TGIF AMERICAN Oldies: Loretta Lynn - 1967

"If you need that kind of love- you don't need none of mine"

Loretta Lynn is a world-famous American country music singer-songwriter/author who was -as the script goes- indeed born a coal miner's daughter in 1935 just outside the small mountain town of Paintsville, Kentucky.

But that childhood was brief indeed, as the then-Loretta Webb was married off at just thirteen years of age, becoming a mother shortly thereafter. She proceeded to have four children by her nineteenth birthday, living in Washington state with husband Oliver V. Lynn.

The marriage certainly had it's ups and downs, as he was a womanizer and heavy drinker, while Appalachian-bred Loretta was more than a little headstrong. But she remained married to him until his death in 1996, and their experiences together became a primary inspiration for the music.

Starting late for a musician, at 24 years old Lynn's husband casually bought her a guitar. Blessed with to-that-point hidden talent, she took to it immediately, teaching herself to play and proceeding to cut her first record the next year.

Loretta quickly became a part of the country music scene in Nashville in the Sixties, and by 1967 had her first mega-hit with "Don't Come Home a Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)". She also became known for classic duets with Country legend Conway Twitty, and counting those charted 70 singles over the span of an incredible career.

Lynn was from the start a talented songwriter -a true natural, she sometimes collaborated with her sister Peggy Sue. The lyrics largely focused on working-class women's issues, with themes of wandering and/or whiskey-breathed husbands. She often pushed boundaries in the conservative genre of country music by singing about birth control, repeated childbirth, double standards for men and women, and even Vietnam war widows... to the point of being banned by some stations.

Her best-selling 1976 autobiography was of course made into the Academy Award winning film Coal Miner's Daughter starring Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones in 1980.

Lynn's most recent album Van Lear Rose (2004) went right to #1 on the Country album charts, and not only do her own twin daughters form country act The Lynns, Loretta's 19-years-younger sister Crystal Gayle -inspired by the early career of her sibling- also became a pop/country star in her own right, best known for the pop hit "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue".

Today in 2011 -at an all-American 76 years old- country music icon Loretta Lynn continues to tour. Here's what you call American music, my friends: the very first of what was to be sixteen #1 Country hits...

Loretta Lynn: Don't Come Home a Drinkin' - 1967

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TGIF Rock-n-Roll Oldies: Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR)- 1969

John Fogerty: "I always used to say that I wanted to make 
records that they would still play on the radio ten years..."

In a similar way to LA blues-rock legends Canned Heat, Creedence Clearwater Revival featured a down-on-the-bayou southern theme (more of a swamp-rock in CCR's case) that bravely diverged from the California fashion of the day. But they managed to break loose from the Bay Area's dominant Haight-Ashbury psychedelic scene to create a band loyal to American rock n roll's roots. Also like Topanga Canyon based Canned Heat, they came across as quite authentic in the southern-style... and were real, real good.

The band's origins go back as far as 1959 as "The Blue Velvets", and by 1964 they recorded (unsuccessfully) as "The Golliwogs". But after a much-needed name change, CCR was was touring and rehearsing full-time upon two members' completion of military service in 1968.  

Based around the Fogerty brothers, Creedence Clearwater Revival was known for both covers and originals in their distinct rough-around-the-edges working class style, and featuring the gripping, powerful vocals of John Fogerty, who also did most of the group's writing. They drew inspiration from 1950s rock n roll (and country) legends like Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, and Hank Williams, and CCR's popularity grew through the 1972 breakup. Highly influential and considered by most to be one of the all time great American rock bands, they were inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

FM radio staples then and today include "I Put a Spell on You", "Born on the Bayou", "Good Golly, Miss Molly", "Green River", "Bad Moon Rising", "Down on the Corner", "It Came Out of the Sky", "Cotton Fields", "Lodi", "The Night Time is the Right Time", "Midnight Special", "Fortunate Son", "Travelin' Band", "Looking Out My Back Door", "I Heard it Through the Grapevine", "Long as I Can See the Light", "Who'll Stop the Rain", "Pagan Baby", "Have You Ever Seen the Rain", "Someday Never Comes", and "Sweet Hitch-hiker". 

Small wonder then that CCR has sold 

26M records in the United States alone...

Creedence Clearwater Revival: 
It Came Out of the Sky - 1969

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TGIF Rock-n-Roll Oldies: Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen - 1971

"That story is true, and I'm here to say:
I was drivin' that Model A..."

Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen was a pioneering American country-rock band founded in 1967 in Ann Arbor, Michigan: they're known for such hits as "Hot Rod Lincoln", "Smoke Smoke Smoke (that Cigarette)", "Don't Let Go", as well as an exceptional cover of boogie-woogie standard (and Andrews Sisters hit) "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar" that also managed to chart...

The band’s style fused country, rockabilly, and blues together on a base of boogie-woogie piano. It was among the first country-rock bands to take its cues less from folk-rock and bluegrass and more from real hardcore barroom country- they became legendary for raucous, extended live performances.

Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen was formed in 1967 with a newly-recruited George Frayne (7.19.1944 Boise, Idaho), who then took the stage name Commander Cody. The band’s name was inspired by 1950s film serials featuring the character Commando Cody... and from a feature version of another serial, King of the Rocket Men, came the "Lost Planet Airmen."

After playing for several years in Michigan bars, core members migrated to San Francisco, where they promptly landed a recording contract. They subsequently released the 1971 debut album Lost in the Ozone.  The record brought the group's best-known hit, a version of the rockabilly standard Hot Rod Lincoln, which went Top Ten on the Billboard US singles chart in early '72 (featured video below). 

Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen then headed-off for Texas, where they made their 1974 live recording Live from Deep in the Heart of Texas. 

The band released several moderately-successful albums through the first half of the 70s. After appearing in the Roger Corman movie Hollywood Boulevard, Frayne disbanded the group in 1976. 

Interestingly, Geoffrey Stokes' 1976 book Star-Making Machinery featured Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen as its primary case study of music industry production and marketing. Stokes relates the difficulties the band had recording its first album for Warner Bros. Records: the label wanted a hit album along the lines of the soft country-rock of The Eagles, but this band was not interested in losing their rough-edged style and adding a bunch of layered harmonies.

Staying with the stage name Commander Cody, George Frayne had a subsequent solo career, touring and releasing albums from 1977-on. He released some later albums under the Lost Planet Airmen name. Recent releases have been as The Commander Cody Band.

And back in a time when I wasn't into country music really -say, late teens/early 20s- I sure was plenty into "Hot Rod Lincoln"- went out and bought the record, too. How could any red-blooded American gearhead not relate?

But I couldn't find a live version with decent sound to post, so here's the '45' single with a hot rod slide show somebody put together... what a great tune:

Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen:

Hot Rod Lincoln - 1971

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TGIF Rock-n-Roll Oldies: The Zombies - 1964

The Zombies are an English rock band formed in 1961 and led by Rod Argent on piano and Colin Blunstone on vocals.

The schoolboy chums who came to be known as The Zombies got their start playing at a St. Alban's rugby club, but soon rose from unknown local act to score major US hits later in the decade, such as "She's Not There", "Tell Her No", and "Time of the Season". 

Their 1968 album Odessey and Oracle -comprising twelve songs by the group's principal songwriters, Argent and White- ranks #80 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the '500 Greatest Albums of All Time'.

The Zombies signed to Decca and recorded their first hit "She's Not There"- which was released in the Summer of 1964 and peaked at #12 in the UK. This minor-key, jazz-tinged number, distinguished by its musicianship and Blunstone's breathy vocal, was unlike anything heard in British rock at the time. 

It was first aired in the United States in early August 1964 on New York City rock station WINS by Stan Z. Burns, who debuted the song on his daily noontime "Hot Spot". The tune began to catch on in early fall and eventually climbed to #2 in the US.

Like many other British Invasion groups, The Zombies were sent to The States to tour in support of a new hit single. Among their most memorable early U.S. gigs were Murray the K's Christmas shows at the Brooklyn Fox Theatre, where the band played seven performances a day. Hugh Grundy later recalled also contributing to the sets by the Shangri-Las -not as a musician... but by revving a motorcycle brought backstage as a sound effect for their performance of "Leader of the Pack"- 

In January 1965 the band made their debut on live U.S. television, playing "She's Not There" to hysterical teen girls on NBC's Hullabaloo. "Tell Her No" became another big seller in the United States (in 1965), but failed to make the Top 40 in the band's native UK. 

The Zombies signed to CBS Records, for whom they recorded the album Odessey and Oracle. (The word odyssey was misspelled by cover designers.) 

Because the band's budget could not cover session musicians, they used a Mellotron, a device designed to imitate orchestral sections. By the time Odessey and Oracle was released in April 1968, the group had disbanded. The album sold poorly and was only given a U.S. release because musician Al Kooper, then signed to Columbia Records, convinced his label of the album's merits. An album track, "Time of the Season", written by Argent, was released as a single and eventually (1969) became a nationwide hit (#3). 

After The Zombies disbanded, Rod Argent formed a band called Argent, with Chris White as a non-performing songwriter. Colin Blunstone started a solo career after a brief period outside the music business... he also later worked with the Alan Parsons Project...

 The Zombies - She's Not There - 1964

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TGIF Rock-n-Roll Oldies: Dave Edmunds 1970

Dave Edmunds is a Welsh singer, guitarist and record producer. Although he is primarily associated with Pub rock and New Wave, he had numerous hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, while displaying a consistent tendency towards 50s-style, guitar-driven rock n roll.

As a teenager Edmunds first played with a band called The Edmunds Bros Duo with his older brother Geoff in 1954, both playing piano. The brothers later went on to play in various bands throughout the 50s and early 60s.

In 1966, Edmunds shifted to a more blues-rock sound, to form the short lived Human Beans, a band that played mostly in London and on the UK university circuit. In 1967 the band recorded a cover of "Morning Dew" that failed to chart. 

After just eighteen months the core of 'Human Beans' formed a new band called Love Sculpture that scored a quasi-novelty Top 5 hit by reworking Khachaturian's classical piece "Sabre Dance" as a speed-crazed rock number, inspired by Keith Emerson's classical rearrangements. "Sabre Dance" became a hit after garnering the enthusiastic attention of influential British DJ John Peel.

Dave Edmunds then went solo and immediately enjoyed a UK smash #1 hit in 1970 with "I Hear You Knocking", a Smiley Lewis cover (featured below). The recording also reached #4 in the U.S., making it Edmunds's biggest hit by far. It sold an monstrous three million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. I myself have loved this song since the first time I heard it -at nine years old- and never tire of hearing it to this day.

Edmunds had intended to record Wilbert Harrison's "Let's Work Together", but when he was beaten to that song by Canned Heat, he adapted the arrangement he intended to use for it to "I Hear You Knocking", producing a highly original remake....

Dave Edmunds: I Hear You Knocking - 1970

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TGIF Oldies: Jerry Reed - 1970/71

Georgia Native Jerry Reed Hubbard (1937-08) was an American country music singer, country guitarist, session musician, songwriter, and actor who appeared in more than a dozen films... nothing short of an American cultural icon.

As a musician, "The Snowman" was best known for "(Who Was the Man Who Put) The Line in Gasoline"; "Lord, Mr. Ford (What Have You Done)"; "Amos Moses"; "When You're Hot, You're Hot," (Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance); and "East Bound and Down," the theme song for the film Smokey and the Bandit, in which he co-starred with Burt Reynolds...

Back in '67, Reed notched his first official country chart hit with "Guitar Man," which Elvis Presley soon covered. Presley had come to Nashville to record in 1967, and one of the songs he was working on was "Guitar Man" (which Reed had written and recorded earlier). 

"I was out on the Cumberland River fishing, and I got a call from Felton Jarvis (then Presley's producer). 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' 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..." 

Subsequently the songwriter recorded an Elvis tribute, "Tupelo Mississippi Flash," which proved to be his first Top 20 hit. Elvis Presley also recorded two other Reed compositions: "A Thing Called Love" in 1970 and "Talk About The Good Times" in 1973.

Johnny Cash would also release Reed's "A Thing Called Love" as a single in 1971, which would reach #2 on the Country Singles Chart. After releasing the 1970 crossover hit "Amos Moses", a hybrid of rock, country, funk, and Cajun styles (below), Reed teamed with Atkins for the duet LP Me and Jerry. 

During the 1970 TV season, he was a regular on The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, and in 1971 Reed issued his biggest hit, the chart-topper "When You're Hot, You're Hot", which was also the title track of his first solo album. Both "Amos Moses" and "When You're Hot, You're Hot" sold over a million copies.

In the mid-1970s, Reed's recording career began to take a back seat to his acting aspirations. In 1974, he co-starred with his close friend Burt Reynolds in the film W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings. While he continued to record throughout the decade, his greatest visibility was as a motion picture star, almost always in tandem with headliner Reynolds; after 1976's Gator, Reed appeared in 1978's High Ballin and 1979's Hot Stuff. 

He also co-starred in all three of the Smokey and the Bandit films; the first, which premiered in 1977, landed Reed a #2 hit with the soundtrack's "East Bound and Down." 

Reed also took a stab at hosting a TV variety show, filming two episodes of The Jerry Reed Show in 1976. Guests included Tammy Wynette, Ray Stevens, and Burt Reynolds. 

In 1982, Reed's career as a singles artist was revitalized by the chart-topping hit "She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft)," followed by "The Bird," which peaked at #2. His last chart hit, "I'm a Slave," came in 1983.

And btw, if you've never seen the unheralded The Survivors (1983) with Reed, Walter Matthau, and a young Robin Williams you ought to... hilarious imo.

Jerry Reed: When You're Hot, You're Hot - 1971

Studio/single version:

Jerry Reed: Amos Moses - 1970

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TGIF Rock-n-Roll Oldies: The Animals - 1965

The Animals were an influential English rock group from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, formed in the early 60s. They later in the decade relocated to the bustling London scene.

Known for their gritty, bluesy sound and deep-voiced frontman Eric Burdon, the band is best known for timeless classics such as "The House of the Rising Sun", "We Gotta Get Out of This Place", and "It's My Life" (below).

The Animals presented a unique blend of rock-oriented pop hits along with R&B material to fill out the albums.  Considered in the U.S. as part of the British Invasion, The Animals underwent numerous personnel changes over the years and like so many others of the era, suffered from poor business management. 

Later -under the name Eric Burdon and the Animals- they moved to California and yet again achieved commercial success, this time as a psychedelic rock band.  Hits of this era include "San Franciscan Nights" and "Sky Pilot". Guitarist Andy Summers was with the band in this period, who later went on to found The Police along with Sting and Stewart Copeland.

The band broke up in 1969, with the cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" released subsequently.

The original Animals lineup had a brief reunion in 1977 and then again in 1983. There have been several partial regroupings since then under various names, along with legal wrangling over the rights. The Animals were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994...

The Animals: It's My Life - 1965

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TGIF Rock-n-Roll Oldies: Bread - 1972

Bread was a rock band formed in Los Angeles, CA. They enjoyed 13 hit songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart between 1970 and 1977, in the process pioneering a new genre later to become known as 'soft rock'.Bread consisted of David Gates , Jimmy Griffin, Robb Royer, Mike Botts, then Larry Knechtel (replacing Royer in 1971).

Before forming Bread, Gates had worked with Royer's previous band, The Pleasure Fair, producing and arranging the band's 1967 album, The Pleasure Fair. Royer then introduced Gates to his songwriting partner, Griffin, and the trio joined together in 1968 and signed with Elektra Records, choosing the name Bread in 1969. 

Bread's first single, "Dismal Day" in the Summer of 1969 flopped, but the second album On the Waters established them as a major act in 1970 with the #1 hit "Make It With You". 

For their next single, they released a re-recorded version of "It Don't Matter To Me", a Gates song from their first album. This single was a hit as well, reaching #10. 

The band began touring and recording the 1971 album titled Manna (#21), which included the Top 5 hit single, "If". In January 1972 Bread released Baby I'm-a Want You, their most successful album, peaking at #3 on the Billboard 200. The title song was established as a hit in late 1971 before the album was even released. Follow-up singles "Everything I Own" and "Diary" also went Top 20. 

The next album, Guitar Man, was released ten months later and went to #18. The album produced three Top 20 singles, "The Guitar Man" (#11), "Sweet Surrender" (#15), and "Aubrey" (#15), with the first two going to #1 on Billboard's adult contemporary chart.

Despite the band's success, tensions existed between Gates and Griffin. By 1973, fatigue from constant recording and touring had set in and personal relationships began to show strain. There was also some dissatisfaction with the songs planned for a sixth album. Bread decided to go their own ways with solo projects, but to limited success.

The Best of Bread compilation album from 1973 became a standard in everybody's collection, a huge commercial success that peaked at #2 and remained on the chart for over two years. A follow-up, The Best Of Bread, Volume Two, was released in 1974 and went to #32. 

The reunion of the group in 1976 came in the form of the LP Lost Without Your Love, released in January 1977. The title track, again written and sung by Gates, was the band's last Top 10 hit...

Bread: Guitar Man - 1972

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