During our "Country Music Week" festivities the other week, there was some discussion of the relative merits of "The First Mrs. Jones" as performed by Porter Wagoner versus Bill Anderson's own version (SPOILER ALERT: they're both awesome!). This week, I'd like to initiate a similar discussion about another song from The Cold Hard Facts of Life, arguably Porter's greatest (I'd certainly argue for it!).
As much as I love Porter's version, I've got to lean toward Willie's rendition: cooler and detached, yet with the quiet menace lurking right under the surface. This is a record that my wife doesn't care for, particularly if I'm singing along (she's also not fond of Jack Kittel's version of "Psycho", for some reason). Women! Who can figure 'em?
A couple of years ago, my buddy Robert got me this pocket date book off of eBay as a Christmas present, because of the Hatch Show Print logo. The only writing in it (other than what appear to be some notes made while doing a crossword puzzle) was the two-page spread seen below.
Examining this, I realized that it seemed to have some connection to country legend Jim Reeves; my initial assumption was that it had belonged to Jim's manager or some other close
associate, who was making notes toward figuring out what to give Jim and Mrs. Reeves for Christmas a half-century ago. A subsequent perusal of one of my vast collection of postcards would lead me to a different conclusion.
After Reeves' death in 1964, his wife Mary dedicated most of the rest of her life to preserving Jim's legacy , both by releasing a great many overdubbed posthumous recordings, Norman Petty-style (some perfectly good, others notably less so--- also like Petty's Buddy Holly products), and by operating a Jim Reeves Museum in Nashville for over 20 years. At some point during that period of time, the souvenir shop sold postcards of the widow Reeves, one autographed specimen of which was in my possession.
Comparing her signature to the notebook, I concluded that the book had been hers, and that the "Mrs. Reeves" in the book was in fact her mother-in-law!
Judge for yourself... it's not an absolutely perfect match, but the 20-plus year gap between the two documents, added to the different nature of a signature and scribbled notes would explain that adequately in my view.
So that's the story of my "Holy Relic", as I currently understand it. Regrettably,if this actually was Mary's, it was likely released into the world when her second husband sold off all of her property and all rights to Jim's recordings and name when she went into a rest home. Her obituary has the sad details.
Here's Mary in happier times:
And here's the man himself:
(written by his old buddy Roger Miller)
James Travis Reeves
(August 20th 1923- July 31st 1964)
Postscript: For any Hatch Show Print fans here in the Athens, GA area, American Letter press: The Art of Hatch Show Print is in town at the Georgia Museum of Art until November 26th.
Thanks to everyone for the overwhelming response to Country Music Week. Here is the playlist for Hillbilly Music To Spazz By with special guest Greg G!!
Here are two highly alluring instrumental tracks from Judy Lynn's 1965 United Artists LP titled The Judy Lynn Show. Both numbers are highly atypical selections for a country performer, but thoroughly enjoyable all the same due in no small part to the exotic sounds produced by Gene O'Neal, the band's pedal steel guitarist.
Originating at WPDQ in Jacksonville, Fla., These folks performed on WAGA in Atlanta from September 1946 to December 1948. From there, they traveled to WQAM in Miami, then back to Atlanta on WGST from October 1949 to JAnuary 1950. Tommy Trent would subsequently join the Louisiana Hayride. Apologies to Tex Anderson and/or his descendants for the ink blot Partly obscuring his face... that's how I found it.
Porter Wagoner's The First Mrs. Jones is a perfect example of why he established a reputation for an artist who didn't shy away from intense topics. The song, written by Bill Anderson, is the story of a marriage gone bad and the resulting mayhem.
Like Captain Kangaroo and Walter Brennan, Grandpa was already playing an old man when he was still in his twenties, and eventually grew into the part. This songbook is from 1942, 27 years before he'd first step before the Hee Haw cameras.
The Jamboree is still on the air after almost 79 years(!), though the last decade has seen some bumps in the road.
Offhand, I don't recognize any of these folks except for Lew Childre, eventual Grand Ole Opry star and father of the noted fishing tackle magnate who shared his name.
More information about the Jamboree can be found here, here, and here.
Penny would like to remind you to tune in to Music To Spazz by this Thursday night from 9 PM - Midnight when GregG returns for Whacked Out Country 45s Volume 4! Click to listen to parts 3, 2 and 1!
