Hank Williams.
No, really. (Tip: Doc's Political Parlor)
A posthumous special citation to Hank Williams for his craftsmanship as a songwriter who expressed universal feelings with poignant simplicity and played a pivotal role in transforming country music into a major musical and cultural force in American life.
So, if there's something like "A Tear In My Beer" inside of you, trying to get out, go ahead and let it out. You could win a Pulitzer.
Heh! Basil, my Grandfather and father both knew Hank Williams. He lived here in Bossier City for years when he starred on the Louisiana Hayride...long personal family stories I won't bore you with...
ReplyDeleteIn fact, Hank Jr. was born when Sr. lived over on Rome St. (about two blocks from where I now live). To be honest, I NEVER got the Hank Williams deal. Of course, he died before I was born...but the adoration that still exists for his work is just a bit past me.
I never found him to be a particularly good singer, nor musician, nor song writer. And, I grew up as country music fanboy!
I guess it was one of those "you had to be there" deals. You know that many people believe (my father being one) that Johnny Horton's great hit songs were actually written by Hank before he died.
Hank's widow married Johnny Horton, (a Bossier boy) and his career took off after that (then he died...bad luck gal, I'm thinkin'). Daddy always said that there was a big stack of unrecorded work that he and David Houston (a minor country star in the day...and my Dad's best friend) saw at the Horton place one day.
David (who knew the ins and outs of the biz at the time) told Dad that they looked an awful lot like Hank's scribbling...
Regardless. Long comment to really say nothing...other than Pulitzers are becoming about like Nobels.
David Houston. Haven't heard his name in a while. Had some #1 hits (C&W) in the 1960s. His career was winding down when I was a DJ in the '70s.
ReplyDeleteJohnny Horton. He had some monster smashes in the laye '50s, including "Battle of New Orleans" (one of the first songs I learned all the words to) and "North to Alaska" (song was better than the movie). If I remember correctly, he was run over by a drunk driver, or his car was hit by a drunk driver or something.
Back then, country music was country music. What happened?
Yeah Basil, David Houston was my Daddy's best long-life friend. They grew up as "river rats" here in Bossier City, and were as thick as thieves until David died.
ReplyDeleteWe always called him "Uncle David." He and Aunt Linda never had any children, so us 4 kids were kinda like their own. David's biggest hit was "Almost Persuaded." Then he had a couple of others in duet with Barbara Mandrell...before she WAS Barbara Mandrell.
David died young (ish). He was about 60. The road took it's toll on him. He got enormously fat, and had a heart attack. He never drank...never smoked...just ate like a hog.
I saw Linda not long ago at a funeral. For 75, she is HOT! Good memories...
Yeah, Johnny Horton had a bunch of big 'uns. He got killed in a wreck while traveling to a "show." Tilman Franks (who was Uncle David's bass fiddle player later on) was in the van when they crashed. Story is that Tilman's bow went straight through Johnny Horton's eye socket into his brain when the van crashed.
Heckuva way to go, huh?
Oh man...so many stories...lots of history in the heads of us old country boys, huh?
Probably half of it's not true. But that's the way the old folks tell it...