Sunday, June 1, 2008

Country Music in Kentucky


On Sunday, I watched a program on Kentucky Education Television about the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and Museum. They were inducting the 2008 artists. Crystal Gayle and Dwight Yoakam were two of the new inductees for this year. Loretta Lynn presented the award to Crystal and then she sang some of the songs that made her famous such as "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". Several of her other brothers and sisters were also there to see her get the award.


Dwight Yoakam was also inducted. He gave the most moving speech about Eastern Kentucky and his roots there. I could have listened to him all afternoon. He told a story about an aunt of his that moved away from the "holler" and did well for herself and was able to buy a cadillac car.


When she drove it back to Eastern Kentucky they were not sure she would be able to get it up the gravel road to their homeplace but everyone thought she was rich. He stated this gave him the idea for the song, "Guitars, Cadillacs" he had on his first album. He, also, did "Bury Me". I had never heard this one but it is about the Big Sandy.


Here is one verse of Bury Me:
Bury me along the big sandy


Down in those blue gray mountains


Rest my soul in those fields of coal


Until this old earth doesn't tremble.

Kentucky is rich in it's music and famous country singers. Here is a list of just a few:

Crystal Gayle
Loretta Lynn

Dwight Yoakam

John Michael Montgomery

Eddie Montgomery

Bill Monroe

John Conlee

Billy Ray Cyrus

Red Foley

Tom T. Hall

Grandpa Jones

Naomi Judd

Wynonna Judd

Patty Loveless

Ricky Skaggs

Merle Travis

I am sure there are others that I could not think of. If you know one, add it in a comment!




6 comments:

Rachel said...

I love KET! They have some good programs on there. I love country music and especially like it used to be...more so than now...but a couple of others I can think of are John Conlee (Rose Colored Glasses) born in Versailles, and Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry was born in Lexington.

My brother lives in Swallowfield! Bet you know where that is!!!

Clara....in TN said...

Here are a few more singers that was born in Kentucky:

Rosemary Clooney (and her nephew, George Clooney)

Tom T. Hall

Keith Whitley

Steve Wariner

Stringbean..born in Jackson County.

Is KET a TV Station? I don't think I have ever seen that down here in my neck of the woods in Tennessee. Sounds like RFD TV. Can you get that in KY? I like to watch that station.

Leigh said...

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE DWIGHT YOAKAM!!!

Anonymous said...

Wow, y'all have a wonderful musical heritage in Kentucky--that's an impressive list of musicians!
Have you heard of Jean Ritchie? She's a folk musician from Viper, Kentucky, who sings and plays the lap dulcimer.

Anne and Leigh said...

I wish I could see that program! You think we can get Robbie to make us a copy!! Like Leigh, I love DWIGHT YOAKUM!!

-Anne

Tossing Pebbles in the Stream said...

Thanks for dropping by my blog today. I enjoyed your poem about yourself. You are what is know as "salt of the Earth" people.

An interesting and long list of singers from your state. It seems people who come from poor parts of the country learn to sing and entertain themselves. Here is Canada we have many singers and fiddlers from the Maritimes, particularly Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, where everyone seems to play some instrument and the weekly kitchen party is still enjoyed.