Recitation Songs
A recitation song or "recitation" as it is more commonly called, is a spoken narrative of a song, generally with a sentimental (or at times, religious) theme. Such numbers were quite popular in country music from the 1930s into the 1960s, although there were only few in number. While they almost disappeared in the 1970s, that decade saw several of the biggest recitation songs of all time: Red Sovine's sentimental ode to an ill child "Teddy Bear" and C. W. McCall's truck-driving saga "Convoy", both songs hitting number one on the country charts and even crossing over into the pop market. McCall, who did not sing, became a popular country star in the 1970s with a string of recitations, most of them comic, although his last hit, 1977's "Roses for Mama" was a sentimental tale in the best Sovine tradition. A number of Elvis Presley's and Johnny Cash's songs, as well as a number of songs from other genres of popular music and a number of gospel songs, also featured recitations. Notabl ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Country Music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, old-time, and American folk music forms including Appalachian, Cajun, Creole, and the cowboy Western music styles of Hawaiian, New Mexico, Red Dirt, Tejano, and Texas country. Country music often consists of ballads and honky-tonk dance tunes with generally simple form, folk lyrics, and harmonies often accompanied by string instruments such as electric and acoustic guitars, steel guitars (such as pedal steels and dobros), banjos, and fiddles as well as harmonicas. Blues modes have been used extensively throughout its recorded history. The term ''country music'' gained popularity in the 1940s in preference to '' hillbilly music'', with "country music" being used today to describe many styles and subgenres. It came to encomp ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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City Pages
''City Pages'' was an alternative newspaper serving the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area. It featured news, film, theatre and restaurant reviews and music criticism, available free every Wednesday. It ceased publication in 2020 due to a decline in ads and revenue related to the COVID-19 pandemic. History On August 1, 1979, publishers Tom Bartel and Kristin Henning debuted ''Sweet Potato'', a monthly newspaper focused on the Twin Cities music scene. The first issue featured pop band The Cars on the cover. In October 1980, ''Sweet Potato'' went biweekly. On December 3, 1981, the newspaper went weekly and was renamed ''City Pages''. ''City Pages'' competed for readership with the '' Twin Cities Reader'' until 1997, when Stern Publishing purchased ''City Pages'' in March and the ''Twin Cities Reader'' the following day, shuttering it immediately. Bartel and Henning left ''City Pages'' in the fall of 1997. Tom Bartel's brother Mark was named publisher after Bartel and Hennin ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The Devil Went Down To Georgia
"The Devil Went Down to Georgia" is a song written and performed by the Charlie Daniels, Charlie Daniels Band and released on their 1979 album ''Million Mile Reflections''. The song is written in the key of D minor. Vassar Clements originally wrote the basic melody an octave lower, in a tune called "Lonesome Fiddle Blues" released on Clements' self-titled 1975 album on which Charlie Daniels played guitar. The Charlie Daniels Band moved it up an octave and put words to it. The song's verses are closer to being spoken rather than sung (i.e., recitation song, recitation), and tell the story of a young man named Johnny, in a variant on the classic deal with the Devil. The performances of the Devil and Johnny are played as instrumental bridges. The song was the band's biggest hit, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100, prevented from further chart movement by "After The Love Has Gone" by Earth, Wind and Fire and "My Sharona" by The Knack. Content The song tell ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Conway Twitty
Harold Lloyd Jenkins (September 1, 1933 – June 5, 1993), better known by his stage name Conway Twitty, was an American singer and songwriter. Initially a part of the 1950s rockabilly scene, Twitty was best known as a country music performer. From 1971 to 1976, Twitty received a string of Country Music Association awards for duets with Loretta Lynn. He was inducted into both the Country Music and Rockabilly Halls of Fame. Twitty was known for his frequent use of romantic and sentimental themes in his songs. Due to his following being compared to a religious revival, comedian Jerry Clower nicknamed Twitty "The High Priest of Country Music", the eventual title of his 33rd studio album. Twitty achieved stardom with hit songs like " Hello Darlin'", "You've Never Been This Far Before", and " Linda on My Mind". Twitty topped '' ''Billboard'''s'' Hot Country Songs chart 40 times in his career, a record that stood for 20 years until it was broken by George Strait, and topped the '' ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Don't Take It Away
"Don't Take It Away" is a song written by Troy Seals and Max D. Barnes, and recorded by American country music artist Jody Miller on her 1975 album, ''Will You Love Me Tomorrow''. Her song peaked at number 67 on the U.S. Country charts in 1975. It was covered by American country music artist Conway Twitty Harold Lloyd Jenkins (September 1, 1933 – June 5, 1993), better known by his stage name Conway Twitty, was an American singer and songwriter. Initially a part of the 1950s rockabilly scene, Twitty was best known as a country music performer. ... in March 1979 as the first single from his album '' Cross Winds''. Twitty's version was his 21st number one country hit. The single stayed at number one for a single week and spent a total of nine weeks on the country chart. Charts Weekly charts Year-end charts References 1979 singles 1975 songs Jody Miller songs Conway Twitty songs Songs written by Troy Seals Songs written by Max D. Barnes MCA Records singles< ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Detroit City (song)
"Detroit City" is a song written by Danny Dill and Mel Tillis, made famous by Billy Grammer (as "I Wanna Go Home"), country music singer Bobby Bare and Tom Jones. Bare's version was released in 1963. The song — sometimes known as "I Wanna Go Home" (from the opening line to the refrain) — was Bare's first Top 10 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles chart that summer, and became a country music standard. About the song Prior to Bare's success with "Detroit City," country singer Billy Grammer released his version of the Danny Dill-Mel Tillis penned song. His version was known as "I Wanna Go Home" and peaked at #18 on the ''Billboard'' country charts in 1963. The song is the working man's complaint, and "with its melody reminiscent of the 'Sloop John B,' describes the alienation felt by many rural southerners in the mid North," wrote country music historian Bill Malone. "Here, are'searnest and plaintive interpretation lends great believability to this mournful song. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Big Bad John
"Big Bad John" is a country song originally performed by Jimmy Dean, who wrote and composed it. It was released in September 1961 and by the beginning of November it had gone to number 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It won Dean the 1962 Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording, and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Song of the Year. The song and its sequels tell a story typical of American folklore, reminiscent of Paul Bunyan or John Henry. ''Big Bad John'' was also the title of a 1990 television movie starring Dean. Story The song is about a mysterious and quiet miner who earns the nickname Big John because of his height, weight, and muscular physique – ''"He stood six foot six and weighed 245".'' He apparently hails from New Orleans, where, with "a crashin' blow from a huge right hand", he allegedly killed a man in a fight over a Cajun Queen. One day, a support timber cracks at the mine where John works. The situation looks hopeless until John "grabbed a ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Are You Lonesome Tonight? (song)
"Are You Lonesome Tonight?" (sometimes stylized as Are You Lonesome To-night?) is a song written by Roy Turk and Lou Handman in 1926. It was recorded several times in 1927—first by Charles Hart, with successful versions by Vaughn De Leath, Henry Burr, and the duet of Jerry Macy and John Ryan. In 1950 the Blue Barron Orchestra version reached the top twenty on the ''Billboard's'' Pop Singles chart. In April 1960, after Elvis Presley's two-year service in the United States Army, he recorded the song at the suggestion of manager Colonel Tom Parker; "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" was Parker's wife, Marie Mott's, favorite song. Its release was delayed by RCA Victor executives, who thought the song did not fit Presley's new (and publicized) style. When "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" was released in November 1960 it was an immediate success in the U.S., topping ''Billboard's'' Pop Singles chart and reaching number three on the R&B chart. A month after the song's release, it topped the UK S ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bobby Bare
Robert Joseph Bare Sr. (born April 7, 1935) is an American country music singer and songwriter, best known for the songs "Marie Laveau", " Detroit City" and "500 Miles Away from Home". He is the father of Bobby Bare Jr., also a musician. Early career In the 1950s, Bare repeatedly tried and failed to sell his songs. He finally got a record deal, with Capitol Records, and recorded a few unsuccessful rock and roll singles. Just before he was drafted into the United States Army, he wrote a song called " The All American Boy" and did a demo for his friend, Bill Parsons, to learn how to record. Instead of using Parsons' later version, the record company, Fraternity Records, decided to go with Bare's original demo. The record reached No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, but Fraternity erroneously credited Bill Parsons on the label.Whitburn, Joel (2000). ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits'', p.49. .Whitburn, Joel (1996). ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits'', p.38-39. . The same ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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500 Miles Away From Home
"500 Miles" (also known as "500 Miles Away from Home" or "Railroaders' Lament") is a song made popular in the United States and Europe during the 1960s folk revival. The simple repetitive lyrics offer a lament by a traveler who is far from home, out of money and too ashamed to return. History The song is generally credited as being written by Hedy West,Blood, Peter and Annie Patterson (eds), ''Rise Up Singing'', Sing Out Corporation, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania , United States, 1992, p. 232Anderson, Yohann (ed), ''Songs'', Songs and Creations, Inc., San Anselmo, California, United States, 1983, p. 29 and a 1961 copyright is held by Atzal Music, Inc. "500 Miles" is West's "most anthologized song". Some recordings have also credited Curly Williams, or John Phillips as co-writers, although Phillips admitted he had only rearranged it and "didn't deserve the credit". David Neale writes that "500 Miles" may be related to the older folk song "900 Miles" (Roud 4959), which may itself have ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Donna Fargo
Donna may refer to the short form of the honorific ''nobildonna'', the female form of Don (honorific) in Italian. People *Donna (given name); includes name origin and list of people and characters with the name * Roberto Di Donna (born 1968), Italian sports shooter * Fernand Donna (1922–1988), French sprint canoeist Places *Donna, Texas, USA *Dønna, Norway * Donna (crater), a tiny lunar crater on the near side of the Moon Music * The Donnas, American all-girl rock band * Donna (radio station), former Flemish music radio station located in Belgium * ''Donna'' (album), album by Donna Cruz * "Donna" (Ritchie Valens song), a 1958 song by Ritchie Valens, covered in the United Kingdom by Marty Wilde * "Donna" (10cc song), a 1972 song by 10cc * "Donna", song from ''Hair'' *"Donna", song by Wally Lewis * "Donna, Donna", a Yiddish song * "Donna the Prima Donna", a 1963 song by Dion Other * Hurricane Donna, Category 4 Atlantic hurricane in 1960 * ''Una donna'', 1906 novel by Sibilla ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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That Was Yesterday (Donna Fargo Song)
"That Was Yesterday" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Donna Fargo. It was released in April 1977 as the first single from the album ''Fargo Country''. The song became her sixth and final No. 1 song on the ''Billboard magazine'' Hot Country Singles chart. Background When she first tried cutting "That Was Yesterday," Fargo was dissatisfied with the finished product - she had claimed the song sounded too much like Patsy Cline, and instead she (Fargo) was more of a writer/interpreter, she told Patsi Cox of ''Country Soung Roundup'' magazine."The Billboard Book of Number One Country Hits" (Billboard Books, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, 1991, ), p. 196. But since Warner Bros. Records had already committed to the track, she decided to take a copy of the session tape home and attempt to come up with a better product. At first, she had written some prose, envisioning alternating between the existing vocal track and a speaking part. But nobody liked ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |