[ourplace] Diane's Country Music Newsletter -- 1 March 2017
- From: "nancy Lynn" <seabreeze.stl@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "mcb chat" <chat@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 28 Feb 2017 17:06:58 -0600
Diane’s Country Music Newsletter
As the biographer of Faron Young and Marty Robbins, I bring you these
newsletters to connect classic country music fans around the world. Feel free
to forward this message to your friends, and tell them to email me if they want
to be added to the list. I welcome your comments and ideas.
NEWS
Shania Twain is releasing her first album in 15 years--and her first since
being diagnosed with dysphonia. She spent years in voice therapy to overcome
hoarseness and speech difficulties caused by the vocal-cord disorder. Her voice
is still recognizable, but deeper than it used to be. "I'm a different singer
now," she told Rolling Stone Country. "There was a lot of coming to terms with
that. It's been one of the obstacles in my life I've just had to learn to live
with." She attributes her illness to stress, largely due to ex-husband Robert
"Mutt" Lange and their 2010 divorce. The still untitled album will be released
in May. Shania is writing all the songs herself. "It needed to be really pure
and my own story and my own emotional journey," she says. "I didn't want it to
be related to Mutt's productions at all. I wanted a more organic approach." The
songs are darker and less pop than her hits of the 1990s.
Also recovering from dysphonia is Alison Krauss, who was diagnosed with the
vocal cord disorder in 2013. "I'd go onstage and it would shut down. In the
studio, my throat would close up," she told The Tennessean. "That was a pain in
the neck. Literally." With the help of a voice teacher, she regained her
singing ability and finished her latest album, Windy City. Released last week,
her first solo record in 18 years has a melancholy tone. "I thought the record
had loss, but it was still strong," she says. "It was a sad record, but it
wasn't desperate."
Rayna Jaymes is dead. The main character of TV's Nashville was hospitalized
after a car crash on last week's episode; she didn't survive. Variety reports
that Connie Britton, who played Rayna, has been planning to leave the show this
season. Her advance notice allowed the scriptwriters time to write a proper
ending for Rayna. The next two episodes, numbers 10 and 11, will include the
funeral and a series of flashbacks. Then Nashville will take a break before the
second half of its fifth season.
The new Songbirds Guitar Museum will open March 10 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The 7,500-square-feet museum, located in the legendary Chattanooga Choo-Choo
terminal station, houses the premier private collection of rare guitars in the
world. Valued at more than $200 million, the collection features approximately
1,700 guitars, as well as banjos and mandolins. Vince Gill, its ambassador,
will curate a section of special guitars that includes Don Rich's gold sparkle
1964Telecaster. Vince told USA Today, "I think if we have the opportunity to
reach the young people and get them inspired to understand and fall in love
with some of these great old instruments, it will perpetuate the history of all
these instruments, and they will live for another 100 years -- and be respected
and be revered."
Before his Edmonton, Alberta, concert last Friday, Garth Brooks honored the
purchaser of the five millionth ticket on his world tour. He gave a married
couple two cars, a Lexus SUV and a Nissan truck. TMZ reports, "They also got a
$5k Amazon shopping spree, a $5k Edmonton mall spree, a trip for 2 to the Wynn
in Vegas, and a bunch of Garth and Trisha Yearwood merch."
The first anniversary of the death of Merle Haggard will be April 6th. It would
have been his 80th birthday. Rolling Stone Country reports a tribute concert
called Sing Me Back Home: The Music of Merle Haggard will be held that day at
the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The many performers will include Willie
Nelson, Kenny Chesney, Miranda, Dierks Bentley, Hank Williams Jr., Loretta
Lynn, and more.
LETTERS
Johnny Western reports, “After 4 very painful months, I had a full right side
hip replacement 2 weeks ago. Went for my first checkup, with my surgeon, Dr.
Kip Sharpe, yesterday and got the bandages off. He says I’m doing great and
with 4 more weeks of home rehab, I should be back in the saddle again. This has
been a long, hard ride.”
Jean Earle writes from England, “Sunshine here today...lovely.....BUT NO
newsletter from you!!?? Do hope you are keeping well? and that you are not
having problems. Thinking of you.”
Diane: Thanks, Jean. Email problems delayed my last newsletter.
Tom Kimsey says, “Wow! Best article yet, great stuff!”
Rose Frisbee writes, “Thanks for great newsletter look forward to it every
month. Thank you for writing the Book on Marty love his music, and everything
about him. We were part of Marty’s Army and have so many wonderful memories and
great friends. Looking forward to next newsletter.”
Dominique "Imperial" ANGLARES sends this note from France: “Thanks for that
welcome and much appreciated newsletter. Keep it movin' on. Here's a little sad
news presented with my own words that make worth for your readers. Feel free to
make it lighter. Carol Jean Williams, born on a farm near Plain Dealing,
Louisiana, on August 26, 1936, took guitar lesson from Tillman Franks in 1951
at J & S Music. Among the other kids taking guitar lessons were David Houston,
Jerry Kennedy and Nancy Fautheree. Carol moved to Shreveport doing night club
work and performing at the Louisiana Hayride. In 1956, she recorded 'You Never
Mention My Name'/'Just For A While' (Ram 100), two country songs written and
produced by Mira Smith, which were recorded in Carol’s front room while Mira
Smith was still completing her studio in Shreveport. ‘Just for A While’ is a
very attractive fast hillbilly song with great guitar parts. The guitarist on
that record was James Burton making his first ever released commercial session.
On steel guitar, that's veteran Louisiana Hayrider and session musician Sonny
Trammel. Carol married Billy Sanford and moved to Nashville in 1964. Billy
Sanford became a huge name having played with Roy Orbison, George Jones, Johnny
Cash, and Lynn Anderson. Carol Williams passed away on January 10, 2017, living
in Nashville.”
Aileen Arledge writes, “Just finished reading your recent newsletter and I
would like to respond to Jim Martin from England. Sir, you are so right. It
seems the younger TRUE Traditional country artists are being ignored and
whoever's in charge thinks most people want to hear this (Country) rock and
roll music about who can sing (Yell) the loudest. The older ones are dying off
and there's no younger ones coming up to take their place and it's not because
they are not out there it's because they’re not given the chance to be heard.
We need to have the gap closed and bring in some new true country artists with
the Traditional sound so they will be around for years to come. Also I am so
happy to have Hee Haw brought back. It will be so wonderful to show off the new
young traditional artists in with the old timers that we all loved so much.
Like I said earlier, we need to close the GAP.”
Ashley D'Silva says, “I have just seen your newsletter on the Steel Guitar
Forum and would like to add my email address to your list please. I live in
Perth Australia and just LOOOOVE Country.”
Richard Keller writes, “I would like to get your email newsletter. The one you
posted was very interesting.”
Terry Pendlay requests, “Please send me your newsletter. Thanks. Looks like a
great project.”
Dale Lee requests, “Please send the newsletters.”
Michael Haselman says, “Very fine! I'll bet you've got a lot of requests from
here. Here's mine.”
Olaf Wiese writes from Berlin, Germany, “Thank you very much for this very cool
newsletter. Please add me to the list. I am happy about every information here
on the other side of the great pond. Country Music here in Germany is very
‘exotic’.”
Jerry Overcast says, “I thank you for all you do for real country music.”
Glen Baker writes, “I still love classic country music. Today’s country music
is more like rock. I do like some of it but I miss Merle Haggard and Johnny
Cash and Ronnie Milsap. I’m blind so music means a lot to me. As I grow older I
miss the music from my childhood. Your newsletter lets me keep up to date with
the old timers. So thanks for that. I love your newsletter.”
Carolyn Berry requests, “I would like to receive the classic country news
letter from you. Please add me to your e-mail list.”
Alan del Balso wonders, “Do you how many copies of Marty Robbins ‘El Paso’ has
sold all time? I can't find an answer. Any upcoming news on Marty Robbins? I
was hoping something might come up.”
Charlie Hansen asks, “Could you please add me to your email list? I did a
feature on Marty Robbins on my show, ‘A Touch Of Texas,’ last Saturday.”
SONG OF THE WEEK
Patsy Cline covered the Faron Young hit, “Sweet Dreams,” which had peaked at
number 2 on Billboard in 1956. Her version was released a month after her death
in 1963. Even though the song has been identified mainly with Patsy since then,
including as the title of a movie, her posthumous recording only reached number
5. Faron in later years said people at concerts would tell him, “You did a hell
of a job on that Patsy Cline song.” Don Gibson, who wrote “Sweet Dreams,”
released it twice as a single, reaching number 9 in 1956 and number 6 in 1960.
Emmylou Harris brought the song all the way to the top in 1976. It remains her
biggest hit. This week we remember Faron on what would have been his 85th
birthday.
BOOK REVIEW – PATSY: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF PATSY CLINE by MARGARET JONES
Possibly the most thorough Patsy Cline biography (I have three of them) came
from Margaret Jones in 1994. I own the 1999 softcover edition of Patsy: The
Life and Times of Patsy Cline. Faron Young was one of the interview sources,
and I corresponded briefly with the author while I was working on Faron’s
biography. Many other country music personalities have their memories of Patsy
recorded in this book, including Owen Bradley, Dottie West, Harlan Howard, and
Barbara Mandrell. The foreword was written by Loretta Lynn. There is a complete
discography, along with an index and chapter source notes. Next week will be
the 54th anniversary of Patsy’s death in a plane crash on March 5, 1963.
COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME – 1973
Chet Atkins was named CMA Instrumentalist of the Year eleven times. As an RCA
producer, he was a major force in developing the Nashville Sound. He helped Jim
Reeves and Don Gibson cross over to the pop market, he signed Charley Pride to
RCA, and he produced albums for Eddy Arnold, Skeeter Davis, and many more
singers. He recorded numerous instrumental albums, alone and with other
guitarists, and his biggest hit single was "Yakety Axe." His initial training
came from his parents, and he worked with a variety of acts and on radio
stations before becoming lead guitarist for Maybelle and the Carter Sisters and
moving with them to Nashville in 1950 to join the Opry. He was one of the first
of Nashville's A-Team session musicians. His thumb-and-two-finger picking style
is admired and copied still today. Chet Atkins died of brain cancer in 2001, at
age 77.
Patsy Cline died at age 30 in a plane crash on March 5, 1963. Born Virginia
Patterson Hensley in Winchester, Virginia, she acquired the stage name of Patsy
Cline at age twenty, while married to her first husband, Gerald Cline. She was
part of the Washington, D. C., country music scene, which led to her first—and
disastrous--recording contract. Bill McCall tied her up for six years with Four
Star Records in 1954. He allowed her to record only songs he owned, and he
withheld her record earnings. After an initial burst of attention, she pretty
much stopped recording and performing until the contract ran out. When she
signed with Decca in 1960, Owen Bradley recorded her in the new Nashville Sound
mode, beginning with “I Fall to Pieces.” After her death, in spite of being
inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, she received limited attention
until Loretta Lynn’s 1980 movie, Coal Miner’s Daughter, brought her back into
the limelight. She is still there.
Diane Diekman
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
diane@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Twentieth Century Drifter: The Life of Marty Robbins
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