Tag Archives: music

Hank Williams singer & song-writer honor

by contoveros

The month of January will always bring a sad feeling when I recall what happened on the first day of the year in 1953 to one of the greatest Country and Western singers of all time.

Hank Williams died of a heart attack while traveling in the back seat of a vehicle enroute to a performance he never was given by Fate to accomplish. He was only 29 years old, but had provided more than many lifetimes to the wonderful world of music.

I’m a city-boy from the Philadelphia region but was exposed to his unique sound by my mother who was raised on a New Jersey farm and introduced her children to Hank through what were called “33 and 1.3” or LP albums. (Long Playing – 33 and 1/3 revolutions per minute.) The music made me happy and a little sad particularly when I listening to a song “Kaw-Liga.” Give a listen to the lyrics:

“Kaw-Liga was a wooden Indian, standin’ in the door

He fell in love with an Indian maid, over at the antique store

Kaw-Liga, ooh

Just stood there, and never let it show

So, she could never answer yes or no”

—————

Poor ol’ Kaw-Liga, he never got a kiss

Poor ol’ Kaw-Liga, he don’t know what he missed

Is it any wonder, that his face is red?

Kaw-Liga, you poor ol’ wooden head.

———–

“Hey Good Lookin,’ What You Got Cookin?”

Of course, he is remembered more readily by songs such as “Cold Cold Heart,” “Hey Good Lookin,” “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” “I Can’t Help It, If I’m Still in Love with You.,” “You Win Again,” “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” “You Win Again” and “Jambalya (On the Bayou.)”

My favorite singer of all time, Bobby Darin, sang a Hank Wiliams song during the last showing of his television variety show in 1973. It was called “Lonesome Whistle.”

Here’s a list of some of the other artists who sang his songs: Frankie Laine, Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, Bill Haley and his Comets, Tony Bennett, Jimmie Rodgers, Del Shannon, Johnny Burnette, Andy Williams, Roy Orbison, Ricky Nelson, Jack Scott, Guy Mitchell, Rosemary Clooney, Dinah Washington, Fats Domino and the Rolling Stones.

Next time you’re in Cleveland, Ohio, check out the Rock & Roll Hall Fame. Hank Williams was inducted into the group in 1987 and there is a colorful picture of him just as you enter. He was also inducted into the Rockabily Hall of Fame in 2023, the 100th anniversary of his death.

(Click on the blue-colored songs for Kaw-Liga and Lonesome Whistle to hear them offered on You-Tube.)

Name that Tune; Five of my Favorite Ones

by contoveros

Songs have a way of taking me back to a time of my life that provided milestones for the path leading me to where I am today.

We all have them, those cherished ones that we hold dear. Some of which may cause a tear to flow, a shit-eaten grin to form. I recently thought of five of ‘em and simply wanted to share them with “Old Folks at Home” who might also remember them.  Continue reading →

Remembering the scars you got as a kid

by contoveros

I remember . . . cutting the back of my hand while running beneath the boardwalk in Atlantic City. It is the earliest memory I can recall. I couldn’t have been any more than three or four and cannot for the life of me remember anything else I had done at that moment in time. Continue reading →

Truth spoken on air will indeed set us free

by contoveros

John Facenda was Philadelphia’s favorite newscaster when I was growing up. He was suave and debonair, kind of like a Cary Grant with a voice that captured your immediate attention, whether it be about shenanigans going on in city government or sports actions through NFL replays. Continue reading →

Five Jaunts remembered singing Doo Wop

by contoveros

I cannot recall the one and only time I saw myself perform on television with my singing group, even though it was one of the highlights of my life.

I sang bass for a Doo Wop group in the late 1960s as we appeared on the Super Lou Dance Show. We sang two songs, which were recorded by a film crew. The performance was taped in front of a live audience for Channel 29, a UHF Station with its studio at Old York Road in the Philadelphia suburb of Jenkintown. (Philadelphia had three UHF stations – Channels 17, 29, and 48.)

We auditioned for the show’s emcee at his Northeast Philadelphia home, and he agreed to performance a few weeks later. We purchased matching shirts like the one Seinfeld wore for his television appearance and we practiced two songs from our “Golden Oldies” repertoire.

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Five Jaunts on the Super Lou Show

I remember walking onto the dance floor and staring at the bright lights that lit us up for the camera. My voice was the first one heard because I opened with a bass sound to start the Rock & Roll beat. I was advised later to remove my glasses because the lights shone too brightly and the reflection was distracting.

All went well with the show, and I’ll never forget Super Lou speaking to us at the end, stating my name as the “boom, boom” man! I couldn’t smile any brighter than I did at that wonderful moment. We sounded good, and I can tell you there is nothing more divine sounding than harmonizing in a group!

————

We called ourselves The Five Jaunts. The night of our television appearance, we also “appeared” at a party held by Bob Palumbo in his mom’s house in the Brewerytown section of Philadelphia. I remember how a cute little redhead kept giving me the eye. I got my very own “groupie,” I thought, but failed to get her more interested in a more intimate relationship with me.

The problem is, however, I cannot remember seeing us sing on television. I have no memory whatsoever and I wonder today if I’m experiencing the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. I simply can’t recall the television viewing even though I can remember the performance.

I do have lots of memories of singing together, and I am so grateful that someone made a copy of our television appearance. While you can’t see us perform, you can at least listen to The Five Jaunts. Give a listen here:

(Only the second selection works. Sorry . . .)

(For another story of the Five Jaunts, check this out: The Five Jaunts.)

Sounds Touching the Heart & Soul of Me

by contoveros

A Tibetan Singing Bowl rang out just now. It called me back to the peace inside despite the noises of harshness my life has heard played out for me in recent times.

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Universe brings music ‘Homeward Bound’

by contoveros

I saw the singer and songwriter Paul Simon last night, and he’s “still crazy after all these years.”  Continue reading →

Words Prompt Me to Share Love of Music

by contoveros

I heard a banjo strum as I fed the birds outside near the plum tree in my yard this morning. Banjo? Strumming? Where could that have come from, I wondered?

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Creativity shines when pure self emerges

by contoveros

     Creativity exists in all of us.

     But only those who nurture it can fully appreciate its magical transformation.

     I liken it to a mineral or rock that resides within, undisturbed by the daily thoughts and busy lives of quiet desperation. It can be uncovered only when one stills the mind and releases preconceived notions of what creation is all about.  Continue reading →