Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. There was a time in my memory when I hoped I might never hear those words sang again. It was just over 20 years ago and I was in the midst of trying to complete the musical orchestration of a special Christmas CD.
Alan Autry and Carroll O’Connor had asked me to bring together the “In the Heat of the Night” cast Christmas CD for charity.
A few weeks ago I was privileged to attend the Singing News Fan Awards along with the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame inductions at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
The streets of Dollywood were lined with fans as the musical stars of the genre walked the red carpet to cheers and flashing cameras. They then packed into the theater that housed the event as the fan favorites were announced and the industry legends were inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Do you ever find yourself looking around wondering what happened to the world around you?
The lenses through which you have looked at life become skewed by some new information you learn, the action of another, or simply a mistake that you have made yourself.
Throughout my career in music, one of my favorite acts to hear, watch on stage and to know has been the Marksmen Quartet of Murrayville, Ga. I was part of the group for several years in the 1980s and continue to aid them with promoting their weekly tours in venues around the country. That experience continues to emphasis to me the popularity of this two-time Dove Award nominee now marking 45 years of history, has not waned.
I don’t know about y’all, but it seems that more and more of what I buy just doesn’t seem to last.
When I made my first appearance for the Grand Ole Opry in 1984, I had already appeared on shows with one of the long-running stars of the show Rollin “Oscar” Sullivan of Lonzo & Oscar.
Lonzo and Oscar were one of country music’s best-known comedy duos. Although there were three Lonzo’s through the years that Oscar owned the name, there was only one Oscar, whose talents as a singer and mandolin player were top-notch. The country bumpkin costumes of their performances popularized in the heyday of classic country had eased to more of a leisure suit look by the time I came to know Oscar.
It is amazing how disappointments can take various forms in life.
I think often our childhoods are filled with little disappointments such as not getting something we really wanted – that pony.
As I turned the key and the engine on the gray Murray riding mower was balking, I sort of knew it was going to be one of those days.
With a little prompting though I was off and running. Many people love to mow, although I started mowing other people’s yards at about age nine, I really am not a mowing fan. In fact I sort of take the Los Angeles film set approach, let’s kill it and paint it green.
Webster describes a star as a celestial body with twinkling points of light. The wise men of old followed a star to the baby Jesus. Centuries ago, sailors learned to navigate themselves around the world by the stars.
Today, many look at people who have reached a certain status in their field such as stars of sports, film or music.
When I was a little boy, I remember holding my dad’s hand while walking on the sidewalk along the main street of our county seat.
He seemed so big even though the large buildings of brick and stone along the street made even him look small by comparison. The cars seemed to speed buy as folks rushed about in life trying to fill their days with making a living.
