After a hiatus of a few months we return to the history of country music. In the last narrative instalment ( Volume 4 ) we noted the rise of female country singers; some of them will feature in this mix, which covers the years 1950-51, and its follow-up, 1952-53. In the course of the 1950s we will also review country's contribution to rock & roll, and discuss some of the artists featured. What follows then is a brief overview of country music in the 1950s. [...]
You probably wouldn't guess that someone born as Julius Frank Anthony Kuczynski would become a country music star. But even though his real name contains a clue to his original musical background, it would be his stage name - Pee Wee King - that would be remembered by fans. And even though he was a skilled accordionist and a good singer, he's probably most remembered for his songwriting talents. Many of the best country songs that he wrote or co-wrote also crossed over and became pop hits. Songs like "Slow Poke," recorded by Doris Day and [...]
Almost all of the previous 36 instalments of The Originals consisted of five songs each. The inaugural post had ten tracks, one (or was it two?) had six. Which makes for 186 tracks that have been, well, covered. Truth be told, researching five songs at a time has been so much a burden on my time that at times I've not been motivated to start a new post. Maybe by reducing the number to three I'll update this series more enthusiastically in future. I still have many lesser-known originals to write about. * [...]
Charlie Poole - There'll Come A Time ( buy ) (1926) Immigrants from Germany, from the different countries of the Austro-Hungarian and Russian empires (Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Ukraine, Russia,etc..) came in numbers to America in the 19th and early 20th century, especially to the mining states of the Appalachian mountains. Like every other group, they brought their musical traditions with them. First, waltz -originally a German and Austrian popular dance. Waltzes were very common in the first old-time country recordings, like this Charlie Poole song above, and in Cajun recordings [...]
My wife is from Fort Worth, Texas--a city of great country music tradition and heritage, the long time home base of Bob Wills and the Light Crust Doughboys (singers of the immortal "Pussy, Pussy, Puss," still the best double entendre record ever released by a country act, Brad Paisley's " Ticks " included)-- Light Crust Doughboys - Pussy, Pussy, Pussy and for a while the base of the most important of [...]
Hello - how are you? Thank Thomas Alva Edison for popularizing the use of "Hello" as a salutation. When Alexander Graham Bell invented his telephone, he initially chose "Ahoy" to greet callers. After Edison unveiled his own model, he decided the telephone should be answered with the assertive "Hello", which the near-deaf Edison could hear from ten to twenty feet away. Most likely, the English had learned "Hello" from the French in the Middle Ages, who would say "Ho là", which meant both "stop" and "pay attention." For long distance shouts, the ending [...]
Not too long ago, we examined the bizarre but enjoyable world of the country mambo . Today we shift gears only slightly and check out two other microscopically small sub-genres of the Nashville recording industry: the country tango and rhumba scenes. Well, mostly these were Nashville efforts. The Lucky Stars represent an exception as their version of Tennesee Tango was recorded in California, if I'm not mistaken. If you think the intersection of country music and Latin dance crazes represents an unlikely collision of cultures, you may wish to brace yourself [...]
The first entry here is a 10 inch I found at a garage sale. It caught my eye right away, the fellow on the cover gave me a feeling like he was really determined to walk down that road of revolution, but if he could, he would walk right over and kick my ass. So i bought it, the RED DETACHMENT OF WOMEN a ballet performed by the Peking Opera Troupe recorded by the China record company, 1972...now chinese opera is very strange to western ears, but quite enjoyable. 1 Red Detachment of Women [...]
Any Major Dude With Half A Heart
Geezer Music Club
River's Invitation
She's Making Whoopee in Hell Tonight...
snuhthing/anything
WFMU's Beware of the Blog
Music Singles Chart #109
Family of the Year - "Diversity"
I’ll Just Leave This Here #161
Young Jeezy – Go (Ft. YG & E-40)
