So Bill Monroe Told Frank Sinatra …
Even the most artfully crafted song is a mere “teaser” to a longer story. We hear a great song and wish we knew more, as we do, for instance, when we listen to “He Stopped Loving Her Today” or “Strawberry Wine.” In a new book called A Guitar and a Pen, 25 of country music’s most gifted lyricists are given ample space to tell their stories instead of being limited to three verses, a bridge and a chorus.
Most of the pieces here are works of fiction, but a few are true chronicles. Shining brightest in the latter category is CMT’s Hazel Smith’s account of accompanying Bill Monroe to Washington, D.C., where he was to receive a presidential award, and watching helplessly as he imposed his iron will on everyone he met, from airport security guards to a strangely-subdued Frank Sinatra. On the fictional side, Bobby Braddock serves up a hilarious tale of amorous deception on the Internet, while Bob McDill introduces a camp cook too sensitive for mere mortals to trifle with.
Robbie Fulks will have you falling out of you chair as he traces his ill-fated experience speaking at a high school “career day” his wife has talked him into. (”To conceal from your wife that your professional life involves doing not very much all day long,” he observes, “is a challenge few men can crack.”) Janis Ian writes a revealing and heartbreaking narrative about losing the precious Martin D-18 guitar her father had given her. Other primo tale-spinners here are Tom T. Hall, Kris Kristofferson, Gary Nicholson, Monty Powell and Michael Kosser. Edited by Robert Hicks, John Bohlinger and Justin Shelter, the book is from Center Street Publishing. Get it. It’s front-to-back wonderful.
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Albert John says:
BIG HEADLINE-”Bill Monroe talks to Frank Sanatra”.
SO?? Who,Where, When,What, Why, How, About ?????
Or wa it,”Excuse Me, I didn’t see You there, aren’t You _____? “I head of You”,or “Excuse Me is that a Machine gun,lr a Mandoline casw?” Did THEY talk in ernest? about Music?? Did Frank want to sing “Blue Moon of Kentucky,or did Bill want to sing,start Spreading The New, My Way?”
What a Low-Grade except, ever mean anything?
Take up Guitar, Ya sure can’t write news blurbs. Albert
kayefun says:
I’m looking for the right place to ask questions to
CMT. Can somone help me out with that? I found that I do have some agreement with Albert’s post about more information and not just having a headline to drag a reader in; especially since the question I want to ask is revelant to the here and now of country music. “Why hasn’t CMT blogged about how Jeffrey Steele has two top 20 songwriting credit collaberations this week (International Harvester - Craig Morgan and Love Is A Beautiful Thing - Phil Vassar) plus a songwriting credit collaberation on the debut video of the week? (Everyday - Rascal Flatts)” Is that not worth noting or just a regular week for a songwriter? Have I missed any report of this? On the positive side, when I searched for Steele on this site, I was able to find a bio and his first name.
psychicchatonline says:
psychicchatonline…
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