Spotlight On Merle Haggard (More To Come)

Something tells me this is going to be the year of Merle Haggard around here.

Sure, everybody knows who Merle is, but have you ever really contemplated the greatness of his work? Next to Hank (Or—dare I say—maybe even more than Hank...? Nah.), Merle has the most impressive body of work of any singer/songwriter in the country genre.

I'm not overflowing with ideas for this blog at the moment, but one thing I definitely want to accomplish in the coming year is to shine a brighter spotlight on Hag.

Read Merle's impressive AMG bio.

Now enjoy this gem from 1981:

Merle Haggard - Big City (buy)

I'm tired of this dirty old city.
Entirely too much work and never enough play.
And I'm tired of these dirty old sidewalks.
Think I'll walk off my steady job today.

Turn me loose, set me free,
Somewhere in the middle of Montana.
Gimme all I got comin' to me,
And keep your retirement and your so called social security.
Big City turn me loose and set me free.

Been working everyday since I was twenty.
Haven't got a thing to show for anything I've done.
There's folks who never work and they've got plenty.
Think it's time some guys like me had some fun.

[Chorus]

Captures my feelings exactly.

(Except I want to keep my social security. What can I say? I'm not completely self-destructive.)

So what's your favorite Merle Haggard song?

Flying Burrito Brothers "Originals"

I've already posted the Safe At Home and Sweetheart Of The Rodeo "originals." Now it's time for the "original" versions of the covers recorded by The Flying Burrito Brothers during the Gram Parsons era (1969-1970).

[I realize that the Burrito's version of Wild Horses was released before The Stones' version, but it's still a Jagger/Richards composition, so that's close enough.]

These "originals" show the R&B/Honky-Tonk/Rock mixture that inspired the Burrito's innovative country-rock style.

From The Gilded Palace Of Sin:

1. Aretha Franklin - Do Right Woman, Do Right Man (buy)
2. James Carr - Dark End Of The Street (buy)

From Burrito Deluxe:

3. Conway Twitty - Image Of Me (buy)
4. Bob Dylan - If You Gotta Go, Go Now (buy)
5. Hank Williams - Farther Along
6. The Rolling Stones - Wild Horses (buy)

From Hot Burritos! Compilation:

7. Dave Dudley - Six Days On The Road (buy)
8. Buck Owens - Close Up The Honky Tonks (buy)
9. George Hamilton IV - Break My Mind (buy)
10. Merle Haggard - Sing Me Back Home (buy)
11. Merle Haggard - The Bottle Let Me Down (buy)
12. The Bee Gees - To Love Somebody (buy) (This one is great!)

More:

The Box Tops - Break My Mind (buy) (This version was released around the same time as George Hamilton IV's more well-known version of John D. Loudermilk's tune.)

Jerry Lee Lewis - Break My Mind (buy) (Included just because I like Jerry Lee so much.)

Sam Cooke - Farther Along (buy) (Here's a nice gospel rendition from one of the alltime greats.)

Mississippi John Hurt - Farther Along (buy) (And here's a rootsier version.)

See also:
The Safe At Home Originals
The Original Sweetheart Of The Rodeo

The Safe At Home "Originals" (Updated)

Before joining The Byrds for Sweetheart Of The Rodeo, Gram Parsons (and what was left of the International Submarine Band) recorded another album of country rock called Safe At Home.

The ten song LP included six covers and four new songs written by Parsons. Here are some earlier versions of the cover songs:

1. Merle Haggard – Somebody Else You've Known (buy)
2. Porter Wagoner - A Satisfied Mind (buy)
3. Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues (buy)
4. Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup - That's All Right (buy)
5. Bobby Bare - Miller's Cave (buy)
6. Johnny Cash - I Still Miss Someone (buy)

Bonus tracks:
Uncle Tupelo - Blue Eyes (buy) (Here's a great cover of a Parsons' original from Safe At Home.)

Hank Snow - Miller's Cave (buy) (You may prefer this over the Bobby Bare version. I don't, but it's still good. More importantly: Does anybody have the Dickey Lee version? It was the first one, but it's out of print and I've never heard it. Please send it over if you have it.)

Elvis Presley - That's All Right (Mama) (buy) (This is almost certainly the version that inspired the ISB's cover.)

Marty Robbins - Knee Deep In The Blues (buy) (The ISB's cover of this hit is included as a bonus track on the CD re-issue of Safe At Home.)

See also:
The Original Sweetheart Of The Rodeo

*** UPDATE!***
Thanks to loyal STWOF reader Dave, you can now hear Dickey Lee's version of Miller’s Cave (which I believe was the first recorded version).

Dickey Lee – Miller’s Cave (out of print).

Dickey Lee did not write Miller’s Cave (that was Jack Clement), but he did write one of the all-time great country songs, She Thinks I Still Care. He also sang one of the most bizarre pop hits of the 1960’s, Laurie (Strange Things Happen).

Thanks Dave!

The "Original" Sweetheart Of The Rodeo - UPDATED!

One of the things I like to do here at Setting The Woods On Fire is to compile what I call the "original" version of well-known cover albums.

It's no secret that The Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo was an important album in the development of country rock. (Read about it here, here, and here.) But you might be surprised to learn that nine of the eleven songs were covers.

Listening to earlier versions of the songs covered by The Byrds, along with two originals written by then-member Gram Parsons, gives you a pretty good idea what the band was thinking when it created Sweetheart. It also shows how much of their own unique style The Byrds contributed to these songs.

1. You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere - Bob Dylan (buy)
2. I Am A Pilgrim - Merle Travis (buy)
3. The Christian Life - The Louvin Brothers (buy)
4. You Don’t Miss Your Water - William Bell (buy)
5. You’re Still On My Mind – George Jones (buy)
6. Pretty Boy Floyd - Woody Guthrie (buy)
7. Hickory Wind - The Byrds (buy Sweetheart Of The Rodeo)
8. 100 Years From Now - The Byrds (buy alternate version)
9. Blue Canadian Rockies - Hank Snow (out of print?)
10. Life In Prison - Merle Haggard (buy)
11. Nothing Was Delivered - Bob Dylan & The Band (buy)

[Note: The alternate take of 100 Years From Now is the original take using Gram Parsons' vocals, as opposed to Roger McGuinn's, which appear on the official release. Also, the Merle Travis and Hank Snow songs here are not the first recorded versions, just ones I liked better.]

UPDATE!

Reader Eric points out that I should have used the Basement Tapes version of You Ain't Goin' Nowhere, which is the version The Byrds would have heard. Read his comment! Also on Eric's suggestion, I'm posting Otis Redding's excellent version of You Don't Miss Your Water:

Bob Dylan – You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere (Basement Tapes version) (buy)
Otis Redding – You Don’t Miss Your Water (buy)

A man in Kentucky sure is lucky . . .

Last week's theme at Star Maker Machine was the fifty states.

Going through my “state” songs, I wasn't surprised to see that Texas, California, Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee inspired more than their fair share of good songs. Another top tier state, with a deep roster of quality tunes, is Kentucky.


The Bluegrass State has a great musical tradition. Notable Kentuckians include Bill Monroe, Loretta Lynn, and Tom T. Hall.

In addition to great music, Kentucky is also known for its bourbon, tobacco, horse racing, basketball, and fried chicken.

Sounds like a fellow could have a pretty good time there.

Anyway, here’s a Kentucky mix to enjoy with a nice bourbon over the rocks:

Dwight Yoakam – South Of Cincinnati (buy)
The Gosdin Brothers – Bowling Green (buy)
Emmylou Harris – Blue Kentucky Girl (buy)
Bill Monroe – Blue Moon Of Kentucky (buy)
Bill Monroe – Kentucky Waltz (buy)
Loretta Lynn – Coal Miner’s Daughter (buy)
The Louvin Brothers - Kentucky (buy)
Merle Travis – Kentucky Means Paradise (buy)
Merle Haggard – Kentucky Gambler (buy)
The Kinks – Kentucky Moon (buy)
Randy Newman – Old Kentucky Home (buy)
The Osborne Brothers – My Old Kentucky Home (buy)
Jann Brown - Louisville (buy)
Tom T. Hall – I Flew Over Our House Last Night (buy)
Ralph Stanley & Dwight Yoakam – Miner’s Prayer (buy)
Jimmie Davis – Roll Along, Kentucky Moon (buy)

For more state songs, check out Divinyl's excellent, and growing, list at Ceci N'est Pas un Blog.

STWOF Fourth of July Mix

Before I take the family over to mom and dad’s for a BBQ, here's a 4th of July mix:

Mickey Newbury – An American Trilogy (buy album)
Albert Brooks – Phone Call To Americans (out of print)
Merle Haggard – The Fightin’ Side Of Me (buy album)
X – 4th Of July (Demo) (buy album)
MC5 – Back In The USA (buy album)
Frank Sinatra – The House I Live In (Live) (buy album)
Townes Van Zandt – Ballad Of Ira Hayes (Live) (buy album)
Paul Simon – American Tune (Unfinished Demo) (buy album)
Tom Petty – American Girl (buy album)
Billy Joe Shaver – Good Ol’ USA (buy album)
The Hollies – 4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) (buy album)

Favorite Country Artist Results: 5,4,3 . . .

Merle just barely edged out George to make it into the top three. I've got no problem with that...

You can probably guess the top 2. Here's the balance of the top 5:

3. Merle Haggard
4. George Jones
5. Willie Nelson

And now for some music:

Some people are born to be stars, but it doesn't always happen right away. Willie Nelson was already playing guitar and writing songs at the age of seven. While still in his twenties he was an established songwriter, having penned hits like Crazy for Patsy Cline and Hello Walls for Faron Young. But his recording career never got off the ground, so at the age of almost forty he quit country music for "a brief and disastrous sojourn into pig farming." (Source: AMG.)

Then Willie got an idea. Instead of trying to succeed according to Nashville's standards, he started making country music that appealed to rock and folk sensibilities and, eventually, became a mega-star. The outlaw country movement was born. His first hit record, The Red Headed Stranger, was released in 1975 when Willie Nelson was already 42 years old. He never looked back after that.

Willie Nelson - Hands On The Wheel (buy album)
Willie Nelson – Me And Paul (buy album)
Willie Nelson – Funny How Time Slips Away (Live Acoustic) (buy album) (Note Willie's nice guitar playing on this track.)

George Jones has the best voice in country music. 'Nuff said.

George Jones – The Window Up Above (buy album)
George Jones – He Stopped Loving Her Today (buy album)
George Jones – Heartaches And Hangovers (out of print)

Merle Haggard is a great singer, but more importantly (in my book), he is an amazing songwriter, writing classics like Big City, The Bottle Let Me Down, Branded Man, I Threw Away The Rose, If We Make It Through December, Mama Tried, Okie From Muskogee, Ramblin' Fever, Silver Wings, Sing Me Back Home, Swinging Doors, Today I Started Loving You Again, White Line Fever, Workin' Man Blues, and You Don't Have Very Far To Go.

His life story is pretty amazing too. I'd really encourage you to read the AMG bio linked above.

Merle Haggard – Branded Man (buy album)
Merle Haggard – Thirty Again (buy album)
Merle Haggard – I Think I’ll Just Stay Here And Drink (buy album)

Give Me Your List, Please!

I'm taking a break.

I'll be back in a month or so. Until then I’ll still be posting a few tracks over at Star Maker Machine and occasionally updating the sidebar here.

While I'm gone, you can check here for some great stuff on other blogs.

Now for the real purpose of this post: I love lists. I made one (below) and I want to see yours.

Please submit a ranked list of your top 10 favorite country artists/bands of all time. (Feel free to include explanations of your choices if you wish, or even an mp3 link, but all that's required is a ranked list.)

When the lists start coming in, the Classic Country Research Department here at STWOF will begin crunching the numbers. Then, after a month or so, I'll return with a highly entertaining and informative post about the results. It should be fun! And the more submissions the better, so let’s set a new record for the number of comments here.

Who’s eligible? Any country artist or band. (If in doubt, check AMG to see if the artist or band in question fits into any of these style categories. Feel free to include bluegrass, country-folk, country-rock, and alt-country performers. Note, however, that if you pick a performer who only occasionally dabbled in country styles, like Bob Dylan for instance, your vote should be based only on that artist’s country material. No extra credit for Like A Rolling Stone.)

I’m looking forward to reading your lists. Here’s mine (for the moment):

1. Hank Williams. No explanation necessary. He set the rules for all who followed.

Hank Williams – Jambalaya (On The Bayou) (buy album).

2. Tom T. Hall. A little high you say? Maybe. But this project is not about an objective view of accomplishments. It’s about individual favorites. Tom T. Hall’s funny and insightful songs really get me.

Tom T. Hall – The Year That Clayton Delaney Died (buy album).

3. George Jones. That voice. Nobody can deliver a country song like the possum.

George Jones - A Girl I Used To Know (buy album)

4. Merle Haggard. George had the voice. Merle had the attitude and he wrote a ton of brilliant country songs.

Merle Haggard – I Can't Hold Myself In Line (buy album).

5. Johnny Cash. The Man in Black might be the most enduring of the 1950's pop artists (including Elvis Presley). Cash made his name and his best material in 1950’s, but his legacy was sealed by the great work he did in the 1990’s. A true giant.

Johnny Cash – Drive On (buy album).

6. Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys. No music makes me happier than western swing. Bob’s band wrote the book on that style.

Bob Wills – Bring It On Down To My House (buy album).

7. Gram Parsons. The kid with a big trust fund wasn’t the greatest live performer, but he was also an innovator and a great songwriter responsible for an impressive number of classic tunes in his short life.

Gram Parsons – Brass Buttons (buy album).

8. Townes Van Zandt. I’m a sucker for Texas-based songwriting geniuses.

Townes Van Zandt – To Live Is To Fly (buy album).

9. John Hartford. See here for the explanation.

John Hartford – Back In The Goodle Days (out of print)

10. Buck Owens. Love that Bakersfield sound.

Buck Owens – Act Naturally (buy album)

Some more contenders for my list: Patsy Cline, The Flatlanders, Lefty Frizzell, Jason & The Scorchers, Waylon Jennings, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bill Monroe, Willie Nelson, Jimmie Rodgers, Ernest Tubb

I'm looking forward to reading your top ten lists!

The Original Almost Blue

In 1981, British rocker Elvis Costello went to Nashville to record a country covers album called Almost Blue. I wrote about it in an earlier post.

I recently picked up a copy of George Jones' 1965 album Trouble In Mind, which contains the original version of Brown To Blue that Elvis later covered on Almost Blue. This gave me the idea to put together all of the other "original" versions of the songs that inspired Costello. In some cases, the versions below are not truly the "original" versions (example Emmylou Harris, Johnny Burnette), but I think these are the versions that most influenced Elvis.

It turns out to be a pretty good collection of country tunes. Right now I'm really enjoying Sittin' And Thinkin' by Charlie Rich.

1. Hank Williams - Why Don't You Love Me (Like You Used To Do)? (buy album)
2. Patsy Cline - Sweet Dreams (buy album)
3. Loretta Lynn - Success (buy album)
4. The Flying Burrito Brothers - I'm Your Toy (Hot Burrito No. 1) (buy album)
5. Merle Haggard - Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down (buy album)
6. George Jones - Brown To Blue (out of print)
7. George Jones - Good Year For The Roses (buy album)
8. Charlie Rich - Sittin' And Thinkin' (buy album)
9. George Jones - Colour Of The Blues (buy album)
10. Emmylou Harris - Too Far Gone (buy album)
11. Johnny Burnette Rock'n'Roll Trio - Honey Hush (buy album)
12. Gram Parsons – How Much I Lied (buy album)

More rose songs... (Updated!)

Yesterday's post on For The Sake Of The Song told the unfortunate story of a man under a court order to buy 124,000 roses for his wife. After reading the post I was surprised to find 47 different rose songs on my i-pod. No other flower comes close, not even "flower" itself.

Flower = 24
Daisy = 5
Lily = 4
Blossom = 4
Orchid = 3
Tulip = 1
Dandelion = 1
Violet = 1

Obviously the rose is a popular symbol--especially in country songs. Maybe it has something to do with the thorn? Anyway, here are eight more "rose" songs with a country flavor:

Waylon Jennings - Black Rose (buy album).
Here's one from my all time favorite country LP. Waylon sings Shaver.

George Jones - Wine Colored Roses (buy album).
A classic George Jones weeper. "When she sees the wine-colored roses, they'll tell her I'm still on the wine." Do ya think?

Merle Haggard - I Threw Away The Rose (buy album).
Hag's cautionary tale about the perils of social drinking.

Bob Wills - San Antonio Rose (buy album).
This version comes from Bob Wills last album, a feel-good reunion with the old Playboys in the early 1970s.

Bill Monroe - My Little Georgia Rose (buy album).
Here's a good one from the father of bluegrass.

Patsy Cline - A Poor Man's Roses (Or A Rich Man's Gold) (buy album).
Patsy faces a tough choice: Love or money.

Emmylou Harris - Roses In The Snow (buy album).
I just love Emmylou.

Lucinda Williams - Like A Rose (out of print).
Here's one from Lucinda's superb (and out-of-print) self-titled album. If you are a fan of songwriting, this one's a must have.

UPDATE! – Thanks to suggestions from Brendan, Cato, and Robert, here are three more great rose songs:

The Kinks – Rosemary Rose (buy album).
This one comes from the deluxe three-disc version of The Village Green Preservation Society, which is probably one of my top five albums of all time. GET IT!

Neil Young – Love Is A Rose (buy album).
Linda Ronstadt had a hit with a cover version of this tune.

Nick Lowe – The Rose Of England (buy album).
I just love this song. Nick Lowe knows how to write a catchy pop tune.

[Check sidebar for more mp3s.]

Queen Of The Coast - Laura Cantrell, Bonnie Owens, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, and more!

Photo by Ted Barron (who also has a heck of a blog).

Laura Cantrell is one of the most interesting country performers to come along in recent years. As I noted in a previous post, she sings a lot like Kitty Wells, but her music is innovative enough to have won high praise from the late great John Peel.

Cantrell is a student of music history. For years she has been the "proprietess" of a great New York radio show called The Radio Thrift Shop, which features great old country, bluegrass, and swing music scoured from "bargain bins, church bazaars and yard sales."

On her excellent debut LP, Not The Tremblin' Kind, Cantrell put her historical knowledge to use in a song about Bonnie Owens (pictured) called Queen Of The Coast. Bonnie Owens married and sang back-up for the two giants of California country music, Buck Owens (husband #1) and Merle Haggard (husband #2). She continued to sing back-up for Merle Haggard after their divorce, which plays into Cantrell's song.

Laura Cantrell – Queen Of The Coast (buy album).

She was the queen of the coast back in 1965,
Prettier than most, she could keep a room alive,
With the catch in her voice and the beehive on her head.
Do you remember anything she ever said?

Well, some stars fade faster than the rest,
And the promise wore off though she did her best.
She finally looked around for somethin' else to do.
What she found was a man who needed what she knew.

Have you forgotten? Have you forgiven?
Tell me are you livin' just a little in your past every day.
Time sure has changed you; it's walked right on by you.
Does it satisfy you to have so little to say?

For the next ten years she rode around on the bus.
She did washin' and ironin' and pickin' up.
She had a place to stand at the back of the stage.
She was there every night, lookin' her age.

She lent her voice, but she gave her heart.
And, I guess, that must've been the hardest part.
She figured out exactly what was goin' on,
All the love she had given for a song.

Then things unravelled like they usually do.
She got her old heart busted up by husband number two.

[Chorus]

I'm not quite sure when she got back on the bus.
But she's still washin' and ironin' and pickin' up.
If you look all the way to the back of the stage,
She's standin' at her mic, lookin' her age.

In a roadstop in Reno at supper time,
The waitress comes over with a look in her eye.
Says: "I saw you in Modesto almost thirty years ago,
And I can still remember every song in your show."

Please Help Me, I'm Falling, Don't Come Home A-Drinking,
Well, there's a pair of Swingin' Doors for every Cowboy's Sweetheart tonight.

Time sure has changed you; it's walked right on by you.
Does it satisfy you to have so little to say?

Here are the other songs mentioned in the last part of Queen Of The Coast:

Hank Lockin - Please Help Me I'm Falling (buy album).

Loretta Lynn - Don't Come Home Drinkin' With Lovin' On Your Mind (buy album).

Merle Haggard - Swingin' Doors (buy album).

Patsy Montana - Cowboy's Sweetheart (buy album).

Maybe the coolest thing about Queen Of The Coast is how the mandolin intro and outro mimics the guitar lead used in this classic Merle Haggard song:

Merle Haggard - I'm A Lonesome Fugitive (buy album).

Here are some Merle Haggard songs featuring Bonnie Owens:

Merle Haggard & Bonnie Owens – Just Between The Two Of Us

Merle Haggard & Bonnie Owens – Forever And Ever

Merle Haggard & Bonnie Owens – Too Used To Being With You

(buy album).



And here are a couple tunes from the great Buck Owens:

Buck Owens - Waitin' In Your Welfare Line (buy album).

Buck Owens – Love's Gonna Live Here (buy album).

Now back to Laura Cantrell. All of her stuff is great, in my opinion, but my favorite (getting the highest STWOF seal of approval) is Not the Tremblin' Kind. Here's a poppy song from that album that I really enjoy:

Laura Cantrell - Pile Of Woe (buy album). (Joe Flood cover).

Many more great Laura Cantrell downloads are available at her website.

Writer's Block, Part 3: Townes Van Zandt

By now you've probably heard Steve Earle's legendary statement and Townes' reply:

"Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that." — Steve Earle.

"I've met Bob Dylan and his bodyguards, and I don't think Steve could get anywhere near his coffee table." — Townes Van Zandt.

So what is that basis for all the love? Let's examine the song Pancho And Lefty, which is Van Zandt's most famous composition and a fine piece of songwriting:

Townes Van Zandt – Pancho And Lefty (buy album).

It's a story about two outlaws, once compatriots, who meet separate fates. Pancho is shot (alone) down in Mexico while Lefty continues to reside (alone) relocated to Ohio. The unstated implication of the narrative is that Lefty went north after betraying Pancho to the Federales. The magic of the song is the way Van Zandt gets the listener to sympathize with Lefty, the lonely snitch.

With an economy of language in four short verses, we get revealing glimpses of Lefty's relationship with his family, Lefty's personaltity, Lefty's relationship with Pancho, and the evolving relationships between the outlaws, the Federales, and eternity. [Read the AMG song review: here.]

The Lyrics:

Livin' on the road my friend
Was gonna keep you free and clean
Now you wear your skin like iron
And your breath's as hard as kerosene
You weren't your mama's only boy
But her favorite one it seems
She began to cry when you said goodbye
And sank into your dreams

Pancho was a bandit, boys
His horse was fast as polished steel
Wore his gun outside his pants
For all the honest world to feel
Well, Pancho met his match you know
On the deserts down in Mexico
And nobody heard his dyin' words
Ah but that's the way it goes

All the Federales say
Could of had him any day
Only let him hang around
Out of kindness I suppose

Lefty, he can't sing the blues
All night long like he used to
The dust that Pancho bit down south
Ended up in Lefty's mouth
The day they laid poor Pancho low
Lefty split for Ohio
Where he got the bread to go
There ain't nobody knows

All the Federales say
Could of had him any day
Only let him slip away
Out of kindness I suppose

Well, the poets tell how Pancho fell
And Lefty's livin' in a cheap hotel
The desert's quiet and Cleveland's cold
So the story end's, we're told
Pancho needs your prayer's it's true
But save a few for Lefty too
He just did what he had to do
And now he's growin' old

A few gray Federales say
Could have had him any day
Only let him go so wrong
Out of kindness I suppose

Here are some of the things I like about Townes' writing:

(1) The descriptive language is evocative and strong without being cliche.

"You wear your skin like iron."

"Your breath's as hard as kerosene."

"His horse was fast as polished steel."

(2) Poignant lines, throughout.

"You weren't your mama's only boy, but her favorite one it seems. She began to cry when you said goodbye and sank into your dreams."

"Nobody heard his dyin' words, but that's the way it goes."

"Lefty, he can't sing the blues all night long like he used to."

"The day they laid poor Pancho low, Lefty split for Ohio."

"Well, the poets tell how Pancho fell And Lefty's livin' in a cheap hotel."

"Pancho needs your prayers it's true, but save a few for Lefty too. He just did what he had to do."

(3) Interesting verbs.

"Sank into your dreams." (suggesting a downward turn)

"Wore his gun outside his pants for all the honest world to feel" (as opposed to "see," which you expect, but which would have been weaker.)

"Lefty split for Ohio"

(4) Short, memorable lines that sum up the entire story, economically.

"The desert's quiet and Cleveland's cold."

And my favorite line in the song: "The dust that Pancho bit down south ended up in Lefty's mouth." Wow! Good stuff.

(5) The story unfolds indirectly, rather than hitting you over the head.

Never is there any explicit mention of any association between Pancho and Lefty, but we can see the relationship and Lefty's personality based on the fact that he used to sing the blues all night (probably with Pancho) but can't anymore (because of guilt/loneliness).

We learn about the betrayal this way: "The day they laid poor Pancho low, Lefty split for Ohio. Where he got the bread to go there ain't nobody knows."

The passage of time is shown by the insertion of the word "gray" into the last chorus about the Federales.

(6) No extra syllables.

The song tells its story but still flows from verse to verse smoothly. That might be the best attribute of Townes' songwriting in general.

That's a lot of great stuff going on in one short song.

Here are two popular cover versions to enjoy:

Emmylou Harris – Pancho And Lefty (buy album).

Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard – Pancho And Lefty (buy album).

P.S. If your i-pod says "Poncho and Lefty," change the "O" to an "A".
A poncho is a raincoat.

Good Timing! - Merle's Tribute To "The Best Damn Fiddle Player In The World"

Good things happen when you pay hommage to the King of Western Swing. Today, when I got home from work I was greeted by the new arrival, by mail, of Merle Haggard's 1970 tribute to Bob Wills, appropriately called A Tribute To The Best Damn Fiddle Player In The World.

So consider this an extension of this afternoon's Western Swing post. Take it away Hag:

Merle Haggard - Right Or Wrong.

Merle Haggard - Take Me Back To Tulsa (buy album).

I especially like Merle's laid back vocal on the first tune and the fiddle playing on the second. A lot of the Playboys played on this record and its release apparently triggered a resurgence of interest in Western Swing. Maybe this post will do the same...

Here's a more proper album review.

Have a good night!

Turn Me Loose and Set Me Free...

This track is a gem. Iris Dement puts her absolutely perfect country voice to Merle Haggard's "Big City" for an A+ cover.

Enjoy: Iris Dement – Big City (buy album).

I'm tired of this dirty old city
entirely too much work and never enough play
and I'm tired of these dirty old sidewalks
I think I'll walk off my steady job today

So turn me loose, set me free
somewhere in the middle of Montana
Gimme all I've got coming to me
and keep your retirement
and your so called social security
Big City turn me loose and set me free

I've been working every day since I was twenty
I ain't got a thing to show for anything I've done
Some folks never work and they've got plenty
I think it's time girls like me had some fun

So turn me loose, set me free
somewhere in the middle of Montana
Gimme all I've got coming to me
and keep your retirement
and your so called social security
Big City turn me loose and set me free
Big City turn me loose and set me free

-Lyrics by Merle Haggard

>>>Read about Iris Dement here<<< >>>Listen to more Iris Dement here<<<

The "Perfect" Country Song?

If all of country music were distilled down into one song, what would it be? I'm not talking about the "best" song or your personal favorite, but about a representative piece. In other words, the most country country song, or, as David Allan Coe might say, "the perfect country song."


According to Coe, the key ingredients to the "perfect" country song are "mama, trains, trucks, prison, and gettin' drunk." Check it out here: David Allan Coe - You Never Even Call Me By My Name (buy album).



Steve Goodman (who, along with John Prine, co-authored Coe's hit) would expand Coe's list to include "farms," "dead dogs like Old Shep," and "Christmas": Steve Goodman - You Never Even Call Me By My Name (Live) (buy album).


Putting aside the cliches (but not too far away) I'd say there are four key elements to the perfect country song:

(1) Clever lyrics (a pun, a joke, or a play on words, preferably in the title of the song);

(2) A storyline based, at least in part, on regret (good for fostering tears in beers);

(3) A stalwart, but flawed, protagonist; and

(4) A peddle steel guitar.

Two other extra-credit elements would be:

(5) Alcohol (thanks to David Allan Coe and a host of others); and

(6) Reverence for the land, especially the South.

I'll reveal my choice at the end of this post. But first, let's first consider some contenders...

A popular pick surely would be this twangy classic: Tammy Wynette - Stand By Your Man (buy album) (But I say no because it's missing too many key elements.)

Here's a nice one from Ms. Wynette's ex-husband that really nails the regret angle, voiced by the stalwart, but flawed, protagonist: George Jones - She Thinks I Still Care (buy album).

Hag's relocation-to-premanent-residence-in-the-bar song is a solid choice: Merle Haggard - Swinging Doors (buy album).

We've got to include this great one from the master: Hank Williams - Your Cheatin' Heart (buy album).

Finally, here's a fairly obscure one from the 1980's that I've always loved. It hits almost all of the key elements (plus extra credit for both alcohol and love of Dixie): Dwight Yoakam - South Of Cincinnati (buy album). (But it's just not well-known enough to take the crown.)

THEY'RE ALL GREAT BUT THE WINNER IS ......

George Jones - He Stopped Loving Her Today (buy album).

This one speaks for itself, and it's a real tear-jerker. Our protaganist pines in vain for years and years over a lost love only to finally stop loving her when.... Well, I'll just let George tell the rest of the story. [Read the AMG review.]




What ingredients do you think the perfect country song must include? More importantly, what's your choice for the perfect country song?

Cabin Classics

Here’s another country music post. I guess it’s just that time of year. Up here in Michigan its hunting season, which means its almost time for my annual trip up to the north woods with the boys (high school friends, not kids) for a weekend of drinking Wild Turkey liquor, playing poker, eating steak, and telling jokes. (We don’t actually hunt.) It’s always great fun and it goes especially well with the kind of country music I like--old. This year’s trip to the cabin pictured above is just around the bend. I can't wait. Here’s a preview of some of the great country music we'll be hearing:

I don't know how you could not like Charley Pride singing Is Anybody Goin' To San Antone (buy album). This track is what classic country is all about. Charley hits you right in the face with a driving beat and lyrics to match. If you are wavering about whether to become a country music fan, this one will bring you into the fold.

Now let's take our foot off the gas a bit with this reflective number from the legendary Merle Haggard (who stands with Tom T. and Johnny Cash--just below Hank Sr.--atop the pinacle of my own personal country music mountain). In My Own Kind Of Hat (buy album) Merle adopts a live and let live approach to cherries, fairies, mothers, dogs, cats, etc. Who says real country singers can't be sensitive?

Quick! Can you name the greatest country record of all-time (according to the authors of Heartaches By The Number)???

No. They did not realize that the correct answer is "Okie From Muskogee." (you must buy album).

You might be surprised to know that the authors tabbed Sammi Smith's version of the Kris Kristofferson-penned Help Me Make It Through The Night (buy album) as the greatest achievement in the history of country music. Hmm? Read about it here. I'm not so sure, but after listening to it a few more times tonight, I can see what got them so excited. It might even sneak into my own top twenty-five.

Well gee, its been over a week since my last Hank Sr. post. So here's a live version of I Can't Get You Off Of My Mind (buy album) from the Health And Happiness radio show. You should also check out this version of the same song (buy album) from The The's 1995 album of Hank Sr. covers called, cleverly enough, "Hanky Panky." The instrumentation and delivery is nothing like Hank, but it still sounds great. Hanky Panky is a real testament to Hank's abilities as a composer.

Unfortunately, my next post won't be about country music. Stay tuned for the tragic story of Jim Walewander...