Clickin' Heels with The NGDB!

~ Emmet Otter's Jug Band * Yahoo Images

Here we are, back in Rockabilly land, where we welcome all genres of Rockabilly, Country, and Blues!  And, just to be clear, I also love a little Rock n Roll, and a lot of Soul music too!  

In July, we celebrated the 70th birthday one of our favorite American singer-songwriter's, Jeff Hanna!  Yes, that's the one, alright!  Jeff is one of the founders of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and the longest surviving member of the group!  Having journeyed with his family from Detroit, Michigan to Long Beach, California when he was just a boy, Jeff formed a 'jug band' in the mid 1960's.  Hanna has done everything from writing and producing, to singing and playing a variety of instruments!


~ The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band * Jeff Hanna, sitting far left * Yahoo Images

In a 2011 interview with Paul Freeman of PopCultureClassics, Jeff states, "When we started, we were surrounded by surf bands like "The Birds", and, "The Lovin Spoonful"  He called his group, "Jug Puppies", with a blend of folk, rock and country.  The group's focus was to bring some of the earlier hit songs of Jerry Jeff Walker, Kenny Loggins, and Michael Nesmith back to the forefront.  NGDB   would hang out at McCabe's Guitar Store in Southern California, Long Beach, to be specific.
Not only could you purchase guitars and other instruments at McCabe's, there were guitar lessons available, and concerts performed!


~yahoo images

The NGDB was known to sit in recording sessions with some of the elders of Blues and Country music.  With assistance from the wonderful Mother Maybelle Carter, Roy Acuff, Earl Scruggs, and some really great musicians, the album Will the Circle Be Unbroken has gone GOLD.  Sounds like an odd venue, doesn't it!   In essence, the "elders" actually paved the way for up and coming artists to ease into the industry!  I, for one, am so proud to see the collaborations between different musicians who come together and give the world the best of their talents!


~Mother Maybelle Carter and Jeff Hanna * Yahoo Images

***
When Paul Freeman of PopCultureClassics asked how the band came across "Mr. Bojangles", Hanna explained that while flipping through radio stations, he happened to hear the last two verses of the song .  He didn't hear the title, and mentioned it the next day in rehearsal.  One of the band members had heard the song before, and "that's all she wrote"!  "Mr. Bojangles, written by Jerry Jeff Walker in 1968 for his own album, peaked at number 9 for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
on the US Hit 100 chart in 1971!

***

OK...I wasn't going to do this, but I couldn't help myself!
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, performing Mr. Bojangles in (1991, I think)

~ From Youtube
Didn't you just love it?  And, did you get that drummer...he plays the harmonica at the same time that he's drumming!  And, Hanna has said that the drummer also reads Popular Mechanics at the same time, while he's playing!  It is such a treat to watch these talented guys in action!

I have come to appreciate certain artists that I knew of, but, did not follow in my younger years.  Now, when I come by one of those artists or groups, I spend more time checking out their repertoire.  Most of the time I find that I have heard a lot of their work, but, just didn't recognize it.  I spent some time listening to a few of the NGDB's songs, and found that I really like their style!  "Catfish John" with Alison Krauss is a really good song, along with "Fishin' In The Dark".  Great music and vocals on both!  "Just a Modern Day Romance"  is also top on my list of NGDB tunes, with a really great Country dance beat.  Jeff Hannah and the NGDB have performed with Linda Ronstadt, EmmyLou Harris, the Cash's-June and Johnny, and even little Hannah Montana!

On their 50th anniversary, the Nitty Gritty Dirt band performed with Jerry Jeff Walker, and, Jackson Browne, who was an early member of the group, and, Vince Gill.  The celebration was held at the Ryman Auditorium at Nashville in July of 2015.  How exciting was that?





~50th Anniversary celebration at the Ryman Auditorium

Well, Rockabilly fans, I'm sorry to say that it is last call here at Rock A Billy Rock headquarters.
For tonite, that is! 😎

Before the finale, I would like to take this time to thank:
Wikipedia, popculture classics.com, cmt.com, nittygritty.com, grammy.com
Thank you Blogger, Youtube, Yahoo Images, Google

*** And many thank yous out to my gracious readers...I love it that you stopped by for a visit.  Let's say a special prayer for the folks along the Texas coast in the path of Hurricane Harvey.  I know the authorities are working hard to get these people to safety.  Please get out of town and be safe! ♥

Stop in and say hello.  If you are too shy to speak, please give me a sign by checking one of the reactions at the bottom of this post.  No names required! The choices are:
Interesting, Funny, or Cool

Best wishes for a great school year to all students!

And, now...

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, with Bernie Leadon on lead guitar
1987 hit on live TV

***  See you next time, dear friends!

Sleepy LaBeef Still Rides!

* Loading oil field supplies near Smackover, Arkansas *
Arkansas state archives, circa 1920's

How many of you have been to Smackover, Arkansas?  Don't all jump up at once, lol!  Well, I haven't been there either!  Looks like it may have been a pretty prosperous town back in the day.  This town's dramatic oil discovery in the 1920's led the nation's oil output. Up to this time, Smackover's economy depended primarily on cotton and the timber industry.

So, you're wondering how this city got its name?  Well, it seems as though early on, French trappers settled here, just a couple of hours from Little Rock along the Ouachita River.  Legend has it that the oil blowing "smack over the derrick", or a pioneer jumping "smack over the creek", could be the origin of Smackover's name.  Another legend claims that the name came from the French term, "Chemin Couvert", or the "Covered Way".

Every year, Smackover hosts an Oil Town Festival, so, if any of you get a hankerin' to make your way there June 15-17th, be sure to stop in and enjoy the eats, car show and free concerts.  I wasn't able to find out who will be performing at the concerts this year.

Could it be this guy?

  Sleepy LaBeef

Now here's a guy who was actually born in Smackover, Arkansas, and is still around to talk about it.  Let me introduce Mr. Thomas Paulsley LaBeff, nicknamed "Sleepy" as a youngster because of his droopy eyes!  He is the youngest of 10 children, born in June of 1935, just six months younger than Elvis.  At the age of 81, and, standing about 6'5", he is still 'wowing' audiences with his 'beefy' voice.
Thus, another name change to "LaBeef"!


* Sleepy LaBeef

Well, folks, they say that young Sleepy quit school at the age of 14, sold his .22 rifle, and bought a guitar.  He mostly played at the church during that time, and worked at various jobs as a grocery clerk, truck driver, lumberjack, and, even a swamp monster in a horror movie!  Yikes!  At 18, Sleepy took a highway job, building roads in Houston and left Smackover.  There, he jumped into the frying pan, so to speak, (keeping his highway job), and started singing gospel on the radio and playing in clubs for $8 or $9 a night.

* Sleepy LaBeef * Yahoo images
Not a bad lookin' guy, eh?

Sleepy performs a lot of medleys in his concerts featuring various artists.  He cruises through Merle Haggard tunes, dances a waltz with Ernest Tubb, and sails into a Jimmy Reed blues number.  Having co-written very few songs himself, Sleepy explains, "Why should I write songs when there's already so many good ones?"  He covers songs about things he has witnessed, even if he hasn't lived them himself.  Sleepy and his band might 'roar' through 70-72 songs by night's end.  LaBeef can rock through Chuck Berry and even Duane Eddy-without planning it first.



* Sleepy sits with "Time Jumpers", featuring Vince Gill
sleepylabeef.com

Just to name a few Sleepy Songs:
"Rock and Roll Ruby"
"Strange Things Happening"
"Mistery Train"
"Every Day"
"Ain't Got No Home"

In 1964, Sleepy was invited to Nashville by Don Law, to record for Columbia records.  But after 6 years of no-hits, Sleepy signed with Sun Records.  A couple of years later, Sleepy was with Rounder records,

 Here's Sleepy now with a powerful cut of  "Turn Me Loose" on the Rounder label!

That was a Rockabilly special, if I ever heard one...don't you agree?  Man, what a fast moving song, with fabulous guitar work and piano!  Sleepy could really pump out those beefy tunes!

***

You know, Sleepy said, "You're singing about life.  If I sing a drinking or cheating song, it's not because I like the lifestyle, and, I'm not judging these people.  I'm just an interpreter sending the message that you cannot drink your problems away, because it's still there when you sober up."



* Sleepy LaBeef performing in Memphis, Tennessee
 August 2015 * International Rockabilly Festival
* Yahoo Images

Sleepy is well known as a first generation rocker.  None of it's planned.  He always wants the freedom to play the crowd and change direction whenever the spirit moves him.   Below is one of the medleys Mr. LaBeef has performed live.

I LOVE this guy!  What do you think?  He can really pump that guitar.  Well, as I said earlier, he is a self-taught guitarist.  At the at of 14 he was playing in the church, and, he learned by watching other musicians play.  This is a real treat!  I would really like to see Sleepy in concert!

***
Ok!  Time for my thanks to:
Google
Blogger
Wikipedia
Yahoo Images
zipdatamaps.com
encyclopediaof arkansas.net
rockabillyhall.com
sleepylabeef.com
* Please accept apologies if I left anyone out


Thank you so much for coming by.  Now that we're in the midst of our Spring weather (unless, of course, your country is in its winter season), I hope you all are experiencing the grandest weather you could possibly have!  Actually, here in the Lone Star state, we're running the air conditioner one day, and the furnace the next!

Please step in and say hello if you get the chance.  I always appreciate your comments and hellos!  I know the Easter holiday is approaching within just days, so, please be safe if you're on the road!

Happy Easter, with love!  ♥




"We've got so many songs to do, so we'll keep 'em short, get more of 'em in."
~Sleepy LaBeef

Northbound...Alaska Gold!

~ Johnny Horton

Who remembers the Klondike, or Alaskan Gold Rush of 1896-1899?  Good show of hands!  I knew you all would remember that sooooo, co-o-o-old  time when some local miners discovered gold in them thar mountains, inciting a major stampede!  An estimated 100,000 prospectors migrated to the Klondike region of the Yukon, with only about 30,000 arriving.  Together, with mountainous terrain and cold climate, this meant that those who persisted did not arrive until the summer of 1898.   Once there, they found few opportunities and many left poor and disappointed.

Avalanches were common in the mountains and, on April 3, 1898, one claimed the lives of more than 60 people travelling over Chilkoot Pass.



Needless to say, due to destruction of the wooden structures from fires, high prices and unsanitary conditions, many prospectors left the Klondike for new oilfields that were popping up.  News had it that gold was discovered during that summer of 1899, elsewhere in Canada and Alaska.   Some of the Boomtowns either declined, or became more sedate and conservative with expensive updates not affordable to the wildlife prospectors.  Alas, the Klondike gold rush came to an end!

***
So, how does Johnny Horton fit into this history of the gold rush?  Are you askin' me?

Well, young Johnny Horton graduated from high school in 1944.  After obtaining some higher education, and even attending a Methodist seminary, Horton headed to Alaska to become a fisherman, and, maybe find some gold.  His mother had taught him to play the guitar at age 11, and, he began writing songs while in Alaska.  He had always loved fishing, and, in his early singing days, Johnny Horton was known as "The Singing Fisherman".  Within a year, however, he moved back to East Texas where he had grown up to pursue his singing career.


* Johnny Horton and Johnny Cash posing with their catch of the day *

In 1951, after winning a few talent contests, and performing on some TV shows and radio shows, Horton became a regular on the Louisiana Hayride, and, made good friends with Johnny Cash as well as many others on the circuit.  The Hayride is the first place Horton got to see and meet Elvis.  He really liked Elvis' style, and the newer rockabilly music that was becoming popular on the Hayride.  Johnny Horton was anxious to 'step up his game'!

**** And, he did! ***



* Elvis Presley and Johnny Horton on the Louisiana Hayride *

After many ups and downs, disappointments and short-lived recording companys, Columbia Records eventually signed Johnny Horton to their label.  Within months, his first single on this label,  "Honky Tonk Man",  featuring Elvis' bassist on the record, was in the Country Top 10!

Billboard reviewed "Honky Tonk Man", and admitted, "The wine, women and song attractions exert a powerful hold on the singer.  A very good jukebox song." * 1956

I checked this song out myself, and found it to be exactly as described by Billboard 100.  It has the distinct sound of a honky tonk, and Horton's voice makes it clear as mud!
Let's have a listen! 🎸

*  Moving right along now!  Must we?  Ah yes...we need to fast forward up North!

Throughout the early, mid, and late 1950's, Johnny Horton was on a great ride!  He was so talented, and, had become a household name.  I was pretty young in 1956, mostly listening to Elvis, and Rick Nelson.  By 1959, I guess I was somewhere near 10 years old, and I was becoming more attuned to various other artists!   "The Battle of New Orleans" is the first Johnny Horton song I remember.  This song topped the pop charts as well as maintaining 10 weeks at the top of the Country charts!  The Western Writers of America reviewed this song and rated it as one of the top 100 Western songs of all time!  And, I concur!!!  We sang this song, each one of us trying to outsing the other.  The song brought about many fun times for a lot of folks!



Another hit that grabbed my attention is the song "I Got A Hole In My Pirogue".  "What in the world", you ask?  I had no idea what this was either, so I looked it up!
Turns out, a pirogue is a small fishing boat!  LOL!  Who knew?



* The two Johnny's (Horton and Cash) on a dual Pirogue!
...just kidding!  I'm not sure if a Pirogue is for two!

From Billboard; "Pirogue" is a Rockabilly novelty song of great appeal.  Horton's vocals against this twangy backing makes a terrific impression.  It's hard to see how this can miss becoming a gold mine!"

Well, you know...I did listen to this song, and, honestly-it is a pretty good fishin' song!  If you get the chance, mosey on over to You Tube and hear it for yourselves!

And, that brings us to one of the greatest western hits of all time!  "North To Alaska"!  This song ranked #1 on the US Country chart, and #4, on the Billboard Hot 100!  Additionally, the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time!

1960 we know that this song is the featured song played during the opening titles to John Wayne's movie, also named "North To Alaska".  What I found confusing, is, did the song come first, or, was the movie first?  Of course, I did a lot of reading back and forth to try to determine how both song and movie got together!  Please humor me some more!  Haha!  I mean, Alaska became our 49th state in 1959, and, presto...we're making a movie soon thereafter!


What I found out is that, originally the movie was titled "The Alaskans".  However, I could not determine when it changed to "North To Alaska".  After delays resulting in director conflicts, writers strikes, and John  Wayne's movie commitments during that time, "North To Alaska" didn't start filming until May of 1960.

*  Johnny Horton's recording "North To Alaska" was released August 22, 1960, and the movie of the same name released November 13, 1960.  Sadly, by that time, Johnny Horton has died as a result of a head-on auto collision, at the young age of 35.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you:
North To Alaska!

* I do so appreciate you coming by Rock A Billy and checking out my post!  I hope I have found you to be feeling great, and having a wonderful January (half over, lol!).  Stop in and say hello-I hope I didn't ramble on too long.  Sometimes, the information is so great that it takes a while to spit it all out!  I mean to say, I had no idea Johnny Horton had accomplished so much in the small amount of years he was with us!  I admire his talents and work greatly!

And, I must definitely thank:
Google
Yahoo Images
Blogger
You Tube
US Billboard Hot 100
US Billboard Hot C & W
Wikipedia
cecilbuffington.com
cmt.com
alanclackett.com/johnny-horton-biography


In Remembrance

~Johnny Horton * April 30, 1925 * November 5, 1960

Please be safe, and kind to all!  Have a great week...see you soon ♥