RIP Archives - Page 6 of 9

Life Lessons From Patti Page

Patti Page Arfie

Patti Page, who was born in Oklahoma as Clara Ann Fowler, passed away at the age of 85 on 2013’s New Year’s Day. While her most famous song and my favorite is probably “Tennessee Waltz,” that is not the first song of hers that comes to my mind.

When I think of Patti Page, I think of one of the first songs I remember hearing as a child: her endearing recording of the song, “(How Much Is That) Doggie in the Window?“

“(How Much Is That) Doggie in the Window?”

“(How Much Is That) Doggie in the Window?” was recorded in December 1952, awhile before I was born. But my parents had the 1957 Patti Page Sings 1, 2, 3 album with the song on it. On this album, Page also told a story with the song about a dog named Arfie. Years later when we got a dog, I strongly advocated for naming our dog “Arfie,” but I lost.

I also remember that the dog story and the song used to creep me out. For some reason, the tale about the dog, who was threatened with being sent back to the pound, and about the attempted home invasion by burglars made me feel less secure.

UPDATE: The recording with the story doesn’t seem to be available on YouTube currently. But it still creeps me out.

“Tennessee Waltz”

On the other hand, “Tennessee Waltz” is a beautiful song for adults about losing a love. Although Cowboy Copas first released the song in 1947, it is Patti Page’s version from 1950 that we remember because of the way her voice captures the sadness in the song.

Few singers and few songs capture lost love the way Page does here. It is not surprising that Page’s version of “Tennessee Waltz” was No. 1 on the pop, country and R&B charts.

On Film

It was not until I read the obituaries, though, that I was reminded that Page also starred in Elmer Gantry (1960) with Burt Lancaster. In the film, you get to hear her singing a hymn, “Let Jesus Come Into Your Heart.”

Well, Ms. Page, I never got a dog named “Arfie.” But your recordings gave me warnings about some of the scary parts of life, like lost pets, threats to a sense of security, and the tragedy of lost love. So I am thankful for the warnings. Rest in peace.

What is your favorite Patti Page song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

Joe Ely’s “She Never Spoke Spanish to Me” (Song of the Day)

Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)

Ned Miller: The Shy Man Behind “From a Jack to a King”

Merle Haggard: “Kern River”

Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog

B.B. King: “Why I Sing the Blues”

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

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Rescue Me: Fontella Bass and the Joy and Pain of a Hit Song

Fontella Bass, who is best known for her 1965 hit “Rescue Me,” passed away at the age of 72 on December 26, 2012 in St. Louis. Bass, who had other hits, is best known for the song she co-wrote during a jam session with Carl Smith, Raynard Miner, and Phil Wright. Her recording of the song for Chess Records went to Number 4 on the Billboard pop chart and to Number 1 on the R&B charts.

Although one might think that having a great hit song would only be a source of joy, Bass had to fight over royalty rights to “Rescue Me” for decades. Initially, she did not have a manager and did not get much royalties from her hit song, instead making a living from her voice in commercials. Later, she had to fight to get some money for her record and among the settlements, she reached an agreement with American Express in 1993 after they used her song in a commercial.

There was an upside to the litigation around “Rescue Me,” as Bass explained in a November 1995 interview with The Tuscaloosa News. The American Express battle inspired her and earned her some money to come out of a low point in her life.

Aside from the litigation, Bass did not always get the recognition she deserved for her most famous song. Many mistakenly think Aretha Franklin is the original singer of “Rescue Me,” which I suppose is a complement for most singers. Franklin eventually recorded a version of “Rescue Me” for a 1992 Pizza Hut commercial where the chorus was instead “Deliver Me.”

Bass lived in Europe for awhile, leaving the American recording industry in 1969, but she recorded periodically. She had other more modest hits like “Don’t Mess Up a Good Thing” with Bobby McClure and other recordings like the very different funk and jazz-inspired “Theme de Yoyo.” She earned a Grammy nomination for a 1995 gospel album.

But it is “Rescue Me” that is mentioned in the first line of her obituaries. It is a great gift she gave to the world even it it was not always a gift to her. In the video below, she sings the song on Shindig! in 1965, before the years of litigation, not yet realizing she would never have such a song again.

For more information, Randall Roberts at the Los Angeles Times writes a nice appreciation of Bass’s work. NPR has a short audio story about Bass. The Guardian has a nice obituary too.

Joe Ely’s “She Never Spoke Spanish to Me” (Song of the Day)

Aretha Franklin and Tom Jones Medley (Duet of the Day)

Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)

Aretha Franklin 1972 Performance Will Be Released: “Amazing Grace”

Performance of the Day: Aretha Franklin Live at Fillmore West 1971

Ned Miller: The Shy Man Behind “From a Jack to a King”

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

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Take Five Dave Brubeck

Jazz pianist Dave Brubeck passed away today of heart failure while he was on his way to the cardiologist. He would have turned 92 tomorrow. Other articles elsewhere will discuss his legacy, both for his music and for leading on some Civil Rights issues, for example, when he played black clubs in the South in the 1950s.

But for now, let us listen to one of the great classics of jazz music and instead of saying “R.I.P.,” we will just say, “Take Five.”

The above performance of “Take Five” with the Dave Brubeck Quartet is from 1964 in Belgium, with Brubeck on piano. The other musicians are Paul Desmond (alto saxophone), Eugene Wright (bass), and Joe Morello (drums).

What is your favorite recording or performance by Dave Brubeck? Leave your two cents in the comments.

Charlie Haden’s “Spiritual”

Joe Ely’s “She Never Spoke Spanish to Me” (Song of the Day)

Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)

Barbara Dane’s Cool Musical Legacy: “Wild Woman,” “Gasser,” “Hard-Hitter”

Ned Miller: The Shy Man Behind “From a Jack to a King”

Merle Haggard: “Kern River”

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

Not a Liar or a Hypocrite: Gore Vidal vs. Norman Mailer

I was sad to hear that author, playwright, commentator, etc. Gore Vidal passed away Tuesday from complications from pneumonia. Vidal was a rare breed who was able to be intellectual, thought-provoking, controversial, and a celebrity all at the same time. Popular culture often takes the easy well-worn path down to a common denominator, but Vidal was able to be both smart and entertaining, whether one agreed with him or not.

I have enjoyed several of his books, including his historical novel Lincoln and his collection of fascinating essays in United States. But when I heard he died, my first thought was of his famous feud with Norman Mailer that was brilliantly captured in December 1971 on The Dick Cavett Show. It was an exchange between two men you would not expect to see on television today. Several years ago, Slate even suggested the confrontation be made into a play.

Mailer was drunk and had head-butted Vidal in the green room before the appearance as revenge for Vidal’s negative book review of Mailer’s Prisoner of Sex. In the review, Vidal wrote that Mailer — along with Henry Miller and Charles Manson — were part of “a continuum in the brutal and violent treatment of women.” Mailer took the criticism as a reference to an incident where he was arrested in 1960 for stabbing his wife with a penknife. The two writers continued the argument in front of the audience with Cavett and writer Janet Flanner in the middle. . .

Well, okay, it is a little like reality TV, but with two great writers and intellectual giants of their generation. Note that after Mailer called Vidal a “liar and a hypocrite,” he then pointed to Vidal’s reference to the wife-stabbing. Vidal responded with great wit, “But that wasn’t a lie or a hypocrisy.” Ouch.

And we are still talking about it decades later, as Cavett wrote about the interview in a 2007 essay about the experience in The New York Times. In the article, Cavett noted that both Vidal and Mailer returned to his show again, but he never had them on the same show again. Although the two writers never became great friends, they did not remain enemies. Mailer later explained, “We pass, and like two old whores on the street, say ‘Still at it, Norm?’ ‘Yep. Still at it, Gore?’ ” Unfortunately for us, neither man is still at it, but we can still read and debate their stories and their ideas, and that is not a bad legacy. RIP Mr. Vidal.

Who do you think wins the exchange? Leave your two cents in the comments.

Joe Ely’s “She Never Spoke Spanish to Me” (Song of the Day)

Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)

Bryan Cranston As LBJ in “All the Way” (Short Review)

Ned Miller: The Shy Man Behind “From a Jack to a King”

Merle Haggard: “Kern River”

Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

Buy from Amazon

I Sit Here Tonight, the Jukebox Playing Kitty Wells

Country music legend Kitty Wells passed away July 16, 2012 at the age of 92. Among other accomplishments, she will be remembered because in 1952 her record of “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” became the first country music #1 song by a woman soloist.

Not only did the recording become an important first, it is a great country song too.

Although Wells may be best remembered for that groundbreaking hit, she had many other popular recordings, including a version of “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” and she was known as the “Queen of Country.” She was generally listed as the top female country singer for more than a decade during 1952 through 1968 before being dethroned by Tammy Wynette, who was followed by other female country singers. Wells’s website notes a number of honors, including that she was inducted into the Country Music Association Hall of Fame in 1976.

Although it is hard to imagine now, but “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” was controversial when released. The song was an answer song to Hank Thompson’s “The Wild Side of Life,” where the singer said he didn’t know that God made honky tonk angels and bemoaned the lover that left him to go back to the wild side of life.

In Wells’s response with “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels,” written by J.D. “Jay” Miller, Wells put the blame back on the men. At the time, some of the male-dominated radio stations would not play the song and she was not allowed to perform it at the Grand Ole Opry. But the song struck a chord with enough people to become a bigger hit than Thompson’s song.

Both Thompson’s and Wells’s songs used the same tune, which appeared in the earlier songs of The Carter Family’s 1929 “I’m Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes” and Roy Acuff’s 1936 classic record of Rev. Guy Smith’s “The Great Speckled Bird.” Kitty Wells herself later recorded “The Great Speckled Bird,” where you can hear the similarity to “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.”

Wells was born Ellen Muriel Deason in Nashville, Tennessee on August 30, 1919. She changed her name to Kitty Wells in 1943 based on a suggestion of her husband, Johnny Wright, who was also a country music performer. The name came from a folk ballad recorded by the Pickard Family, entitled “Sweet Kitty Wells.” Here is the song that provided her name, recorded by Billy Grammer.