July 1 in Country Music History

In 1894, John Lee Lair, entertainer and founder of the Renfro Valley Barn Dance, was born in Renfro Valley Kentucky. The Renfro Valley Barn Dance is still active today, and has been going for close to seventy years.

In 1899, Thomas "Georgia Tom" Dorsey was born in Villa Rica, Georgia. He is known as the Father of Gospel Music. This African-American is probably the ultimate gospel superstar, having laid the basis for all gospel music from his blues and jazz roots. He is known for many compositions that are still some of the most well known, including "Peace In The Valley", "Take My Hand, Precious Lord", and "Old Ship of Zion". 

In 1924, Charles Everett Lilly of the Lilly Brothers was born in Clear Creek, West Virginia. The Lilly Brothers were an old time bluegrass act that was from the Northeast Region, frequently playing in Boston.

In 1948, Kyle Tullis, bass player extraordinaire, was born. He played in many bands and was a noted session musician, also. He played with Gram Parson's Fallen Angels, as well as with the Might Oaks Band, and with backing bands for Steve Wariner, Dolly Parton, Marty Stuart, and Lorrie Morgan.

In 1955, Keith Whitley was born in Ashland, Kentucky. In his short career he was a noted bluegrass performer, working with his brother, Dwight, and Ricky Skaggs, and went on the star in Ralph Stanley's band as well as J.D.Crowe and New South. When he went solo, after a slow start, he started hitting the charts hard and high and regular. It is hard to imagine what he might have done had he not been so self destructive.

In 1961, Michelle Wright was born in Chatham, Ontario, Canada.

In 1972, Hank Williams Jr. went to Number one with "Eleven Roses". The song was co-written by once Hank Jr. brother in law Lamar Morris, who was guitarist for the Bama band, and Darrell McCall. 

In 1978, Margo Smith went to the top of the charts with "It Only Hurts For A Little While".

In 1989, Kathy Mattea went to the top of the charts with "Come From The Heart".

In 1995, John Michael Montgomery made it to number one singing about one of my favorite things in the world-a livestock auction. The song-"Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident".

In 1997, Robert Mitchum who had that great big unmistakeable voice, passed away. He was a great actor, with my favorite of his westerns being "El Dorado" with the Duke and Walter Brennan. I also loved his narrative of "Tombstone". Among his vocal efforts are "There Is A River", "The Ballad of Thunder Road", and his country top ten hit, "Little Old Wine Drinker Me". 

In 1999, Guy Mitchell passed away. You may remember that he had hits on many songs, both country and pop, and even novelty songs, including "Singing the Blues" and "Heartaches By The Number". He actually was more of a country singer to start with, and then made the switch to pop to keep his career going, which it did.

Definition of Country Music

There are those who think it is their duty to define "Country Music".

I know what Country Music means to me. But it might not be the same thing to you.

I don't think anything that Jimmie Rodgers, the Carters, Ernest Tubb, Roy Acuff, or Hank Williams could be called as anything but the very heart and soul of Country Music.

There are other artists that have come along who seem to me can be classified as nothing but country. Webb Pierce, Gene Watson, Ricky Skaggs, Loretta Lynn, Kitty Wells are just a few of the great names that could be included in this category.

We can also find many country music greats whose voices tended to be so great that it would seem that they could also be listed in other genres. Eddy Arnold was one who definitely made good music, and later in his career, the Plowboy image probably wasn't the first one we saw when we heard his music. "Gone" by Ferlin Husky probably was one of the first Nashville Sound hits, and Jim Reeves, Patsy Cline, and Roy Drusky definitely were so polished that they could have actually probably been just as great in other categories of music. It seems that Ray Price, with time, has actually been a performer who transcends time and category with that smooth voice. "For the Good Times" may not be "Wedding Bells" as they were for his former roommate, Hank Williams, but it was definitely a song for the rest of time.

Today, there are still a few out there who can light the fire in a country fan's heart. Mark Chesnutt, Daryle Singletary, and Marty Stuart are just a few names that come to mind.

There are others who have the ability to sing a country song, but they sometimes go outside what most of us consider country just for the sake of a radio hit. Garth Brooks definitely is in this category. He gave us some of the greatest country hits, but some of his stuff just really didn't ignite that fire within me. I think the same can be said for Alan Jackson and George Strait. They certainly can sing a country song, but some of the stuff they do is just a little too much fluffy for my consumption.

There are many great country singers out there today, make no mistake about it. One can listen to Ron Williams, Leona Williams, Justin Trevino, Amber Digby, Heather Myles, Dale Watson, or many others on the Texas Circuit, and I am sure that Billy Yates is still making good country music today. This music is just not on mainstream radio.

I was involved in a discussion today that centered around this topic, and several people got mad, and several people got their feelings hurt.

That led me to the conclusion that the definition of country music is all in the hearts of the fans. The true definition of traditional and classic country music will always be that music that touches our hearts, and that we will remember. I think, if I were to be able to come back to this earth in fifty years that I would find that Hank Williams would still be an artist with a lot of songs that people would know. A lot of the country songs today will just be footnotes in music history.

I love good conversation and dialogue, especially about music in general, country music in particular, religion and politics, but there is always room to agree to disagree. If we get to the point where we can not have a civil discourse, then it is time to move on.

Bigjohn

June 30 in Country Music History

In 1936, Doyle Holley, was born in Perkins, Oklahoma. He was a talented singer and instrumentalist who played bass in the Buckaroos in the sixties, in what was considered the finest Buckaroo line-up with Don Rich on lead guitar and fiddle, Willie Cantu on drums, and Tom Brumley on steel guitar, and some guy named Buck Owens on rhythm and a little lead guitar.

In 1962, Claude King went to the top of the charts with "Wolverton Mountain". This song about Clifton Clowers, who lived in the mountains of Arkansas and who was Merle Kilgore's uncle, was his only Number One hit. King is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and ASCAP, being one of very few to be a certified songwriter AND an actor. (Clifton Clowers was visited by King and Kilgore on his 100th birthday.)

In 1973, Charlie Pride was at the top of the charts with "Don't Fight The Feelings Of Love".  

In 1979, Amanda became a Number One for Waylon Jennings. (One of our TakintheCountryBack favorites)

In 1984, Vern Gosdin scored his first Number One hit with "I Can Tell By The Way You Dance (You're Gonna Love Me Tonight)". Vern performed many numbers that didn't get airplay, or even get released as singles. A favorite album of TTCB is "There Is A Season". If you don't have it, get it. It is stone cold country.

In 2001, Mr. Guitar, Chet Atkins, passed away after a long battle with cancer. He was a certified guitar player, a great producer, and from his days as a musician with Mother Maebelle and the Carter Sisters to his last few years as a recording artist, he was considered to be one of the most influential people in the business, whether it be as a guitarist or a producer.

June 29 in Country Music History

In 1924, Thomas Clinton Cutrer, radio announcer most well known for his work on WSM and the Grand Ole Opry, and The Opry Star Spotlight, was born in Mississippi.

In 1968, Tammy Wynette went to the top of the charts with "D-I-V-O-R-C-E".

In 1974, Mickey Gilley went to Number One with his version of "Room Full Of Roses".

In 1985, Ronnie Milsap sat atop the Country Charts with "She Keeps The Home Fires Burning".

In 2007, guitarist George McCorkle of the Marshall Tucker Band passed away in Lebanon, Tennessee from cancer. After he co-founded the group, he became a Nashville songwriter. He wrote "Fire on the Mountain", Marshall Tucker's first Top Forty hit.

June 28 in Country Music History

In 1909, Hubert Elvin Gregory was born in Tennessee. He worked as a musician with the Fruit Jar Drinkers and Sam and Kirk McGee, and performed on the Grand Ole Opry for 47 years.

In 1924, George Morgan was born in Waverly, Tennessee. He was a country crooner who was well known for his big hit "Candy Kisses". He also sang "Room Full of Roses", "Red Roses For A Blue Lady", and was the last performer to perform in the Old Ryman Auditorium in 1974, and the first to sing in the new Opry House the next week. It was many years before the Opry returned to the Ryman. He is also known as the father of Lorrie Morgan.

In 1965, Merle Haggard and Bonnie Owens were married. Though Merle is a great singer, songwriter, musician, and entertainer, it was Owens and her distinctive harmonies that really defined many of the Hag's tunes. She actually put her career on the back burner to work with and for Merle, and she is missed by those of us who knew her.

In 1975, T G Sheppard was "Trying To Beat The Morning Home" and it became a Number One hit, too.

In 1980, The Oak Ridge Boys were lamenting about "Trying To Love Two Women" and laughing all the way to the bank with another Number One. It was their third chart topper out of seventeen.

In 1986, Willie Nelson was "Living in the Promiseland" and loving it with another Number One hit. He has been a part of at least twenty three Number One singles as a singer, and has written many other hits recorded by artists such as Claude Gray, Faron Young, Patsy Cline, and others.