George Beverly Shea Dies At 104

George Beverly Shea 1909-2013

George Beverly Shea has died in Montreat, North Carolina after a brief illness at the age of 104. He was born on February 1, 1909 in Winchester, Ontario, Canada.

Shea is best known for being a soloist with the Billy Graham crusade from 1947 till almost 60 years later when Graham was no longer physically able to stand and preach.

George Beverly Shea shown with Billy Graham at a crusade.

His recording career lasted from 1951 till his death and he recorded 70 albums during his recording career. I can still remember hearing him sing How Great Thou Art and It Took A Miracle and many other songs during the televised crusades.

He was an accomplished musician playing the violin, piano and organ.

Shea was married a combined 70 years to his first wife Erma Scharfe who died in 1976 and his second wife whom he married in 1985 and survived him upon his death.

George Beverly Shea may be gone, but he will never be forgotten by the many of us who saw him sing so many times over the years, with the Billy Graham crusade. His music will live on for years to come.

19 Kids and Counting Returned Last Night With Asia Special

19 Kids and Counting plus two parents and a grandmother plus wife of Josh and two babies.

 

19 Kids and Counting returned last night on TLC as the family traveled to Asia in the first of three episodes of specials featuring their trip. The regular episodes of  the show will return on April 2.

Jim Bob and Michelle, the parents of the 19 children were married on July 21, 1984 and  took birth control the first four years of their marriage, then went off the pill and Michelle miscarried. They then they let God decide how many children they would have. Jim Bob only had a sister while growing up, while Michelle had five sisters and a brother.

Their first child Josh was born on March 3, 1988 and their last child Josie was born on December 10, 2009. Michelle lost the next baby, when its heart stopped beating during the pregnancy.

Michelle and her family appeared on the Today show on November 8, 2011 and a month exactly later the family announced the baby had died. This episode was one of the most dramatic shows in the series, as the series showed Jim Bob and Michelle being told the baby had no heartbeat.

It was particularly emotional, when the children were told that the baby had died. Then the funeral was extremely emotional seeing such a small casket for the baby.

The Duggar family lives in Tontitown, Arkansas a city of only 2,460 people but has grown 161 percent since 2000, when the population was only 942 people.

The cost and logistics of raising 19 kids has to be very expensive and they have to be very organized to make sure all the kids follow a routine, to make sure everything that needs to be done is accomplished. Jim Bob is a real estate agent and investor, so he must be doing very well to provide for such a large family. TLC is also probably paying the family something for them being on the show.

Their 25-year-old son Josh and his wife presently have two children of their own named a girl Mackynzie and a son Michael. The couple is expecting their third child in June.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Off the Beaten Path Music Websites: Passions of Patchy

Passions of Patchy may be off the beaten path, compared to mega music sites like Pandora and Spotify, but that in no way means the content is not as good. There may not be as much musical content as the afore named sites, but this is not just a musical site.

Before you even scroll down to the music icons, there is a CLICKS icon for links, which take you to some very interesting sites, including a link to make your own license plate, then emailing it to someone, that is just one of many links.

The CHUCKLES icon provides a plethora of jokes like this:

I am not offended by all the blonde jokes, because I am not dumb and I am not blonde – Dolly Parton

You see a lot of smart guys with dumb women, but you hardly ever see a smart woman with a dumb guy. – Erica Jong

Six year old Del says the best way to have someone to fall in love with you is to tell them you own a bunch of candy stores.

The section is broken down to 27 categories. Caution: It is addictive and time-consuming, once you start reading the jokes.

TOUCH SOMEONE -This  is the first of the music sections and includes Bette Midler’s Wind Beneath My Wings and the REM classic Everybody Hurts. Rock Around the Clock seems to be out-of-place on this page, but it really doesn’t matter when you can hear Johnny Mathis sing his standard Misty.

The bottom row of icons is where you find most of the music on the page in jukebox format with list of songs to choose from.

BLUES IN MY EYE JUKE JOINT – This page consists of three jukeboxes consisting of songs like I’ve Been Loving You Too Long sung by the late and great Etta James which reminds us again of how great of a singer she was. The jukebox also includes current singers like Susan Tedeschi, singing  It Hurt So Bad.  Jonny Lang has his clothes in his matchbox and is heard singing Matchbox, a driving blues number that really jumps. There is an option at the bottom of each jukebox to play all the songs in jukebox. A lot of the songs may not be recognizable, due to them being sung and played by some of the blues pioneers of the past.

LOST IN THE 50′S AND DOO-WOP – Having grown up during this era, this is my favorite music on the entire website. The Lost in the 50′s page has six jukeboxes, filled with the songs, that baby boomers like me grew up with.

Some of favorites from the jukeboxes:

I Heard It Through the Grapevine – Marvin Gaye

Locomotion – Little Eva

Harbor Lights – The Platters

Shotgun – Jr. Walker and the All-Stars

Hurt – Timi Yuro…..one of the most emotion packed songs ever.

Lost in the 50′s…..this song takes me back to the 50′s, like no other song can do.

You next will find the DOO WOP jukebox on the bottom row of the Lost in the 50′s page. When you go to the Doo Wop page, there will be three speakers holding the doo wop music including songs like:

Blue Velvet – Clovers….This is nothing like the Bobby Vinton version as it gets the full doo wop treatment.

A Thousand Miles Away – Heartbeats….Doo wop music at its best.

Earth Angel – Penguins….A classic doo wop song that will live on forever, as long as there is music.

In The Still of the Night – Five Satins….This song was so well-known that it was included, as part of Ronnie Milsap’s song Lost in the 50′s.

SATIN SMOOTHIES -  Is   next as you return to the home page where you find two jukeboxes, where you can find the songs my parents grew up with, plus some we remember as teenagers. These songs were the chart-toppers, before Bill Haley and the Comets and Elvis Presley changed music forever in the middle 50′s.

These are just a few of those songs:

Old Cape Cod – Patti Page….You will be very fortunate, if you can find a song like this being recorded today.

Unforgettable – Nat King Cole….This has to be the best of Nat King Cole’s hits that has become a standard.

In The Mood – Glenn Miller Orchestra…. When you think of the big band era, this is one of the first songs, that come to mind and it sad we lost Glenn Miller during the war.

Lazy River – Mills Brothers….This was one of the premier groups of this era, who epitomized the music of the era.

SUNRISE GOSPEL – This page has only one jukeboxes but will bring back memories, to those of us who grew up in church in the 40′s, 50′s and 60′s, plus some more recent songs. The artists are not listed, but that sounds a lot like Dolly Parton on Farther Along.

Some of my favorites from this page:

Beyond the Sunset….song written by a blind person after a group of people were viewing a sunset together and thus the title of the song, since the blind writer said they looked beyond the sunset. The reading that goes with this song makes it even more special.

Family Bible….Willie Nelson wrote this song, but sold the rights to it for only $50 to Claude Gray, the country music singer.

Precious Memories….sang this at funeral once for a lady who attended our church. What a great thought to think of the precious memories, even though the loved one is gone.

TWO STEPPIN’ JUKE BOX - Last but not least, Patchy’s Passion includes three jukeboxes for country music fans.

The list includes:

Don’t Rock the Jukebox – Alan Jackson….This song really rocks out and tells the story of a man, who is too sad over his breakup with his girlfriend and doesn’t want to hear the Rolling Stones  on the jukebox, but wants to hear George Jones instead.

He Stopped Loving Her Today – George Jones….This song has been chosen as the best country music song ever, on many lists of Top 100 songs.

Sweet Dreams – Patsy Cline…. also recorded  by Tommy McLain of Pineville, Louisiana, who attended my high school in the 60′s. His recording of Sweet Dreams outsold Don Gibson, the writer  of the song and the immortal Patsy Cline. His version went to No.15 on the Billboard chart.

For the Good Times – Ray Price….Has it really been 42 years since Ray Price recorded this country classic? It is true and also it is true that Ray Price is still actively singing at the age of 86. The 2010′s started his eighth decade of being active in country music.

Passions of Patchy was created on March 17, 2000, which she dedicated to her mom Candy, who was dying of cancer. This page tells  about the last months of her mother’s life. If this doesn’t make your eyes tear up, then it may be time to have your pulse checked:

http://dapatchy.com/gospel/journal.html

You could spend hours at this website listening to the music and going to some of the links at the website.

Most of all though it is all about the music.

To go back in time to hear some of the music from the past that we never became tired of:

http://dapatchy.com/

Speer Family Singing After Receiving Bad News

The Speer Family singing What A Meeting In The Air after receiving word, that their brother Brock was near death in a Nashville hospital.

The song was part of the Bill Gaither video Good News.

If there was ever a group that could turn bad news into good news, it would be the Speer Family as they celebrate the possible home going of their brother.

Brock Speer starts off Old Fashioned Meeting.

The Speer Family singing my favorite Speer Family song I Never Shall Forget The Day, in the Ryman  Auditorium in Nashville.

 

Southern Gospel Music Star Fading In Louisiana?

I can remember many years ago, when southern gospel music quartets appeared in Louisiana more often, than they do today. I can remember driving home from work at the newspaper, for my supper break and seeing the Masters Five Quartet bus in front of our church. The group featured five members consisting of Hovie Lister, Jake Hess and Rosie Rozell of the Statesmen Quartet and James Blackwood and J.D. Sumner of the Blackwood Brothers Quartet. It was sad to know I missed seeing some of the giants of southern gospel music, but have seen quite a few concerts since then.

Masters V singing the classic O What A Savior

Today we see fewer southern gospel quartets, soloists and family groups traveling to Louisiana. Many of the southern gospel ministries are centered in Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia, which means it is a 600 or 700 mile trip to Louisiana. It is even further to southern Louisiana and the gasoline costs to power the busses has stopped some ministries from driving that far.

It is not unusual today to see prices of $15 or more to see a soloist or group sing in concert. There are still some southern gospel artists, that will sing in concert, for only a love offering, but some demand up-front money, before even walking in the door of the concert venue.

I have heard of smaller churches asking the artists to come to their church, but nix the deals when the artists say they need thousands of dollars, before they even show up.

Pennsylvania Hotbed For Southern Gospel

Apparently the churches and other sponsors, of southern gospel music in Pennsylvania can afford the asking prices, since the Harper booking agency lists 26 concerts scheduled in Pennsylvania in the upcoming months. However, Louisiana only has two concerts scheduled, which shows that Louisiana is not attracting southern gospel artists to the state in large numbers.

The original Dove Brothers Quartet configuration of John Rulapaugh, tenor, McCray Dove, lead, Burman Porter, bass, Richard Simmons pianist and Eric Dove, baritone.

My favorite group the Dove Brothers Quartet has no concerts in Louisiana in their current schedule, which shows upcoming concerts from today till December 7 of this year.

Southern Gospel Concerts of the Past

There have been many southern gospel quartets here in the past. We have been able to see the Dove Brothers Quartet, in the Louisiana cities of Oak Grove, Monroe, Jena and Pineville, where we used to live for many years.

The Blackwood Brothers Quartet appeared in the Pineville area many times over the years and will never forget seeing and hearing the great James Blackwood. The Dixie Echoes used to sing in this area often. It was exciting to see Billy Todd singing for the Dixie Echoes, after seeing him sing on the Gospel Singing Jubilee.

A local radio station in Pineville, Louisiana used to sponsor a huge southern gospel concert every year, but that too has vanished from the scene. The Happy Goodman Family appeared there along with many other southern gospel soloists and groups.

The Kingsmen Quartet once sang in Cheneyville, Louisiana and sang in a school. The windows actually rattled during the concert when the quartet reached a crescendo during the concert.

Ann Downing a southern gospel soloist passing through this area, worked in an unplanned concert at Faith Baptist Church in Pineville and I can still remember her not being too happy, because one of the girls there that night was knitting while she sang.

Louisiana is fortunate to have singers like Mark Lanier, who used to sing with the Bibletones, Perfect Heart and Poet Voices living in Ball, Louisiana and who sings frequently in Louisiana concerts. Mark now sings as a solo artist.

Reasons For Decline 

It is sad to know that southern gospel ministries don’t travel this far south very often. There could be many reasons, why so few ministries travel through Louisiana. The gasoline prices may be a major cause of the decline. It may be that when they do make their way into Louisiana, that the attendance is not that great. Fewer people attending concerts usually is going to mean less sales of CD’s of the artists and anything else they may be selling at the concerts.

The artists are going to naturally gravitate to the venues, which produce the most sales of their products. Southern gospel music is not only a ministry, but it is a business which has to make a profit, to provide a living for the members of any group. They have house notes, utilities and other costs, like the rest of us, so they are not going to continue to appear in less profitable venues.

It would be interesting to hear from anyone that reads this article, to find out if there are valid reasons for leaving Louisiana out of the schedules for most artists.

I think the over-riding reason we don’t see southern gospel artists often in Louisiana is money. Maybe someday the fading star of southern gospel will once again shine brightly.

 

Bill Gaither Homecoming Shows Rejuvenated, Started Careers

Bill and Gloria Gaither will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary and the 21st anniversary of the homecoming series this year.

 

Bill and Gloria Gaither who celebrate their 50th anniversary this year, will also have birthdays next month with Gloria having her 70th birthday on March 4 and Bill observing his 76th birthday on March 28.

 

They were part of the Bill Gaither Trio and they collaborated on writing many well-known songs, in both the contemporary and southern gospel genres including He Touched Me, Because He Lives, The King is Coming and too many other songs to mention them all.

 

Bill and 17 other singers have sung with the Gaither Vocal Band over the years. It was after a Gaither Vocal Band recording session in 1991 that some of the southern gospel greats, who had been recording an album got together to sing as a group and  it was recorded on a video camera.

 

 

Videos Released Yearly Since 1991

 

It would be the first of many homecoming videos, with some being homecoming reunions and some being concerts across the country and also abroad. There were at least two videos released every year starting in 1992.

 

The concerts were very successful as Pollstar which reported more ticket sales for the homecoming concerts, than for such well-known singers as Elton John, Fleetwood Mac and Rod Stewart.

 

 

Southern Gospel, Contemporary Singers Benefited

 

One of the benefits of the video series was that singers like Howard and Vestal Goodman, Jake Hess, J.D. Sumner, Cathedral Quartet, James Blackwood and Ben and Brock Speer, became known to a whole new generation of fans and the exposure had to help in record sales and concert bookings.

 

However, Gaither didn’t just feature the southern gospel greats of the past. He also started the careers of many contemporary singers and groups who were seen in the videos.

 

 

Gospel Greats Dying Over The Years

 

As the years went by homecoming fans begin to notice singers in past videos missing, since they had passed on. This list is of some of the more prominent singers and musicians who have died since the video series started in alphabetical order by first name.

 

Anthony Burger – Died on February 22, 2006 at the age of 44. He was playing “Hear My Song, Lord” on a Gaither cruise, when he collapsed and died 45 minutes later after CPR efforts failed.

 

Bob Cain – Died on August 30, 2000 at the age of 61. Appeared in 10 of the Gaither videos.

 

Brock Speer – Died on May 29, 1999 at the age of 78. I can still remember on one video, that it was announced that Brock Speer had died and the rest of the Speer Family sang together knowing that Brock had just died. It was a very emotional moment to say the least.

 

Danny Gaither – Died April 6, 2001 at the age of 62 dying of lymphoma cancer. He had battled the disease for five years and I will never forget him visiting during a filming and the singers singing When God Is So Near. I think that was his last appearance on the video series before his death. Bill Gaither later paid tribute to his brother, as it showed Danny over the years, as O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go.

 

Doris Akers – Died July 26, 1995 of spinal cancer at the age of 72. She was most well-known for writing Sweet, Sweet, Spirit.

 

Eva Mae LeFevre – Died on May 18, 2009 at the age of 91. She was part of the LeFevres who started the Gospel Singing Caravan in the 60′s televised on Sunday mornings.

 

George Younce – Died April 11, 2005 at the age of 75. He had both heart trouble and was undergoing kidney dialysis. He is remembered for his Should You Go First recitation which he recited, while Beyond the Sunset was being played.

 

Glen Payne – Died on October 15, 1999 at the age of 72 from cancer. I will never forget him singing from a hospital bed in a television hook-up as he appeared at the 1999 National Quartet Convention. He sang I Won’t Have To Cross Jordan Alone and he would die the next month, but he touched a lot of hearts that night he sang from the hospital.

 

Hovie Lister – Died December 28, 2001 at the age of 75. He formed the Statesman Quartet in 1948 and his enthusiastic style of singing and playing the piano was a big part of the success of the quartet.

 

Howard Goodman – Died November 30, 2002 at the age of 81. I can still see him playing Lifeboat on Gospel Singing Jubilee as he pounded the keyboard and raising his hands high in the air before hitting the keys.

 

J.D. Sumner – Died November 16, 1998 at the age of 73 three days before his 74th birthday. He had one of the lowest bass voices in southern gospel history, if not the lowest and once hit a note so low it was two notes lower than the last key on the keyboard. He was with the Blackwood Brothers and sang with Elvis Presley in concerts as part of J.D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet.  He was also a songwriter having written the southern gospel classic The Old Country Church.

 

Jack Toney – Died April 15, 2004 at the age of 73 after a massive heart attack. He was a member of the Statesman Quartet.

 

Jake Hess – Died January 4, 2004 at the age of 76. He had many health problems over the years, but appeared on 38 of the Gaither videos. He was not only known for being a member of the Statesman Quartet, but also for forming the Imperials who backed Elvis Presley on his concert tours. He was a big part of the success of the Gaither videos.

 

James Blackwood – Died February 3, 2002 at the age of 82 from a stroke. He sang with Blackwood Brothers for many years. The highlight of his Gaither video appearances to me, was when he sang the second verse ofSheltered in the Arms of God.Saw James sing many times in person over the years and his vocals will never be forgotten.

 

Jessy Dixon – Died December 26, 2011 at the age of 73 after battling cancer for two years. He appeared in 45 Gaither videos, which was more than any other one performer, except for Bill Gaither himself. My favorite song to hear him sing was Wait Till You See My Brand New Home. His energetic and soulful singing was the reason he was asked to appear on so many of the videos, because he had a likeability factor, that was off the charts.

 

Rex Nelon – Died on January 24, 2000 at the age of 68,  while on tour with the Gaither homecoming series. He appeared in the videos as a member of the Nelons, for whom he sang bass and was also the emcee.

 

Roger Bennett – Died on March 17, 2007 at the age of 48 from leukemia. He had leukemia for the last 12 years of his life and the cancer treatments caused him to have some different forms of cancer. He is best known for being the pianist for the Cathedrals. Then he sang as lead singer during the farewell tour of the Cathedrals, following the death of Glen Payne.

 

Rosie Rozell – Died February 28, 1995 at the age of 56. He only appeared in the Gaither videos in 1995, the same year he died, but he was such a major part of southern gospel music, that he needed to be included in this list. He will never be forgotten for his rendition of Oh What A Savior while singing with the Statesman.

 

Vestal Goodman - Died December 27, 2003 at the age of 74 from influenza. Her husband Howard had preceded her in death by only 13 months having died in November of 2002.  Vestal was a favorite of the homecoming fans and she was as good on her last homecoming video as she was on her first.  Who can forget seeing Vestal holding her trademark handkerchief, while singing with so much emotion? Surprisingly she appeared in 38 homecoming videos but her husband Howard only appeared in 17. I remember well the many times they sat together on the front row, but apparently didn’t notice there were so many videos, in which Howard never made an appearance.

 

Wally Varner – Died on December 28, 2004 from myelofibrosis at the age of 78. He didn’t appear in many of the videos, but he made a lasting impression on the other homecoming friends and the viewers when he played Goodbye World Goodbye, a song tailor-made to showcase his keyboard wizardry and that is exactly what he did.

 

The list of singers appearing in the Gaither videos at the Wikipedia website  is not all-inclusive as I notice that Jimmy Jones who died in 2006 is not included in the list. I can recall him reciting a poem in one of the videos, but not sure what the name of it was.

 

There are other names not on the list like Jay Parrack who sang with Gold City on at least one video, in which he sang In Time, On Time, Everytime.

 

The Gaither homecoming video series has been a source of spiritual encouragement for those who are shut-in. They can watch one of the videos and forget for an hour-and-a-half that they are shut-ins while enjoying the videos.

 

This list shows which singers have appeared in at least 30 of the Gaither homecoming videos:

 

Ben Speer 35

David Phelps 30

Gaither Vocal Band 53

Guy Penrod 37

The Isaacs 37

Ivan Parker 31

Jake Hess 38

Jeff and Sheri Easter 30

Jessy Dixon 45

Joy Gardner 40

Mark Lowry 35

Reggie Smith 30

Stephen Hill 30

Terry Blackwood 31

Vestal Goodman 38

Wesley Pritchard 36

 

Southern gospel fans, artists, promoters, record companies all owe a debt of gratitude to Bill Gaither. I can testify that I personally have been touched by the videos. Then the videos have caused me to buy the albums of the singers shown on the videos  and see the concerts of the singers shown on the videos.

 

This has been a tremendous undertaking on the part of Bill Gaither and his associates. I am sure it isn’t easy to choose who will appear on a particular video. Some well-known artists and groups have never been in the videos. I have never seen the Dixie Echoes in one of the videos. I would have thought they would be shown on at least one of the videos, knowing they are a huge part of the heritage of southern gospel’s earlier days.

 

It has to be a challenge for Bill Gaither to work in new singers, as the older singers are dying. Ben Speer is one of the few of the old-timers remaining.

 

The main thing is to say to Bill Gaither….Thanks for the memories and keep the memories coming in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life and Death of Hank Williams Sr.

Hank Williams Sr. 1923-1953

Hank Williams was born as Hiram King Williams on September 17, 1923 in Mount Olive, Alabama. He changed his name to Hank, since it sounded more like a good name, for a country music singer.

Lillie Williams, his mother would have to raise him, when his father Elonzo was sent to the VA Hospital in Pineville, Louisiana  with a brain aneurysm, where he remained for eight years.

Hank would begin playing the guitar at 8, then first appeared on radio at the age of 13. By the time he was 14 he had formed a band called the Drifting Cowboys.

Roy Acuff once told Williams the dangers of using alcohol, saying “You have a million dollar voice, but a 10 cent brain”.

Began Abusing Alcohol During World War II

World War II would find him working in a Mobile, Alabama shipyard and singing in Montgomery, Alabama. He started abusing alcohol, due to having a congenital spinal disorder, which caused extreme back pain. He would never be able to curb his drinking habit.

It was in 1943 when he met his future wife, Audrey Sheppard.

He was only 23 in 1946, when he signed a songwriting contract with the Acuff-Rose songwriting company. He first hit was Move It On Over recorded on the new MGM record label in 1947. The Grand Ole Opry, which had refused to sign him in 1946 would later sign him in 1949 and he would debut on the Grand Ole Opry stage on June 11,1949, with six encores that night.

Lovesick Blues Was Breakthrough Hit

His big break came in 1949 at the age of 26 when he recorded the 27-year-old song Lovesick Blues, after he had joined the Louisiana Hayride and later would join the Grand Ole Opry.

Williams didn’t know how to read or notate music, yet still had eleven No.1 songs, between 1948 and 1953. Tony Bennett would sing one of his songs, Cold, Cold Heart. 

He would begin recording religious songs, as Luke the Drifter, in case the songs would not be well received.

Audrey, Jett, Hank Jr., Hank Sr.

Divorces Audrey Williams

The back pain of Williams got worse, after Williams fell in a hunting accident. He was now taking morphine and drinking alcohol, because of the pain. His wife Audrey would divorce him in June of 1952, but he would marry Billie Jean Jones, only four months later in October of 1952.

Billie Jean Jones, daughter of Bossier City Police Chief. She widowed Hank Williams Sr. and Johnny Horton.

Two months earlier in August of 1952, Williams was fired by the Grand Ole Opry for habitual drunkenness. He was now not showing up for performances or not singing well, if he did show up.

Health Worsens

Williams was beginning to have heart problems in late 1952. He may have made a critical mistake by contacting a fake doctor who had no real credentials as a doctor as indicated by this paragraph from his Wikipedia biography:

 

He met Horace Raphol “Toby” Marshall in Oklahoma City, who claimed to be a doctor. Marshall had been previously convicted for forgery, and had been paroled and released from the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in 1951. Among other fake titles he claimed to be a Doctor of Science. He purchased the DSC title for $35 from the Chicago School of Applied Science, in the diploma, he requested that the DSC was spelled out as “Doctor of Science and Psychology”. Under the name of Dr. C. W. Lemon he prescribed Williams with amphetamines, Seconal, chloral hydrate, and morphine.^[52] 

 

It would be interesting to know what a real doctor thought, about this cocktail mix of drugs and if these drugs could have sped up the end of his life.

Death Comes In The Morning of January 1, 1953

Hank Williams was supposed to appear in a concert at Charleston, West Virginia on Dec. 31, 1952, but because of an ice storm in Nashville, Tennessee, he was unable to make it there on time. His driver, Charles Carr called ahead to notify management of the auditorium, that they would not be able to make it to Charleston, because of the bad driving conditions.

However, Carr was instructed to drive Williams to Canton, Ohio for a concert on New Year’s Day of 1953. When they arrived in Knoxville, Carr summoned a doctor to the Andrew Johnson Hotel. The doctor injected Williams with two shots of Vitamin B-12, which included some morphine.

Carr proceeded to drive Williams to Bristol, Virginia and asked Williams if wanted something to eat.  Williams told him no, which were probably his last words. Carr then drove on to Oak Hill, West Virginia to refuel, when he realized Williams was dead and notified the local police chief.

The following paragraph describes what the doctor found during the autopsy and what occurred at the Canton, Ohio venue,when the audience was informed that Williams had died en route to Canton.

 

Dr. Ivan Malinin performed the autopsy at the Tyree Funeral House. Malinin found hemorrhages in the heart and neck and pronounced the cause of death as “insufficiency of the right ventricle of the heart.”^[59] That evening, when the announcer at Canton announced Williams’s death to the gathered crowd, they started laughing, thinking that it was just another excuse. After Hawkshaw Hawkins and other performers started singing “I Saw the Light” as a tribute to Williams, the crowd, now realizing that he was indeed dead, sang along.^[60] 

 

 

 

I will never forget the scene in the Your Cheatin’ Heart movie when the audience, was told that Hank had died, then everyone starts singing I Saw The Light. One of the most special moments in any movie ever.

 

Hank Williams died in the backseat of this 1952 Cadillac.

 

His funeral on January 4, 1953 attracted more people, than to any other funeral in the history of Alabama, up to that time. Estimates range as low as 15,000 and high as 25,000 that filed by his silver coffin.

This is a small portion of the funeral service for Hank Williams on January 4, 1952.

It was ironic that one of his best-known hits, Your Cheatin’ Heart hadn’t been released prior to his death, but it would remain No.1 on the country charts for six weeks.

This is the announcement made on WCKY radio telling of the death of Hank Williams, followed by Hank singing I Am Bound For The Promised Land.

Left Musical Legacy

Hank Williams may have only recorded music from 1947-1952, but he left a  lasting imprint among country music fans and will always be remembered by the fans who enjoyed his music in the past. His music will continue to be passed on to future generations, as even today his music is still being sung.

He recorded a lot of gospel songs, as well as country hits. These are just some of his songs:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Williams_discography

If this song I Dreamed About Mama Last Night doesn’t touch the heart of anyone that has lost their mama, something is seriously wrong.

This song Be Careful of Stones That You Throw will make us think twice before we throw stones at others.

Hank Williams may have died 58 years ago at the age of 29. Hank would be 87 if he was still living today. He may not have lived long on this earth, but he brought a lot of happiness to a lot of people through his musical legacy.

He only lived through the terms of four American presidents in his 29 years. We know Hank Williams had his faults, like the rest of us, but as he passed on his music to future generations, we will also pass on his music to those who have never heard his music in the coming years. Thank you Hank for reminding us to see the same light, you saw when you sang I Saw The Light.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prohibition: Died At the Age of 13 in 1933

The pledge signed by many children and adults to abstain from drinking alcoholic beverages.

 

Frances Willard died on February 17, 1898, which was 22 years before the 18th amendment, also known as the Volstead Act went into effect in 1920.

She had a firsthand knowledge of the effects of alcohol, when her brother became an alcoholic in the 1860′s. Willard would be one of the founders of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union in 1874 and then became the president of the worldwide WCTU in 1888.

While concentrating mostly on her fight against the use of alcohol, Willard also became active in the fight against the international drug trading.

Her life came to an end at the age of 58 due to being an influenza victim. However, she had laid the groundwork for both the 18th amendment, which would prohibit the use of alcohol in the United States and the 19th Amendment which also was known as the Women’s Suffrage amendment.

Prohibition Becomes Law

Congress passed the Volstead Act (18th Amendment) on October 28, 1919, over-riding the veto of President Woodrow Wilson. 36 of the 50 states had ratified the 18th Amendment and went into effect on January 17, 1920.

While prohibition was a good idea, it was almost impossible to enforce with 30,000 to 100,000 speakeasies, in New York City in 1925. A speakeasy could be closed in one location, then would pop up in another location, within days of last place being closed.

The amendment was not only not being obeyed, but the U.S. government lost millions of dollars in tax revenue, while the bootleggers were keeping all the money for themselves and the speakeasy owners and patrons also avoided paying any tax.

Al Capone's power was at its heights during Prohibition with him drawing $60 million in alcohol sales in 1927 and bribing politicians with his profits to keep his machine going.

Organized crime saw that Prohibition would be a huge moneymaker for them and would deliver the alcohol and take payments, upon delivery of that alcohol, unless other arrangements had been made, prior to the delivery.

Gangsters like Al Capone saw a chance to take their cut from the illicit alcohol sales. Capone raked in $60 million in alcohol sales in 1927.

Prohibition Turns Citizens Into Criminals

The same citizens that patronize legal bars, now flocked to speakeasies to drink their alcohol, which turned them into criminals. The magnitude of lawbreakers was too much for law enforcement to contend with. Women started drinking in larger numbers, than ever before.

These speakeasy patrons from the Prohibition era don't look too concerned about being raided by law enforcement officials.

We have seen videos of the Roaring 20′s, showing women dancing the Charleston and other dance of that era. Problem is that almost all of those women were violating the 18th amendment, but in the PBS series Prohibition, by Ken Burns, these women didn’t seem to be worried about being caught by law enforcement agencies.

Why Prohibition Didn’t Work

The main reason is that Americans who wanted to drink, found ways to purchase alcohol, whether it be from an individual selling from their home, from a speakeasy where alcohol was readily available and some resorted to making their own alcohol through the moonshining process.

Moonshine stills being destroyed by law enforcement officials.

The failure to prevent organized crime, from becoming involved in sale of bootleg alcohol, may have been one of the major reasons, that bootlegging operations were so successful, despite the bootleggers, sometimes only being neighbors supplying moonshine to their neighbors in rural America.

Joseph Kennedy, the father of President John F. Kennedy and the patriarch of the Kennedy family, has been rumored for years to have gotten rich in the bootlegging industry. Frank Costello of the Mafia even testified that Joseph and him had been partners in the bootlegging industry. However, no concrete evidence of Kennedy being involved in bootlegging, has never been made public.

Law enforcement officials could only pick and choose which speakeasies to close and what moonshine stills to destroy, but the problem was that there were thousands of criminals, violating the 18th amendment and there was not enough jails and prisons, to house all the violators.

Prohibition ended when it was evident that there were millions of Americans, who were going willing to risk, although not a serious risk in most cases, going to jail, rather than stop drinking.

75 Bible References Regarding Drinking

The 75 Bible references from the Signal Press in Evanston, Illinois clearly show that God’s laws prohibit drinking. Here are just a few of them from the tract:

1) Genesis 9:20-26 – Noah became drunk; the result was immorality and family trouble.

3) Leviticus 10:9-11 – God commanded priests not to drink so that they could tell the difference between the holy and the unholy.

6) Deuteronomy 29:5-6 – God gave no grape juice to Israel nor did they have intoxicating drink in the wilderness.

10) 1 Samuel 25:32-38 – Nabal died after a drunken spree.

11) 2 Samuel 11:13 – By getting Uriah drunk, David hoped to cover his sin.

12) 2 Samuel 13:28-29 – Amnon was drunk when he was killed.

13) 1 Kings 16:8-10 – The king was drinking himself into drunkenness when he was assassinated

14) 1 Kings 20:12-21 – Ben-Hadad and 32 other kings were drinking when they were attacked and defeated by the Israelites.

17) Proverbs 4:17 – Alcoholic drink is called the wine of violence.

18) Proverbs 20:1 – Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging.

20) Proverbs 23:21 – Drunkenness causes poverty.

21) Proverbs 23:29-30 – Drinking causes woe, sorrow, fighting, babbling, wounds without cause and red eyes.

22) Proverbs 23:31 – God instructs not to look at intoxicating drinks.

23) Proverbs 23:32 – Alcoholic drinks bite like a serpent, sting like an adder.

24) Proverbs 23:33 – Alcohol causes the drinker to have strange and adulterous thoughts, produces wilfulness, and prevents reformation.

There are too many to list them all, but the entire list can be found at:

http://www.scionofzion.com/drinking.htm

 

 

 

9/11 Remembered 10 Years Later

A second plane prepares to hit the south tower of the World Trade Center while the north tower is already in flames from being hit earlier.

Ten years have passed since Americans felt the impact of terrorism in a way never experienced before. Most of us can recall where we were and what we were doing that Tuesday morning of September 11, 2001.

I had called the mechanic about the progress being made on our car, when he told me to turn on the television and it would stay on the rest of the day. Little did I know how many Americans would lose their lives that day at the hand of  terrorists.

Five Hijackers Board  Flight 11 

The day started in Boston with Mohamed Atta and al-Omari boarding American Airlines Flight 11 at 7:35 AM travelling from Boston to Los Angeles. Five minutes later three more hijackers board the plane. The flight leaves Logan International Airport at 7:59 AM. The first evidence of a hijacking being in progress, was when orders to climb to 35,000 feet were ignored.

Betty Ong, a flight attendant on Flight 11 informs American Airlines that a hijacking is in progress at 8:19 AM. At 8:26 Flight 11 makes a 100 degree turn and is now travelling on a path to New York City.

Three More Planes Boarded By Hijackers

While Flight 11 was en route to New York City, hijackers boarded three more planes. United Airlines Flight 175 departs from Boston and is also originally headed for Los Angeles leaving at 8:14 AM with five hijackers aboard the flight.  Six minutes later a third plane, American Airlines Flight 77 would leave Dulles International Airport in Washington for Los Angeles at 8:20 AM with five hijackers aboard.

At 8:42 AM the fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93  would depart from Newark International Airport with a original destination of San Francisco, with four hijackers aboard.

Flight 11 Hits North Tower

Two F-15′s were scrambled from Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts to intercept Flight 11, but seconds later at 8:46 the plane hit the north tower at 446 MPH and loaded with fuel since it was headed to Los Angeles.

The impact of the plane and the burning fuel knocked three stairwells out, leaving those in the floors above hopelessly trapped with no way out.

As many as 250 or as few as 100 people jumped to their deaths, rather than being caught in the fiery inferno inside the burning building.

CNN is the first national network to break the story on the plane hitting the World Trade Center at 8:49 AM. Carol Lin the CNN anchor made this announcement:

This just in. You are looking at obviously a very disturbing live shot there. That is the World Trade Center, and we have unconfirmed reports this morning that a plane has crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center. CNN Centerright now is just beginning to work on this story, obviously calling our sources and trying to figure out exactly what happened, but clearly something relatively devastating happening this morning there on the south end of the island of Manhattan. That is once again, a picture of one of the towers of the World Trade Center.

President Bush is appraised of the situation while visiting Emma E. Booker Elementary School, in Sarasota, Florida at 8:55 AM. This was before the second tower had been hit. He was probably told of the other flights still in the air that were being hijacked. However, presidential advisor Karl Rove told the president that the airplane was a small twin engine aircraft.

Calls like this which was made at 9:00 AM would be one of many, made by passengers to their loved ones that day:

9:00: Lee Hanson receives a second call from his son Peter, aboard Flight 175: “It’s getting bad, Dad. A stewardess was stabbed. They seem to have knives and Mace. They said they have a bomb. It’s getting very bad on the plane. Passengers are throwing up and getting sick. The plane is making jerky movements. I don’t think the pilot is flying the plane. I think we are going down. I think they intend to go to Chicago or someplace and fly into a building. Don’t worry, Dad. If it happens, it’ll be very fast. My God, my God.” The call ends abruptly, as Lee Hanson hears a woman scream.^[6]

At 9:02 Flight 175 hits the south tower at a speed of 590 miles per hour. The plane’s impact caused parts of the plane to fall to the ground, as many as six blocks away.

The president enters a classroom to read The Pet Goat, when Chief of Staff, Andrew Card informs him of a second building being hit at 9:05.

Osama bin Laden is mentioned as a probable suspect in a CBS News report at 9:17 AM. At 9:26 AM all civilian planes are forbidden to take off by the FAA.

Hijackers Take Over Flight 93

Flight controllers in Cleveland hear the Flight 93 cockpit being taken over by hijackers at 9:28. The tower supervisor at Reagan International Airport discloses to the Secret Service at the White House that a plane is heading their way and is not talking to the tower at 9:33 AM. A minute later the tower would call the Secret Service again, to inform them that the plane was now headed to the airport.

At 9:37 AM Flight 77 crashes into the western side of the Pentagon building killing 64 passengers and 125 Pentagon personnel.

Three of the hijacked planes had hit their targets from 8:46 when the first plane hit the north tower of the World Trade Center to the Pentagon building being hit at 9:37.

Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania after passengers fought with hijackers.

Attention Focuses On Flight 93

With Flight 93 being the only one of the hijacked planes still in the air, its flight path was being watched closely. The gravity of the situation is shown by the White House and Capitol building being evacuated at 9:43 AM.

The following intelligence was gathered that made it almost a certainty that Osama bin Laden was behind the attacks:

9:52: The National Security Agency intercepts a phone call between a known associate of Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan and someone in the Republic of Georgia, announcing that he had heard “good news”, and that another target was still to be hit.^[17]

President Boards Air Force One

President George Bush leaves Sarasota-Bradenton Airport for an undisclosed location. With the uncertainty of not knowing what other attacks may be planned, it may have been best for the president to be in the air when his plane took off at 9:57 AM. Two minutes later at 9:59 AM the south tower collapses in New York City.

Meanwhile, the passenger revolt began on Flight 93 at 9:59 AM. The passengers now knew that their plane was going to be the next plane used to hit a building, so decided to rush the cockpit and gain control of the plane.

Flight 93 would crash at 10:03 apparently because of the fighting in the cockpit, between the passengers and hijackers. The flight crashed 80 miles southeast of Pittsburgh in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

We may never know for sure, what the target of Flight 93 was but it probably would have been either the Capitol building or the White House.

People fleeing from the collapse of one of the Twin Towers in New York City.

The north Tower collapsed at 10:28 AM 29 minutes after the south tower collapsed, even though the north tower had been hit 18 minutes, before the south tower had been hit.

The president arrives at Barksdale Air Force in Shreveport, Louisiana at 1:04 PM. He says in a statement, that the United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for the attacks.

President Bush lands at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska at 2:50 PM  and departs at 4:36 PM.

At 5:30 PM a third building the 7 World Trade Center would collapse. It was a 47 story structure.

The president lands at the White House at 6:54 PM.

The aftermath of 9/11

United States citizens were in a state of shock after the events of September 9, 2011. Churches noticed a surge in attendance immediately. Senior Pastor Ed Young of Fellowship Church in Dallas, Texas has this to say about the increased attendance:

“After 9/11 we had 20-some odd thousand people show up,” said Senior Pastor Ed Young. “The largest crowd in the history of Fellowship Church and when I walked on stage I looked around and said, ‘Where have you guys been? It takes something like this for you to show up to church?’”

But the pews were soon a bit roomier.

“I was disappointed somewhat that more didn’t stick because we dropped to 16 or 17 thousand the next weekend and then the weekend after that to about 14,500,” he said.

Young goes on further to say:

Young attributes the initial attendance spike to human nature. “I think when we are riddled with fear, when things fall apart around us especially when we are struck at the heart of who we are, people suddenly respond and they’re turning to God and asking those deep questions in an even deeper way,” he said.

“When things are going bad we want to turn to God and want to get right with him and we want to attend to church,” Young said. “When things level out we tend to forget the most important things and drift away.”

Survivors covered with dust walk away from the scene of 9/11 destruction.

Many Heroes on 9/11

There are no words to express thanks to the New York Fire Department and Police Department sufficiently for those that gave their lives that day trying to save others.

While others were rushing to safety down the stairs of the Twin Tower buildings, they were rushing up the stairs facing almost certain death. They may not have known it at the time, since the buildings were not expected to collapse.

Still they climbed up stairwell after stairwell to do what they could to save lives. Many personnel in the FDNY and NYPD died on 9/11 putting others ahead of their own personal safety, while jeopardizing their own lives.

Then after the buildings fell, the fire personnel began the slow agonizing process, of trying to find survivors, under the rubble of the World Trade Center.

Flight 93 Heroes

The passengers on Flight 93 who fought with the hijackers will always be regarded as heroes, since they may have died, but succeeded in preventing the plane from hitting the Capitol or White House, which were likely the next target of the hijackers.

They already knew what had happened with the other hijacked planes hitting buildings in New York City and Washington, D.C. They gave their lives knowing the odds were against them, but still made a charge at the cockpit to force the hijackers to lose control of the plane and crash.

Casualties of 9/11

2,606 died in World Trade Center connected deaths and 125 more died at the Pentagon crash site. 246 passengers died on the hijacked planes for a total of 2,977 deaths on 9/11. This is not an accurate count since we may never know how many died at the World Trade Center.

The New York Fire Department lost 341 personnel and 2 paramedics. The New York Police Department lost 23 officers on 9/11.

Thoughts on 9/11

When I think of 9/11 I think of those people jumping to a certain death, the families and friends that knew their loved ones were in the building and wondering if they would ever see them again. I think of fire personnel running up the stairs with many pounds of equipment as they saw those fleeing to safety coming down the stairs.

I think of the friends and families talking to their loved ones on the ill-fated flights that would lead to their deaths. The ones in the buildings and planes telling their loved ones that they loved them one last time.

I think of the ones that called in sick or were late to work that day at the World Trade Center and the ones who might have been called in to work on their day off.

I think of how many more lives would have been lost if the planes had hit in the middle of the buildings instead of toward the top, which would have sealed off 40 or 50 floors, preventing any chance to escape.

I think of those fleeing the scene when the buildings begin to collapse, looking back at huge clouds of billowing smoke. I think of the eerie scene after the buildings collapsed turning that part of downtown to into a dusty scene one thinks of in a disaster movie.

I think of those who suddenly turned to God in fear of what might be next, then think of those who returned back to their lives of making God second place in their hearts, once they thought they were safe again.

Osama bin Laden Won’t Be Around For 10th Memorial of 9/11

Thankfully, Osama bin Laden won’t be around to gloat 10 years after 9/11. He is the main reason 9/11 happened so I had no sympathy for him when he met a violent death himself, but even that can’t bring back the fathers, mothers, daughters and sons who were killed on September 11, 2001.

God bless America!!!

American Idol: Final Three Not What We Expected

Earlier in the season, before Pia Toscano was sent home, it looked like the final three would be comprised of Pia, James Durbin and possibly Casey Abrams.

Instead we have a final three of Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina Suddeth and Haley Reinhart. Scotty is not too much of a surprise since he was safe most weeks. Lauren was safe most of the season too, but I think it is safe to say nobody considered the best singer on the show, except for her most ardent fans.

Haley lived in the bottom three most of the season and very few fans of the show, thought she would have a chance to be in the final two, but that is where she is after the shocking departure of James Durbin last night.

It was almost a given that James and Pia would be in the final two, but when Pia was the fifth contestant to leave the show, it appeared that James and Casey or possibly Scotty would be in the final two.

I am a Haley Reinhart fan, so you can take this for what it is worth, but to me she is the most talented of the three remaining singers. If she leaves next Thursday night, then we will probably have the youngest pair ever in the final two since Scotty won’t be 18 till October and Lauren won’t be 17 till November.

Haley has to be the favorite because of her age and experience and has been singing for many years. She has sang in jazz bands, sang in her own band, Haley and the Rastitudes and has sang in many venues over the years.

You can find Haley singing in many You Tube videos before she was ever on American Idol.

If a voter goes strictly by talent, Haley will be the winner. However, the most talented doesn’t always win the American Idol as Adam Lambert found out two years ago.

Some of the American Idols have won because of their huge popularity. Taylor Hicks has been one of the worst Idols ever when it comes to record sales, but because he was very likeable and popular he became an American Idol.

This is where Lauren comes in. She is talented, but not on the level of Haley or Scotty. Yet she may be the next American Idol, because her fans are voting for her in huge numbers. Even when the judges were talking negatively about her, she continued to stay out of the bottom three.

There is no doubt that Lauren is the most likable contestant this year. Voters like that she is just being herself and not pretending to be the greatest singer on the show. I am not sure she would sell as many albums as Haley or Scotty. 

Scotty will probably sell more albums than either Haley or Lauren. His best chance to win would be if Lauren leaves next week, so he won’t have to split the country music vote on finale night.

I want Haley to win, but have a feeling she could only win against Lauren. Her attitude problems with the judges could come back to haunt her. Many of the commenters on the blogs say they will not vote for her because of her attitude, so that could be a huge factor in whether she wins or not.

It will be fun to see how all of this unravels in the next two weeks. With only 13 days remaining before finale night the tension is starting to build for the last three contestants and millions of American Idol fans.

American Idol: Did Randy Jackson and Jennifer Lopez Set Up Haley Reinhart To Be Sent Home Tonight?

I couldn’t help but think that Randy Jackson and Jennifer Lopez may have set up Haley Reinhart so she will leave the show tonight.

It seems like Haley has received more than her share of criticism this season. She was the only one last night to receive negative comments from the judges. With eight songs and three comments per song Haley received the two  negative comments out of 24 comments by the judges.

It was almost like the judges knew Haley would be upset enough to show some attitude, knowing that could speed her exit off the show tonight.

Many commenters about Haley on American Idol blogs say they won’t vote for her because of her attitude. The judges put her in that situation. Haley is not like some contestants that will keep smiling while being trashed by the judges.

If Haley goes home tonight, no need for Randy and Jennifer to act surprised, because they knew what they were doing. They angered Haley enough to force her to have an attitude and now the voters are apparently posed to use that attitude against her. I could tell it meant a lot to Haley to have Steven Tyler go against Randy and Jennifer to say Haley sang well. This is one of the few times this season that one judge has disagreed with another judge or judges.

As far as I know, they have never made a negative comment about James Durbin. It was the same way during Season 8 for Adam Lambert, who received raves from the judges week after week.

LOPEZ WANTING SCOTTY TO KEEP COMING UP WITH SOMETHING NEW

I couldn’t believe it when Jennifer Lopez told Scotty McCreery that he needed to keep coming up with new way of singing. Scotty has already proved he can sing country and any other genre he has been asked to sing this year. He needs to be let alone, since he has already shown he can sing slow songs, plus he has excelled at singing up tempo songs. He doesn’t need to change anything.

IOVINE STAYED IN BACKGROUND

The American Idol mentor Jimmy Iovine, seemed to refrain from telling singers what to sing last night. After Jacob Lusk told the media that Iovine was intimidating into singing songs he didn’t sing, the producers must have told him to back off and let the singers pick their own songs. He may have been the one who told Haley to sing the Lady Gaga song which Haley apparently didn’t want to sing. Then when she sings it, she got trashed by the judges for singing it.

LADY GAGA FREAKED OUT CONTESTANTS

It was easy to tell the contestants were freaked out by Lady Gaga especially Scotty, who was told to make love to his microphone.

However, I do think she gave some helpful advice when it came to delivering songs with intensity. All four contestants seemed to have some extra intensity when singing the songs of Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller. If not for Lady Gaga telling Haley to show in her face what she was feeling from the song I Who Have Nothing the song would have had a lot less impact.

Lauren Alaina Suddeth showed that she deserved to be in the final four last night. I have heard Trouble sang in the past and she sang it as well as anyone plus the lyrics were changed a little by the arrangement in the last part of the song, but she handled it well.

NO CLEAR WINNER

There is no clear winner for Season 10 at this point. It would not surprise me to see any of the remaining four contestants become the next American Idol.

Scotty and James have been solid all season long, while Haley has been close to going home most of the season, but is peaking at the right time, if the judges didn’t ruin her chances of winning last night.

Lauren had avoided the bottom two or three until being in the bottom two last week. She had trouble adjusting to being in that situation after being sent to safety so many times in the weeks before. If Pia Toscano was still in the competition, Lauren or Haley or possibly both would be gone at this stage of the competition.

There is no remaining contestant that I would root against, since they all belong in the final four. Sadly, someone has to go home tonight.

Don’t be surprised if Haley sings her farewell song after being voted off the show. I don’t think she will be hugging Randy or Jennifer if she does leave since they put her in the position to be voted off.

The poll question asks if Randy and Jennifer hurt Haley’s chances of winning American Idol last night.

Peggy Lee: Class By Herself

Peggy Lee may have died nine years ago but her music lives on since she left behind her musical legacy to be treasured for years to come.

There have been many great female singers since the 30′s but the best in my book is Peggy Lee. She not only has a great voice, but you connect emotionally with her when she sings.

You can actually picture the folks who live on the hill in the song by the same name and who can forget Peggy singing Is That All There Is about the many disappointments in life.

The mark of a great  singer is if they can transfer the emotions they are feeling in the song they are singing to the listener and none was better at that than Peggy Lee.

She lost her mother at the age of four and had a wicked stepmother that abused her. So when you hear her singing with so much emotion, it is because she has known life at its worst and its best.

Peggy Lee singing You Was Right Baby.

Peggy Lee may be gone, but she will never be forgotten.

Reese Witherspoon is slated to portray Peggy Lee in a biopic that we hope will be in theaters in the next year or two.

Common Courtesy On The Way Out?

Common courtesy seems to be on the way out for the most part, in the United States, as people look out for themselves first, with little regard for others.

BREAKING IN LINE

It is not uncommon to be standing in a long line today and see someone break into the line, near the front of the line. That behavior shows they have no respect for those that have been waiting in line long before they arrived.

CELL PHONES BEING USED BY CLERKS AND CUSTOMERS

Cell phones come in handy, but they also can be used at times when they shouldn’t be used. I have seen someone trying to conduct a conversation with someone on their phone, while ordering food at a fast food place, which is disrespectful to the clerk taking the order.

On the other hand, I have seen fast food clerks talking on the phone, while ignoring someone waiting to place to place their order.

I talked to a Popeye’s Fried Chicken manager who says he has fired a lot of employees because of cell phones. He now takes their cell phones and puts them away when employees start their workday. Some employees would know where they were being stored and try to make calls.

He said one employee gave him a phone that was not working, while keeping their active phone. So dealing with cell phones is another problem, office managers have to deal with today.

ROAD RAGE

I remember when two church members were driving home from church in Pineville, Louisiana, when one of them cut the other off in traffic, probably unintentionally.

The other driver was so infuriated that he followed the one who had cut him off, till the other driver stopped at a convenience store and the one who was so mad shot and killed the other driver in front of his children.

Now the children of the murdered man will never see their father alive again, plus the killer will spend many years in prison, because he couldn’t control his emotions and couldn’t be courteous enough to realize it may not have even been intentional.

COMPLAINTS AT CASH REGISTER HOLDING UP LINE

I think everyone has at some place in time has been in a checkout line, when the customer at the front of the line complains about something, then asks to speak to the manager. While all this is going on, the line behind them gets longer.

The one complaining is so wrapped up in their complaining that they totally disregard all the people standing in line waiting to checkout.

COUPONERS BUYING LAST ITEMS ON SHELF

I have noticed on the Extreme Couponing show on TLC, that the couponers will empty display containers into their grocery basket. For instance one couponer bought 300 toothbrushes and dumped a whole basket of deodorant into his grocery basket.

It isn’t very considerate to take the last items, then leave the next customer with no remaining items, forcing them to go to another store, if they were out of that item at home.

UNCARING OFFICE CLERKS

I have called a particular law office in Alexandria, Louisiana which will go unnamed, finding it impossible to talk to a live person. It was frustrating being sent to voicemail, then to never have the call returned.

It is tiring to not be able to have a simple question answered because a human being in the office will not answer your question. Even when going to the office, it wasn’t easy getting a question answered, but someone will eventually answer the question to get me out of their office.

DISCOURTEOUS SALES PEOPLE ON PHONE

I don’t know how many times a salesperson called on the telephone, that refused to take no for the answer. They will do everything in their power to make a sale, so won’t let you off the hook. They have an answer for whatever reason you give for not buying their product.

Sometimes you just have to politely tell them you are not interested, then hang up once you can tell they are not going to take no for an answer.

Common courtesy will never go completely out of style, because some people have been raised to be courteous and will treat others with respect regardless.

How Former American Idols Are Selling at Amazon.com

We may see several American Idols from Season 10 making albums. That doesn’t mean those albums will sell well as this list of former American Idols and their current ranking among all music sales at Amazon.com shows:

Lee DeWyze – Live it Up – November, 2010 – 857th in sales

Crystal Bowersox – Farmer’s Daughter – December 2010 – 32nd in sales

Kimberly Caldwell – No Regret – April 2011 – 625th in sales

Danny Gokey: Danny Gokey: My Best Days – March 2010 – 2.216th in sales

Allison Areheta – Allison Areheta: Just Like You – December 2009 – 9,369th in sales

Jason Castro – Jason Castro – April 2010 – 4,641st in sales

Kris Allen – Kris Allen – November 2009 – 6,358th in sales

Constantine Maroulis – Constantine – August 2007 – 48,975th in sales

Adam Lambert – Adam Lambert: Glam Nation Live -  March 2011 – 130th in sales

David Cook – David Cook – November 2008 – 1,115th in sales

Melinda Doolittle – Coming Back to You – February 2009 – 7,938th in sales

Brooke White – High Hopes and Heartbreak – July 2009 – 20,620th in sales

Katherine McPhee – Unbroken – January 2010 – 18,743rd in sales

Chris Daughtry – Leave This Town – July 2009 – 1.094th in sales

Paris Bennett – Princess P – May 2007 – 95,703rd in sales

Taylor Hicks – Taylor Hicks – 2006 (no month shown) – 324,392nd in sales

Ruben Studdard – Soulful – December 2003 – 99,525th in sales

Blake Lewis – Heartbreak on Vinyl – October 2009 – 90,540th in sales

David Archuleta – The Other Side of Down – October 2010 – 7,791st in sales

Carrie Underwood – Some Hearts – November 2005 – 468th in sales (which is amazing considering it was released about 5 1/2 years ago.)

Kellie Pickler – Kellie Pickler – September 2008 – 14,943rd in sales

Kelly Clarkson – All I Ever Wanted – March 2009 – 1,842nd in sales

There were too many American Idols to include them all in the list. This list shows being the American Idol doesn’t always translate into album sales as Taylor Hicks has found out. He may have sold the least albums of any American Idol, but I look for Kris Allen and Lee DeWyze to also have trouble selling their albums.

So when Ryan Seacrest announces the winner of Season 10 next month, don’t feel too bad for the runner-up as they may outsell the winner.

Nostalgic Memories From the Past

These are just some of my memories of the good old days:

When the  ice man brought ice to place in your icebox.

When milkmen brought your milk to the house with cream at the top of the bottles.

When attic fans were the only way of getting any air in a house.

When we would walk on the Murray Street Bridge and see the Red River below, when there were missing slats.

When we were hot and didn’t think about it being hot because it was all we knew since nobody had air conditioners then.

When television shows didn’t come on  till 3:30 PM.  Howdy Doody and Pinky Lee started the telecast day on KALB-TV in Alexandria, Louisiana in the 50′s.

When we listened to old time radio shows like Dragnet and Breakfast Club on the radio, while my mom listened to her soap operas like Just Plain Bill, Stella Dallas, Lorenzo Jones and Guiding Light.

When people would go to local appliance store at night and watch television through the display window at Jimmie Walker’s Appliances on Main Street in Pineville.

When we would come home from school and watch our cowboy heroes in action.

When nativity scenes could be seen in public places before ACLU raised such a fuss, that you can’t find one in a mall today.

When stores like Penneys, Sears and Montgomery Ward were located in free standing stores, before the advent of the shopping centers and malls.

When kids would trick or treat until 10PM at night, filling grocery bags full of candy, with no special Halloween bags.

When families went to drive-in movies together, while teenagers would sneak a extra kid in the trunk, to avoid paying for them.

When theatergoers would throw tomatoes at the movie screen if they were upset with a bad movie.

When Larry McHale of KALB – TV was advertising cigarettes and started coughing, but regrouped and said “Just thinking of those other brands makes me cough.”

When eating TV dinners were more popular than fast food.

When McDonald’s had 15 cent hamburgers.

When you could get a haircut for less than a dollar.

When it cost a dime to see a movie.

When it cost a dime for a school lunch in 1950 at Pineville Elementary in Pineville, Louisiana.

When kids collected baseball cards and put them in bicycle spokes.

When families would go on picnics at the city park, letting the kids play on the playground equipment.

When going to stores we would see white and colored water fountains. One black man tried both kinds and said they tasted the same.

When we watched No Time For Sergeants three times in a row at the movie theater. (One of the funniest movies ever, with Don Knotts being a dexterity expert, that became discombobulated by Andy Griffith’s character.)

When we used to drink Hawaiian Punch and Delaware Punch.

When we used to pay a nickel for a 6 ounce coke out of a machine. Now they charge over a $1.50 for a 20 ounce coke, when in the old days a 24 ounce coke would cost 20 cents.

When we walked a mile to school everyday for the entire 12 years of elementary and high school.

When there was no middle school back in the 50′s.

When Gov. Earl K. Long of Louisiana gave free chickens to voters during a gubneratorial election.

When going fishing meant taking a cane pole and not a expensive rod and reel.

When I bought a $6.50 Nokona baseball glove for $6.00 when the hardware store owner found out I didn’t have enough money to pay the full price.

When we celebrated Christmas by running around with sparklers.

When we would see the miniature church on the city square in Alexandria every Christmas.

When Christmas music was played downtown during the Christmas season.

When we used to play marbles in school.

When playing with a yo-yo was cool.

When hula hoops were the hot fad.

When high school kids rode bikes to school instead of driving cars.

When familes went to church together.

When families actually ate dinner together at a table, instead of in front of the television.

When kids made money by delivering newspapers on bicycle.

When we drank grapefruit juice at breakfast even though we didn’t like it.

When we ate Wheat Chex at breakfast even though we didn’t like it.

When we used to get excited about another school year starting.

When we went to special Christmas Eve services on a cold night in December and watching Christmas movies on television when we got home.

When we had a train set over our bed as a kid.

When we took a trip in 1957 and saw the Howard Johnson restaurants with the orange roofs.

When we got together as a family to hear mother read from the Bible.

When we used to listen to records on the record player.

When homemade ice cream was better than any ice cream bought in a store.

When pizza was delivered to the house the first time.

When mom and pop stores went out of business because of Wal-Mart.

When there used to be neighborhood groceries scattered around in residential neighborhoods.

Yes, those truly were the good old days.

Old Time Radio Poll

The last old time radio show aired on September 30,1962. Next year marks the 50th anniversary of Suspense and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar being the last old time radio shows to be broadcast.

The poll today breaks down by age groups of people who have heard old time radio shows either live from 1920′s till September 30, 1962 or media such as MP3 CD’s and downloads:

What Year Did McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Etc. Start?

It is interesting to look up when a certain fast food company first started, plus how many years they have been in business. This list will make it easier to find out when each of these companies started:

A&W Root Beer Stands………………………..1921 – 90 years

Arby’s…………………………………………………1964 – 47 years

Blimpie’s…………………………………………….1964 – 47 years

Bojangle’s……………………………………………1977 – 34 years

Burger King………………………………………..1953 – 58 years

Captain D’s………………………………………….1969 – 42 years

Checkers…………………………………………….1986 – 25 years

Chick – Fil – A………………………………………1946 – 65 years

Church’s Chicken……………………………….1952 – 59 years

Dairy Queen………………………………………..1940 – 71 years

Dunkin’ Donuts…………………………………..1950 – 61 years

Hardee’s………………………………………………1960 – 51 years

Kentucky Fried Chicken……………………..1952 – 59 years

Krispy Kreme………………………………………1937 – 74 years

McDonald”s…………………………………………1940 – 71 years

Popeye’s………………………………………………1972 – 39 years

Quizno’s………………………………………………1975 – 36 years

Sonic Drive In……………………………………..1953 – 58 years

Subway………………………………………………..1965 – 46 years

Taco Bell……………………………………………..1962 – 49 years

Wendy’s……………………………………………….1969 – 42 years

Whataburger……………………………………….1950 – 61 years

It is surprising that no company on the list was founded less than 25 years ago. The oldest company on the list is A&W Root Beer which started 90 years ago in 1921.

I was very surprised that Sonic Drive In had been in business for 58 years, since I had never heard of Sonic till they moved into central Louisiana.

The newest company on the list is Checkers which was founded in 1986 and celebrating their 25th anniversary this year.

 

 

 

9 Year Old Tells Bible History in Nutshell

Nine year old Davis Burton tells what he learned after studying the Bible for a year and recaps in eight minutes some of the key events in the Bible.

It is amazing that he is able to relate what he learned, at such a young age, about the Bible. It also speaks highly of his comprehension of the Bible. His teachers had to teach him very well for him to remember Biblical events so well.

The following article tells more about Davis who attends the Pleasant Valley Church of Christ in Little Rock Arkansas:

http://www.christianchronicle.org/blog/2011/01/video-9-year-old-recaps-what-hes-learned-reading-the-bible/

Favorite Southern Gospel Song: The Lighthouse

Kenny Hinson and the Hinsons sing The Lighthouse in a concert before his death.

There have been many great southern gospel songs written and sung in the history of southern gospel music but the song that is my personal favorite is The Lighthouse sung by the Hinsons.

This song is southern gospel music at its best and when the rest of the Hinsons join in with Kenny for the chorus it gets even better. Then the crowd joins in at the end to sing the chorus.

Mickey Rooney Testifies in Washington

Mickey Rooney testified before Congress about senior abuse and his passionate testimony told of how he personally has been abused himself.

From the news reports I have read, there has been no mention of him naming his son-in-law Chris Aber as the one who abused him but Aber is under a restraining order preventing him from being in close proximity to Rooney.

Aber’s attorney John O’Meara has stated that these charges of abuse are untrue. However he is saying that more than likely on his talks with Aber who isn’t going to say he abused Rooney. Therefore, O’Meara’s statement can be taken with a grain of salt.

I can’t believe Rooney would go before Congress making up a story about his son-in-law. I am sure Rooney’s testimony will be backed up in a court of  law soon.

http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/02/6173269-mickey-rooney-gives-passionate-testimony-before-congress

Mickey Rooney testifying before Congress as he tells how senior abuse left him with no control over his life.

After seeing his testimony it makes me feel terrible knowing that man who entertained us for about 70 years wasn’t enjoying his golden years because a family member allegedly has taken away control of his life leaving him a helpless 90 year old man.

He may have been Andy Hardy to us for many years back in the 30′s and 40′s but today he is a man reduced to nothingness because of senior abuse.

May God grant Mickey Rooney and others like him a peaceful life in the years remaining for them on earth. It is not asking much to be treated with respect and love because that is all Rooney and the other victims of abuse are asking for.

The Duggars: 19 Kids and Counting

The Duggar family can be seen on 19 Kids and Counting on the TLC network.

 

On July 21, 1984 Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar were married. 27 years later they have 19 children. They didn’t want to have children until 1988 but they lost the first baby due to a miscarriage.

Both Jim and Michelle are successful real estate agents. They built a 7,000 square foot house to accomodate the children. Amazingly they built it debt free which has helped them afford to raise the kids without a huge house note.

Even then, it has to be a huge expense to feed and buy clothes for so many children. It is difficult to comprehend how they can afford the expenses connected with raising children today plus pay the huge utility bills for a 7,000 square foot house.

They do buy used merchandise to save money, shopping at thrift stores.

Besides the financial expense, raising that many young children has to be extremely tiring even though some of the older children assist in the care of their younger brothers and sisters.

It is easy to criticize them for having so many children to raise considering if anything were to happen to the mother and/or father the state and federal government would probably have to spend large sums of money to support them.

So far, I have never seen an episode in which they discussed money problems but not saying that hasn’t happened.

One episode showed Michelle demanding that one of the children look her in the eyes when she was speaking to them. That way she had the undivided attention of that child. We can all learn from the way they raise their children.

The logistics involved in preparing meals for that many children has to be overwhelming but with a schedule for each activity of the day they make good use of their time.

They have raised their children well. If they hadn’t Supernanny would have found out she wasn’t so super if she had 19 misbehaving kids to teach how to behave.

I have the utmost respect for Jim and Michelle Duggar. They have succeeded in raising their kids with Christian values.

May God bless their family as the children grow into adults in the coming years.

Jane Russell Dies at 89

Jane Russell has died at the age of 89 at home in Santa Maria, California of respiratory failure.

Jane Russell has died at the age of 89 with her family beside her in Santa Maria, California. The actress who was discovered by Howard Hughes when she was 19 and working in a doctor’s office. Hughes would cast her in The Outlaw in her first movie appearance.  She appeared in nineteen movies between 1943 and 1957. She would only appear in four more movies, with her last movie appearance coming in 1970 in Darker Than Amber. She was 49 the year her last movie was filmed.

Russell was born in Bemidji, Minnesota on June 21, 1921. Her family moved back to United States from Canada so she would be born a U.S. citizen.

She co-starred with Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in 1953. Then in 1955 she received top billing in Gentlemen Marry Brunettes.

Television appearances were few and far between for Russell as she appeared in only seven television appearances with her last appearance being in a 1986. She hadn’t acted in movies or television in the last 25 years of her life.

Russell  would pursue a singing career that started in 1947 but she was more famous for her movie career. She did have a very listenable voice which was very soft. She was part of this singing group that included big band singer Connie Haines and actress Rhonda Fleming:

Jane Russell singing One For My Baby.

Allmusic.com has short  clips of many of her songs:

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/jane-russell-p443225/songs

While going to church she became involved in singing with a group that included big band singer Connie Haines and would later include Rhonda Fleming another famous Hollywood actress.

Her first husband Bob Waterfield was a football player who won the Heisman Trophy and would later play quarterback in the NFL for the Cleveland Rams and Los Angeles Rams. He would be inducted later into the NFL Football Hall of Fame. Their marriage lasted twenty four years.

Roger Barrett an actor was her next husband but died only three months after their wedding. She next married John Peoples in 1974 and they would be married till his death in 1999.

Russell battled a drinking problem that got worse after his death but eventually conquered alcoholism and she had this to say about her reliance on God in the last paragraph of her New York Times obituary:

A higher power was always there, she wrote, “telling me that if I could just hold tough a little longer, I’d find myself around one more dark corner, see one more spot of light and have one more drop of pure joy in this journey called life.”

Archive.org: Great Multimedia Website

Archive.org will keep a reader entertained for hours.

Archive.org is probably the best source for audio and video online this side of YouTube.  The home page for the website as I write this article has a link to an audio version of a Grateful Dead concert at Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum at New Haven, Connecticut on May 11, 1981.

The concert is only one of 803,305 audio recordings at the website.  There are 2,214 old time radio related links to old time radio shows and magazines that were printed during the height of the popularity of old time radio.

One Roy Rogers episode has been downloaded 74,882 times showing that the website is available for downloading many of the old time radio shows we grew up with.

Old time radio fans will love looking at list after list of old time radio shows available for downloading including some of the more obscure shows which have very few episodes in existence.

The live music archive features 88,813 archives while the moving image archives total 451,934.

Avid readers will enjoy knowing that there are 2.694,639 texts including books and ebooks. The new Bookreader at the site includes Origin of the Species by Charles Darwin and is the example shown of how the Bookreader works.

http://blog.archive.org/2010/12/10/2685/

There is an audio version of some books but the one I listened to was not of the best quality and seemed to be a computer generated voice which probably would be tiring to listen to for an entire book.

Most readers may not enjoy the voice and instead opt to read the books without sound. For those that like the audio they should enjoy the feature that highlights the portion of the book being read by the voice.

The Mega Reader iPhone app provides access to the 1.8 million free books at archive.org so they each iPhone user can have their own personal reader.

Each volume of the Warren Report investigation of the assassination of  President John F. Kennedy is available to read.

The site is an excellent source of reading material for educators and students who are looking for books that are no longer copyrighted.

One word of caution: it could take hours just to look at what is available at archive.org. This website may have the most content of any website online and is worth going to the website to see for yourself what is available.

http://www.archive.org/

Charlie Louvin Dies at 83

Grand Ole Opry member Charlie Louvin has died at 83.

Charlie Louvin longtime member of the Grand Ole Opry died at 83 at his home in Wartrace, Tennessee on January 26 from complications due to pancreatic cancer.

Louvin teamed with his brother Ira to form the Louvin Brothers and  sing gospel music but they later switched to secular music and would become part of the Grand Ole Opry in 1955. The Louvin Brothers broke up in 1963. They were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001 but Ira was admitted posthumously having been killed by a drunken driver in 1965.

Charlie was still a member of the Grand Ole Opry at the time of his death having been a Grand Ole Opry member for 56 years.

Charlie Louvin singing Just Between the Two of Us.

The world of country music has lost another pioneer that I grew up listening to. Charlie still sang for 46 years after the death of his brother. Both the Louvin Brothers have died and the following obituary in the N.Y. Times tells how much Emmy Lou Harris enjoyed listening to their music and gives more information about his life and death.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/27/arts/music/27louvin.html

Martina McBride: O Holy Night (Acapella)

Martina McBride singing O Holy Night using her voice as a musical instrument showing you don’t need music when singing with her great voice.

Connie Smith, Martina McBride: Once a Day

Connie Smith and Martina McBride singing Once a Day written by Bill Anderson. It was at No.1 on the Billboard Country Music charts for more weeks than any song recorded by a female country artist.

It was Smith’s debut single after signing with RCA Victor Records. Ironically it was her only single to reach No.1 on the charts although she had 17 songs to reach the Top Ten.

Connie Smith singing a couple of gospel songs highlighted by her rendition of How Great Thou Art which she sings better than anyone I have ever heard sing it.

Farther Along: Florida Boys, Brad Paisley Versions

Farther Along is best known for the slower version but this faster version by the Florida Boys featuring the late  bass singer Billy Todd who later joined the Dixie Echoes later in his career delivers the same message as this slower version.

Brad Paisley singing Farther  Along in a much slower audio only version that is more traditional. Paisley sings this song as well as anyone I have heard sing it.

Til the Storm Passes By: Ben Speer and Dove Brothers

Ben Speer and the Dove Brothers sing the classic ‘Til the Storm Passes By written by Mosie Lister and is one of the most inspirational songs ever written.

Little Jimmy Dickens Will Be 90 in December

Little Jimmy Dickens shown much earlier in his country music career.

 

Little Jimmy Dickens will be 90 on December 19. He was born in 1920 in Bolt, West Virginia. He is the oldest living member of the Grand Ole Opry of which he has been a member for 60 years.

A little known fact is that he is a descendant of Charles Dickens the author of A Christmas Carol.

He has never let his 4 foot 11 size hold him back and it may have even brought more attention to him as he climbed the ladder of success in country music.

Hank Williams Sr. wrote his hit song Hey Good Lookin’ expressly for Dickens but changed his mind saying “That song’s too good for you”.

Dickens has been singing since the late 30′s and has been singing now for nine decades. He recorded five Top 10 hits in 1949-1950 but wouldn’t have another Top 10 hit till Out Behind the Barn reached No.9 on the charts.

He recorded his only No.1 hit in 1965 when May the Bird of Paradise Fly up Your Nose went to No.1 on the country music chart.

It has been 38 years since he last had a song in the Top 100 country music songs chart.

Little Jimmy Dickens questions whether Brad Paisley should have won a best video award saying that Taylor Swift deserved to win.

Little Jimmy Dickens was known for his novelty tunes but he could sing a country ballad with the best of them as in this song Another Bridge to Burn.

Little Jimmy Dickens singing Sleeping at the Foot of the Bed.

One of my best memories of Little Jimmy Dickens is when he was on a television show and told the fans to knock on his door because his fans are the reason he has what he has.

Many country music stars have been let go by the Grand Ole Opry over the years but Little Jimmy Dickens should be a member of the Grand Ole Opry as long as there is life in him because he is a living icon that represents country music at its best for nine decades.

Otis Campbell and Winnie the Pooh Have Something in Common

Actor Hal Smith will always be remembered for his portrayal of the Mayberry town drunk Otis Campbell on the Andy Griffith Show.

The voice of Winnie the Pooh was voiced by actor Hal Smith who also was the voice of Goofy after Vance Colvig the voice of Goofy died in 1967.

Hal Smith will always be remembered as Otis Campbell the town drunk on the Andy Griffith Show even though Andy Griffith and Don Knotts reportedly said he never drank in real life. However he has something in common with Winnie the Pooh in that he was also the voice of Winnie the Pooh.

He appeared in 32 Andy Griffith shows but left the show in 1966 when the sponsors of the show voiced concerns over the excessive drinking by his character. My favorite episode is when the jail is too crowded for Otis to use his regular cell so Andy sends him to his house where “Warden” Aunt Bee makes him wish he was back in the Mayberry jail.

Otis played a glue dipper which seems like a strange profession for such a small town and would arrest himself and let himself into his cell and was usually free to leave the jail since the key was in his reach outside the cell except in instances like this when Barney Fife thought he needed some interrogation before being released.

Barney interrogates Otis to see if he is fit to be released out into society.

Smith also was the voice of Winnie the Pooh and Owl for the Disney channel.

He became the voice of Goofy and Woody Woodpecker when the previous actors who voiced those characters died.

Thanks for the memories and for being such a great entertainer.

His Find A Grave page has even more info on Hal and shows his place in the mausoleum:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=1866

This is one of the many tributes written for Hal at the Find A Grave website:

Hal, So many great laughts that I can’t even count them!What a great part you played as Otis Campbell the drunk.I still watch you even to this day and never get tired of watching you!I see also that your son and wife have passed on also!I hope you are finding great peace with you family in heaven!May god bless you and your family in your new life with out lord and savior Jesus Christ!See you heaven!God Bless!
- Richard Colson
Added: Oct. 3, 2008

Debby Boone: You Light Up My Life

Debby Boone singing You Light Up My Life.

It doesn’t seem possible that it has been 33 years since You Light Up My Life was recorded by Debby Boone.  She was 21 in 1977 when it was recorded and is now 54.

The song was first sung in the movie by the same name by Kvitka “Kasey” Cisyk and the lead character in the movie Didi Conn lip synched the movie version of the song.

It was most successful song of the 70′s when recorded by Debby Boone and written by Joe Brooks.

Brooks today is facing these charges and is awaiting trial according to Wikipedia:

In June 2009, he was accused of sexual assault by four different women over incidents that occurred between March and May 2008. He allegedly lured the women to his apartment to audition for movie roles.^[1] He was indicted on 23 June 2009. He is currently being tried by Manhattan’s state Supreme court for 91 counts and charged with rape, sexual abuse, criminal sexual act, assault, and other charges.^[2] As of January 2010, his trial had not yet begun. The grand jury heard more evidence on 17 December 2009 because two new witnesses came forward.

The song won Best Original Song Oscar for Brooks and would win Song of the Year Grammy award while Debby Boone also won her the 1977 Grammy Award for Best New Artist.

She never duplicated her success with You Light Up My Life as a pop artist but did have some success in the country music field with Are You on the Road to Loving Me Again which went to No.1 on the country charts.

She married her husband Gabriel Ferrer in 1979 whose father was the actor Jose Ferrer and his mother was singer Rosemary Clooney.

All Quartets Radio

Southern gospel fans who love to hear southern gospel quartets can listen to these quartets 24/7 on their computer in stereo. I have listened to the station for just a few minutes have already heard such well known southern gospel favorites as Till the Storm Passes By, Turn Your Radio On and The Old Country Church.

http://www.allquartetsradio.com/listenfree.html

Beyond the Ashes Involved in Southern Gospel Concert Fire

Beyond the Ashes southern gospel trio had just left the stage at the Majestic Theatre in Chillicothe, Ohio when they noticed the curtains were on fire.

The aptly named Beyond the Ashes southern gospel trio were in concert in Chillicothe, Ohio earlier this month and had just left the stage when they noticed the stage curtains were on fire.

One of the members of Beyond the Ashes was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation and Kelly Nelon Clark  of the Nelons was also taken to the hospital with stomach pain along with her daughter Amber who was coughing.

No plans for a name change for Beyond the Ashes at the time this article was written.

 

Elvis Presley: How Great Thou Art

Elvis Presley singing How Great Thou Art in June of 1977. Elvis died two months after singing this song.

Talley Trio and Jason Crabb: Searchin’

The Talley Trio does a great job on Searchin’ but when Jason Crabb takes the stage and when he and Lauren Talley both are featured at the end the song has an even bigger impact on the southern gospel fans at the concert.