A Finger Pickin’ Good Birthday

Happy Heavenly Birthday to Jerry Reed. Without a doubt, he was one of the best guitar pickers in Nashville!

Jerry Reed Hubbard was born in Atlanta, Georgia on March 20, 1937. By the time he was in high school he was writing songs and singing them. At 18 years old, he was signed to a record deal at Capitol Records by publisher and record producer Bill Lowery. He was being promoted as a “teen sensation” after recording some rockabilly songs in 1956. His label mate, Gene Vincent helped him get some notoriety as a song writer when he recorded Jerry’s song “Crazy Legs” in 1958.

I had the chance to interview him when I worked in country radio. If I had to rank all the interviews I’ve ever done, his would be in the top three. He was a joy to talk to and he had so many fantastic stories. One of those stories was about recording with Elvis.

In 1967, Jerry’s version of Guitar Man landed on the country chart and it caught the ear of Elvis. Elvis wanted to record the song. The story was recounted in the Tennessean when he passed away:

Reed recalled how he was tracked down to play on the Presley session: “I was out on the Cumberland River fishing, and I got a call from Felton Jarvis (then Presley’s producer at RCA Victor). He said, ‘Elvis is down here. We’ve been trying to cut “Guitar Man” all day long. He wants it to sound like it sounded on your album.’ I finally told him, ‘Well, if you want it to sound like that, you’re going have to get me in there to play guitar, because these guys [you’re using in the studio] are straight pickers. I pick with my fingers and tune that guitar up all weird kind of ways.'”

Jarvis hired Reed to play on the session. “I hit that intro, and [Elvis’s] face lit up and here we went. Then after he got through that, he cut [my] “U.S. Male” at the same session. I was toppin’ cotton, son.” Reed also played the guitar for Elvis Presley’s “Big Boss Man” (1967), recorded in the same session.

You can hear the distinct “Reed” sound that Elvis was looking for in the intro:

It is said that Jerry’s syncopated guitar playing style was influenced by Merle Travis and Earl Scruggs. This style was nicknamed the “claw”, due to the appearance of Reed’s hand as he played. The Claw also happens to be one of the coolest instrumentals that Jerry Recorded. You can hear that same sound heard in Guitar Man in The Claw.

Jerry was great friends with Chet Atkins and they played the song as a duet more than once. They did an album together which featured the song (and a funny video to accompany it):

…and they performed it live on TV quite a few times as well:

Jerry was an amazing talent. Thankfully, he left us plenty of music to enjoy. Happy Heavenly Birthday, Son!

Friday Photo Flashback

I suppose I could have skipped the Friday Photo Flashback this week. I posted quite a few photos yesterday for my anniversary after all. However, I did find one photo worth sharing again. It takes us back to St. Patrick’s Day of 2022.

Ella is two here and Andre is about 5 months old. My wife always does such a good job getting them clothes for holidays. I’m not sure if we got pictures of them this year.

Ella had such natural and beautiful curls here. I love her little smile. It’s had to believe that Andrew ever looked like this. I miss those chubby cheeks.

They are growing up way too fast.

8 Amazing Years (And More to Come)

Today my wife, Samantha, and I celebrate our eight wedding anniversary. I missed a perfect gift opportunity. I didn’t realize that the eight wedding anniversary is the “Bronze Anniversary.” Had I known that, I would have gotten my wife an extended tanning membership, so she could get a nice “bronze” tan.

Apparently, the eight-year wedding anniversary represents “a strong, lasting, and mature bond, often symbolized by bronze, reflecting durability and the merging of two lives into one—like copper and tin. It’s a time to celebrate growing together, highlighting resilience and enduring love with themes of comfort, connection, and ‘still going strong.'”

I also made the mistake of not taking the day off work. At my job, they ask for time off months in advance and you have to have the amount of time you are taking off in your “bank.” If you don’t, the request is denied. It is not that I didn’t remember our anniversary was today, it is that after I took time my week off in February, I hadn’t had enough time in the bank. Of course, I should have remembered that in a pay period or two, I would have. So I feel really bad that I have to work tonight.

Sam’s Thursdays are loaded with volunteering at our daughter’s school and appointments. Because I am working tonight, she knew I’d be sleeping through the day and that we probably wouldn’t see each other today. So when I got up for work yesterday, she had my card waiting on the coffee pot for me. Once we both had coffee in hand, we gave each other out cards. What made these cards extra special was that our daughter decided that she needed to read them to us. My son passed us out gifts to each other.

Sam never gets a second to herself. She very rarely gets to pamper herself. I gave her a gift certificate for a manicure and pedicure. Being the wonderful mom that she is, she even offered to use it to get both her and my daughter pedicures.

You may remember awhile back that I mentioned that hair care place for men where my son got his hair cut. While we were there, I had my head shaved and it was pretty awesome. It was the whole treatment – hot towel, manly smelling lotion after the shave, complimentary drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic), and more. They do everything there – eyebrow trim or wax, beard trimming and shaping, and (something I don’t need) haircuts and styles. My wife got me a gift certificate to go and treat myself to a “spa”-like day.

Reflecting on eight years of marriage, I can tell you that marriage isn’t easy, but it is something that is worth fighting for and working at. My wife is the main cog in the wheels of our house. Nothing can happen and happen properly without her. She keeps track of all of the schedules – who has to be where and when; what day is flannel or pajama day at school; where various prescriptions are and when they can be picked up; when the cars need oil changes and just about every other thing. Without her, we’d be a mess. It isn’t always easy, but we get through it together.

Communication is key. Thankfully, since my ADHD meds have helped me focus, I’m better at this. I’m not perfect and at times, I still mishear things and drive my wife crazy. Lord knows how often she wants to pull her hair out when I ask her something that she made clear to me the day before. I continue to work on active listening and retaining the things I am being told. Occasionally, though, I honestly drive her nuts.

I never stop praying for her.. I always have her in prayer. I pray that I will be exactly what she needs me to be. I pray to not be selfish. I pray that we would continue to grow in faith and that we are good examples for our kids. It is so important not to take God out of the equation. Marriage takes three for sure.

It has been eight years of ups and downs with happiness and sadness. Looking back, only makes me love her more.

Those pre-marriage dates and moments together bring many smiles.

The trip to Florida to get married and anniversary and other trips were full of laughs, adventures, and penguins.

We’ve also had plenty of doctor visits …

Special life changing moments …

…and a whole lot of fun along the way!

Thank you for eight amazing years, baby. I love you for ever and ever. As they say, “8 years down – forever to go!”

Happy Anniversary!

Bling and Bingo

Last week my daughter cheered for the last basketball game of the season. She truly enjoyed learning the cheers, shaking the pom poms, and yelling in her cheerleader cone. They had said that the teams would be getting medals at the end of the night, but we had no idea that the cheerleaders would too.

The above medal is what was presented to the girls. It’s pretty heavy duty bling. It is no cheap medal. It weighs about 3 pounds. She was so proud to show us when the game was over.

She made many friends through cheer and she cannot wait to do it again next year!

On Monday, I was back at her school to volunteer as a “Watch Dog” again. Just like before, I got to be with her class first. I got to help the kids plant their seeds for a science project and then I got to play Bingo with them. They’d send three kids at a time over to where I was and we played.

It wasn’t like normal bingo with the letters BINGO and numbers. These were small cards with pictures on them. I had a bag of tiles with all the pictures on them and I would pull from it to tell them what to look for. A – for apple. L – for Lion and such. The teacher gave us a bag of stale marshmallows to use as bingo chips. We played until everyone got a Bingo and the switch to the next three students.

I then went to the third grade room and played a St. Patty’s Day word game with the next group of students. They had to tell me each sight word they landed on. This was followed by lunch, which I got to eat with my daughter.

She didn’t want what was for hot lunch, so I made us both peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I brought yogurt, some goldfish crackers and drinks. She likes to mix chocolate chips in with her yogurt, so I made sure to bring some of those. I always get a chuckle out of the small tables they sit at. Somehow I always get in and out, with some effort.

After lunch, I went out for recess. It was crazy windy out and the playground was a bit wet. The kids had to stay on the blacktop, which was really no fun. I swear the winds were gusting 40-50 miles an hour. I couldn’t believe they had the kids outside. I was standing out there and that wind hit me from behind and it was all I could do to not fall over. I was happy to come back inside.

I then got to spend time with the other kindergarten class, They were in gym first, and we played a St. Patrick’s Day game where you had to run and find the gold coins for your team. Once back to their room, I played a counting game with the class. My final class of the day was the fourth graders. They were in music class during my time.

I didn’t really do much, but I enjoyed listening to them playing songs on the recorder, sight reading a song they’d never seen or played before, and finally, watching kids play solos in order to get their “belt.” The awards were colored like karate belts. White belt was the easiest song to play, yellow was the next step up, then orange and so forth. It took me back to the days when we had music class in elementary.

I enjoyed a short chat with the music teacher before the end of the day, and then went to grab my daughter to go home. I signed up to do this once a month and I truly enjoy being there and doing this. It is special for my daughter and I, and also special for some of the kids. One girl asked if I would hold her hand as we walked back to the classroom. There were kids who had to give me a hug before I left my session. I’m not sure what it meant to them, but it sure made me feel good.

I’m already looking forward to next month.

The Findin’ of the Green

Since when is this a thing? My daughter got up yesterday morning and ran out into the living room to see what the Leprechaun left for her. I can sum that up for you in one word – nothing.

I know that all the elementary school kids make a leprechaun trap every year in an attempt to catch him. Inevitably, the little rascal escapes and leaves the kids something or makes a mess of the room. I helped my boys make leprechaun traps for their schools, but never put one out at home.

We didn’t have a trap set up last night, so I’m not sure why she expected something, but she did. So my wife called me and told me how upset she was and I knew I had to go out. I was out looking for something for her to find when she got home.

I went to the dollar store first, figuring that they’d have something. They didn’t. I mean not even anything on clearance. The St. Patty’s Day stuff was nowhere to be seen. All the Easter stuff was out, however.

So I drove to a Dollar Party place and actually found some things there. Silly glasses, buttons, green bead necklaces, some candy, and a silly hat. I hid them on the bookshelf and told the kids I heard some rustling while I was trying to sleep. Without missing a beat, my daughter said, “Maybe the leprechaun was here while you were sleeping!” When they found their stuff, they were happy and said they knew that the leprechaun wouldn’t have forgotten them.

While I was out, one of the morning shows was talking to kids about what the leprechauns did at their house. They were talking about making the toilet water green, leaving green jelly beans all over the house, and putting green sparkles/sprinkles on their toothbrushes. So, apparently it is a thing.

Sigh. I guess from now on, I’ll have to prepare better for next year.

Tune Tuesday

Happy St. Patrick’s Day and Happy Birthday to Nat King Cole!

Nat King Cole recorded somewhere in between 1,400 to more than 2,000 songs during his 28-year career. He was an incredibly prolific artist for Capitol Records, scoring 150 hits on the Billboard charts and leaving behind a massive legacy that includes jazz recordings, pop vocals, and, in his later years, numerous albums. Now you would think that Nat would have recorded a few Irish songs, right? Wrong.

As a matter of fact, I could have sworn that he recorded Danny Boy, but apparently not. Galway Bay? Nope. Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ra? Not at all. Surely he had to have recorded When Irish Eyes are Smiling. Wrong again. My hope of featuring a “St. Patty’s Day” song from Nat on his birthday was not looking very good.

I almost scrapped the idea when I remembered a song that might be a stretch. It does have a small tie to Ireland, so I am going to run with it!

“Red Sails in the Sunset” was published in 1935. Its music was written by Hugh Williams with lyrics by prolific songwriter  Jimmy Kennedy. The song was inspired by the “red sails” of Kitty of Coleraine, a yacht Kennedy often saw off the northern coast of  Northern Ireland and by his adopted town Portstewart, a seaside resort in County Londonderry. It was recorded by Mantovani, Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby and others. Nat recorded his version in 1951.

So throw on some green, grab a pint and let’s celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and Nat King Cole’s Birthday with the beuatiful Red Sails in the Sunset.

Movie Music Monday – The Nutty Professor

Happy 100th Birthday to comedian/actor/director Jerry Lewis!

Jerry became a household name when he teamed up with Dean Martin in 1946.

For ten years, they dominated the entertainment world. They appeared on radio, on televison and made 16 films together before ending their partnership in 1956.

There was plenty of speculation as to whether or not either could make it without the other. They each went on to prove that they most certainly could, as they both went on to have great solo careers.

Jerry continued to make movies for Paramount (where he and Dean made their films. He certainly made some very funny films: Cinderfella, The Bellboy, The Big Mouth, and many more. The one that stands out as a masterpiece is his take on the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – The Nutty Professor.

This was always my favorite Jerry Lewis movie. The cast also included the beautiful Stella Stevens, Kathleen Freeman, Del Moore and Howard Morris.

Long story short – Jerry plays the nerdy Professor Kelp who mixes up a concoction that truns him into the coolest swinger ever. The girls swoon over him and they guys think he’s cool too. It doesn’t take long for life to spin out of control for the professor.

The end of the film features a school dance. The entertainment is none other than Les Brown and His Band of Reknown. Les Brown and His Band of Renown, known for their tight, danceable swing, made it a staple in their repertoire during the 1940s, often highlighting the saxophone section’s ability to play fast, interlocking parts. Les and the band play his theme song, “Leap Frog,” which accompanies a very funny scene in the film.

“Leap Frog” is a swing-era instrumental standard composed and arranged by Joe Garland and was also associated with Louis Armstrong before becoming a staple for Les Brown. We never got to play it when I was in band, but the class after us did. I had one of the trumpet players make me a copy of the music, so I could play it at home.

As old as the recording is, I still think it sounds great. It bounces and it swings.

In honor of his 100th birthday, we have to watch Jerry dance …

Happy 100th, Jerry!!

Life’s Little Moments

This week, I felt like I really didn’t feel like me. I’m not sure that even makes sense. I’m not sure what is “off,” but something is. Hoping that I can figure out what the deal is. What’s weird about it, is that there were some great things that happened this week.

This week, the professional photo from the Daddy/Daughter dance arrived in the mail. When we took the picture, Ella leaned against me. They took a picture like that and then another one of us just next to each other. I didn’t know what photo they were going to send. I’m glad they sent this one.

Andrew was invited to a birthday party at the Sloan Museum of Discovery. They had a room for an hour and then afterward, the kids got to run around the museum. They had a cool exibit there that we got to check out.

They had these dinosaurs there that moved, roared, and looked real. The kids and I had a blast walking through the exhibit.

After we saw the dinosaurs, we went into the automotive section, which had some very cool cars to look at.

We also had a warm and sunny day this week, so in between pick up and drop off, Mabel and I walked the neighborhood.

Of course, being Michigan we had ice storms the following day!!

I’m looking forward to the nice weather. It can arrive any time!

I Only Have Pies For You

March 14 (3/14) is National Pi Day! You know, Pi – 3.14159265359…..

Just what is “pi”? According to the internet:

Pi is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to the diameter of the same circle. Circumference is the perimeter of a circle, and diameter is the measure from one side of the circle to the opposite side. This ratio is constant; however large or small the circle, pi remains fixed.

That is all just a little too deep for me. Math was never my best subject. However, if you want to talk about PIE, I’m all in!

Many pies are made to be enjoyed as a dessert. There are other pies that are guarenteed to bring laughter. Let me explain.While a good slice of pie is delicious, it is also one of the great comedic elements of our time. Think about it, a pie in the face is always funny! A pie in the face is a staple in slapstick comedies and comedy in general. Many comedians knew this and there are plenty of examples.

The great Buster Keaton knew it …

Laurel and Hardy knew it …

The legendary Charlie Chaplin knew it…

It goes without saying that The Three Stooges knew it…

Bugs Bunny knew it

Pies were funny on classic TV shows, too! It is estimated that Soupy Sales was hit with 20,000 pies on his show.

Soupy Sales circa 1956 © 1978 Gene Trindl

Pies showed up for laughs on I Love Lucy…

Bewitched…

…and even Gilligan’s Island!

Pies were comedy props in movies, too. For example, The Perils of Pauline…

… in the ridiculous finale of Blazing Saddles…

…and who can forget the amazing pie scene from The Great Race?

Here’s a great shot of director Blake Edwards actually throwing a pie at star Natalie Wood. Looks like he hit a bullseye

I think it would be fun to get hit in the face with a pie. Thanks to AI, I can get hit by one of the masters…

Soupy and pies will forever be connected. He even recorded the song “Pie In The Face.”

I give you permission to grab yourself a slice of your choice. Remember to enjoy a good laugh too!

Friday Photo Flashback

Oooooh! A new graphic! Pretty cool what AI can do with very little instruction.

Anyway, did you know that today is National Earmuff Day? Honest. Here’s why:

Earmuffs were patented on this day in 1877. In 1873, at age 15, Chester Greenwood devised a solution for cold ears by having his grandmother sew fur onto wire loops. He reportedly came up with the idea while ice skating. He received a patent for his “earmufflers” on March 13, 1877, at age 19.

Greenwood went on to manufacture these protectors for nearly 60 years, with his factory in Farmington, Maine producing them for U.S. soldiers during World War I. Farmington was known as the “Earmuff Capital of the World!” Earmuffs are actually categorized as clothing accessories or(believe it or not) personal protection equipment (P.P.E), specially designed to cup and protect the ears from either cold weather or noise. 

Greenwood received other patents, too. Those included a tea kettle, a variation of the steel-toothed rake, an advertising matchbox, and a machine used to produce wooden spools for wire and thread. He also invented, but did not patent, an umbrella holder for mail carriers.

Celebrate today by wearing your earmuffs (or as Greenwood called them, “Greenwood’s Champion Ear Protectors”).

My flashback photo takes us back only a week or two when my wife snapped this photo of my son in the backseat.

Earmuffs and an X-Box controller (with no X-Box in the car!) – only my kid!