I would imagine that most of us remember comedian George Gobel, even though he died over two decades ago. Often introduced as 'Lonesome' George Gobel, he was a fixture on TV for many years beginning in the early 1950s. He even hosted his own show for a while, and later appeared in movies and on … Continue reading The Saga Of Little Georgie Gobel
Category: Country
Bluegrass Western Style – Vern Williams
I love bluegrass music and especially enjoy the sound of a mandolin, an instrument that has come to be closely identified with it. In fact, guys like Bill Monroe, Ricky Skaggs, and Jethro Burns (of Homer & Jethro) have turned the instrument into a familiar part of all kinds of country music, but one of … Continue reading Bluegrass Western Style – Vern Williams
Skeets McDonald VS Perry Como
I've written before about how certain songs seem so familiar that I'm convinced we had the record around the house while I was growing up. A good example would be Perry Como's "Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes," which topped the pop charts in 1952. But even though his version is the one … Continue reading Skeets McDonald VS Perry Como
Banjo Pioneer Earl Scruggs Will Be Missed
As you might have read, banjo wizard Earl Scruggs died recently at age 88. Although he is often remembered as part of the Grammy-winning duo Flatt & Scruggs, his career flourished for over four decades after the twosome split in 1969. Along the way he became one of the most admired and influential musicians in … Continue reading Banjo Pioneer Earl Scruggs Will Be Missed
Being Out Of Control
It's become a standard joke, but I have to admit that I - like most men - enjoy playing with the TV remote control, and I was doing just that today when I got to thinking about something that I hadn't really considered before. Modern remote controls do just about everything, but their core function … Continue reading Being Out Of Control
Biggest Hit Record During World War II
If you're like me, you would assume that the biggest hit record of World War II was probably something along the lines of Glenn Miller's "In The Mood" or maybe the Andrews Sisters' "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," but even though they were very popular they weren't the biggest. That would be Elton Britt's "There's A … Continue reading Biggest Hit Record During World War II
Appalachian Memories Of The Imagined Kind
Whenever I see pictures or films that depict early scenes from Appalachia I always feel a kinship with the people shown, even though I can't really be sure whether my family roots stretched that far. But my ancestral history includes lots of folks from Kentucky, Illinois, and Indiana, and Eastern Kentucky is considered to be … Continue reading Appalachian Memories Of The Imagined Kind
Warren Smith – Talent To Burn
Most fans of early rock and roll know about Sun Records in Memphis and how it helped give starts to guys like Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Charlie Rich, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash. But there was at least one talented Sun alumnus -- Warren Smith -- who was just as good as … Continue reading Warren Smith – Talent To Burn
Adding Up The Numbers
I was doing a quick bit of math with the calculator app on my tablet, and it got me to thinking about how far we've come since I was first exposed to a calculator more than forty years ago. I'm not counting slide rules (which I covered in an earlier post) but rather the first … Continue reading Adding Up The Numbers
The Nostalgia Well Might Be Drying Up
Regular visitors to the GMC know that we're mostly about nostalgia and music, with an occasional shot of current events. But one of the situations that arise from something like this being around for so long (six years and a thousand+ posts) is that you start feeling like you're beginning to scrape the bottom of … Continue reading The Nostalgia Well Might Be Drying Up
Geezer Music Club 