Amy's almost-birthday, not at all Bluegrass fill-in - 3/13/2015

I had an opportunity this morning to do a 3-hour fill-in for Jimmy T.'s "Sugar Shack" radio program at WHUS.  Jimmy T.'s show is pretty eclectic, so when I fill in for him, it's fun to play whatever strikes my fancy.  Today, my choice was fairly classic country, and my country selections spanned from the late 1920s to the early 1990s.  Of course, as always, I brought in many more CDs than I was able to play during the show, but it was an enjoyable block of time spent for me -- and hopefully for whoever might have listened, too.

My "spotlight" Country Music Hall of Famer today turned out to be the Southern Gentleman -- Sonny James.  Why Sonny James?  While preparing for this fill-in, I knew it was going to air on the day before my birthday, and I wondered what the #1 Billboard Country chart topper was during the week I was born.  It turns out that it was Sonny James with his version of a song previously recorded by Roy Orbison:  "Only The Lonely (Know The Way I Feel)."  Figuring I'd play that song during today's fill-in, I also tracked down a couple other well-known Sonny James hits, including his mega-hit crossover record from 1957, "Young Love."  Sonny James had an incredible string of hit records from the 1950s to the 1980s, and even did a little bit of Bluegrass fiddling with Jim & Jesse in his early performing days.  

Today's show also included a 1963 recording which might have been one of the

No Statler credit on this 1963
single, but you can definitely
hear 'em on the record

very first-ever for the Statler Brothers.  Before they went to work with Johnny Cash in March 1964 (and finally found chart success with "Flowers On The Wall" in early 1965), the Statlers were just a vocal group trying to find their way to success while living in their Shenandoah Valley hometown of Staunton, Virginia.  In 1963, the Statlers went into a tiny recording studio in Salem, Virginia and recorded a song with local singer, Shirlee Hunter.  The song they recorded was "Billy Christian" -- a tune that had been written by a local DJ named Thomas Hall.  The song was not a hit, but the Statlers liked it so well that they re-recorded it as their third single a year later for Columbia Records.   While that Columbia version wasn't very popular, either, it turned out that the "Billy Christian" WAS still a success, but only as the flip side of "Flowers On The Wall."  And by the way, Thomas Hall found some success later on -- as Tom T. Hall.  

Looks like our Bluegrass Cafe might have a bit of a late start due to another UCONN sports preemption on Sunday afternoon, but we hope you'll join us, anyway...whenever the show might air between 4PM and 7PM.  

Enjoy the weekend!

Amy


TITLE / PERFORMER / ALBUM / LABEL

• The Foggy Mountain Top / Carter Family / RCA Country Legends / BMG
• Keep On The Sunny Side / Carter Family / Opry Country Classics, Volume 2 / Opry Music
• There You Go / Johnny Cash / The Essential Johnny Cash / Columbia
• Ballad Of A Teenage Queen / Johnny Cash / The Essential Johnny Cash / Columbia
• Blue Yodel No. 8 (Mule Skinner Blues) / Jimmie Rodgers / The Essential Jimmie Rodgers / RCA
• T.B. Blues / Jimmie Rodgers / The Essential Jimmie Rodgers / RCA
• Blue Yodel No. 4 / Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys / The Essential Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys / Columbia
• Southern Cannonball / Hank Snow / The Goldrush Is Over / Bear Family
• Wreck On The Highway / Roy Acuff / The Essential Roy Acuff / Columbia Legacy
• Why Baby Why / George Jones / The Essential George Jones / Epic Legacy
• Let's Say Goodbye Like We Said Hello / Ernest Tubb / The Definitive Collection / MCA
• Blue Kentucky Girl / Loretta Lynn / Country Music Hall Of Fame / MCA
• Wondering / Webb Pierce / 20th Century Masters / Decca
• I'm Movin' On / Hank Snow / RCA Country Legends / RCA
• Ain't Had No Lovin' / Connie Smith / The Essential Connie Smith / BMG
• Lovesick Blues / Hank Williams / Live At The Grand Ole Opry / Mercury
• You And Me / Kitty Wells & Red Foley / The Complete Country Hits / Acrobat
• I'm A Stranger In My Home / Kitty Wells & Red Foley / Makin' Believe / Country Stars
• Oh So Many Years / Webb Pierce with Kitty Wells / The Collection, '52-'60 / Acrobat
• A Satisfied Mind / Porter Wagoner / The Essential Porter Wagoner / RCA
• Home / Joe Diffie / A Thousand Winding Roads / Epic
• Chiseled In Stone / Vern Gosdon / Super Hits / Sony BMG
• I'm No Stranger To The Rain / Keith Whitley / Super Hits / BMG
• Don't Cheat In Our Hometown / Ricky Skaggs / Country Gentleman:  The Best Of Ricky Skaggs / Sony
• Chug-A-Lug / Roger Miller / 20th Century Masters / Mercury
• Two Cigarettes In An Ashtray / Patsy Cline / The Birth Of A Star / Razor & Tie
• Pistol Packin' Mama / Al Dexter & His Troopers / Columbia Country Classics / Columbia
• After The Sunrise / Chuck Wagon Gang / Columbia Country Classics / Columbia
• I'll Live With God (To Die No More) / Louvin Brothers / The Family Who Prays / Country Stars
• They'll Never Take Her Love From Me / Hank Williams / Live At The Grand Ole Opry / Mercury
• The Wild Side Of Life / Hank Thompson / Your Cheatin' Heart / Dynamic
• Take These Chains From My Heart / Ray Price / Sing Me A Hank Williams Song / Time Life
• You Done Me Wrong / Ray Price / The Essential Ray Price / Legacy
• Only The Lonely (Know The Way I Feel) / Sonny James / The Capitol Top Ten Hits, Volume 2 / Capitol
• Take Good Care Of Her / Sonny James / Billboard Top Country Hits, 1966 / Rhino
• Are You Missing Me / Jim & Jesse / Jim & Jesse, 1952-1955 / Bear FAmily
• Young Love / Sonny James / Lipstick On Your Collar / Ideal Music
• Wake Up Little Susie / Everly Brothers / 36 All-Time Favorites / Cema
• Bye Bye Love / Gibson Brothers / Brotherhood / Rounder
• Nine Pound Hammer / Tommy Emmanuel / Center Stage / Favored Nations Acoustic
• Apartment #9 / Tammy Wynette / The Essential Tammy Wynette / Epic Legacy
• Billy Christian / Shirlee Hunter with the Statler Brothers / single / Salem Records
• Do You Remember These / Statler Brothers / Innerview / Mercury
• Call Me Up And I'll Come Calling On You / Marty Robbins / Live Classics / Sony
• It's A Lovely Lovely World / Carl Smith / Let's Live A Little / Living Era
• Hello Darlin' / Conway Twitty / The #1 Hits Collection / MCA
• Hey Porter / Johnny Cash / The Essential Johnny Cash / Columbia
• I Don't Care (Just As Long As You Love Me) / Buck Owens / 21 #1 Hits Collection / Rhino