Podcasts about Wabash Cannonball

Music News: Pink Floyd and Joni MitchellIn this episode of the Deadhead Cannabis Show, Larry Mishkin reflects on the intersection of music and cannabis in the wake of the recent elections. He delves into the Grateful Dead's legacy, highlighting a notable performance from 1973, and explores the lyrical depth of 'To Lay Me Down.' The conversation also touches on music news, including Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon' and Joni Mitchell's recent birthday. The episode concludes with a discussion on recent research indicating that cannabis may serve as a substitute for more dangerous substances. This conversation explores the complex relationship between cannabis use and substance consumption among young adults, the implications of Florida's failed marijuana legalization initiative, and the potential of cannabis as a harm reduction tool for opioid use. It also highlights popular cannabis strains and their effects, alongside a cultural reflection on the Grateful Dead's music. Chapters00:00 Post-Election Reflections: Music and Cannabis08:29 The Grateful Dead's Musical Legacy14:48 Exploring the Lyrics: To Lay Me Down21:59 Music News: Pink Floyd and Joni Mitchell37:06 Weather Report Suite: A Musical Journey43:10 Second Set Highlights: Mississippi Half-Step and Beyond49:36 Marijuana Research: Substitution Effects51:24 Cannabis Use Among Young Adults56:13 Florida's Marijuana Legalization Initiative01:05:01 Cannabis as a Tool for Opioid Harm Reduction01:11:10 Strains of the Week and Cannabis Culture Larry's Notes:Grateful DeadNovember 11, 1973 (51 years ago)Winterland ArenaSan Francisco, CAGrateful Dead Live at Winterland Arena on 1973-11-11 : Free Borrow & Streaming : Internet Archive Happy Veteran's Day  A very famous show from a very famous year.  Many feel 1973 was the peak of the band's post psychedelic era.  Certainly right up there with 1977 as top years for the band, even by November they were still in full stride during a three night run at Winterland, this being the third and final night of the run.  In 2008 the Dead released the box set:  “Winterland 1973: The complete recordings” featuring shows from Nov. 9, 10 and 11, 1973.  This was the Dead's second “complete recordings” release featuring all of the nights of a single run. The first was “Fillmore West, 1969, the Complete Recordings” from Feb. 27, 28 and March 1 and 2 (IMHO the best collection of live music ever released by the band).  The band later released a follow up, Winterland 1977: The Complete Recordings a three night run June 7, 8 and 9, 1977 that is also an outstanding box set. Today's show has a 16 song first set, a six song second set and a three song encore, a true rarity for a Dead show of any era (other than NYE shows). The second set consists of ½ Step, Big River, Dark Star with MLBJ, Eyes of the World, China Doll and Sugar Magnolia and is as well played as any set ever played by the band.  They were on fire for these three days.  A great collection of music and killer three night run for those lucky enough to have snagged a ticket for any or all of the nights. Patrick Carr wrote in the NY Times that: “The Dead had learned how to conceive and perform a music which often induced something closely akin to the psychedelic experience; they were and are experts in the art and science of showing people another world, or a temporary altering (raising) of world consciousness.  It sounds pseudomystical pretentious perhaps, but the fact is that it happens and it is intentional.”  INTRO:                                 Promised Land                (show opener into Bertha/Greatest Story/Sugaree/Black Throated Wind)                                                Track #1                                                0 – 2:10 "Promised Land" is a song lyric written by Chuck Berry to the melody of "Wabash Cannonball", an American folk song. The song was first recorded in this version by Berry in 1964 for his album St. Louis to Liverpool. Released in December 1964, it was Berry's fourth single issued following his prison term for a Mann Act conviction. The record peaked at #41 in the Billboard charts on January 16, 1965. Berry wrote the song while in prison, and borrowed an atlas from the prison library to plot the itinerary. In the lyrics, the singer (who refers to himself as "the poor boy") tells of his journey from Norfolk, Virginia, to the "Promised Land", Los Angeles, California, mentioning various cities in Southern states that he passes through on his journey. Describing himself as a "poor boy," the protagonist boards a Greyhound bus in Norfolk, Virginia that passes Raleigh, N.C., stops in Charlotte, North Carolina, and bypasses Rock Hill, South Carolina. The bus rolls out of Atlanta but breaks down, leaving him stranded in downtown Birmingham, Alabama. He then takes a train "across Mississippi clean" to New Orleans. From there, he goes to Houston, where "the people there who care a bit about me" buy him a silk suit, luggage and a plane ticket to Los Angeles. Upon landing in Los Angeles, he calls Norfolk, Virginia ("Tidewater four, ten-oh-nine") to tell the folks back home he made it to the "promised land." The lyric: "Swing low, sweet chariot, come down easy/Taxi to the terminal zone" refers to the gospel lyric: "Swing low, sweet Chariot, coming for to carry me Home" since both refer to a common destination, "The Promised Land," which in this case is California, reportedly a heaven on earth. Billboard called the song a "true blue Berry rocker with plenty of get up and go," adding that "rinky piano and wailing Berry electric guitar fills all in neatly."[2]Cash Box described it as "a 'pull-out-all-the-stops' rocker that Chuck pounds out solid sales authority" and "a real mover that should head out for hit territory in no time flat."[3] In 2021, it was listed at No. 342 on Rolling Stone's "Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Apparently played by the Warlocks and the Grateful Dead in their earliest days, Bob Weir started playing this with the Dead in 1971, and it remained a regular right through to the band's last show ever in 1995.  Among those deeply touched by Chuck's genius were Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead. They often paid homage to Chuck by weaving his songs into their performances, breathing new life into his timeless melodies. "Promised Land," with its relentless drive, became an anthem of journey and aspiration. Their electrifying renditions of "Johnny B. Goode" were not mere covers but jubilant celebrations of a narrative that resonated with the dreamer in all of us. The Grateful Dead's performances of "Around and Around" echoed Chuck's mastery of capturing life's cyclical rhythms—a dance of beginnings and endings, joy and sorrow. And when they took on "Run Rudolph Run," they infused the festive classic with their own psychedelic flair, bridging the gap between tradition and innovation. A moment etched in musical history was when Chuck Berry shared the stage with the Grateful Dead during their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. The air was thick with reverence and electricity—a meeting of titans where the past, present, and future of rock converged in harmonious resonance. Again, in May 1995, Chuck opened for the Grateful Dead in Portland, Oregon. It was a night where legends collided, and the music swirled like a tempest, leaving a lasting impression on all who were fortunate enough to witness it. This version really rocks out.  I especially love Keith's piano which is featured prominently in this clip. Played:  430 timesFirst:  May 28, 1971 at Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA, USALast:  July 9, 1995 at Soldier Field, Chicago, IL, USA  SHOW No. 1:                    To Lay Me Down  (out of Black Throated Wind/into El Paso/Ramble On Rose/Me and Bobby McGee                                                Track #6                                                2:21 – 4:20 David Dodd:  “To Lay Me Down” is one of the magical trio of lyrics composed in a single afternoon in 1970 in London, “over a half-bottle of retsina,” according to Robert Hunter. The other two were “Ripple” and “Brokedown Palace.” Well, first—wouldn't we all like to have a day like that! And, second—what unites these three lyrics, aside from the fact that they were all written on the same day? Hunter wrote, in his foreword to The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics:”And I wrote reams of bad songs, bitching about everything under the sun, which I kept to myself: Cast not thy swines before pearls. And once in a while something would sort of pop out of nowhere. The sunny London afternoon I wrote ‘Brokedown Palace,' ‘To Lay Me Down,' and ‘Ripple,' all keepers, was in no way typical, but it remains in my mind as the personal quintessence of the union between writer and Muse, a promising past and bright future prospects melding into one great glowing apocatastasis.” “‘To Lay me Down' was written a while before the others [on the Garcia album], on the same day as the lyrics to ‘Brokedown Palace' and ‘Ripple'—the second day of my first visit to England. I found myself left alone in Alan Trists's flat on Devonshire Terrace in West Kensington, with a supply of very nice thick linen paper, sun shining brightly through the window, a bottle of Greek Retsina wine at my elbow. The songs flowed like molten gold onto the page and stand as written. The images for ‘To Lay Me Down' were inspired at Hampstead Heath (the original title to the song) the day before—lying on the grass and clover on a day of swallowtailed clouds, across from Jack Straw's Castle [a pub, now closed and converted into flats--dd], reunited with the girlfriend of my youth, after a long separation.” Garcia's setting for the words is, like his music for those other two songs, perfect. The three-quarter time (notated as having a nine-eight feel), coupled with the gospel style of the melody and chords, makes for a dreamy, beauty-soaked song. I heard it on the radio today (yes, on the radio, yes, today—and no, not on a Grateful Dead Hour, but just in the course of regular programming), and it struck me that it was a gorgeous vehicle for Garcia's voice. By which I mean: for that strongly emotive, sweet but not sappy, rough but not unschooled instrument that was Garcia's alone. I have started to think that my usual recitation of where a song was first played, where it was last played, and where it was recorded by the band borders on pointless. All that info is readily available. What's interesting about the performance history of “To Lay Me Down” is that it was dropped from the rotation for more than 200 shows three times, and that its final performance, in 1992, came 125 shows after the penultimate one. The reappearance of the song, in the 1980 acoustic shows, came nearly six years after the previous performances in 1974. “Ripple” had a similar pattern, reappearing in those 1980 acoustic sets after 550 performances, or nearly ten years. Of the magical trio from that day of molten gold in West Kensington, “Brokedown Palace” had the most solid place in the Dead's performance rotation, with only one huge gap in its appearances—165 shows between 1977 and 1979. So, in terms of story, what can be discerned? The short version, for me: even if it's just for a day, even if it's just once more, even if it's just one last time—it's worth it. It's golden. It's home. This version is really great to listen to.  Jerry's voice is still so young and strong.  And the group singing works really well.  Jerry's also kills it with his lead guitar jamming. Released on “Garcia” in 1972 Played:  64 timesFirst:  July 30, 1970 at The Matrix, San Francisco, CA, USALast: June 28, 1992 at Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN, USA MUSIC NEWS:                                                           Music Intro:                       Brain Damage                                                                                    Pink Floyd                                                                                    Pink Floyd - Brain Damage (2023 Remaster)                                                                                    0:00 – 1:47             "Brain Damage" is the ninth track[nb 1] from English rock band Pink Floyd's 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon.[2][3] It was sung on record by Roger Waters (with harmonies by David Gilmour), who would continue to sing it on his solo tours. Gilmour sang the lead vocal when Pink Floyd performed it live on their 1994 tour (as can be heard on Pulse). The band originally called this track "Lunatic" during live performances and recording sessions. "Brain Damage" was released as a digital single on 19 January 2023 to promote The Dark Side of the Moon 50th Anniversary box set.[4]             The uncredited manic laughter is that of Pink Floyd's then-road manager, Peter Watts.             The Dark Side of the Moon is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 1 March 1973, by Harvest Records in the UK and Capitol Records in the US. Developed during live performances before recording began, it was conceived as a concept album that would focus on the pressures faced by the band during their arduous lifestyle, and also deal with the mental health problems of the former band member Syd Barrett, who had departed the group in 1968. New material was recorded in two sessions in 1972 and 1973 at EMI Studios (now Abbey Road Studios) in London.             The Dark Side of the Moon is among the most critically acclaimed albums and often features in professional listings of the greatest of all time. It brought Pink Floyd international fame, wealth and plaudits to all four band members. A blockbuster release of the album era, it also propelled record sales throughout the music industry during the 1970s. The Dark Side of the Moon is certified 14x platinum in the United Kingdom, and topped the US Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart, where it has charted for 990 weeks. By 2013, The Dark Side of the Moon had sold over 45 million copies worldwide, making it the band's best-selling release, the best-selling album of the 1970s, and the fourth-best-selling album in history.[3] In 2012, the album was selected for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. David Gilmour Addresses Synchronicity Theory Between ‘The Dark Side of the Moon' and ‘Wizard of Oz'On Thursday, November 7, 2024, Pink Floyd's David Gilmour appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon amid his extensive run at New York's Madison Square Garden, where he is supporting his latest solo release, Luck and Strange. During the music industry legend's stop by the late-night talk show, he spoke with the program's host, who questioned the theory of synchronicity between TheDark Side of the Moon and The Wizard of Oz, commonly referred to as the Dark Side of the Rainbow.“You said that you think it's your best work since Dark Side of the Moon,” Fallon questioned at the top of the segment, comparing Gilmour's comments regarding his latest release, and the Pink Floyd classic. “When we finished Dark Side, there was a lot of crossfades and stuff between all the tracks. They had all to be done separately and then they all have to be edited in the old days before Pro Tools. When we finally finished, we sat down in the control room at Abbey Road and listened to it all the way through. And, wow. I–I guess all of us–have the feeling that it was something quite amazing–that we got it, and at the same point on this album, I had a very similar feeling, which is why I said that.” Fallon stewed on Luck and Strange during a series of follow-up questions that assisted in painting a portrait of familial involvement during the making of Gilmour's 2024 release–harnessing the conversation to the artist's preferred homebred approach before they segued into the realm of the Emerald City. Fallon landed on the topic of Oz during a bit aimed at busting rumors that have populated throughout the musician's 60-year tenure in the spotlight.“The Pink Floyd album, Dark Side of the Moon, was written to synchronize with the movie Wizard of Oz,” Fallon suggested. Prompting Gilmour's humor-tinged response, “Well, of course it was.” Fallon threw his hands up in response, acting on the comedic angle, before the musician clarified, “No, no. We listened to it, Polly and I, years ago–” Fallon stopped the artist to ask, “There's no planning that out?” Gilmour continued, “No. No, I mean, I only heard about it years later. Somebody said you put the needle on–vinyl that is– and on the third–you know you got the film running somehow–and on the third roar of the MGM lion, you put the needle on for the beginning of Dark Side, and there's these strange synchronicities that happen.” Fallon asked if Gilmour had ever tested the theory, to which he exclaimed, “Yeah!” He went on to admit, “And there are these strange coincidences–I'll call them coincidences.”  Joni Mitchell turns 81 - Joni Mitchell was born on Nov. 7th in 1943, making her 81 this past Thursday. Mitchell began her career in small nightclubs in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, and grew to become one of the most influential singer-songwriters in modern music history. Rising to fame during the 1960s, Mitchell became a key narrator in the folk music movement, alongside others like Bob Dylan. Over the decades, she has released 19 studio albums, including the seminal “Blue,” which was rated the third best album ever made in Rolling Stone's 2020 list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” In 2023, Joni Mitchell at Newport was released, a live album of her 2022 performance at the Newport Folk Festival.  More recently she was the featured performer at the Joni Jam at the Gorge in George, WA in June, 2023 3.    Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz to Celebrate 50th Birthday at Sweetwater Music Hall with Members of ALO, Tea Leaf Green and More Sweetwater Music Hall (in Mill Valley, CA) has announced details pertaining to Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz's 50th Birthday Bash. The event is slated to take place on Saturday, November 23, 2024, and functions as a celebratory occasion to honor the jam stalwart and beloved member of the Bay Area music scene's five decade ride.  The six-string virtuoso, known for his work with Animal Liberation Orchestra (ALO), Phil Lesh & Friends, and his own self-titled Friends project, has tapped an all-star group of regional talent to assist during the live show. Appearing on the birthday lineup, in addition to the bandleader are Vicki Randle (percussion, vocals; The Tonight Show Band), Steve Adams (bass; ALO), Trevor Garrod (keys; Tea Leaf Green) and Scott Rager (drums; Tea Leaf Green).  “Possessing a signature tone, the vehicle for his fluid, buttery sound is a flat top acoustic guitar that he has personally sliced and diced into an electric flat top, with a vintage style humbucker pickup. Inherently committed to an improvisational approach, Lebo embodies the realm of melodic and soulful sounds,” the press release includes, drawing on the unique factors which have made Lebo a standout amongst his musical contemporaries. As an added distinction, and play into the birthday angle of event's surprise and celebration, special guest appearances are slated to occur, as referenced via press release and the artist's post on Instagram, where he noted additional inclusions as TBA.   SHOW No. 2:                    Weather Report Suite Prelude  (out of China >Rider/Me & My Uncle/Loose Lucy                                                Track #14                                                3:10 – end                                                   INTO                                                 Weather Report Suite Part I  (out of WRS Prelude/ into WRS Part II (Let It Grow)/Set break  - 16 songs                                                Track #15                                                0:00 – 1:03 David Dodd:  This week, by request, we're looking at “Weather Report Suite,” (Prelude, Part 1, and Part 2). For a short time, the three pieces that comprise the Suite were played as such, but that was relatively short-lived by Grateful Dead standards. The Prelude debuted in November 1972, originally as a separate piece from its eventual companions. The Dead played it, according to DeadBase, four more times in the spring of 1973 before it was first matched up with Weather Report Suite Parts 1 & 2, in September of that year. It was played regularly through October of 1974, and then dropped from the repertoire. The instrumental “Prelude,” composed by Weir, sets the stage for the two pieces to follow. I think it's one of the most beautiful little pieces of music I know—I have never once skipped through it over years of listening. I just let it wash over me and know that its simplicity and beauty are preparing me for the melancholy of Part 1, and the sometimes epic grandeur of Part 2. Part 1 is a song co-written with Eric Andersen, a well-known singer-songwriter who wrote the classic “Thirsty Boots.” He was on the Festival Express Tour (of “Might As Well” fame) across Canada along with the Dead, and I'm guessing that's where Weir and he met and concocted this piece. Happy to be corrected on that by anyone who knows better. Andersen and Weir share the lyric credit, and the music is credited to Weir. Once it appeared in the rotation, in September 1973, it stayed in the repertoire only as long as the Prelude did, dropping entirely in October 1974. The song addresses the seasons, and their changing mirrors the the singer's state of mind as he reflects on the coming of love, and maybe its going, too: a circle of seasons, and the blooming and fading of roses. I particularly like the line “And seasons will end in tumbled rhyme and little change, the wind and rain.” There's something very hopeful buried in the song's melancholy. Is that melancholy just a projection of mine? I think there's something about Weir's singing that gets at that emotion. Loss, and the hope that there might be new love. Weather Report Suite, Part 2 (“Let It Grow”) is a very different beast. It remained steadily in the rotation for the next 21 years after its debut, and the band played it 276 times. Its season of rarity was 1979, when it was played only three times, but otherwise, it was not far from the rotation. It could be stretched into a lengthy jamming tune (clocking at over 15 minutes several times), building to a thundering crescendo. And the “Weather Report” aspect of the song is what was really the most fun many times. Released on Wake of The Flood in 1973. WRS Prelude and Part I:Played:         46 timesFirst:  September 8, 1973 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY, USALast:  October 18, 1974 at Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA, USA SHOW No. 3:                     Mississippi Half Step Uptown Toodeloo  (Second Set Opener/into Big River/Dark Star)                                    Track #17                                    3:17 – 4:55 Released on Wake of the Flood in 1973. Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo was first performed live by the Grateful Dead on July 16, 1972. It was a frequent part of the repertoire through to 1974. From 1976 onward it was played less frequently with usually between 5 and 15 performances each year. It was not played at all in 1983 and 1984. The last performance was in July 1995. In total it was performed around 236 times. The majority of performances from 1978 onward were as the opening song of a show. Huner/Garcia special.  Great story.  Great lyrics:  “what's the point of calling shots, this cue ain't straight in line.  Cue ball is made of Styrofoam and no one's got the time” Always one of my favorite songs to hear in concert.  ½ Step>Franklin's were especially fun as a one two show opener punch. Played:  236 timesFirst:  July 16, 1972 at Dillon Stadium, Hartford, CT, USALast:  July 6, 1995 at the Riverport Amphitheatre in Maryland Heights (St. Louis), MO MJ NEWS:                 INTRO MUSIC:       Willin'                                                Little Feat                                                Little Feat - Willin' sung by Lowell George Live 1977. HQ Video.                                                0:10 – 1:32                                                1977 "Willin'" is a song written by American musician Lowell George, and first recorded with his group Little Feat on their 1971 debut album. The song has since been performed by a variety of artists.          George wrote the song while he was a member of the Mothers of Invention. When George sang an early version of the song for bandleader Frank Zappa, Zappa suggested that the guitarist form his own band rather than continue under Zappa's tutelage.[1] He did just that, and the song was subsequently recorded by Lowell's band Little Feat. The song was included on Little Feat's 1971 self-titled debut album. The band re-recorded the song at a slower tempo to much greater success on their 1972 Sailin' Shoes album. A live version recorded in 1977 appears on their 1978 album Waiting for Columbus. The lyrics are from the point of view of a truck driver who has driven from Tucson to Tucumcari (NM), Tehachapi (CA) to Tonopah (AZ)" and "smuggled some smokes and folks from Mexico"; the song has become a trucker anthem.  And of course, he asks for “weed, whites (speed) and wine” to get him through his drive. 1.      Using Marijuana Is Tied To Lower Consumption Of Alcohol, Opioids And Other Drugs, New Study Reveals 2.     Why Florida's Marijuana Legalization Ballot Initiative Failed Despite Trump Endorsement, Historic Funding And Majority Voter Support 3.     Marijuana Has ‘Great Deal Of Potential' To Treat Opioid Use Disorder, Study Finds, Predicting It'll Become More Common In Treatment 4.     Colorado Springs Voters Approve Two Contradictory Marijuana Ballot Measures To Both Allow And Ban Recreational Sales Strains of the week: Sub Zero - Sub Zero is a potent Indica-dominanthybrid cannabis strain that combines the robust genetics of Afghan, Colombian, and Mexican origins. This marijuana strain offers a complex flavor profile with notes of apple, menthol, chestnut, lime, and berry, providing a unique and refreshing sensory experience. The aroma of Sub Zero is as intriguing as its flavor, characterized by a rich combination of woody, earthy, and citrus notes, thanks to a terpene profile rich in Humulene, Limonene, Linalool, and Carene. These terpenes not only enhance the flavor but also contribute to the strain's therapeutic properties. Apple Fritter - Apple Fritter, also known as “Apple Fritters,” is a rare evenly balanced hybrid strain (50% indica/50% sativa) created through crossing the classic Sour Apple X Animal Cookies strains. Best known for making the High Times' 2016 “World's Strongest Strains” List, this baby brings on a hard-hitting high and super delicious flavor that will have you begging for more after just one taste. Extract:             Dulce Limon – hyrbrid sativa dominant            Pineapple Fizz – slightly indica dominant hybrid strain SHOW No. 4:                    Dark Star  (Mind Left Body Jam)                                                Track #18                                                34:45 – end This is the name given to a 4-chord sequence played as a jam by the Grateful Dead. It is thought by some to be related to the Paul Kantner song "Your Mind Has Left Your Body." The title "Mind Left Body Jam" was originally used by DeadBase. The first Grateful Dead CD to include a version was "Dozin' At The Knick", where the title was "Mud Love Buddy Jam" in a humorous reference to the DeadBase/taper title. But subsequent releases have adopted the "Mind Left Body Jam" title.Here, it comes out of a 36 minute Dark Star that many say is one of the best ever and links it to an excellent Eyes of the World.Fun to feature one of the band's thematic jams every now and then.  The truly improvisational side of the Dead and their live performances.  Played:  9 timesFirst:  October 19, 1973 at Jim Norick Arena, Oklahoma City, OK, USALast:  March 24, 1990 at Knickerbocker Arena, Albany, NY, USA                                                 INTO                                                 Eyes of the World  (into China Doll/Sugar Mag as second set closer)                                                Track #19                                                0:00 – 2:25 David Dodd:  “Eyes of the World” is a Robert Hunter lyric set by Jerry Garcia. It appeared in concert for the first time in that same show on February 9, 1973, at the Maples Pavilion at Stanford University, along with “They Love Each Other,” “China Doll,” “Here Comes Sunshine,” “Loose Lucy,” “Row Jimmy,” and “Wave That Flag.” Its final performance by the Dead was on July 6, 1995, at Riverport Amphitheatre, in Maryland Heights, Missouri, when it opened the second set, and led into “Unbroken Chain.” It was performed 381 times, with 49 of those performances occurring in 1973. It was released on “Wake of the Flood” in November, 1973. (I have begun to notice something I never saw before in the song statistics in Deadbase—the 49 performances in 1973 made me look twice at the song-by-song table of performances broken out by year in DeadBase X, which clearly shows the pattern of new songs being played in heavy rotation when they are first broken out, and then either falling away entirely, or settling into a more steady, less frequent pattern as the years go by. Makes absolute sense!) Sometimes criticized, lyrically, as being a bit too hippy-dippy for its own good, “Eyes of the World” might be heard as conveying a message of hope, viewing human consciousness as having value for the planet as a whole. There are echoes in the song of a wide range of literary and musical influences, from Blaise Pascal to (perhaps) Ken Kesey; from talk of a redeemer to the title of the song itself. In an interview, Hunter made an interesting statement about the “songs of our own,” which appear twice in “Eyes of the World.” He said that he thinks it's possible each of us may have some tune, or song, that we hum or sing to ourselves, nothing particularly amazing or fine, necessarily, that is our own song. Our song.  The song leaves plenty of room for our own interpretation of certain lines and sections. The verse about the redeemer fading away, being followed by a clay-laden wagon. The myriad of images of birds, beeches, flowers, seeds, horses.... One of my all time favorite songs, Dead or otherwise.  A perfect jam tune.  Great lyrics, fun sing along chorus and some of the finest music you will ever hear between the verses.  First really fell for it while at a small show one night my junior year at Michigan in the Michigan Union, a Cleveland based dead cover band call Oroboros.  We were all dancing and this tune just seemed to go on forever, it might have been whatever we were on at the time, but regardless, this tune really caught my attention.  I then did the standard Dead dive to find as many versions of the song as I could on the limited live Dead releases at that time and via show tapes.  Often followed Estimated Prophet in the first part of the second set, china/rider/estimated/eyes or scarlet/fire/estimated/eyes and sometimes even Help/Slip/Frank/Estimated/Eyes.  Regardless of where it appeared, hearing the opening notes was magical because you knew that for the next 10 – 12 minutes Jerry had you in the palm of his hand. This is just a great version, coming out of the Dark Star/Mind Left Body Jam and then continuing on into China Doll (two great Jerry tunes in a row!) and a standout Sugar Mag to close out the second set.  Any '73 Eyes will leave you in awe and this one is one of the best. Played:  382 timesFirst:  February 9, 1973 at Maples Pavilion, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USALast:  July 6, 1995 at Riverport Amphitheatre, Maryland Heights (St. Louis), MO  OUTRO:                               And We Bid You Goodnight  (encore out of Uncle John's Band/Johnny B. Goode) 3 song encore!!                                                Track #25                                                :40 – 3:03 The Grateful Dead performed the song a number of times in the 1968-1970 and 1989-1990 periods but infrequently during the rest of their performing career. On Grateful Dead recordings the title used is either And We Bid You Goodnight or We Bid You Goodnight. The Grateful Dead version of this traditional 'lowering down' funeral song originates from a recording by Joseph Spence and the Pindar Family which was released in 1965. The title used on that recording, as on many others, is I Bid You Good Night. This song appears to share a common ancestry with the song Sleep On Beloved from North East England. I got to see it the first night at Alpine Valley in 1989 (the Dead's last year at Alpine) and it really caught the crowd off guard.  Great reaction from the Deadheads.  Kind of a chills down your spine thing.  I was with One armed Lary and Alex, both had been with us at Deer Creek right before.  Lary stayed for all three nights but Alex had to take off after the first show.  Great times.  Played:  69 timesFirst:  January 26, 1968 at Eagles Auditorium, Seattle, WA, USALast:  September 26, 1991 at Boston Garden, Boston, MA, USA  Thank you for listening.  Join us again next week for more music news, marijuana news and another featured Grateful Dead show. Have a great week, have fun, be safe and as always, enjoy your cannabis responsibly.   .Produced by PodConx Deadhead Cannabis Show - https://podconx.com/podcasts/deadhead-cannabis-showLarry Mishkin - https://podconx.com/guests/larry-mishkinRob Hunt - https://podconx.com/guests/rob-huntJay Blakesberg - https://podconx.com/guests/jay-blakesbergSound Designed by Jamie Humiston - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-humiston-91718b1b3/Recorded on Squadcast

This week, Ozark original old time harmonica and guitar duo Seth Shumate & Roy Pilgrim recorded live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with this dynamic musical duo. A feature performance by renowned singer George Hulsey this week as well. Ozark original Seth Shumate plays harmonica in ways that one does not hear too often anymore. His phrasing, technique and style go back to the pre war days of traditional American music when the harmonica was a lyrical and melodic instrument. 

Another Ozark original, Roy Pilgrim is arguably Arkansas' premier Old-Time fiddler. Like his counterpart, Roy takes his musical cues from traditional American old time but with an emphasis on fiddle tunes from the Ozarks of Arkansas and Missouri. Roy and Seth also perform together as part of the Ozark Highballers, who have earned a well-deserved reputation as one of today's premier Old-Time groups and dance bands. Originally from Louisiana, George Hulsey moved to Mountain View, Arkansas a few years back and has become a well known singer in the local Stone County music scene. George is accompanied on this performance by multi-instrumentalist Duane Porterfield, fiddler Mary Parker, bassist Chris Smith and vocalist Carolina Mendoza. In this week's “From the Vault” segment, OHR producer Jeff Glover offers an archival recording of Ozark original harmonica legend Percy Copeland playing the traditional tune “Wabash Cannonball,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives. In his segment “Back in the Hills,” writer, professor and historian Dr. Brooks Blevins discusses the Ozarks' influence at the “Festival of Festivals,” the first National Folk Festival held in St. Louis, Missouri in 1934. (Part 2)

The first time I heard this tune was on Ricky Jay's collection of songs about cards and card players. Subsequently, I heard Steve Earle's story about how, when he was playing some dive for 4 or 5 people, Townes Van Zandt stumbles in and starts heckling him. It's Outlaw Country lore: Townes demands Earle play Wabash Cannonball- repeatedly. Finally, Steve demurs, claiming not to know the song, but lays this - Towne's own lyrically impossible gauntlet, line perfect, on his drunken hero, and thus begins a legendary friendship. The words fly by so fast here that it's hard to follow the narrative, which upon some study, reveals a poignant tale of a royal pair of Anthropomorphic, married playing cards doing battle through the avatars of Mud and Gold - a couple of hapless gambling addicts. The overall message being that winning and losing are matters of destiny, dictated by the fates, and beyond our control, so you might as well keep raising the stakes. Townes, an acknowledged tortured genius whose untimely death at age 52, left behind a sumptuous body of work, kept raising his stakes, living his addict's life as though his demise was pre-ordained. Even with this song, which he claimed was not written by himself, but by a “giant pencil in the sky”. Is it odd that Mr Mudd and Mr Gold would qualify as a “sunny” song? Not to me. Maybe that's because I loved Ricky Jay's winking panache, and he introduced it to me. Plus, Townes's break-neck torrent of lyrical showmanship is a thrill ride, and I smile as my brain endeavors to keep up with the writer's masterstrokes. Also, a good, ripping yarn will always bring a smile.

This week: all the usual gaming headlines, plus Forspoken, Wabash Cannonball, Super Mario Bros, and our TV + YouTube picks. #GameBurst More info... Music includes Super Mario Bros 3D World OST Gary -  Reacher Season 2 (Amazon) Wabash Cannonball (board) Taylor -  Super Mario Bros (1985) Retro achievements more thoughts and updates Jerome -  Forspoken (PS5/PC) Valhalla - The End of Kratos by FatBrett (YouTube) https://youtu.be/r7Y44zUsoKI?si=VTDG4PyirfUip8Jg

Join former Roller Derby Girls Cat and Beth as they whip in to share tales of life on the road with "The Hold Steady." (25:44) The gang engages in an enlightened round of the new game "The numbers never lie, but they also never tell the whole truth." (35:45) Gasper presents a mystery in "Rock Problems," challenging the group to solve it.  (39:00) Plus, Beth reheats up the meatloaf conversation with a round of "From Meatloaf to the Billy Joel"  Please send us a voicemail today at:https://www.speakpipe.com/TheHoodratRecap

This week we are going to cover the rules for Wabash Cannonball (also known as Chicago Express). Wabash Cannonball is a game designed by John Bohrer and is illustrated by Michael Menzel & Todd Sanders. The game is published by Winsome Games, Queen Games, & Rio Grande.Expansions include Chicago Express: Narrow Guage & Erie Railroad Company (2009), and Chicago Express: Nickle Plate Road Expansion (2011). Both expansions are for Chicago Express and not for Wabash Cannonball which is currently being released.Chapters:00:00 Intro & Components01:16 Setting Up03:10 Initial Auction05:00 Ending / Winning the Game05:28 Sequence of Play06:59 Expansion11:02 Development13:33 Capitalization14:29 Chicago Dividends14:52 Wabash Opens15:43 General Dividends16:33 Thoughts feat. Joe (from Dads on a Map)

strap in this ride as we dive into the world of Virtual Reality with special guest, Ryan Crowder! Ryan has taken the insane task of building Opryland USA from the ground up in a VR experience that we can't wait to try! Why VR? What all does this world detail? Come along this tech roller coaster and I hope you get pumped for the release as much as we are!

Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games. Join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you found this podcast! Episode 127 - Chicago Express/Wabash Cannonball Choo Choo! The Interdecisiona Spaceship is now officially a train because we are now officially train game guys (some of the biggest ever)! Today, Brendan and Jake chugga chugga choo choo their way deep into the heart of Chicago Express/Wabash Cannonball's decision space. This game is designed by John Bohrer and published by Winsome and Queen games.     Pre-Planners Challengers!, Ark Nova, Can't Stop!, Spots, and more will be covered on the show soon!

Roy Acuff - "The Great Speckled Bird" [0:00:00] Jimmy Work - "Just Like Downtown" [0:06:56] Faron Young - "You're Still Mine" [0:09:18] Kitty Wells - "I Don't Want Your Money, I Want Your Time" [0:12:05] Boyd Bennett And His Rockets - "My Boy-Flat Top" [0:14:21] Music behind DJ: Tootsie's Orchid Loungers - "Tootsie's Wall of Fame" [0:16:46] Donnie Boyd and His Guitar (The Golden Boy) - "Martha" [0:20:45] Joe Bennett and the Sparkletones - "Rocket" [0:22:26] Roger White - "Mystery Of The Tallahatchee Bridge" [0:25:05] Colleen Wilson - "Rose City "66"" [0:28:13] Al and the Echos - "The Longer You Wait" [0:30:24] Music behind DJ: Tootsie's Orchid Loungers - "Tootsie's Wall of Fame" [0:32:01] Jean Shepard - "Your Conscience Or Your Heart" [0:34:50] Lynn Anderson - "The Worst Is Yet To Come" [0:37:31] Connie Smith - "Tiny Blue Transistor Radio" [0:40:04] Bobby Bare - "500 Miles Away From Home" [0:42:53] Willie Nelson - "I Just Can't Let You Say Goodbye" [0:45:12] Music behind DJ: Tootsie's Orchid Loungers - "Tootsie's Wall of Fame" [0:48:10] Bonnie Baldwin, June & Evelyn - "Move Over There Woman" [0:51:23] Jessie Acosta - "I Love You A Thousand Ways" [0:54:09] Jerry Boggs - "Love Came Back" [0:57:05] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/127088

Roy Acuff - "The Great Speckled Bird" [0:00:00] Jimmy Work - "Just Like Downtown" [0:06:56] Faron Young - "You're Still Mine" [0:09:18] Kitty Wells - "I Don't Want Your Money, I Want Your Time" [0:12:05] Boyd Bennett And His Rockets - "My Boy-Flat Top" [0:14:21] Music behind DJ: Tootsie's Orchid Loungers - "Tootsie's Wall of Fame" [0:16:46] Donnie Boyd and His Guitar (The Golden Boy) - "Martha" [0:20:45] Joe Bennett and the Sparkletones - "Rocket" [0:22:26] Roger White - "Mystery Of The Tallahatchee Bridge" [0:25:05] Colleen Wilson - "Rose City "66"" [0:28:13] Al and the Echos - "The Longer You Wait" [0:30:24] Music behind DJ: Tootsie's Orchid Loungers - "Tootsie's Wall of Fame" [0:32:01] Jean Shepard - "Your Conscience Or Your Heart" [0:34:50] Lynn Anderson - "The Worst Is Yet To Come" [0:37:31] Connie Smith - "Tiny Blue Transistor Radio" [0:40:04] Bobby Bare - "500 Miles Away From Home" [0:42:53] Willie Nelson - "I Just Can't Let You Say Goodbye" [0:45:12] Music behind DJ: Tootsie's Orchid Loungers - "Tootsie's Wall of Fame" [0:48:10] Bonnie Baldwin, June & Evelyn - "Move Over There Woman" [0:51:23] Jessie Acosta - "I Love You A Thousand Ways" [0:54:09] Jerry Boggs - "Love Came Back" [0:57:05] https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/127088

Joe, James, Mike, and Zach take a slight detour from our usual heavy strategy talk to instead strategize just how to get out of a Train Game funk. Tired of playing? Can't table anything? Technology overload? Real life intervening? We've all been there. Also a live auction of The Old Prince 1871 and breakdown (literal breakdown) of the new Wabash Cannonball map leak.  0:00 - Intro 3:15 Wabash Cannonball Map Feedback 11:45 Quad Jumps 21:20 Recent Plays 35:00 TOP 1871 Live Auction with new Values 54:45 Main Topic 1:38:45 Closing Thoughts and Outtro Follow along with our The Old Prince game: https://18xx.games/game/120800 http://www.dadsonamap.com https://www.youtube.com/@thechoochoocrew7615 Support the Show - Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/dadsonamap Twitter - @dadsonamap Instagram - @choo_choo_crew_podcast BGG Guild - http://tiny.cc/DoaMGuild

   Felicia Miller is the mother of little Ariel Young who's been left badly impaired for life after former Chiefs coach got Britt Reid drunk and slammed into their car.  Despite taking millions from the Chiefs and signing an agreement to not talk about the Chiefs, Miller has just unloaded on Facebook at Britt for his lame apology  telling him to take the apology and shove it "up your ass."   Meanwhile, this obvious story of white privilege versus the plight of African Americans is completely ignored by liberal media outlets in KC who choose to report about racist roads and national parks instead of hearing Miller's claim that, if all this were reversed, she would have been in jail without bond while Reid has been roaming free all this time.     It's not just KC media at a tipping point, our entire system of enterprise reporting is dead because of corporate influence.  The Chiefs do it here just like Facebook did it with the election.  And it's always the same story...  big money suppresses stories from being reported.  What a disaster for America.    Kansas State student busted out an "F--- KU" chant last week during the playing of the Wabash Cannonball at the football stadium.  It's now a national story as KSU says they will pull the plug on the song Saturday if they do it again.  The big question is will Mizzou fans join them in the chant?   Salvy walks off the Royals, a 5 hour tennis match ends just before 3:00 am and Mets fan Jerry Seinfeld blames the Mets' recent losses on too much fun at Mets games. 

Hour 2 - Gopowercat.com's Tim Fitzgerald joins us to kick off hour 2.  And plenty of K-State news to talk about, ahead of a matchup with Missouri... and very near to losing the Wabash Cannonball.

Hour 1 - The K-State student section has been incorporating an obscene chant during "Sandstorm."  And the band was banned from playing that song.  The students have now upped the ante, moving the chant to "Wabash Cannonball."  Your move K-State...

Pat goes over the news of the KSU band refusing to play the Wabash Cannonball due to vulgar language, talks with Wyatt Thompson. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The biggest names in Hollywood and Broadway recorded for AFRS during the war years, The American Forces Network can trace its origins back to May 26, 1942, when the War Department established the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS). The U.S. Army began broadcasting from London during World War II, using equipment and studio facilities borrowed from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The first transmission to U.S. troops began at 5:45 p.m. on July 4, 1943, and included less than five hours of recorded shows, a BBC news and sports broadcast. That day, Corporal Syl Binkin became the first U.S. Military broadcasters heard over the air. The signal was sent from London via telephone lines to five regional transmitters to reach U.S. troops in the United Kingdom as they prepared for the inevitable invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe. Fearing competition for civilian audiences the BBC initially tried to impose restrictions on AFN broadcasts within Britain (transmissions were only allowed from American Bases outside London and were limited to 50 watts of transmission power) and a minimum quota of British produced programming had to be carried. Nevertheless, AFN programs were widely enjoyed by the British civilian listeners who could receive them, and once AFN operations transferred to continental Europe (shortly after D-Day) AFN were able to broadcast with little restriction with programs available to civilian audiences across most of Europe (including Britain) after dark. As D-Day approached, the network joined with the BBC and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to develop programs especially for the Allied Expeditionary Forces. Mobile stations, complete with personnel, broadcasting equipment, and a record library were deployed to broadcast music and news to troops in the field. The mobile stations reported on front line activities and fed the news reports back to studio locations in London.

Back in the 1940s Roy Acuff was at the top of his game. He was a country music star with such hits as "The Great Speckled Bird" and "The Wabash Cannonball" under his belt; he was appearing in the movies, and he was one of the biggest stars on the Grand Ol' Opry. In 1948, Mr. Acuff tried to attain one more goal: the office of Governor of the State of Tennessee. Today we tell you that story.If you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast, at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker, Audible, Goodpods, or on your favorite podcast app.

Episode 550 Personal recap. A quick review of the new Beavis and Butt-head movie. A rant from the archives about guys who pee with the door open. Sports - Rome blocks e-mails about wrestling. Tampa Bay Lightning on the ropes. Elvis visits Nixon via Weird History, followed by Stewie reacting to Nixon's resignation speech. Stewie digs on me for playing old school music. Manson got swatted. Trump wants to free the capital rioters, followed by a new song about him. Cab out of control. Uvalde update. E cigarettes. Roe V Wade has been overturned. The show closes with George Carlin's "Abortion" monologue from his 1996 special "Back In Town". Break music - "Margaritaville" by Jimmy Buffett Rejoiner music - "Wabash Cannonball" by Johnny Cash --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lawrence-ross9/message

You can hardly hear a set of bluegrass music without hearing a train song. Some are poetic like the Wabash Cannonball. “Listen to the jingle the rumble and the roar, as she glides along the woodland, through the hills and by the shore.”  Some tell tragic tells of trains running out of control.

You can hardly hear a set of bluegrass music without hearing a train song. Some are poetic like the Wabash Cannonball. “Listen to the jingle the rumble and the roar, as she glides along the woodland, through the hills and by the shore.”  Some tell tragic tells of trains running out of control.

Songs include: Wabash Cannonball, Lonesome Whistle,The Wreck of the Old 97, Waiting For a Train, Eastbound Freight Train, The Devil's Train & Ben Dubery's Final Run. Performers include Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams, The Monroe Brothers, Vernon Dalhart and Grandpa Jones.

The biggest names in Hollywood and Broadway recorded for AFRS during the war years, The American Forces Network can trace its origins back to May 26, 1942, when the War Department established the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS). The U.S. Army began broadcasting from London during World War II, using equipment and studio facilities borrowed from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The first transmission to U.S. troops began at 5:45 p.m. on July 4, 1943, and included less than five hours of recorded shows, a BBC news and sports broadcast. That day, Corporal Syl Binkin became the first U.S. Military broadcasters heard over the air. The signal was sent from London via telephone lines to five regional transmitters to reach U.S. troops in the United Kingdom as they prepared for the inevitable invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe. Fearing competition for civilian audiences the BBC initially tried to impose restrictions on AFN broadcasts within Britain (transmissions were only allowed from American Bases outside London and were limited to 50 watts of transmission power) and a minimum quota of British produced programming had to be carried. Nevertheless AFN programmes were widely enjoyed by the British civilian listeners who could receive them and once AFN operations transferred to continental Europe (shortly after D-Day) AFN were able to broadcast with little restriction with programmes available to civilian audiences across most of Europe (including Britain) after dark. As D-Day approached, the network joined with the BBC and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to develop programs especially for the Allied Expeditionary Forces. Mobile stations, complete with personnel, broadcasting equipment, and a record library were deployed to broadcast music and news to troops in the field. The mobile stations reported on front line activities and fed the news reports back to studio locations in London.---------------------------------------------------------------------------Entertainment Radio Stations Live 24/7 Sherlock Holmes/CBS Radio Mystery Theaterhttps://live365.com/station/Sherlock-Holmes-Classic-Radio--a91441https://live365.com/station/CBS-Radio-Mystery-Theater-a57491----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wabash Cannonball, St. Francisville, Stangle, Purple Head, a bridge with almost as many names as variations on a haunted story. Almost. There are vastly different takes on who or what haunts this bridge, but one thing always remains the same, the floating purple head awaiting your arrival. This is one of the most interesting bridges we've been on; maybe it leads to some interesting haunted experiences as well.   Donate monthly here: https://www.patreon.com/orsotheysaypod Or a once off here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=T22PHA8NAUTPN  And don't forget to swing by here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/orsotheysaypod/shop 

Author Mike Mitchell talks about his comprehensive book about the early years of the St. Louis Cardinals. He explains the tremendous impact that baseball executive Branch Rickey had on the game. The discusses Rickey's early years and how he first got into baseball. Mitchell covers the mediocre baseball playing career of Branch Rickey and his service in the Chemical branch of the Army during WWI. The discussion includes how Rickey first got to the Cardinals and his move to the front office. Mitchell describes the minor league system that Rickey developed that lasted 100 years. He discusses the several pennants and World Series titles during his tenure. He used the farm system to produce amazing talent from Dizzy Dean to Stan Musial. Rickey's move to the Dodgers is covered including breaking baseball's color barrier. The talk concludes with Rickey's return to the Cardinals in 1962 and his final days.HOST: Rob MellonFEATURED BREW: Urban Underdog American Lager, Urban Chestnut Brewing Company, St. Louis, MOBOOK: Branch Rickey's Redbirds: Baseball, Beer, Scandals & Celebrations in St. Louishttps://www.amazon.com/Mr-Rickeys-Redbirds-Baseball-Celebrations/dp/0578693879/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=branch+rickey&qid=1615349110&s=books&sr=1-2MUSIC: Bones Forkhttps://bonesfork.com/CLIPS: Baseball's Best Moments (MLB.com), Stan Musial Biography, St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame, Wabash Cannonball

Shane and Trae both smoke the new Wabash Cannonball from Crowned Heads, Talk about shop ownership best practices, and a new release from Tatuaje that we will probably never see.

The dads start off the episode as professional as they can and of course fail. They talk about how they realized they're closer to 40 than 30. They reminisce about the good ole days of growing up with a local theme park called Opryland. God rests it soul. Check us out on Social Media Facebook - Discount Dads Podcast Twitter - @discountdadspodcast Instagram - @discountdads

In this episode, we discuss the legend of the Wabash Cannonball bridge, which is more commonly known by locals as the Purple Head Bridge.  

Around Easter time, I always like to feature some gospel music, with songs from Honi Deaton, the Stanley Brothers and even Paul & Colleen Trenwith from a 1970’s album. I’ve also featured the classic ‘Wabash Cannonball’, along with some hard-driving bluegrass from bluegrassers from around the globe.

Jeff Buck sits down with Danielle Firestone to talk about Wabash Cannonball -- a pasteurized goat's milk cheese from Capriole Goat Cheeses in Indiana.After hearing Jeff speculate about it in a previous episode, Danielle immediately wanted to inform Jeff on what Wawa (the American chain convenience store) actually is. Jeff then briefly revisits information on Capriole Goat Cheeses, asks Danielle what she would put on her hometown flag, discuss the origins of the Wabash Cannonball's mystical hobo train name, and rate the cheese on a classic scale system. As always the podcast ends with some #CheesyMoments. This episode Danielle shared one involving a horrible business name and another that involves classicism in a cheese museum.Follow @saycheesepodEmail: saycheesepodcast@gmail.comor leave us a positive rating/review!!Check out our weekly comedy show, #SayCheeseShowcase, every Tuesday at the Grand Central Market in Los Angeles - 7pm - Free admission

  Welcome to episode sixteen of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs. Today we're looking at "Crazy Man Crazy" by Bill Haley and the Comets. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. ----more---- Resources As always, I've created a Mixcloud streaming playlist with full versions of all the songs in the episode.   Unfortunately, there aren't many good books about Bill Haley available. There are two biographies which are long out of print -- one by John Swenson which I read as a very small child, and one from the nineties by one of Haley's sons. Another of Haley's sons has a biography due out in April, which might be worthwhile, but until then the only book available is a self-published biography by Otto Fuchs. I relied on volume one of Fuchs' book for this post -- it's very good on the facts -- but it suffers from being written by someone whose first language is not English, and it also *badly* needs an editor, so I can't wholly recommend it. This box set, which is ridiculously cheap, contains almost every track anyone could want by Haley and the Comets, and it also includes the early country music sides I've excerpted here, as well as tracks by the Jodimars (a band consisting of ex-Comets). Unfortunately it doesn't contain his great late-fifties singles "Lean Jean" and "Skinny Minnie", but it has everything else.   Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript   We've talked before about how there were multiple different musics that got lumped together in the mid-fifties under the name "rock and roll". There's rockabilly, Chicago rhythm and blues, doo-wop, New Orleans R&B, the coastal jump bands, and Northern band rock and roll. We've looked at most of these – and the ones we haven't we'll be looking at over the next few weeks – but what we haven't looked at so far is Northern band rock and roll. And in many ways that's the most interesting of all the rock and roll musics, because it's the one that at first glance has had almost no obvious impact on anything that followed, but it's also the one that first came to the attention of the white American public as rock and roll – the one that made the newspapers and got the headlines. And it's the one that had only one real example. While the other styles of music had dozens of people making them, Northern band rock and roll really only had Bill Haley and the Comets. A whole pillar of rock and roll – a whole massive strand of the contemporary view of this music – was down to the work of one band who had no peers and left no real legacy. Or at least, they seem to have left no legacy, until you look a bit closer. But before we look at where the Comets' music led, we should look at where they were coming from. Bill Haley didn't set out to be a rock and roll star, because when he started there was no such thing. He set out to be a country and western singer. He played with various country bands over the years – bands with names like The Down Homers and the Texas Range Riders – before he decided to become a band leader himself, and started his own band, the Four Aces of Western Swing. Obviously this wasn't a full Western Swing band in the style of Bob Wills' band, but they played a stripped-down version which captured much of the appeal of the music – and which had a secret weapon in Haley himself, the Indiana State Yodelling Champion. Yes, yodelling. Let me explain. Jimmie Rodgers was a huge, huge, star, and his gimmick was his yodelling: [excerpt "Blue Yodel (T For Texas)": Jimmie Rodgers] Every country singer in the 1940s wanted to sound like Jimmie Rodgers – at least until Ernest Tubb and Hank Williams came along and everyone wanted to sound like them instead. And that's the sound that Bill Haley was going for when he started the Four Aces of Western Swing. [excerpt of "Yodel Your Blues Away" by the Four Aces of Western Swing] That's how Bill Haley started out – as a Jimmie Rodgers imitator whose greatest strength was his yodelling. It definitely doesn't sound like the work of someone who would change music forever. You'd expect, without knowing the rest of his history, that the Four Aces of Western Swing would become a footnote to a footnote; a band who, if they were remembered at all, would be remembered for one or two singles included on some big box set compilation of vintage country music. Much of their music was derivative in the extreme, but there were a handful of more interesting tracks, some of which would still be of interest to aficionados, like "Foolish Questions". [Excerpt of "Foolish Questions" by the Four Aces of Western Swing] But without Bill Haley's future career, it's unlikely there'd be any more attention paid to the Four Aces than that. They don't really make a dent in country music history, and didn't have the kind of career that suggested they would ever do so. Most of their records didn't even get a proper release – Haley was signed to a label called Cowboy Records, which was a Mafia-run organisation. The first five thousand copies of every Cowboy release went to Mafia-owned jukeboxes, for free, and artists would only get royalties on any records sold after that. Since jukeboxes accounted for the majority of the money in the record business at this point, that didn't leave much for the artists – especially as Haley had to pay his own recording and production costs, and he had to do any promotion himself – buying boxes of records at $62.50 for two hundred and fifty copies, and sending them out to DJs through the post at his own expense. It was basically a glorified vanity label, and the only reason Haley got any airplay at all was because he was himself a DJ. And after a few unsuccessful singles, he decided to give up on performance and become just a DJ. But soon Haley had a new band, which would become far more successful – Bill Haley and his... Saddlemen. Yes, the Saddlemen. By all accounts, the Saddlemen weren't Haley's idea. One day two musicians turned up at the radio station, saying they wanted to join his band. Billy Williamson and Johnny Grande were unhappy with the band they were performing in, and had heard Haley performing with his band on the radio. They had decided that Haley's band would be a perfect showcase for their talents on steel guitar and accordion, and had travelled from Newark New Jersey to Chester Pennsylvania to see him. But they'd showed up to discover that he didn't have a band any more. They eventually persuaded him that it would be worth his while going back into music, and Haley arranged for the band to get a show once a week on the station he was DJing on. While Haley was the leader on stage, they were an equal partnership – the Saddlemen, and later the Comets, split money four ways between Haley, Williamson, Grande, and the band's manager, with any other band members who were later hired, such as drummers and bass players, being on a fixed salary paid out by the partnership. The band didn't make much money at first -- they all had other jobs, with Williamson and Grande working all sorts of odd jobs, while Haley was doing so much work at the radio station that he often ended up sleeping there. Haley worked so hard that his marriage disintegrated, but the Saddlemen had one big advantage – they had the radio station's recording studio to use for their rehearsals, and they were able to use the studio's recording equipment to play back their rehearsals and learn, something that very few bands had at the time. They spent two whole years rehearsing every day, and taking whatever gigs they could, and that eventually started to pay off. The Saddlemen started out making the same kind of music that the Four Aces had made. They put out decent, but not massively impressive, records on all sorts of tiny labels. Most of these recordings were called things like "Ten Gallon Stetson", and in one case the single wasn't even released as the Saddlemen but as Reno Browne and Her Buckaroos. This was about as generic as country and western music could get. [excerpt: “My Sweet Little Gal From Nevada” – Reno Browne and Her Buckaroos] But Bill Haley had bigger plans, inspired by the show that was on right before his. The radio had changed enormously in a very short period of time. Before the Second World War, playing records on the radio had been almost unknown, until in 1935 the first recognised DJ, Martin Block, started his radio show "Make Believe Ballroom", in which he would pretend to be introducing all sorts of different bands. The record labels spent much of the next few years fighting the same kind of copyright actions they would later fight against the Internet -- in this case aided by the Musicians' Union, but harmed by the fact that there was no federal copyright protection for sound recordings until the 1970s. Indeed a lot of the musicians' strikes of the 1940s were, in part, about the issue of playing records on the radio. But eventually, the record labels -- especially the ones, like RCA and Columbia, which were also radio network owners -- realised that being played on the radio was great advertising for their records, and stopped fighting it. And at the same time, there was a massive expansion in radio stations -- and a drop in advertising money. After the war, restrictions on broadcasting were lifted, and within four years there were more than twice as many radio stations as there had been in 1946. But at the same time, the networks were no longer making as much money from advertising, which started going to TV instead. The solution was to go for cheap, local, programming -- and there was little programming that was cheaper than getting a man to sit in the studio and play records. And in 1948 and 49, Columbia and RCA introduced "high fidelity" records -- the 33RPM album from Columbia, and the 45RPM single from RCA. These didn't have the problems that 78s had, of poor sound quality and quick degradation, and so the final barrier to radio stations becoming devoted to recorded music was lifted. This is, incidentally, why the earlier musicians we've talked about in this series are largely forgotten compared to musicians from even a few years later -- their records came out on 78s. Radio stations threw out all their old 78s when they could start playing 45s, and so you'd never hear a Wynonie Harris or Louis Jordan played even as a golden oldie, because the radio stations didn't have those records any more. They disappeared from the cultural memory, in a way the fifties acts didn't. And the time we're talking about now is right when that growth in the radio was at its height, and all the new radio stations were turning to recorded music. But in the early fifties, only a handful of stations were playing black music, only for an hour or two a day at most. And when they did, the DJ was always a white man -- but usually a white man who could sound black, and thought himself part of black culture. Zenas Sears in Atlanta, Dewey Phillips in Memphis, Alan Freed in Cleveland, Johnny Otis in LA -- all of these were people who even many of their black listeners presumed were black, playing black records, speaking in black slang. All of them, of course, used their privilege as white men to get jobs that black people simply weren't given. But that was the closest that black people came to representation on the radio at the time, and those radio shows were precious to many of them. People would tune in from hundreds of miles away to hear those few DJs who for one hour a day were playing their music. And the show that was on before Bill Haley's country and western show was one of those handful of R&B shows. "Judge Rhythm's Court" was presented by a white man in his forties named Jim Reeves (not the singer of the same name) under the name of "Shorty the Bailiff". Reeves' theme was "Rock the Joint" by Jimmy Preston and the Prestonians: [excerpt "Rock the Joint", Jimmy Preston and the Prestonians] Haley liked the music that Reeves was playing -- in particular, he became a big fan of Big Joe Turner and Ruth Brown -- and he started adding some of the R&B songs to the Saddlemen's setlists, and noticed they went down especially well with the younger audiences. But they didn't record those songs in their rare recording sessions for small labels. Until, that is, the Saddlemen signed up to Holiday Records. As soon as they started with Holiday, their style changed completely. Holiday, and its sister label Essex which also released Saddlemen records, were owned by Dave Miller, who also owned the pressing plant that had pressed Haley's earlier records for the Cowboy label, and Miller had similar mob connections. Haley would later claim that while Miller always said the money to start the record labels had come from a government subsidy, in fact it had been paid by the Mafia. His labels had started up during the musicians' union strikes of the 1940s, to put out records by non-union musicians, and Miller wasn't too concerned about bothering to pay royalties or other such niceties. Haley also later claimed that Miller invented payola – the practice of paying DJs to play records. This was something that a lot of independent labels did in the early fifties, and was one of the ways they managed to get heard, even as many of the big labels were still cautious about the radio. Miller wanted to have big hits, and in particular he wanted to find ways to get both the white and black markets with the same records, and here he had an ally in Haley, who took a scientific approach to maximising his band's success. Haley would try things like turning up the band's amplifiers, on the theory that if customers couldn't hear themselves talking, they'd be more likely to dance – and then turning the amps back down when the bar owners would complain that if the customers danced too much they wouldn't buy as many drinks. Haley was willing to work hard and try literally anything in order to make his band a success, and wasn't afraid to try new ideas and then throw them away if they didn't work. This makes his discography frustrating for listeners now – it's a long record of failed experiments, dead ends, and stylistic aberrations unlike almost any other successful artist's. This is someone not blessed with a huge abundance of natural talent, but willing to work much harder in order to make a success of things anyway. Miller was a natural ally in this, and they hit on a formula which would be independently reinvented a couple of years later by Sam Phillips for Elvis' records – putting out singles with a country song on one side and an R&B song on the other, to try to appeal to both white and black markets. And one song that Dave Miller heard and thought that might suit Haley's band was "Rocket 88" This might have seemed an odd decision – after all, "Rocket 88" was a horn-driven rhythm and blues song, while the Saddlemen at this point consisted of Haley on acoustic guitar, double-bass player Al Rex, Billy Williamson on steel guitar, and Johnny Grande, an accordion player who could double on piano. This doesn't sound the most propitious lineup for an R&B song, but along with ace session guitarist Danny Cedrone they actually managed to come up with something rather impressive: [excerpt of "Rocket 88"] Obviously it's not a patch on the original, but translating that R&B song into a western swing style had ended up with something a little different to the hillbilly boogie one might expect. In particular, there's the drum sound.... Oh wait, there's no drumming there. What do you mean, you heard it? Let's listen again... [excerpt of "Rocket 88"] There are no drums there. It's what's called slapback bass. Now, before we go any further, I'd better explain that there's some terminological confusion, because "slap bass" is a similar but not identical electric bass technique, while the word "slapback" is also used for the echo used on some rockabilly records, so talking about "rockabilly slapback bass" can end up a bit like "Who's on first?" But what I mean when I talk about slapback bass is a style of bass playing used on many rockabilly records. It's used in other genres, too, but it basically came to rockabilly because of Bill Haley's band, and because of the playing style Haley's bass players Al Rex and Marshall Lytle used. With slapback bass, you're playing a double bass, and you play it pizzicato, plucking the strings. But you don't just pluck them, you pull them forward and let them slap right back onto the bridge of the instrument, which makes a sort of clicking sound. At the same time, you might also hit the strings to mute them – which also makes a clicking sound as well. And you might also hit the body of the instrument, making a loud thumping noise. Given the recording techniques in use at the time, slapback bass could often sound a lot like drums on a recording, though you'd never mistake one for the other in a live performance. And at a time when country music wasn't particularly keen on the whole idea of a drum kit – which was seen as a dangerous innovation from the jazz world, not something that country and western musicians should be playing, though by this time Bob Wills had been using one in his band for a decade – having something else that could keep the beat and act as a percussion instrument was vital, and slapback bass was one of the big innovations that Haley's band popularised. So yes, Bill Haley and the Saddlemen's version of "Rocket 88" had no drum kit on it. Despite this, some people still cite this, rather than Jackie Brenston's original, as "the first rock and roll record". As we've said many times, though, there is no such thing. But Haley's recording makes an attractive candidate – it's the mythical "merging of black R&B with white country music", which of course was something that had been happening since the very start, but which people seem to regard as something that marked out rock and roll, and it's the first recording in this style by the person who went on to have the first really massive rock and roll hit to cross over into the pop charts. "Rocket 88" wasn't that big hit. But Haley and Miller felt like they were on to something, and they kept trying to come up with something that would work in that style. They put out quite a few singles that were almost, but not quite, what they were after, things like a remake of "Wabash Cannonball" retitled "Jukebox Cannonball", and then they finally hit on the perfect formula with "Rock the Joint", which had been in Haley's setlist off and on since he heard it on Jim Reeves' programme. The original "Rock the Joint" had been one of the many, many, records that attempted to cash in on the rock craze ignited by Wynonie Harris' version of "Good Rockin' Tonight", but it hadn't done much outside of the Philadelphia area. Haley and the band went into the studio to record their own version, which had a very different arrangement – and listen in particular to the solo... [excerpt "Rock the Joint" – Bill Haley and the Saddlemen] That solo is played by the session musician, Danny Cedrone, who played the lead guitar on almost all of Haley's early records. He wasn't a member of the band – Haley kept costs low in these early years by having as small a band as possible, but hiring extra musicians for the recordings to beef up the sound -- but he was someone that Haley trusted to always play the right parts on his records. Haley and Cedrone were close enough that in 1952 – after "Rocket 88" but before "Rock the Joint" – Haley gave Cedrone a song for his own band, The Esquire Boys. That song, "Rock-A-Beatin' Boogie", would probably have been a hit for Haley, had he recorded it at the time -- instead, he didn't record it for another three years. But that song, too, shows that he was on the right track. He was searching for something, and finding it occasionally, but not always recognising it when he had it. (Excerpt: "Rock-A-Beatin' Boogie" by The Esquire Boys) "Rock the Joint" was a massive success, by the standards of a small indie country label, reportedly selling as much as four hundred thousand copies. But even after "Rock the Joint", the problems continued. Haley's next two records were "Dance With a Dolly (With a Hole in Her Stockin')" – which was to the tune of "Buffalo Gals Won't You Come Out Tonight?" – and "Stop Beatin' Around the Mulberry Bush", which was a rewrite of "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush" as a hillbilly boogie. But "Stop Beatin' Around the Mulberry Bush" was notable for one reason – it was the first record by "Bill Haley and Haley's Comets", rather than by the Saddlemen. The pun on Halley's comet was obvious, but the real importance of the name change is that it marked a definitive moment when the band stopped thinking of themselves as a country and western band and started thinking of themselves as something else – Haley didn't pick up on the term "rock and roll" til fairly late, but it was clear that that was what he thought he should be doing now. They now had a drummer, too – Dick Richards – and a sax player. Al Rex was temporarily gone, replaced by Marshall Lytle, but Rex would be back in 1955. They were still veering wildly between rhythm and blues covers, country songs, and outright novelty records, but they were slowly narrowing down what they were trying to do, and hitting a target more and more often – they were making records about rhythm, using slang catchphrases and trying to appeal to a younger audience. And there was a genuine excitement in some of their stage performances. Haley would never be the most exciting vocalist when working in this new rock and roll idiom – he was someone who was a natural country singer and wasn't familiar with the idioms he was incorporating into his new music, so there was a sense of distance there – but the band would make up for that on stage, with the bass player riding his bass (a common technique for getting an audience going at this point) and the saxophone player lying on his back to play solos. And that excitement shone through in "Crazy Man Crazy", which became the Comets' first real big hit. This was another example of the way that Haley would take a scientific approach to his band's success. He and his band members had realised that the key to success in the record business was going to be appealing to teenagers, who were a fast-growing demographic and who, for the first time in American history, had some real buying power. But teenagers couldn't go to the bars where country musicians played, and at the time there were very few entertainment venues of any type that catered to teenagers. So Bill Haley and the Comets played, by Johnny Grande's count, one hundred and eighty-three school assemblies, for free. And at every show they would make note of what songs the kids liked, which ones got them dancing, which ones they were less impressed by, and they would hone their act to appeal to these kids. And one thing Haley noted was that the teenagers' favourite slang expression was "crazy", and so he wrote... [excerpt: Crazy Man Crazy, Bill Haley and the Comets] That went to number fifteen on the pop charts, a truly massive success for a country and western band. Marshall Lytle, the Comets' bass player, later claimed that he had co-written the song and not got the credit, but the other Comets disputed his claims. This is another of those records that is cited as the first rock and roll record, or the first rock and roll hit, and certainly it's the first example of a white band playing this kind of music to make the charts. And, more fairly to Haley, it's the first example of a band using guitars as their primary instruments to get onto the charts playing something that resembles jump band music. "Crazy Man Crazy" is very clearly patterned after Louis Jordan, but those guitar fills would be played by a horn section on Jordan's records. With Danny Cedrone's solos, Bill Haley and the Comets were responsible for making the guitar the standard lead instrument for rock and roll, although it took a while for that to *become* the standard and we will see plenty of piano and saxophone, including on later records by Haley himself. So why was Haley doing something so different from what everyone else did? In part, I think that can be linked to the reason he didn't stay successful very long – he wasn't part of a scene at all. When we look at almost all the other musicians we're talking about in this series, you'll see that they're all connected to other musicians. The myth of the lone genius is just that – a myth. What actually tends to happen is that the "lone genius" is someone who uses the abilities of others and then pretends it was all himself – and it almost always is a him. There's a whole peer group there, who get conveniently erased. But the fact remains that Haley and the Comets, as a group, didn't have any kind of peer group or community. They weren't part of a scene, and really had no peers doing what they were doing. There was no-one to tell them what to do, or what not to do. So Bill Haley and the Comets had started something unique. But it was that very uniqueness that was to cause them problems, as we'll see when we return to them in a few weeks...

  Welcome to episode sixteen of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs. Today we’re looking at “Crazy Man Crazy” by Bill Haley and the Comets. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. —-more—- Resources As always, I’ve created a Mixcloud streaming playlist with full versions of all the songs in the episode.   Unfortunately, there aren’t many good books about Bill Haley available. There are two biographies which are long out of print — one by John Swenson which I read as a very small child, and one from the nineties by one of Haley’s sons. Another of Haley’s sons has a biography due out in April, which might be worthwhile, but until then the only book available is a self-published biography by Otto Fuchs. I relied on volume one of Fuchs’ book for this post — it’s very good on the facts — but it suffers from being written by someone whose first language is not English, and it also *badly* needs an editor, so I can’t wholly recommend it. This box set, which is ridiculously cheap, contains almost every track anyone could want by Haley and the Comets, and it also includes the early country music sides I’ve excerpted here, as well as tracks by the Jodimars (a band consisting of ex-Comets). Unfortunately it doesn’t contain his great late-fifties singles “Lean Jean” and “Skinny Minnie”, but it has everything else.   Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript   We’ve talked before about how there were multiple different musics that got lumped together in the mid-fifties under the name “rock and roll”. There’s rockabilly, Chicago rhythm and blues, doo-wop, New Orleans R&B, the coastal jump bands, and Northern band rock and roll. We’ve looked at most of these – and the ones we haven’t we’ll be looking at over the next few weeks – but what we haven’t looked at so far is Northern band rock and roll. And in many ways that’s the most interesting of all the rock and roll musics, because it’s the one that at first glance has had almost no obvious impact on anything that followed, but it’s also the one that first came to the attention of the white American public as rock and roll – the one that made the newspapers and got the headlines. And it’s the one that had only one real example. While the other styles of music had dozens of people making them, Northern band rock and roll really only had Bill Haley and the Comets. A whole pillar of rock and roll – a whole massive strand of the contemporary view of this music – was down to the work of one band who had no peers and left no real legacy. Or at least, they seem to have left no legacy, until you look a bit closer. But before we look at where the Comets’ music led, we should look at where they were coming from. Bill Haley didn’t set out to be a rock and roll star, because when he started there was no such thing. He set out to be a country and western singer. He played with various country bands over the years – bands with names like The Down Homers and the Texas Range Riders – before he decided to become a band leader himself, and started his own band, the Four Aces of Western Swing. Obviously this wasn’t a full Western Swing band in the style of Bob Wills’ band, but they played a stripped-down version which captured much of the appeal of the music – and which had a secret weapon in Haley himself, the Indiana State Yodelling Champion. Yes, yodelling. Let me explain. Jimmie Rodgers was a huge, huge, star, and his gimmick was his yodelling: [excerpt “Blue Yodel (T For Texas)”: Jimmie Rodgers] Every country singer in the 1940s wanted to sound like Jimmie Rodgers – at least until Ernest Tubb and Hank Williams came along and everyone wanted to sound like them instead. And that’s the sound that Bill Haley was going for when he started the Four Aces of Western Swing. [excerpt of “Yodel Your Blues Away” by the Four Aces of Western Swing] That’s how Bill Haley started out – as a Jimmie Rodgers imitator whose greatest strength was his yodelling. It definitely doesn’t sound like the work of someone who would change music forever. You’d expect, without knowing the rest of his history, that the Four Aces of Western Swing would become a footnote to a footnote; a band who, if they were remembered at all, would be remembered for one or two singles included on some big box set compilation of vintage country music. Much of their music was derivative in the extreme, but there were a handful of more interesting tracks, some of which would still be of interest to aficionados, like “Foolish Questions”. [Excerpt of “Foolish Questions” by the Four Aces of Western Swing] But without Bill Haley’s future career, it’s unlikely there’d be any more attention paid to the Four Aces than that. They don’t really make a dent in country music history, and didn’t have the kind of career that suggested they would ever do so. Most of their records didn’t even get a proper release – Haley was signed to a label called Cowboy Records, which was a Mafia-run organisation. The first five thousand copies of every Cowboy release went to Mafia-owned jukeboxes, for free, and artists would only get royalties on any records sold after that. Since jukeboxes accounted for the majority of the money in the record business at this point, that didn’t leave much for the artists – especially as Haley had to pay his own recording and production costs, and he had to do any promotion himself – buying boxes of records at $62.50 for two hundred and fifty copies, and sending them out to DJs through the post at his own expense. It was basically a glorified vanity label, and the only reason Haley got any airplay at all was because he was himself a DJ. And after a few unsuccessful singles, he decided to give up on performance and become just a DJ. But soon Haley had a new band, which would become far more successful – Bill Haley and his… Saddlemen. Yes, the Saddlemen. By all accounts, the Saddlemen weren’t Haley’s idea. One day two musicians turned up at the radio station, saying they wanted to join his band. Billy Williamson and Johnny Grande were unhappy with the band they were performing in, and had heard Haley performing with his band on the radio. They had decided that Haley’s band would be a perfect showcase for their talents on steel guitar and accordion, and had travelled from Newark New Jersey to Chester Pennsylvania to see him. But they’d showed up to discover that he didn’t have a band any more. They eventually persuaded him that it would be worth his while going back into music, and Haley arranged for the band to get a show once a week on the station he was DJing on. While Haley was the leader on stage, they were an equal partnership – the Saddlemen, and later the Comets, split money four ways between Haley, Williamson, Grande, and the band’s manager, with any other band members who were later hired, such as drummers and bass players, being on a fixed salary paid out by the partnership. The band didn’t make much money at first — they all had other jobs, with Williamson and Grande working all sorts of odd jobs, while Haley was doing so much work at the radio station that he often ended up sleeping there. Haley worked so hard that his marriage disintegrated, but the Saddlemen had one big advantage – they had the radio station’s recording studio to use for their rehearsals, and they were able to use the studio’s recording equipment to play back their rehearsals and learn, something that very few bands had at the time. They spent two whole years rehearsing every day, and taking whatever gigs they could, and that eventually started to pay off. The Saddlemen started out making the same kind of music that the Four Aces had made. They put out decent, but not massively impressive, records on all sorts of tiny labels. Most of these recordings were called things like “Ten Gallon Stetson”, and in one case the single wasn’t even released as the Saddlemen but as Reno Browne and Her Buckaroos. This was about as generic as country and western music could get. [excerpt: “My Sweet Little Gal From Nevada” – Reno Browne and Her Buckaroos] But Bill Haley had bigger plans, inspired by the show that was on right before his. The radio had changed enormously in a very short period of time. Before the Second World War, playing records on the radio had been almost unknown, until in 1935 the first recognised DJ, Martin Block, started his radio show “Make Believe Ballroom”, in which he would pretend to be introducing all sorts of different bands. The record labels spent much of the next few years fighting the same kind of copyright actions they would later fight against the Internet — in this case aided by the Musicians’ Union, but harmed by the fact that there was no federal copyright protection for sound recordings until the 1970s. Indeed a lot of the musicians’ strikes of the 1940s were, in part, about the issue of playing records on the radio. But eventually, the record labels — especially the ones, like RCA and Columbia, which were also radio network owners — realised that being played on the radio was great advertising for their records, and stopped fighting it. And at the same time, there was a massive expansion in radio stations — and a drop in advertising money. After the war, restrictions on broadcasting were lifted, and within four years there were more than twice as many radio stations as there had been in 1946. But at the same time, the networks were no longer making as much money from advertising, which started going to TV instead. The solution was to go for cheap, local, programming — and there was little programming that was cheaper than getting a man to sit in the studio and play records. And in 1948 and 49, Columbia and RCA introduced “high fidelity” records — the 33RPM album from Columbia, and the 45RPM single from RCA. These didn’t have the problems that 78s had, of poor sound quality and quick degradation, and so the final barrier to radio stations becoming devoted to recorded music was lifted. This is, incidentally, why the earlier musicians we’ve talked about in this series are largely forgotten compared to musicians from even a few years later — their records came out on 78s. Radio stations threw out all their old 78s when they could start playing 45s, and so you’d never hear a Wynonie Harris or Louis Jordan played even as a golden oldie, because the radio stations didn’t have those records any more. They disappeared from the cultural memory, in a way the fifties acts didn’t. And the time we’re talking about now is right when that growth in the radio was at its height, and all the new radio stations were turning to recorded music. But in the early fifties, only a handful of stations were playing black music, only for an hour or two a day at most. And when they did, the DJ was always a white man — but usually a white man who could sound black, and thought himself part of black culture. Zenas Sears in Atlanta, Dewey Phillips in Memphis, Alan Freed in Cleveland, Johnny Otis in LA — all of these were people who even many of their black listeners presumed were black, playing black records, speaking in black slang. All of them, of course, used their privilege as white men to get jobs that black people simply weren’t given. But that was the closest that black people came to representation on the radio at the time, and those radio shows were precious to many of them. People would tune in from hundreds of miles away to hear those few DJs who for one hour a day were playing their music. And the show that was on before Bill Haley’s country and western show was one of those handful of R&B shows. “Judge Rhythm’s Court” was presented by a white man in his forties named Jim Reeves (not the singer of the same name) under the name of “Shorty the Bailiff”. Reeves’ theme was “Rock the Joint” by Jimmy Preston and the Prestonians: [excerpt “Rock the Joint”, Jimmy Preston and the Prestonians] Haley liked the music that Reeves was playing — in particular, he became a big fan of Big Joe Turner and Ruth Brown — and he started adding some of the R&B songs to the Saddlemen’s setlists, and noticed they went down especially well with the younger audiences. But they didn’t record those songs in their rare recording sessions for small labels. Until, that is, the Saddlemen signed up to Holiday Records. As soon as they started with Holiday, their style changed completely. Holiday, and its sister label Essex which also released Saddlemen records, were owned by Dave Miller, who also owned the pressing plant that had pressed Haley’s earlier records for the Cowboy label, and Miller had similar mob connections. Haley would later claim that while Miller always said the money to start the record labels had come from a government subsidy, in fact it had been paid by the Mafia. His labels had started up during the musicians’ union strikes of the 1940s, to put out records by non-union musicians, and Miller wasn’t too concerned about bothering to pay royalties or other such niceties. Haley also later claimed that Miller invented payola – the practice of paying DJs to play records. This was something that a lot of independent labels did in the early fifties, and was one of the ways they managed to get heard, even as many of the big labels were still cautious about the radio. Miller wanted to have big hits, and in particular he wanted to find ways to get both the white and black markets with the same records, and here he had an ally in Haley, who took a scientific approach to maximising his band’s success. Haley would try things like turning up the band’s amplifiers, on the theory that if customers couldn’t hear themselves talking, they’d be more likely to dance – and then turning the amps back down when the bar owners would complain that if the customers danced too much they wouldn’t buy as many drinks. Haley was willing to work hard and try literally anything in order to make his band a success, and wasn’t afraid to try new ideas and then throw them away if they didn’t work. This makes his discography frustrating for listeners now – it’s a long record of failed experiments, dead ends, and stylistic aberrations unlike almost any other successful artist’s. This is someone not blessed with a huge abundance of natural talent, but willing to work much harder in order to make a success of things anyway. Miller was a natural ally in this, and they hit on a formula which would be independently reinvented a couple of years later by Sam Phillips for Elvis’ records – putting out singles with a country song on one side and an R&B song on the other, to try to appeal to both white and black markets. And one song that Dave Miller heard and thought that might suit Haley’s band was “Rocket 88” This might have seemed an odd decision – after all, “Rocket 88” was a horn-driven rhythm and blues song, while the Saddlemen at this point consisted of Haley on acoustic guitar, double-bass player Al Rex, Billy Williamson on steel guitar, and Johnny Grande, an accordion player who could double on piano. This doesn’t sound the most propitious lineup for an R&B song, but along with ace session guitarist Danny Cedrone they actually managed to come up with something rather impressive: [excerpt of “Rocket 88”] Obviously it’s not a patch on the original, but translating that R&B song into a western swing style had ended up with something a little different to the hillbilly boogie one might expect. In particular, there’s the drum sound…. Oh wait, there’s no drumming there. What do you mean, you heard it? Let’s listen again… [excerpt of “Rocket 88”] There are no drums there. It’s what’s called slapback bass. Now, before we go any further, I’d better explain that there’s some terminological confusion, because “slap bass” is a similar but not identical electric bass technique, while the word “slapback” is also used for the echo used on some rockabilly records, so talking about “rockabilly slapback bass” can end up a bit like “Who’s on first?” But what I mean when I talk about slapback bass is a style of bass playing used on many rockabilly records. It’s used in other genres, too, but it basically came to rockabilly because of Bill Haley’s band, and because of the playing style Haley’s bass players Al Rex and Marshall Lytle used. With slapback bass, you’re playing a double bass, and you play it pizzicato, plucking the strings. But you don’t just pluck them, you pull them forward and let them slap right back onto the bridge of the instrument, which makes a sort of clicking sound. At the same time, you might also hit the strings to mute them – which also makes a clicking sound as well. And you might also hit the body of the instrument, making a loud thumping noise. Given the recording techniques in use at the time, slapback bass could often sound a lot like drums on a recording, though you’d never mistake one for the other in a live performance. And at a time when country music wasn’t particularly keen on the whole idea of a drum kit – which was seen as a dangerous innovation from the jazz world, not something that country and western musicians should be playing, though by this time Bob Wills had been using one in his band for a decade – having something else that could keep the beat and act as a percussion instrument was vital, and slapback bass was one of the big innovations that Haley’s band popularised. So yes, Bill Haley and the Saddlemen’s version of “Rocket 88” had no drum kit on it. Despite this, some people still cite this, rather than Jackie Brenston’s original, as “the first rock and roll record”. As we’ve said many times, though, there is no such thing. But Haley’s recording makes an attractive candidate – it’s the mythical “merging of black R&B with white country music”, which of course was something that had been happening since the very start, but which people seem to regard as something that marked out rock and roll, and it’s the first recording in this style by the person who went on to have the first really massive rock and roll hit to cross over into the pop charts. “Rocket 88” wasn’t that big hit. But Haley and Miller felt like they were on to something, and they kept trying to come up with something that would work in that style. They put out quite a few singles that were almost, but not quite, what they were after, things like a remake of “Wabash Cannonball” retitled “Jukebox Cannonball”, and then they finally hit on the perfect formula with “Rock the Joint”, which had been in Haley’s setlist off and on since he heard it on Jim Reeves’ programme. The original “Rock the Joint” had been one of the many, many, records that attempted to cash in on the rock craze ignited by Wynonie Harris’ version of “Good Rockin’ Tonight”, but it hadn’t done much outside of the Philadelphia area. Haley and the band went into the studio to record their own version, which had a very different arrangement – and listen in particular to the solo… [excerpt “Rock the Joint” – Bill Haley and the Saddlemen] That solo is played by the session musician, Danny Cedrone, who played the lead guitar on almost all of Haley’s early records. He wasn’t a member of the band – Haley kept costs low in these early years by having as small a band as possible, but hiring extra musicians for the recordings to beef up the sound — but he was someone that Haley trusted to always play the right parts on his records. Haley and Cedrone were close enough that in 1952 – after “Rocket 88” but before “Rock the Joint” – Haley gave Cedrone a song for his own band, The Esquire Boys. That song, “Rock-A-Beatin’ Boogie”, would probably have been a hit for Haley, had he recorded it at the time — instead, he didn’t record it for another three years. But that song, too, shows that he was on the right track. He was searching for something, and finding it occasionally, but not always recognising it when he had it. (Excerpt: “Rock-A-Beatin’ Boogie” by The Esquire Boys) “Rock the Joint” was a massive success, by the standards of a small indie country label, reportedly selling as much as four hundred thousand copies. But even after “Rock the Joint”, the problems continued. Haley’s next two records were “Dance With a Dolly (With a Hole in Her Stockin’)” – which was to the tune of “Buffalo Gals Won’t You Come Out Tonight?” – and “Stop Beatin’ Around the Mulberry Bush”, which was a rewrite of “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush” as a hillbilly boogie. But “Stop Beatin’ Around the Mulberry Bush” was notable for one reason – it was the first record by “Bill Haley and Haley’s Comets”, rather than by the Saddlemen. The pun on Halley’s comet was obvious, but the real importance of the name change is that it marked a definitive moment when the band stopped thinking of themselves as a country and western band and started thinking of themselves as something else – Haley didn’t pick up on the term “rock and roll” til fairly late, but it was clear that that was what he thought he should be doing now. They now had a drummer, too – Dick Richards – and a sax player. Al Rex was temporarily gone, replaced by Marshall Lytle, but Rex would be back in 1955. They were still veering wildly between rhythm and blues covers, country songs, and outright novelty records, but they were slowly narrowing down what they were trying to do, and hitting a target more and more often – they were making records about rhythm, using slang catchphrases and trying to appeal to a younger audience. And there was a genuine excitement in some of their stage performances. Haley would never be the most exciting vocalist when working in this new rock and roll idiom – he was someone who was a natural country singer and wasn’t familiar with the idioms he was incorporating into his new music, so there was a sense of distance there – but the band would make up for that on stage, with the bass player riding his bass (a common technique for getting an audience going at this point) and the saxophone player lying on his back to play solos. And that excitement shone through in “Crazy Man Crazy”, which became the Comets’ first real big hit. This was another example of the way that Haley would take a scientific approach to his band’s success. He and his band members had realised that the key to success in the record business was going to be appealing to teenagers, who were a fast-growing demographic and who, for the first time in American history, had some real buying power. But teenagers couldn’t go to the bars where country musicians played, and at the time there were very few entertainment venues of any type that catered to teenagers. So Bill Haley and the Comets played, by Johnny Grande’s count, one hundred and eighty-three school assemblies, for free. And at every show they would make note of what songs the kids liked, which ones got them dancing, which ones they were less impressed by, and they would hone their act to appeal to these kids. And one thing Haley noted was that the teenagers’ favourite slang expression was “crazy”, and so he wrote… [excerpt: Crazy Man Crazy, Bill Haley and the Comets] That went to number fifteen on the pop charts, a truly massive success for a country and western band. Marshall Lytle, the Comets’ bass player, later claimed that he had co-written the song and not got the credit, but the other Comets disputed his claims. This is another of those records that is cited as the first rock and roll record, or the first rock and roll hit, and certainly it’s the first example of a white band playing this kind of music to make the charts. And, more fairly to Haley, it’s the first example of a band using guitars as their primary instruments to get onto the charts playing something that resembles jump band music. “Crazy Man Crazy” is very clearly patterned after Louis Jordan, but those guitar fills would be played by a horn section on Jordan’s records. With Danny Cedrone’s solos, Bill Haley and the Comets were responsible for making the guitar the standard lead instrument for rock and roll, although it took a while for that to *become* the standard and we will see plenty of piano and saxophone, including on later records by Haley himself. So why was Haley doing something so different from what everyone else did? In part, I think that can be linked to the reason he didn’t stay successful very long – he wasn’t part of a scene at all. When we look at almost all the other musicians we’re talking about in this series, you’ll see that they’re all connected to other musicians. The myth of the lone genius is just that – a myth. What actually tends to happen is that the “lone genius” is someone who uses the abilities of others and then pretends it was all himself – and it almost always is a him. There’s a whole peer group there, who get conveniently erased. But the fact remains that Haley and the Comets, as a group, didn’t have any kind of peer group or community. They weren’t part of a scene, and really had no peers doing what they were doing. There was no-one to tell them what to do, or what not to do. So Bill Haley and the Comets had started something unique. But it was that very uniqueness that was to cause them problems, as we’ll see when we return to them in a few weeks…

Step two for the podcast project— the research! Remember, the content is the priority, so this a big chunk of the work. *I used a different method for recording this episode and though I don’t like the extra sounds that showed up somehow, I’m not going to re-record it. I’m putting the imperfections out there, as part of the learning experience.** Also the song after the intro is “Wabash Cannonball” recorded by Roy Acuff in 1936.

Songs include: Cotton-Eyed Joe, Wabash Cannonball, Banjo Pickin Girl, Why Don't You Love Me, Time Changes Everything and If the River Was Whisky. Musicians include: Fiddlin John Carson, the Carter Family, Roy Acuff, Bob Wills, the Coon Creek Girls, Hank Williams and Charlie Poole.

Alex covers the birth of Hamilton’s first set of twins!   FIRESIDE was written by Dyllan Becker and Gaby Halligan, and is a production of Fireside Radio Productions. Questions or concerns? Email us at firesideradio@gmail.com   Website: www.fireside-radio.com Patreon: www.patreon.com/FiresideRadio Facebook: Fireside Radio Twitter: Fireside_Radio Tumblr: fireside-radio This episode features music from:   "Bummin on Tremelo" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/   “The Wabash Cannonball” written by William Kindt (1904) and performed by Roy Acuff (1936, American Record Corporation).   The “WHAM Jingle” and “FIRESIDE-Outro Music” was written and composed by Gaby Halligan.

Ethan puts together a train-themed episode. First he sings a song that rhymes just about every train line from the Cotton Belt to the Wabash Cannonball. Then he plays a Scott Joplin march about a massive train collision. After that, Ethan reveals his true nature as a hardened criminal. He takes out his revolver, puts a bandana over his face and holds up a train. Finally Ethan plays a WC Handy number about the Ole Miss - fastest train out of Memphis.  

Pojal jsem ji jako soundtrack (nebo chcete-li „hudební doprovod“) ke článku našeho vláčkařského guru Richarda Spitzera Skutečné americké vlaky, které inspirovaly slavné písně. Dozvíte se v něm, kudy jezdil slavný Oranžový expres, jak to bylo s havárií Starý devadesátsedmičky, co bylo dřív – jestli vlak nebo píseň Wabash Cannonball, zapátráme po předobrazu Leadbellyho Půlnočního rychlíku a projedeme se Amerikou ve Willie Nelsonem proslaveném expresu City of New Orleans. Hrát nám k tomu budou kapely americké i české a povedlo se mi vybrat fakt pěkný chuťovky… 

Pojal jsem ji jako soundtrack (nebo chcete-li „hudební doprovod“) ke článku našeho vláčkařského guru Richarda Spitzera Skutečné americké vlaky, které inspirovaly slavné písně. Dozvíte se v něm, kudy jezdil slavný Oranžový expres, jak to bylo s havárií Starý devadesátsedmičky, co bylo dřív – jestli vlak nebo píseň Wabash Cannonball, zapátráme po předobrazu Leadbellyho Půlnočního rychlíku a projedeme se Amerikou ve Willie Nelsonem proslaveném expresu City of New Orleans. Hrát nám k tomu budou kapely americké i české a povedlo se mi vybrat fakt pěkný chuťovky… 

The Dr. Sodomy Edition. A lot of parity in the NFL this season. The Wabash Cannonball in black face. The doctor who likes to watch. The habitual flim-flam kid. Plus, S**t Movie of the Week, Throwback Album of the Week, Needs More Run, Podium Pull-Out, Oh That Guy, and much more!  www.hotsauceshow.com

THE CARTER FAMILY are considered the most influential group in country music history. Comprised of a gaunt, shy gospel quartet member named Alvin P. Carter and two reserved country girls -- his wife, Sara, and their sister-in-law, Maybelle -- the Carter Family sang a pure, simple harmony that influenced not only the numerous other family groups of the '30s and the '40s, but folk, bluegrass, and rock musicians like Woody Guthrie, Bill Monroe, the Kingston Trio, Doc Watson, Bob Dylan, and Emmylou Harris, to mention just a few. Among the more than 300 sides they recorded are "Worried Man Blues," "Wabash Cannonball," "Will the Circle Be Unbroken," "Wildwood Flower," and "Keep on the Sunny Side." This WoodSongs Special Event Broadcast will be celebrating the Legacy of the Carter Family. Featuring... JOHN CARTER CASH, having been involved in music all his life, is an accomplished and award winning record producer. However, his activities inthe creative world reach far beyond just music production. He is also a singer-songwriter, and author. The grandson of Maybelle Carter and the only son to John R Cash and June Carter Cash, he preserves the family legacy and is a caretaker to the heritage of his musical ancestors. DALE JETT is a native of Southwest Virginia and is a third generation member of the legendary Carter Family. The son of Janette Carter, the grandson of A.P.and Sara Carter, his roots have been heavily steeped within the heart of his family's musical heritage. Growing up within the Carter Family, Dale has been influenced by many musicians and styles of music. Dale helped emcee and the trio performed at the Carter Family Fold for many years. Their group,"Hello Stranger", features Dale as he carries on the Carter Family tradition. AL, ALICE & RUTH are a Berea-based Appalachian and bluegrass trio. They toured for years as part of the McLain Family Band, a world-renowned family bluegrass band and Kentucky musical treasure. WoodSongs Kid: Jaelee Roberts is a Tennessee girl that was born with bluegrass in her blood. She performs on WoodSongs with her dad, Danny, the mandolin player for The Grascals.

Wabash Cannonball went from being a song sung by hobos in the late 1800s to selling 10,000,000 copies worldwide and is now a staple in the american songbook. Otis shares stories about the songs’ journey.

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…

Here's something different, still comedy in a way, it's the casual commentary of Jerome "Dizzy" Dean as he talks about baseball, sings songs, and answers fan letters. Bonus Tracks: Falstaff. 1945. Poetry Week. Tex Ritter. 1948. The Bowl Weevil Song. Dorothy S

Musicians from the Volunteer State including: Bessie Smith, Roy Acuff, Uncle Dave Macon, Sleepy John Estes, Lovie Austin and the Memphis Jug Band.  Songs include: Wabash Cannonball, Rockin Chair Blues, Buddy Won't You Roll Down the Line and House Carpenter.

In the spirit of family businesses, which we have been celebrating lately (and one of which we've been operating for years) we present some family monkey business: "The Three Brothers", a nonsense tale from Italy. If you look really hard for the point of this story, then you're really missing the point of this story. Celebrity voices have been impersonated, though not necessarily imitated.The Dutton FamilyOne family business we encountered this week was the Dutton Family operation in Branson, MO. When you think Branson, you probably think country music, and if so you'd be partially correct, but certainly not entirely. There are plenty of hillbilly song and comedy revues in town, but there are also many other types of entertainment as well. This little city of about 6000 people also features a Ripley's museum (What tourist town doesn't?) and an extensive exhibit of Titanic artifacts housed in their own building-- a reduced scale, half-segment ship-shaped (and presumably ship-shape) building colliding with an ersatz iceberg. There's a troupe of Chinese acrobats appearing in town, and at the Dutton show we attended, there was a preview of a Samoan fire-dancing performance.Even the musical acts themselves are richly varied. There's a rock'n'roll revue, a Beatles tribute, and one of the countless knock-offs of "Riverdance". Many famous singers have opened their own theatres here, including Bobby Vinton (Oh, how Kimberly's late grandma adored Bobby, a fellow Pole) and Andy Williams -- yep, he's still kicking, and his Moon River Theatre, it appears, is still full and flowing.Which brings us back to the Duttons. We went to their show expecting essentially bluegrass or something along those lines, but we were very pleasantly surprised. There was some country music, of course (it's hard to leave it out in Branson) but the songs they performed were classics like "Wabash Cannonball", rather than the over-commercialized ear candy that often passes for country these days. We were also delighted by their rendition of the tongue-twisting Hank Snow staple "I've Been Everywhere", which very well could be our theme song. But the program also included classical music (which actually is what they cut their teeth on), pop, ethnic, a touching tribute to veterans, and even Broadway, including a suite from "Mary Poppins" with rather elaborate set and costumes. Toss in some jaw-dropping razzle-dazzle musicianship (it seems to be in their genes to be able to play just about any instrument behind their backs) and some side-splitting humor, and you have a show guaranteed to please even Oscar the Grouch.And the theatre isn't the only thing the Duttons (all three generations of them) have going for themselves; their inn is right behind the theatre, and their cafe is right next door. Oh yes, and if you appreciate homemade fudge, you've found paradise. Happy Listening, Dennis (Larry), Kimberly (Curly) and Zephyr (Moe)

As employers, we gamers are a strange lot. We are expected to feed our workers, house them, give them their raw materials; we tell them where to go, when to work,a nd for how long; we subject them to fires, predation, starvation... and on top of all this, in some games we appear to confiscate all their wages! At least in Food Chain Magnate we occasionally allow them to go to the beach. Under strict supervision. Until we permit them the sweet release of death. I mean, until they "retire." Yeah, that sounds better.Games Played Last Week:01:24 -Air, Land, & Sea: Spies, Lies, & Supplies (Jon Perry, Arcane Wonders, 2022)02:59 -Tinners' Trail (Martin Wallace, Alley Cat Games, 2021)06:09 -Skytear Horde (Giacomo Neri and Riccardo Neri, Skytear Games, 2023)11:31 -Great Western Trail: Argentina (Alexander Pfister, eggertspiele, 2022)16:57 -The Stygian Society (Kevin Wilson, APE Games, 2020)21:56 -Company of Heroes (Bryan Kromley, Bad Crow Games, 2021)29:05 -Voyages (Matthew Dunstan and Rory Muldoon, Postmark Games, 2021)31:53 -Woodcraft (Ross Arnold and Vladimír Suchý, Delicious Games, 2022)News (and why it doesn't matter):33:58 Potential SVWAG-Con poll! https://forms.gle/R7pDHNnx5EQXgSUh834:40 Support content creators that you like! Reach out and thank someone.35:26 Wabash Cannonball by John Bohrer to be reprinted by Rio Grande36:33 Ethnos by Paolo Mori to be reprinted by Space Cowboys: Archeos Society38:24 General Orders: WWII by David Thompson and Trevor Benjamin39:29 Guards of Atlantis II reprint with new content on Gamefound in April41:22 Ravensburger consolidating Quest for El Dorado with Vincent Dutrait art and new expansion: Dragons, Treasures, and Mysteries42:18 Feature Game: IKI (Koota Yamada, Sorry We Are French, 2015)1:07:15 SVWAG Presents Masterpiece Theatre: The Last of Us (eps. 1-5)