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Söndag igen (det hann bli måndag) och här
kommer ett Nyhetsbrev från CMS eller rättare sagt från undertecknad. Men
Country Music Sweden har jag använt så långt tillbaka att jag inte minns
hur länge. Ibland minns man saker som hände då man var liten gosse, men
det som hände nyligen det kommer man knappt ihåg! Konstigt eller hur! Här
kommer senaste nytt!
Två countrystjärnor har lämnat oss. Hank
Locklin och Ernest Ashworth dog nyligen i ganska höga åldrar.
Kommer Grand Ole Opry att finnas kvar? Läs
vad Bobbe Seymour skriver.
Lasse Stefanz var först ut med Expressens
CD-erbjudande. Första plattan var gratis. Kul att höra att jag själv är
med på några låtar dock ganska nedmixade som vanligt. Ibland har jag
undrat varför man ska ha steel med då den i slutmixen ändå inte hörs.? Åh
du, varför är inte ALLA musikanter som spelar på låtarna med i
uppräkningen av musikanter. Det är inte bara jag som saknas där. Kanske är
det pinsamt att låta fansen få reda på det? JL.
Hej Janne!
Hoppas verkligen du mår bättre nu! Förra veckan
var tydligen ingen höjdare för din del...men så är
det ju i livet...lite upp och ner.
Vår låt "I Feel So Happy Today" från vår EP har tagit sig in
på Blekingetoppen (P4) och denna vecka kvalar samma
låt på Kronobergstoppen. Vi kanske kan bli ett hit-liste-band
på gamla dar...? "Happy Today" låg ju dessutom maximala
10 veckor på Svenska Närradiolistan. Alltid lika roligt med
sådana här små glädjeämnen i tillvaron.
Mvh, Tommy, The Turnpikes
OBS! alla artister och band. Vill ni ha er
CD spelad i webbradio
www.obcmusic.se så sänd era Country och Bluegrassplattor till följande
adresser:
Countrymusik skickas till Janne Lindgren,
Frösätrabacken 10, 127 37 Skärholmen
Old Timey och Bluegrass skickas till:
Kenneth Friberg, Stralsundsgatan 18, 122 37 Enskede
Några andra musikformer finns inte i vår
radio. JL.
Hej Janne,
tack för dina uppskattande ord angående Amerikanska Folkmusikföreningens
medlemstidning AFF-Tonbladet.
Vill bara klargöra att tidningen produceras av ett redaktionsteam som
består av
Pontus Juht, Anders Fernberg, Peter Frövik och undertecknad. Dessutom har
vi ett stort antal mycket kunniga medlemmar som bidrar med sakliga
artiklar om den musik föreningen representerar - så att producera en
tidning med denna kvalitet är absolut inget enmansjobb.
Tidningen utkommer med fyra nummer/år i A5-format och är på minst 24
sidor, varav 4 i färg och med högkvalitativt digitaltryck.
Tidningen får man som medlem i AFF, kostar 140:- år. För mer info se vår
hemsida på
www.amff.se
Hälsningar,
Kenneth
Friberg/en i redaktionen/
Tack herr Friberg, nu
vet alla hur det ligger till med AFF-tonbladet.
JL.
Nashville - Country Music still lives in certain places Tour
Wednesday
- March 4 - Jamey
Johnson Kickin' Ass
After the stint at the library I went to to the Renaissance Hotel and met
with Big John and Jim, two of my best dealer friends in town... They
pointed
out some artists and we chatted a bit... Then it was time for MERCURY's
Jamey Johnson's "Downtown Shutdown" show on Commerce Street. About
1.000 people gathered there and many were bikers with Harley Davidson's
logos... Free hot dogs and beverages... A very positive show where he was
singing for an hour; songs from his latest release... songs built together
with
steel solos... very good response from his loyal fans who sang along with
him
on numerous songs and especially, of course "In Color"... He also sang a
new song
not being released yet and teased the label guys working in the building
next to
where he was performing. Then it was time for Charlotte and the Goodwill
store
there and a record shop. Found a new academy for hair cuts for a mere
$5...
Bought some food necessities at the Food Market at Thompson Lane.
Spent the rest of the evening at Midway Motel watching GAC on TV or
listening
to Stubbs on the WSM channel. Still got an upset stomach though...
Thursday
- March 5 - Too
much drums and bass pissed me off...
Started day off with a repeat to
Great Escape
on Broadway, very few people
inside although they have their sale on... recession! Grabbed an
Arby's
roast beef
burger and it was delicous as always... Took bus #12 out Nolensville Road
to visit
with Jeff, and never has his place been this deserted of good material.
Mike
was home in England burying his dad. So bad new again from this nice
place.
back to Midway filing the stuff on my Mac. Larry was sick so he didn't
want to
come along for some night time music. Here's what was going on:
Renaissance Hotel
- bridge bar - Broken Bow Records Showcase
www.brokenbowrecords.comI would recommend everybody looking for good
country
music to keep an eye out for
Megan Mullins.
Rocket Town
- ROCKY COMFORT/ NINE NORTH Records Showcase - Trace Lawrence,
Due West, Eric Durrance, The Roys, Steve Richard, Zona Jones... and some
more
Cadillac Ranch
- Craig Wiseman, Jim Collins, Lee Miller and more writers...
Second Fiddle - E1 Music/ PLC Records Showcase - Cody mcCarver, Daryle
Singletary,
Sammy Sadler, Brock hawkins, Chris Webb, Amanda Henke, Cledus T. Judd
and Dennins Haskins...
Ruthledge
- Keith Urban Showcase - long long lines waiting outside there, seems that
Nicole Kidman's husband is popular by the radio people... or was it the
free booze...
Fisk Room
- Joey+Rory, Williams Riley, Katie Armiger, Darren Kozelsky
The Stage
- Holly Williams and Jamey Johnson
Cadillac Ranch
- Emma Jacob
Station Inn
- Steep Canyon Rangers.
I selected the
Rocket Town
honky... nice old manufacturing building with industry
being closed down, now remodeled to a honky. The sound system was too
much Drums
and Bass, which made the whole show sucking... I understood after a
handfull of acts
that it was not gonna change and that the time frame I had was not
permitting me to
see the top of the bills... Now the last bus leaving for our road leaves
at 23.15... used to
be 24... So I went down to Lower Broad and checked out some local joints
and browsed
ET's Recod Shop. Met some Predator's fans and the were happy with a 4-2
win. It
looks a little better now for the Nashville hockey team. I wasn't ready to
pay a cab fare
for being able to see, top of the bill, Singletary at Second Fiddle and
have to stand all
the other acts, and probably too much dB. So I took the bus to Midway
Motel 22.15 and
was soon greeted by a sick Larry... he's got the flu and was recovering at
the Midway.
He'd seen some stuff on GAC and listened to Eddie Stubbs celebration of
the Copas,
Cline, Hawkins, Anglins families... yearly celebration... Wednesday Stubbs
paid a 2-hour
tribute to Ernie Ashworth... Fell asleep around midnight... Nice weather
now, I see
blooming forsythias and some cherry trees with thousands of small pink
flowers, really
nice spring weather... something you would like in Sweden, huh?
to be continued...Hank
Friday
- March 5 - "Don't
surround yourself with assholes..."
Larry was feeling so bad this day he stayed at Midway and just rested.
I did my usual thing at library and then went out to a combined cd/book
store on Charlotte, browsed for a long time and hade me a nice Arby's
meal. My stomach is new back to normal so everything is so much easier.
Checked out Ernest Tubb Record Shop and they had some nice new
ones but too expensive for my wallet...
www.etrecordshop.com
Arrived back at Midway and found Larry still in bed, filed all my records
from my promo man and listened to Friday night Opry on WSM. Played
2 full demos with Jamey Johnson, my favorite right now. At CRS he
was on stage with Bobby Pinson, who sang a hit song he wrote for Sugarland,
he jokingly said to the audience why don't we let Jamey sing the oh's oh's
in this song. Jamey just replied "Don't surround yourself with assholes"!!
Saturday
- March 6 - Ray
Price and the professor at Hall of Fame
This day started off with a nice Q & A sessions with
Ray Price.
Eddie Stubbs
from WSM radio sat and talked to Ray about his Hank Willams memories.
Larry & me had front row seats. Many nice pictures showed and lots of info
spread to the listeners.
Bob Moore
&
Buddy Spicher
were introduced...
This was a Hall of Fame arrangement and not the intimite evening series
that
WSM runs in the same Ford theatre.
Made a short visit to meet Jeff. A few new items appeared and we had time
to
have and Arby's meal... Back to Midway, we listened to WSM Opry and
started
to pack out stuff and organize it.
Sunday
- March 7 - http://www.donhelmstribute.org/
Go to above link and learn about this event we both attended this
wonderful Sunday.
Show had Eddie Stubbs as MC, and
David Church
started the thing with pure Hank
Williams sound.
The Texas Troubadour Theatre
was really full this time. Chris Scruggs
played lap steel and
Jesse Lee Jones Band
was playing backup. They had twin
fiddles!! Then Andy Norman sang "I Never Go Around Mirrors" and "Farewell
Party"
fantastic sound with pedal steel done by
Mike Johnson.
Then California country
by
David Langley,
Chris Scuggs on lap steel again.
Gail Davies
sang "I'll Be There"
and "I Can't Help It" very good. Her 25 year old son on lap steel of
course!
Ron Elliott
did a few steel instrumentals. Miss Hazel, the widow of Don, was
introduced.
Chris Scruggs
sang a few songs with his guitar and nice backing.
Bobby Bare
did
hi old songs and joked a lot... some of ' em jokes were funny... Scruggs
on lap steel.
Ray Price
was introduced and he had
Hoot Hester
on fiddle and
Jim Loessberg
on steel.
There were many steel players in the audience to pay tribute to Don and
the place was
full. Ray did his honky tonk shuffles and also his strings songs... He had
a section...
Nice show and Eddie did a nice job informing the audience of what to look
for and
spreading the word about the 84 year old...
We took bus #34X back to town and I bought a Caesar salad with blue cheese
dressing.
back at Midway motel we listened to
Billy Block Show
on WKDF and then Bluegrass on
WSM. Packed the stuff more definitely, and my promo man showed up for the
last time
this trip. Picked up Lance Miller's 1st and 2nd cd, hard-to-gets but still
nice music.
Drifted off to sleep around midnight...
Monday
- March 8 - Greyhound
down Texas way
Started day at library and then will meet another record buddy. 16.45 the
greyhound will
leave for Austin Texas. Cost $60 oneway when you book a 14-Day advance
ticket.
trip will take 17 hours. Hopefully we'll find Texas as friendly as
Tennessee and just as
good public libraries... you will know before too long...
to be continued...
(Det är roligt att ni grabbar äntligen tar
er till Texas. Nu vet jag inte om Austin kommer att ge er full valuta då
stan vimlar av rockklubbar. Men där finns också countryklubbar som Jovitas,
Continental, Saxon Pub, Broken Spoke och givetvis Little Ginny´s Steak
House. Har ni tur kan ni få se och höra Dale Watson eller Asleep At The
Wheel. Det gäller bara att hitta alla fina ställen. Jag själv har alltid
haft tillgång av hyrbil då jag rest i Texas. Greyhound verkar jobbigt. Jag
skulle gärna hängt med som er chaufför om jag bara haft möjligheten.
Men den tiden är förbi!
JL. )
Monday
- March 9 - Greyhound
down Texas way
Dan was kind enough to give us a ride down to the Greyhound bus
terminal. Checked in 2 suitcases, max weight was 50 pounds... 2nd
cost $10. You can have one carry on and one personal item. They
don't argue, they're just happy you're riding their buses.
Bus left on time and we passed thru some nice cities: Jackson, TN
(wonderful bus terminal), Memphis, TN, Little Rock, Arkansas,
Texarkana, Dallas, Texas and Sulphur Springs, Texas. We arrived
in Austin on time. Took a cab to the nearby Hotel. The name is
North Austin Plaza they have a weekly rate of $199 + taxes...
http://www.northaustinplaza.com/
Nice hotel and the weather was warm, about 28+ C. A Nice swimming
pool and very clean and nice rooms. We have a fridge and a microwave
and 2 large beds, and monster TV and bathroom and airconditioning.
Tuesday
- March 10 - Checking
out the local CD shops etc...
Bought a one day buspass for $1,50 (one trip costs $0,75 so it's
a bargain). Most buses have the big map with all routes listed on
the map. They have schedules but not on the buses. However it's
kinda easy to get around and you can plan everything from Sweden
on their homepage. They have a trip planner... with map and all info
http://www.capmetro.org/planner/
We hit most of the famous places like Waterloo Records, Cheapo,
Antone's, Half Price, etc. What really bugs us are the fact that sometimes
all the stuff is just in alphabethical order, not categorized... makes it
hell for a country collector... And sometimes they have a section with all
Texas music mixed... When you compare to Nashville's best shops
Austin is nada...
Wednesday
- March 11 - Mighty
Merle at Austin Music Hall
Managed to get a ticket to this wonderful show. Sat up in the balcony
section had good view and sound was great. Norm Hamlet on steel and
Scott Joss
on fiddle...
Show started with
Malpass Brothers,
great 50's
type of California country. They have cd's out... Don Helms used to play
for them!!
Noel Haggard
did some songs from his new (2007) cd.
Then it was time for the legend 71 years old and still kickin' ass!
merle was in good form and everybody loved him... Sat together with
2 country punks and managed to get me a rdie home, where Larry was
curing his flu... He missed an icon, and we don't know how long Merle
will be doing his touring...
to be continued...
Hello fellow players,
We are having a Nashville music industry birthday party at Steel Guitar
Nashville this Saturday, day after tomorrow, for the great and legendary
Jan Howard. Jan had many hit records throughout the sixties. She was
married to legendary songwriter Harlan Howard that wrote most of the
country hits recorded in the fifties and sixties.
Jan pretty well had it made with a songwriter living in the same house
with her for all those years. Please come by Steel Guitar Nashville
Saturday from 1 o’clock to 5 o’clock and let her know how you appreciated
all her great hits and how wonderful you thought Ralph Mooney was on all
of them.
Jan is one of the few ladies left from the golden age of country music.
I’m sure most of the studio musicians who worked with her over the years
will be here along with several stars that appreciate her and wish to
honor her.
This will be a great birthday party for Jan.
Well, all of us in Nashville have been following and chasing rumors about
the Grand Ole Opry. I have heard from several very reliable resources
that the Opry has been sold and stands a very good chance of leaving
Nashville, Tennessee.
The television portion has been cancelled totally and some of the present
stars have been told they can’t use their own bands anymore. Part of the
magic in watching the Opry was hearing the different great bands. What
would Porter, Ernest Tubb, Jimmy Dickens, Jean Shepard or Ray Price, be
without their bands.
I’m not saying that the staff band isn’t absolutely wonderful, but the
different flavors of the different road bands added a lot of extra spice
to the Opry as a show. This along with the comedians and instrumentalists
that have been gone for several years now, means the Opry doesn’t have
much of it’s original luster left.
We are witnessing the end of an era friends. It’s happening right in
front of us, or let’s say has already happened. It seems like the present
management of the Opry is saving every penny they can in their last few
weeks to line their pockets well before what’s left of the Opry moves to
Fort Worth or wherever.
It seems like the present management’s plan to change the Opry lineup to
all young people and to get rid of all the gray hairs didn’t work out the
way they planned it. I think anyone reading this email could have told
them that.
I personally don’t mind the new rock n roll type of country music, as long
as it’s separated from real country music with another name and kept
separate entirely, so that I have a choice of what I want to listen to.
But I sure miss the great golden era of pure country music.
Bluegrass music has survived by dissecting itself from so-called country
music. Why can’t real classic country music survive by dissecting itself
from the new modern rock n roll country music? Somehow, I think it can
and will.
Hank Locklin, oldest living member of the Opry, died at 91 years old.
Ernie Ashworth has left us also. Remember “Talk Back Trembling Lips”?
Two more wonderful performers in the country music field have left us.
There are many new singers that still love to perform the older, great
classic country music. Let’s support them the way that they deserve to be
supported. Great steel guitar, great fiddle, a few still use good upright
bass and acoustic guitars still have a place in their music and the guitar
players still appreciate the tone of their Gibson’s and Fender’s without
running through fuzz units and overdrive.
Of course, I know it’s a lot easier to play with a fuzz tone on eleven and
just slam a chord or two hear and there, than it is to play with great
tone like Grady Martin did, or brilliantly fast like Hank Garland or Leon
Rhodes.
I just really appreciate great musicians, their abilities to play and the
talents that they have to create exciting, great music without having to
rely on volume or the latest electronic gimmicks to help them sell their
wares.
I’m not talking about steel guitar here as much as I am about lead guitar,
because the effects that steel players use are mostly to enhance the great
tones of their guitars and the quality of what they are trying to
portray.
Steel guitar is an instrument that is loaded with expression, soul and
magical sounds that let the listener know exactly what the player is
saying.
A steel guitar is a magic instrument that is perfectly suited to conveying
music with swells, big chords, fast notes and whatever it takes to effect
emotion on the listener.
If you’re a steel guitar player, you know what I mean. If you’re a steel
guitar listener, you know what I mean. Many steel players have played
other instruments and become very accomplished on them before being bitten
by the steel guitar bug. And then of course, there a some that get bitten
early enough that that’s where they start when their age still has a
single digit.
I run across many players a week that are fifty years old or older that
are learning to play steel. Some of them were great musicians before they
converted to steel. Others were starting from day one. One thing they
all seems to have in common is their tremendous love for this crazy
instrument.
All I can say is Bless them and let them be happy. I’ll do what I can do.
More commentary on the state of the Opry. Here’s an email I got from
Marty Martel. Read it for yourself.
Sent: Wednesday, March 11, 2009 12:34 PM
Subject: Keith Bilbrey Gone from WSM & Grand Ole Opry
I have been friends with Keith Bilbrey since I came to this town, and what
happened yesterday, his being relieved of his duties as an announcer with
WSM/AM and as an announcer on the Grand Ole Opry, is a sad, sad day in our
industry. I have stayed away from negative articles regarding Gaylord,
and specifically Pete Fisher, but the time has come for me to come out of
hibernation. I have not spoken with Keith at this time, because we know
that he is devastated on this unexpected sudden news. I will have an
editorial sent out within the next 24 hours as soon as I compile all the
things that I have stored in my memory bank over the past couple of years,
regarding the Gaylord Bunch. The have brought people into their
organization who are yes men, who will do or say anything to keep their
job, and I believe that Pete Fisher is one of those puppets. I don't
blame him entirely, because he doesn't know an ounce of history of this
industry, only what he is told, what he might read, or wha t he thinks.
He just does what he is told and delegates it out to his puppets, and they
know who they are.
We are now waving goodbye to the Grand Ole Opry as she rides off into the
sunset. By now I thought some of the superstars would come in and kick
Gaylord out and keep The Mother Church of Country Music Alive and Well,
but that never happened. Hell Gaylord is in deep trouble even in the
hotel business, so why should they care about The Grand Ole Opry. Now
they are getting help for the Englishman Colin Reed because evidently he
cannot do his job either. Making millions in our economy is okay but what
goes around-comes around.
Now here are my questions. Why was Keith Bilbrey relieved of his duties,
did he get a severance pay or was he just let go, was he given two weeks
notice?? Money has a way of making some people keep their mouths shut- so
what really happened with Keith Bilbrey. 34 years with one radio station
and the knowledge and experience that he has gained, plus his strong love
of the Grand Ole Opry, so my thinking is that someone got rid of him for
specific reasons and I would like to know why. Who knows the real
truth-Pete, Steve, Colin or who?????????????????????????????
Watch for my editorial. We all knew the Opry with its new "young blood,"
who never appear except when they need to use the radio for promoting
their careers or specific projects or events, would never keep the Grand
Ole Opry alive. The writing was on the wall several years ago when they
hired certain people and we all know who they were. I wonder why Mike
Henry and others were not let go also?????????????????
The following is the news I rcvd this morning regarding Keith Bilbrey no
longer an announcer with WSM or the Grand Ole Opry.
Keith Bilbrey, one of the great WSM/AM announcers and Grand Ole Opry
announcer,after serving 34 yrs with WSM, was relieved of his duties
yesterday afternoon from the radio station that he has loved his entire
life. This also includes being the announcer on The Grand Ole Opry. The
station assured him that he had done nothing to provoke this, it was that
they are doing away with the midday show..it will be strictly voice
tracked.
As far as the Opry goes, Mr. Pete Fisher (mgr of the Opry), only wants to
use WSM employees as announcers.
See our weekly specials
www.steelguitar.net/weeklyspecials.html
Your buddy,
Bobbe
Thai Food Take Away ligger på
Hantverkargatan 2 (mitt emot Stadshuset) och serverar härlig Thailändsk
mat t ex till lunch för 65:- Har ni vägarna förbi mitt i Stockholm så
prova denna lilla restaurant som bara är en liten träbarack.
Under mina 12 dagar på Huddinge Sjukhus
fick jag otrolig fin vård, lunch och middag, kaffe på för- och
eftermiddag, uppassning hela dygnet, gratis taxiresor till
Kungsholmsdialysen för info och mer vård. Jag fick räkningen idag……. 960
kronor. Sverige är fantastiskt!
Det var allt för idag!
Janne Lindgren
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