Dobie Gray: Thanks for the Joy You’ve Given Me

Dobie Gray Drift Away Dobie Gray, the singer of “Drift Away,” passed away at the age of 70 on December 6, 2011. Gray had been born into a family of Texas sharecroppers in 1940 with the name Leonard Victor Ainsworth or Laurence Darrow Brown at birth.

Name and Early Career

Gray garnered the name he would make famous because of a television show character.  Sonny Bono suggested to him that he change his stage name to Dobie because of the popularity of the TV show The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.

Gray had a long recording and performing career and had a 1965 hit with “The In Crowd.” In the video below, he performs the song on the ABC TV show Shindig!

“Drift Away”

Every obituary, though, will begin and end with Gray’s great 1973 song, “Drift Away.” The song became a hit again in 2003 as a duet between Gray and Uncle Kracker.

The song was originally recorded by John Henry Kurtz and numerous artists have covered it through the years.  Still, for me, Gray’s version of “Drift Away” is one of the greatest songs of all time.

Songwriter Mentor Williams wrote “Drift Away” in the early 1970s when rock and roll was at less than its peak.  Many saw the song as a reminder about why rock music should continue.

In The Heart of Rock & Soul, music critic Dave Marsh noted that “Williams’ best move was finding the right vehicle for his song,” noting that Gray’s voice was perfect for the song’s “complex message in which the desire to rock out is presented as the desire to dream, the longing to bop is equated with the longing to be soothed.”

Below Gray performs “Drift Away” live.

“Drift Away” is one of those rare songs that makes you happy whenever or wherever you hear it, and it would not be the same without Gray’s voice. Unlike Kurtz’s earlier version that sang about “the” rock and roll, Gray sings about wanting to get lost in “your” rock and roll. And you believe him, and you believe it is “your” music too.

When Gray calls for the beat, it frees your soul. So even on a sad day, Gray’s voice reminds me of why I love music so much.

Thanks for the joy you’ve given me;
I want you to know that I believe in your song;
And rhythm, and rhyme, and harmony;
You helped me along . . .

What do you think of “Drift Away”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Buy from Amazon

    RIP Colonel Potter

    Mash Col. Potter Today, the actor Harry Morgan, who played Colonel Sherman T. Potter on the television series M*A*S*H from 1975-1983 passed away at the age of 96. He continued the Col. Potter role in the short-lived series After MASH in 1983-1984, and he also had appeared on earlier episodes of M*A*S*H as Maj. Gen. Bartford Hamilton Steele. Our older readers may remember Morgan as the partner of Joe Friday (Jack Webb) on Dragnet. He was an excellent character actor who appeared in many films, including some of my favorite Westerns such as The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), High Noon (1952), and Bend of the River (1952).

    But he always will be Colonel Potter to me, as those M*A*S*H episodes were a constant in my family’s home. In the role, Morgan went from playing character actors to developing a deep role of a man with character. While he often was the straight man (not an easy acting role) to the shenanigans of Hawkeye (Alan Alda) and BJ (Mike Farrell), he also could be funny in his own right.

    Before Morgan’s arrival on the show, many wondered how the show could continue without the departing McLean Stevenson as Lt. Colonel Henry Blake. Stevenson was wonderful on the show, but the M*A*S*H writers demonstrated how a show could thrive after replacing one popular character with a completely different character by exploring new directions (writers for The Office, take note). Where Stevenson played the bumbling uncle to the residents of the M*A*S*H 4077, as Col. Potter, Morgan became the sometimes cranky but always wise and loving father. Like real children, we viewers all loved and learned from Col. Potter.

    RIP.

    What’s your favorite memories of Harry Morgan? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    13th Amendment Ratified: Redemption Song

    Bob Marley redemption song

    On today’s date of December 6 in 1865, Georgia voted for the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  The vote provided sufficient state support to officially ratify the amendment ending slavery in the United States.

    Earlier, after the U.S. Senate had passed the amendment in April 1864, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the measure in January of 1865.  The vote sent the amendment to the states for ratification, with that process ending on today’s date.

    The Thirteenth Amendment

    Thus, on today’s date, after more than a century of bloodshed by the lash followed by several years of bloodshed on the battlefield, these words were finally placed in the U.S. Constitution: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

    A Song of Freedom: Redemption Song

    They are beautiful words, long overdue, of course. The words of freedom remind me of some other beautiful words that begin, “Old pirates, yes, they rob I;/ Sold I to the merchant ships.” In honor of the anniversary of the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, it seems an appropriate time to join in to sing a song of freedom.  The song, of course, is “Redemption Song” written by the great Bob Marley, who sings it live in the following video.

    Marley wrote the song around 1979 after being diagnosed with cancer.  He took the famous line “emancipate ourselves from mental slavery” from a speech by Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey.

    Marley’s song, though, speaks in a broader context.  He starts off singing about slave ships and ends with a plea for us to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery.

    The powerful song is not locked in time or place, but it now belongs to the world. Earlier this year, Playing for Change created a cool video of performers from around the world — including Stephen Marley — joining in to create a beautiful cover of the song.

    I suppose more Americans know the words to “Redemption Song” than to the Thirteenth Amendment. Yet, both continue to resonate around the world. Won’t you help to sing these songs of freedom?

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    Rocket Man, Burning Out His Fuse Up Here Alone

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    Funny.

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    This Week in Pop Culture Roundup (4 Dec. 2011 Edition)

    Tommy movie film In case you have been preoccupied having seizures from watching The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 — or you have been preparing to suspend you campaign for president — or if you were busy writing a speech for a governor apologizing to a teenager, here are some of the pop culture stories you might have missed.


    —— Music ——

    Don McLean revealed where he wrote and first performed “American Pie,” refuting a local legend.

    In Grammy news, Adele, Kanye West, Bruno Mars, and Foo Fighters led the Grammy nominations. In other Grammy news, some pondered whether or not the Beach Boys will reunite at the Grammys. Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane was nominated for two Grammys and will compete with Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand. Finally, Sugarland joined Lady Gaga for a rousing performance of “You and I” at the Grammy Nominations Concert this week.

    In another cool collaboration, Bruce Springsteen appeared on stage with Bob Seger last week for some old time rock and roll. Blogness has the story and video.

    John Lennon’s to-do list went up for auction. All you need is . . . more marmalade.

    Andrea True, singer of “More More More (How Do You Like It?),” passed away earlier this month.

    You may listen to the new CD from the Roots, “undun,” on NPR’s website.

    Hanson (i.e., The Hanson Brothers) are developing a beer named. . . “MMMHop.” I’m guessing the beer will stay with you for a long time in the same way the catchy song does.

    The Los Angeles Times reviewed Willie Nelson’s new CD, “Remember Me, Vol. 1.”

    In touring news, George Michael cancelled the remaining dates of his tour to recover from pneumonia. Meanwhile, The Red Hot Chili Peppers announced their first U.S. tour in nearly five years, starting Jan. 25.

    It’s “either a misprint or a satire.” — Elvis Costello, commenting on $339.98 box set of a Costello performance.

    The New York Times     reviewed a new biography of Ahmet Ertegun, the great founder and president of Atlantic Records.

    Watch the ten films for the ten songs on Bon Iver’s self-titled album, released this week in a deluxe edition.

    —— Movies ——

    The Sound of Music has found a new life in movie theaters as a sing-a-long event.

    Planet of the Apes

    This week, Retraunaut posted some cool behind-the-scenes photos from Planet of the Apes (1967) of the “apes” hanging out.

    Firstshowing.net reviewed Cameron Crowe’s new movie We Bought a Zoo.

    In honor of the director’s latest film, Salon featured a slide show of Martin Scorsese’s greatest films.

    A new book recounts how actress Hedy Lamarr contributed to the cell phone technology we use today.

    The New York Times     reviewed the new DVD and Blu-ray of the classic and controversial film, Birth of a Nation.

    Ken Russell, the director of Tommy, The Devils, and Altered States passed away. Watching each of those films in the movie theater were memorable events for me. RIP Mr. Russell.

    New pictures were released of the fictional Mars in the upcoming John Carter.

    Fans discussed how the possible Before Sunrise/Before Sunset sequel should go.

    I was sorry to hear that Roger Ebert’s recent incarnation of At the Movies is going on hiatus. I enjoyed the show.


    —— Other Pop Culture News ——

    The Waltons reunited on The Today Show for their 40th Anniversary.

    In The Office news, now you may buy Dunder Mifflin copy paper. Also, Stanley from The Office (Leslie David Baker) made a music video. In sadder Office-related news, comedian Patrice O’Neal, who also appeared periodically on The Office, passed away last week from complications of a stroke. RIP.

    The Fantastic Four are turning 50.

    The inventor of the Jenos pizza roll and Chun King canned Chinese food, Jeno Paulucci, died on Thanksgiving. Chun King was the only time I encountered Chinese food as a kid, and, well, I have enjoyed several meals of nothing but pizza rolls. RIP Mr. Paulucci.

    What were your thoughts on the pop culture stories of the week? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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