Written by T. Seals and M.D. Barnes
You know this old world is full of singers
But just a few are chosen
To tear your heart out when they sing
Imagine life without them
All your, radio heros
Like the outlaw that walks through Jesse's dream
No, there will never be another
Red-headed stranger
A Man in Black and Folsom Prison Blues
The Okie from Muskogee
Or Hello Darling
Lord I wonder, who's gonna fill their shoes
(Chorus:)
Who's gonna fill their shoes
Who's gonna stand that tall
Who's gonna play the Opry
And the Wabash Cannonball
Who's gonna give their heart and soul
To get to me and you
Lord I wonder, who's gonna fill their shoes
God bless the boys from Memphis
Blue Suede Shoes and Elvis
Much too soon he left this world in tears
They tore up the Fifties
Old Jerry Lee and Charlie
And old Go Cat Go still echoes through the years
You know the heart of country music
Still beats in Luke the Drifer
You can tell when he sings I Saw the Light
Old Marty, Hank and Lefty
Why I can feel them right here with me
On this Silver Eagle rolling through the night
Who's gonna fill their shoes
Who's gonna stand that tall
Who's gonna play the Opry
And the Wabash Cannonball
Who's gonna give their heart and soul
To get to me and you
Lord I wonder, who's gonna fill their shoes
Dotty West died 9-04-91
Eddie Rabbit died 5-7-98
Ernest Tubb died 9-6-84
June Carter Cash died 5-15-03
Hank Snow died 12-20-99
Boxcar Willie died 4-12-99
Conway Twitty died 6-5-93
Buck Owens died 3-25-06
Johnny Cash died 9-12-03
Charlie Rich died 7-25-95
Johnny Paycheck died 2-18-03
Grampa Jones died 2-19-98
Skeeter Davis died 9-19-04
Tammy Wynette died 4-06-98
Hank Williams died 1-1-53
Keith Whitley died 5-09-89
Jimmie Davis died 11-05-2000
Waylon Jennings died 2-12-02
Marty Robbins died 12-08-82
Tennessee Ernie Ford died 10-17-91
Chris LeDoux died 3-09-05
Faron Young died 12-10-96
Chet Atkins died 6-30-01
Roy Acuff died 11-23-92
Patsy Cline died 3-05-63
Carl Perkins died 1-19-98
Burl Ives died 4-14-95
Gene Autry died 10-02-98
Shelly, remember the good old days? When Mamaw was alive, and Papaw had some heart? I know you have to remember the endless country 'shows' on the old black and white television set papaw had us sit and watch with him, the Grand Ol' Opry - Hee Haw (remember Jr. Samples and Minnie Pearl, and Grampaw Jones? Hey Grampaw, what's for supper!?) - Louisiana Hayride, and the Porter Wagner show - That Good ol Nashville Music - The Dolly Partin Show. Anything country would be playing on the television, on the radio, 8 tracks and old vinyl albums.
Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, Glen Campbell, Tanya Tucker, Roy Clark and Buck Owens, Ernest Tubb, *laughs* Oh how I loved to hear Ernest Tubb! (I'm Walkin' The Floor Over You...) I went on so many trips with them chasing after 'hillbilly concerts', to Bucklake Ranch, and I will NEVER forget seeing Loretta Lynn live at Tombstone Junction.
Remember that autographed picture of Bill Monroe Papaw had? He was all, Bill's my friend, I knew him from way back before he was famous. I never believed him until I went with him to a Bill Monroe concert with Papaw and Mamaw, again, at Tombstone Junction - folks were writing down requests on slips of paper and handing up to Bill to sing, but Papaw didn't need a slip of paper, I was in awe when Mr. Monroe's eyes scanned the audience and he spotted Papaw, smiled and said something like, Sol, I know which one you want and this one's for you. I don't even remember what he played, I was too busy being in shock that he addressed Papaw like that to know what was played. How sad. Maybe someday I'll remember what it was. *laughs* Papaw was giggley and nudging me just nodding and bobbing his head to the song, Tolja, I tolja!" He said.
I remember one trip with them vividly. I was 5 or 6, and Mom let them take me with them to Nashville to the Grand ol' Opry. Lonnie was what, maybe 15, 16.. it was the 4 of us. I don't remember what kind of car it was, but the back seat was as big as a couch, and I can remember the drive from Michigan took forever, and I remember Lonnie sleeping on the seat, and the floorboard back there was big enough for me to lay down and sleep on too, using that hump in the middle for a headrest. I can remember stopping to eat at what I believe was an Arby's or something like Arby's...and I can remember mamaw taking an onion out of the glovebox (she always had an onion in there for just such an occasion) and 'doctoring' up her roast beef sandwich. She said they were good but they just needed a little onion to make them better. When we finally got there, boy were we disappointed. They hadn't checked to see if the Opry was open or not, and it turned out that it was closed for renovations or something like that that weekend. *laughs* Ohhhh how Mamaw fussed at Papaw about that. It was a good trip though. I did, with my own eyes, get to at least see the building that housed the "Grand ol' Opry".
I never took Sarah and Bonnie to a hillbilly 'show'. I wish I had. I'm gonna take these little ones sometime. I'm really gonna - they need to see them and hear real country music. Give them a real taste of a little bluegrass. Mikyla likes Alison Krauss and Union Station. She and Mallory both can sing "Let's go down to the River and Pray." - it's a pretty song. It's a shame Tombstone Junction is gone now, maybe we can go to Renfro Valley sometime this summer.
What brought this on? The movie "Walk the Line". Mikyla has watched it twice now, and she's taken to singing Johnny Cash songs, particularly "Folsom Prison" blues. You'd get a kick out of how she pronounces "Reno". She's truly interested in the music, and now she wants to hear "A Boy Named Sue." Nana told her about that one today. She sang to Grampa and Granny this evening, and then Mom got out some George Jones cd's...and then Dad started singing and by the way, his singing is why she was making those odd googly eyes in the photos I posted earlier this evening, while she appreciated George Jones, I think she was hoping Grampa would hush and let her hear the pure music. *laughs* I got a kick out of that.
Ah well. It's getting late and I need to get some sleep. G'nite world!
Posted by juel at May 30, 2006 01:55 AM