Check in with Lew Jones for the latest on your favorite country legends!
Q: When can we expect to hear from Randy Travis again? He's one of my favorites.
(Byron, Bozeman, MT)
A: How about right now, Byron? I met with Randy for a radio interview a few weeks ago, and he's been back in the studio for what he says is his "first strictly country album in 7 or 8 years." According to Randy, he and his production team spent over a year going over songs, looking for the very best they could find, and he's extremely proud of the results. The CD, due in early summer, will be titled Around The Bend and will be out on the Warner Bros. Nashville label. The first single, "Faith In You," is being promoted to radio and the Internet right now. And as I finish this column, Randy is offering it as a free download at his website, randytravis.com. Better hurry!
Q: What is the title of the Oak Ridge Boys new song?
(Anna, Manhattan, KS)
A: It's called "Did I Make A Difference," Anna. The song was written by Bill Anderson and Rob Crosby. According to Duane Allen of the Oak Ridge Boys, when Bill brought them the song he explained that it fits in well with the Oaks' many charitable works. (Feed The Children TV specials, for instance.) It's on the current CD by the Oaks, titled Front Row Seats. The label is Spring Hill Records.
Q: Who originally sang "Pop A Top Again"?
(Jay, Madill, OK)
A: The hit version of "Pop A Top" was by Jim Ed Brown, Jay. He brought it out in 1967 and it rose to No. 3 on the country charts. It was covered later by Alan Jackson. Jim Ed's version is likely the one you remember. However, the song was written by the late Nat Stuckey, who recorded it for his album, Nat Stuckey Really Sings, which came out in 1966. If Nat ever released it on a single, I can't locate it. For Jim Ed as a solo act, it marked his return to the Top 10. In the 1950s, with sisters Maxine and Bonnie, he was in the Top 10 six times as The Browns. Their No. 1 song, "The Three Bells," stayed at the top of the charts for 10 weeks in 1959. Today, Jim Ed is a regular on the Grand Ole Opry.
Q: I am trying to find a song by Porter Wagoner that was recorded, I think, in 1983 on the album called Viva Porter Wagoner, on Warner Bros. It is about a cowboy hat he is wearing and some bikers are making fun of it.
(George, Niceville, FL)
A: George, once again, just like you, I can only find it on a vinyl LP. You have the year correct. The song, written by Jake Brooks, was also covered in 1991 by Chris LeDoux. It's a tender story, as you say, of rough guys at a bar threatening to take the hat. As the story unfolds, the cowboy lists all the extremely sentimental reasons he's attached to the hat, and in the end, the bad guys' hearts are warmed enough they decide to call off the confrontation.
Q: There is a video on George Jones' MySpace with him speaking on the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's "All For The Hall." His speech is much different than in other videos on the site, and it just seems different somehow. Did George Jones ever have a stroke?
(Amanda, Richmond, VA)
A: I haven't heard of it. I saw George at a Country Radio Seminar session in Nashville in early March, Amanda, and he seemed the picture of health. As to the voice sounding different, remember that the digital process for sound and video on websites such as the one you name have nowhere near the technical quality of a CD or even analog television. The download time would be impractical. George turned 76 last September, and judging from the confident way he strolled out on stage, I hope I'm in that great a shape when I get there!
Q: What artist sang "Daddy's Hands"?
(George, Modesto, CA)
A: It was Holly Dunn, and she got to No. 7 with the song back in 1986, George. Her No. 1 hits, "Are You Ever Gonna Love Me" and "You Really Had Me Going," came in 1989 and 1990, respectively. I count 21 charted hits for the San Antonio native over a 10-year span of time.
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