Few musicians have had such a wide impact on musical direction and history with such a brief time on this earth that Gram Parsons. Only 26 when he died from overdose at Joshua Tree National Park in southeastern California he has gone on to become an undisputed pioneer in this rag-tag genre we call Americana.
On this 40th anniversary of his death I take time while attending the Americana Music Conference and Festival, something that very well might not have existed if not for Parsons, to offer you a brief collection of some of his best performances and songs many with his protege Emmylou Harris.
Few people have held such a pivotal place in music history as “Cowboy†Jack Clement had. He worked with some of the greatest rock and country performers of the twentieth century and helped shape the genres at key points in music history.
Clement died August 8th after a long bout with liver cancer, just a few months before being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
He was 82.
Born and reared in Memphis, Clement was performing with guitar and Dobro at an early age. After a stint in the Marines he cut his first record for the Sheraton label in Boston, Massachusetts in 1953,
The nicknamed ‘Cowboy’ Clement earned in his student days while playing pedal steel guitar with a local band. His real step toward fame came in 1956 when he joined Sam Phillips at Sun Records as a producer and engineer.
While there Clement helped shape American music history by working with Carl Perkins Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash. He also fielded and recorded a curly haired kid from eastern Louisiana by the name of Jerry Lee Lewis while Sam Phillips was away on a trip to Florida. The initial session included Ray Price’s “Crazy Arms” and his own composition “End of The Road”. Later the pair would record the smash hit “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” and the demise of the 50’s America was sealed.
in 1959, Clement began work as a producer at RCA in Nashville. After some time in Beaumont, Texas as producer and publisher Bill Hall in opening Gulf Coast Recording Studio . By 1965 he had become a significant figure in the country music business by starting a publishing business and a recording studio, where he recorded Charley Pride and Ray Stevens. In 1971, he co-founded the J-M-I Record Company.
Clement wrote many well-known and successful songs recorded stars such as Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Ray Charles, Carl Perkins, Bobby Bare, Elvis Presley, Jim Reeves, Jerry Lee Lewis, , Charley Pride, Tom Jones, Dickey Lee and Hank Snow. He also produced albums by Townes Van Zandt and Waylon Jennings.
He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1973.
Before he could complete his final “The Grand Farewell Tour†tour, country music legend George Jones died last April. Travis Tritt, Alan Jackson, Patty Loveless, Vince gill and others paid tribute to Jones during his funeral at the Ryman auditorium and and Randy Travis and Joe Nichols have released tribute tracks in tribute. Now we can look forward to a new release from The Possum himself.
On September 10, two days before what would have been his 82nd birthday, “George Jones – Amazing Grace.” will be released. Jones recorded all the gospel songs on the album in 2002 with producer Billy Sherrill with the exception of “Great Judgment Morning,†which was produced by Brian Ahern in 1994. “Great Judgment Morning†includes vocals by Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, Travis Tritt, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart and Connie Smith.
The album will be released on Bandit Records, which Jones established in 2000 with his widow, Nancy. The country music star had to convince longtime collaborator Sherill to come out of retirement to make the recordings. One song on the album, Great Judgement Morning, featuring guest vocals by Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, Travis Tritt, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart and Connie Smith, was produced by Brian Ahern in 1994.
“I’ve always said that if I could have made a living some way in gospel music, I would have loved to had that break,” Jones said in early 2000, “but it never was offered to me, a job in that field, so naturally, I got lost on that other road.”
Chet Flippo, Ft. Worth native, famed journalist, author and editor, Vietnam war vet and University of Texas alum, died this morning. He was 69. No cause of death has not been disclosed.
it might have been a partial result of losing his wife, Martha Hume, herself a celibrated music journalist and author, who died on December 17, 2012.
In a world where it’s often hard to tell where music journalism ends and where PR begins Flippo was the classic example of the fan as critic.
While teaching journalism as the University of Tennessee in Knoxville he received an offer from Billboard to be their bureau chief in their Nashville office. In 2001 he joined CMT and started an online column, “Nashville Skyline.” it’s here that Flippo would champion the famous, like the Dixie Chicks and Garth Brooks, and Americana upstarts like Ryan Adams and Lucinda Williams. He had cover country music so long he felt the genre shift sharply beneath his feet. He then had the courage to call out the country music industry he felt was ruining the legacy and the music he held so dear.
Flippo was there when Willie and Waylon brought the rednecks and the hippies together in Austin. He penned the liner notes for Wanted: The Outlaws, the first platinum-selling album in country music and Willie Nelson’s thematic masterpiece Red Headed Stranger.
Saving Country Music advocates that the Country Music Hall inc=duct Flippo into it’s ranks in it’s non-performer category. I concur. A voice like his, learned and celebratory , come along only once in a great while. Those rare instances should be honored while on this earth and after they’ve left it.
The Johnny Cash “Forever” Stamp celebration took place June 5th at the Ryman Auditorium featured John Carter Cash, The Oak Ridge Boys, Marty Stuart, Randy Travis, Carlene Carter, Wesley Orbison and other members of the Cash family to kick off the release of the limited-edition stamp
A “forever’stamp is a non-denominated stamp that retains full validity postage no matter of price increases.
Kathy Cash , Johnny’s Daughter from his first marriage to Vivian Liberto Distin and sister of Rosanne Cash, posted her heartfelt and funny speech from the event. I re-post it here with a video of a rousing “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” from the finale. Enjoy.
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Good Morning.
Thank you for being here to celebrate the “Johnny Cash Forever Stamp” in the Music Icon series.
My dad and mom had a 4 year courtship in the early 50’s. Dad was in the Air Force in Germany, mom was a young woman living in San Antonio, Texas. During that 4 year period, they exchanged an astounding 10,000 letters.
Dad was no stranger to licking a stamp.
He loved stamps and we have the letters to prove it.
When dad was on the road until he retired, he sent us hundreds of cards, letters, poems and Valentines, postmarked from all over the world. When he heard a new upcoming artist on the radio and liked what he heard, he always sat down to write a letter of encouragement.
Always postmarked, always mailed.
In a fast paced world of telegrams and faxes, then email and texts, dad always preferred and chose writing. It meant a great deal to him to send a handwritten letter, stamped and mailed to people he cared about.
Dad has been inducted into all 4 Halls of Fame : Country Music, Songwriters, Rock and Roll and Gospel. He received the Kennedy Honor Award, The National Medal Of Arts, and was the first person to receive the Spirit Of Americana “Free Speech Award.” He earned thousands of awards for his musical accomplishments and humanitarian works. There’s even a main street in Hendersonville, TN., named “The Johnny Cash Parkway.”
Dad loved this country. I have no doubt that having his image on a United States postage stamp would be his proudest accomplishment.
If dad were here he’d be beaming with pride, and would say something to the effect of, “Well. Ain’t that somethin’? This face of mine on a postage stamp. A government issued postage stamp. A FOREVER STAMP.” He would love that it’s a forever stamp.
Dad had such an impact on American history. To have him recognized in this capacity is incredible. It means future generations will realize what a monumental part of American history and music Johnny Cash is.
On behalf of the entire Cash family, I want to thank the United States Postal Service, the fans and collectors who initiated and participated in this remarkable effort, voicing their support for a Johnny Cash stamp.
The Mississippi Picnic (6/8) at New York’s Central Park will honor “Singing Brakeman,†Jimmie Rodgers, the “Father of Country Music,†as his iconic guitar will be played for the first time in 80 years to record music.
Rodger’s custom-ordered 1927 Martin 000-45, has his name in pearl inlay on the neck and “Thanks†written upside down on the back. After his death, Rodgers’ widow loaned the 000-45 to Ernest Tubb, who played it for forty years. It was later donated to the Jimmie Rodgers Museum, in Meridian, Mississippi, where it is kept in a safe behind glass.
Tribute artist Britt Gully received permission to use the guitar for recording a tribute CD and will play the guitar at a Rodgers tribute at the event. That day will celebrate the ‘Mississippi Country Music Trail’ by recognizing Jimmie Rodgers. Gully will perform along with other Mississippi artists during the picnic.
“This guitar is magical,†Gully said. “There was never a time when playing it that I did not realize what I was playing, and who played it before me.â€
The first New York Mississippi Picnic took place in 1979, when a small group of native Mississippians living in New York had a strong desire to improve the perceptions of both regions in regard to one another.
The United States Postal Service, John Carter Cash and other members of the Cash family will the release of a limited-edition Johnny Cash Forever stamp June 5, 2013 at historic Ryman Auditorium (116 Fifth Avenue, Nashville) at 10:30 a.m. CDT. Doors open for stamp sales at 9 a.m. and the event is free and open to the public.
Artists set to appear, perform or speak include John Carter Cash, Carlene Carter, Larry Gatlin, Jamey Johnson, The Oak Ridge Boys, The Roys, Marty Stuart and Randy Travis among others. 650AM WSM personality Bill Cody will serve as emcee of the event.
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“It is an amazing blessing that my father Johnny Cash be honored with the issue of this stamp. Dad was a hard-working man, a man of dignity. As much as anything else, he was a proud American, always supporting his family, fans and country. I can think of no better way to pay due respect to his legacy than through the release of this stamp,†said John Carter Cash.
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“My family is thrilled that my father will grace a United States ‘Forever’ stamp, a great honor for any American, and an honor that would have particularly delighted him. It is a joy to know that generations will use this stamp, and my father will forever be where he loved to be: traveling the world,†added Rosanne Cash.
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About the Limited-Edition Johnny Cash Forever Stamp:
Designed by art director Greg Breeding, the Johnny Cash stamp features a photograph captured by Frank Bez during the photo session for Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash (1963). The stamp is part of the U.S. Postal Service’s Music Icon series, which also includes stamps honoring Lydia Mendoza (available now)  and Ray Charles (to be released in September).
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The stamps will be available for purchase at the Ryman Auditorium June 5 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., at the CMA Festival Fan Fair X at LP Field June 6-9, local Post Offices and online at usps.com/stamps.
He didn’t write many of the songs he made legendary but when he did them they stayed done.You couldn’t imagine them any other way.
On this occasion of his birth I submit to you my choice in the top 5 Levon Helm songs he performed over his Band and solo career. I hope you like them. If you don’t see your favorite place it in the comments below.
“Tennessee Jed” – This Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter tune is from Levon Helm’s final studio album “Electric Dirt.” The album won the first ever Grammy Award for Best Americana Album, an inaugural category in 2010.
“Poor Old Dirt Farmer” – This cover from of an old traditional, the Grammy-winning “Dirt Farmer” , could have easily been written by helm in tribute to his birthplace of Elaine, Arkansas.
“A Train Robbery” – Depending on your source this Paul Kennerley penned tune may or may not be about Jesse James. True or not it’s a great yarn well performed by Levon from the album “Dirt Farmer.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqDwS6z58eU
“The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” – Written by Robbie Robertson with Levon Helm. The song tells the tale of the last days of the American Civil War and the suffering and humiliation of the South.
“The Weight” – Though it was not a significant mainstream hit for The Band it has gone on to become their signature song.
They laid the greatest voice in country music to rest today.
I checked in to the online stream on and off and , truth be told, it got to me. But the emotional performance below from Vince Gill & Patty Loveless of “Go Rest High On That Mountain” brought the magnitude of the moment into reality.
Alan Jackson closed the service with a heart-wrenching version of Jones’ best known song He Stopped Loving Her Today.
This is as real as it gets y’all. This is the life blood of country music. Lest we forget.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbk19vEhy6Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSLmlBlWp0k
Travis Tritt performs ‘Why Me Lord’ by Kris Kristofferson for George Jones memorial.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhJPbq5RK4o
Golden Ring (With Tammy Wynette)
Although their tumultuous marriage didn’t last, when they were singing it was duet magic. The rings is the symbol of life being cyclical. A couple find a pair of wedding rings in a pawn shop, get married, break up and the rings are returned to the shop wherre they catch the eye of another couple. George and Tammy’s chemistry is undeniable.
Good Year For The Roses
Elvis Costello knows a great song when he hears it and he chose this one to cover on his country-tinged Almost Blue. This song has soe of the best lines and imagery in country music. “the lip-print on a half-filled cup of coffee that you poured and didn’t drink” Th roses thrive in contrast to a dying marriage that also make certain the roses aren’t picked as a gift.
The Grand Tour
This walk around a lovely house -with an empty bed, a wedding ring and an empty nursery, the photo of the woman who left – is an emotional gut punch tempered slightly by the smooth tempo and piano refrain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApiRp8zGsUw
Mr. Fool
I personally just love the sound of this song. Pure tear-in-my-beer honky-tonk material.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATnsoZOa9zc
She Thinks I Still Care
Talk about passive aggressive! He floats her name to friends, accidentally calls her, retracing her actions. It doesn’t mean anything, right?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owWNCNyEuYI
Choices
Jone’s reminded people what country music sound like in this 1999 Grammy winner of refection of his life. Scottish tones fused a hard county barroom foundation lifts Jones. It’s Jones own more contrite version of My Way.
He Stopped Loving Her Today
This 1980 Grammy-winner set the gold standard for country music ballads. A story f a man sick from pining lost love ends in a twist really seals the deal. Jone’s voice draws you in ad makes it real.
I Don’t Need Your Rocking Chair
This anthem of golden years self-reliance won a 1993 CMA Award for vocal event of the year and remained a crowd favorite for years.
Why Baby Why
A few singles before went nowhere but in 1955 Why Baby Why brought that timeless voice to a wider audience by becoming a hit and establishing themes of love and loss that Jones’ would use throughout his career.
Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes
Where’s all the great country music? Fans have been asking this for decades. In 1985, the wake of the Urban Cowboy phenomenon, Jones was right long with them by name-checking heroes like Hank, contemporaries like Conway Twitty, Lefty Frizzell, Cash and followers like Haggard, Jennings and Willie. it’s a authentic and heartfelt tribute to a country musics heritage the Jones helped established and it’s sentiment is echoed to this day.
