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Post by erik on Sept 18, 2014 9:06:58 GMT -5
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Post by sliderocker on Sept 18, 2014 15:25:45 GMT -5
Hamilton also had a pop hit in the 50s or early 60s, I believe, with a song called "A Rose and a Baby Ruth," and think he may have one or two others on the pop charts. There was one record he did in the 60s which had to be one of the most unusual songs an artist ever done. It was a song called "The Little Grave," and it was about a man who goes out hunting for his family. He kills his target - a small duck or pheasant, I believe, but then feels a tremendous amount of guilt and remorse over taking the life of the creature. And instead of taking the kill home and making dinner, he digs a grave instead and buries the creature. It was unlike anything heard in pop or country at the time, and maybe not heard since that time.
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Post by erik on Sept 18, 2014 17:44:46 GMT -5
He was also noted as being one of the few Nashville artists (if not indeed the only one not named Johnny Cash) to have supported the civil rights movement and been a champion for the 1960s folk music movement (covering Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, James Taylor) when almost every male artist there on Music Row was a closet member of the Klan or some other segregationist organization of the time. That was pretty d***ed brave of him (IMHO).
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Post by Partridge on Sept 18, 2014 21:34:44 GMT -5
I don't have much of his music in my collection, unless it happens to be on a compilation album of various artists. I do have, on a Skeeter Davis album, their duet of the hippie anthem "Let's Get Together" -- and that was not a definitive interpretation due to Skeeter's overexuberance.
I just saw him last week on a TV show on that rural cable network that features a lot of geezer artists and he seemed like he had a lot of good years left in him. I think he discussed an upcoming European tour. You never know what will be coming down.
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Post by sliderocker on Sept 19, 2014 14:46:52 GMT -5
I just saw him last week on a TV show on that rural cable network that features a lot of geezer artists and he seemed like he had a lot of good years left in him. I think he discussed an upcoming European tour. You never know what will be coming down. Geezer artists? LOL! It's apt, I suppose but it does seem like a lot of older performers in their 60s and 70s (and even 80s - Willie Nelson is 82 and still performing) would rather keep performing than retiring. Gene Pitney was on tour when he passed. But, I sometimes wonder is it by choice they're still performing or do they have to perform because they don't get much from social security or nothing at all and maybe don't have a retirement to fall back on? Many performers in the 50s and 60s didn't get huge royalty fees, usually just five to seven cents per single and (if they were lucky) fifteen to twenty-five cents per album. That didn't add up to a lot of money and what money it did add up to was considerably less after paying the taxes and everything and everyone they owed money to. A solo artist would've been lucky if he or she held onto 50% of their income but I've heard horror stories of artists who were lucky to hold onto just 10% of their earnings. And after the hits stop coming, what money they earned dried up rather quickly and the only option was to keep doing concerts as that would at least bring a little money in. Maybe enough to keep from having to work a regular job. |
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Post by Richard W on Sept 19, 2014 23:27:56 GMT -5
I love "Abilene."
When I was a kid, we went to see "Your Cheatin' Heart," the film about Hank Williams starring George Hamilton that came out in 1964. For years I thought THAT George Hamilton was the one who sang "Abilene" in 1963.
Dopey kid...
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Post by erik on Sept 20, 2014 12:06:53 GMT -5
Quote by Richard W:
Yes, kind of disappointing to know that this George Hamilton doesn't have the blinding suntan face, isn't it? (LOL)
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Post by Partridge on Sept 21, 2014 1:11:32 GMT -5
RFD-TV is the channel. They show a lot of the classic country music syndicated shows of the 1960s and 1970s. And they have a new one in that format- The Marty Stuart Show- that has a lot of singers and songwriters from the past that maybe you've not thought of in decades. I've enjoyed seeing Dallas Frazier, John D Loudermilk, Wanda Jackson (sang a duet of Silver Threads and Golden Needles with Connie Smith), Tanya Tucker-- as well as introducing me to new artists such as Brandy Clark and Sturgill Simpson. Although I could do without the novelty musical comedic act every week. George Hamilton IV was on some show set in a café/diner (Larry's Country Diner, it just came to me) that has a musical artist each week. I usually skip through most of the show because it is too slow for me but sometimes the music guests are interesting. I saw a new group (to me) called Hot Club of Cowtown that did some western swing, then surprised me with a country version of Someone to Watch Over Me. |
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Post by sliderocker on Sept 21, 2014 11:37:32 GMT -5
RFD-TV is the channel. They show a lot of the classic country music syndicated shows of the 1960s and 1970s. And they have a new one in that format- The Marty Stuart Show- that has a lot of singers and songwriters from the past that maybe you've not thought of in decades. I've enjoyed seeing Dallas Frazier, John D Loudermilk, Wanda Jackson (sang a duet of Silver Threads and Golden Needles with Connie Smith), Tanya Tucker-- as well as introducing me to new artists such as Brandy Clark and Sturgill Simpson. Although I could do without the novelty musical comedic act every week. George Hamilton IV was on some show set in a café/diner (Larry's Country Diner, it just came to me) that has a musical artist each week. I usually skip through most of the show because it is too slow for me but sometimes the music guests are interesting. I saw a new group (to me) called Hot Club of Cowtown that did some western swing, then surprised me with a country version of Someone to Watch Over Me. I've seen the RFD channel occasionally. It's where I caught Linda's appearance on "Hee Haw," singing "Are My Thoughts with You" - on which the backing track sounded like it was mixed differently from the version found on "Silk Purse." I think Linda's was singing live to the backing track. I was surprised she didn't sing a second song as musical guests appearing on "Hee Haw" usually did two songs. But, it may be the old "Hee Haw" shows have been edited down from their original run times with any additional appearance being dropped. It's also possible if there was a second Linda performance, the syndicator may not have been able to secure a license from the publisher to rebroadcast a second song. "The Marty Stuart" show isn't exactly new, it's been kicking around for a couple of years at least. And he does have quite a few singers and songwriters from the past on his show - and he still has the scariest hair this side of Keith Richard! But, the RFD has had some other country music shows - some from Branson, MO - some from Minnesota, I think, that had old country artists on along with newer performers. But, the channel does seem to be weighted to older performers than newer performers, although they also have had some very amateur performers on who would seem to be more Not Ready For The Big Time performers, more at home playing and singing in a bar or club type setting than on tv or in Nashville, which would probably yank the Welcome mat back inside if they saw some of the RFD amateurs coming to the door. |
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Post by Tony on Sept 21, 2014 12:35:20 GMT -5
by "new" I mean "new episodes still being produced"- yes, the Marty Stuart Show has been around for several years now.
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