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.
The musical theme this week is Musicians born in March. A quick search reveals that there are plenty to choose from, regardless of your musical preferences. I am going to go into the “Wayback Machine” and pull out a couple of oldies. I was barely a teenager when some of these artists were popular which means several of you probably were not born yet. First on the list is Lloyd Price.
Lloyd Price was one of the early rock ‘n roll artists that brought a R&B influence into pop music. Several artists covered this song later but my first recollection of “Stagger Lee” was this 1958 recording. Price was born Mrach 9, 1933. Lloyd Price had several R&B hits make it on to the pop charts and he is a member of the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame.
Shifting gears and genres, brings me to the incomparable James Taylor. The folk rock era of the late early ’70’s was lead by James Taylor, Carol King, and Gordon Lightfoot among others. Sweet Baby James is one of the best folk rock albums of all time. James Taylor was born March 12, 1948. Taylor’s first hit was “Fire and Rain”, followed by “You’ve Got a Friend”. Fire and Rain is a song about his early battle with depression, drug addiction and the suicide of his friend. James Taylor’s career has spanned five decades and he is still performing limited engagements.
Slipping back into R&B brings me to Mr. Wilson Pickett. Wilson was born March 18, 1941. The high water mark of his career was from 1965-74 and his biggest hit was none other than Mustang Sally…ride Sally ride. I have a personal affection for this song because I owned a ’68 Mustang and it remains one of my favorite cars to this day.
Closing out the March birthday celebs is Ms. Carrie Underwood. Everybody knows that Carrie burst onto the music scene as a contestant on American Idol. I remember watching her audition and thinking, this girl can win it all…which is exactly what she did. One of the reasons I was pulling for Carrie to win AI is that we are both from Oklahoma. To date she is still the biggest star to come from American Idol and now she is an established country music superstar. The song I’ve picked is “Mama’s Song”. It speaks to how fast our children grow up and how soon they leave the nest. The same is true for the grand kids. It seems like only yesterday that we were attending our oldest grand daughter’s U8 soccer matches. This past December she got married and now has her own life and career. Next week she celebrates her 23rd birthday. Hold them close cherish every moment with your little ones. They will be adults long before you are ready to let them go. Have a blessed week.
The theme this week is your choice, so I am going to take this opportunity to share music that is close to my heart and soul, gospel/inspirational music. The very purpose of gospel music is to honor the God of all creation and rejoice that heaven is the eternal destination of believers.
The Bible gives us the history of mankind. Genesis tells us where we came from and Revelation tells us where we are going. The truth is man has a soul and that soul will spend eternity somewhere. All of us are going to step into eternity some day and the only question is, “Are we prepared to step into the everlasting and where will we spend eternity.” Scripture tells us that those who refuse to believe that Christ is the only Son of God and will not accept Him as Savior will spend eternity in a place called hell. Those who acknowledge that Christ is the Savior, repent of their sinful behavior, and seek His forgiveness will depart this life and step into eternity to a place specially prepared for them by Christ Himself. In the third verse of the fourteenth chapter of the book of John, Christ tells the disciples, “…I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” A few verses later Christ declares, “I am the way, the truth and the life, and no man comes to the Father except through Me.” So by the mouth of the Savior Himself, there is only one way to heaven, and that is the truth. The unique thing about the truth is that it does not require us to believe something in order for it to be true. The truth is the truth, whether we believe it or not. God has provided us with the gift of eternal life and salvation through Jesus Christ and the choice is ours to accept that gift and spend eternity with the Creator and the promise that we will never shed another tear! Okay, I’m through preachin’ now. I’m going to let the most uplifting music in the world take it from here. Have a blessed week.
Driller's Place 