Academy: An archiac institution, wherein football is not taught.
Academy of Country Music Awards: An overhyped, overamped, overproduced teevee production, wherein Country Music is not sung.
-k-
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Tag Archives: CountryMusic
Tunage
While I was mucking about on my 64-bit Fedora system this afternoon, I wanted to get all the needed FireFox plugins working in 64-bit land; that of course includes Adobe Flash. As a test of the newly installed Flash, I found this little ditty on YouTube, which I present for your listening pleasure:
A new artist to me, but with Texas music and a few steel guitars, you can’t go far wrong. I checked out Keith McCoy’s website1, and be still my heart, I was greeted with:
Keith McCoy & the CEO Band join up with the Legendary “Ace in the Hole Band” for some real country music.
The Ace in the Hole Band! Man, as a Strait Fan, this is gonna be good. Maybe I’ll celebrate Black Friday by buying the ceedee. No need waiting for Cyber Monday.
-k-
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Same Gig, New Digs
My company’s promises to me after we decided to remain in Northern Virginia came true today, as I relocated to another building immediately adjacent to the fire trap facility where I’ve spent the last 5+ years.
I’m still doing pretty much the same work, which is cool. We’re not particularly title conscious where I work; you can either get it done, or not. That’s how you are evaluated. I arbitrarily changed my e-mail sig from:
Sr. Unix Systems Administrator
to
Sr. Linux Systems Engineer
I’ll still kickstart a few systems, occasionally plumb up an ethernet interface or two, and do the “Other duties as required” that inevitably accompany any endeavor. And that’s all right too. But my primary responsibilities are, at this juncture, to script, package, and craft deployment and maintenance methodologies that impact a bunch of boxen. I call it, not to blow my horn too loudly, Being an admin to admins. I’ve engaged in many hand-to-server combat battles over the years, so I know some pitfalls first-hand. As the sheer number of servers, whether bare metal or virtual, increase, better methods are needed.
And I’ll work my ass off to help that effort. Reminds me of a Jerry Jeff Walker song, one line of which is
Don’t know why it is I do it
Guess there must be something to it
Gettin’ paid for doin’ something I’d be doin’ anyway.
And I still want to play that Honky Tonk Music.
-k-
There’s a Country-Western Song in Here Someplace
Boy, 12, faces drunken driving charge after crash
In the heart of this news story beats a country song.
Let’s recap; according to the canonical standard so brilliantly laid out by Steve Goodman and David Allan Coe, we have:
- Drunk – check.
- Mom – miss.
- Prison – Presuming the Division of Youth Services counts, check.
- Rain – No weather report . Miss.
- Pickup truck - check.
- Train – miss.
OK, so we’re three out of six. There is mention of things that could and should belong in a country song:
- Liquored up – Probably synonymous with drunk, but far more poetic.
- Rodeo – Where would country be without rodeo songs?
- Finding a girl – a staple of the genre.
- Wrecks – more staples. Truckin’ songs are nothing without the wrecks.
- Shotgun – How can a perfect country song not mention these?
So, I’d submit that this incident has all the ingredients to embrace and extend the timeless classic song. I’d take guitar in hand, if I had one and could use it, and record this incident for posterity.
And, yes, I’m thankful these dumbass kids are OK.
-k-
[stags]country music[/stags]
Not A Daily Happening
It isn’t every day that one awakens, goes to his computer, and is presented with a headline like this:
Talent Scout Ken Nelson Dies at 96.
I made a half-assed tweet1 about the event early today. I don’t mean to make light of Mr. Nelson’s death in any way. I was taken aback at the headline, and on reading Mr. Nelson’s obituary, discovered that:
Ken Nelson, a longtime talent scout at Capitol Records who produced dozens of No. 1 country music hits and helped push Buck Owens and Merle Haggard to country stardom in the 1960s, has died.
Buck Owens and mighty Merle Haggard; two country legends I’ve loved through the years. And then, this:
Nelson is credited with helping to define the country genre’s twangy “Bakersfield sound,” after he showcased the country singers working in and around Bakersfield in the 1950s.
Once again, music after my own heart. And he was ahead of the times, as witness this:
Nelson was praised for letting artists use their own bands in recording sessions instead of using studio musicians, something that led to a diversity of sounds.
Buck Owens, a singer and guitar player originally produced by Nelson, once described Nelson as “one of the smartest men in the music business. He found artists who wrote their own songs, had their own bands and knew what they wanted to do.”
He was years ahead of his time. He was alt.country when there was no alt in country, because there was no need for the alt. I’m sorry that I hadn’t heard of him and his accomplishments until now.
RIP, Ken Nelson.
-k-
[stags]music, country music[/stags]
[tags]kennelson[/tags]
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RIP, Hank Thompson
Hank Thompson, another country singer whose stardom slightly predates my interest in the genre, has passed away at age 82. Hank was yet another one of my grandparent’s favorites, and I doubtless was first exposed to his music at their farmhouse atop a rocky Kansas hill.
I came to like and enjoy Hank’s music, along with that of his peers, as I grew a bit older.
But then, a song called A Six Pack to Go has timeless qualities, and could have been my theme song in my misspent collegiate days.
And, I had no idea that he had an so many firsts in the music industry:
Thompson was the first country entertainer to travel with his own light and sound system, the first to have a corporate sponsor, the first to record in high fidelity stereo and the first to broadcast his television show in color.
In 1961, Thompson recorded the historic album “Live At The Golden Nugget,” the first live album ever recorded.
RIP, Hank. My next six pack to go will be a Shiner’s.
-k-
[stags]RIP,Hank Thompson, country music[/stags]
[tags]hankthompson[/tags]
Ugly is as Ugly Does
I totally forgot about the CMA Awards on ABC tonight, and interrupted a perfectly good episode of Alton Brown’s Good Eats to flip the channel.
More’s the pity; I was regaled by Big and Rich, who sang some over-amped, unintelligible-lyric tribute to, of all people, Porter Wagoner. Porter would probably have been most gracious, had he been in attendance.
B&R clearly are 180o out of phase with real country music.
-k-
[stags]CMA,country music,porterwagoner[/stags]
Cuttin’ a Rug
I made it through last night’s Academy of Country Music Awards long enough to see George Srtait perform, but not long enough to see Kenny Chesney walk off with the Entertainer of the Year award1. During George’s performance, SWMBO walked over to my chair, extended her hand, and invited me to dance. I got up, and we danced to George, backed up by his renowned Ace in the Hole band. I was tickled to see that his fiddle player and steel guitar player were the same as when we saw him in the MCI Center (now the Verizon Center) several years ago. That was a great show; it was a concert in the round; we were on the floor level, on an aisle, and had a great view of the proceedings. We were close enough to the back row that we could have danced to live music that night. I’m bummed to this day that we didn’t. If we ever get a chance to see a George Strait concert again, I hope we’re fortunate enough to get similar seating arrangements. I won’t miss the dancing opportunity a second time.
-k-
[tags]academyofcountrymusic, georgestrait[/tags]
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The Academy Gets Another Chance
The 42nd Academy of Country Music Awards are in progress on CBS. Not much else on, so I’m giving it a shot. Survived a groaner of a song by Kenny Chesney, to see George Strait and Whisperin’ Bill Anderson take the stage to accept the award for Song of the Year. Good deal.
George is up for 7 more awards; I hope that will keep me motivated through the Big and Rich appearance that is destined to happen.
-k-
[tags]academyofcountrymusic, georgestrait[/tags]
RIP, Henson Cargill
Henson Cargill, a country singer who immortalized the understated social commentary song Skip a Rope, has passed away at age 66.
It was a great song, climbing to the top of both pop and country charts in 1968. And 1968 brought us some troubled times, but what decade or year hasn’t?
A little snip of the lyrics1:
Cheat on your taxes, don’t be a fool,
Now what was that they said about a Golden Rule?
Never mind the rules, just play to win,
And hate your neighbour for the shade of his skin.Chorus:
Oh, listen to the children while they play,
Now ain’t it kinda funny what the children say,
Skip a rope.
Words that still resonate today.
RIP, Henson Cargill.
-k-
[tags]hensoncargill[/tags]
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