Highwaymen Reunite at Grammys (Sort Of)

Sunday night the 56th Annual Grammy Awards had various moments, including what was billed as a reunion of The Highwaymen. The two surviving members of the supergroup — Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson — were joined by Merle Haggard and Blake Shelton. But the performance was only partly a tribute to the band that released three albums and a recognition of its deceased members Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings, as most of the performance acknowledged the individuals on stage. That was okay, though, as it was good to see the three legends on stage with Blake Shelton giving the group a little shot of “youth.”

The performance opend with the two surviving Highwaymen singing a little of the group’s hit “Highwayman,” a song about reincarnation written by Jimmy Webb. Then, they were joined by Haggard and Shelton, singing Haggrard’s “Okie from Muskogee” and “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” which had been a hit for Nelson and Jennings. [2025 Update: Unfortunately, the video is no longer available.]

Many years ago, I saw the original Highwaymen perform at the Houston Astrodome. It was a memorable experience to see the country music legends all together, and at that performance they did a lot of individual songs too. So in a sense, the reunion continued that tradition of being more than just about songs by the Highwaymen. With Cash and Jennings gone, of course the band can never be the same. But like another Grammy sort-of reunion of another great quartet that had Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr playing together, we will take what we can get, while also remembering those who can no longer perform.

What was your favorite performance at the Grammys? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Laura Cantrell “Can’t Wait” — But We Did For Nine Years

    Laura Cantrell Can't Wait

    With the exception of a 2011 Kitty Wells tribute, singer-songwriter Laura Cantrell has not released an album in nine years. That will change this Tuesday when she releases No Way There From Here. I have been listening to a stream of the new album on NPR (available for streaming until Tuesday). NPR notes how her mature songwriting reflects on the small details of life. And it sounds great.

    One of the songs on the new album is “Can’t Wait.” Below is a video of Cantrell performing the song at the Glasgow Americana Festival at St Andrews in The Square in October. Check it out.

    What do you think of the new Laura Cantrell album? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Springsteen Video for The Saints Cover “Just Like Fire Would”

    Springsteen Saints

    I have been listening to the new Bruce Springsteen album High Hopes enjoying the odd collection of songs and thinking about where it fits in the Springsteen Canon. But one of the songs that I especially like is his cover of The Saints song “Just Like Fire Would.” Now, he has released a video of the song, featuring Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, who plays on six songs on the new album.

    “Just Like Fire Would” begins with the singer in a motel room in the middle of a long journey. The singer is drinking wine, and in the final lines of the song we learn the singer is thinking of someone else: “I see you now but we may never meet again, child / The ice is hanging on the door.”

    The title comes from the chorus, where the singer exclaims, “And just like fire would, I burn up.” Interestingly, if you have only heard the song and never seen the title written, the phrase “just like firewood” seems to work too. Anyway, check it out.

    The Australian punk band The Saints, who formed in 1974, first recorded “Just Like Fire Would” on their 1986 album All Fools Day. If you wish to compare the Springsteen version to the original, check out the video below.

    What do you think of “Just Like Fire Would”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Ira Hayes Won’t Answer Anymore

    Ira Hayes Iwo Jima On January 24, 1955, Ira Hamilton Hayes died from alcohol poisoning near where he lived in Sacaton, Arizona. Even if you do not recognize the name, you have seen a photo of Hayes, as the 22-year-old Pima Indian Marine appears in the famous historical photo by Joe Rosenthal of soldiers raising the flag on Mt. Suribachi at Iwo Jima in 1945 during World War II.

    The image was also used as a model for the 1954 Marine Corps War Memorial near Arlington National Cemetery, where Hayes is now buried. The war image and what happened to Hayes after the famous flag raising have since been immortalized in pop culture.

    Ira Hayes in Movies

    If you were not born during World War II but recognize the name of Ira Hayes, you may have seen the movie about Hayes directed by Delbert Mann and called The Outsider (1961). In that movie, Tony Curtis starred as the Native American Hayes. [September 2015 Update: Unfortunately, clips from The Outsider are no longer available on YouTube.]

    Adam Beach portrayed Hayes in Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers (2006). The real Hayes played himself in the John Wayne film, Sands of Iwo Jima (1949). Here is a video of the flag-raising in the movie, even though you cannot single out Hayes in this clip.

    Ira Hayes in Song: “The Ballad of Ira Hayes”

    But most likely those of us in a certain generation recognize the name “Ira Hayes” because of a song.  Songwriter Peter La Farge, inspired by The Outsider film, wrote the song “The Ballad of Ira Hayes.”

    Johnny Cash then recorded the song and made it famous.

    Like many others, I first learned about Ira Hayes through the Cash song. My dad used to play an 8-track with the song on it, and he explained to me the story about Ira Hayes. While the song takes some liberties about Hayes, it captures the essence of his tragic life. Because of the photo, Hayes was hailed as a hero, but he wanted to live a normal life and did not consider himself a hero after seeing so many of his comrades killed.

    Hayes probably suffered from what we now know as post-traumatic stress syndrome.  He fell on hard times and turned to alcohol, resulting in his death.

    Cash’s version of “The Ballad of Ira Hayes” remains the most famous version of the song.  But other artists like Kris Kristofferson have covered the tune.

    Songwriter Townes Van Zandt captured the sadness in the song when he sang “The Ballad of Ira Hayes” as part of Solo Sessions, January 17, 1995.

    While one might complain that the song oversimplifies Ira Hayes by focusing on his downfall, the song remains as a fitting tribute to the man. It helps keep him in our memories, while also reminding us of some of the downsides of war and fame. RIP Corporal Hayes.

    Photo via public domain.

    What is your favorite version of “The Ballad of Ira Hayes”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    “Nebraska” Is More than Bruce Dern (Short Review)

    Payne Nebraska Dern Much has been made of Bruce Dern’s performance in the movie Nebraska (2013) and his well-deserved nomination for the Academy Award Best Actor Oscar. The poster for the film even features only a silhouette of his face. But the film is more than a Dern vehicle, with solid performances all around and great direction once again from Alexander Payne.

    Nebraska , by screenwriter Bob Nelson, tells the story of Woody Grant (Dern), an aging man who believes he won a million dollars after receiving a magazine seller’s announcement about a sweepstakes. After Grant tries repeatedly to make the journey from Montana to Nebraska to claim his prize, his son, played by Saturday Night Live alum Will Forte, agrees to take him on the trip. Along the way, the family is reunited in Woody’s former hometown, where the past connects to the present and Grant’s son learns more about his family.

    I am a fan of Payne’s movies like Election (1999), About Schmidt (2002), Sideways (2004), and The Descendants (2011), and this black and white film portrays themes of family and aging in a genuine heartfelt way. Having grown up in Nebraska, Payne is able to find the humor and the heart of life in these “fly-over” states in a way that is respectful and honest. Having myself grown up in a small Midwestern town and having lived in various places, I always enjoy when a film honestly features a location outside of New York or Los Angeles. Even the names of the characters in Nebraska reflect the solidness of the heartland: Woody Grant, David Grant, Kate Grant, Ed Pegram, Aunt Martha, etc.

    The often overlooked Dern gives a career performance here, but June Squibb as his foul-mouthed wife steals a number of scenes, earning her own Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Will Forte shows that he is more than a comic actor, and it is great to see Stacy Keach on screen again too.

    Like Payne’s recent movie The Descendants, much of Nebraska centers on the connection between a family and the influence of money or property. While The Descendants showed off the beauty of Hawaii in glorious color, in Nebraska Payne and cinematographer Phedon Papamichael are able to reflect the beauty of the West and the plains only using black and white. As in most of his recent movies, Payne is also able to find a big heart at the middle of a mess.

    Conclusion? Do not underestimate Nebraska as a small film because it is in black and white and because the reviewers focus on one performance. Nebraska may have the biggest heart of any movie released in 2013.

    What Other Critics Are Saying Because Why Should You Trust Me? Rotten Tomatoes currently gives Nebraska a 91% critics rating and an 88% audience rating. Dan Jardine at Cinemania is one of the few critics who did not love the film, calling it likeable but “awfully formulaic on too many levels.” Chuck Koplinski at the Illinois Times claims that the director and Dern find “modest nobility” in the film.

    What did you think of Nebraska? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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