This is my first time participating in Happy Tuesday. It was a happy week-end because the family was home for Easter. Two of the grand daughters are now grown up and out of the house, so it is a blessing when they get to come home and make the family complete for any holiday. Sunday we started the day by going to the early Easter service at church. After the service everyone gathered at our house for Easter lunch and needless to say, it was wonderful. Prior to sitting down to enjoy the meal we spent a few minutes on the patio taking family pictures and that is always a happy occasion for Nana and me.
This first image is our grandson-in-law with his wife and our oldest grand daughter, myself and my wife. Sitting is the second grand daughter, who is home from college, the grand son, and our youngest grand daughter. It is always a happy day when these people are in our lives.
The second image is our daughter and son-in-law with the rest of the crew.
Just the guys. The grandson is sitting, but when he stands up, he’s taller that me.
There has been a lot going on around here and I will post images later. We took a 10 day road trip to the Texas Hill Country. This time of year parts of Texas burst into bloom with blue bonnets, Indian paintbrush and other wild flowers so my wife and I took a road trip in which we drove around 1500 miles in ten days and just enjoyed the scenery. More about that in an upcoming post.
Okay this week is a “Your Choice” week and 4M so I have decided to do a belated Easter celebration post. In all of Christianity there are two major events that are identified with the faith, celebrating the birth of Christ at Christmas and celebrating His resurrection on Easter. Yesterday was Resurrection Sunday and I have selected a few songs that celebration the power of Christ to forgive sin, overcome the grave and prepare a place for all believers to spend eternity with the Savior.
Regardless of the world view that we may have of ourselves, scripture tells us that all of us have sinned and are unworthy of entering heaven. The penalty for our condition is death, that is an eternal separation from our Creator when we leave this life and step into eternity. These truths are found in Romans 3:23 and Romans 6:23. 2 Peter 2:9 tells us that this situation is not God’s will, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing thatany should perish but that all should come to repentance.” This is the very reason Christ was born, lived, was crucified and rose from the dead. Christ and Christ alone has provided us with the only alternative to an eternity of spiritual death. We must acknowledge our current situation, realize that we are in need of a Savior, confess that Christ is that Savior and ask Him to forgive us and provide us with the gift of salvation. Here are a few songs that celebrate that gift.
The theme for this week at 4M is to feature instruments that made an impression on you and that can include a vocal instrument. I mentioned in an earlier post that there was a time in pop music that instrumentals made the top 40 charts. One of the first songs that I remember really impressing me was the “Twangy Guitar” of Duane Eddy and the song, Rebel Rouser. The video I have chosen includes a bonus song, “Ramrod”. You can hear the essence of early rock and roll in these songs.
The early 60’s gave us two new sounds, the British Invasion and Surf Music. While the Beach Boys were the kings of surf, one instrumental made it to the charts…Wipe Out. The song featured two instruments that move any rock ‘n roll enthusiast, drums and guitar. No garage band was worth it’s pay unless they had a song that featured a drum solo, but the Ventures took it to the next level and…look, it’s a drum duet.
While this song features a typical guitar bridge in the middle, it was the opening notes from the classic Hammond B3 organ that got you out of your seat and on to the dance floor. Post game dances in the high school gym were a regular part of Football Friday Nights in the ’60’s and the bands had to have that Hammond B3 and must play an extended arrangement of Louie, Louie of at least 10 minutes. It was a sock hop anthem. For those of you who may be wondering what is a sock hop, the gym floors were maple wood basketball courts and the school officials didn’t want dirt and grime from street shoes damaging the finish. So, you had to remove your shoes when entering the gymnasium for the “Sock Hop”. You’re welcome.
Staying “lost in the sixties” for my last instrumental I will feature a rock music legendary guitar player. The single biggest event in the history of rock ‘n roll was Woodstock. Billed as three days of peace, love and music, some the the greatest bands in rock ‘n roll got their first major public exposure here. One group featured a guitar player that has become an icon in rock/blues circles and is still performing better than ever. The group bore his name, “Santana”. Have a blessed week. Rock on!
The “Gull Wings” are a dead giveaway to the identity of my favorite World War II plane, the Corsair. F4U Corsair entered combat late in the war but it was a devastating plane. After some significant training, pilots learned to land this plane on aircraft carriers and the Corsair was assigned to the Navy. With a top speed of over 400 mph and better maneuverability than Japan’s fabled Zero, the Corsair dominated the skies over the Pacific during the final phases of the war. The plane pictured above is actually an F2G “Super Corsair”. I believe these planes saw very little combat duty since production began in the last six months of World War II and the end of the war signaled the beginning of the jet age. After the War These planes and the legendary P51 Mustangs were very popular civilian racing planes.
This particular plane still flies and is currently located in Bentonville, AR. The owner also has a P51 Mustang and a British Spitfire, but the Corsair will always be my favorite.
Dad, look right here! I found a bug! It must be spring.
Monday’s Music Moves Me
Once again it is freedom of choice week at 4M. This week I think I will honor my home state by featuring artists from the great state of Oklahoma. While you would be right in assuming there would be a multitude of country artists that call Oklahoma home, you might also like to know that artists like J.J. Cale, Elvin Bishop and Leon Russell called the Sooner state their home as well. Country Music has had a couple of major resurgences in my life time. The 70’s gave us Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings and outlaw country music, while the late 80’s into the mid 90’s gave us Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Trisha Yearwood, Brooks & Dunn, Dwight Yoakam and Urban Cowboys.A recent twist on country/western swing/bluegrass/folk/rock music called “Red Dirt” music was born in Oklahoma and named after the red clay soil that is prevalent in the west and southwester portion of the state. So here are a few of my Sooner state favorites and yes, most will come from the country side of the road.
The undisputed king of western swing music was Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys band. While Bob Wills was born in Texas, his fame came from his band and their popular weekly radio show on a local Tulsa station. They made a local nightspot, the Cains Ballroom legendary. The Cains Ballroom is still alive and well and is probably second to the Ryman Auditorium on the bucket list of places to play for country artists.
The undisputed king of country music record sales is none other than Garth Brooks. Garth hit the music scene in the late ’80’s and took showmanship to a whole new level in country music. He filled stadiums with his fans and his concerts rivaled the most popular rock groups of the day. I remember Garth did three concerts in Texas Stadium on three consecutive nights and all three were sold out! 68,000 seats filled three nights in a row! Garth has so many hits it is hard to pick one. The obvious choice might be “Friends in Low Places”, or “The Thunder Rolls”, but I have chosen one that speaks to a sport ingrained into the culture of the southwest. No, not football…rodeo. I think the rodeo life embraces every aspect of country music.
What about the women of country music. Well, the first name that pops into the head of a true Okie is another true Okie, Reba McEntire. Reba is from the small town of Savanna, Oklahoma. Her bio says McAlister but that’s only because McAlister is the closest town to actually be on most maps. Reba’s biggest hit was probably “Fancy”, but I am going to feature a different song from her, “Because of You” a duet with Reba’s daughter-in-law Kelly Clarkson.
One of my favorite Oklahoma musicians is Vince Gill. Vince was a part of the 90’s resurgence of Country music and his first hit, “When I Call Your Name” is still a classic.
Vince is also a guitar player of the first order. Like another Okie, Leon Russell, Vince enjoys being a player in the band as much, if not more than being out front. Not long after the death of Glen Frye, Vince was asked to fill in with the Eagles on tour. Apparently he is the newest Eagle if they decide to do more work.
Obviously, I have just scratched the surface of the Oklahoma music scene. Stay tuned for more at another time. Have a blessed week.
While Lucy is a ball of energy and loves walks around the neighborhood or playing fetch with her frisbee in the back yard, she can make taking a nap look soooo good.
Monday’s Music Moves Me
The saying goes, “April showers bring May flowers, so the theme for the first Monday Music Moves Me of of April is rain/showers. This theme could go in a multitude of directions so I think I will start on the inspirational side. There is an old hymn titled “Showers of Blessings.” This video is the most unique that I have ever seen. I can only imagine how long it took to place the choir and orchestra as well as keep everything dry enough to perform. I love this. enjoy.
Moving right along, who doesn’t like to get under the covers with the sound of rain on the roof. The promise of a great night of slumber or a much needed afternoon nap is enhanced by the sounds of a spring shower. I mean…who doesn’t love a rainy night.
Besides providing one of life’s essential elements rain can apparently hide one of our emotions. When you’re feeling blue and tears are rolling down your cheeks, just go outside and stand in the rain. No one will notice your tears “In the Rain”.
While The Dramatics were indeed dramatic, I still cling to the classic from the Everly Brothers. Nobody did it better, “Crying In The Rain”.
A pair of parti tri-color American Cocker Spaniels
Monday’s Music Moves Me
Back in February I used a free choice week to feature some of the iconic keyboard players of country/pop/rock n roll music. Needless to say I left a lot of great musicians out, so I am going to add to the collection today. There was a time in country and pop music that instrumental recordings made it on to the top 40 playlist. One of the first that I can remember from my pre-teen years was Floyd Cramer. I believe the song started on the country charts and immediately crossed over to the pop radio stations and stayed on the charts for weeks and weeks. Recently I found the song recorded by none other than Conway Twitty and to be honest, I never knew there were lyrics. Last Date will always be an instrumental to me. Here is Floyd Cramer and “Last Date.”
A keyboard player that came out of an R & B and transitioned into a pop icon was Mr. Fats Domino. Perhaps his biggest hit was “Blueberry Hill”. Fats had it all, a great voice, great keyboard musicianship, and an infectious personality. Come on, find your thrill on Blueberry Hill.
We all know that walking is good exercise and most of us do far too little of it. Maybe if we put this on our playlist before we put our earbuds on we might walk forever. Once again, Fats Domino and “I’m Walkin'”.
One keyboard player that almost nobody mentions is Booker T. Jones. If that name is not familiar to you maybe the group Booker T & the MG’s might ring a bell. The very first time I heard “Green Onions” I had to have the album. From Wikipedia, “Booker T. & the M.G.’s are an instrumental R&B/funk band that was influential in shaping the sound of Southern soul and Memphis soul.”
Going from the obscure to one known as “The Piano Man”, my last artist this week is none other than Billy Joel. Among keyboard players Billy Joel ranks among the very top with a career that has spanned decades.
In 1993, Billy Joel released his final studio album River of Dreams, an album that details Joel’s issues regarding trust, betrayal and the idea of everlasting love. Watch the official music video for ‘The River of Dreams’, which became a Top 10 hit in the US and his highest-charting track of the 1990s. Have a blessed week.
Driller's Place 