAL SMITH and many more were influenced by one man and his music. Listen in and you'll hear them all and know who he was.

Join Harmony and Russell as they take a light-hearted yet insightful stroll down memory lane, reflecting on the rollercoaster ride that was 2023. From humorous anecdotes to profound moments of gratitude and love, this special Christmas Eve episode blends the warm holiday spirit with the unique twists and turns of the past year. It's a blend of yoga philosophy, personal growth, and a touch of the irreverent humor you love! In This Episode: Reflections on 2023: Harmony and Russell discuss the major events of 2023, interweaving global happenings with personal experiences and growth. The Power of Humor: Delve into how humor has played a pivotal role in navigating the year's challenges. Gratitude and Love: Discover the moments that brought joy, learning, and love into their lives, emphasizing the importance of gratitude. Musical Highlights: Harmony and Russell share the diverse range of tunes that resonated with Harmony and Russell throughout the year. (Check out the playlist too!) Entertainment Picks: Recommendations for movies, TV shows, and restaurants that made an impact in 2023. Yoga and Personal Development: Insights into how yoga philosophy and personal development themes wove through their experiences of the year. ⭐️ Get the full ⁠ Finding Harmony Playlist⁠ from this episode! 2023 Playlist Highlights: "That's How I Got To Memphis" - Tom T. Hall "Summertime" - Janice Joplin and Billie Holiday "California Stars" - Wilco "All Things Go" - Sufjan Stevens [And more... including the mysterious Chicken Wing song] FIND IT ALL RIGHT HERE Recommended Watch List: Elvis Leave The World Behind Project Runway Hell's Kitchen The Vow (HBO Series) Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult Chef's Table Barbie Movie Oppenheimer (You can watch it for us and let us know what you think…) Succession Galaxy Quest Home Improvement (for people who like sitcoms. Russell is not one of them.) Harry Potter Galaxy Quest again, for obvious reasons. Restaurant Recommendations: Alinea Restaurant Plant Based Heat Husk Nashville Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen Connect with Harmony: NEW FACEBOOK PAGE: /harmonyslatercoaching NEW Personal FB Profile: /HarmonyDSlater Website: harmonyslater.com Instagram: @harmonyslaterofficial Connect with Russell: Instagram: @racdesignstudio Personal IG: @russell_altice_case Website: russellalticecase.me MORE than ASANA Mentorship Starts January 3rd! SAVE YOUR SPOT TODAY! - harmonyslater.com/more-than-asana >>> GET YOUR FREE REFLECTION WORKBOOK FOR 2023 & 2024 Subscribe and Follow: Don't forget to subscribe and follow the Finding Harmony Podcast for more heartwarming and thought-provoking episodes. 

ROGER MILLER,  WILLY NELSON, BRAD PAISLEY, MERLE HAGGARD, ERNEST TUBB and TOM T HALL all have a different take on drinking. Add SHELLEY WEST and JOE NICHOLS   both singin about tequila. TOM T and ERNEST TUBB get together for some "Day Drinkin' , along with ALAN JACKSON & JIMMY BUFFETT at "5 Oclock Somewhere". DAVID FRIZZEL  sums it all up.  Pop a Top and give a listen my friends.

In recent times we have unfortunately lost so many of our country music greats. TOM T HALL, KENNY ROGERS, CHARLEY PRIDE, JOE DIFFIE, JIM ED BROWN and yes THE EVERLY BROTHERS were country back then, They're all here plus TRACY BYRD, STAN WEBB AND GARTH. I Was honored during my career to share a stage with so many. Some became friends over the years. Their music is their legacy. Hope you enjoy and share.

This week's show, after a 1959 Fats Domino feast: brand new Lemonheads, Voxtrot, Chatham Rise, Juliana Hatfield, Guided By Voices, Loose Wing, and Black Nite Crash, plus The Bee Gees, Moody Blues, Tom T Hall, Maxine Brown, Gram Parsons & The Fallen Ang...

How do you express love in a song. Well my friends , so many country songs have found a different way. here's everyone from TOM T HALL, JERRY REED, BOB LUMAN,BILL ANDERSON , ELVIS , AND EVEN BARBRA STREISAND  with ELVIS. What better way to hear about love than a love song written and performed by DOLLY PARTON,,,,,, and how about CHARLIE RICH with "A Very Special Love Song". FARON YOUNG also does his take on life. Hope you enjoy and share.

Country Hall of Fame member Tom T. Hall's death at 85 in 2021 was by suicide, officials in his native Williamson County, Tennessee, have confirmed to reporters.The cause of death was first reported Wednesday by the website  "Saving Country Music" which followed up on multiple comments posted on a year-end In Memoriam piece and confirmed the cause of death with Williamson County's medical examiner. Rolling Stone also confirmed the coroner's determination of suicide with county officials.The report obtained by Saving Country Music showed that Hall “had sustained an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, to the head, on the morning of 8/20/2021. A 911 call was placed at 1115 hours on 8/20/201. Williamson County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) and Williamson Medical Emergency Medical Services (WMC EMS) responded to the call. Paramedics confirmed death at approximately 1133 hours, due to obvious injuries.”Port's Award Winner Tom T. Hall speaks onstage at the 5th Annual ACM Honors at Ryman Auditorium on Sept. 19, 2011, in Nashville, Tenn.Frederick Breedon IV / Getty Images fileHall's son, Dean Hall, also a musician, had announced his father's passing without offering a cause of death. He subsequently deleted his social media accounts, the website reported, and did not respond to requests for comment.After being one of the biggest country stars of the 1970s, and certainly one of the most revered for his artistry among country cognoscenti to the present day, Hall had long since retired from performing and recording. Performing only sporadically after the mid-1990s, he delivered his last performance in 2011, saying he preferred enjoying life on the farm with his wife, Dixie Hall, and thought newer generations should have their day.He was elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2019, Hall was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Other honors ranged from becoming a Grand Ole Opry member in 1971 to receiving a tribute from BMI with its Icon award at the org's annual Nashville awards dinner in 2017.Hall, nicknamed “The Storyteller” for his unadorned yet incisive lyrics, composed hundreds of songs. As a songwriter, he was known for hits for others, like “Harper Valley P.T.A.,” recorded by Jeannie C. Riley in 1968, as well as his own unusually literary No. 1 country singles of the 1970s like “The Year Clayton Delaney Died” and “(Old Dogs, Children and) Watermelon Wine.” He was also famous for the prosaically titled “I Like Beer,” a top 10 hit in 1975. Among his best known songs were “I Love,” which spent two weeks at the top of the country chart in 1974 and crossed over to the top 40. Among some modern fans, he might be best recognized for the oft-covered “That's How I Got to Memphis,” which has become an Americana standard.Patterson Hood of the band Drive-By Truckers called Hall “the greatest storyteller songwriter of all time” upon hearing of his death. “A writer's writer. There's at least a dozen categories of song that he wrote arguably the best ever example of.”Dixie Hall, who achieved her own fame as a songwriter and collaborator, died in 2015. Dean Hall, his son from a previous marriage, is Hall's only child.

Howdy Folks, Here comes the prisoner all prison tracks. America has for profit prisons and the war on drugs continues to lock up the poor and that is the theme of the show. DJ Gower talks white collar prisons and how the guys stealing millions don't do hard time. We also talk prison sex and the brutality of being locked up. So blood in to your gang and do some push ups in your cell to this podcast. Don't get locked up, Matador Artist include Tom T Hall, Lil Dicky, Slick Rick and many more

National Wine day. Entertainment from 1973. Constituional convention, SpiderDan makes history, worst airline disaster. Todays birthdays - Mr. Bojangles, Kitty Kallen, Tom T. Hall, Ian McKellen, Frank Oz, Connie Selleca, Mike Myers, Justin Henry.

HBO just premiered a new mini-series called "The White House Plumbers" starring Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux. It's based on a book by former Nixon domestic advisor Egil "Bud" Krogh, a key player in the administration's secret espionage unit, aka "The Plumbers," and his son Matt Krogh. G&R talked to Matt last year on the 50th anniversary of the Watergate break-in. We're reposting the episode to coincide with the HBO series' premiere. From 2022: "June 17th, 2022 was the 50th anniversary of the Watergate break in. In 1972, five men were arrested breaking into the Democratic National Committee HQ at the Watergate Hotel in Washington D.C. They were part of a group that operated out of the Nixon White House called the “Plumbers.” Their job was to investigate leaks in the White House and conduct other surveillance and sabotage against Nixon's political enemies. One of the heads of the White House Plumbers was Egil “Bud” Krogh. Krogh passed away in 2020, but before his death, he co-wrote a memoir of his experience in the Nixon Administration's secret espionage unit with his son Matt Krogh (@mattkrogh). In our Watergate anniversary episode, we talk with Matt Krogh about his father Egil Krogh, the Plumbers and the Nixon administration.  We also talk about the Watergate scandal in relation to the current political environment. Bio// Matt Krogh is the co-author, with his father, the late Egil “Bud” Krogh, of "The White House Plumbers" (out this fall), along with its earlier iteration "Integrity." HBO has made a mini-series based on the book starring Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux. By day, Matt is a professional change maker focused on issues of climate change, fossil fuels, and policy. Mostly based in Bellingham, Washington, he has spent his career in nonprofit activism at various organizations, and has worked as a freelance writer, ranger, and geographic analyst. He currently co-owns Warthog Information Systems (www.warthogis.com), a company focused on using geographic information to make the world a better place. He is grateful for the opportunity to amplify his dad's important life lessons through co-authoring The White House Plumbers, along with its earlier iteration Integrity." -------------------------------------- Music//  "Watergate Blues" by Tom T. Hall, and "H2O Blues" by Gil Scott Heron Links// The White House Plumbers: The Seven Weeks That Led to Watergate and Doomed Nixon's Presidency (https://amzn.to/3xrYHQm) A Final Interview With Nixon “Plumber” Egil “Bud” Krogh, Who Has Died at Age 80 (https://bit.ly/3QfjXRJ) If Watergate Happened Now, It Would Stay a Secret (https://bit.ly/3aQInkt) NY Times: Egil Krogh, 80, Nixon Aide, Dies; Authorized an Infamous Break-In(https://nyti.ms/3tujem0) Follow Green and Red// https://linktr.ee/greenandredpodcast Check out our new website: https://greenandredpodcast.org/ Donate to Green and Red Podcast// Become a recurring donor at  https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR This is a Green and Red Podcast  (@PodcastGreenRed) production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969).  “Green and Red Blues"  by Moody.  Editing by Isaac.

Another morning of covers, from country to soul and a little bit of rhythm and roll in store. This week's show celebrates the songwriters and performers who found themselves honored with tributes and covers that honor the sense of a piece. We'll hear covers of Tom T. Hall, Arthur Alexander, Robert Hunter, Derek Martin, Hank Snow and JJ Cale in the show today. The idea is to find a cover worth noting and put it up alongside the original. Just over a dozen songs to pick from in our two hours this morning featuring covers by Shannon McNally, Charley Crockett, Amy Black and Teddy Thompson. Join Dave Stroud for another episode from those dusty digital bins and turn up the volume for straight interpretations and a few wild takes in another covers show on a Friday morning from the KOWS studio in downtown Santa Rosa, California. 

Matt and Drew discuss "The Year That Clayton Delaney Died" by Tom T. Hall . To listen to the full show, visit ForgottenCountryRadioShow.com.

Matt and Drew talk about "The Storyteller", Tom T. Hall, and his song "Last Hard Town."To listen to the full show, visit ForgottenCountryRadioShow.com.

This week's show, after little Lemonheads-1996 trill: Andy Bell, Alvvays, Linda Lindas, Surf Rock is Dead, Tubs, and Motörhead; plus Procol Harum, Tom T Hall, Dennis Wilson, Dovers, Tom Lerher, Betty Everett, and Art Carney

Reposting this episode in memory of Peter Cooper, who we sadly lost today. After crouching to fit under the doorway, singer/songwriter/journalist and gentle giant Peter Cooper steps into the portable pod booth to chat with host Jeremy Dylan about a classic from one of the classiest songwriters in country music - Tom T Hall's 1971 album “In Search of a Song”. Along the way, they break down tracks including “The Year Clayton Delany Died”, “Trip to Hyden” and “A Million Miles to the City” and talk about Hall's songwriting research trips, how he broke his own songwriting rules, the difference between poetry and song lyrics and why you shouldn't waste time complaining about music you hate.

For all our true dyed in the wool country fans , I truly believe you're gonna love this one as much as I enjoyed putting it together. The more I researched, the more I came to believe that this artist, Jimmy Rogers, was the most influential in the early times and  even to this day, the most influential in making country music what it is today. HANK SNOW, ERNEST TUBB, TOM T HALL, JACK GREENE, LEFTY FRIZZELL , MERLE HAGGARD and CAL SMITH  are all in todays show attesting to the fact . Of course I've got JIMMY ROGER'S originals here too. Take a walk way down memory lane my friends. I think you'll hear what I mean. Life is good.

It's list time! For better or worse, we're going with the top tier of the Rolling Stone's Top 100 Country Albums of all Time as our guidepost. There's some great ones here, in fact the majority are agreeable in our estimation but there are also some “huh?” moments. We'll just assume that that is par for the course with any opinion-based list by a disparate group of critics. For the most part, it captures the core of country pretty well. We'll share music from Tom T. Hall, The Carters, George Strait and a few nineties and aught pop stars that made the list because they swim the pop country charts. Join Dave as he walks down the list, one that has its cringe-worthy moments, right alongside moments of pure Americana country gold.

Amy Wright chats with Compass Records act The Brother Brothers, formed by twin brothers Adam and David Moss. They're here today to discuss their brand-new album Cover to Cover, a covers project with selections from Tom T. Hall, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Robert Earl Keen, and several others included. They also share on their origins of being raised in Peoria, IL, where they grew up on a steady diet of The Everly Brothers, The Beach Boys, The Beatles and more. These two are music scholars who are always learning, exploring, and figuring out who played on what and who wrote what, so be prepared to learn quite a bit in this conversation. Part of Pantheon Podcasts   

There are so many songs about love in our country music world and it was an enjoyable challenge for me to choose my favorites. Guys,,,,,, you're gonna love the song that says "I want you to love me like my dog does". Its a masterpiece. Tom T  Hall, the story teller, sings about all the simple things he loves, and Jerry Reed tells you the difference between the Gold Mine and the Shaft. Elvis is here too and there's also a very , very rare duet with none other than Elvis and of all people, Barbara Streisand. Charlie Rich and Faron are also here my friends. I'm thinking you'll truly enjoy the different points of view. Be sure to share.

Brad Hurlbut moved to Dripping Springs as a young man in 1972.  His family's ranch was the site of the original Willie Nelson's 4th of July picnic in 1973.  His grandfather bought the 7000 acre Hurlbut Ranch in the 60's and the Hurlbut's became an iconic family in the Dripping Springs area.  Brad tell stories about the many famous country artists he met over the years (including Kris Kristofferson, Tom T. Hall, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings) and the adventures he had on the Hurlbut Ranch.  Steve Mallett and Michelle Lewis meet the most interesting people, and discover the places and events that make Dripping Springs, Texas, a Hill Country oasis. Learn why every year, hundreds of people move to this small town just outside of Austin. Every episode features a local resident who's talent and past will make you want to know more about what draws so many unique people to this historical town. From ranchers to engineers, cowboys to entrepreneurs, bankers to bull riders. New episodes weekly. Sponsored by: The Mallett Integrity Team Real Estate CompanyMallett Integrity Teamwww.mallettandmichelleonds.com 

In this week's episode we're featuring a Conway Twitty album taken from smack dab in the middle of his hard country years (approx. 1965-1975): "Darling, You Know I Wouldn't Lie" (1969). Turning again to his go-to hardcore country lyricist Wayne Kemp (an old running mate from his days in Oklahoma City), Twitty scored his third consecutive Top 5 hit with the cheating-themed title track. A further exploration in song of Harlan Howard's "Life Turned Her That Way" theme presents itself on "Bad Girl", promptly followed by the corresponding "Bad Man". Interesting to note both tracks written by Twitty himself, who also added a dynamite hard country shuffle to round out Side A of the album in "Table In The Corner". Even the filler from this period in Conway's career is top-notch: a cover of Tom T. Hall's "Ballad Of Forty Dollars" rips as much as the original and even though it's hard to top a George Jones vocal, the Owen Bradley/Decca arrangement and production on "When The Grass Grows Over Me" and "Window Up Above" makes for superb listening. Quality stuff!

June 17th is the 50th anniversary of the Watergate break in. In 1972, five men were arrested breaking into the Democratic National Committee HQ at the Watergate Hotel in Washington D.C. They were part of a group that operated out of the Nixon White House called the “Plumbers.” Their job was to investigate leaks in the White House and conduct other surveillance and sabotage against Nixon's political enemies. One of the heads of the White House Plumbers was Egil “Bud” Krogh. Krogh passed away in 2020, but before his death, he co-wrote a memoir of his experience in the Nixon Administratins secret espionage unit with his son Matt Krogh (@mattkrogh). In our Watergate anniversary episode, we talk with Matt Krogh about his father Egil Krogh, the Plumbers and the Nixon administration. We also talk about the Watergate scandal in relation to the current political environment. Bio// Matt Krogh is the co-author, with his father, the late Egil “Bud” Krogh, of "The White House Plumbers" (out this fall), along with its earlier iteration "Integrity." HBO has made a mini-series based on the book starring Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux. By day, Matt is a professional change maker focused on issues of climate change, fossil fuels, and policy. Mostly based in Bellingham, Washington, he has spent his career in nonprofit activism at various organizations, and has worked as a freelance writer, ranger, and geographic analyst. He currently co-owns Warthog Information Systems (www.warthogis.com), a company focused on using geographic information to make the world a better place. He is grateful for the opportunity to amplify his dad's important life lessons through co-authoring The White House Plumbers, along with its earlier iteration Integrity. -------------------------------------- Music// "Watergate Blues" by Tom T. Hall, and "H2O Blues" by Gil Scott Heron Links// The White House Plumbers: The Seven Weeks That Led to Watergate and Doomed Nixon's Presidency (https://amzn.to/3xrYHQm) A Final Interview With Nixon “Plumber” Egil “Bud” Krogh, Who Has Died at Age 80 (https://bit.ly/3QfjXRJ) If Watergate Happened Now, It Would Stay a Secret (https://bit.ly/3aQInkt) NY Times: Egil Krogh, 80, Nixon Aide, Dies; Authorized an Infamous Break-In(https://nyti.ms/3tujem0) Follow Green and Red// https://linktr.ee/greenandredpodcast Check out our new website: https://greenandredpodcast.org/ Donate to Green and Red Podcast// Become a recurring donor at https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR This is a Green and Red Podcast (@PodcastGreenRed) production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969). “Green and Red Blues" by Moody. Editing by Isaac.

Freddie King "Woman Across the River"Digable Planets "Jettin'"Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit "White Man's World"The Como Mamas "You've Got to Move"Jimi Hendrix "Power to Love"Two Cow Garage "Movies"North Mississippi Allstars "What You Gonna Do?"Run The Jewels "pulling the pin"Branford Marsalis "Waiting for Tain"Gladys Knight & The Pips "Midnight Train to Georgia"John Hammond, Jr. "It's Mighty Crazy"Joan Shelley "The Spur"Memphis Minnie "Moaning The Blues"John Lee Hooker "Shake It Baby"Bonnie Raitt "Love Me Like a Man"Jack White "What's the Trick?"Mary J. Blige "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"Don Nix "Feel a Whole Lot Better"The Vandellas "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave"Lauryn Hill "Doo Wop (That Thing)"The Isley Brothers "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)"Vic Chesnutt "Onion Soup"Kris Kristofferson "Blame It on the Stones"Big Mama Thornton "Cotton Picking Blues"Jean Knight "Mr. Big Stuff"JAY Z "Hard Knock Life"Buddy Guy "She Suits Me To A Tee"The Black Keys "Wild Child"R.E.M. "So. Central Rain"Laura Marling "Soothing"Johnnie Taylor "Who's Making Love"Lucero "Baby Don't You Want Me"Stevie Wonder "Signed Sealed Delivered I'm Yours"Erykah Badu "Didn't Cha Know"Cat Clyde "Sheets of Green"Sonny Rollins "Till There Was You"The Temptations "Ain't Too Proud To Beg"Drive-By Truckers "Sea Island Lonely"Little Richard "Kansas City"Tom T. Hall "Faster Horses (The Cowboy and The Poet)"Johnny Cash "Committed To Parkview"R.L. Burnside "Bad Luck and Trouble"The Del McCoury Band "Blackjack County Chains"the Fox Hunt "Sinners Like Me"Reverend Gary Davis "Let's Get Together"Drag the River "Embrace the Sound"Gillian Welch "If I Ain't Going To Heaven"

Episode one hundred and thirty-one of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “I Hear a Symphony” by the Supremes, and is the start of a three-episode look at Motown in 1965. 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 "Rescue Me" by Fontella Bass. 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 too many of the songs were by the Supremes. For Motown-related information in this and other Motown episodes, I've used the following resources: Where Did Our Love Go? The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound by Nelson George is an excellent popular history of the various companies that became Motown. To Be Loved by Berry Gordy is Gordy's own, understandably one-sided, but relatively well-written, autobiography. Women of Motown: An Oral History by Susan Whitall is a collection of interviews with women involved in Motown. I Hear a Symphony: Motown and Crossover R&B by J. Andrew Flory is an academic look at Motown. The Motown Encyclopaedia by Graham Betts is an exhaustive look at the people and records involved in Motown's thirty-year history. How Sweet It Is by Lamont Dozier and Scott B. Bomar is Dozier's autobiography, while Come and Get These Memories by Brian and Eddie Holland and Dave Thompson is the Holland brothers'. And Motown Junkies is an infrequently-updated blog looking at (so far) the first 694 tracks released on Motown singles. Girl Groups by John Clemente contains potted biographies of many groups of the era. The Supremes biography I relied on most is The Supremes by Mark Ribowsky, which seems factually accurate but questionable in its judgments of people. I also used this omnibus edition of Mary Wilson's two volumes of autobiography. This box set contains everything you could want by the Supremes, but is extraordinarily expensive in physical form at the moment, though cheap as MP3s. This is a good budget substitute, though oddly doesn't contain “Stop in the Name of Love”. Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript Hi, this is Andrew. Between recording this episode and it going live, three great musicians, two of whom have been the subject of episodes of this podcast, sadly died. We lost Don Everly, Charlie Watts, and Tom T. Hall, and I just wanted to acknowledge them and their contributions to music before the episode starts. They'll all be missed. [theme music] Just a brief note before we start to say that this episode contains brief mentions of eating disorders, so if that might be a problem for you, check the transcript to make sure it's safe. Thanks. We've spent much of the last few months looking at the intersections of three different movements, each of which was important -- the influence of the Beatles and to a lesser extent the other Merseybeat bands, the influence of Bob Dylan and the folk and protest movement, and the British R&B guitar bands who were taking their interpretation of the sound of Chess Records back to the USA. But of course, while these guitar bands were all influencing everyone, they were also being influenced by the growth of soul, and in particular by Motown, and Motown's groups were among the few American acts who managed to keep having hits during the British Invasion. Indeed, 1965 was as much of a creative and commercial peak for the label as for the white guitar bands we've been looking at. So for the next few weeks we're going to move over to Detroit, and we're going to look at Motown. And this week and next week we're going to continue our look at the Holland-Dozier-Holland collaboration, and at the groups they were writing for. So today, we're going to look at the Supremes, at the career of the only Black act to seriously challenge the Beatles for chart dominance in the sixties and at the start of the inter-group rivalries that eventually took them down. We're going to look at "I Hear a Symphony” by the Supremes: [Excerpt: The Supremes, "I Hear a Symphony"] When we last looked at the Supremes, they had just had their second number one single. After having spent years being called "the no-hit Supremes" and recording third-rate material like "The Man With the Rock and Roll Banjo Band", they'd been taken on by Holland, Dozier, and Holland, Motown's new star songwriting team, and had recorded two songs written and produced by the team -- "Where Did Our Love Go?" and "Baby Love" -- both of which had reached number one. But there were already tensions in the group. Most notably, there was the tension between Florence Ballard and Diana Ross. Ballard had always considered herself the lead singer of the group, and almost everyone who knew the group at the time agreed that Ballard was the better singer. But Berry Gordy, the owner of Motown, thought that Ross was the member of the group who had actual star potential, and insisted that she be the lead vocalist on everything the Supremes cut. At first, this didn't matter too much -- after all, no matter who the lead singer on the records was, they were having the huge hits they'd always dreamed of -- but it inevitably led to friction within the group. But in late 1964, at least, everyone was on the same page. Berry Gordy, in particular, was delighted by the group's continued success -- they had been the *only* act other than the Beatles or Bobby Vinton to have more than one number one on the pop charts in 1964 -- and by the end of the year, they had released their third, "Come See About Me". "Come See About Me" actually got released only a month after "Baby Love", before the latter had even reached the top of the charts, and it seems like a ridiculous idea to release another single so close to that one. But it came out so early to make sure the Supremes had the hit with it. Because a soundalike had come out on Wand Records even before the Supremes' single came out. A fourteen-year-old girl called Nella Dodds had decided that she could sing quite a bit like Diana Ross, and since the Supremes were the biggest female group in the country at this point, she had a chance at being a star, too. She'd auditioned for Wand by singing along with the whole of the first Supremes album, and Wand Records had decided that she sounded enough like Ross that it was worth a shot putting out a single by her. They chose "Come See About Me", which had been released as an album track on that album, and put out this: [Excerpt: Nella Dodds, "Come See About Me"] Dodds' version of the track was cut to be a soundalike, and was so similar to the Supremes version that it's actually quite easy to cut between the two records. You can hear the joins, but they're *spookily* similar: [Excerpt: The Supremes and Nella Dodds, "Come See About Me", alternating phrases] That wasn't the only time a Holland-Dozier-Holland production would be copied wholesale -- we'll hear another, slightly less blatant, example later this episode. As Dodds' single started to rise up the charts, Berry Gordy got furious. If the record sounded good enough to be a hit single, his label was going to have the hit with it, and so the Supremes' version of "Come See About Me" was rush-released. It went to number one, and Nella Dodds vanished into obscurity. The group having three number one hits in a row focused everyone's minds, and Gordy held a meeting with Holland, Dozier, and Holland, and told them that from that point on the Supremes had to be their number one priority. They should drop everything they were doing and concentrate on making Supremes hits while the Supremes were having their moment of success. And so of course they did just that -- and in January 1965 they recorded the album which would contain the Supremes' fourth number one in a row: [Excerpt: The Supremes, "Stop! In the Name of Love"] The story of how "Stop! In the Name of Love" was conceived tells us a lot about the kind of life that the people at Motown were living, now they were all successful and making a great deal of money. The way Lamont Dozier tells the story, his marriage had fallen apart, and he was sleeping with multiple women, some of whom thought they were the only one. Dozier would regularly head to a motel near Hitsville for some of these assignations, and one day while he was there with one of his women, another one tracked him down. The woman he was with made her escape, and Dozier tried to make excuses, claiming he had just got very tired at work and booked a motel room to have a rest so he wouldn't have to go all the way home. His girlfriend didn't believe this rather transparent lie, and started throwing things at him. Dozier started yelling at her to stop it, and eventually mangled the phrase "Stop in the name of the law", shouting instead "Stop in the name of love!" Dozier immediately saw this line as the basis of a song, and his burst of inspiration amused the woman, who started laughing. It defused the situation, and led to a hit record. [Excerpt: The Supremes, "Stop! In the Name of Love"] Indeed, Dozier wasn't the only one whose experiences made up part of the lyrics for the song. All three of Holland, Dozier, and Holland were having complex love lives and going through the breakup of their first marriages. Eddie Holland has said that he used his own experiences in that regard in writing the lyrics to that song. All three men were having affairs with multiple women, but two of those affairs were important in their working lives -- Brian Holland was dating Diana Ross, while Lamont Dozier was seeing Mary Wilson. According to Eddie Holland, Florence seemed to think that this meant that the  remaining members of their respective trios should also pair up, but Holland didn't think that he should get involved, given Florence's mental fragility and his own promiscuous nature. Both Lamont and Brian later split up with their respective Supremes partners, but luckily everyone was professional enough that they were all able to continue working together. After "Stop! In the Name of Love" came "Back in Your Arms Again", making five number ones in a row for the combination of the Supremes and Holland-Dozier-Holland. On top of this, Holland-Dozier-Holland were busily making hits for the Four Tops, who we'll hear more about next week, and for the Isley Brothers, as well as writing odd songs for other artists like Marvin Gaye. To put this into perspective, at this point the *only* act ever to have had five number ones in a row on the US charts was Elvis, who had done it twice. The Beatles were about to hit their fifth, and would eventually get to six number ones in a row -- they had eleven in the UK, but many more Beatles singles were released in the US than in the UK, so there were more opportunities to break the streak. That was the company the Supremes were in. It's important to stress how big the Supremes, Motown, and Holland-Dozier-Holland were in 1965. There were twenty-seven Billboard number one singles that year, and six of them were from Motown -- compared to five from the Beatles and two from the Rolling Stones. Of those six number one Motown singles, five of them were Holland-Dozier-Holland productions, and four were by the Supremes. Of course, number one records are not the only measure of success in the music industry, but they are definitely a measure. By that measure, the Supremes were bigger than anyone except the Beatles, but this led to a certain amount of dissatisfaction among the rest of the Motown acts. They were being told that a rising tide would lift all boats, but the way they saw it, everyone who wasn't a Supreme was being ignored, unless they were named Smokey Robinson or Marvin Gaye. The Vandellas, for example, thought that records like "Dancing in the Street", which made number two in the charts, could have easily made number one had they been given the same kind of promotion as the Supremes. This was, to them, particularly evident when it came to the first British tour of the Motortown Revue, in March 1965. While the various Motown acts were on tour in the UK, the opportunity came up to do a TV special for Granada TV, presented by Dusty Springfield, who was the driving force behind the special. Springfield was particularly an admirer of Martha and the Vandellas, and got Martha to duet with her on her own hit "Wishin' and Hopin'": [Excerpt: Dusty Springfield and Martha Reeves, "Wishin' and Hopin'"] Yet while all the acts on the tour -- the Vandellas, Stevie Wonder, the Miracles, and the Temptations -- got their moments in the spotlight on the show, the Supremes did seem to dominate it, with more songs than any of the other acts. This was partly just good sense -- Motown was only just starting to have a presence in the UK, and to the extent it did the Supremes were almost the only Motown artists that had made any impression on the public consciousness at all at this point -- but it was also because Berry Gordy was becoming increasingly infatuated with Diana Ross, and they finally consummated their relationship in Paris at the end of the tour. Now, it is important to note here that this is always portrayed in every book about the group or Motown as "scheming Diana Ross used her feminine wiles to seduce hapless Berry Gordy, who was helplessly under her spell.” That's certainly one way to look at it. Another way to look at it is that Berry Gordy was a thirty-five-year-old married man sleeping with an employee of his who had only just turned twenty-one, and who had been his employee for several years. I wouldn't mention any of this at all -- I despise the gossiping nature of much music writing -- except that it is impossible to read anything at all about the Supremes without getting a take on the group's career from this point on that has Ross using her sexuality to manipulate Gordy in order to fulfil her own scheming ambition. I think there's no question at all that Ross was ambitious, but I think most of the narrative about her is rooted in misogyny, and a very deep misunderstanding of the power dynamics in her relationship with Gordy. But there is absolutely no question that Gordy saw the Supremes as the most important act on Motown -- and that he saw Diana Ross as the most important part of the Supremes. And decisions made for the benefit of Ross were not always decisions that would benefit her colleagues. For example, at this point in time, the fashion was for women to be very curvy, rather than thin. Ross was extremely thin, and so the group's outfits were padded. This wasn't such a problem for Mary, who had her own issues about a lack of curves, but for Florence, who was bigger than the other two, it was humiliating, because it made her look bigger than she was, and there was no question of the padding being removed from her clothes -- the decisions were being made on the basis of what made Diana look good. Of course, fashions change, and with the rise of the supermodel Twiggy, suddenly a more emaciated look became popular, so the group were able to drop the padding -- but that still left Florence as the unfashionable-looking one. She became deeply insecure about this, though she would hide it with humour -- after Twiggy became popular, there was a scripted bit of the show where Ross would say "thin is in", and Florence ad libbed "but fat is where it's at!", and her ad lib became part of the routine. After the Supremes' run of five number one singles, it might have seemed that they were invulnerable, but in September 1965, "Nothing But Heartaches" came out, and it only made number eleven: [Excerpt: The Supremes, “Nothing But Heartaches”] For any other act, this would be a major hit, but for an act that had had five number one hits in a row, it was a failure, and it was treated as such, even though it sold over a million copies. Berry Gordy actually sent out a memo to all Motown creative staff, saying "We will release nothing less than top ten product on any artist: and because the Supremes' world-wide acceptance is greater than the other artists, on them we will only release number-one records". Of course, that was easier said than done -- every songwriter and producer wanted only to be making number one records, after all, but it's a symptom of the attitudes that were showing up at Motown by this point -- a number eleven hit for a group that two years earlier had been laughed at for being the "no hit Supremes" was now regarded as a failure to be punished, while major successes were just to be considered the norm. But it's also a tribute to how successful Holland, Dozier, and Holland were by this point that the next Supremes single was, once again, another number one hit. The inspiration for "I Hear a Symphony" came from Dozier thinking about how characters in films often had musical motifs on the soundtrack, and how ridiculous it would be if people in real life walked around with their own musical accompaniments. But it might also be that the writing trio had something else in mind. In August, just over a month before the recording of "I Hear a Symphony", a girl group called The Toys had released a single called "A Lover's Concerto": [Excerpt: The Toys, "A Lover's Concerto"] That song had been based on a piece of music usually incorrectly attributed to Bach, but actually by the Baroque composer Christian Petzold, and had been written by Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell, two writers who usually wrote for the Four Seasons, whose four-on-the-floor style was very similar to that of Holland, Dozier, and Holland. Linzer and Randell had even put in a little nod to the Supremes in the song. Compare the intro of the Toys record: [Excerpt: The Toys, "A Lover's Concerto"] With the intro from "Stop! In the Name of Love!": [Excerpt: The Supremes, "Stop! In the Name of Love!"] The section from eight through sixteen seconds on the Toys record is so close to the section from eleven through nineteen seconds on the Supremes one that you can play them almost together -- I had to do a tiny splice five seconds in here because the musicians on the Toys record don't have the perfect timing of the Funk Brothers and drifted by 0.1 seconds, but I hope you can see just how close those two sections are: [Excerpt: The Supremes and The Toys together] See what I mean? The Toys' record reached number two on the charts -- not a number one, but better than the most recent Supremes record. So it might well be that Holland, Dozier, and Holland were also thinking about the Toys' record when they came to make their new one -- especially since it had contained a little nod to their own work. And the odd thing about that section is it's not integral to the Toys record at all -- it's just there, I think, as a nod and a wink to anyone listening for it. Certainly, Holland, Dozier, and Holland were aware of the Toys record -- they had the Supremes cut a cover version of it for the I Hear a Symphony album. That album also contained the Supremes' version of the Beatles' "Yesterday" -- another hit which had, of course, referenced classical music, with its string quartet backing. One hit record referencing classical music might be a fluke, but two was a pattern, and so whatever the writers' later claims about the inspiration, it's reasonable to suspect that at the very least they were paying close attention to this pattern. The lyrics to "I Hear a Symphony" were written in a rush. The original plan had been for the group to release a song called "Mother Dear" as their next single, but then Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier came up with the track and title for "I Hear a Symphony", and knew it would be a winner. There was one problem, though -- the single needed to be out relatively quickly, and the Supremes were travelling to the UK in two days' time. When the instrumental track had been cut, Brian Holland phoned his brother, waking him up, and telling him they needed a set of lyrics for the very next day. Holland was actually already a little burned out that day -- he'd just been working on "Road Runner" by Junior Walker and the All-Stars, which was intended as the follow-up to their big hit "Shotgun": [Excerpt: Junior Walker and the All-Stars, "(I'm a) Road Runner"] At least, Holland says that was what he was working on, though it came out five months later – but Motown often delayed releases by minor acts. "Road Runner" was not normal Holland-Dozier-Holland material, it had been difficult to write, and not only that they'd discovered that Walker couldn't play the saxophone part in the same keys that he could sing the song, so they'd had to varispeed the track in order to get both parts down. Holland had had a tiring day, and had just gone to sleep when the phone had rung. Brian Holland had a copy of the backing track couriered over to Eddie in the middle of the night, and Eddie stayed up all night writing the lyrics, eventually finishing them in the studio while he was teaching Diana Ross the song: [Excerpt: The Supremes, "I Hear a Symphony"] Because it had to be recorded in such a hurry, the Supremes were in London when the mixing was finalised -- as was Berry Gordy, who normally ran Motown's quality control meetings, the meetings in which the executives and producers all checked all the work that was going out to make sure it met the company's standards. Normally, if Gordy was out of town, Brian Holland would take over the meeting, but a new Supremes single was important enough to Gordy that he made an international phone call to the meeting and listened to the record over the phone. Gordy insisted that the vocal was too high in the mix, but Brian Holland pushed back, and Gordy eventually agreed to let the record go out as it was, despite his reservations. He agreed that he had been wrong when the record went to number one. It wouldn't start another streak of number ones, but the next eight singles would all go top ten, and the group would have another six number ones, including a streak of four in late 1966 and early 1967. There were other records, as well -- Christmas singles (which don't tend to get counted as "real singles", because Christmas records got put on their own special charts), and promotional efforts, like "Things Are Changing For The Better". That was a song that Brian Wilson and Mike Love of the Beach Boys had originally written for the Ronettes, under the title "Don't Hurt My Little Sister", but while Spector had cut a backing track, the song hadn't been considered worth the Ronettes adding their vocals, and the Beach Boys had cut their own version as an album track: [Excerpt: The Beach Boys, "Don't Hurt My Little Sister"] But a year later, the Advertising Council wanted a public information song, to promote the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the subsequent Voting Rights Act of 1965, two landmark acts that between them meant that for the first time discrimination against Black people wasn't legal. They turned to Spector to come up with something, and Spector, not wanting to waste a hit on them, came up with some new lyrics for the unused backing track, using the various slogans the Advertising Council wanted. Spector got his assistant Jerry Riopelle to finish the track off, and three versions were cut with different vocals over the same backing track. Riopelle produced a version with the Blossoms on vocals, another version was performed by the white pop group Jay and the Americans, and finally Motown put out a version with the Supremes singing over Spector's track. It's not the greatest track ever recorded or anything, but it is the only collaboration between the three biggest American hit-makers of the early sixties -- the Beach Boys, Spector, and the Supremes -- even if they didn't actually work together on it, and so "Things Are Changing For The Better" is interesting as a capsule of American pop music in 1965: [Excerpt: The Supremes, "Things Are Changing For The Better"] But Gordy had plans for the Supremes that involved them moving away from being merely pop stars, and the title of “I Hear a Symphony” worked well for Gordy's plans. Like Sam Cooke before them, he wanted them to move into the more lucrative middle-class white market, and like Sam Cooke that meant playing the Copacabana. We talked a little about the Copacabana -- or the Copa as it was universally known -- in the episode on "A Change is Gonna Come", but it's hard to get across now what an important venue it was. It was a mob-controlled nightclub in New York, and while it was only a nightclub, not a huge-capacity venue, headlining there was considered a sign that an act had made it and become part of the elite. If you could headline at the Copacabana in the early sixties, you were no longer a transitory pop act who might be gone tomorrow, you were up there with Tony Bennett and Sammy Davis Jr and Martin and Lewis. Of course, that whole showbusiness world has largely gone now, and the entertainment industry was going through massive changes in the early sixties that would soon make whether an act had headlined at the Copa as irrelevant to their future prospects as where they had gone to school, but nobody at the time knew that the changes that were happening -- thanks in large part to labels like Motown -- were going to be lasting ones, rather than just fads. So Gordy decided that his flagship group were going to headline at the Copa -- even though he had to agree to a deal which meant that for their initial three-week residency  the group members only made sixty dollars a show each before expenses. And they were going to do a "classy" show. Yes, they would include a few of the hits, but most of the songs would be things like "Somewhere" from West Side Story, the Barbra Streisand song "People" -- which would be Florence's one lead vocal in the show -- the Guy Lombardo song "Enjoy Yourself, It's Later Than You Think", and of all things "Rock-a-bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody": [Excerpt: The Supremes, "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody"] The rest of the repertoire was show tunes, a gender-swapped version of "The Girl From Ipanema" retitled "The Boy From Ipanema", a parody of Roger Miller's "King of the Road" titled "Queen of the House", and a medley of Sam Cooke's hits. Other than the Cooke material and the brief run-throughs of their own number ones, the setlist was tailored entirely for the Copa's clientele, which barely overlapped at all with the Motown audience. The Copa residency was a triumph, and led to the Supremes making regular appearances at the venue for seven years, but it came at a great cost to the group members. Ross was so stressed she lost a stone of her already low weight, the first sign of the anorexia which she would deal with for many years to come. Meanwhile, Florence had to miss a chunk of the rehearsals as she became seriously ill with the flu, though she got herself well enough to make the opening night. And while it was what Berry Gordy had been working towards for years, it couldn't have come at a worse time for him personally -- his elder sister Loucye died suddenly of a brain haemorrhage shortly before the residency, and her funeral was actually the morning of the opening night. The opening night went exactly as Gordy had planned, except for one ad-lib -- during the song "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You", after Ross sang the line “But gold won't bring you happiness,” Florence interjected a joking line -- "Now wait a minute, honey. I don't know about all that." The audience loved her ad-lib -- Sammy Davis Jr., who was in the audience, yelled out "All right, girl! You tell it like it is!" -- and the line got added as a regular part of the performance: [Excerpt: The Supremes, “You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You”] along with a rather less fun bit where Florence would mention "little old me", and Ross would snarkily respond "Little?" But even though it worked, Gordy was furious, partly just because he was understandably in a bad mood after his sister's funeral, partly because it was a deviation from the carefully-scripted performance, and partly because it was a moment in the spotlight for someone other than Diana Ross. As retaliation, a couple of days later he had Harvey Fuqua tell the group that they were dropping "People" -- Florence's only lead vocal -- from the set because there were too many show tunes. Then, a week or so later, "People" was added back to the set, but with Ross singing lead. (Mary Wilson had also asked to have her own lead vocal in the set, but Gordy had just looked at her sadly and said "Mary, you know you can't sing".) Florence was devastated. She was already drinking too much, but that escalated after the Copa engagement. Even though the group had never been as close as many groups are, they had all genuinely attempted to create a bond with each other, even all moving on to the same street. But now, that physical closeness just became an opportunity for the women to note the comings and goings at each other's houses and pass snarky comment on it. Ballard was fast becoming considered a liability by the powers that be at Motown, and even the existence of the Supremes was starting to be seen as something that was merely a hindrance for Diana Ross' career, rather than them being seen for what they were -- a massively successful group, not just a lead singer and her backing vocalists. Florence wasn't very long for the group, and when we next look at them, we'll no longer be looking at the Supremes, but at Diana Ross and the Supremes...