It sounds like a “Who’s buried in Grant’s Tomb?” line: Who wrote Hank Williams’ greatest songs? Paul Gilley The obvious answer is that Hank Williams did. However, there are a small number of people who, quite sincerely, believe that—at least in the case of “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” (1949) and “Cold, Cold Heart” … Continue reading The Curious Case of Paul Gilley
Uncategorized
Program Notes: ‘A Distant Country 5’
“Night Train to Memphis” (Roy Acuff, 1942). It’s impossible to say for sure who did what on this song, since it has three co-writers: Owen Bradley, Marvin Hughes and Beasley Smith. However, Bradley and Hughes were all best known as musicians, while Beasley was a words-and-music songwriter, so likely the words are primarily Beasley’s work. … Continue reading Program Notes: ‘A Distant Country 5’
‘Tennessee Walt: An Evening in ‘A Distant Country’: Program Notes
“Waiting for a Train” (Jimmie Rodgers, 1928). Rodgers is credited with writing this song, which he absolutely didn’t do—nearly all of his songs were written by other people or (if his name is on them) adapted from older blues songs or mountain ballads, and this is no exception. It dates from no later than 19th-century … Continue reading ‘Tennessee Walt: An Evening in ‘A Distant Country’: Program Notes
Program Notes on ‘Tennessee Walt’s A Distant Country 3′
“The Lord Knows I’m Drinking” (Cal Smith, 1972). I’m currently reading Whisperin’ Bill Anderson: An Unprecedented Life in Country Music, the 2016 memoir by the author of this song, who’s been a county star and Grand Ole Opry mainstay since the late 1950s. In it, he writes that he and his then-wife were having … Continue reading Program Notes on ‘Tennessee Walt’s A Distant Country 3′
Me and ‘Me and Bobby McGee’
Way before I ever got into country music—let alone started to think about performing it—I knew and loved a handful of country songs that I’d come across in one fashion or another. I didn’t necessarily recognize them as country songs, but I’d heard “Can the Circle Be Unbroken,” “The Wabash Cannonball” and “Tennessee Waltz,” and … Continue reading Me and ‘Me and Bobby McGee’
Program Notes: ‘A Distant Country 2’
“Worried Man Blues” (Carter Family, 1930). I have a theory about this song. I’m struck by the lines “I went across the river and laid me down to sleep. When I woke up, I had shackles on my feet.” Clearly the narrator has crossed a river and ended up in the wrong place, a place … Continue reading Program Notes: ‘A Distant Country 2’
‘That Isn’t How It Goes’
On the iconic country-revival album “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” (1972), by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and a legion of friends, perhaps the most resonant song on an album full of resonant songs is the penultimate track, a live-in-the-studio all-star jam on the title song that features (among others) Maybelle Carter and Roy Acuff … Continue reading ‘That Isn’t How It Goes’
Turning Our Backs on Irony Man
Like many people well into middle age, I’ve felt increasingly out of sync with the modern world in recent years. The things I value most seem to be less appreciated in the 21st century, while the values of the new century seem foreign to me. It’s impossible to tell what posterity will make of the … Continue reading Turning Our Backs on Irony Man
Sing Me a Sad Song
“What is it you like so much about the sad songs?” One of the things I enjoy the most about the country shows I’ve been doing for the past few years is the opportunity to talk to audience members afterward. People come up to tell me that they’ve enjoyed the show, to take issue with … Continue reading Sing Me a Sad Song
The Shadow of Hank Williams
For a man whose recording career lasted barely six years, Hank Williams casts an immense shadow. I’m currently doing a show called Tennessee Walt’s Hanks a Lot!—and most of the audience members seem to come in assuming that it’s a show of Hank Williams songs. When they learn that I’ll be doing songs not … Continue reading The Shadow of Hank Williams
Tennessee Walt 