Dear Friends,
Those who know me are probably aware of the fact that I love classic
country music, and when I’m home and I’m often tuned in to Pandora as I
listen to my favorite Pandora station, a mix of Merle Haggard and Willy Nelson.
I don’t know why I have such an affinity for country music, but I guess it goes
way back to the late 50’s when I first heard Elvis Pressley belting out
“Heartbreak Hotel.” I would often stay up late at night to catch
the music coming from WWVA Wheeling, West Virginia where I would also hear the
Grand Old Opry. There is just something about country music and the stories
that are told that brings tears to my eyes and joy to my heart.
In the early morning hours today, I was doing some research on a
song I had never heard before called “Leonard” sung by my favorite
classic country singer of all, Merle Haggard. I heard the song yesterday on
Pandora, and in doing some research on the song, I discovered that Leonard was
a fictionalized name for a singer- song writer named Tommy Collins who was
a part of the “Bakersfield Sound” popularized by Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens.
And in the process of discovering some interesting facts about the song, I came
across a video of two of my favorite country singers, Randy Travis and
George Jones. They are both country music legends, considered to be two of the
greatest country singers who ever lived. George died a few years ago, only
months before I had tickets to see him in concert in my hometown or Watertown,
N.Y, and Randy suffered a stroke this past decade that ended his
singing career.
Randy and George were informally sharing their love for
country music and discussing some of the early singers that had influenced
their music careers, people like Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzell and Roy Acuff,
and I was captivated by their conversation and their deep love and appreciation
for country music. But the thing that stuck me the most was the mutual love and
respect Randy and George had for each other. George and Randy were among the
greatest country music singers of all time and during the informal time
before they came on stage to sing, they were discussing some of the country
legends who preceded them and who had influenced their music. If you go to U
Tube and click on Influencers, Randy Travis and George Jones, you
will see and hear their amazing conversation as they reminisced about their
country roots and the people who impacted and influenced them. Even if you are
not a fan of classic county music, I think you will be intrigued by their close
personal relationship and the mutual respect they shared for one another.
The conversation then leads into their concert which includes their duet of one
of my all-time favorites, “A Few Old Country Boys.”
George Jones is known for the singing of “He Stopped Loving Her
Today,” which is considered to be one of the greatest country hits of all
time, Randy Travis, who is also in the upper echelon of greatest
country singers, is best known for songs like “Three Wooden Crosses,” “On the
Other Hand,” and “Forever and Ever Amen.”
But Tom, this is a strange “Leadership Thought” to be sharing
today. How does Country Music have anything to do with a Leadership Thought?
Well, the answer is not much, except that is has momentarily taken my mind off
all the political drama unfolding before our eyes on our television screens. I
thought many of us might enjoy a break from vote counting and political
posturing, and what better way to do this than to listen to some
down-home country music.
So, I apologize to you if you were expecting something a little more spiritual than a history lesson on classic country music. So, in deference to you, let me close by hopefully bringing all of us back to something of redeeming spiritual value as I share a list of my all-time favorite Christian country classics. Take a listen and you might find yourself becoming, if you are not already, a fan of country music. Here they are. “I Saw God Today,” George Strait, “Family Bible”, George Jones, “The Old Rugged Cross,” Johnny Cash, “How Great Thou Art,” Carrie Underwood, “Bless The Broken Road,” Rascal Flatts, “The Long Black Train,” Josh Turner, “Angels Among Us,” Alabama, “Holes in the Floor of Heaven,” Steve Wariner, “Believe,” Brooks and Dunne, “Jesus Take the Wheel,” Carrie Underwood, “Three Wooden Crosses,” Randy Travis, and my all-time favorite “Go Rest High on the Mountain,” sung at the funeral of George Jones by Vince Gill and Patti Lovelace.
Have a wonderful weekend and let me know some of some of your
favorite country hits, especially those Christian ones.
And maybe after listening to some of these songs, I'll you out on
the floor, a part of the line dancing crowd at Bubba’s Saloon!
Yours in faith and friendships,
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