Dys-fun-ctional Christmas

Not always is Christmas happy and merry.



Conflicts with the law, broken relationships, loneliness or simply dysfunctional families can put a burden on these holy Holidays.

Good part about it is, that they also inspire songwriters to tell about it. It's basically a reality show wrapped in the soothing sounds of Christmas music. So in this third part of a "Honky Tonk Christmas" let's put the fun back into dysfunctional (my Saloon ornament is hanging) and listen to some tunes, that aren't your standards accompanying "Silent Night," "Oh Tannenbaum" or more secular ditties like "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer," "Frosty The Snowman," "White Christmas," "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow." "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" or even "Feliz Navidad."



First in my list of a half dozen not so PC-friendly, dysfunctional songs is an over 25-year old classic done by Irish punkers The Pogues together with Kirsty MacColl (who passed away in 2000) called "Fairytale Of New York." Even though the song only reached #2 in the British Charts during it's initial release in 1987, it's this season (2013) most downloaded Christmas song in the UK.  Though the protagonist of the song is in the drunk tank on Christmas Eve to sober up, he sees quite a rosy future with his loved one.









And what you may have realized is that my definition of Honky Tonk music is quite wide and yes it includes Tom Waits. According to Wikipedia - even though the quote can't be traced anymore - he was quoted about "Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minnepolis" as follows:

"I was in Minneapolis - it was 200 degrees below zero - I know - you think I'm bullshitting, no, I swear to God, I was wearing just a bra and a slip and a kind of dead squirrel around my neck - he was colder than I was. The police cars would go by and they'd wave... Merry Xmas, Merry Xmas, Merry Xmas - anyway - I got caught in the middle of a pimp war between 2 kids in Chinchilla coats, they couldn't have been more than 13 years old - they're throwing knives and forks and spoons out into the street - it was deep - so I grabbed a ladle - and Dinah Washington was singing "Our Day Will Come" and I knew that was it."

I can't say it much better, besides mentioning, that we are all looking for Valentine's day coming up.












I knew that John Prine had a song called "Christmas In Prison" of his 1994 Holiday album "A John Prine Christmas" but after re-listening to the whole album, I decided to use a the only (at least that I know of) song that cynically compares a broken up relationship with a decaying Christmas tree and how bittersweet it is to wish the former lover
"All The Best." Definitely a Christmas song, no department store would use as elevator music.



Alcohol also can be (is) a specific Christmas problem and leads to a crossroad of possibilities:

- a) drinking out of joy and celebrating (for some reason the most kids in the US are born roughly nine months after the Holidays - http://www.labnol.org/internet/most-popular-birthday-months/21283/ - longer, darker nights may be playing a role too)

- b) others may indulge due to dysfunctional relationships, insane family ties and trying to cope with that in a buzzed or even drunk state of mind

- c) and finally all the people who are alone and don't have anybody to celebrate the festivities with



In 1973, John Denver released "Please Daddy Don't Get Drunk This Christmas," a song written by husband and then-wife team, Bill Danoff and Mary "Taffy" Nivert. The couple was quite successful and had other hits with "Take Me Home, Country Roads" (Denver), "Boulder To Birmingham" (Emmylou Harris) and their self-recorded, as the Starland Vocal Band, #1 hit "Afternoon Delight."

Twenty years later, Alan Jackson spiffed that little ditty about wishful soberness a bit up, put a shuffle beat to it, uped the giddy and the steel guitar replacing the dobro made it more jukebox friendly.



Alan Jackson - Please Daddy Don't Get Drunk On Christmas




John Rich, Jimmy Fallon - Drunk On Christmas





Boxcar Willie - Hee Haw Honey




How can I pass up lyrics like "I need some Christmas spirit, and by spirit I mean booze; I'm getting drunk, drunk, drunk on Christmas." This song was written by Late Night TV host Jimmy Fallon and a writer of the show, Gerard Bradford and premiered three years ago, with special guest John Rich (Big & Rich) sitting in with Fallon and back-up band, The Roots.

"Hee Haw" Host Roy Clark With Some Of The Honeys

Lecil Travis Martin aka Boxcar Willie, even though only remotely popular in the United States was a superstar overseas and is believed to have sold more than 100 million albums. His carnal wish was infused by the beautiful Southern ladies in the TV show "Hee Haw" and Hugh Hefner's playboy bunnies - and yes that simply is all he wanted under his Christmas tree.



One of my all-time favorite

dysfunctional Christmas songs is "Merry Christmas From The  Family" penned by Texan Robert Earl Keen. With a sharp wit, he describes the Christmas needs and family relationships as it would be part of a reality show. The parents are getting drunk, the sister shows up with a new Mexican boyfriend, who woos everybody with "Feliz Navidad," brother Ken who arrives with wife #3 brings his five kids out of two earlier relationships. And it's Turkey, football and more booze - trips to the convenient store to restock with cigarettes, diapers, tampons and whatever you need in the 24/7 world that America is.



And with this - I can only wish everybody of you - Merry Christmas Y'All



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This blog was orginally published here.

Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Country Artists Of All Time - Do You Agree?

Greatest Artist compilation lists had, have and will always stir up controversy. Nothing is as sacred as your own favorite singer and when he/she doesn't make the list or is ranked in the nose-bleed section, fans feel betrayed. Part of it has to do with a social feeling of suddenly being marginalized by listening to an artist that did not make the A-List. Such compilations also always come up with omissions or inclusions that shouldn't be listed. And the new list by music publication Rolling Stone magazine listing the "100 Greatest Country Artists of All Time" does exactly what I just tried to explain.



RS asked 14 journalists to come up with the ultimate artist list, that defines country music. Well, a list like this doesn't just contain artists from last year or even the last decade. Country Music has a rich history, where the "commercial" origins of it, started 90 years ago with the so-called "Bristol Sessions" in Tennessee. Ralph Peer representing Victor Talking Machines recorded 76 songs by 19 performers during the 12 days he stayed in Bristol. Not only did the recordings introduce the traditional music of southern Appalachia, but they also generated the first two superstars, The Carter Family & the yodelln' brakeman Jimmie Rodgers of what later would be called country music. Western Swing with its probably most famous fiddler, Bob Wills followed roughly a decade later. Hollywood cowboys sang in movies and after starting in 1925, the Saturday night portion of the Grand Ole Opry became nationwide when it was picked up by NBC in 1939.



The war years and their aftermath (socially, economically) not only changed society but music as well. Suddenly songs about drinkin', cheatin' and havin' a good time were as popular as the old story songs and gospel music from before the war. A secularization of the themes started to appear, women entered the workforce and wanted to be looked upon as equal to their partners. New instruments and sounds appeared. Several sub-styles started to disappear like the cowboys in the prairies, Western Swing and other forms led to rockabilly and Rock'n'Roll. People started to go out to clubs and Honky Tonks to either drown their sorrow or to find a new honey just to dance with. The West Coast had its own California or better Bakersfield sound, that was rawer than what the by now slicker styles out of Nashville were offering. A whole outlaw movement came in the 70s when artists were fighting to keep creative control on what they want to record and want to be released to the public. With smoother Soul, R&B and Pop influences, country music was pronounced dead in the mid-80s by the New York Times only to be shook up a year later with the arrival of new traditionalist movement, trying to take country music back or at least incorporate some of its roots. New marketing ideas led country music from the clubs and dancehalls into arenas and stadiums, simple performing shows now became "circus" events for the masses. And sure enough by the end of the century, the music started changing again, less and less of what is considered having its roots in one of the many styles country music went through were abandoned. Today's major artists with a few exceptions offer a non-distinguishable contemporary sound with modern R&B, Hip Hop and EDM influences.

So what I tried to put into two paragraph synopses encompasses the whole history of country music - and I'm sure I may have omitted some sub-genres, the 14 compilers had to go through. Basically a rich 90-year-old history of what defines American music and to come up with just 100 of the Greatest Country Artists of All Time. So before you start complaining that Bobby Lee or Bobbie Lou are missing, unfairly ranked, or shouldn't be on this list, envision the above synopsis of 90 years musical evolution and history.



I don't want to leave any spoilers and rankings because you should have your own experience with the list. And I'm sure that your taste, your surroundings, your upbringing and your listening habits, as well as your age, may produce a slightly different list. So now I'm looking forward to your comments. What would YOU have done differently?



Here's a short spoiler video depicting the Top Ten of the genre.

Emilio Navaira - "Garth Brooks" of Tejano - Passes

According to news reports, a massive heart attack - an autopsy was ordered - ended the live of Tejano singer Emilio Navaira. The 2003 Grammy winner for "Acuerdate" as "Tejano Album of the Year" was 53 years old and lived in New Braunfels, Texas. If murdered Selena was the Queen, Emilio was the undisputed king of Tejano, an amalgam of Texas and Hispanic music. His popularity was so huge, that he often got nicknamed the "Garth Brooks" of Tejano.

Born and raised in Southern San Antonio, he not only grew up with the typical Mexican-American background listening to Little Joe & La Familia or Mexican crooner Ramon Ayala, he also listened to Texas country music greats: Bob Wills, Willie Nelson and George Strait. After high school in San Antonio, he got a musical degree at Southwest Texas University in San Marcos (now Texas State) and in 1983 he joined "Los Musicales" and started singing with David Lee Garza.






By the end of the 80s, Navaira formed his own band Rio, got a major record deal, where he recorded more than a dozen albums under his full name and then from the mid-90's simply by his first name Emilio. One of his songs "Como Le Hare" (How Will I Do It) became so popular, even though it never charted as a single, that the title is now used as a catch phrase in Texas. His albums regularly started to show up in the US Latin (album) and his singles in the US Hot Latin (singles) charts.

His popularity was so big, that he started to get sponsored by Wrangler Jeans, Coca Cola & Miller Beer and was signed to Capitol Nashville, adroitly naming his first album "Life Is Good" after the beer slogan. A Larry Boone/Paul Nelson/Earl Clark penned ballad, "It's Not The End Of The World" got recorded in English and Spanish and charted in the top twenty of both the US Country and Hot Latin charts respectively.







His voice and distinctive style also convinced the prestigious "Country Night Gstaad" festival in Switzerland to have him perform there among other headliners, Billy Ray Cyrus, Kathy Mattea and Paul Brand, in 1997. So before his trip to Switzerland I had a chance to interview him at Austin's (now long gone Aqua Fest). The energy coming from that stage put the largely Tejano audience on fire, this was their king and he was celebrated that night with people hanging on Emilio's lips and singing with him during the whole set.

After two country inspired albums for Capitol and changing times in Nashville, Emilio went back to the Tejano market, but still including Spanish tracks, that could have been sung by country great George Strait. His mixture from love ballads to modern Tejano, from traditional Rancheras (story songs) to dance-able Cumbias, established him as one of the most diverse artists in the Texas music scene.

In March of 2008 Emilio almost lost his life, after having a tour bus accident in Bellaire outside of Houston. He was ejected through the windshield of the bus after he collided with traffic barrels. He was later being charged with "intoxication" and not having a license to drive the bus. Miraculously he had an impressive recovery after severe cranial damage and brain injuries and was able to come back onto the stage two years later.

With "El Regreso del Rey" (Return of the King) he released a fulminante Live-Album as a comeback. Even though not on major labels anymore, Emilio continued to release albums. Last year's "Juntos" and a biggest hit album "Siempre Grande" this year were released by Mexican imprint Apodaca. He also continued to tour in South Texas and Mexico, now with his own kids in his band Rio, his brother Raulito formed his own band "Remdio" with his kids, Destiny and Rigo.

Prince - The Country Music Artist

I'm not trying to invoke that Prince who passed away yesterday was a country music artist at all, but his genius definitely left a mark even in country music. I remember in the mid to late 80s an editorial board meeting of our "Country Music" publication in Switzerland, when editor Charles "Chuck" Steiner claimed that Prince is annoying his band members by listening to country music on his tour bus. Chuck, who was quite old-school and had met Hank Williams on his European USO tour and still had a strong connection to the "old" Nashville of the 50s and 60s put that bold remark with a big smirk into the room and watched us whipper snappers in our 20s and 30s gasp for air. We couldn't believe it, the Purple One being associated with the rather strict musical environment that Nashville still was. He even mentioned that he wrote songs under a pseudonym for country artists.
It sounded like too much of a tall tale and with emerging artists like Dwight Yoakam, Steve Earle and Randy Travis we never even investigated the "rumor" and enjoyed the re-emergence of a more traditional sound that started to flood the airwaves in 1986.

Some years later, I was already living in the States, somebody (my memory fails me here) told me about Joey Coco and a little research without google or the internet at the time revealed that this was really the Purple One, or TAFKAP by then, who wrote these songs. Kenny Rogers had recorded "You're My Love" for his 1986 album "They Don't Make Them Like They Used To", all in all a forgettable LP, if it wouldn't be for the title track, who won a Golden Globe. Deborah Allen tried to do the right thing, but her adaptation of the Coco song "Telepathy" of the album by the same name, pretty much burned her career and relegated her back into songwriting and background vocal singing. Rumor is that he not only wrote but also orchestrated and produced the song in 1987. That song and it's musical arrangement could have been a hit in the early 80s, but the flags were now definitely flying on the traditional breeze and made the whole a single a non-entity.

Some years later I booked and toured Europe with Buck Owens revival act The Derailers and the fathers of the Red Dirt Sound, The Red Dirt Rangers. Sharing more or less the same age within a decade or so with these musicians, we all grew up listening to Prince, so it wasn't really that surprising that "Raspberry Beret" found it's way on Tony and Brian's 1997 album "Reverb Deluxe" (Watermelon) and "1999" was featured by the Okies on their album "Ranger's Command" (SOB) two years later. Both albums were released on small Austin based labels and reflected the openness towards a more inclusive, innovative style Nashville had forgotten by then and turned it's back on, after the rise of megalomaniac Garth Brooks.

Thanks to David Mansfield, the former country music editor for "USA Today" I became aware today that one hit wonder "Just Got Started Loving You" (2007), James Otto actually recorded a decent rendition of "Purple Rain." Several rumors indicate that several people urged Prince to give that song to Kenny Rogers too, as it sounded like a "country music song." Whatever. Instead of playing the just released tribute by Otto, I actually found a live version by him doing this song, recorded almost three years ago, in a live performance at Buck Owens' Crystal Palace in Bakersfield. And according to the belt-buckles being shined the people there didn't mind to hear the Purple One.

Neither did we growing up. Prince was an all-round musician and creative mind who left this planet way too early.

Kenny Rogers - You're My Love


Deborah Allen - Telepathy 1987


Red Dirt Rangers - 1999



Derailers - Raspberry Beret


James Otto - Live Crystal Palace, Bakersfield - Purple Rain - 8/21/14

People Are Crazy - Billy Currington Out

Photo: Savannah-Chatham Police

Billy Currington was ousted as a pre-race artist for the May, 18th Sprint All-Star Race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway (NC), after his recent arrest on charges of making "terroristic threats and abuse of an elderly person." He will be replaced by "Long Black Train" singer, Josh Turner. "Due to Currington's recent indictment, we elected to change our act for the Nascar Sprint All-Star Race," track president and general manager Marcus Smith said in a news release.

Currington turned himself into the Savannah-Chatham Police and was booked into Chatham county jail on Thursday after a warrant was issued for his arrest a day earlier. He was released after posting $27'700 bond. He could face upto 10 years in prison for the two felony charges against him.

The charges against Currington were filed after an April, 15th incident, after he allegedly chased a 70-year-old tour boat captain along a coastal Georgia creek of Tybee island and threated to "finish him off" in a tirade filled with profanities, according to court documents.

The boat captain, Charles Harvey Ferrelle, and his two passengers told police Currington was holding a camera when he became outraged. The police seized four digital video files, 27 photos and a memory card at Currington's home, after obtaining a search warrant.
In an affidavit, Savannah-Chatham County Police detective Alycia Smith wrote: "They were in fear of this man and a possible attack against Mr. Ferrelle, and possibly everyone there, as his behaviour was 'out of control' as described by all three persons."

Currington who denied "each and every allegation" from Ferrelle, tweeted two days after the incident to his over 200'000 followers on Twitter.

Currington's tweet

He also thanked his fans for their support but refused to comment because of the ongoing legal investigation. Inhabitants of Currington's estate have called the police before because of invasion of their privacy stemming from incidents where boats were driving to close to their boat dock, according to several newspaper reports.

Entertainment journalist Jimmy Carter tweeted that the charges against Currington were way out of proportion and "outrageous"...

According to a 2007 article in The Tennessean the singer admitted then, that he sometimes struggled to control his anger as a result of suffering childhood abuse while growing up in Rincon, north of Savannah. "When he comes out, he comes out very quickly and it goes away very quickly," the 39-year old singer told the newspaper. "And in those instances, that rage can destroy relationships, whether it's with a girlfriend or a business partner or a fan. It doesn't  take long to screw it all up."

Ft Walton Beach show 4/27 - Source Twitter

The show cancellation by the Charlotte Motor Speedway may be described as premature, as the fans are sticking with Currington and he was able to enjoy sold-out shows in Louisiana and Fort Walton Beach. He documented the last one in a Twitter picture, he posted earlier this morning (4/28).

Billy Currington is best known for the 2009, Bobby Braddock/Troy Jones penned number-one-hit "People Are Crazy."



Sources: wire reports, AP, savannahnow.com, @billycurrington @askjimmycarter