Posted by Pete Smith on September 7, 2008, 12:34 pm
217.42.199.115
“The Advertiser” (UK)
1 August 2008
I do not think Ferlin Husky’s contribution to the world of country music has been or is fully appreciated. Though his hits may not be as numerous as his contemporaries they do have quality as have become time tested country classics. For example; “A Dear John Letter”, a duet with Jean Shepard, “Gone” and probably the best known country Gospel song “Wings Of A Dove”. Though Ferlin’s recording career may have been somewhat inconsistent (though he has sold in excess of 20 million records) his live shows have prove to be consistently successful in all of America’s fifty states, through every Canadian province, in Europe, the UK and Japan. Born in a small town near Flat River, Missouri on 3 December 1927 Ferlin’s first real job was as a Merchant Marine who on D-Day underwent forty-eight hours of continuous -fire during the invasion of Cherbourg. He was later awarded a citation as "Volunteer Gunner" as a result of his action during the battle. Upon discharge he moved to the West Coast where he began performing and recording as Terry Preston (his given name was considered too hillbilly). Though he was popular Terry, as he was now known, never achieve the success he deserved with his records. Cliffie Stone, Tennessee Ernie Ford’s manager, saw his potential and helped the struggling performer secure a contract with Capitol Records under his own name, Ferlin Husky in 1953. Solo hits were hard to come by in those early years. He did, however, score a number one with Jean Shepard and “A Dear John Letter”, and in 1955 finally made his breakthrough with “I Feel Better All Over”. Around this time Ferlin developed a comic alter ego, Simon Crum, and even signed a Capitol contract using that name. Throughout the fifties Husky (and Crum) continued to rack up the hits closing the decade with the million selling “Wings Of A Dove”. It would be six years before Ferlin had other hits, “Once” and “Just For You”. After that he enjoyed only minor hits through to 1975. Along the way he also found time to appear in eighteen movies but in 1977 major heart surgery, which led later to an unbelievable nine by-pass operations, slowed him down but yet he kept working and still does to this day. Husky recorded his last album in 2007 at the grand age of eighty.
Acrobat Records has released a fascinating album of 30 tracks showcasing the three careers of this remarkable performer; Terry Preston (“Heart Of Stone”, “Hard Hearted”, “Tennessee Central No.9”), Ferlin Husky (“A Dear John Letter”, “I Feel Better All Over”, “A Fallen Star”) and Simon Crum (“A Hillbilly Deck Of Cards”, “My Gallina”, “Bop Cat Bop”). “Gone”, interestingly, is presented in two versions, Preston (1952) and Husky (1957). Available from any good record store or www.ferlinhusky.com
8 August 2008
This week we take a look at an Irish legend. I don’t think the term “legend” is too strong for Susan McCann has been playing to full houses and selling hundreds of thousands of records over a period of years that perhaps she would not wish to admit to. Susan has built an enviable career that includes performing on the “Grand Ole Opry”, at the Carnegie and Royal Albert Halls, recording in Nashville and winning the “European Gold Star”. As a teenager Susan sang with the John Murphy Country Ceili Band where she met her future husband Dennis Heaney. Because of the insecurity of the music business, Susan trained as a hairdresser and Dennis as an accountant but music remained part of their lives. The couple formed a band, The Fairylanders, which supplemented the family income. After the birth of their two children Susan decided to take music more seriously as a career and was signed to Top Spin Records. She turned fully professional in the mid-seventies and scored a massive hit with “Big Tom Is Still The King”, the first of many chart entries for the Newry Girl. Since that milestone Susan has enjoyed many hits including “While I Was Making Love To You”, “Broken Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness”, “Rockabilly Can Rock”, “When The Sun Says Goodbye To The Mountains” and the mega successful “String Of Diamonds”. Her prestige reached the States and Susan was the first European singer to be invited to Dollywood, Ms Parton’s multi-million dollar showpiece and was the first non-American to appear at, and indeed headline, Tampa’s “Strawberry Festival”. For more than three decades Susan McCann has graced the country and Irish scene whilst continuing to produce first class albums such as her current release “Once Upon A Time” (H&H Music), her fifth double CD. This new collection has two 7 song medleys, “Those Were The Day” (with Sean Wilson) and “Golden Decade” plus 30 full-length songs including two duets “Chuck The Chuck Wagon” (Porter Wagoner) and “Rose Of My Heart” (Daniel O’Donnell). The album is not entirely country, more a blend of classic pop, Irish with a country bias, a recipe Susan has used so successfully for many years. Thus we find beautifully performances of “Have you Ever Been Lonely”, “It’s You, It’s You, It’s You”, “Mary From Dungloe”, “Town I Love So Well”, “Hillbilly Girl With The Blues”, “Tennessee Waltz” and “Burning Memories”. Susan certainly is a busy lady. In Addition to recording and performing live concerts she presents a five nights a week Internet radio show (www.fivefm.co.uk). It has been thirty-two years since Susan McCann cut her first record “Feelin’ Single, Seein’ Double”. I sincerely hope she will grace our scene for many more years. www.handhmusic.eu
15 August 2008
Sean Wilson is one of Ireland’s most popular performers. His excellent accordion skills coupled with his warm voice and engaging personality has endeared him to listeners throughout the UK, America and, of course, his native Ireland. Wilson was given an accordion by his father at the age of ten and after a few lessons it became obvious he was a naturally. Sean joined his family’s band playing locally and later further afield. Slowly his vocals were added to the band’s repertoire and soon he was spotted by a record label who launched him in the UK. That debut album established Wilson whilst gaining a Federation of British Traders award for “Biggest Selling album of the Year”. A few years later Sean signed with the London based label Prism Leisure who extended Wilson’s market to Australia and America. With 26 albums and ten videos under his belt Sean moved from Prism to HandH Music who re-issued Wilson’s vinyl on six double CDs in addition to the original double CDs “Irish Country Gentleman” and his latest, “A Road That Never Ends”. CD1 of “A Road That Never Ends” (title song written by the Tipperary singer/writer Peter Burke) has 16 full songs including “The Passing Of Time”, “Lucky Stars” (both written by Peter Burke), “The Preacher”, “Excuse Me, I Think I’ve Got A Heartache”, “fiddler’s Green” and “Back On My Mind”. CD2 has a staggering 50 songs, all delivered as medleys, providing a blend of country, Irish, pop and folk. This blend includes “Last Thing On My Mind”, “Deportee”, “Tell Me Ma”, “Galway Girl”, “Tears On My Pillow”, “Sweet Caroline”, “Morningtown Ride” and “Island Of Dreams”. A release that will
entertain the family for a long, long time. www.handhmusic.eu
Tomorrow (16 August) will be a special day for many readers for it marks the thirty-first anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley. Now, though I have always been a big Presley fan I do not subscribe the to myth that Elvis was country and was, and still am, vehemently opposed to his induction into the “Country Music Hall Of Fame”. Elvis celebrity came from performing and recording outstanding rock and roll and power ballads not from his “Hillbilly Cat” position. Having said that, “The King” did much for country music by recording stone country songs, albeit heavily steeped in pop, and did encourage many to dip their ears into the Nashville pool. I well remember the day Elvis died. He was forty-two and I was thirty-three years of age and I openly cried as I read every British newspaper carrying the tragic news. Elvis was a phenomenon, a one-off, a character the world will never witness the like of again – but he was not country.
Remember, there are stars in the southern sky.
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