Country Radio Classics

Chords for Pancho and Lefty

Scott — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:24:46 +0000

I finally came to the realization that it would be easier for me and easier for you guys if I posted videos of how these songs are played. That way you can play/sing along if you want. So this is Pancho and Lefty, which was a huge hit for Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. The song was written by Townes Van Zandt, and I’d really encourage you to get a copy of one of his versions of this song as well. Enjoy the video, and if there’s a song you’d like to learn, drop me a line in the comments or contact me and I’ll do my best to figure out the song and post it.

Johnny Horton and The First Music Video

Scott — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 18:29:19 +0000

When I was a kid my dad played in a little local band that played bluegrass and classic country music. Now this was in the 70s, so classic back then meant real classic–like Johnny Horton. The, ahem, “leader” of this group was a real Johnny Horton fan. In fact, I’d say he fancied himself as a modern day mountain man. The band they played in reminded me a lot of the Lester Roadhog Moran tapes by the Statler Brothers, both in the quality of the music and the ego of the frontman.

Anyway, my buddy Newscoma posted this classic Johnny Horton video, and it tickled me to death. I swear the videos being played on CMT in the mid-90s were even more lame than this. Enjoy Johnny Horton!!!

25 Webb Pierce-Johnny Horton-Jimmy Dean 45 rpm records
US $15.49 (4 Bids)
End Date: Sunday Jul-06-2008 14:04:00 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list

JOHHNY HORTON - THE LEGENDARY JOHNNY HORTON
US $9.56 (0 Bid)
End Date: Sunday Jul-06-2008 15:03:27 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list

John Anderson?

Scott — Tue, 27 May 2008 02:24:38 +0000

Growing up in Nashville I remember a commercial for a local car dealership, Richard Smith Buick Pontiac and GMC, playing on the radio a lot. I think John Anderson may have been the guy singing the theme. If not, it was a guy who sounded exactly like him. I even remember the words to most of the commercial…

Richard Smith Buick Pontiac GMC is on the back of almost every car and truck in front of me.

It’s on my sister’s firebird and my brother’s GMC so I’m headin’ down to Richard’s dah dah dah dah dah dah dah

Cause he’s a tradin’, tradin’ crazy…yeah he’s a tradin’.

Richard Smith Buick Pontiac and GMC…the craziest tradin’ dealer in Middle Tennessee and he’s a tradin’!!!! Tradin’ Crazy!!!

It was loosely based on the hit song Swingin’. John Anderson was pretty big at the time, so it doesn’t seem like he’d have done a commercial for a local car dealership, but I guess it’s possible.

JOHN ANDERSON AUTOGRAPH PICTURE PHOTO
US $9.95 (0 Bid)
End Date: Sunday Jul-06-2008 15:33:12 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list

JOHNNY APPLESEED, John Chapman, 2 FDCS! Anderson
US $12.00 (0 Bid)
End Date: Sunday Jul-06-2008 18:00:00 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list

Eddie Arnold 1918-2008

Scott — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:49:42 +0000

We’ve lost another one of the all time greats. Eddie Arnold past away at a care facility just outside of Nashville. It’s sad to lose another true legend. Mr. Arnold had an incredible voice–smooth, smooth, smooth. Take a listen to “Cattle Call” for proof. Although his voice was unique and unmistakably his, it wasn’t gimmicky in the least. He could just have easily been another Sinatra or Dean Martin…that’s how clear and clean his voice was. For proof, again just listen to one of his classics, “Make the World Go Away”.

Lacy J. Dalton

Scott — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 04:52:05 +0000

Does anyone know what Lacy J. Dalton has been up to lately? She has one of the coolest most distinct voices I can think of. I was banging around on the guitar earlier today and started playing 16th Avenue, which is probably her biggest hit. That’s such a great song, and I haven’t heard it in years. I’m not 100% sure that I remembered all the lyrics correctly. There is one line in particular that really struck me as a good, so I definitely remember it.

They’re cowboys, drunks, and Christians
Mostly white and black and blue

Pretty cool line.

Pandora Online Radio is AWESOME!

Scott — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 22:45:31 +0000

A couple of weeks ago a friend told me about Pandora Online Radio. I went there to check it out, set up an account, listened to a ton of great classic country songs along with some newer stuff that I actually like. I waited for my account to get disabled and Pandora to ask me to pay for using their service.

It didn’t happen. Pandora really is 100% free, and it is the greatest!

No matter what kind of music you like, they have it. I haven’t moved far beyond the traditional country and old time country stations, but I’ve created my own station and mixed in some of the newer stuff that I love. Check it out…at FREE, you can’t beat the price!

Sweethearts of the Rodeo

Scott — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 00:22:18 +0000

I just heard Midnight Girl in a Sunset Town and looked up The Sweethearts of the Rodeo on Wikipedia, mostly to see if they were still touring. I couldn’t get much information about touring there, but I did learn that they took their name from an album by The Byrds. I’d bet that most people aren’t aware that Janice was married to Vince Gill during his rise to fame (and hers). Not sure what happened there. I was living in the Nashville area at the time, but I don’t remember hearing much about it scandal wise.

Anyway, I dig most of The Sweethearts’ songs. Catchy and stylish. I also learned that they released an album for Sugar Hill records. I’m thinking of checking that out. Sugar Hill puts out a lot of good traditional type stuff, and apparently they were dropped from Columbia because they wanted to experiment with some bluegrass, etc.

Marty Robbins–Seems Like Yesterday

Scott — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 15:48:32 +0000

I was at my folks’ house in Nashville at the end of the week and they’d Tivo’s Marty Robbins–Seems Like Yesterday on PBS. If you have any doubt about how prolific and talented Marty Robbins was, you need to check this out. My mom couldn’t believe that he was singing live in all of the performances they showed. But sure enough, he’d make little jokes to the guys in the band in between lyrics. He was just that good.

MARTY ROBBINS ALL TIME GREATEST HITS LP ALBUM SEALED
US $9.95 (0 Bid)
End Date: Sunday Jul-06-2008 11:39:36 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list

Marty Robbins, Best Part of Living, signed autograph
US $9.99 (0 Bid)
End Date: Sunday Jul-06-2008 12:25:07 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list

Ray Price — I Won’t Mention It Again

Scott — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:07:00 +0000

Is it just me or does Ray Price’s I Won’t Mention It Again sound a lot like For The Good Times, or is at least an attempt to? I like this song, but I don’t like when artists do this..try to basically sell me the same thing over again. Then again, Buck Owens made a career out of that, and I love him, so maybe that’s not an entirely fair statement.

Jerry Jeff Walker — Desperados Waiting For The Train

Scott — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 19:06:42 +0000

In my opinion, this is the best of those “Jerry Jeff train songs” that Willie Nelson sang about in “Luchenbach Texas”. The Highwaymen also did a version of this song where they all sang different verses, but I still like Jerry Jeff’s version best. This song reminds me a lot of my grandfather, as I’m sure it does a lot of people.

One day I looked up and he was pushing 80

Brown tobacco stains all down his chin

To me he’s one of the heroes of this country

So why’s he all dressed up like them old men?

There’s one line in particular that reminds me of my grandfather. He used to take me with him to the golf course where I’d caddy for him and his golfing buddies.

I was just a kid, they all called me ‘Sidekick’