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John Anderson?
2008-05-27 04:24:00
Growing up in Nashville I remember a commercial for a local car dealership, Richard Smith Buick Pontiac and GMC, playing on the radio a lot.  I think John Anderson may have been the guy singing the theme.  If not, it was a guy who sounded exactly like him.  I even remember the words to most of the commercial… Richard Smith Buick Pontiac GMC is on the back of almost every car and truck in front of me. It’s on my sister’s firebird and my brother’s GMC so I’m headin’ down to Richard’s dah dah dah dah dah dah dah Cause he’s a tradin’, tradin’ crazy…yeah he’s a tradin’. Richard Smith Buick Pontiac and GMC…the craziest tradin’ dealer in Middle Tennessee and he’s a tradin’!!!!  Tradin’ Crazy!!! It was loosely based on the hit song Swingin’.  John Anderson was pretty big at the time, so it doesn’t seem like he’d have done a commercial for a local car dealersh...

Eddie Arnold 1918-2008
2008-05-08 17:49:00
We’ve lost another one of the all time greats.  Eddie Arnold past away at a care facility just outside of Nashville.  It’s sad to lose another true legend.  Mr. Arnold had an incredible voice–smooth, smooth, smooth.  Take a listen to “Cattle Call” for proof.  Although his voice was unique and unmistakably his, it wasn’t gimmicky in the least.  He could just have easily been another Sinatra or Dean Martin…that’s how clear and clean his voice was.  For proof, again just listen to one of his classics, “Make the World Go Away”.
More About: 2008

Lacy J. Dalton
2008-04-25 06:52:00
Does anyone know what Lacy J. Dalton has been up to lately? She has one of the coolest most distinct voices I can think of. I was banging around on the guitar earlier today and started playing 16th Avenue, which is probably her biggest hit. That’s such a great song, and I ...
More About: Reviews

Pandora Online Radio is AWESOME!
2008-04-10 00:45:00
A couple of weeks ago a friend told me about Pandora Online Radio . I went there to check it out, set up an account, listened to a ton of great classic country songs along with some newer stuff that I actually like. I waited for my account to get disabled and Pandora to ...
More About: Awesome

Sweethearts of the Rodeo
2008-04-08 02:22:00
I just heard Midnight Girl in a Sunset Town and looked up The Sweethearts of the Rodeo on Wikipedia, mostly to see if they were still touring. I couldn’t get much information about touring there, but I did learn that they took their name from an album by The Byrds. I’d bet that ...
More About: Vince Gill

Marty Robbins?Seems Like Yesterday
2008-03-23 16:48:00
I was at my folks’ house in Nashville at the end of the week and they’d Tivo’s Marty Robbins–Seems Like Yesterday on PBS.  If you have any doubt about how prolific and talented Marty Robbins was, you need to check this out.  My mom couldn’t believe that he was singing live in all of the ...
More About: Television

Ray Price ? I Won?t Mention It Again
2008-03-18 18:07:00
Is it just me or does Ray Price ’s I Won’t Mention It Again sound a lot like For The Good Times, or is at least an attempt to? I like this song, but I don’t like when artists do this..try to basically sell me the same thing over again.  Then again, Buck Owens made ...

Jerry Jeff Walker ? Desperados Waiting For The Train
2008-03-10 20:06:00
In my opinion, this is the best of those “Jerry Jeff train songs” that Willie Nelson sang about in “Luchenbach Texas”.  The Highwaymen also did a version of this song where they all sang different verses, but I still like Jerry Jeff’s version best.  This song reminds me a lot of my grandfather, as I’m ...
More About: Train , Waiting , Walker

Hilarious Performance of Jackson
2008-03-03 16:35:00
I’m visiting some friends right now who aren’t very big country music fans, but they have a three year old who apparently is.  They bought a Johnny Cash CD for their little boy, and it’s all he wants to listen to.  I’m not sure where he gets his moves, but he definitely is a performer.  ...
More About: Performance , Hilarious , Jackson , June Carter Cash

Patsy Cline ? She?s Got You on Lost
2008-02-29 02:51:00
I’m watching the replay of last week’s episode of Lost .  I’m still trying to figure out the significance of Claire and Kate listening to Patsy Cline ’s “She’s Got You”.  The only thing I can think of is that Patsy Cline died in a plane crash, but the characters on Lost aren’t dead, at least we ...
More About: Television

Johnny Paycheck ? Colorado KoolAid
2008-02-24 18:09:00
I was sittin’ in this beer joint down in Houston, Texas We’s drinkin’ Colorado KoolAid and talkin’ to some Mexicans These opening lines were all I needed to hear to know that I was going to love this song.  If you haven’t heard it before, do yourself a favor and check it out.  It’s more of a ...
More About: Johnny

Keith Whitley ? I?m No Stranger To The Rain
2008-02-22 18:06:00
I meant to write about this song a couple of weeks ago when I posted on Merle’s “Big City”.  It’s another one of my favorite songs that shows up on my mix while I’m running and hurting.  I do, however, find it ironic that this song is all about weathering the storm and coming out ...
More About: Rain , Merle Haggard , Keith

Merle Haggard ? Misery and Gin
2008-02-21 03:11:00
I’ve had the house to myself this week, so I’ve been able to do a few things I don’t normally do.  (1)  stretch out in bed, and (2) leave the radio on at night.  I like the XM America channel a lot, and it’s been on nonstop in our bedroom since Sunday.  Last night I ...
More About: Merle Haggard , Haggard

Dan Seals — One Friend
2008-02-05 04:40:00
Thinking about more great love songs for Valentine’s Day, Dan Seals tune “One Friend ” is a great one. I love it when people write songs from a different angle, and this is definitely a love song that comes from a different place. ‘Cause when we were together, It made the dream come true. If I had only one friend left, I’d want it to be you. One thing I’ve never really understood is whether or not these people are still together.  It seems like they are in some of the lyrics, but others make it seem like they’ve broken up.

Juice Newton — The Sweetest Thing
2008-01-24 18:16:00
Download Juice Newton ’s “The Sweetest Thing ” on iTunes or DRM Free on AMAZON!! I just heard Juice Newton’s “The Sweetest Thing (I’ve Ever Known)” on our cable’s classic country station. What a great love song! I need to put together a list of my favorite classic country love songs for Valentine’s Day…this one will definitely be on there. All the heartache and temptation only make me love you more The sweetest thing I’ve ever known is loving you For some reason, Juice Newton always reminded me of Sondra Locke, the woman who was in all Clint Eastwood movies. I don’t know how I made that connection, because if you’ve ever seen “Every Which Way But Lose” you know that Sondra Locke couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket. Now Juice Newton…she can belt it!

Merle Haggard ? Big City
2008-01-16 02:43:00
Download Merle Haggard ’s Big City on iTunes!!! I don’t know if I’d go so far as to say that “Big City” is my favorite Merle Haggard song, but it has to be up there with “Kern River” and “If We Make It Through December”.  This song really captures The Hag’s rebellious side without being overly abrasive. I’m ...

Freddy Fender ? Before The Next Teardrop Falls
2008-01-02 16:59:00
Download Before The Next Teardrop Falls by Freddy Fender on iTunes! I was just watching the old 1990s movie “Rush”. I never noticed that it featured the Freddy Fender song “Before the Next Teardrop Falls”. It’s funny listening to this song now because I’m trying to learn Spanish. When I was a kid, ...
More About: Movies

Cal Smith ? Country Bumpkin
2007-12-28 03:20:00
Download Cal Smith ’s Country Bumpkin on iTunes Cal Smith’s Country Bumpkin just came on my cable classic country music channel. I enjoy listening to this channel while I’m working, mostly because the quite often play a song I’ve completely forgotten about, and they always have little interesting tidbits about the artists…stuff like “Janie Fricke ...

Merry Christmas Y?all ? Asleep at the Wheel
2007-12-22 15:05:00
Download “Merry Christmas Y’all” by Asleep at the Wheel on iTunes! What I love most about Asleep at the Wheel ’s “Merry Christmas Y’all” is that they did a Christmas song that stays true to their sound–plenty of fiddle and steel guitar. This is one you can get up and dance to! And if you’ve ...
More About: Texas

Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy ? Buck Owens
2007-12-20 04:14:00
Download Buck Owens Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy on iTunes! Well, we’re getting really close to Christmas now, and in my listening in the last few weeks, I’ve realized there are a ton of classic country Christmas songs that I haven’t included on my list that I probably could have. The other day I ...

Brenda Lee ? Rockin? Around The Christmas Tree
2007-12-16 03:21:00
Download Brenda Lee’s Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree on iTunes This song isn’t just a country Christmas classic, it’s a Christmas classic period. Case in point, just last night we were out to dinner and Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree came on. My wife, who was born in South America and only lived ...
More About: Christmas tree , Renda

Jerry Jeff Walker ? The Twelve Days of Christmas
2007-12-11 06:04:00
Download Jerry Jeff Walker’s The Twelve Days of Christmas from iTunes! Jerry Jeff Walker’s version of the 12 Days of Christmas off the album Christmas Gonzo style is my absolute incarnation of this song ever. The best justice I can do this song is to simply list all of the items his true love ...

Ray Stevens ? Santa Claus Is Watching You
2007-12-08 16:48:00
Download Ray Stevens Santa Claus Is Watching You on iTunes! “He’s everywhere! He’s everywhere!” Cheesy?  Maybe a little, but it’s a Christmas song, and it is very funny, especially for kids.  And there’s nothing wrong with something being clean and funny.  When I was a kid I loved Ray Stevens songs because the lyrics were ...

Lyle Lovett ? Christmas Morning
2007-12-06 02:17:00
Download Lyle Lovett ’s Christmas Morning on iTunes Why is it that so many of the songs I chose for my list of favorite classic country Christmas songs are sad? Hard Candy Christmas, If We Make it Through December, and Lyle Lovett’s Christmas Morning all appear on this list for a very good reason–they are ...

My Votes For List Writing
2007-12-04 05:43:00
My 12 Days of Classic Country Christmas post was a part of Litemind’s List s Group Writing Project. The second part of the project is to vote for my favorite posts that other people wrote. There were a few that really peaked my interest. The rules say you have to vote for at ...
More About: Votes

Willie Nelson Pretty Paper
2007-12-02 02:12:00
Willie Nelson ’s quintessential Christmas song was included on his 1979 album by the same name. It’s one of my all time favorites. Very short, very poetic, and sung in a way that pretty much discourages anyone else from even attempting it. Crowded streets busy feet hustle by you Downtown shoppers Christmas is nigh There he sits all ...
More About: Willie Nelson , Paper , Pretty

Christmas In Dixie by Alabama
2007-11-28 04:08:00
There was a time when everyone did a Christmas album–everyone. I can honestly say that Alabama ’s Christmas album is one of my all time favorites. Christmas in Dixie was the biggest hit, but Tennessee Christmas was a favorite as well. The thing that sets this album apart from most other Christmas albums ...

Blue Christmas
2007-11-26 20:45:00
Yep, the King of Rock and Roll has one of my all time Classic Country Christmas songs. Actually, a lot of Elvis’s influences were very country, and some of his biggest songs were written by country legends like Jerry Reed and Mac Davis. Plus I remember my grandmother, a die hard country fan, was a ...
More About: Blue , Blue Christmas

Hard Candy Christmas
2007-11-24 22:43:00
This one is not really a Christmas song. In fact, it was part of the Soundrack to “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”. Still, she mentions Christmas in it, and this is one of my favorite Dolly Parton songs. One thing this song does offer us is the opportunity to discuss the meaning of the term ...
More About: Hard , Candy

Merry Christmas From the Family!
2007-11-23 17:35:00
Mom got drunk and dad got drunk At our Christmas party The opening lines of this song set the stage for the rest of if.  You know exactly what this song is going to be about from the get go.  Imagine Cousin Eddy from Christmas Vacation.  Now imagine that the entire family is like that.  Actually, you ...
More About: Family , Merry Christmas , The Family , Robert Earl Keen