Meaner than a Snake (words & music by Paul Wade Wilson) BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2026-09-29 | Meaner than a Snake (words & music by Paul Wade Wilson)
Someones Heartache BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2023-07-07 | I hope everyone had a wonderful Independence Day. As you might discern from my appearance in this video, I've been pretty lazy lately, but not too lazy to honor the great Charlie Louvin with one of his songs on his birthday. I apologize for the creek sound in this video. Outside seemed like the best place available to shoot the video. The background isn't very scenic, but I figured if I put the back of the camera to the creek, it would cut down on some of the noise. This is one of my favorite solo songs that Charlie recorded and released in 1966, only one year after Ira passed. To hear his amazing vocal and some cool classical guitar work, just search for the original here on YouTube. I can't sing it as good as Charlie did, but then neither can anyone else. :-) That thought was liberating enough for me to try it without any practice. I classify this song as a barroom country song. According to a quick Google search, and according to a recording that Jean Shepherd released of this song three years after Charlie's recording (in 1969), Charlie wrote this song. He sure came up with some great lyrics and imagery in this song. After Ira passed, many of Charlie's songs were written by Dallas Frazier, but Charlie wrote a few, and apparently, this is one of them. I hope you enjoyed this song, and I encourage you to check out the original. You'll be glad you did. The lyrics are below: There comes someone's heartache. She's walking straight to me.Somebody's cried. A love has died. She's somebody's shattered dream. If she sould stop at my table, will I be the next to cry?Would I be smart to hide my heart and let her walk on by?I see the trace of teardrops, and she wears a haughty smile.She's hungry for a new love but for just a little while.But I can't hide my feelings. My loneliness she sees.Here comes someone's heartache. She's walking straight to me.She's walking straight to me.Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
Are You Afraid to Die (Birthday Tribute to Ira Louvin, April 21, 1924) BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2023-04-21 | For this year’s birthday tribute video, I debated between a gospel song and one of Ira’s “cheatin’” love songs. I saved the cheatin’ song for next year. How was he a master of both types of songs? I think it’s because he had true experience with both sides of life. Like Pap, Ira could take the same 3 major chords that everyone uses and somehow create a melody that wasn’t the tune of any other song. Within the genre of gospel music, there’s a subgenre described as “invitational” songs. These songs plead with the listener to accept Christ. “O’ Why Not Tonight,” “Softly and Tenderly,” and “Just as I Am” are beautiful examples. The last one in that list is so powerful that during a Billy Graham crusade in the UK back in the 50’s, media critics accused him of using the song to hypnotize people (rather than them coming forward by rational choice). Graham responded that it was not the song nor his preaching but the word of God and the Holy Spirit. To prove it, he gave his altar call for the next 30 nights without music. Just as many people came forward without music. There’s a documentary about this. I cannot remember the name of it, but you can probably find it online. It’s strange to watch video footage of all those people coming forward on different nights during utter silence. I believe Graham was right about what he said. He didn’t need to prove it, but he did. Still, I believe great invitational songs are needed, not because they fool people or play upon their emotions, but because they can contain elements of the gospel, just as sermons. They can tell the listener things that s/he needs to know and consider. Though it isn’t well known, “Are You Afraid to Die?” is a masterpiece. This song poses questions to the listener, and the first few questions cut right to the quick. A couple of years ago, Wayde Powell, II and I were discussing the Louvin Brothers, and in that conversation, I said that I wished fans and critics weren't so focused on the album Satan is Real. I said that it’s clearly not their best album and that everyone became fixated on it because of the cover art. Wayde asked me what I thought was their best album. I named a few from later in their careers when their singing had gotten even stronger, even more polished. Since that discussion, I’ve had to reconsider the Satan is Real Album, not because I decided that the singing was better but because I looked back over the song list. I hadn’t realized that Are You Afraid to Die, He Can Be Found, The River of Jordan, The Angels Rejoiced Last Night, and Satan’s Jeweled Crown were all on that album. I then had to admit that it is a truly amazing album. When they were a lot younger, the Pressley Girls went to go make music with some folks at East Tennessee University. This school has a renowned bluegrass program. Ricky Skaggs was playing there with some of the students. Corie and Katie came home singing Are You Afraid to Die. I politely refused to play the song with them because they were playing the bluegrass version which has been changed. I’ve heard both Skaggs and the Nashville Bluegrass Band do the song in that arrangement, and while they are master musicians and singers, I cannot stomach the changes they made to the original. They slowed the tempo dramatically and changed the chord pattern slightly. I assume they slowed the song to give the listener more time to consider the questions. Maybe If I heard the song that way first, I would have been okay with it. The only change here was to the lyrics. The original first verse contained "kneel with your mother." I think that's reflective of Ira's personal experience. Pap replaced mother with savior to make it more universal. When I chose to do the song for this year’s birthday tribute, I had a thought (really more like a fantasy), of how great it would be to sing this song as a total surprise, almost like a musical ambush, at some event like the Oscars. For that to ever happen, one would have to first rise to undeniable secular success in order to be booked as a performer. One would have to let the producers think that a different song was coming. The band would have to be in on it, and someone would probably have to guard the sound system to keep the crew from cutting off the mic, etc. It would have to be a live show, and even then, someone would probably throw up a test pattern on the screen or “technical difficulties.” It could never happen, but it would be such a great opportunity to pose this song to a crowd like that. I think it might even reach some of them. We didn’t practice this song, but I think it turned out with a good feel. The plan was for Katie and I to sing it as a duet, but Corie showed up and added a beautiful third harmony. Our voices ran together on a couple of notes, but overall, I like the sound. This was the only camera angle to be had in the cramped kitchen, but I like the over-the-shoulder perspective. Thanks for watching! We’ll do a song for Charlie's birthday this summer.
How Much are You Worth? BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2023-04-14 | When I uploaded "I'll Wear the Banner" for Easter, I looked over the song list, and I noticed that Pap and his brother Ray sang several songs from Jim and Jesse's 1966 album, "Sing Unto Him a New Song." They sang the title track, I'll Wear the Banner, Angel Mother, and In God's Eyes. I wound up listening to all of Jim and Jesse's album online and enjoyed it very much. I found that it was one of their most solid albums. I can remember seeing the album (with its striking cover) at my Uncle Ray's house back in the '80's. When I listened to the song "How Much are You Worth," I remembered that Pap and Granny sang the song together when I was a kid. I asked Granny if she would be willing to take a momentary break from her crochet long enough to sing with me on the chorus. She agreed, and I didn't even have to bribe her with a trip to Walmart! :-) I believe that somewhere among all my tapes and CD's, I have a recording of her and Pap singing the song back in the day. If I can find it, I'll upload it too. Of course, back then, Granny could sing out much louder on her harmony part. I think she and Pap probably sang the song in G Major, two frets higher than where we did it here. Although it's very melancholy, I think this is a great song that paints a true portrait of how life (and death) can be if we set the wrong priorities. According to Spotify, this song was written by J. Nix. When I searched, I turned up a lot of musician folks with a first name that starts with a J and the last name Nix, but all of them are clearly too young to have been this J Nix. I hope you enjoyed this video. April 21st, will be Ira Louvin's birthday, and I'll upload a song that he wrote as a tribute to him. Have a great weekend!
Ill Wear the Banner (Wilson Brothers, from live radio broadcast in the 1980s) BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2023-04-08 | Though I haven't been consistent about it, I like to upload a song for Easter each year. This year, I was thinking about doing this song with Katie or Corie, but things have been pretty busy around here lately, for everyone, and I didn't have the time to flag one of them down to sing it with me. I've always liked this song. It was on a Jim and Jesse Album in the 60's. After I realized that I probably wouldn't have a chance to sing it with one of the Pressley Girls, it occurred to me that I might be able to find a recording of Pap and his brother Ray singing it. I found it on this old cassette of a radio broadcast. Unfortunately, there's no date written on the cassette tape, but I know from the people present at the broadcast that this was sometime in the 1980's. Off and on, their Words of Life Broadcast spanned about 4 decades on three different stations, though the majority of it was in the 80's on WKRK. Today, WKRK broadcasts on AM and FM, and the FM station is in stereo. Of course, in those days, it was mono. Pap and Ray stood in front of a single microphone to sing and play, and the preacher (whether it was Ray, their friend Jerry Shook, their father Wade Wilson, their friend Leander Chastain, or whoever) preached into the same mic. Jerry Shook, the preacher you hear speaking after the song ends, died in the late 80's from brain cancer. He was only in his early 40's. He was a Vietnam Veteran who was wounded in action, and I often wondered if his cancer was caused by Agent Orange. He was a block and brick mason. I always liked him. Next time I see Jamie Shook (who sang with me in this year's story song series), I will have to ask him if Jerry was related to his family. My guess is, probably. This cassette tape has one broadcast on the A side and another broadcast (presumably done the following Sunday) on the B side. I really liked the B side broadcast and hope to upload it someday, perhaps next Easter. It too features my great Uncle Henry Truett (heard talking in this upload, sounding remarkably like Bashful Brother Oswald), but it also features Pap's sister, Carrie, and she sang several songs with Pap and Ray on that broadcast. On that day, my papaw, Wade Wilson, preached the sermon. It includes several songs appropriate for Easter. This year, I just didn't have the time to do a 30-minute upload. The quickest way to do this upload was just to film this old Tascam playing this song. Even if I had burned a CD from this cassette and then uploaded it, the quality wouldn't have been much better. These cassettes weren't recorded at the station. They were recorded from the radio at home while Pap and Ray were at the station, 15 miles away, so there's plenty of static, etc. Still, I'm happy to have these. When I retire, Lord willing, I might create a separate YouTube channel to share these broadcasts. I think it would be neat for the sermons of local preachers, who are now dead and gone, to be on the internet for new listeners to hear all over the world. It struck me how Jerry Shook's description of the day and time they were living in (in the 1980's) is much truer now than it was then. One of my favorite parts of this song is hearing Pap make a falling run on the D and A string of the Dove to walk the song back from D major to G major in the middle of the verses, while Ray sang. In those years, they often played without a bass player, but by using the side of his pick and a firm stroke, Pap could come pretty close to imitating one with the Dove. I can tell from the incredibly high tenor that Pap sings on this song, that it would work for Katie or Corie in the same key. We may still sing it and upload it one day, because I know a third verse that Pap and Ray didn't know. I found it on a Jim and Jesse album from 1952. I didn't know who wrote the song. I just knew someone wrote a good one. Jesse wrote some of their songs, so I thought it was possible that he wrote it. To me, it sounds sort of like a Hazel Houser song or a Dottie Rambo song. However, after finding an image online of an old 45 record of Jim and Jesse, it appears that it was written by a gentleman named Don McHan. He apparently was a bluegrass gospel singer way back. I found several recordings of other people singing his songs online, but I've yet to hear him sing. In an ironic turn, I learned that he was the 2nd cousin to our own Ed Ammons who comments on the BPA channel regularly as "papaw." Don apparently sang with Ed's uncle! It's a small world! I'll have to investigate more into McHan's gospel music. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed "I'll Wear the Banner," and I hope you have a wonderful Easter with friends and loved ones. Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
Jody and the Kid BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2023-03-24 | In the early 2000's, Dish Network had audio channels that played just black screens with audio, with text showing the name of the artist, song title, and record label floating around the screen. Pap often kept the satellite at his house tuned to the classic country station. They played shuffled music from a pretty wide collection of songs. Of course, they played the standard fare, like Haggard and Williams, etc., but they also played songs from some singers that I hadn't heard before, like Ernie Ashworth, Henson Cargill, and Wilma Burgess. If you heard them before, you should check out their music, especially Burgess singing, "Misty Blue" and Cargill's "Skip a Rope." The channel played a song called "I'm a Fool" and "Jody and the Kid." I often heard the music from another room in the house, and when these songs came on, I tried to recognize the singer. At first, I thought it sounded a little like Eddy Arnold, then I though it sounded like Eddy Arnold combined with Burl Ives. When I finally happened to be in the room at the same time the songs were playing, I discovered that it was Roy Drusky. He had a very unique voice, and he exercised impressive control over it. The note that he held over many beats in the chorus of "I'm a Fool" is a good example of what I'm talking about. He also did a fantastic job on "All My Friends are Gonna Be Strangers." For around 10 years, I thought of Jody and the Kid only as Drusky's song. At some point, someone gave me a CD of Kris Kristofferson (I think it might have been Matt, Tipper's husband), and I learned that Kristofferson wrote the song. I wasn't surprised. I knew that Kristofferson is something of a literary genius. Something about the melody and alliteration of this song feels and sounds just like a dewy morning in the spring or summer... There are several country songs that deal with this same topic: an older boy who only gradually or reluctantly comes to view a younger girl romantically. The Glaser Brothers had one called, "Big Brother." In most of the songs, the boy/man realizes it too late, and the girl/woman moves on to an interest in someone else. Jody and the Kid is the only one I can think of offhand where they wind up together. However, the ending is still sad. When the narrator says, "It gets a little lonesome when I hear somebody saying, 'Looky yonder, there goes Jody and the Kid," I can't help but conclude that the wife/mother has died. Perhaps it could be that she simply left the man and abandoned the daughter, but something makes me feel that it's more likely that she died. You can let me know in the comments what you think caused the separation. I think the song is better for having not explicitly explained what happened. A little mystery is good in any song. This song is nothing like the first three in the series, but I realized that there is at least one connection: someone dies in all four songs. When I thought about 2-3 other songs that I had considered including in this year's series, I realized that someone dies in all of them too! I don't think I'm so morbid that I gravitated towards songs with death. I think that death is just naturally a part of most great stories. I think this video turned out pretty good, considering that Tipper didn't really know the song, and we were a bit out of tune. The reason we had done it three times before this take is because the Flip Cam failed to record the first few attempts, and we had to switch over to Tipper's camera. I'm not sure why the Flip Cam failed us. It may have reached the end of its lifespan. I think the audio is actually better with it (when it works) than with Tipper's camera, though her camera was much more expensive! Don't tell her I said that. :-) Anyway, I think I've rambled enough for now. Thanks so much for watching this year's series. Please tune in next month for a birthday tribute to the great Ira Louvin. There's a link to the song lyrics below: genius.com/Kris-kristofferson-jody-and-the-kid-lyricsListen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
Dying from Home and Lost BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2023-03-17 | This is a very different type of story song, one that I thought most listeners might not have heard. I've been after Jamie Shook for several years to sing with me in a video, and I finally prevailed upon him. In addition to music, another thing that Jamie and I have in common is that he is a tennis player. We played a doubles tournament together last summer in Atlanta and did fairly well. That was a ton of fun. As good as he is at tennis, I think he's even better at singing high harmony, and I think this video is a good example. He matches my lead so very well. If you're wondering why I paused those few seconds before kicking the song off, it's because we could hear the jam session going on in the basement of the church (West Union Baptist Church). Jamie and I joined the jam session right after shooting this video. If you're wondering about the things on my head, the one on the right side of my head is a large mole (not quite a mole, but some sort of growth that the doctors say is harmless and not cancerous). The spot on the left side of my head is where I bumped my head into the corner of Granny's hutch while I was picking something up out of the floor for her. I would have worn a hat to cover both spots, but I didn't want to wear a hat in the church house. According to hymnary.org, this song was written by S.M. Brown and published in 1898. That site lists no available biographical information on Brown. In the introduction of the video, I said that I don't fully agree with the "theology" of the song. A better word might have been "doctrine." Based on the monologue of the song, the main character/speaker seems to know everything he needs to know about Christ in order to be saved. However, Brown may not have been saying that more was needed. He (or she) may have just been showing that human fear, doubt, and confusion could interfere in a dire moment, and so it's best not to procrastinate and put off salvation, which is a common theme in many gospel songs, such as "O' Why Not Tonight?" To hear that song performed by Pap and his brothers, just search for it on this channel. The Louvins sang and wrote several gospel warning songs like this, including "Is this Your Last Chance to Pray?" and the masterpiece, "Are You Afraid to Die?" I once heard Billy Graham say that in all of the Bible, there was only one death-bed conversion or saving, which was one of the thieves on the crosses next to Jesus. In pointing this out, I think Graham was discouraging people from thinking that they could always square things with God quickly just before dying. Anyway, I digress. To me, this song is haunting, well-written, and thought provoking. Jamie and I had never sung together before until we shot this video, and neither of us had ever sung this song, so I am pretty satisfied with how it turned out. Maybe I can convince him to do some more songs with me in the future. Thanks for watching. To hear Jamie and Wayde Powell, II singing in the Ellis Walden Band, follow the link below. I believe Wayde, III is playing the mandolin: youtube.com/watch?v=sjXzJxAgGmULyrics below: Companion, draw nigh. They say I must die.Early the summons has come from on high.The way is so dark, and yet I must go.Oh, that such sorrow you never may know.Refrain:Only a prayer, only a tear,O if sister and mother were here;Only a song could comfort and cheer,Only a word from that book so dear.Ah! can you not bow and pray with me now?Sad the regret we have never learned howTo come before Him, who only can save,Leading in triumph thro’ death and the grave. [Refrain]Ah! can you not sing a song of His love,How He came down from the mansions aboveTo bleed and to die on Calvary’s tree,Bringing salvation to sinners like me. [Refrain]Alas! it is so; but thus it must be;No word of comfort or promise for me;To die without God; or hope in His Son,Covered in darkness, bereaved and undone. [Refrain]O people of God who have His blest word,Will you not heed the command of your LordAnd publish to all of Adam’s lost race,Pardon, forgiveness, salvation thro’ grace? [Refrain]Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
The Gambling Barroom Blues BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2023-03-10 | Does this tune sound familiar? That's right: it's the same tune as Saint James Infirmary, with some minor differences in the chord pattern. I uploaded them back-to-back for comparison. A few years before Pap passed, he told me one day that he heard Mr. Bill Yonce (who appears in an interview on the Celebrating Appalachia channel) play a very unusual Jimmie Rodgers song on the radio (WKRK) that Pap had never heard before. A Jimmie Rodgers song that Pap had never heard? That was unusual, but what Pap told me next was even stranger: he said it was in a minor key? "Are you sure?" I asked Pap. Pretty much everything Jimmie ever sang was in G Major or C Major. Pap said he was positive and that he believed it was in E Minor, though he only heard the song once. At the time, and still to this day, I was playing tennis with Bill's son, Eric. Pap asked me to ask Eric to ask his dad the name of the song. I asked Eric the next time I saw him and then I kind of forgot about it. Months later, Bill not only sent the title to me by Eric, he sent me a cassette recording that he made of the song! That was really nice of him. When I listened to the song, I liked the story immediately. It was dark and humorous at the same time, the way it seems only music from that era can be. Pap was right, it was in E Minor. My first thought or theory on the song was that Rodgers liked the melody of Saint James Infirmary but didn't really want to record a song quite that depressing, so he "borrowed" the tune and created a more action-packed song about the violent ways of some rabble rousers. That may be the case, but when I was sampling different versions of Saint James Infirmary, I came across a really old one done "big band" style, and it contained the line "Gamblin' Barroom Blues." Is that just a coincidence? Or are the two songs more connected in some way? I don't know, but I like both songs. I know a lot of good story songs, but I don't know of another one where the plot thickens more intensely or unexpectedly than it does in this song. The source of all the narrator's problems is alcohol, yet he keeps going back for more. Pretty realistic to human nature, I think. My favorite part of the song is the subtle implication established by the last four verses. Why do you think the cop just kept hanging around? I infer that he knew about the murder and lingered just to put more pressure on the narrator, to make him "sweat." The cop is drinking on the job, so it isn't that big of a jump to conclude that he's corrupt. I think that's why the narrator had to pawn all of his possessions: to bribe the cop and still have time to board the train to get out of town. Alternatively, the narrator could have lost all of those things in a poker game with the cop, but there's nothing to indicate that, other than the song title. Anyway, that's what I think. What do you think? Why did the narrator and his "pal" get into an awful fight? Was it because he found him talking to his girlfriend earlier? You can tell this song is really old by phrases or terms like "motor car." It also features an old Appalachian expression "way up in the night." If you like this style of music, you should check out Pokey Lafarge. BTW, I'm sorry that the camera didn't fully show my guitar. I didn't realize it till I played the video back. If you're wondering about the chords for this song, they're the same ones I used for Saint James Infirmary: E Minor, C Major, C7, B7, and A Minor. Lyrics: I went down to the corner, just to meet my gal. I found her there on the sidewalk, talking to my pal. I strolled on to the barroom, just for a drink of gin, But the first thing I knew, I was reeling, rocking drunk again. I kept on drinking liqueur till way up in the night. When my pal walked into the barroom, we had an awful fight. I reached down for my razor, and then we knocked around, But when I pulled my pistol, I quickly smoked him down. I went to find my baby, and I met her on the way. I told her that I had to leave her, told her that I could not stay. I started down to the station, but I stopped in at a bar. There, I met a policeman, riding in a motor car. We both drank lots of liqueur, that flat-footed cop and I. I thought he'd never leave me. Lord, I thought I'd die. My baby came in to join us, and then it began to rain. I knew I had to hurry, hurry to catch that midnight train. I hung my head in the barroom door. I'll never get drunk anymore. I pawned my watch and my golden chain. I pawned my baby's diamond ring. Police, Police, Police, you're just as drunk as me. I'll grab that old eight-wheeler and make for the deep, blue sea. Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
Saint James Infirmary BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2023-03-03 | Here's a super sad one to kick off the 2023 Story Song Series. There are a lot of different versions of this song, including some old big band versions. Believe it or not, there are some lyrics that seem even darker than the words I sang! I left out a couple of really good verses that I wish I had included. I included them with the typed lyrics below. I've never looked up "box back coat," but I'm assuming it was a way to save material (and therefore save money) by burying someone in a "coat" that only had a front. The back wouldn't matter, since no one would ever see it in your coffin. Yikes! Sorry for the morbidity, but this is a beautiful song nonetheless (albeit hauntingly so). The Nashville Bluegrass Band sang a cool verse about "sixteen coal black horses, all hitched up in a line" I wish I had included it too. Finally, I wish I had turned off my heat before shooting the video! That's what's making all the room noise. Either before this series concludes or in a future series, I may include a different version of this same song. Thanks for watching our series! :-) Lyrics: I went down to that St. James infirmary,I heard sweet baby groan.Nobody down there could cheer me'Cause I know that she'd soon be gone.As I was standing there a grievin',My heart feeling just like lead,I knew she'd soon be leavin';I was wishing that it was me instead.I went out to Old Joe's Barroom.Most of my friends were there,But nobody seemed to understand my trouble.I tell you, nobody seemed to care.And when I got back to that St. James infirmary,All was still as night;Sweet baby laid on that long, low table...She was pale, so cold and white. And when I put my hand on her pretty faceIt was cold like marble stoneAnd I know that no woman could ever take her placeLord it made me feel so aloneShe's gone, yes she's gone God bless herWherever she might be.If she'd searched this whole world over,She wouldn't have found a friend like me.Give me my box back coat and my button shoesWhen you lay me down to sleep. Put these guitar picks in my pocket. Set this guitar down by my feet. I went down to that St. James infirmary,Heard my sweet baby groan.Nobody down there could cheer me'Cause I knew that she'd soon be gone.Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
Hide Thou Me, Meet Him in the Sky, Palms of Victory (Milsaps Family) BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2023-02-26 | Earlier in the month, I posted that I would try to do an upload each Friday to lead into our March Story Song Series. I should have uploaded this video on Friday, and I also failed to upload a video last weekend! I haven't had time to film anything myself, and Corie never posted the remaining songs from the Milsaps Family, so I decided to share the rest of the footage I have of them. This is from a gospel concert at the Martins Creek Community Center in the Fall of 2022. If I had it to do over, I would have brought a camera myself, set it up, and captured their entire set. It was very good throughout. Corie captured a few songs with her camera. I had to do some file conversion to get the videos to work with my software, and I lost some video quality in the process. I really like all three of these songs/performances. I like the moment in the first song when the youngest member of the group receives a signal of encouragement from his father (on the far left) to hit the high note to bring the song to an end. Although it's short, I love the middle song too, the one Scott jokes as being done "Acapulco" style. :-) I appreciate how Scott, the bass singer, shares a little bit of musical history before the second song, saying that he and his father (as part of the Robbinsville Quartet) met Pap and his brother, Ray (as the Wilson Brothers), during the filming of a PBS documentary on Appalachian Gospel Music at Western Carolina University in 1976. Wish I could have been there. I love their version of Palms of Victory and how Scott hits a lead-in half-time note on the bass and the other voices come in after him on the chorus each time. I could go on and on about how good these guys are. Their harmony is just so special. Mr. Webster in the back does a great job of holding everything together with solid rhythm work on his guitar. The audio quality in the community center isn't good, but I hope you enjoyed these songs this Sunday. Thanks for watching, and please tune in next Friday for the start of our story song series. Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
Wayfaring Stranger (Rough Attempt) BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2023-02-11 | I've always loved this song but never really thought about singing it until I heard the Glaser Brothers do it with a 3rd verse that really connected with me. I could identify with acknowledging that my father knew for more than I know. In their verse, they sang, "My father lived and died a farmer." Pap did some farming, especially when he was young and his parents were sharecroppers, but I changed that part to, "My father lived and died believing." That seemed to fit or be more central to Pap's life than farming. Corie and I tried the song back in the fall. We were basically experimenting with the song. I haphazardly set my Flip Cam on the bed in her old bedroom, not realizing that it didn't catch our instruments. Corie does a fair amount of note-hunting when she plays it on Katie's electric guitar; I inexplicably added the word "stretched" in one of the verses; and the overall take is almost as rough as the faces that I made while singing it! :-) But, I figured I would upload it anyway, since we never went back to the song and probably won't anytime soon. Corie's harmony wasn't bad, especially considering she barely opened her mouth to sing. :-) I am trying to come up with a video for every weekend in February because it seems like it results in more views of the story song series when March comes around. That probably has something to do with the YouTube algorithm. I also wanted to upload a video so I could link to Mr. Daniel Rusk's Christian podcast, WalkAboutJesus. You can hear it on Facebook, walkaboutjesus.com, and on the YouTube channel by the same name. Daniel was kind enough to invite me to speak on the podcast back on February 2nd. Before my segment, Daniel, and his wife Mary, interviewed a street preacher named Quentin Deckard. I greatly enjoyed that interview. Mr. Deckard is very knowledgeable of the Bible, and he presents all his interpretations with great insight and humility. Anyway, I hope you will check out Daniel's content. The link that I included in the video will take you to the episode in which I spoke. If you go to the YouTube Channel itself, be prepared to see some very strange videos. Please know that Daniel is not endorsing or advocating any of that stuff. Instead, he is trying to warn people of the immoral and evil things at work in our country. Thanks for watching, and I hope you enjoyed this rough take on a beautiful song. Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
Working on a Building (Pressley Girls Live, 2016) BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2023-02-04 | Hi, Folks. This is a song that I took from the complete concert at the John C. Campbell Folk School in 2016. I thought it was one of our better performances of the song. Our friend Geraud Barralon was in charge of the sound, and unlike a lot of sound guys, he never walked away from the board but stayed at the controls for the entire set, making any needed adjustments. That was a big help to us. In this performance, Corie wowed the crowd by holding one note for 25 beats. Yes, I counted them. :-) We did this song with Pap for a while before he passed on. He sang the lead on the chorus at the high pitch. Later, Katie learned to sing the lead at the low pitch. Corie and I never changed our harmony parts, but somehow, they took on a different sound when matched with Katie's lead. With Pap, our parts sounded low. With Katie, they sounded high, even though they were actually the same. I think there's a video of us doing the song with Pap on the BPA channel. At that time, we didn't have the full arrangement quite figured out. I've heard a lot of arrangements over the years. The one that I ultimately developed for us is a mixture of several versions, plus a few of our own little twists thrown in. I was probably most influenced by a version that Jerry and Tammy Sullivan did with Marty Stuart back in the late 90's. I saw them perform the song on the old TNN Channel, which aired some great music before its demise. My guitar break was also influenced by Mr. Sullivan's playing. I separated this cut from the rest of the concert and sent it to Corie several months ago, suggesting that she could use it as a "throwback" video on the Pressley Girl Channel. She is very busy and never got around to it, so I thought I would go ahead and use it here. I thought posting this video would give me an opportunity to mention that our story-song series will be coming up next month. Without going into a lot of detail, I'll also mention that I hope for the complete gospel CD that I've been working on, to be released by late April. Some of you may be thinking, "We've heard that before." Hopefully, this time it will actually happen. Thanks for watching and have a great weekend! Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
While Shepherds Watched their Flocks BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2022-12-24 | Happy Christmas Eve! It was 2 degrees here this morning! We had a couple of planned blackouts to take the strain off the electrical grid, but thankfully, they were only 15 minutes long. I woke up yesterday morning singing this song. It's so beautiful and yet so simple. I'm not sure why Pap and I didn't include it on our Christmas album. Seems like he may have felt that the true timing of the song was different than the basic 4/4 timing I that I used here. He's probably right. Some Christmas carols have difficult timings, like the 6/8 timing of O Holy Night. Even though we didn't record While Shepherds Watched their Flocks, we both loved the song and the story it tells. Speaking of albums, some of you may be wondering why I haven't released the new CD of original gospel songs from Pap. As I explained in a previous video, I saved "Beyond this Vale of Tears" for the last song. I have recorded it, and it isn't bad. There's some great harmonica playing on it, and the piano turned out nice, even though I did it myself (piano, not harmonica). It's not that I'm displeased with the arrangement or recording; it's just that I can't help but feel like it deserves more. I had Covid and Strep at the same time the week of December 5th and that put me out of commission for a while, especially with regard to singing, but the real reason the album isn't finished is procrastination. I tried adding a few different things to round out the song, but I wasn't pleased with those things (snare drum, backing vocals, etc.). Ultimately, I've decided to hold off on releasing BtVoT until I feel that it's complete and that the recording does justice to the song. Back on the 20th, I laid down the guitars and lead vocal for Unknown to Me, thinking that Corie could add harmony and that I would use it to finish the album. I can always release BtVoT later as a single when I'm satisfied with it. Unknown to Me is a much easier song. I first recorded it with the Dove playing lead and the Taylor playing rhythm, but somehow it sounded to ringy. So, I reversed their roles and redid the song. Though my voice was still a little raspy singing the song in C major, I finished the vocal yesterday and gave the mix to Corie to practice with. She's supposed to let me know when she's ready to record her part. Right now, it's actually too cold to record! I have to turn the heat off; otherwise, the recorder picks up the sound of the heat running. Even with the heat off for just 10-15 minutes, the house gets very cold in a hurry, but the weather is supposed to start getting better next week. I know I could probably have sold a lot more CD's if I had finished the album in time for Christmas, but it's looking like a springtime release. Anyway, that's an update, in case anyone wondered. I hope you enjoyed this Christmas carol, and I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Year! Thanks for watching! :-) Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
All Aboard (Song Analysis & Interpretation) BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2022-11-25 | This is our last song for this year's Train Song Series. We hope you enjoyed not only this video but the entire series. Please head over to Less Than Face Productions, the channel that gave us permission to use this video. Thank you, Harris!!! Their video of this song should have over a million views easy! Here's the link: youtube.com/watch?v=nw0E3B6bC4MListen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
Sunday Evening Train (original) BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2022-11-18 | This installment in the series is probably a bit of a "phone-it-in" video. It was shot on a Wednesday evening after a long day of work for both me and Corie, with dead strings on our guitars. :-) I was pretty tired but knew I needed a song for the third video. I got to thinking... Have I ever written a train song? And I remembered this song that I made up when I was 15 or 16. The tune or melody is pretty standard, not very original, but it has a good feel and tempo. The lyrics aren't half bad (in my opinion), but there's no real closure at the end. It doesn't have a chorus per se, so I just repeated one of the verses. I think it has enough train references to count as a train song. :-) It's from the perspective of someone whose girlfriend wandered away (perhaps on a train), so he decides he should just get on a train and do the same, not necessarily in search of her but just because there's nothing left to hold him there. I asked Corie to do a little hammer-on lick in E major (with the capo on the third fret) to create a bit of a train sound or rhythm. The lyrics are below. We'll conclude this year's train song series next Friday. Thanks for watching! I was walking one Sunday evening, down a lonesome stretch of road, When I saw that train come rollin', trying hard to pull its load. I wondered where it was headed. I wondered where it had been. I wondered where you were and if I'd ever see you again. Oh, why did you leave me, Darlin'? Why did you go away? Why did you prove unfaithful and throw our love away? Well, I guess you wanted to ramble, had to wander, had to roam. You can roam this o'le world over, but you'll never find someone who loves you more. Well, I'm boardin' that train this evening. Gonna see where it will go. Gonna find out where it will take me, far away from here, I hope. Well, I know someday you'll be sorry, later on, down the line. Gonna be so sad and lonely, gonna wish that you were still mine. Repeat 2nd verse Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
Waiting for a Train BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2022-11-11 | Along with the description for the first video in this year's series, I intended to drop a hint for what the second song would be, but I forgot. My hint was going to be that the song was widely recorded and was among the most popular songs for a country singer who was the primary musical influence for Hank Snow. Rodgers was also the primary influence for Ernest Tubb. If you are able to hear the first recordings of Snow and Tubb, they sound very much like Rodgers. The same is true for Gene Autry. They even tried to yodel like him. This song brings up two memories from my childhood, both involving Pap. The first one is when I tried to sing the opening lines of this song in his vicinity. This was well before I started playing guitar or singing with any serious effort. I had simply heard the beginning of the song somewhere and took a stab and singing it to myself. I sang, "All around the water tank, waiting for a drink." Pap turned and looked at me and asked, "What did you say?" Without answering him, I just sang the line again as: "All around the water tank, waiting for a train." He kind of nodded and went back to what he was doing. The truth was, I wasn't sure which word was supposed to go there. I reasoned that if people were waiting around a water tank, they could be waiting for a drink..." In re-singing the line with "train," I thought the two words were close enough that he would give me the benefit of the doubt and conclude that I sang it right the first time. :-) I didn't know any other part of the song, so I guess it didn't matter anyway. I stopped right after that line and just went to humming. The second memory stirred by the song has to do with the second verse, where Rodgers wrote, "my pocketbook is empty." Pap and I were wading out into the Hiwassee River, just below Clay's Corner. We were fishing. He slipped on a rock and nearly went under. After regaining his balance, he said, "Nearly lost my pocketbook," referring to his wallet. I laughed and said, "Daddy, that's your billfold, not a pocketbook. Women carry pocketbooks." He said, "really?" It folds up like a book and goes in my pocket..." I stood there pondering this, stumped. I don't know about where you live, but here, the bag that women carry around the shoulder is often called a pocketbook, though "purse" has pretty well replaced the term, and I don't hear "pocketbook" for a lady's bag nearly as often as I did when I was a kid. It's funny how words in English have changed and been used differently over time, not always increasing in accuracy (as Pap pointed out with regard to "pocketbook"). Rodgers' second verse seems to point to some degree of corruption and unkindness in the brakeman. This is ironic, given that he worked as a brakeman himself. Maybe he felt a little guilty about having chased off a hobo at some time or other. Like the last train song, Tipper and Corie were really just learning this song when this video was shot, so there are a few little missed chord changes, etc., but overall, this first take has the best feel of any of the takes that we attempted. For some reason, the audio turned out garbled. You can especially hear it in the guitar break, and the audio is slightly behind the video, but hopefully, it does justice to this great train song overall. The next song in the series might very well be an original, so I can't really drop any hints to foreshadow it. For the last one, I'm thinking of turning the song over to some professionals and not playing myself. This may be an unpopular approach among the acorns out there, but it will give me the opportunity to introduce you to what I think is one of the greatest train songs of all time, and it's a fairly new song. It will also, hopefully, give me the opportunity to analyze the song and explain why I think it's a masterpiece. Anyway, we'll see how or if all that works out, Lord willing. Thanks for watching and for reading all this! Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
Movin On (Hank Snow Cover) BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2022-11-04 | Why not start this year's train song series with one of the Mac Daddy train songs? In this song, Hank tells off and says goodbye to his Ex-girlfriend multiple ways over 7 verses, and it all rhymes! A clever, toe-tapping train song from one of the greatest country musicians of all time... This song was very popular, and it no doubt helped Hank financially in a big way. Homer & Jethro even had a hit with a great spoof version, my favorite verse of which is: "he ripped a stich when he hit the ditch." :-) I'll place a link below to the spoof version. There are also several great videos of Hank doing his song live. His fiddler (Chubby Wise) and steel player were superb and matched his guitar picking and singing perfectly. This song has the same thematic elements (you done me wrong; now I'm hopping a train) as The Golden Rocket, another Snow tune that we did years ago in the series. Corie and Tipper weren't familiar with this song, but they really like it now and thought it was a lot of fun to play. Just like the Golden Rocket, the real challenge to singing "Movin' on" is remembering all the lines in the right order! Tipper used to try to get me to sing Golden Rocket in some of our live shows, but I never dared, for that very reason. We filmed "Movin' On" two times prior to the take you see in this video, and each time, I failed to think of the final verse (even though it happens to be my favorite verse). To help me out, Tipper wrote the word "play" on a piece of notebook paper and placed it in the floor near her amp so I could see it as a cue for the subject of the last verse. That's what we're talking about before the kick-off (in case you were wondering). Music fans and critics often talk about how low Johnny Cash could sing, and he certainly was a low singer, but unlike Cash, Hank Snow and Ernie Ford both sang just as low (if not lower) and maintained vibrato in their voices. Snow sang "Movin' On" comfortably in D Major, whereas I'm singing it G Major (five frets higher) and it's still kind of low on me in places. Yep, Hank was amazing. Anyway, we hope you enjoyed the first installment in this year's series. We'll upload another one next weekend! :-) H & J Version: youtube.com/watch?v=LmLJdd2RsncListen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
Robbinsville Quartet Correction Video BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2022-11-04 | I learned this evening that the video I uploaded last weekend and the notes that I wrote with it contained a lot of inaccurate information. This video is an attempt to provide more accurate information about the great Robbinsville Quartet of years gone by and about the Millsap Family band who performed last weekend at the Martins Creek Community Center, descendants of the Robbinsville Quartet, both musically and literally. I spoke with Mr. Scott Millsaps on the phone this evening and learned a lot more about both groups. After we finished talking, I rushed outside to shoot this correction video. Unfortunately, it had gotten too late and there wasn't enough light for the camera to work right. The sounds you hear in the video are the creek flowing behind me and the leaves rustling at my feet. Since the video was all black, I just used a picture of the Millsap Family that Tipper had posted on her blog, blindpigandtheacorn.com, and I played the audio of me talking along with the image or screen shot. Even this correction video likely contains errors. The Robbinsville quartet is an important group to be remembered in our area, and like any group whose music spanned across several decades, they had a lot of changes over time in their membership. Maybe one day Scott, or someone else who is well versed in their history, could create a Wikipedia entry to accurately chronicle or document all the members and the history of the quartet. I hope this video at least helps in part to relay more accurate information than last week's video. Thank you for watching, and I hope you enjoyed learning more about the Robbinsville Quartet and the Millsap Family, both truly great gospel singing groups of different generations! In the video, I said that Dickey Webster began playing bass with the Robbinsville Quartet in '99. I think it may have actually been as early as '91 or '92. Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
He Can Be Found (Louvin Bros. Cover) Millsaps Family BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2022-10-29 | PLEASE NOTE: The title screen in this video is incorrect: this is the Millsap Family band, not the original Robbinsville Quartet. I got a little over excited in uploading this video right away and didn't call the group by the correct name. I can't change the title screen now without taking the video down. Last weekend, Corie, Tipper, and I were one of three groups that played at the Martins Creek Community Center's monthly singing. It was a great event overall. The Reverend Paul Ray Morgan sang with his wife. Paul is the son of one of Pap's best friends and earliest music partners, the Late Slim Morgan. I especially loved the fact that all three groups, including me and Corie, sang at least one Louvin Brothers song. The first time I ever heard some members of the Robbinsville Quartet sing was at Pap's funeral. He asked me many years before he died to make sure they sang at his funeral, if possible. It struck me as very odd at the time that a man who loved duet singing so much would request for a quartet to sing at his funeral. We were able to track them down, and some surviving members came out of musical retirement to grant Pap his wish, by singing at his funeral back in 2016. Since that time, some of their members are singing more in a new group called The Millsap Family. This group is made up primarily by three Millsap Brothers from Graham County. Their father, who passed away more than 20 years ago, was an original member of the Robbinsville Quartet. These days, the group also includes Craig Millsap's son, Luke (the large young man with the curly hair and beard, who is a great singer in his own right) and Dicky Webster, who leads this song and plays the guitar in the center of the group. Mr. Webster was also a member of the Robbinsville Quartet back in the 90's. Corie filmed several other songs they sang that night. I wish we had filmed their whole set as well as Paul Ray Morgan's. I wish I could share everything she filmed right now, but Corie is deciding which ones she wants to post on the Pressley Girls channel. That's a good thing because they'll get a lot more views there than here. I think Pap liked the Robbinsville Quartet's singing so much because, unlike a lot of quartets, they sing very naturally. This is certainly true of the Millsap Family singing. They don't put any sort of stylistic pretense in their voices. They just sing like a really, really good church choir. Scott Milsap (in the light blue shirt on the far right) has the most powerful bass voice I've ever heard in person. He really doesn't even need a microphone, and all the other men sing with such ringing melody in their voices. It's really beautiful in person, sometimes giving me chills. It was an honor to sing at the same event as them and Paul Morgan. In one of the videos that Corie captured, Scott Milsap tells a story about first meeting Pap and his brother, Ray (the Wilson Brothers) at a concert at Western Carolina University in 1976! I was 2 at the time, so I don't remember that show. :-) He said that PBS was there to film a documentary on The Robbinsville Quartet and the Wilson Brothers as examples of Appalachian harmony. He told me off stage that he doesn't think the documentary ever aired. Man, what I'd give to have a copy of some of that footage. I'll be sending a link to this video to some of the group members. I hope their family and friends enjoy seeing it. This is an encore performance of He Can Be Found. They sang it earlier in their set, but I asked them to sing it once more, and they kindly obliged. I thought about saving it and uploading it on Ira's birthday, but it's a long time till April. The lyrics are below: He Can Be Found (words and music by Ira Louvin) He can be found in a mother's smile. He can be found in the eyes of a child. He can be found... He is everywhere. When we kneel in prayer, each plea He hears. He can be found in the air that we breath. He'll always hear a heart that grieves. He can be found on life's stormy seas. He can be found in you and me. He can be found in the hearts of great men. He will reach down for one who has sinned. The peasant's daughter or the rich man's son. All who believe, and who will, let him come. Repeat chorusListen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
Bury Me (Along the Big Sandy) Cover for Dwight Yoakams Birthday BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2022-10-23 | Some of you may wonder why I would do a song for Dwight's birthday, placing him in the company of Hank, Sr. and the Louvins. Well, while I'm not saying he necessarily belongs in their ranks, I do believe that Dwight Yoakam is probably greatly underestimated as a songwriter. I can't think of anyone who wrote as many great songs in the last two decades of the 20th Century. The first time I heard him was "Guitars and Cadillacs" when I was 12 years old. Although I thought his voice was somewhat nasally, I immediately liked his signing and his songs. There was something undeniably genuine, something authentic about both. I chose to open this song using a partial verse from Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie because of a memory I have relating to Dwight's song about wanting to be buried along one of the tributaries to the Ohio River. When I was 14, I was riding home from school with two of my cousins in a pick-up truck. They were playing this song on the stereo, and they began to debate about whether or not it matters where one is buried. My cousin Alan said he liked the thought of choosing a peaceful spot that held some significance, but my cousin Darren insisted that it didn't matter because you would never know (because you're dead). He said that as far as he was concerned, someone could just roll him in a ditch. I don't know why that conversation stuck with me 34 years later. :-) There are many other Yoakam originals that I like better, but I chose this song because I noticed it's the song that Dwight sung when he was inducted into the Kentucky Hall of Fame. Pap liked Dwight's music too, although somewhat grudgingly. This was mostly because he couldn't understand the words most of the time, due to Dwight's curling and stretching of syllables. I remember that Pap nodded in strong approval when I spoke the last verse of "Bury Me" to him. He could definitely relate to Dwight's idea of an anchor (in Jesus) that does not change in life, despite one's circumstances or wayward journey. Pap simply had no idea that's what Dwight was singing, until I interpreted it for him. I bet there are many listeners who didn't fully understand Dwight's lyrics. Did you know that he wrote/sang words like: "I'll embrace small shards of silence to avoid a loss so violent and survive love's darkest fears...?" or how about "The sun intrudes the room and throws across its golden tracks; shake the dream. Now it's back to facts?" His lyrics were never cliche. Verbally, he's probably one of the most intelligent country singers ever. Still others, like one of my former coworkers, were thrown off by Dwight's skintight jeans and on-stage gyrations. I never cared about any of that stuff, only about his melodies and lyrics. Back in the 80's and 90's, Pap listened to a lot more top 40 country than I did. This is because he kept the radio playing while driving an oil truck all day. I remember at least three times when he came home and told me, "Well, Yoakam's finally got himself a good song." I would say, "Really, what is it?" I didn't bother to say that I thought he had already written plenty good songs. I just waited for Pap to tell me about whatever new song release he had heard on the radio that day. One was, "The Heart that You Own;" one was "Home for Sale," and another was "You're the One," all of them superb songs, in my opinion. I guess Pap kept forgetting that he had liked other Yoakam songs each time he was pleased by a new one. Anyway, I don't know if I'll do a Yoakam song every year on 10/23, but his music has brought me and my family a lot of enjoyment over the years. I thought that Corie did a good job singing harmony on this, even though she didn't really know the song well, or the preface song that I tacked on at the beginning. Next month will be our Train Song Series, so I'll have to get started filming! Thanks for watching! Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
When God Comes and Gathers His Jewels BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2022-09-17 | This year, for Hank's birthday song, I intended to team up with my good friend, Wayde Powell, III, on one of my favorite Hank Songs called "There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight." My hope was to sing the song and play rhythm while Wayde played the lap steel. Unfortunately, when the day arrived, Wayde was not feeling well. I hope we can reschedule it and use the song next year. I do have an amazing audio clip of Wayde playing another song on the lap steel. I may upload it here sometime down the road. When I found that Wayde and I wouldn't be able to get together, I also thought about having Katie or Corie join me on this song, but that didn't work out either. So, I wound up doing this song/video completely solo. I didn't realize, till I played the video back, that I was weaving in and out of a shadow while I sang. I apologize for the poor lighting. I always thought this was a great song, one that is simple, yet moving, one that tells a great, realistic story. What else can we really say to someone who has just experienced the loss of a loved one other than to point them toward and remind them of the Promise of our Lord? I hope you enjoyed this great Hank song. The lyrics are below: When the ceremony was over, a lad stood alone in tears, For he had just said goodbye to the one he had loved through the years. He stood alone, with his head bowed down, as though his poor heart would break. The parson came over and took his hand, and to him, these words he did say: "When God comes and gathers His jewels, all his treasures of diamonds and gold, You'll see her up there, in heaven so fair, when God comes and Gathers His jewels. At night when the pale moon is shining, you can see this lad all alone, With his eyes lifted up toward heaven, he's repeating the words he was told. Repeat chorus in first person...Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
Homemade Reverb Using a Kenmore Clothes Dryer BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2022-07-23 | Here's an odd video for you! Some may ask, why create or use reverb in the first place in a recording. "In a way, it suggests a presence beyond ourselves," Weir says. "Regardless of what you believe spiritually, when you shout 'Hello' into a stairwell and hear your voice ringing for a few seconds afterward, it's hard not to think of something beyond." (Weir, NPR, All Things Considered: Conquering Reverb: Behind Recorded Music's Oldest Sound Effect). I never mentioned why I sang Jewel Here on Earth into the dryer. It's the song I happened to be singing when I noticed the echo while doing my laundry, so I decided to use it in this video. It's an old Roy Acuff song. Pap once told me that it's the only song he can remember his grandfather Benjamin Wilson singing. The Louvins included it on their tribute album to Acuff in the 1960's. Their duet recording of the song, in my opinion, is the definitive version. Charlie also had a popular trio version of it in the 90's. Though I saw them in person in Hiawassee, I'm not sure of the names of the other two singers who were in his trio. I believe they were Lisa Kerry and Terry Hampton. They sang it fairly regularly on the Opry in the 90's. Below are links to the podcast that I took the quote from--and links to all of the songs that I mention or reference in this video. Thanks for watching! NPR Podcast: npr.org/sections/therecord/2012/07/07/156395020/conquering-reverb-behind-the-worlds-oldest-sound-effectFleet Foxes, Blue Ridge Mountains youtube.com/watch?v=d370CKlg-wkLouvin Brothers, Swing Low Sweet Chariotyoutube.com/watch?v=Zuhr8u-udg4Louvin Brothers, This Little Light of Mine youtube.com/watch?v=ujW8LGYAjEg Louvin Brothers, You're Running Wild youtube.com/watch?v=Xhq5qFmgp2AListen to Pap's original songs/my singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to Pap's original songs/my singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
It is No Secret BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2022-07-16 | Today, July 16th, is Pap's birthday. One of the Acorns (viewers), Debbie Nixon, asked me (in a comment) back on July 7th, what song I was going to sing for Pap's birthday. She knew that Pap's birthday was approaching. Back in 2017, I sang and uploaded "His Hands" on Pap's birthday. I didn't really know the song but chose to do it because Pap loved Stuart Hamblen's music so much. This year, I decided to let Pap to the honors himself and uploaded this solo recording of him singing what is perhaps Hamblen's most famous song. Hamblen also wrote "Until Then," which Pap and I sang as a duet, and you can find a couple of videos of us singing it on this channel. As granny would say, Pap thought Hamblen was "the stuff." However, you can really hear Hamblen's musical influence on Pap in only one of Pap's songs, "Live to Never Die," which will be on the CD project that I'm working on. The influence doesn't show up so much in the words as it does in the chord pattern, particularly when the song goes "around the horn," from C major to D major. One thing about Hamblen's writing that I find interesting is that in most of his songs, he begins the chorus with the key line, whereas most writers of classic country music end the chorus with their key line. In "It is No Secret," Hamblen uses the key line like bookends, by both starting and ending the chorus with it. In a sense, I find it bold that he so often began his choruses with the best line, the hook line, if you will. I think that shows that he had confidence in his ability to elaborate upon that line in the rest of the chorus (the lines to come) without boring the listener. There is a famous true story about the origins of "It is No Secret," a story involving Hamblen himself, Billy Graham, and John Wayne. If you're wondering why Hamblen might have had interactions with Wayne, Hamblen was also a Hollywood actor back in the day. Most of you have probably already heard the story of how this song was inspired, so I won't tell it here. If you've never heard the story, just Google it. :-) I'm thankful that the thing that God did for Hamblen, he also did for Pap, and someday, I'll see Pap again. Thank you for watching and listening. I hope you enjoy Pap's version of this great song! Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
See the Big Man Cry (in honor of Charlie Louvins Birthday) BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2022-07-07 | I got Corie of the Pressley Girls to help me out on this tribute song for Charlie's birthday. The song tells an all too familiar story for many marriages, but it's a very well written song with a great beat and melody. This was one of Charlie's bigger hits. It came out not long after he and Ira parted ways musically. It's special to me because Charlie once dedicated the song to me and Pap on the Grand Old Opry. We weren't there in person but heard him on the radio as we were driving down the radio. You can easily find the original on YouTube, along with some other covers of the song. Thanks for watching! The lyrics are below: The other day, I walked out on the street. I happened to see a pretty, young woman, a little bitty boy. He looked back at me... "See the big man cry, Mama," that's what I heard him say. "See the big man cry, Mama. He looks like his heart will break." I followed them to a pet shop window. The little boy stopped to see. He looked up at her and said, "If I had a daddy, he'd buy that puppy for me." Repeat Chorus I wanted to tell him I was his daddy, he sure had a pretty mom, But the judge had said I could never see them for the things I'd said and done. Repeat Chorus Son, as you grow older, find someone who's dear, You better stick by her, take care of her, so you don't ever hear... Repeat ChorusListen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
Let Me Live for God (background info on original song and recording) BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2022-07-02 | I hope you all have a Happy 4th of July! I scheduled this video to upload the day after the song release, at which time, Lord willing, I will be out of town to play a tennis tournament, but I will reply to comments when I'm back home. In all my rambling in the video, I never mentioned that the two guitars I used in the recording are a Blueridge 12-string guitar, and an old Japanese classical guitar that Wayde Powell, II gave me back in the late 90's. I found it in his barn, with a rat's nest inside and the bridge pulled off. Pap helped me glue the bridge back down with Elmer's Wood Glue. I love its tone. I used it on "Down the Escalante," which you can hear on this channel, and on some Christmas songs that Pap and I recorded. In the video, you will sometimes see me looking behind me or toward the ridge to my left. That was because I heard something stirring in the woods and wanted to make sure it wasn't any animal to be concerned about. It was probably deer, but I know from my brother-in-law's trail cam photos that black bear and bob cats are in this area. Mountain lions have also been heard in this area and seen not far from this area. Anyway, that's why I'm looking. In the video, I said that I used a photo of Pap's original lyrics draft as the photo for this single. After I shot this video, I received a message from CDBaby saying they rejected the image. The reason it was rejected is because Pap and I sang the lyrics slightly differently than how they appear on that old piece of notebook paper. I think they missed the point of taking a picture of that piece of paper. I needed to submit a different photo right away, so I just took a picture of the pick guard on the Dove and sent them that. They accepted it. Thanks for watching this video. Please tune in on July 7th to see a song from me and Corie in honor of Charlie Louvin's birthday!Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
Gods Sunshine on the Mountain (trio version) BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2022-06-18 | I stumbled upon this video in one of my computer file folders a day or two ago and decided to upload it. I hope you got a kick out of Katie's musings at the beginning about what happens when there's a sunny rain shower. :-) Sometimes when the Pressley Girls and I finish a practice, I ask them to experiment with some song or other. This time, it was one of Pap's songs called "God's Sunshine on the Mountain." He told me that he wrote it one day while making deliveries in his oil truck. This was in the early 90's. He said that the day was very gloomy, but he could see the sun shining brightly on a mountain top near Hiawassee, GA, which inspired him to write this song. To me, it sounds like a prayer set to music. At some point during our practice session that day, Katie mentioned that she had been listening to Pap and his brother Ray sing the song on an old cassette tape while driving around in her 4-Runner. Katie listens to a lot of old cassettes, not because she's trying to be a hipster but because the CD player doesn't work in her vehicle, and sadly, the radio plays mostly garbage. Anyway, I suggested we try the song, and we experimented with various keys and arrangements. This one turned out better than the rest. We commented that we would try it again the next time we practiced and that we would really work out the kinks. Of course, we forgot all about it by the next week and moved on to other stuff. This a great song, one of Pap's most popular or most well-received. I didn't consider including it on the CD that I'm producing because I thought Pap and Ray's recording of it did the song justice already. With regard to experimenting with the song, as far as I know, this is the only time that the Pressley girls and I have sung a trio where I didn't sing some type of harmony. Usually, Katie sings the lead and Corie and I sing harmony. In this video, I'm singing lead, and Katie and Corie are both singing harmony, one high (Corie) and one low (Katie). It definitely produces a different sound than the other trios we've done. Back when we shot this video and when I watched it the other day, I knew something seemed strange about our version of it. I found a video of me and Pap singing it here on the BPA channel, and then I knew what was strange: the chorus and verse are supposed to have slightly different melodies and chord patterns. The verse contains only two chords, while the chorus contains three. When Corie, Katie, and I sang the song, we went from memory and accidentally sang both the verse and chorus to the tune/chord pattern of the verse. If you watch the video of me and Pap (link below and link within this video), you'll see that we should have gone to C on the line "help me FIND the way that's right." That's how it should have gone when we were in G major. Once we changed to A major, we should have gone to D major on the word "find." There's nothing wrong with two chord songs. Hank Williams had several amazing 2-chord songs, and Pap and I did some (like Twilight is Stealing and I Can't Say I've Ever Been More Lonesome, both of which can be found on this channel). However, I wish we had included the third chord. I have no idea what type of turn-around or break I was attempting before the last chorus. :-) I think I momentarily forgot that we were in A. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this song. Check out the other version on this channel for comparison. Somewhere in my house, there's an old VHS of Pap, Ray, and I performing this song live in South Georgia at a place called "The Music Barn." Perry Stalcup played bass. I searched unsuccessfully to find it. If I can find it and figure out how to convert it, I'll upload it. The crowd that night was really good, and there are a couple of funny stories that go along with that trip/concert. Again, maybe I can find and upload it. Please tune back in next month when Corie and I, Lord willing, will upload a song for Charlie Louvin's birthday. Version with me and Pap: youtube.com/watch?v=Qucp9VE3keYLyrics: There are times, here in the valley, my way is hard to find, And I long for the mountain, where God's sun always shines. Oh, Lord, please guide me. Help me find the way that's right. With the shadows falling 'round me, help me walk in the Light. Here my time is swiftly passing. My day is almost gone, But God's sun shines on the mountain, and He'll light the pathway home. Repeat ChorusListen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
For My Change I Await (along with CD project update) BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2022-06-06 | Whew! 38 minutes of talking for one 2-minute song!? Maybe if you need to kill close to an hour, this video will come in handy, perhaps to help you drift off to sleep! Here are a few disclaimers: 1) If this video winds up being uploaded on Monday, and it seems like my talking implies that it was uploaded on Sunday, June 5th, that's because my internet was so slow that it had to upload overnight! 2) If you're wondering about the cuts on my face, I got into a fight with one of granny's curtain rods that fell and hit me while we were replacing one of her windows :-). I was looking at something else in a very focused way, not realizing that it came apart in the center. At the time, I was angry about being hit by it, but when I looked in the mirror and saw those three cuts, I was just thankful that it didn't him me directly in the eye. 3) If you're afraid of bugs, please allow me to kill some suspense for you: the strange bug that lands on my shirt at 18:00 (and crawls under my collar and all around my shoulders and back) never actually goes inside my shirt or touches my skin. I never knew it was there until I watched the video. If that was potentially the most interesting part of the video for you, I apologize for ruining the suspense. :-) After 2 weeks, I'll post the answer to the question of which words I sang in harmony to replace Pap's harmony. Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
Robe of White BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2022-05-29 | This great song was written by the Louvin Brothers. This quick video doesn't do the song justice, but hopefully it serves as a tribute on this Memorial Day to those who gave their lives for our freedom. Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
God Bless Her Cause Shes My Mother BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2022-05-08 | Happy Mother's Day! We hope you enjoy this old cassette recording of Pap and his brother, Ray, The Wilson Brothers, singing this old Louvin Brother's song. This came from what I would describe as a practice tape, made in Uncle Ray's basement. Of course, Pap sang harmony and played rhythm guitar, and Uncle Ray sang and played lead. You may notice that Pap and his guitar are panned into one speaker, and his brother Ray is panned into the other speaker. A cassette tape has four tracks (a L/R for side A and a L/R for side B). Sometime after this tape was made, Uncle Ray bought a 4-track mixer that allowed him and Pap to each have two tracks (one for guitar and one for vocal). The little mixer also gave them the ability to mix all four sources individually in stereo. However, at this point in time when this song was recorded, they used only one mic each, and Pap and Ray were separated into opposite speakers, with no way to mix in the center. They often sang this song in live performances, and they recorded it in a recording studio a couple of times, at least once with younger brother, Henry, on lead guitar. Crowds generally liked this song anywhere that we played, and quite a few times, I saw audience members brought to tears, usually because the song made them think of their own mothers. I remember distinctly Pap and Ray singing this song once when we played a festival in Maryville, Tennessee. It was held inside and all around a large, old, brick schoolhouse. I think the school had been converted to some sort of center for the arts. Our part of the "show" was set up on the stage in the gymnasium. There was a combination of people listening attentively to the show and people milling around, looking at arts and crafts. This song came somewhere early-to-mid set, and I remember a large, burly man who was crossing the gym floor, about mid court as the first verse was coming to an end. He was walking perpendicular to the court, parallel to the stage, headed toward a row of craft tables, but he stopped in the middle of the gym floor and turned his head toward the stage. I remember that he was wearing a hat and had thick glasses. I don't think he even turned his body toward the stage, only his head, but he stood there transfixed through the entire song. By the end of the first chorus, tears were clearly running down his cheeks, but he didn't stop to wipe them away. When the song was over, he walked up to the edge of the stage. All I remember him saying was, "Fellas, thank you for that song. Thank you," then he walked away. I think almost nothing can make a bigger difference in our lives than a mother's love, the type of mother that we have. Pap and Ray knew that, and they dearly loved their mother, Marie, who died at a relatively young age. I think that's why they sang this song so often. Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there and thank you for the love you have given. :-)Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
Jesus, Shine on Me (thoughts on the new recording) BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2022-04-23 | Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
Scared of the Blues BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2022-04-21 | As has become tradition, here's another Ira Louvin original done in honor of his birthday. Mr. Josh Griggs was kind enough to lend his Cramer's style piano, similar to the original. When you look at the catalogue of Louvin original songs, it's amazing to see how Ira could adapt with the changing styles around him yet still produce songs that remained totally genuine. The lyrics of this song certainly reveal a speaker who, as Pap would say, has got it bad! What I mean by that is that the speaker seems willing to accept any level of association with the object of his love, similar to Merle Haggard's song, "Love Me When You Can," in which he literally sings, "I'll be satisfied with any crumb you throw me." To me, Scared of the Blues is one of Ira's songs that seems to show an awareness of the 1960's country music trends, when things started to sound a little more like late 50's rock. This song doesn't feature the typical 4/4 or waltz rhythm of most country songs, including that of most Louvin songs. You can see in the first take (which plays second in the video) that I was finding it a little difficult or awkward in places. In a couple of the books that I read about the Louvins, it said that Ira carried a small notepad and that whenever someone said a phrase that sounded interesting to him, like a possible song title, he would jot it down. Toward the end of his life, he carried a small tape recorder that plugged into the car cigarette lighter, and he would speak the lines into the recorder. "Scared of the Blues," is such an interesting, original phrase that I can't help but wonder if it didn't come up in some random conversation and was captured by Ira in his notepad or recorder. It could have also been a subconscious reverberation for Ira of the Delmores' "Blues Stay Away from Me," which was originally conceptualized because the Delmores were tired of audiences and radio DJ's asking them to play blues songs. I guess if you want something to stay away from you, then in a sense, you're scared of it. Ira was certainly aware of the Delmores, especially since they came from very close to the same area as the Louvins. Anyway, back to the Louvin songs... I realize that Charlie's name is also attached to all of the Louvin original songs (as co-writer). I don't mean to take anything away from Charlie, but it seems pretty obvious that Ira was the song writer, and Charlie intimated as much many times over the years in interviews and conversations. Charlie wrote a few good songs after separating from Ira, but the string of masterpieces seemed to stop after their separation/Ira's death. So that's why I think that Ira was the songwriter and that he graciously attached Charlie's name just so they could split royalties 50/50. For whatever reason, Capitol sometimes sat on Louvin recordings and didn't release them until several years after the recordings were done. I would imagine it had something to do with marketing. According to basic internet research, this song was written and recorded 3-4 years before "The Last Date," Floyd Cramer's most famous instrumental. What makes that fact especially interesting to me is that Cramer played on the recording of the Louvins doing Scared of the Blues. To me, the two songs are somewhat similar. By no means am I implying that Cramer copied Ira's song. However, I think songwriting can involve the subconscious mind, and all musicians are influenced by the sounds and music that they hear. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this year's birthday tribute to the great Ira Louvin. Thank you for watching. Lyrics below: Let me go with you. Don't leave me; I'll miss you. I'll love you.Now that I've kissed you, I'll never forget you; I know it's true.If I can only tag along, I'll do it to be with you.Don't make my heart believe it's wrong. Tell me you want me too.Let me go with you. Don't leave me I'll miss you. I'm scared of the blues.Scared of the blues. Let me go with you, and I'll never let you get lonesome.Let me be near you and my love is yours when you need someone.If only to be your old standby, having to share your kiss;I'd rather be than left to die, craving the love I'd miss.Let me go with you. Don't leave me I'll miss you. I'm scared of the blues.Scared of the blues.Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
Blessed Assurance BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2022-04-20 | Today marks the 6th anniversary of when Pap went on to be with the Lord. I'm sharing another solo classic hymn sung by Pap, one of 5 that I was lucky enough to capture in my house one Saturday morning, on an ADAT recorder, back around 2005. Three of them have already been uploaded to this channel: I Must Tell Jesus; God Be with You Till We Meet Again; and I Know Who Holds Tomorrow. When Pap's birthday comes this summer, I'll upload the last of them: It is No Secret. Pap personally identified with all 5 of these songs, and I think you can hear it in his voice. I was blessed beyond words to have him as my father, and I so look forward to the day when I will be with him again, not through any merit of my own but by the grace of God. I hope you enjoyed hearing Pap sing this wonderful hymn. Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
The Sinless One explained (Ebow, Arrangement, & Recording) BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2022-04-15 | Happy Good Friday! This video is about Pap's original song, The Sinless One. With Easter approaching, I thought now was a good time to upload it. One of the captions (at about 29:00) is hard to read because the white letters aligned with some white on the front of my shirt. The word that was obscured is the word "pinch" as part of "pinch harmonics." In making the comparison of the dual Ebow frequencies to pinch harmonics and Mongolian throat singing, I could have also made a more basic comparison: humming and whistling at the same time...Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
Crying Holy unto the Lord BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2022-04-09 | Here's another fun tune from my visit with the Reighard Family. I was a little disappointed that Flip Cam didn't really capture the sound of the bucket bass the way it sounded live. Standing there in Sonny's living room, it sounded very much like a doghouse bass. I even tried running the audio through a program to boost the bass with EQ, but it didn't seem to make it stand out any better. Everyone's computer audio system is different, and hopefully for some of you, you'll be able to hear the bass better than I can on my computer. When I was young, Pap told me that a lady he saw playing with Sonny at a show played this type of bass. He didn't call it a bucket bass. He just described to me. Even though I was a kid, I remember being skeptical, but he assured me that it produced a bass sound. He didn't realize or didn't mention that the lady playing it was Sonny's sweet wife (now of 52 years), Margaret. Sonny sometimes played with his wife and another lady in a gospel trio called "The Valley River Trio." I believe that mom and dad used to have an LP of them in their record collection when I was growing up. The Valley River runs through the Andrews Valley where Sonny lives. Blindpig viewers may recall that in my very first video with Sonny, back in the Train Song Series of 2020, I mentioned the Valley River Trio in my introduction of him. That trio was my primary experience of Sonny's music, and it wasn't until I mentioned the trio in my introduction that I learned he played in several other bands. I think the trio may have played only gospel, which makes sense as to why I would have seen them more (in churches) as opposed to bluegrass shows or festivals. However, I had never seen the bucket bass, only heard about it from Pap. Maybe they thought it wasn't appropriate for churches and didn't use it when I saw them in churches, and maybe by the time I started playing benefits and festivals with Pap and his brother Ray, Margaret had stopped playing it due to the back problems she mentioned in this video. Anyway, it was neat to see Margaret drag this contraption/instrument out and play it one more time and to remember that Pap came home from a benefit show one night and told me about it, probably 30+ years ago. And of course, I loved seeing grandparents and grandson making music together. There's always something special about family music. The bucket bass is made out of something one doesn't often see: a 10-gallon bucket. I suppose that a typical 5-gallon bucket might work, only with less volume or bass tone. The "string" is a nylon cord. Instead of moving her fingers around (like you would on the neck of bass), Margaret leaned the neck of the instrument forward or backward to either decrease or increase the tension, thereby creating different notes (more tension=higher notes, less tension=lower notes). Listening to it live, this worked really well on the line: "If I could, I surely would..." The neck of the instrument was not permanently attached to the bucket. Instead, it just had a V-notch cut into the bottom of it. Margaret placed the notch of this V on the rim of the bucket, which allowed her to lean the neck, using that pivot point. I assume that Sonny made the instrument, but I didn't confirm that. Those who have seen Sonny perform to a crowd know that his shows always feature a ton of comedy, so a bucket bass makes sense :-) Margaret's vocal harmony was spot on too, though the camera didn't capture it very clearly either. I panned down to the bucket at the end because I loved the captions/decorations on the bucket: American Flags and the words: "God is good" and "Jesus is my Best Friend." I hope you enjoyed this video, and thanks for watching. Lyrics below: Crying holy unto the Lord... Crying holy unto the Lord... If I could, I surely would Stand on the rock where Moses stood.Lord, I ain’t no stranger now.Lord, I ain’t no stranger now.I’ve been introduced to the Father and the Son;Lord, I ain’t no stranger now.Sinners, run hide your face.Sinners, run hide your face.Sinners, run to the rocks and hide your face;The rocks cried out, “No hiding place.”Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
Cluck Old Hen BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2022-04-04 | As Promised, here's another video with the great Sonny Reighard, joined by his grandson, Mr. Josh Carpenter. I heard Allison Kraus and Union Station play this tune often back in the 90's. I didn't know there were lyrics until Sonny sang it for me when I visited him in February. Online, the lyrics below are credited to Taj Mahal. I don't know if he's the originator of the song altogether or if he perhaps put lyrics to a much older tune. Either way, the lyrics definitely work well with the rhythm and melody. As he does with other songs and with many jokes, Sonny cleaned up the lyrics so as to make them work for a family audience, replacing the one expletive with a euphemism. I believe he's a teetotaler, like me, and he took out the whiskey reference. He used the third verse as his chorus. He also added the verse about the hen laying "'taters," which is probably my favorite verse. :-) I hope you enjoyed this toe tapper as much as I did. I had an old hen. She had a wooden leg,Best old hen that never laid an egg.Laid more eggs than any hen around the barn.Another drink of whiskey wouldn't do me any harm.Cluck, old hen, cluck and sing.Ain't seen an egg since way last Spring.Cluck, old hen, cluck and squall,Ain't laid an egg since way last fall.My old hen's a good old hen.She lays eggs for the railroad men.Sometimes one, sometimes two,Sometimes enough for the whole damn crew.Cluck, old hen, cluck and sing,Ain't seen an egg since way last Spring.Cluck, old hen, cluck and squall,Ain't laid an egg since way last fall.Cluck, old hen, cluck in the lot.Next time you cackle, you'll cackle in the pot.Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
Something Got a Hold of Me BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2022-03-25 | In this video, Katie's back by popular demand to help me close out this year's story song series. It was a lot of fun. There's a lot of talking at the beginning of this video. To go straight to the music, skip ahead to 4:06. This is another story song that's also a sacred or gospel song. While I can't directly relate to the experience of setting out to prove God or His believers wrong, I can relate to skeptically and arrogantly thinking that I knew far more than I did and then having to totally change my tune. This happened a few times when I was growing up when Pap told me something I should do differently, and I tried his suggestion only because I thought I would prove him wrong--but instead I only proved him right. About four or five years ago, a movie came out called The Case for Christ, and the main character (in this true story) experiences something very similar to the speaker in Something Got a Hold of Me. His name is Lee Strobel. As an atheistic investigative reporter for the Chicago Tribune, he set out to disprove the Bible but instead became a believer when he was confronted with the great deal of evidence that he inadvertently turned up in his own investigation. :-) Though this year's Story Song Series is over, I have a couple more videos that I shot of Mr. Reighard and his family, and I hope to share them in the next couple of weeks. I also hope to shoot and upload videos discussing the latest two songs of Pap's that I have released as singles online. Thank you for tuning into this year's series. In mid-April, it will be time to upload a song for Ira's birthday. I hope to team up with Mr. Josh Griggs for that video. In July, it will be time for Charlie's birthday video. In September, I will upload something for Hank's birthday (hopefully with Wayde Powell, III stepping in to play some sweet lap steel guitar); and of course, next November we'll do our Train Song Series again. I hope to convince Mr. Jamie Shook to join me in a train song/video then. Maybe he's reading this, and maybe I'll be successful in all these things, Lord willing. :-) Here's the Wilburn version of Something Got a Hold of Me: youtube.com/watch?v=O1bB0cTisWc&t=2sListen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
I Havent Seen Mama in Years BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2022-03-18 | In this story song, we reunite the mother and son that were separated in the first story song of this year's series (except the son in this song was wrongly convicted). This is another song I learned from Mac Wiseman. In the late 90's, when I was traveling to and from UNCA on the weekends, I listened to a cassette of Mac that was fairly recently recorded at the time. I still remember that it had an orange case and that on the front, Mac was standing underneath a tree, wearing a rather loud shirt. You can find that cassette recording of him doing the song (along with the blurry image of the cassette) here on YouTube. I don't know for sure, but after some cursory searching on YouTube, I think this song might have been written by David Allan Coe. In one way, I should have surmised as much, given his other somewhat infamous song about his mother and prison :-). I've never been a Coe fan, though his son runs an interesting podcast about classic country musicians (called Cocaine and Rhinestones). I thought the line about the world being "both old and new" was pretty clever, as was the mother's recognition of her son even without her sense of sight. This song, and others like it, harkens back to a time when to be in prison meant to be cut off from communication and to be isolated from the rest of the world. Today, some prisoners have internet access, phones, frequent visits, etc., but it wasn't true once upon a time. Pap and I loved to sing the song Lamp Lighting Time, and it wasn't until I searched to find out more about the song's origin and meaning that I learned that the speaker in that song is also in prison (as revealed in a verse that most singers, including Pap and I, left out or didn't know). There are many other songs that have nothing to do with prison but still feature the same type of inability to communicate and that same wondering and longing about family members. To name a couple, there's I Wonder How the Old Folks are at Home (also Mac) and Not a Word from Home Anymore (Roy Acuff). Sometimes, it's the parents wondering about the son, like in Blueridge Mountain Blues. Communication is so easy and instantaneous today, even for soldiers fighting in a war, but again songs like I Haven't Seen Moma in Years capture what it was like before modern communication tools. With regard to prison, I saw a documentary back in the early 2000's that posited that if you isolate or cut off prisoners too much, they simply lose their minds and become even harder to manage and rehabilitate. I think that makes sense, though I've often thought that if I ever had to go to prison, I would rather be in solitary confinement, away from all the other prisoners, as long as I had a bed and enough space to walk around a little bit, but I know that I'm pretty idiosyncratic when it comes to enjoying prolonged solitude. Katie had never heard this song, and we jumped right in with minimal practice. I thought of trying another take since I flubbed part of the break, but I liked the singing and the overall feel of this take, so we left it at one take only. I hadn't thought about this song in a long time. It seems ironic to me that I wound up singing and uploading it now when I'm the same age as the speaker in the song (at the time of his release). I certainly didn't plan it that way, just an ironic coincidence. Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this story song. The lyrics are below. Thanks for watching! I watch the front gate slowly open on this federal, gray rock prison, And I walk out past the walls, into a world both old and new. I was 18 when they put me here. I'm finally free after 30 years. They stole my youth for something I didn't do. And I haven't seen mama in years, and I wonder if she'll even know my face.No, I haven't seen mama in years. A mother's love I pray time don't erase.I walk down the same old dusty road I played on many years ago, And I walk across the front porch and hear my mama call my name. Then I see her face so sweet and kind; I see her cane and realize she's blind. She says that my footsteps still sound the same. And I haven't seen mama in years, but I know she's seen me in her dreams. No, I haven't seen mama in years. Thank you, thank you, mama for loving me. Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
I Aint Gonna Work Tomorrow BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2022-03-12 | The great Mr. Sonny Reighard, who just turned 80 years young, was kind enough to let me come to his beautiful home and sing this story song with him. The last time that I played with Sonny, he only played guitar, so I asked him to please share some clawhammer banjo playing this time. This is a song that I learned from the Louvin Brothers. It could be said to be a murder ballad, a subgenre within narrative songs. The Louvins are credited as the writers, though most people are probably more familiar with bluegrass versions of the song, from folks like Flatt and Scruggs. The Louvins were writing songs as far back as the 1940's, but it could be that this song is a reworking of an old traditional song, as it was done by the Carter Family, which you can find on YouTube. I always liked the song, as presented by the Louvins, because of its clever plot twist. In the opening, the listener thinks the speaker is just taking it easy, a break from work to prepare for his wedding, but the song turns dark, and the listener learns that the speaker has a different reason for not working, for not caring about the weather, etc.--and that a very different appointment awaits him tomorrow. If they didn't fully originate the song, they certainly improved upon it. You might think this song appeared on the "Songs that Tell a Story" album that the Louvins released early in their Capitol career, but actually it appeared on one of their last albums released in the 1960's. It featured clawhammer banjo, similar to the way Sonny picks it in this video. I've often wondered if Ira played the banjo on the recording. I think it's quite possible, if not likely. In books about the Louvins, Ira was said to have often taken a banjo with him to school, where he would sit under a tree and play and sing during recess. It was said that this made him somewhat of an outsider or laughingstock among the other kids. He dropped out in the 6th grade. Including the banjo on this tune could have been their effort to cash in on the folk music craze that started in the 60's or it may have been part of the fallout from producer Ken Nelson saying that Ira's mandolin playing was holding the Louvins back, after which Ira switched to tenor guitar and electric guitar and never played the mandolin again on their recordings. Not counting some rare demo recordings, I know of only two Louvin recordings featuring a banjo (this one and a song called "Ruby Got Away from Me"). Anyway, I digress! I surprised myself by being able to sing the high tenor on this song, though one fret lower than Ira sang it. Unfortunately, like the last time I sang with Sonny, I made the mistake of singing toward him, rather than toward the camera. This makes it hard to hear the tenor vocal and the guitar. The last verse about the banjo ringing didn't appear in the Louvins' version. It's a verse I heard Pap sing one time. I thought the imagery of the girl laughing while standing on the "cold, cold ground" was pretty haunting. I shared it with Sonny, and he liked it too, so we included it. It seems that verse came from the Carter version. After this year's story song series ends, I'll share a couple of bonus videos that was lucky enough to film of Sonny singing with his wife and picking with his son-in-law. Apparently Chet Atkins recorded this song as an instrumental. He played on some of the early Louvin recordings and also played with the Carter Family when he was very young. Since they already had a guitar player (Mother Maybel), Chet played, of all things, fiddle! I've never heard him fiddle. Here's a link of a gentleman playin ghte song the way Atkin played it: youtube.com/watch?v=TNYFkoD3-V8 Thanks for watching! Lyrics below: I ain't gonna work tomorrow. I ain't gonna work today. I ain't gonna work tomorrow. That will be my wedding day. I ain't seen the sun all morning. It's raining, but I don't care. Nobody's coming to see me, and I ain't a'going nowhere. She told me that she loved me, and we named our wedding day. That day will be tomorrow, but my darling's in her cold, cold grave. I hung my head in sorrow. It hurt me to see her die. I found her in the arms of another, and the Lord knows I lost my mind. Can't you hear my banjo ringing? Can't you hear that lonesome sound?Can't you hear that pretty girl laughing, standing on that cold, cold ground?Repeat chorus. Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
Mother Knows Best BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2022-03-04 | Thanks for tuning into our story song series. We'll be collaborating with some other musicians in some of our videos, but to get this year's series started, we're starting simple. Here's a cautionary tale that I heard on an old Mac Wiseman LP when I was a kid. I believe that when I first started the story song series, I mentioned Mac as someone who recorded many narrative songs, so I guess it's time to pull one from him. Mac seemed to love to play his guitar in A major and E major positions and to make runs on the top two strings, so I tried to include some of that sound. I always thought it was interesting that he used a Yamaha guitar for most of his career, rather than the typical Martin employed in bluegrass. Mac has had an interesting career, seemingly a part of two genres (country and bluegrass). In the third installment for this year's series, I'll share another one I learned from Mac, which I think could almost serve as a sequel to this one, at least in one sense (you'll see later). This song, "Mother Knows Best," may have crossed my mind because I read in the paper a couple of weeks ago where one of my best friends from high school was arrested on some pretty serious drug charges. He was one of the most charismatic, funny, athletic, and befriending people I've ever met, but now he's behind bars for the choices that he made. I have been trying to "visit' him online this week, just to let him know that I'm thinking and praying about him, but so far, I haven't been able to make contact. I never really knew his mother or dad. Did they try to stop him from the path that he took, like the crying mother in this song? I don't know, but I would hazard a guess that there were probably many voices around him who gave him good, albeit unheeded advice. However, it's not too late for him, and I'll be praying he can get things turned around with the help of the Lord. Listen to original singles released on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5VX6ZKjBvDB31BhNdR7EXC Listen to original singles on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC2WQqe6yfRH2zahVpfZ_teg Listen to Shepherd of My Soul (Album released in 2016): open.spotify.com/album/4VnoOyUTOtSqrmVKinmSJz
Riding on that Midnight Train BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2021-11-28 | Better late than never! In previous years, I filmed all the train songs well ahead of time. This year, I procrastinated, and the only one I filmed in advance was The City of New Orleans. We were down to the wire with this last one. Matt and I were planning to do it a few days earlier, but several things came up, and we didn't try filming until today around 3:30. Add to that the fact that my internet is down to an absolute crawl, and you get an upload that just barely made it. On the bright side, we had great luck throughout the series when it came to getting good takes on the very first try, including this one. Doing this song with Matt was super fun! We hadn't picked or sung with him in quite a few years, but everything seemed to fall into place fairly well. I apologize that the vocals are kind of hard to hear. We both should have sung louder, but with 5 instruments playing in one kitchen, it was probably a given that the vocals might be a bit smothered. This song has more of a bluegrass feel than any song we've done in the series so far, except for Bringing in the Georgia Mail or The Wreck of O'le 97. Since the vocals are a bit hard to hear, I pasted the lyrics below. Thanks for watching! No matter what I say or do,You’re never satisfied.I’ve tried and I’ve tried so many times...I’m leaving you now. Goodbye.I’m riding on that midnight train.My head is hanging low.These awful blues will follow meWherever I may go.You broke a heart that trusted you. Why wasn't it made of stone? You made my world as black as night, And yet I must travel on. Repeat Chorus Why on earth was I ever born?I’ll never understand.Just to fall in love with a woman like youWho's in love with another man?Repeat Chorus
Sand Mountain Blues BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2021-11-20 | For the third train song this year, Corie and I tried this old Delmore Brothers classic. This song was on the Louvin Brothers tribute to the Delmore Brothers album. The Delmores, Alton and Rabon, were from Elkmont, Alabama, and the Louvins were from Henagar, Alabama. These two communities are very close to each other--and not very far from where we live. They're located kind of just over the ridgeline from Chattanooga, which is only about an hour from here. Ira and Charlie's father was actually born in Murphy, NC, our county seat. Anyway, the Delmores were musical heroes to the Louvins and inspired them to try to make it big in music too. Their song Blues Stay Away from Me has been covered by everybody from Merel Haggard to the Pressley Girls: (youtube.com/watch?v=5i3O4dfN6kM). Like the Louvins, the Delmores faced many struggles in their lives and musical careers. There's a great autobiography that Alton wrote about them called Truth is Stranger than Publicity. If you can find a copy, you may be blown away by the index of 100's of songs that they wrote. On the BPA channel, Pap and I covered several, including: When It's Time for the Whippoorwills to Sing, Going to Lay Down My Old Guitar, Blow Your Whistle Freight Train, and Weary Lonesome Blues. Ben (guitar man) and I also did Freight Train Boogie one year during the train song series. Though they didn't sing with the vocal power of the Louvins, their harmony was tight and uniquely their own. They were also great guitarists, especially Rabon on the tenor guitar. When the Louvins recorded their tribute album to the Delmores, Ira played Rabon's tenor guitar, Rabon having tragically passed away from lung cancer in 1952 at only 36 years of age. Many Delmore songs reference TRAINS in ways that portray them as both lonesome and as a means of escape from one's troubles. Sand Mountain Blues is A lonesome song but always seemed to me to be mildly comedic in a down-on-your-luck kind of way. Pap and I used to try to sing it together a little bit when I was a teenager, but it seemed like I could never keep from running out of breath. It has a lot of words crammed into a short space. I remember that the verse about the gypsy and the line, 'You're going to be sorry for breaking my heart" would make Pap smile. Corie did a great job supplying some harmony, something no Delmore song should be without! We hope you enjoy this 3rd installment. For the last one in this year's series, I hope to team up with Mr. Matt Cook, a local musician, barber, fisherman, and hunter. Matt appeared on the BPA channel quite a few years ago when he played mandolin on the song, O Come, Angel Band.
The Eastbound Train BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2021-11-13 | For train song #2 in this year's series, I teamed up with Corie from the Pressley Girls. Unfortunately, one of the downsides of doing one take only is that sometimes, the camera or video quality can leave something to be desired. This time, it's pretty clear what that something is. I didn't have a tri-pod with me, so I set the camera in Corie's bookshelf. Apparently, as I stepped away, the camera turned slightly, leaving Corie out of frame. I apologize about this. To make up for it, I'll be sure to do another one with Corie before we finish the series, and she'll be fully visible in that one! There were a few times when we didn't have our chords patterned correctly with each other, but overall, I think we did the song justice. I won't say a lot about the song here because I said plenty in the video itself! Below, you'll find links to the associated videos mentioned, and below that, you'll find the lyrics. Turns out that there are quite a few versions of the Gibson Brothers doing the song on YouTube, including several live versions that you might enjoy. When I watched a few of them, I was further impressed by the guitar work in that he never played it the same way twice, showing that he plays with a lot of variety. Of course, their vocals are great too, and that's what drew Pap to their music. Thanks for watching! We hope you tune in next week for another train song. :-) youtube.com/watch?v=itRk2eE15icyoutube.com/watch?v=EnpHXn7BusQyoutube.com/watch?v=O2TiU6z0PpAyoutube.com/watch?v=xZIPhMQp6ksThe eastbound train was crowded one cold December day. A conductor called for tickets in the old-time fashioned way. A little girl sat in silence, her hair fine as gold. She said, "I have no ticket," and then her story told: "My father, he's in prison. He's lost his sight, they say.I'm going for his pardon this cold December day. The conductor could not answer. He could not make reply,His shaking, rough hands wiping the tear drops from his eyes. He said, "God bless you, little one. Just stay right where you are. You'll never need a ticket while I am on this car."
The City of New Orleans BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2021-11-06 | Hello, Dear Acorns. It's that time again for our train song series here on BPA. We start out with one of the most elite train songs in terms of chords, lyrics, and melody: The City of New Orleans. It even has clever, recurring key change. :-) As I understand, Steve Goodman wrote this song, an artist I somehow often confuse with John Prine and Arlo Guthrie. Guthrie was perhaps the first to popularize the song. It has been covered by many people, including the Country Gentlemen. Appearing with me in the video is my friend Wayde Powell, III, this time on guitar. In one of our earlier train songs, Wayde appeared on banjo (youtube.com/watch?v=GVkeu7ut86w). For this song, we maintained our standing "rule" for the train song series, which is one-take-only. I really have to hand it to Wayde: he knew what we were going to play only a couple of minutes before the camera started rolling. Of course, he had heard this song before, probably many times, but to my knowledge, it's not something he ever played with a band or anything. I tried to learn the words the night before and obviously didn't quite succeed! :-) I added an extra F chord that Wayde didn't expect to be included, but it didn't throw him for a second. Though missed a couple of chords (like going to E minor too early a few times late in the song), I don't think Wayde missed any. My favorite moments on the guitar are: when he chimes just after "I'm the train they call the City of New Orleans" in the first chorus (1:26); and the notes that he hits on the B string between 3:08 and 3:12. It messes with my mind when I realize that he hit those chiming notes spontaneously. That means that he had to know exactly what the notes are and exactly where to chime them, without searching or practicing. That's not normal, folks. :-) Genius level stuff. Any way, I hope you enjoyed this first train song. It's truly a great song, even though we didn't quite know it and just jumped in to see what would happen. As always, I'll try to upload a different train song every weekend this month. Thanks for watching!
Beyond this Veil/Vale of Tears Guitar Demo/Tutorial BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2021-10-01 | One of my very favorite songs that Pap wrote is called Veil of Tears or Vale of Tears. I guess it's most likely the last title, because that's how the phrase or idea is translated in Psalms. However, back when I uploaded a video of us singing it, I used "Veil" in the title screen and in the upload title. According to Google, "Veil of Tears" is a common English mistake. I'm not sure how I got it in my head that way, except that I have a vague memory of Pap talking about the song in connection with the Bible verse where the Apostle Paul says that "we see through a glass darkly." If Pap intended for the song to be Veil of Tears (something hard to see through), then that could make sense because the opening line of the song is about not knowing the future. However, the other way (short for "valley") would also make sense because the song seems to lament the sorrow of this present life and looks forward to the next place/life where we'll be free from sorrow. Dad and his brother Ray recorded the song back in the 90's, and on the cassette cover, it's written as "Veil." Although that spelling was probably handled/submitted by Wayde Powell, II, who produced the recording, rather than by Pap or Ray, it could be an indication that Pap indeed intended "Veil' and not "Vale." Unfortunately, he's not here for me to ask, and I think I uploaded the video after he had gone on to be with the Lord. Having said all that, the reason that I'm uploading this "instructional" video is that Mr. Joseph Robbins asked for it back in August. I replied to his comment under the video of Pap and I singing the song, saying that I could do it while off for the Labor Day Holiday. I wasn't able to get around to it until a week later, then I kind of forgot that I recorded this video because I was focused on uploading a video for Hank Sr's birthday. I'm very excited about Mr. Robbins possibly learning the song and singing it for others. Mr. Tim Pike and Mr. Bobby Ratliff also commented that they may learn the song and sing it in their respective churches. The more folks who sing Pap's songs the better! I will be including a solo version of this song on the Gospel CD that I'm trying to produce. I may record it last because I want to really get it right, or at least do it the best that I can. It's possibly my favorite song of his mainly because I find the melody very lonesome, almost haunting. It's one of his older songs, probably written around the same time as he wrote "I Believe in God," which was recorded by the Marskmen. The two songs bear some slight similarity in melody and lyrics. Anyway, I hope this instructional video of the guitar encourages all three men and maybe even others to learn the song and to perform the song! Thanks for watching and for reading all of that! :-) In case anyone needs them, the lyrics are below: I know not what will be tomorrow. Who knows just what a day will bring? A time of trouble and sorrow? A day of misery and pain? But I believe, He's gone to prepare a place for me, Free from sorrow and pain, And I'm thankful There's hope beyond this veil of tears. If there were hope in this life only, I'd be so filled with misery. 'Twould be a life so sad and lonely: Eternal death man's destiny. Repeat chorus
Alone and Forsaken (Hank Williams, Sr. Tribute) BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2021-09-17 | In honor of today being Hank Williams Sr's birthday, I tried to cover another one of his songs. This is probably the darkest song he ever wrote, or anyone else wrote, for that matter. It was so dark, that to lighten the mood, I tacked on a little blooper at the end that happened during my first attempt at the song. In case you wonder why I refer to Granny as "Doll," it's a habit we both picked up from my Late Aunt Susie Gregory. She called everyone doll, especially if they were younger than her, which was pretty much everyone around at the time that I knew her. She was a big influence on Granny, so Granny got to calling all of her kids, grandkids, and even Pap "Doll." I was never in the habit until I started taking care of Granny after Pap passed, but before I knew it, I was calling her doll right back. Anyway, back to Hank... I believe I recall seeing in a documentary that he wrote this song at one of his lowest points, at a time when he had isolated himself from everyone at a cabin or house in the woods. If that's true, it makes sense. This song is loaded with imagery from nature. Other than Kaw-liga, it's the only Hank song that I know of written in a minor key. I would have liked to have done a better job on this, but hopefully it does the song enough justice for you to discern the song's greatness. The only recording I ever heard of Hank doing the song features only his voice and guitar, no band accompaniment. I think it may have come from a demo reel that he put together by himself to teach the rest of the band some of his new songs. I also think that it may have been released posthumously. I'm not sure about any of this, and I didn't have time to research, so if anyone can verify or correct any of this, please feel free to leave the info in the comments. Thanks for listening!
The Bright Shining Light (original Gospel song) BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2021-09-12 | This is one of Pap's earliest songs. I don't know when he wrote it, only that it was sometime before I came along. I found a few rough versions of it on old reel to reel tapes, and he and his brother Ray recorded it once in the early 90's. CDbaby just released my recording of it a few days ago. As I mentioned in my last video, you can hear all the singles as I release them by going to the Paul Wade Wilson music channel on YouTube, though the audio quality won't be as good as it will eventually be on the finished CD. It's kind of funny that I also found a YouTube channel, that I didn't know existed, that's under the name Paul Wilson, with no middle name. This channel has the entire Shepherd of My Soul album on it (which is also made up mostly of original songs that Pap wrote), but it also has albums by two other Paul Wilsons! :-) I don't know those gentlemen. If I remember correctly, one plays jazz and the other alternative rock. They both seem pretty polished and professional. I guess CDbaby somehow couldn't tell us apart. Good thing that I added my middle name with the newer releases. Anyway, this is one of Pap's simpler songs in terms of the chords and lyrics, but I always found it poetic and thought-provoking. If you've ever been lost in the woods, even for just a few seconds, you may know the rising feeling of panic that can start. If you've ever seen the movie The Edge with Anthony Hopkins, you know that it deals with this concept a little, with the protagonist explaining that most people lost in the wilderness die of shame; the shame and panic causes them to not think clearly and to give up. I think the analogy in Pap's song works well. Without Christ as our light and landmark, what else can we do but wander in distress? In this song, Pap follows a similar pattern as in See the Salvation of the Lord, where in the second half of the song, he connects the situation or plight directly to himself, rather than to the listener or some other person. In See the Salvation, it happens in the final chorus. In Bright Shining Light, it happens at the start of the second verse. In my last video, I mentioned that I was waiting on someone to create "cover art" for this song. I like how it turned out. It seems to present the right mood for the song. Please let me know in the comments what you think. I won't be using this art for the CD because this won't be the title track. This Friday will be the 17th of September, so I hope to upload another Hank Williams Sr song in honor of his birthday. I think this will be the third one that I've put up. Thank you for watching, and I hope you have a great week!
Long-Term Recording Project/Background on See the Salvation of the Lord BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2021-08-09 | Back when I uploaded Casey Jones in the last Train song series, several viewers seemed to like seeing/hearing an instrument that they didn't know about previously (the six-string banjo). That got me to thinking that I should maybe do some more videos where I play or show unusual instruments. So I made this long-winded video! To digress for a moment back to that 6-string banjo, I will share that the first time I ever saw/heard one, Doc Watson was playing it on PBS, specifically, he was playing "My Blueridge Mountain Home." Pap and I were watching together, and I remarked, "I didn't know Doc could play the banjo!" Pap immediately recognized that Doc was using guitar chords and said, "That ain't a banjo. It's a guitar made like a banjo." I'm sure Doc could have played the regular 5-string if he wanted. In fact, maybe he did. Anyway, I made a mental note that I could get one someday and use it on recordings to imitate the 5-string. That's what I wound up doing sometime after Pap passed, probably around early 2017. The next time I saw one (after the Doc sighting) was when Eric Bazilian played one in the all-acoustic Carnegie Hall Concert that Joe Bonamassa did. Bazilian played a mandolin, dobro, and saxophone all in the same concert. He commented in some of the behind-the-scenes footage, that he only knows three notes on the sax but was able to mix them various ways to play in the song "Livin' Easy." Seeing this and hearing his comment reminded me that you don't have to master an instrument or even progress very far with it in order to add it to certain songs for flavor or to set a certain mood. That's a big part of what I've been doing with some of my recordings, and it's part of what I ramble about in this rather long video! Here's a little more info to go along with all the info that's in the video: I must have been really tired when I recorded this video, because I mistakenly called Ryan Zimmerman (the steel guitar player), Zack Rowland! My apologies to Ryan. His father's name is Roland, and somehow, my brain mixed everything up somehow! If you go to the Paul Wade Wilson YouTube channel, please be advised that it is monetized, so you will see ads there. Also, comments are disabled on that channel. I suppose CDBaby didn't want to have to deal with comments and has no way for anyone to monitor, respond to, or delete them, etc. on all the music channels that they create for artists. When I said that the Shofar is possibly the oldest instrument, please know that I wasn't counting the drum. :-) I didn't count the drum because it doesn't really produce notes per se, only rhythm, strictly speaking. Please know that when the CD is finally completed and released, it will have much better audio quality than the uploaded videos/song files, which feature a lower sampling rate.
I Know Who Holds Tomorrow (Jerry Marshall Wilson) BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2021-07-16 | Pap (Jerry Wilson) was born today (July 16th) in 1937. He has been gone now since April 19th, 2016. Of course, we dearly miss him, and we are thankful to have his music here with us to enjoy and cherish. Most importantly, we are thankful for what he is singing about in this song! This is another cut from the little solo session I had him do one Saturday morning around 2005. I set up two mics, one for his guitar and one for his vocal. He ran through 5 hymns, only stopping in between songs to move his capo when necessary. I think he did a great job on this song. Tipper let me borrow her fancy camera, and I set it up looking down the valley toward Brasstown from the back parking lot of Martins Creek School. I filmed the sun coming up between about 6:30 and 6:50 and sped up the footage. The cloud cover obscured the sunrise a little, but I still thought this was fitting footage for this great song. This makes the third song from the session that I've uploaded. The first two were I Must Tell Jesus and God Be With You Till We Meet Again. To go straight to those songs, please use the links below. I will upload the last two next year on April 19th, the day that he went to be with the Lord, and July 16th, his birthday. As always, thanks for listening/watching, and I hope you enjoyed hearing Pap sing this great song of faith and hope. :-) I Must Tell Jesus:youtube.com/watch?v=MHLNXLSKf80God Be with You Till We Meet Again: youtube.com/watch?v=SA3i7YFc4eA&t=27s
Will You Visit Me on Sunday? (Charlie Louvin Tribute) BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2021-07-08 | For a while now, I've been uploading tribute songs on the birthdays of the Late musical masters: Ira Louvin, Charlie Louvin, and Hank Williams, Sr. I'm not from Alabama. It just happens that all three of them were. Today is Charlie's birthday. It slipped up on me. I didn't think of it until 9 o'clock tonight. I haven't sung much in months; my guitar strings were dead from playing two recent shows with The Pressley Girls, and my Flip Cam was also dead! I charged the Flip Cam for about 30 minutes, which gave me just enough juice for one take. Apparently, it's a slow charging battery! This song has always been one of my favorites of the songs that Charlie recorded as a solo artist, and it was one of his most popular as well, popular enough to later be covered by folks like Merle Haggard. I believe the song was written by Dallas Frazier. I tried to emulate the piano run featured in the intro and break of Charlie's original recording, which was a bit awkward, especially when I switched to D position. If you like my cover of the song, you should definitely check out Charlie's original version. When I was lucky enough to spend the day with him back in 1998, I got to ask him, during lunch, a question relating to this song that I had wanted to ask for a long time. The question was: How many parts did you sing on this song? I was surprised when he quickly answered, "one." Until he told me otherwise, my ears had me convinced that he sang lead, tenor, and baritone on the recording, which he was certainly capable of doing. It turns out, however, that the Jordanaires sang those parts and simply did an excellent job of sounding like Charlie. This was of course in the days back before a computer program could just automatically create harmony vocals based on the lead vocal, a practice common in Nashville now but never as good as the real deal. At the end of the month, I hope to go see the Malpass Brothers live in concert. If you don't know who they are, and you like the Louvins, Gene Watson, or Merle Haggard, you should check them out online. If I get a chance to talk to them after the show, I may tell Chris, the lead singer, that I have played his guitar before, because I'm almost positive that it previously belonged to Charlie and that I played it all day and on the radio on that special day back in '98. Anyway, thank you for watching/listening. Next year, I'll try to be better prepared for July 7th!
Medals for Mothers BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2021-05-09 | I think this song speaks to the amazing value and impact of a true mother. A true mother is often selfless, and when one loves selflessly, yes, I believe there are rewards and perhaps even recognitions awaiting in heaven. As I once heard Ira Louvin say, "There's a big difference between being a mother of someone and being a mother to someone." Any fertile man and woman can conceive a child, but they aren't really fathers or mothers until they parent with love and raise the child that they conceived. Back in mid April, I knew that I'd like to upload a song for my mother (aka Granny) and for all mothers on Mother's Day. One weekend, after we finished practicing with the Pressley Girls, Corie (aka Chatter) stepped out to take an important call from Art and Brie of YouTube fame. While she and Tipper were outside, I taught the chorus and melody of this song to Katie (aka Chitter). One thing I've learned lately is that I can sing with either of the Pressley girls, and I'll like the sound. Each pairing sounds different to me but good either way. :-) Chitter learned quickly and by the time Corie and Tipper stepped back in from the phone call, we turned on the camera and gave it a try. Tipper, a great mother in her own right, joined in on bass, giving the song a fuller sound. I knew that this song could be done with a male lead and female harmony because Pap and Granny used to sing the song decades ago, and I had heard them sing it on an old cassette. As far as I know, the Wilburn Brothers were probably the first well-known artists to record this song. Shortly after they did, the Osborne Brothers did. Interestingly, this is something that happened multiple times: the Wilburns releasing a song followed shortly by the Osborne Brothers releasing the same song, often with a more aggressive arrangement. The Wilburn Brothers definitely noticed it. I heard one of them (I believe Teddy) comment on the phenomenon on their TV show, just before introducing the Osbornes. I believe on that episode, Sonny and Bobby sang "Roll, Muddy River," which was first cut by Teddy and Doyle. Anyway, Pap and Granny didn't learn this song from either of them but from their longtime friend, Wilabell Dockery. Wilabell had a brother Jack who was a great flatpicker and singer, and Pap and Granny used to hang out with them, drink coffee, eat, tell stories, and pick and sing. Jack passed on years ago, but Wilabell is still alive. I used to pass her every now and then while I was driving a school bus. I'd like to thank her not only for teaching Pap and Granny the song but also just for her friendship to them over the years. I don't know if she goes online at all, but maybe she might see this or one of her kids or grandkids might show it to her. I hope our laidback (maybe even somewhat poor mannered) behavior just before singing such a sweet, sincere song, doesn't turn anyone off. Several viewers have commented that they love seeing our pre-song banter and shenanigans almost as much as our music, so I left it in. Katie shows her Fire Marshall Bill teeth right after the camera starts, and I'm awkwardly shaking off the stiffness from my fingers caused by the practice session that just ended. I can take partial credit for Katie's great-sounding kickoff, in that I suggested earlier to her to pair two notes together just before the song goes to C, but I couldn't explain to her WHY it sounds good. I guess that was kind of like Kickingwing asking Joe Dirt to explain why firecrackers are good. Now I have referenced both Fire Marshall Bill and Joe Dirt, two of Katie's favorites. Katie calls this note-pairing a "double stop," a fiddle term that I don't understand. The "squeak" heard in the last verse that Tipper refers to, came from Chatter's phone. She and the Deer Hunter were both filming this song with their phones, and I think Chatter accidentally hit the playback button and played a note from the fiddle kickoff. I had never seen the Deer Hunter record a song with his phone before, so I knew that he must have liked it, and that gave me better confidence in what we were doing. Anyway, Happy Mother's Day to everyone! If you have a special lady who was a mother to you, take time to tell her thank you and that you love her! :-) Thanks for watching!
Thankful (Louvin Brothers) BlindPigAndTheAcorn 2021-04-21 | The great Ira Louvin was born on April 21st (today), 1924. I could go on all day about his amazing talents as a musician, song writer, and singer and about his influence on country, gospel, and bluegrass music, but I don't have time. I considered placing a link to some info about him below, but as I commented in an upload a year ago, most of the things written about him tend to focus too much (in my opinion) on Ira's personal struggles, rather than his musical gifts. All the problems that he had could never overshadow the music he gave to the world (in my opinion). Thankful is one of the prettiest gospel songs that he wrote, which is saying a lot. He sang lead on the verses and most of the chorus, with Charlie coming in on lead for the last line of the chorus ("thankful for the smile when I sleep") and Ira going up to high harmony. I'll link to the original recording below. I remember when I first heard this song as a kid, I was confused by part of it. I wondered how anyone could ever be thankful for tears or for pain. I think I understand that part a lot better now. I considered teaching this song to Tipper and the Pressley Girls so that it could have more music (bass, fiddle, etc.). I even thought about getting the girls to break out their new electric guitars and having them play the kick-off and a turn-around. How I would like to do things and how I wind up doing them are often two different things. :-) Anyway, I hope you enjoy this song. Thanks for watching! youtube.com/watch?v=U0sL-PUUK8I
