Sunday, June 26, 2011

Losing My Will To Live - Today's Music Lesson

Sorry about the the title, but today's lesson is about Country music. Now I claim that walking through the country music section on my way to the jazz or blues section is always iffy. I don't have that many brain cells left to lose and I can feel them dying as I pass Travis Tritt. But, Ann and I were driving to Pottawatomie Casino on Friday night to blow some retirement savings when a song came over the radio station. I had been searching for a new station as I periodically get tired of listening to NPR, the oldies (can you believe that Dick Biondi is still on the air), and sports talk (Cubs and White Sox both stink and Bulls season is too far away), when I heard this song:    


           

The song is from the only Country album I own, Blue Frontier by the Remingtons. I bought it because the Remingtons were originally a non-Country band from the 70's called Bread. Maybe you've heard of them.    


          


Jimmy Griffiths was the link between the two bands. Now that is pretty much the extent of my country repertoire. I am a fan of bluegrass, but in my mind, that's not country. This is from the Coen Brothers movie O Brother Where Art Thou, which is on my top ten list.     


              

It stars one of my favorite actors, George Clooney and the always funny Tim Blake Nelson as the perpetually confused Delmar, the shortest of the Soggy Bottom Boys. Delmar by himself makes the movie worth watching. The next video is of the Hobo song Big Rock Candy Mountain, recorded by Harry McLintock in 1928. It's a great song which includes the best line ever: "I'm a gonna stay where you sleep all day, where they hung the jerk who invented work."     


            


I can listen to Ralph Stanley and Allison Krause all day, as long as I don't call it country music. If I think I'm listening to country music, well, that's when today's title kicks in.  

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