My only visit to the "Bluegrass State" was on a whim. Joanne and I went to Tennessee last year on our honeymoon. Before we left Jo read about the Wigwam Village motel in Cave City, KY. The opportunity to stay in a concrete tepee built in 1937 for just $50 a night was all the incentive we needed to make the 100 mile drive north from Nashville.
The motel had seen better days and for a state famous for its whiskey it was disappointing to discover that you couldn't buy booze in the appropriately named Barren County. Still, we had a good time visiting Dinosaur World and nearby Mammoth Cave national park.
Anyway, you don't come here for holiday stories. While I've enjoyed our recent forays into the Mid-West it's good to be back in the South where proper twang is guaranteed. I hope you enjoy the selections and do leave a comment below.
MP3: Freakwater - Kentucky House
Freakwater were one of the many bands I discovered in the pages of No Depression. Their albums tended to mix originals and covers and although this sounds decades old it was written and recorded in the mid-90s.
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MP3: The Stanley Brothers — Man of Constant Sorrow
The bluegrass standard was written around 1913 but the Stanley Brothers popularised it in the 50s. Its second coming thanks to O Brother, Where Are Thou? gave Ralph Stanley a brand new audience.
I was lucky enough to see Ralph and his Clinch Mountain Boys at the Grand Ole Opry last year.
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MP3: The Steeldrivers - East Kentucky Home
The Steeldrivers are another bluegrass band we saw at the Opry after being tipped off to their talents by the staff at the Station Inn in Nashville.
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MP3: Elvis Presley - Kentucky Rain
This track sits alongside Suspicious Minds and In the Ghetto on the 1969 album From Elvis In Memphis. Presley's later career is often derided but there's a strong case for that LP to be counted among his very best. My trusty All Music Guide to Rock goes as far as proclaiming it "one of the greatest soul albums ever cut".
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MP3: Patsy Cline - Blue Moon of Kentucky
If I'd not included the Elvis song above I'd have posted Presley's definitive rendition of the Bill Monroe classic. Patsy's version is fantastic though. It's from the album A Portrait of Patsy Cline, which Decca released in 1964, a year after her death.
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MP3: Loretta Lynn - High On a Mountain Top
Few would have predicted that after Jack White topped the album charts with the White Stripes' Elephant he'd then make an album with a 70-year-old granny. The resulting collaboration, Van Lear Rose, is an absolute gem. You'll be hearing more from Jack and Loretta when we get to Oregon.
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MP3: John Prine - Paradise
A classic from Prine's 1971 debut album that's become a country standard. It's also the perfect follow-up to Loretta, who was, of course, a coal-miner's daughter.
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It's the Deep South next time as we venture into Louisiana.
Neighbouring States
State Songs #14: Illinois - Frank Zappa, Wilco, Tom Waits, The Handsome Family, Sufjan Stevens, Three Bits of Rhythm
State Songs #15: Indiana - The Jackson 5, Phil Ochs, The Bottle Rockets, Lyle Lovett
The Journey So Far
State Songs - links to every post on this musical road trip
3 comments:
I am here for holiday stories if you're going to to discuss the Wigwam Village motel - it looks fantastic!
Top collection of songs, including one of my favourite Elvis tracks. And I am beginning to think that I should go out and buy that Loretta Lynn record.
These are all good choices.. I'd add two by Dwight Yoakam, who I think must be part of the Kentucky diaspora; both from "Guitars, Cadillacs..."
South of Cincinnati & Bury me (Beside the Big Sandy)
Great selection, coming from an Eastern Ky native! We don't get much attention 'round here, despite our many fine contributions to regional flavor, so it's nice to see some people showing a little love for the Bluegrass State. Visit again soon, Nigel, y'hear?
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