Without doubt one of the last century's top ten songwriters. Everyone is going retrospectives of his life and it's always Sam Stone or Angel From Montgomery. I want to put up some lesser known songs that really highlight just what an incredible talent he was - both as a poet and as a musician.
1973's song Dear Abby. I hadn't listened to this for years and it had me laughing all the way through.
1975's He Was In Heaven Before He Died. There's a lot going on in these lyrics.
2004's version of My Old Kentucky Home. In this day of "the New Nashville" this traditional version of the song is a breath of fresh air. His voice is iconic, in a similar way to Willie Nelson or Gordon Lightfoot. Also, The Queen Of The World is a Kentucky Girl. Love this version.
Rest in peace, John. Thanks for all the great music.
3 comments:
This version of my beloved Commonwealth's song is matched only by the great Paul Robson's. I've lived and worked in the Paradise and Central City, Kentucky areas. The whole region is populated by good people including mining companies. So while I didn't agree with John"s point of view on several occasions, I wish him only a peaceful trip to heaven. RIP
Rest in peace. He had greatness.
As soon as I heard he had died I went to my computer to hear Dear Abby one more time and sit back and remember how good he was. He'll be missed. He was unique.
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