"American Routes"

[TC Chris]

Tonight's American Routes led off strong with Jerry Lee Lewis singing "Night Train to Memphis" at Sun Records in 1959. "We'll be singin' hallelujah all the way...." I jumped up to improve the volume on the big stereo when that came on. With Jerry Lee, he seemed to be singin' hallelujah whenever he was near a piano. An American original. A short time later we heard Hank Williams singing "Honky Tonk Blues." No commentary can improve that song one bit. And then some Freddy Fender.

Then there's the current scene. There's that little lady who did the recent sold-out stadium tours, singing in her swimming suit, with a corps of dancers and fireworks and people paying more for tickets than I've paid for cars. Can't recall her name. Problem is, her music is awful. Jerry Lee Lewis and Hank Williams recorded their tunes about 70 years ago. Their music calls out still. I don't think hers will in 2095.

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

Perhaps the "artist" you are referring to might be Taylor Who?

The singing talent and songwriting talent exhibited today is sad. "Chew tobacco, chew tobacco, chew tobacco, spit". will hardly go down in the annals of music as being great. Compare that to "When I Lost You" written in 1912 by the late, great Irving Berlin, on the occasion of the death of his wife of five months, from typhoid fever:

"I lost the sunshine and roses;
I lost the heaven of blue.
I lost the beautiful rainbow
I lost the morning dew.
I lost the angel who gave me
summer the whole winter through.
I lost the gladness,
it turned into sadness.
when I lost you"
Several artists recorded it, starting in 1913. Perry Como and Jim Reeves had arguably the latest hits on the song.

Sorry for highjacking your topic, Chris. Jerry Lee Lewis and tailfins on cars had a lot in common. Audacity. There will never be tailfins on cars like there was in the late 1950's again and there will never be another Jerry Lee Lewis. I personally believe his later work on Mercury/Smash were his best, after he "semi/sorta" adopted the Nashville Sound, or as much as he could. Nobody played piano like Jerry Lee.

[TC Chris]

There is no need to apologize for injecting Irving Berlin, who wrote so much music that has endured and attracted so many singers. "What'll I Do," "Always," "Blue Skies," "Puttin' on the Ritz," and "Heat Wave," just for a start. He was an immigrant who formed our ideas of what being an American meant. The biggest-selling recorded song ever is "White Christmas."

And yes, I was trying to remember Taylor Swift, the noted industry. I kept thinking of Britney Spears, who seems to have fallen into the category of "who?" TS will surely follow in short order.

Chris Campbell