Country & Western Appreciation

[ed2962]

Willie covering Hank Williams. For a long time I thought that Nelson wrote this song

[ed2962]

It's funny that you don't hear a lot of people talking about John Denver much these days cuz Denver was HUGE at one point during the 70's. My mom used to like this song.

[seismic-2]

Willie covering Hank Williams. For a long time I thought that Nelson wrote this song

Actually, Hank was covering it too, with his 1952 version. The song was written by Fred Rose (one of Nashville's most successful songwriters), and the first recording of it was released in 1945 by Roy Acuff. (Fred Rose and Roy Acuff were partners in a music publishing company that had the rights to just about everything in Country Music, back in the day.) But I agree with you that the 1975 Willie Nelson version is definitive.

[seismic-2]

Actually, while I'm posting - it just occurred to me that we are at message #19 and no one has yet posted a drinking song! For a Country Music thread that omission simply will not do, so here's Merle to sing one for us: "Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down".

[Rob Allen]

[seismic-2]

Let's add a trio of cowboy songs. Marty Robbins had one of the biggest hits in the genre: "Big Iron"

[seismic-2]

Although "Ghost Riders in the Sky" has been a standard ever since it was written in 1938, my favorite version of all might be Johnny Cash's:

[seismic-2]

And finally we have the iconic cowboy song of all time, sung by the best-ever singing cowboys: Roy Rogers and the other Sons of the Pioneers performing "Tumbling Tumbleweeds":

[JCAll]

And finally we have the iconic cowboy song of all time, sung by the best-ever singing cowboys: Roy Rogers and the other Sons of the Pioneers performing "Tumbling Tumbleweeds":

Ah naw, thems fightin' words.

[seismic-2]

Let's agree to table any argument over the greatest Singing Cowboys by listening to a great Singing Cowgirl instead! Here's Patsy Montana, from 1938.

[seismic-2]

Let's follow that previous video with another female vocalist and songwriter: the former cosmetologist Wynette Pugh, turned Country superstar Tammy Wynette

[jeanvaljean]

[jeanvaljean]

This one would work really well as a gay pride anthem, if such things existed in country & western music:

[jeanvaljean]

Of course, this is his song that became a huge hit for another artist with a slightly changed lyric and title:

[jeanvaljean]

From the album "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music"