WA2K Radio is now on the air

Judy Collins
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Judith Marjorie Collins (born May 1, 1939 in Seattle, Washington) is an American folk and standards singer and songwriter, known for the stunning purity of her soprano; for her eclectic tastes in the material she records (which has included folk, showtunes, pop, and rock and roll); and for her social activism.




Biography

As a child Collins studied classical piano with Antonia Brico, making her public debut at age 13 performing Mozart's Concerto for Two Pianos.

However, it was the music of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, and the traditional songs of the folk revival of the early 1960s, that piqued Collins' interest and awoke in her a love of lyrics. Three years after her debut as a piano prodigy, she was playing guitar. She eventually made her way to Greenwich Village, New York City, where she busked and played in clubs until she signed with Elektra Records, a record label with which she was associated for 35 years. In 1961, Collins released her first album, A Maid of Constant Sorrow, at the age of 22.

At first, she sang traditional folk songs, or songs written by others, in particular the social poets of the time, such as Tom Paxton, Phil Ochs, and Bob Dylan. She recorded her own versions of seminal songs of the period, such as Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" and Pete Seeger's "Turn, Turn, Turn". Collins was also instrumental in bringing little known musicians to a wider public (in much the same way Joan Baez brought Bob Dylan into the public eye). For example, Collins recorded songs by Canadian poet Leonard Cohen, who would become a close friend over the years. She would also go on to record songs by singer-songwriters like Joni Mitchell, Randy Newman, and Richard Farina, long before they gained the national acclaim they would later achieve.

While Collins' first few albums were comprised of straightforward guitar-based folk songs, with 1966's In My Life, she began branching out and including work from such diverse sources as The Beatles, Cohen, Jacques Brel and Kurt Weill. Joshua Rifkin produced and arranged the album, adding lush orchestration to many of the numbers. The album was regarded as a major departure for a folk artist, and set the course for Collins' subsequent work over the next decade.

With her 1967 album Wildflowers, also produced and arranged by Rifkin, Collins began to record her own compositions, the first of which was entitled "Since You've Asked". The album also provided Collins with a major hit, and a Grammy award, in Mitchell's "Both Sides Now", which reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Collins' 1968 album, Who Knows Where the Time Goes, was produced by David Anderle and featured back-up guitar by Steven Stills (of Crosby, Stills & Nash), with whom she was romantically involved at the time. (She was the inspiration for two notable songs by Stills: the Buffalo Springfield's haunting "Bluebird", and the CSN classic, "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes"). Time Goes had a mellow country sound, and included Ian Tyson's "Someday Soon" and the title track, a Sandy Denny song which has since been covered by several artists. The album also featured Judy's composition, "My Father," and one of the first covers of Leonard Cohen's "Bird on a Wire."

By the 1970s, Collins had a solid reputation as an art song singer and folksinger, and had begun to stand out for her own compositions. She was also known for her broad range of material: her songs from this period include the traditional gospel song (actually a Christian hymn, not strictly speaking a "gospel" song) "Amazing Grace", the Stephen Sondheim Broadway ballad "Send in the Clowns" (both of which were top 20 hits as singles), a recording of Joan Baez' "A Song For David," and her own compositions, such as "Born to the Breed".


'Hard Times for Lovers' - Album coverIn 1979, Collins posed nude for the album "Hard Times For Lovers".

Collins later admitted suffering from the eating disorder bulimia after she quit smoking in the 1970s. "I went straight from the cigarettes into an eating disorder," she told People Magazine in 1992. "I started throwing up. I didn't know anything about bulimia, certainly not that it is an addiction or that it would get worse. My feelings about myself, even though I had been able to give up smoking and lose 20 lbs., were of increasing despair."

In more recent years Collins has taken to writing, producing a memoir, "Trust Your Heart" in 1987, as well as two novels. A more recent memoir, "Sanity and Grace" tells the story of her son, Clark, and his death from suicide in January 1992. Though her record sales are not what they once were, she still records and tours in the U.S., Europe, Australia and New Zealand. She performed at US President Bill Clinton's first inauguration in 1993, singing "Amazing Grace" and "Chelsea Morning". (The Clintons have stated that their daughter Chelsea was named after Collins' recording of the song.)


Activism

Like many other folk singers of her generation, Collins was drawn to left-wing social activism. She is a representative for UNICEF and campaigns on behalf of the abolition of landmines. Following the 1992 death of her son, Clark Taylor, at age 33, after a long bout with depression and substance abuse, she has also become a strong advocate of suicide prevention. Her 2003 book, Sanity & Grace, chronicles her recovery from her son's suicide and attempts to provide some comfort and guidance to other families dealing with the loss of a loved one to suicide. She describes the "Seven T's" as a means for going through this process of recovery: Truth, Therapy, Trust, Try, Treat, Treasure, and Thrive. The Truth is that there should be no guilt in suicide; Therapy helps people express their emotions and seek grief counseling; Trust is the effort to believe that one can make it through the loss and keep a belief in life and in the future; Try means to stay away from drugs and alcohol or any excess--including overeating--as a means to deal with the loss and pain; Treat means to take care of the mind, body, and spirit with exercise and meditation; Treasure means to keep the memory of the moments to be treasured, and for this Collins recommends writing and keeping a journal; and Thrive means to be positive, hopeful, open to love and others, and continuing to know that you can rebuild your life on a basis of hope.

Ray Parker Jr.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Background information

Birth name Ray Erskine Parker Jr.
Born May 1, 1954
Genre(s) R&B
Occupation(s) Guitarist, Songwriter, Record producer, Recording artist
Years active 1974 - present

Ray Erskine Parker Jr. (born on May 1, 1954 in Detroit) is an American guitarist, songwriter, producer and recording artist best known for writing the theme song to the motion picture Ghostbusters.





Early Work

In the mid-1970s he was a sideman in Barry White's "Love Unlimited Orchestra", before creating Raydio, an R&B group, in 1977, with Vincent Bohnam, Jerry Knight, and Arnell Carmichael. Parker appeared briefly in the 1974 film "Uptown Saturday Night" as a guitar player. Parker also wrote songs and did session work for Rufus and Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder, Leon Haywood, Temptations, The Spinners, Boz Scaggs, Rhythm Heritage, and Gladys Knight and the Pips.


Raydio

The group scored their first big hit, with Arista Records, "Jack and Jill" off of their self-titled album in 1978. The song was # 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, earning a Gold record in the process.

Their successful follow-up hit, "You Can't Change That" was released in 1979, off of the Rock On album. The song was a Top 10 hit, making it up to # 9 on the Billboard charts during the same year it was released.

In 1980, the group became known as Ray Parker Jr. and Raydio, and the group released two more albums: Two Places at the Same Time in 1980 and A Woman Needs Love in 1981.

During the eighties Ray Parker Jr. and Raydio had two Top 40 hits ("Two Places at the Same Time" - # 40 in 1980 and "That Old Song" - # 21 in 1981) and their last and biggest hit "A Woman Needs Love," released in 1981, went to # 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts, and # 1 on the R&B Charts for two weeks in 1981.


The Solo Years and Ghostbusters

Raydio broke up in 1981, while Ray Parker Jr. continued with his solo career, scoring six Top 40 hits, including the hit single "The Other Woman" (Pop # 4) in 1982 and "Ghostbusters" in 1984.

"Ghostbusters" was a title track of the Gold-selling soundtrack of the hit movie Ghostbusters (but the song has now sold upwards of 28 million units internationally according to Parker in 2007)[citation needed], starring Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd. The single was at #1 for three weeks on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, and at #1 for two weeks on its Black Singles chart. The song was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1984 but lost to Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You" from The Woman in Red.

He also made an acting appearance on the 1980s sitcom Gimme a Break starring Nell Carter.


Controversy surrounding Ghostbusters

Parker was accused of plagiarizing the melody from Huey Lewis & the News song "I Want A New Drug" for his 1984 #1 hit theme to Ghostbusters, released only six months after Lewis' hit reached #6 in the Billboard Hot 100. This ended with Lewis suing Parker, and the pair settled out of court in 1995.

They returned to court once again in 2001, as Parker sued Lewis for breaching a confidentiality agreement forming part of their original out of court settlement which prohibited either side from speaking about it publicly. Lewis had revealed in a VH1 Behind The Music special that Parker had paid a financial settlement as part of the original agreement.


Continued Songwriting

Ray Parker Jr. also wrote and produced hits for New Edition ("Mr. Telephone Man"), Randy Hall, Cheryl Lynn ("Shake It Up Tonight"), Deniece Williams ("I Found Love") and Diana Ross.

Tim McGraw
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia




Background information

Birth name Samuel Timothy McGraw
Born May 1, 1967 (1967-05-01) (age 40)
Origin Delhi, Louisiana
Genre(s) Country
Years active 1993 - Present
Label(s) Curb Records
Associated
acts Faith Hill, The Dancehall Doctors
Website Tim McGraw official web site

Tim McGraw (born Samuel Timothy McGraw on May 1, 1967, in Delhi, Louisiana) is an American country music singer who has achieved many number one hits on the country singles and album charts, with total sales in excess of 25 million units. He is married to country singer Faith Hill and is the son of baseball player Tug McGraw. His trademark hit songs include "Indian Outlaw", "Don't Take the Girl", "Down on the Farm", "I Like It, I Love It", "It's Your Love" (featuring his wife, Faith Hill), and "Live Like You Were Dying".

As of his 2006, McGraw has had nine consecutive albums debut at Number 1 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart and has sold a combined 34 million records, with twenty-six of his singles reaching number 1 on the Billboard Hot Country 100 chart. He has won 3 Grammys, 11 Academy of Country Music awards, 10 CMA awards, 9 American Music Awards and 3 People's Choice Awards. His Soul2Soul II tour with Faith Hill in 2006 became the highest-grossing tour in country music history, and ranked as one of the top five in all genres of music.[1]

McGraw has ventured into acting, with a supporting role in the Billy Bob Thornton film Friday Night Lights and a lead role in 2006's Flicka. He is also a minority owner of the Arena Football League's Nashville Kats.




Early life

Tim McGraw was born on May 1, 1967, in Delhi, Louisiana. The son of waitress Betty Trimble (née D'Agostino) and Tug McGraw, a relief pitcher for the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies. McGraw is of Italian-Irish descent on his mother's side and Scots-Irish descent on his father's side.[2]

Raised by his mother in Start, Louisiana, near Monroe, McGraw grew up believing his stepfather, Horace Smith, was actually his birth father. While searching his mother's closet when he was 11 to see if he could find hidden Christmas presents, McGraw discovered his birth certificate. After his discovery his mother revealed that his birth father was Tug McGraw, and brought him to meet his father for the first time.[2]

As a child, McGraw loved to play baseball and other competitive sports.[2] He studied sports medicine at Northeast Louisiana University on a baseball scholarship, and roomed with former NFL quarterback Doug Pederson[3] where he became a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity.[4] During this period, he learned to play guitar and would frequently perform and sing for tips, although he claims that his roommates often hid the guitar because he was so bad. In 1989, on the day his hero Keith Whitley died,[3] McGraw dropped out of college to head to Nashville and pursue a musical career.[2]


1990s

1990-1992

McGraw came to the attention of Curb Records in 1990 through chance circumstances and his father's connections. After cutting a demo single, McGraw gave a copy to Tug McGraw. A man who was friends with Curb Records executives heard the demo while driving with Tug McGraw one day and recommended that Curb contact the young singer. Several weeks after he was able to play his tape for Curb executives, they signed him to a recording contract.[2] Two years later, in 1992, he had his first minor hit "Welcome to the Club" off his self-titled debut album. Although the album failed to make much of a dent on the charts, McGraw did have two other minor hits from it in 1993, "Memory Lane" and "Two Steppin Mind."[3]


1994-1995

His second album, Not a Moment Too Soon, was much more successful, becoming best selling country album in 1994. The first single, "Indian Outlaw", caused considerable controversy as critics argued that it presented Native Americans in a patronizing way.[3] Some radio stations refused to play it,[5] but the controversy helped spur sales and the song became McGraw's first top ten country single (getting as high as #8) and reaching #15 on the pop chart.[6]

The second single from the album, "Don't Take the Girl," became McGraw's first #1 country hit and "helped cement his image as a ruggedly good-looking guy with a sensitive side."[5] The following year, the album's title track became a #1 country single, while "Down on the Farm" reached number two and "Refried Dreams" reached the top 5. The album sold over 5 million copies, topping the Billboard 200 as well as the country album charts.[3] On the strength of this success, McGraw won Academy of Country Music awards for Album of the Year and Top New Male Vocalist in 1994.[7]

All I Want, released in 1995, continued his run of success, debuting at number one on the country charts. The album sold over two million copies and reached the top 5 on the Billboard 200. "I Like It, I Love It" reached number one on the country charts as the leadoff single, while "She Never Lets It Go to Her Heart" also went to number one in 1996. "Can't Really Be Gone", "All I Want is a Life", and "Maybe We Should Just Sleep On It" were all top 5 hits.[3]


1996 (Marriage)

In 1996, McGraw headlined the most successful country tour of the year, with Faith Hill as his supporting act. The tour's name, The Spontaneous Combustion Tour, turned out to be prophetic as the singers married in October 1996.[8] The couple have since had three daughters, Gracie Katherine (born 1997), Maggie Elizabeth (born 1998) and Audrey Caroline (born 2001).[9]


1997-1999

McGraw's next album, 1997's Everywhere, again topped the country charts and reached number two on the album charts, selling 4 million copies.[3] The first single, "It's Your Love", a duet with Faith Hill, became the first single in twenty years to spend six weeks on top of Billboard's country singles chart (the previous such song had been Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson's "Luckenbach, Texas" in 1977).[citation needed] The single reached #7 on the pop chart (and gained platinum status); and became the most played single in the history of the Billboard country charts. Five more singles "Everywhere", "Where the Green Grass Grows", "One of These Days", "For a Little While", and "Just to See You Smile" reached the top of the country charts from the album, with the last of these setting a new record by spending 42 weeks on the Billboard charts.[10] The Country Music Association awarded Everywhere its Album of the Year award for 1997.

A Place in the Sun in 1999 continued McGraw's streak, debuting atop both the US pop and country album charts[7] and selling three million albums. It featured another four chart topping singles on the country charts including "Please Remember Me", "Something Like That", "My Best Friend", and "My Next Thirty Years"; "Some Things Never Change" reached #7 on the country chart.[3] He also contributed a song for the Grammy-winning tribute album to Bob Willis, Ride With Bob. His song, a cover of "Milk Cow Blues," was recorded as a duet with Asleep at the Wheel, whom he had met while performing together at the George Strait Country Music Festival.[7]

McGraw recorded two more duets with his wife in the late 1990s, both of which appeared on her albums. "Just to Hear You Say That You Love Me" off her multi-platinum 1998 album Faith, reached the top five of the US country charts,[3] while her follow-up and 1999 album Breathe featured "Let's Make Love", which would win a Grammy Award in 2000 for Best Country Vocal Collaboration.[7]


2000s

2000-2001

In 2000, McGraw released his Greatest Hits album which topped the charts for nine weeks and sold almost 6 million copies, making it one of the biggest selling albums in the modern country market. In the latter half of the year, he and Hill went out on the Soul2Soul Tour, playing to sellout crowds in 64 venues including Madison Square Garden. It was one of the top tours of any genre in the US and the leading country tour during 2000.[10]

While in New York, McGraw and Kenny Chesney became involved in a scuffle with police officers after Chesney, who had permission from the sheriff's daughter, attemped to ride a police horse. McGraw came to Chesney's aid after police officers nearby believed the horse was being stolen and tried to arrest him. The two were arrested and charged with assault, but were later cleared. During a concert with the George Strait Country Music Festival several weeks later, Hill, dressed as a police officer, made an unscheduled appearance at the end of McGraw's set and led him off the stage.[11]

McGraw's next album, Set This Circus Down, was released in April of 2001 and spawned four number one country hits - "Grown Men Don't Cry", "Angry All the Time", "The Cowboy in Me", and "Unbroken". He also provided harmony vocals for the Jo Dee Messina song "Bring on the Rain", which he also produced. The song topped the country charts.[7]

Hungry for more of his music, fans downloaded a version of his performance of the song "Things Change" from his appearance at the CMA Awards Show. The song was played extensively on radio, becoming the first country song to appear on the charts from a fully downloaded version.[10]


2002-2003

In 2002, Tim McGraw bucked country music traditions by recording his album Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors with his tour band The Dancehall Doctors. Unlike rock music, where it is commonplace for touring bands to provide the music on albums recorded by the artist they support, country albums are typically recorded with session musicians.[12] McGraw chose to use his own touring band in order to recognize their part in his success and to capture some of the feel of a real band.[10]

All of the Dancehall Doctors have worked with McGraw since at least 1996. They include:

Darran Smith - Lead Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Bob Miner - Rhythm Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin
Denny Hemingson - Steel Guitar, Electric, Baritone, and Slide Guitars, Dobro
John Marcus - Bass Guitar
Dean Brown - Fiddle, Mandolin
Jeff McMahon - Piano, Organ, Synthesizer, Keyboards
Billy Mason - Drums
David Dunkley - Percussion.[10]
The album debuted at number 2 on the country albums charts,[2] with the single "Real Good Man" reaching number one on the Hot Country Songs chart. "She's My Kind of Rain" reached number 2 in 2003 and "Red Rag Top" reached the top 5. The album also featured a cover version of Elton John's early 1970s classic "Tiny Dancer", as well as appearances by Kim Carnes on "Comfort Me" - a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks - and Don Henley and Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles on "Illegal".


2004-2005

2004's Live Like You Were Dying continued McGraw's record of commercial success. The title track was a soaring ode to living life fully and in the moment,[13] while the second single "Back When" was a paean to an easy nostalgia. 'Live Like You Were Dying' spent seven non-consecutive weeks at #1 on Billboard (10 weeks on Radio & Records) and went on to become the biggest hit single of the year. It also became one the most awarded songs/records by winning ACM Single and Song of the Year, CMA Single and Song of the Year and a Grammy.

In late 2004, his unlikely duet with rapper Nelly on "Over and Over", a soft ballad of lost love, became a crossover hit[14] spending 10 weeks atop the Top 40 chart. This made Tim the first modern country artist to have two 10 week number one hits in a single year.[citation needed] "Over and Over" brought McGraw a success he had never previously experienced on contemporary hit radio, rap radio, and brought both artists success neither had previously experienced in the hot adult contemporary market. The song also spent a week at the top of the UK single charts, and was McGraw's first visit to the UK hit countdown. Unlike fellow country artists Garth Brooks and Shania Twain, each of whom have had significant crossover success, McGraw is still well-respected by the country music industry.[12]

Throughout the 2005 NFL season McGraw sang an alternate version of "I Like It, I Love It" every week during the season. The alternate lyrics, which changed each week, would make reference to plays during Sunday's games and the song would be played alongside video highlights during halftime on Monday Night Football.[15] Later in the year McGraw became a minority owner of the Arena Football League's Nashville Kats when majority owner Bud Adams (owner of the NFL's Tennessee Titans) was awarded the expansion franchise.[16]


2006-Present

In April 2006 McGraw and Hill began their 73-concert 55 city Soul2Soul II Tour 2006, again to strong commercial acceptance. The tour grossed nearly $89 million and sold almost 1.1 million tickets, making it the top grossing tour in the history of country music.[17] It was named "Major Tour of the Year" by the prestigious Pollstar Magazine, beating out such heavyweights as Madonna and the Rolling Stones. In a special gesture, the couple donated all of the profits from their performance in New Orleans to Hurricane Katrina relief.[18]

McGraw released his eleventh album, Let It Go, on March 27, 2007. The album features two duets with wife Faith Hill, "I Need You" and "Shotgun Rider," and the debut single, "Last Dollar (Fly Away)." The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart and #1 on the Billboard Country Album chart, marking his 4th #1 top 200 album and 9th #1 country album (Source: Billboard Magazine).


Acting

McGraw's first acting appearance came in a 1995 episode of The Jeff Foxworthy Show, where he played Foxworthy's rival.

In 2004 McGraw played a sheriff in Rick Schroder's independent release Black Cloud. Later in the same year, McGraw received good notices as the overbearing father of a running back in the major studio Texas high school football drama Friday Night Lights. The Dallas Observer said the role was "played with unexpected ferocity by country singer Tim McGraw."[19] The movie went on to gross over $60 million dollars worldwide at the box office[20] and sold millions in the DVD market. Most recently it was named one of the top 50 high school movies of all time (number 37) by Entertainment Weekly.

McGraw's first lead role was in the 2006 film Flicka, which was released in theatres October 20 2006. In the remake of the classic book "My Friend Flicka," McGraw played the father, Rob, costarring with Alison Lohman and Maria Bello. The family-friendly movie debuted in the top 10 list and has grossed over 25 Million dollars at the box office.[21] McGraw again achieved critical acclaim for his acting.[22][23]

Shortly before Flicka opened McGraw received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His star is located at 6901 Hollywood Blvd. near stars in the sidewalk honoring Julie Andrews, William Shatner and the late Greta Garbo. One of his Flicka co-stars, Alison Lohman, attended the ceremony that included comments from Billy Bob Thornton, McGraw's co-star in the film, Friday Night Lights.[24]

In addition to acting in Flicka, McGraw served as executive producer of the soundtrack album, which was released by his record label, StyleSonic Records, in association with Curb Records and Fox 2000 films. It featured the closing credit song "My Little Girl," the first song McGraw has recorded that he co-wrote. The song was nominated by the Broadcast Film Critics for "Best Song" in a film, and the movie was nominated in the category "Best Family Film (Live Action). The movie proved to be another huge success in the DVD market and has sold over a million copies, debuting at number 3 on the DVD sales chart.[21]

McGraw will also be appearing in the new Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner movie The Kingdom produced by Peter Berg and due out in September 2007.


Charitable Efforts

As his success has grown, McGraw has become increasingly interested in giving back to the community. When McGraw first reached fame in 1994 he established his annual Swampstock event. Begun as a charity softball game to raise money for hometown little league programs, the event now includes a celebrity softball game and a multi-artist concert that attracts over 11,000 fans per year. The combined events have funded new little league parks and equipment and established college scholarship funds for students in the Northeast Louisiana area.[25]

From 1996-1999 McGraw also hosted an annual New Year's Eve concert in Nashville with special guests including Jeff Foxworthy, the Dixie Chicks, and Martina McBride. The 1997 show raised over $100,000 for the Country Music Foundation Hall of Fame and Museum. Beginning in 1999, McGraw would pick select cities on each tour, and, the night before he was scheduled to perform, would choose a local club and host a quickly-organized show. This tour within a tour became known as "The Bread and Water Tour," and all proceeds from the show would go to a charity from that community.[25]

In the days immediately following Hurricane Katrina, McGraw and his wife, who was raised in Mississippi, joined groups taking supplies to Gulfport, Mississippi. The two also hosted several charity concerts to benefit those who were displaced by the storm.[26] Later in the year the couple established the Neighbor's Keeper Foundation, which provides funding for community charities to assist with basic humanitarian services in the event of a natural disaster or for desperate personal circumstances.

McGraw is also a member of the American Red Cross National Celebrity Cabinet, in which various celebrities donate their time, skills, and fame to help the Red Cross highlight important initiatives and response efforts.[27]

McGraw has stated that he would one day like to run for public office in the future, possibly for Senate or governor of his home state of Tennessee. In the same interview, he praised former President Bill Clinton, a somewhat unusual stance in the new conservative country music industry.[28]

A man and his wife were in a court for their divorce case.
The Problem was who should get custody of the child.
The wife screamed and jumped up and said: "Your Honor. I brought The child into the world with all the pain and labor.
The child Should be in my custody. "
The judge turned to the husband and said: "What do you have to Say in your defense?"
The man sat for a while contemplating. ..then slowly rose. "Your Honor...
If I put a dollar in a Pepsi Vending Machine and a Pepsi Comes out...
Whose Pepsi is it... The machine's or mine?"

Ah, hawkman. I love your little "divorce court" funny. Thanks, BioBob, and your celeb backgrounds are so enlightening, Boston.

Guess what, folks. We're going to wait for our Raggedy to do what? Well, show us the faces, of course. <smile>

I heard a brief clip of Rita doing "The Masquerade is Over", and it gave me a memory of listening to that song over and over in someone's rec room. A small tear in my eye, but a fond memory none the less.

My blue horizon is turning grey
And my dreams are drifting away

Your eyes don't shine like they used to shine
And the thrill is gone when your lips meet mine
I'm afraid the masquerade is over
And so is love, and so is love

Your words don't mean what they used to mean
They were once inspired, now they're just routine
I'm afraid the masquerade is over
And so is love, and so is love

I guess I'll have to play Pagliacci
And get myself a clown's disguise
And learn to laugh like Pagliacci
With tears in my eyes

You look the same, you're a lot the same
But my heart says "no, no, you're not the same"
I'm afraid the masquerade is over
And so is love, and so is love

(Instrumental Interlude)

I guess I'll have to play Pagliacci
And get myself a clown's disguise
And learn to laugh like Pagliacci
With tears in my eyes

You look the same, you're a lot the same
But my heart says "No, no, you're not the same"
I'm afraid the masquerade is over
And so is love, and so is love

Good morning WA2K.

Doing my thing

(As they were and in the order in which Bob presented them. )

Hey, Raggedy. Let's see if I can name your faces.

Kate, Glen, Dan, Joan, Rita, Ray, and Tim, right, PA?

Remember the movie "Lust for Gold"? Funny, because Jacob Waltz wasn't a dutchman at all.

Thanks, PA. I spent most of the morning looking for the lost Dutchman's Mine, and all this time I thought our Dutchy dealt in opals.

Back later, folks, when I get a few problems fixed.

Now for a Tim McGraw song:

I thought I felt you touch my cheek this morning
But I must've been dreaming
And in the middle of the night without a warning
I thought I heard you breathing
Me and my so-called independence
I've got this loneliness that's so relentless

I guess you get used to somebody
Kinda like having them around
I guess you get used to the way they make you happy
Bring you up when you're feeling down
I never dreamed when I was letting you go that
I would wake up and miss you this much
I guess you get used to somebody, I guess you get used to being loved

I kinda miss those rambling conversations
Where we'd talk about nothing
The way you always made me laugh at my frustrations
Baby that was something
I should've been careful what I wished for
'Cause I've got my freedom and so much more

I guess you get used to somebody
Kinda like having them around
I guess you get used to the way they make you happy
Bring you up when you're feeling down
I never dreamed when I was letting you go that
I would wake up and miss you this much
I guess you get used to somebody, I guess you get used to being loved

I never dreamed when I was letting you go that
I would wake up and miss you this much
I guess you get used to somebody
I guess you get used to being loved

I guess you get used to somebody
I guess you get used to being loved

Ok, folks. It's dedication time. This one is for Don1.

Y'All Come
DOLLY PARTON



When you live in the country everybody is your neighbor
On this one thing you can rely

They'll all come to see you and they'll never ever leave you
Y'all come to see us bye and bye

Y'all come (y'all come), y'all come (y'all come)
Oh, you all come to see us when you can
Y'all come (y'all come), y'all come (y'all come)
Oh, you all come to see us now and then

Now Grandma's a-wishing you'd come out the kitchen
And help do the dishes right away
Then they all start a-leaving, and though she's a-grieving
You can still hear grandma say

Y'all come (y'all come), y'all come (y'all come)
Oh, you all come to see us when you can
Y'all come (y'all come), y'all come (y'all come)
Oh, you all come to see us now and then

Y'all come (y'all come), y'all come (y'all come)
Oh, you all come to see us when you can
Y'all come (y'all come), y'all come (y'all come)
Oh, you all come to see us now and then

oh letty...

I just dedicated "Poke Salad Annie" to Don1 on the American thread.

Don's popular.

Hey, Chai. Welcome to our cyber studio. I saw Poke Salad Annie, and love it. I think some country is funny, and my song was just a way of explaining the expression "you all" as y'all.

Funny parody on "You Belong to Me" (originally done by Jo Stafford) and torn to shreds by Homer and Jethro. Let's see if I can remember it.

Send me paw paw's in a paper poke,
Send me money, honey, when I'm broke.
Make your will out to me when you croak.

You belong to me.

Eat some garlic and I'll love you still,
Cause I love you and I always will,
That's why they invented chlorophyll

You belong to me.

She rolled her big blue eyeballs at me.
I picked 'em up and rolled 'em back

I hate the day I saw the pyramids,
That's the day my heart went on the skids
Now I've got a wife and fourteen kids.
They belong to me,
(and some are his'n)
They belong to me.

Going Nowhere
Jason and the Scorchers

She blew it all on alcohol
And the bad Missouri boy
Sweet Loretta Farmington from Cairo, Illinois
Daddy said don't leave us girl
Don't throw your life away
She just smiled so young and wild
And all that she would say

Is, I'm going nowhere
I'm going nowhere
I can't see tomorrow
But I'm leaving here today
I'm going nowhere
And at least I know the way

After dark in a trailer park
With the bad Missouri guy
He pumped her full of jimson weed
And blackened up her eye
Morning found him sober and begging her to stay
But he knew it was over
When all that she would say

Is, I'm going nowhere
I'm going nowhere
I can't see tomorrow
But I'm leaving you today
I'm going nowhere
And you can bet I know the way

Thumbing down the highway
With a brand new baby boy
Sweet Loretta Farmington from K-Mart, Illinois
21 and holding, looking 35
But holding her redemption
Glad to be alive

Just going nowhere
Just going nowhere
I can't see tomorrow
But I'm holding my today
And going nowhere
And at least I know the way

I'm going nowhere
I'm going nowhere
I can't see tomorrow
'Cause I'm holding my today
I'm going nowhere
Thank God I know the way

hey, dj. Good to see you again, Canada. Jason and the Scorchers remind me of the fires in Volusia County right now. Yikes! First, tornadoes, now brush fires.

Remember this one, folks?

Beatles - Nowhere Man Lyrics

He's a real nowhere Man,
Sitting in his Nowhere Land,
Making all his nowhere plans
for nobody.

Doesn't kave a point of view,
Knows not where he's going to,
Isn't he a bit like you and me?
Nowhere Man, please listen,
You don't know what you're missing,
Nowhere Man, the world is at your command.

He's as blind as he can be,
Just sees what he wants to see,
Nowhere Man can you see me at all?
Doesn't kave a point of view,
Knows not where he's going to,
Isn't he a bit like you and me?
Nowhere Man, don't worry,
Take your time, don't hurry,
Leave it all till somebody else
lend you a hand.

He's a real Nowhere Man,
Sitting in his Nowhere Land,
Making all his nowhere plans
for nobody.

Returning to my roots, lately. In 1964, I strolled into a record store to browse. Discovered Freewheelin'. Never heard of Bob Dylan before. Reading the song titles, I told myself, "Anybody that could write these songs has to be good."

I bought and listened to Girl From the North Country, Blowin in the Wind, Don't think Twice It's All Right, Hard Rain, Masters of War, and so on. I vowed to follow this artist to the end of his career, or the end of my time, whichever comes first.

North Country Girl

Well, if you're travelin' in the north country fair,
Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline,
Remember me to one who lives there.
She once was a true love of mine.

Well, if you go when the snowflakes storm,
When the rivers freeze and summer ends,
Please see if she's wearing a coat so warm,
To keep her from the howlin' winds.

Please see for me if her hair hangs long,
If it rolls and flows all down her breast.
Please see for me if her hair hangs long,
That's the way I remember her best.

I'm a-wonderin' if she remembers me at all.
Many times I've often prayed
In the darkness of my night,
In the brightness of my day.

So if you're travelin' in the north country fair,
Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline,
Remember me to one who lives there.
She once was a true love of mine.

i like the recording of north country girl with dylan and johnny cash, to unique voices that work very well together

The Wages Of Sin
The Rainmakers

I was praying last night when an angel broke the line
She said "I'm gonna have to put you on hold for a time"
I said "Hold like Hell, let me talk to the Boss"
She said "Sorry sucker (sinner), it's the Boss's day off"

And I realized then that the wages of sin
Was two bucks an hour and working weekends

I was ignoring the thief who was lashed to the cross
He cried "Help me get this son-of-a-bitch off"
I said "I would if I could, I can't so I won't
Well I wouldn't want you messing your hair up, so don't"

And I realized then that the wages of sin
Was all the lumber you can carry, all the nails you can bend

The wages of sin, the price that you pay
Is worrying and fretting every second of the day
If Heaven is guilt, no sex and no show
Then I'm not sure if I really want to go

The wages of sin, the reward of fear
Is worrying and fretting every second of the year
The Church and the State, your God and Country kind
One gets your body, the other gets your mind

Mary, Mary Magdalene, how 'bout a date?
You've been wasting your time staying up so late
Your boyfriend's dead, the word is you're a wh*re
Just about then I heard a knock on the door

And I realized then that the wages of sin
Was a bad reputation and too many friends

The wages of sin (repeats)

this is quite possibly my favourite bob dylan song

You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
Bob Dylan

I've seen love go by my door
It's never been this close before
Never been so easy or so slow.
Been shooting in the dark too long
When somethin's not right it's wrong
Yer gonna make me lonesome when you go.

Dragon clouds so high above
I've only known careless love,
It's always hit me from below.
This time around it's more correct
Right on target, so direct,
Yer gonna make me lonesome when you go.

Purple clover, Queen Anne lace,
Crimson hair across your face,
You could make me cry if you don't know.
Can't remember what I was thinkin' of
You might be spoilin' me too much, love,
Yer gonna make me lonesome when you go.

Flowers on the hillside, bloomin' crazy,
Crickets talkin' back and forth in rhyme,
Blue river runnin' slow and lazy,
I could stay with you forever
And never realize the time.

Situations have ended sad,
Relationships have all been bad.
Mine've been like Verlaine's and Rimbaud.
But there's no way I can compare
All those scenes to this affair,
Yer gonna make me lonesome when you go.

Yer gonna make me wonder what I'm doin',
Stayin' far behind without you.
Yer gonna make me wonder what I'm sayin',
Yer gonna make me give myself a good talkin' to.

I'll look for you in old Honolulu,
San Francisco, Ashtabula,
Yer gonna have to leave me now, I know.
But I'll see you in the sky above,
In the tall grass, in the ones I love,
Yer gonna make me lonesome when you go.

for some reason, this tune has been rattling round in my head lately

Taxi
Harry Chapin

It was raining hard in 'Frisco,
I needed one more fare to make my night.
A lady up ahead waved to flag me down,
She got in at the light.

Oh, where you going to, my lady blue,
It's a shame you ruined your gown in the rain.
She just looked out the window, and said
"Sixteen Parkside Lane".

Something about her was familiar
I could swear I'd seen her face before,
But she said, "I'm sure you're mistaken"
And she didn't say anything more.

It took a while, but she looked in the mirror,
And she glanced at the license for my name.
A smile seemed to come to her slowly,
It was a sad smile, just the same.
And she said, "How are you Harry?"
I said, "How are you Sue?
Through the too many miles
and the too little smiles
I still remember you."

It was somewhere in a fairy tale,
I used to take her home in my car.
We learned about love in the back of the Dodge,
The lesson hadn't gone too far.
You see, she was gonna be an actress,
And I was gonna learn to fly.
She took off to find the footlights,
And I took off to find the sky.

Oh, I've got something inside me,
To drive a princess blind.
There's a wild man, wizard,
He's hiding in me, illuminating my mind.
Oh, I've got something inside me,
Not what my life's about,
Cause I've been letting my outside tide me,
Over 'till my time, runs out.

Baby's so high that she's skying,
Yes she's flying, afraid to fall.
I'll tell you why baby's crying,
Cause she's dying, aren't we all.

There was not much more for us to talk about,
Whatever we had once was gone.
So I turned my cab into the driveway,
Past the gate and the fine trimmed lawns.
And she said we must get together,
But I knew it'd never be arranged.
And she handed me twenty dollars,
For a two fifty fare, she said
"Harry, keep the change."
Well another man might have been angry,
And another man might have been hurt,
But another man never would have let her go...
I stashed the bill in my shirt.

And she walked away in silence,
It's strange, how you never know,
But we'd both gotten what we'd asked for,
Such a long, long time ago.

You see, she was gonna be an actress
And I was gonna learn to fly.
She took off to find the footlights,
And I took off for the sky.
And here, she's acting happy,
Inside her handsome home.
And me, I'm flying in my taxi,
Taking tips, and getting stoned,
I go flying so high, when I'm stoned.

That's from one of his best albums.

Incidentally, Dylan and Cash recorded enough music together to make up a whole album, but determined it was not that good. I guess Girl From North Country was the one song that was preserved from the session.

i would have to say it's my favourite album, beyond that i pick and choose what i like, but that's one i'll listen to from start to finish

as for the dylan/cash thing that's interesting, as i stated before, the voices seem to work so well on that song

i wonder if any of the other bits are floating in cyberspace, most everything else is