Joe Tex's Green Green Grass Of Home

Yesterday, Dr. Filth put up a fine post examining the intersection of the worlds Joe Tex and Roger Miller, which reminded me of another Joe Tex effort that came out of the country field.

The Green, Green Grass Of Home begins with a man happily recounting his eagerness to return to the familiar comforts of home after a long absence. There is, however, a catch. As the song unfolds, we learn the man is actually a Death Row prisoner and he's only been dreaming of going home. In reality, he is to be executed the following morning.

It's become something of a standard in the years since 1965 when singer Johnny Darrell released the original version of the song, followed almost immediately by Porter Wagoner's definitive interpretation, in which he added an extra layer of intensity by doing the final verse as a recitation. Tom Jones took the song to #1 in the UK in '67 and Merle Haggard, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Hank Snow, among many others, also recorded memorable versions.

So, all that said, check out Joe Tex's moving version of The Green Green Grass Of Home, performed live on Spanish television in 1968.

More Songs We Taught Porter Wagoner

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!).

Here's Porter's familiar version:

And here's a version by its composer, Mr.Willie Hugh Nelson.

   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?

The First Mrs. Jones

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.

Jerry Reed Hubbard

In a better world, he'd be blowing out 73 candles on his birthday cake today.