Legends Q&A

April 2009

By Lew Jones

The Oak Ridge Boys performing at the 2005 CMA Music Festival. Photo courtesy of the Country Music Association.

Check in with Lew Jones for the latest on your favorite country legends!

Q: Can you bring me up to date on the Oak Ridge Boys? They are my favorite.
(Ella, Kansas City, MO)

A: There's a lot going on with them, Ella. They now have their own Branson theatre, plus new music coming out in May. This new album will be called The Boys Are Back and promises to be the best Oaks effort in years. It was produced by Dave Cobb, who is also Shooter Jennings' producer. (Shooter, by the way, wrote the title song specifically for the Oaks.) The partnership with Cobb fits right in with the Oaks' constant reinvention. Cobb's age, 33, gives rise to Joe Bonsall's quip that he has blue jeans that are older! Duane Allen says of the back-to-the-basics approach, "These are the Oak Ridge Boys at their bare roots best." While I'm not sure he intended the pun, his reference was to the spare, no-frills production employed throughout the album.

Q: Do you know of any videos or DVDs featuring my wife's favorite, Keith Whitley?
(Robert, Kilmarnock, United Kingdom)

A: They seem a bit rare, Robert, even on our side of "the pond." I managed to find individual performances on a couple of early compilations. They include a performance of "Don't Close Your Eyes" on RCA Great Video Hits, a VHS tape now out of print, but still findable. It also includes songs by his widow, Lorrie Morgan, and by Clint Black and The Judds. Plus, he appears on a Hank Williams, Jr. video album entitled Young Country, wherein Keith contributes to the title song. There may be others you could find with a more exhaustive search.

Keith's untimely death in 1989 at age 33 meant that he was gone before videos became as ubiquitous as they are today. However, a quick YouTube search finds a couple of live performances — one of Keith singing "Miami, My Amy" on "Hee-Haw" and another showing Keith performing "Don't Close Your Eyes" on the Grand Ole Opry. Simply go to youtube.com and type "Keith Whitley" in the search bar.

Q: Whatever became of Clay Walker? I haven't heard his music or seen any videos of him in a long time.
(Brenda, Jasper, AR)

A: Clay is still out there and stays busy touring. His recording career has slowed down a bit, but he is still promoting his 2007 album, Fall. You can get further details on his activities by doing an Internet search on his name, which will bring you to his website. Oh, and by the way, Brenda, you live in a beautiful place. I graduated from Valley Springs High, and can remember coming to Jasper to go swimming in the Buffalo River!

Q: I can remember some words in a song, but can't remember the title or artist. It involved swinging doors and sawdust on the floors.
(Marie, Stockton, CA)

A: The one that comes to mind for me, Marie, is "Swingin' Doors" by Merle Haggard. It rose to No. 5 for Merle back in 1966, as he was working his way up the charts, building up steam for the first of his 38 No. 1 songs, to come a bit later that same year. The song extols the "advantages" of a swingin' door, a barstool and a jukebox. It hits right at home with country music's celebration of the common man, a constantly recurring theme of Merle's songs.