The Poet of the Common Dram
When your likeness has appeared on the side of a 7-11 Slurpee cup as well as an R. Crumb drawing, you know you've hit the big time somewhere along the line. Such as it is with Merle Haggard, icon of a country music generation and more.
Of course, he also posed for an outdoorsy shot of him plunking an acoustic guitar on the cover of the Spring 1997 issue of Hemp Times. Haggard has publicly stated in the past that he took up marijuana after a doctor told him it was better for him than his Valium habit.
Do you think the country music hall of fame in Nashville has had second thoughs about enscribing one of his quotes on its outside wall?
-30-
Poet of the Common Dram
R. Crumb rendered him in pen
Fitting you say for an ex-con
The Poet of the Common Man
His tombstone bio?
On an old doc's advice
He substituted vice for vice
Going to pot he was sold
After Valium left him cold
Merle Haggard made his stand
The Poet of the Common Dram
--Bryce Martin
Monday, September 21, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Buckaroos Failed to Get Their Due on Big Hit
Instrumental singles were normally two-side affairs. In other words, both sides were instrumentals. That was because they were done by bands or individual instrumentalists, not by singers. It is somewhat odd then that one of the biggest instrumental hits in the history of country music, "Buckaroo," is credited to Buck Owens, and not the Buckaroos, the actual instrumental group behind the song. The Capitol single reads "Buck Owens and The Buckaroos," not just "The Buckaroos," as they are rightly billed on their many albums and some other singles efforts. Not only that, the flip side is a regular Owens vocal, "If You Want a Love." In fact, Owens' vocal singles after a certain point all read "Buck Owens and The Buckaroos." "Buckaroo" the single should have been billed as by The Buckaroos and backed with another of their instrumentals. It remains an oddity for these reasons.
-- Bryce Martin
Instrumental singles were normally two-side affairs. In other words, both sides were instrumentals. That was because they were done by bands or individual instrumentalists, not by singers. It is somewhat odd then that one of the biggest instrumental hits in the history of country music, "Buckaroo," is credited to Buck Owens, and not the Buckaroos, the actual instrumental group behind the song. The Capitol single reads "Buck Owens and The Buckaroos," not just "The Buckaroos," as they are rightly billed on their many albums and some other singles efforts. Not only that, the flip side is a regular Owens vocal, "If You Want a Love." In fact, Owens' vocal singles after a certain point all read "Buck Owens and The Buckaroos." "Buckaroo" the single should have been billed as by The Buckaroos and backed with another of their instrumentals. It remains an oddity for these reasons.
-- Bryce Martin
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Their Worst Recordings
Merle Haggard -- His much-maligned "Daddy Frank" is that way for a reason or two.
Red Simpson -- He finally ran out of novelty material with "Yip-Yip."
Tommy Collins -- Not "Boob-I-Lak." Collins ran through "Okie From Muskogee" on his Starday LP Callin' like it was an aircheck.
Buck Owens -- "Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy" is tempting, as is his remake of Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Waters," but the clear-cut winner is "It Takes People Like You (To Make People Like Me)."
-30-
Merle Haggard -- His much-maligned "Daddy Frank" is that way for a reason or two.
Red Simpson -- He finally ran out of novelty material with "Yip-Yip."
Tommy Collins -- Not "Boob-I-Lak." Collins ran through "Okie From Muskogee" on his Starday LP Callin' like it was an aircheck.
Buck Owens -- "Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy" is tempting, as is his remake of Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Waters," but the clear-cut winner is "It Takes People Like You (To Make People Like Me)."
-30-
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Far Away Guys
Some Girls Resented 'Drag Queen' Smear
The original Some Girls LP (COC 39108) from The Rolling Stones featured the famous die-cut cover and a picture sleeve insert that included face shots of Lucille Ball, Farrah Fawcett, Raquel Welch, Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe. The ladies still living at the time, and the estates of those deceased, objected to the drag queen context of the layout. The amended version that then came out was faceless.
As mentioned before in this blog, Bakersfield is given a nod in the first cut on the B-side, "Far Away Eyes," with Ronnie Wood's searing country lead on the guitar.
...
The original Some Girls LP (COC 39108) from The Rolling Stones featured the famous die-cut cover and a picture sleeve insert that included face shots of Lucille Ball, Farrah Fawcett, Raquel Welch, Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe. The ladies still living at the time, and the estates of those deceased, objected to the drag queen context of the layout. The amended version that then came out was faceless.
As mentioned before in this blog, Bakersfield is given a nod in the first cut on the B-side, "Far Away Eyes," with Ronnie Wood's searing country lead on the guitar.
...
Friday, October 10, 2008
Denver jazzman knocking out rhythms
Gigging With Colin Gieg
by Bryce Martin
Colin Gieg was born in San Mateo, Calif., and moved to the Bakersfield region around age five when his father took over Ken's Chevron, a family-owned business in Mettler.
He graduated from Bakersfield High in 1960. At age seven, Jimmy Thomason invited him to play piano for one of his radio shows. Gieg took piano lessons from Ralph Yaw, first at a place on Chester Avenue and later in a back room of Yaw's music store in East Bakersfield. Yaw, he remembers as "having a mustache, short and with stubby fingers." He credits Yaw, a former arranger for Stan Kenton, as being a fabulous instructor.
"I still have an old chart where he wrote out all the notes. For the first six months, I never had anything printed. He wrote out every note. He taught me so much and really inspired me to make music a big part of my life."
He played guitar, piano and accordion and at age 15 took up the upright bass, taking lessons from a member of the Kern Philharmonic. In high school, he played bass in coffee houses around Bakersfield and in school assemblies.
"While in high school my last two years, I played as much as four nights a week sometimes at The Bamboo Room on East California. The manager, Charles Strong, played drums. A tenor sax, and an organ player, Ted Shirley, would come up from Los Angeles."
One musician he worked with was guitarist Paul Raley.
"Paul Raley was such a great guitar player. He was left handed but played the guitar right handed. Since he was left handed, he started practicing left handed so he could convert. So, he was practicing all day left handed and then he'd come and play at night right handed. He was finally able to make the transition to playing left handed. He was a great player either way."
Gieg remembers just one occasion where he was involved with Bakersfield's country music scene.
"Jimmy Thomason got my name from somewhere and called me to work a show with him. I reminded him about being on his radio program when I was really young. We went to Tehachapi and did a show at the prison. It was a lot of fun."
In the late 1960s, after a tour with the U.S. Army, he played for a time with the Charles Strong Trio at the Penthouse on Union Avenue.
Gieg lives in Denver where he has long been a prominent fixture on the local jazz scene.
He has played on many recordings. One of his first was when he contributed on bass to a chart album issued in 1965 from female trendsetter Rusty Warren, one entitled More Knockers Up! (Jubilee JGM-2059). The LP was a followup to Warren's smash party record from 1960, the "sin-sational" Knockers Up! (Jubilee JGM-2029), an album that managed to stay on the charts for three years running.
-30-
by Bryce Martin
Colin Gieg was born in San Mateo, Calif., and moved to the Bakersfield region around age five when his father took over Ken's Chevron, a family-owned business in Mettler.
He graduated from Bakersfield High in 1960. At age seven, Jimmy Thomason invited him to play piano for one of his radio shows. Gieg took piano lessons from Ralph Yaw, first at a place on Chester Avenue and later in a back room of Yaw's music store in East Bakersfield. Yaw, he remembers as "having a mustache, short and with stubby fingers." He credits Yaw, a former arranger for Stan Kenton, as being a fabulous instructor.
"I still have an old chart where he wrote out all the notes. For the first six months, I never had anything printed. He wrote out every note. He taught me so much and really inspired me to make music a big part of my life."
He played guitar, piano and accordion and at age 15 took up the upright bass, taking lessons from a member of the Kern Philharmonic. In high school, he played bass in coffee houses around Bakersfield and in school assemblies.
"While in high school my last two years, I played as much as four nights a week sometimes at The Bamboo Room on East California. The manager, Charles Strong, played drums. A tenor sax, and an organ player, Ted Shirley, would come up from Los Angeles."
One musician he worked with was guitarist Paul Raley.
"Paul Raley was such a great guitar player. He was left handed but played the guitar right handed. Since he was left handed, he started practicing left handed so he could convert. So, he was practicing all day left handed and then he'd come and play at night right handed. He was finally able to make the transition to playing left handed. He was a great player either way."
Gieg remembers just one occasion where he was involved with Bakersfield's country music scene.
"Jimmy Thomason got my name from somewhere and called me to work a show with him. I reminded him about being on his radio program when I was really young. We went to Tehachapi and did a show at the prison. It was a lot of fun."
In the late 1960s, after a tour with the U.S. Army, he played for a time with the Charles Strong Trio at the Penthouse on Union Avenue.
Gieg lives in Denver where he has long been a prominent fixture on the local jazz scene.
He has played on many recordings. One of his first was when he contributed on bass to a chart album issued in 1965 from female trendsetter Rusty Warren, one entitled More Knockers Up! (Jubilee JGM-2059). The LP was a followup to Warren's smash party record from 1960, the "sin-sational" Knockers Up! (Jubilee JGM-2029), an album that managed to stay on the charts for three years running.
-30-
Friday, September 19, 2008
1930s to 1950s
Matchbook covers were the way to advertise:
Witham's Appliances, M & M Smoke Shop, Penny Fine Foods, Snyder's Evinrude, Doctor's Ambulance Service, McCoy Tire Recap Co., Rod's Enterprises, Union Ave. Gift Shoppe, The Old River Dept. Store, Yosemite Ice Cream, King's Cleaners, Stop N' Shop Variety Store, Walt's Orchids, Frazer Service Co., M & M Smoke Shop, Cliff Greenleaf Used Cars, Sanitex Cleaners, Permanente Cement Company, Fraternal Order of Eagles, Aerie no. 93, Maurice Coiffure, Seiler's Mens Store, Jack Landson Drugs, Robert Hill's Save More Drug, Bail Bond Binger, Richardson's RCA radios, Bewicks Flowers, Union Ave. Smoke Shop, Trones Gas & Electric, Chevrolet Motor Center, Aaron Liquor Stores, Derrick Liquor Store, Joe's Meat Processing, Joe Bertolaccini, Headlight Shrunk Overalls, M.L. Myers Texaco, Jones' Body & Fender Shop, Kimball & Stone Druggists, El Adobe Motel, Gorman Motel & Cafe on Ridge Route US 99, Dew Drop Inn Union Ave., Desert Inn, Motor Court, The Cawelo Motel, Motel Inn Union Ave., Motor Court, The Desert Inn (cowboy scene), Sierra Vista Motel, Hotel El Tejon, A Home away from Home, Tegeler Hotel, Bakersfield Motor Hotel.
-30-
Matchbook covers were the way to advertise:
Witham's Appliances, M & M Smoke Shop, Penny Fine Foods, Snyder's Evinrude, Doctor's Ambulance Service, McCoy Tire Recap Co., Rod's Enterprises, Union Ave. Gift Shoppe, The Old River Dept. Store, Yosemite Ice Cream, King's Cleaners, Stop N' Shop Variety Store, Walt's Orchids, Frazer Service Co., M & M Smoke Shop, Cliff Greenleaf Used Cars, Sanitex Cleaners, Permanente Cement Company, Fraternal Order of Eagles, Aerie no. 93, Maurice Coiffure, Seiler's Mens Store, Jack Landson Drugs, Robert Hill's Save More Drug, Bail Bond Binger, Richardson's RCA radios, Bewicks Flowers, Union Ave. Smoke Shop, Trones Gas & Electric, Chevrolet Motor Center, Aaron Liquor Stores, Derrick Liquor Store, Joe's Meat Processing, Joe Bertolaccini, Headlight Shrunk Overalls, M.L. Myers Texaco, Jones' Body & Fender Shop, Kimball & Stone Druggists, El Adobe Motel, Gorman Motel & Cafe on Ridge Route US 99, Dew Drop Inn Union Ave., Desert Inn, Motor Court, The Cawelo Motel, Motel Inn Union Ave., Motor Court, The Desert Inn (cowboy scene), Sierra Vista Motel, Hotel El Tejon, A Home away from Home, Tegeler Hotel, Bakersfield Motor Hotel.
-30-
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
