OldMan Zeke
2008-10-19 19:57:02 UTC
Well since he started his career that way
why not end it that way
yes i Heard it sev yrs ago
on th internet
A Misunderstood Genius-Red Sovine
On April 4th, 1980, the world lost the king of bad breath country, a
true musical giant, the missing link between Hank and Elvis...Red
Sovine.
Red was born in West Virginia (I found that out on a web page dedicated
to famous people who are from West Virginia), a long time ago. Who's Red
Sovine you say? Red Sovine is the finest performer of recitations in
country music history. Who can forget his number one hits "Teddy Bear,"
"Phantom 309," and "Colorodo Kool-Aid?" once you hear Red, you can never
forget him.
His timeless songs about crippled orphans in wheelchairs (" Teddy Bear,"
"Little Joe"); Ghostly hitch-hikers ("Phantom 309," "Bringing Mary
Home"); truck drivers on amphetimines ("Freightliner Fever"); bar fights
("Colorado Kool Aid"); children dying in Santa's lap, teenagers dying in
car wrecks ("I'm Only 17"); spouses dying in car wrecks ("Last
Goodbye"), patriotism ("Pledge of Allegiance"); truck driving concerns
("Trucker's Prayer"); changing flat tires on trucks ("The Gear Jammer
and the Hobo"); and Elvis' last concert ("The King's Last Concert") have
wowed truck driving music fans for decades.
There is hardly any information on this 20th century Mozart (as I like
to call him), but what little I do know, I will share with you now.
1. Red performed on KWKH on Louisiana Hayride along with Hank Williams.
Hank even gave Red a song to record, ("You're Barking Up The Wrong Tree
Now") one which Hank never recorded himself.
2. Red replaced Hank on the Johnny Fair syrup show on KWKH when Hank
went to the Grand Ole Opry.
3. Red was still on the Hayride when Hank returned in 1952, after having
been fired from the Opry.
4. Red went to the Opry right before Elvis hit the Hayride.
5. Red recorded some recitations with Webb Pierce singing.
6. Red had a hit with a cover of George Jones' "Why Baby Why."
7. Red had his first number one record with " Teddy Bear," in the late
seventies, cashing in on the "truck driving/CB radio craze"
8. Red appeared in the movie "Convoy"
9. Roger Sovine, Red's son, is president of BMI Nashville.
10. There is apparently only one known photograph of Red, because it's
the only one on any of his CD covers! (It's the one at the top of this
page)
11. New Information! Someone who saw this page sent me an article about
Red from "Country Song Roundup" from the late forties. Seems that Red
was on WWVA, Wheeling, West Virginia, for three years in the early
forties. He often performed with the Bailes Brothers.
12. Red retired from radio in the forties and went to work as
superintendant of the Gotham Hosiery Company in West Virginia. He worked
there for 7 years. They made panty hose. I don't recall any other
celebrity having spent 7 years in a panty hose factory.
13. Shortly after he decided to go back into radio, the Bailes Brothers
invited him down to Shreveport.
14. Red signed a deal with MGM records (perhaps with the aid of Hank
Williams?) and had a few hits, most notably a ditty called "Intoxicated
Rat."
Red Sovine's music is not something you will easily forget. Play a Red
Sovine CD at a party, or for friends, and watch their reactions.
I first heard Red Sovine while working at a record store back in 1985.
One of my managers played me " Teddy Bear " one Saturday night. I could
not believe my ears. Another manager at the store told me he had heard a
Red Sovine song about Elvis giving his last concert on the back of Red's
flatbed truck. He didn't have a copy of the song, but swore up and down
such a tune existed. That's all it took for me.
I shortly thereafter went on a trip across the country, and at every
truck stop I visited, I bought Red Sovine tapes. I heard more crazy
songs from Red Sovine than I thought possible. The most memorable ones
involve supernatural occurances. "Bringing Mary Home" is about a guy
finding a little girl out on the highway late at night, and giving her a
ride back to her house. When he opens the door of his car to let Mary
out, she is gone. He knocks on the door to the house, and a woman inside
tells him that Mary was her daughter who had been killed in a car wreck
on that road where the guy picked her up. Every year on the anniversary
of her death, someone knocks on the woman's door with the same story.
"Teddy Bear" is about a crippled boy whose late father was a truck
driver. The crippled boy ("Teddy Bear"), gets on the CB one day and asks
truckers to come drive him around in their trucks, just like his dad
used to do. There's a sequel to "Teddy Bear" called "Little Joe" that
casually mentions a miracle happened to Teddy Bear allowing him to walk
again, and he becomes a truck driver. Strange stuff.
Yet the Elvis song was nowhere to be found. I ordered a few Red Sovine
CD's off the tv, still no luck. I have been a fan of Hank Williams Sr.
as far back as I can remember, so finding out that Red had a Hank
connection through the Louisiana Hayride got me even more interested in
Red.
Who was this shadowy figure who knew and hung out with my heroes down on
the Hayride? This man that released such bizarre music that people still
enjoy today? This man that stood in line between Hank and Elvis, yet
didn't get his due until 1976?
There are no books about Red Sovine, and hardly any information on him
on the World Wide Web. For the past 12 years I have always checked the
Red Sovine section in record stores, and I never could find that elusive
Elvis tribute. Sure, I found lots of other gems, like "Tell Maude I
Slipped," "Lay Down Sally," (yes, the Eric Clapton song), "I'd Love
Making Love to You," "Does Steppin' Out Mean Daddy Took a Walk?,
"Camptown Races," "Mr. FCC," "Santa Clause was a Texas Cowboy," and so
many others. The Santa song comes from a Red Sovine Christmas album that
also includes songs about children dying in Santa's lap, recently
divorced alcoholic men spending Christmas Eve getting drunk, blind
children asking "Daddy, what does Christmas Look Like?," and on and
on... It's not a very happy Christmas album if you ask me!
But the Elvis song was never among the gems on my newly found Red Sovine
masterpieces. Until a few months ago. While shopping at a Nashville used
record store, I habitually peeped the Red Sovine Section. I saw a CD
called Gone But Not Forgotten, and there plain as day was the song
title. "The King's Last Concert."
I was so excited when I got home, I looked up my old manager's phone
number who had sent me on this quest twelve years ago, and excitedly
left him a message on his answering machine. "I finally found the
'King's Last Concert'"!!!!
And what a song it is, too. Here's the plot. Red is driving late one
night, when he goes into some sort of weird drug-like trance, and to
quote Red, "I couldn't believe it. there was Elvis Presley on the back
of my flat bed truck. And he gave a concert like you never saw. He sang
every song he'd ever done..." Yes, it sent me into a weird, drug-like
trance, too!
Angels come down from the sky and take Elvis back with them to heaven.
Red "stumbles around in the dark" until the sun comes up, then hurriedly
heads for the nearest truck stop where he'll have "quite a story for
them gear-jammers."
At the truck stop, he gives the waitress a dime for the jukebox and
tells her to "play somethin' good" Of course it's an Elvis song. Then
Red picks up the morning paper, and sees in the headline that Elvis had
died the day before. It was only then he realized that he had witnessed
"The last concert of the king..." On the back of his flatbed truck, no
less!
Of course, mere words cannot describe the beauty, the insanity of the
song. Lots of Red's songs are insane, and make absolutely no sense, but
this one takes the cake. This one is the grandaddy of them all.
I would point you in the direction of a Red Sovine web page now, but
there aren't any! I plan on rectifying that situation soon. Just do
yourself a favor, and buy a Red Sovine CD or tape. They usually have
good selections at truck stops. Give the waitress a dime, and tell her
to play somethin' good! Or tell her Big Joe is settin' you up. She'll
understand.
Follow this link if you want to. It's a link to a commercial web site
that has Red Sovine CD's and tapes for sale. Everyone needs a little
Sovine.
http://hometown.aol.com/JuvenileHi/Sovine.html
why not end it that way
yes i Heard it sev yrs ago
on th internet
A Misunderstood Genius-Red Sovine
On April 4th, 1980, the world lost the king of bad breath country, a
true musical giant, the missing link between Hank and Elvis...Red
Sovine.
Red was born in West Virginia (I found that out on a web page dedicated
to famous people who are from West Virginia), a long time ago. Who's Red
Sovine you say? Red Sovine is the finest performer of recitations in
country music history. Who can forget his number one hits "Teddy Bear,"
"Phantom 309," and "Colorodo Kool-Aid?" once you hear Red, you can never
forget him.
His timeless songs about crippled orphans in wheelchairs (" Teddy Bear,"
"Little Joe"); Ghostly hitch-hikers ("Phantom 309," "Bringing Mary
Home"); truck drivers on amphetimines ("Freightliner Fever"); bar fights
("Colorado Kool Aid"); children dying in Santa's lap, teenagers dying in
car wrecks ("I'm Only 17"); spouses dying in car wrecks ("Last
Goodbye"), patriotism ("Pledge of Allegiance"); truck driving concerns
("Trucker's Prayer"); changing flat tires on trucks ("The Gear Jammer
and the Hobo"); and Elvis' last concert ("The King's Last Concert") have
wowed truck driving music fans for decades.
There is hardly any information on this 20th century Mozart (as I like
to call him), but what little I do know, I will share with you now.
1. Red performed on KWKH on Louisiana Hayride along with Hank Williams.
Hank even gave Red a song to record, ("You're Barking Up The Wrong Tree
Now") one which Hank never recorded himself.
2. Red replaced Hank on the Johnny Fair syrup show on KWKH when Hank
went to the Grand Ole Opry.
3. Red was still on the Hayride when Hank returned in 1952, after having
been fired from the Opry.
4. Red went to the Opry right before Elvis hit the Hayride.
5. Red recorded some recitations with Webb Pierce singing.
6. Red had a hit with a cover of George Jones' "Why Baby Why."
7. Red had his first number one record with " Teddy Bear," in the late
seventies, cashing in on the "truck driving/CB radio craze"
8. Red appeared in the movie "Convoy"
9. Roger Sovine, Red's son, is president of BMI Nashville.
10. There is apparently only one known photograph of Red, because it's
the only one on any of his CD covers! (It's the one at the top of this
page)
11. New Information! Someone who saw this page sent me an article about
Red from "Country Song Roundup" from the late forties. Seems that Red
was on WWVA, Wheeling, West Virginia, for three years in the early
forties. He often performed with the Bailes Brothers.
12. Red retired from radio in the forties and went to work as
superintendant of the Gotham Hosiery Company in West Virginia. He worked
there for 7 years. They made panty hose. I don't recall any other
celebrity having spent 7 years in a panty hose factory.
13. Shortly after he decided to go back into radio, the Bailes Brothers
invited him down to Shreveport.
14. Red signed a deal with MGM records (perhaps with the aid of Hank
Williams?) and had a few hits, most notably a ditty called "Intoxicated
Rat."
Red Sovine's music is not something you will easily forget. Play a Red
Sovine CD at a party, or for friends, and watch their reactions.
I first heard Red Sovine while working at a record store back in 1985.
One of my managers played me " Teddy Bear " one Saturday night. I could
not believe my ears. Another manager at the store told me he had heard a
Red Sovine song about Elvis giving his last concert on the back of Red's
flatbed truck. He didn't have a copy of the song, but swore up and down
such a tune existed. That's all it took for me.
I shortly thereafter went on a trip across the country, and at every
truck stop I visited, I bought Red Sovine tapes. I heard more crazy
songs from Red Sovine than I thought possible. The most memorable ones
involve supernatural occurances. "Bringing Mary Home" is about a guy
finding a little girl out on the highway late at night, and giving her a
ride back to her house. When he opens the door of his car to let Mary
out, she is gone. He knocks on the door to the house, and a woman inside
tells him that Mary was her daughter who had been killed in a car wreck
on that road where the guy picked her up. Every year on the anniversary
of her death, someone knocks on the woman's door with the same story.
"Teddy Bear" is about a crippled boy whose late father was a truck
driver. The crippled boy ("Teddy Bear"), gets on the CB one day and asks
truckers to come drive him around in their trucks, just like his dad
used to do. There's a sequel to "Teddy Bear" called "Little Joe" that
casually mentions a miracle happened to Teddy Bear allowing him to walk
again, and he becomes a truck driver. Strange stuff.
Yet the Elvis song was nowhere to be found. I ordered a few Red Sovine
CD's off the tv, still no luck. I have been a fan of Hank Williams Sr.
as far back as I can remember, so finding out that Red had a Hank
connection through the Louisiana Hayride got me even more interested in
Red.
Who was this shadowy figure who knew and hung out with my heroes down on
the Hayride? This man that released such bizarre music that people still
enjoy today? This man that stood in line between Hank and Elvis, yet
didn't get his due until 1976?
There are no books about Red Sovine, and hardly any information on him
on the World Wide Web. For the past 12 years I have always checked the
Red Sovine section in record stores, and I never could find that elusive
Elvis tribute. Sure, I found lots of other gems, like "Tell Maude I
Slipped," "Lay Down Sally," (yes, the Eric Clapton song), "I'd Love
Making Love to You," "Does Steppin' Out Mean Daddy Took a Walk?,
"Camptown Races," "Mr. FCC," "Santa Clause was a Texas Cowboy," and so
many others. The Santa song comes from a Red Sovine Christmas album that
also includes songs about children dying in Santa's lap, recently
divorced alcoholic men spending Christmas Eve getting drunk, blind
children asking "Daddy, what does Christmas Look Like?," and on and
on... It's not a very happy Christmas album if you ask me!
But the Elvis song was never among the gems on my newly found Red Sovine
masterpieces. Until a few months ago. While shopping at a Nashville used
record store, I habitually peeped the Red Sovine Section. I saw a CD
called Gone But Not Forgotten, and there plain as day was the song
title. "The King's Last Concert."
I was so excited when I got home, I looked up my old manager's phone
number who had sent me on this quest twelve years ago, and excitedly
left him a message on his answering machine. "I finally found the
'King's Last Concert'"!!!!
And what a song it is, too. Here's the plot. Red is driving late one
night, when he goes into some sort of weird drug-like trance, and to
quote Red, "I couldn't believe it. there was Elvis Presley on the back
of my flat bed truck. And he gave a concert like you never saw. He sang
every song he'd ever done..." Yes, it sent me into a weird, drug-like
trance, too!
Angels come down from the sky and take Elvis back with them to heaven.
Red "stumbles around in the dark" until the sun comes up, then hurriedly
heads for the nearest truck stop where he'll have "quite a story for
them gear-jammers."
At the truck stop, he gives the waitress a dime for the jukebox and
tells her to "play somethin' good" Of course it's an Elvis song. Then
Red picks up the morning paper, and sees in the headline that Elvis had
died the day before. It was only then he realized that he had witnessed
"The last concert of the king..." On the back of his flatbed truck, no
less!
Of course, mere words cannot describe the beauty, the insanity of the
song. Lots of Red's songs are insane, and make absolutely no sense, but
this one takes the cake. This one is the grandaddy of them all.
I would point you in the direction of a Red Sovine web page now, but
there aren't any! I plan on rectifying that situation soon. Just do
yourself a favor, and buy a Red Sovine CD or tape. They usually have
good selections at truck stops. Give the waitress a dime, and tell her
to play somethin' good! Or tell her Big Joe is settin' you up. She'll
understand.
Follow this link if you want to. It's a link to a commercial web site
that has Red Sovine CD's and tapes for sale. Everyone needs a little
Sovine.
http://hometown.aol.com/JuvenileHi/Sovine.html
