"Where are all the dreamers... That I used know? We used to linger beneath street lamps in the halos and the smoke The wing and the wheel... Came to carry them away Now they all live out in the suburbs where their dreams Are in their children at play There's a pale sky in the east... All the stars are in the west Oh, here's to all the dreamers... May our open hearts find rest The wing and the wheel are gonna carry us along And we'll have memories for company... Long after the songs are gone." (Griffith)
When it came time for me to make a final choice for my Album of the year for 1986 I found that I simply could not, that I had to choose co-albums of the year-- only time that has happened since 1955. Paul Simon-- "Graceland" Nanci Griffith-- "Last of the True Believers"
Mary Gauthier Nanci Griffith was a teacher to me, she showed me folk music, she educated me on what came before. She spoke my language, sang her way into my being. I loved her music and saw her perform many, many times. I got to work with her a bit when I was getting started, and I got to know her some after I came to Nashville. She was always kind to me, generous. A profound influence on me, her spirit will always remain alive inside her music. The first year I lived in Nashville, I was invited to a party at music photographer Jim McGuire’s house that became a song circle with Guy Clark, Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt, Joe Ely, Steve Earle and Nanci Griffith. It was a wonderful night, and I was on the edge of my seat, desperately wanting to go from being in the audience to swapping songs with that group of legends. I knew I was in deep waters, the new kid in town, but oh how I longed to sit in that circle. I’d deeply admired everyone in it for years. As the music was winding down, Nanci looked over and asked, “Mary, would you play us a song?” I knew her because I’d opened a string of shows for her a month prior. I was absolutely thrilled when she invited me to play. I sat in the chair she offered, took her guitar into my hands, and played “Our Lady of the Shooting Stars.” The other songwriters closed their eyes and nodded as I played, some smiled. No wild applause, no pyrotechnics when the song ended. But the smiles and nods made me feel like I belonged. I still had a long way to go, but joining that circle was validation that moving to Nashville had been a good decision. Holding my own in that circle of songwriters whose records I owned and whose careers I followed gave me confidence. Being around songwriters I deeply admired humanized them and made the star I was reaching for feel less distant. When I was done, I handed Nanci her guitar back. She shook her head and said, “Keep it.” I froze, holding her engraved, signature sunburst Taylor 612 cutaway guitar in mid-air,question marks in both of my eyes. “It’s yours,” she said. “When I moved to Nashville, Harlan Howard gave me his guitar. I’m giving you mine.” I was speechless but somehow found the courage to say,“Will you sign it?” She signed, “For Mary, because YOU WILL sing.” I found out later it’s an old Nashville tradition to pass on a guitar. It’s an attempt to stay on the good side of the muse and the mystery. Some songwriters believe it is one way to keep songs flowing. Harlan gave Nanci one of his guitars because he felt there were no more songs left in it for him but there might be some in there for her. Nanci had done the same for me. Welcome to Nashville, kid. Remember to stay on the good side of mystery and paradox; they’re your wheelhouse, now. RIP Nanci, and thank you. Your guitar is in my hands right now, I play it, remember your kindness, your music, and the influence you had in my life, and I cry. Working in Corners (Nanci Griffith) It's a southern road west of New Orleans I'm fightin' off a cold From these winter rounds Houston, she's just around the corner But I think I'll stop off here in Lafayette Lord and have me another round I've been workin' in corners all alone at night Pullin' down whiskey Keepin' my eyes away from the lights I'll never be a fool but I will gamble foolishly I've never let go of love Till I lost it in my dreams I don't want to go to sleep 'Cause I just might dream I'm stronger now, there was a man in my hometown He sang so pretty I'm glad he turned my head around But I'd forgotten how to play a one night stand Lord I didn't have a word to say Just holdin' that stranger's hand I've been workin' in corners all alone at night Pullin' down whiskey Keepin' my eyes away from the lights I'll never be a fool but I will gamble foolishly I've never let go of love Till I lost it in my dreams I don't want to go to sleep 'Cause I just might dream These city streets at five in the mornin' I would've stopped to phone you But I'm almost home At my back door There's a porch light that's shinin' I just don't mind livin' here by myself If I leave it on I've been workin' in corners all alone at night Pullin' down whiskey Keepin' my eyes away from the lights I'll never be a fool but I will gamble foolishly I've never let go of love Till I lost it in my dreams I don't want to go to sleep 'Cause I just might dream I don't want to go to sleep 'Cause I just might dream Don't want to go to sleep You know I sure can dream And I sure can dream Sure can dream
It was never a secret that John loved to sing with women. He marveled at how the best and beautiful voices in music agreed to sing with him and especially at how good they made him sound. Nanci Griffith had one of those best and beautiful voices. She was maybe his first real duet partner on stage. I rode the tour bus in the early 1990s with them and it was a golden time. She and John had a real affection for each other; both enjoyed their Major cigarettes from Ireland; they had the same sense of goofy humor; and he regarded her as a kindred spirit because they both saw and wrote about the experiences of everyday men and women of the heartland. This is a sad day for our music community, and for Nashville. It gives me comfort to know that John had reached out to Nanci in January 2020. He missed her. He tried to persuade her that there were young women who needed her - her experience, friendship, humor and the gift of her singular craft. She was amazed to hear him say those things and said she’d think about it. They spoke one more time before John passed in April. Rest In peace and music, sweet Nanci, and if you see that old duet partner please hug him from all of us. Fiona Whelan Prine
RIP Vivana-Lletget! So sad to die so young! Condolences to USMNT defender Sebastian Lletget & family! Sebastian Lletget Sister, Viviana, Has Passed Away
RIP The DFB is mourning the passing of one of the greatest German footballers of all time. Rest in peace, Gerd Müller. Our thoughts are with his wife and family at this time. pic.twitter.com/2kkIgiYtcO— germanfootball_dfb (@DFB_Team_EN) August 15, 2021
I looked at Muller’s DOB, and I have to think there weren’t many Germans born in the last half of 1945. His parents must have been tough as hell. Or hopeful.
I think it was pretty awful to be a female of reproductive age there and then. A whole lot of kids in that year's crop were likely fathered by gestapo types or allied soldiers. Worked for a guy born March of 1945 who told me that his father was captured by the Russians at Stalingrad-- which could be no later than Feb 1st 1943-- and never came home. Somehow he had never done the arithmetic and worked out that the man whose name he bore absolutely was not his father.
Fwiw, entry in German wikipedia: "Gerd Müller was born on November 3, 1945 in the Bavarian-Swabian town of Nördlingen. He was the fifth and youngest child of Johann Heinrich Müller and his wife Christina Karoline (née Jung)."
Sad news Comedian Sean lock has died after a battle with cancer, his agent confirmed this morning. The 8 out of 10 cats and 8 out of 10 Cats Does countdown star was surrounded by his family, Off the Kerb Productions confirmed. They said: ‘It is with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Sean Lock.
"Sonny Chiba, Martial Arts Legend and ‘Kill Bill’ Actor, Dies at 82 of COVID Complications" (Variety.com - Thursday, 8/19/21)
Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) https://www.biography.com/musician/don-everly
https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/32069046/rod-gilbert-hall-fame-forward-new-york-rangers-dies-80 Rod Gilbert, Hall of Fame forward for New York Rangers, dies at 80
Charlie Watts: Rolling Stones drummer dies aged 80 https://news.sky.com/story/charlie-watts-rolling-stones-drummer-dies-aged-80-12389662
Founding member of UB40, Brian Travers, died on Monday. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2...ist-and-songwriter-brian-travers-dies-aged-62 The rock n roll apocalypse is well under way.
Apparently he started with a banjo and couldn’t take to it so broke it up and made a snare drum out of it !! The rest is history
Ed Asner has passed away at the age of 91 Rest in PEACE, Ed. And thanks… pic.twitter.com/kTUojhSPP6— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) August 29, 2021
1970s Soccer USA Sad to report that Thompson Usiyan, the Nigerian international who notched 22 goals in 3 NASL seasons but was far more successful indoors, finishing as the 16th all-time leading scorer after 8 MISL seasons, died this week. He was 65. Usiyan helped Nigeria qualify for the 1976 Olympic Games, but an African and Arab boycott prompted him to look for other options. At Appalachian State University, Usiyan scored an NCAA-record 109 career goals, and the Montreal Manic made him the 10th overall selection of the 1981 NASL Draft. Usiyan flourished with the Manic and played for the Tulsa Roughnecks in 1983, but came to life in the MISL, where he earned 2 MISL All Star selections, reached the 1986 MISL Championship Series with the Minnesota Strikers, and won the 1992 MISL title with the San Diego Sockers.