In the second part of three in which I revisit songs from 1979 that have the power to transport me back to the day, we'll go back to the summer of that year. We had just moved into a new house which my mother, a woman of excellent taste and artistic flair, turned into a place that exuded both sophistication and warmth. And my younger brother and I attended the last of three summer camps run by the local church parish. As always, I take no responsibility for the quality of the songs featured. * * [...]
In the late 1950s and early '60s country was in a good shape. The likes of Johnny Cash, George Jones, Jim Reeves, Patsy Cline (who like Reeves would die in a plane crash), Don Gibson, Kitty Wells, Marty Robbins, Skeeter Davis, Ray Price, Faron Young, Ernest Tubb, ex-boxer Lefty Frizzell and Wanda Jackson were recording prodigious success, even in rivalry with its progeny, rock & roll.These were the comfort years before the social upheaval of the 1960s put into question old certainties, even in the world of country music. By now, country was no longer confined to the [...]
In Volume 9 of the country history series, we look at the glory years of country, a time when the genre was at its most self-confident and profitable. It was still a vibrant genre, as this collection shows, though the crooners were already beginning to define the genre, a situation that would give rise to the outlaw movement, the protagonists of which were inspired by several of the artists on this mix. It's difficult to say who was the biggest star in 1950s country. The crooner likes of Eddy Arnold were immensely successful, but in terms of sales [...]
(I can't stop loving you) I've made up my mind To live in memory of the lonesome times (I can't stop wanting you) It's useless to say So I'll just live my life in dreams of yesterday (Dreams of yesterday) Those happy hours that we once knew Tho' long ago, they still make me blue They say that time heals a broken heart But time has stood still since we've been apart Yesterday I posted up a [...]
Don Gibson: Oh, Lonesome Me [ purchase ] Ray Charles: Oh, Lonesome Me [ purchase ] Neil Young: Oh, Lonesome Me [ purchase ] This is a case study in how to make a cover your own. The original was recorded by "The Sad Poet" Don Gibson in the late '50s. Despite its self-pitying lyrics, Don takes it at a [...]
Sweet dreams of you Every night I go through Why can't I forget you and start my life anew Instead of having sweet dreams about you You don't love me, it's plain I should know I'll never wear your ring I should hate you the whole night through Instead of having sweet dreams about you Sweet dreams of you Things I know can't come true Why can't I forget the past, start loving someone new Instead of having sweet dreams about you Don Gibson [...]
Today's NPR feature on M. Ward offered a rare chance for a wide audience to explore the power of coverage by playing Ward and Lucinda William's gorgeous, atmospheric cover of Don Gibson's Oh, Lonesome Me up alongside the original. In my own case, the experience was so startling, it sent me to the stacks to learn more about the old sad poet who wrote the song. Gibson's credibility as a songwriter is impeccable, and his coverage is vast; allmusic , which is hardly a comprehensive resource, lists somewhere around a [...]
Hold Time , M. Ward 's seventh full length album, was released today, although if Ward were to commandeer a time machine to 1958 and release it then, it's likely no one would recognize him as an interloper. The album is a sonic throwback on every level. It's full of reverb-heavy Fender Stratocaster guitar work, and thematically, it captures the wide-eyed innocence of mid-century Americana. Imagine being a '50s era teenager from a tiny farm town falling in love for the first time. Hold Time would be the soundtrack [...]
Don Gibson: Oh Lonesome Me For those that dare, watch The Walkers 1974 cover version here .
Any Major Dude With Half A Heart
Mainstream Isnt So Bad...Is It
Cover Me
Star Maker Machine
Setting The Woods On Fire
Cover Lay Down
The Stranger Dance
Art Decade
Rihanna Gets Nude For Nude
Childish Gambino ft. Nipsey Hussle – Black Faces (Prod. by Boi1da) [Music]
Pictures From Scamp – Day Two: Bob Weir Sits In With Primus
Sasquatch! Music Festival: Day 1
Craft Spells
