Liner Notes
The Ultimate Nashville Stars
Here’s a nice little compilation album with some pretty big names on it. The recordings you are about to hear sold millions of copies combined.
And they all came from a town at the heart of country music smack dab in the heart of Tennessee.
So get ready to hear wall-to-wall solid gold from wall-to-wall talent in Volume 241: Nashville Souvenirs.
Video Intro
Listen here or on my PodBean Podcast Episode page:
You can check out the video version here or on YouTube:
Go Directly to Any Song or Break on YouTube:
00:00 – Season’s Show Intro
00:49 – Episode Introduction
01:29 – Harper Valley P.T.A.
04:35 – First Break: Why I chose this record for this episode
06:04 – Sittin’ And Thinkin’
09:10 – Johnson’s Old Gray Mule
11:36 – Second Break: More information about the record, its marketplace value and what condition my dad’s vinyl is in.
13:56 – Feel My Love
16:14 – Sweet And Easy To Love
18:23 – Third Break: Artist Bio
19:05 – Got You On My Mind
21:41 – Night Life
24:07 – Fourth Break: this episode’s Interesting Side Note.
27:33 – Blue Suede Shoes
29:51 – I Walk The Line
32:29 – Fifth Break: Final Words
34:51 – I Walk The Line
37:21 – Close
Credits and Copyrights:
Various – Souvenirs Of Music City U.S.A.
Label: Plantation Records – PLP-506
Format: Vinyl, LP
Released: 1978
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
We will hear 10 of the 20 songs on this album. I got a little carried away.
Jeannie C. Riley – Harper Valley P.T.A.
written by Tom T. Hall
Released in August 1968
Charlie Rich – Sittin’ And Thinkin’
written by Charlie Rich
First recorded on August 9, 1962 and released in October of that year.
Gordon Terry – Johnson’s Old Gray Mule
is attributed to Thomas Westendorf, who wrote the song in 1884, but it’s listed as traditional on Second Hand Songs dot com.
Released in March of 1957.
Rita Remington – Feel My Love
Written by Rita Remington and Shelby S. Singleton
Released in January of 1977
Roy Orbison – Sweet And Easy To Love
written by Sam Phillips
recorded on December 14, 1956 and released on January 24, 1957.
David Allan Coe – Got You On My Mind
Written by Howard Biggs and Joe Thomas
Released August of 1977 more than 10 years after recording it.
Willie Nelson – Night Life
written by Myles Goodwyn, Walt Breeland, Paul Buskirk, and Willie Nelson
Released in September of 1965.
Carl Perkins – Blue Suede Shoes
Written by Carl Perkins
Recorded and released in December 1955. Elvis did his version just three months later.
Johnny Cash – I Walk The Line
Written by Johnny Cash
recorded on April 2, 1956 and released May 1.
Little David Wilkins– Just Blow In His Ear
Written by Bill Way, John Reynolds, and Johnny Bienstock
Released in 1969
I do not own the rights to this music. ASCAP, BMI licenses provided by third-party platforms for music that is not under Public Domain.
#nashvillesound #musiccity #musichistory #vinylcollecting #vinylrecords #musicalmemories
Here is the Episode Script!
Thanks sweetie and thank YOU for tuning into episode 241 of Spinning My Dad’s Vinyl.
Here’s a nice little compilation album with some pretty big names on it. The recordings you are about to hear sold millions of copies combined.
And they all came from a town at the heart of country music smack dab in the heart of Tennessee.
So get ready to hear wall-to-wall solid gold from wall-to-wall talent in Volume 241: Nashville Souvenirs.
[Music: Harper Valley P.T.A.]
Jeannie C. Riley with Harper Valley P.T.A.
written by that old storyteller himself, Tom T. Hall.
And according to him, it is based on a true story from his hometown.
That song was released in August 1968.
Ok…Why this record for this episode?
I don’t talk much on this show about my nearly three years at a country radio station since most of my dad’s vinyl falls under the jazz and pop category. I played quite a few of the tunes from this album on the air there. This was in the mid to late 1980s so they were classified as country classics even then.
You’ll recognize several of the songs or artists I’ll feature on this episode. I mean, there are some powerhouse singer/songwriters here.
Even my girlfriend knew many of the tunes on this album. That’s a rarity with my dad’s music.
There were other popular artists on this record but I thought I would give some lesser known of those artists some air time on this episode. I mean I skipped George Jones in order to hear Rita Remington and Little David Wilkins.
This next artist had a big hit with a story about what went on behind closed doors. Before that he was contemplating what he was going to do.
[Music: Sittin’ And Thinkin’]
[Music: Johnson’s Old Gray Mule]
There is Johnson’s Old Gray Mule performed by Gordon Terry.
It is attributed to Thomas Westendorf, who wrote the song in 1884, but it’s listed as traditional on Second Hand Songs dot com.
This version was released in March of 1957.
Before that we heard Charlie Rich with Sittin’ And Thinkin’
written by Charlie Rich
First recorded on August 9, 1962 and released in October of that year.
Now let me tell you about my dad’s vinyl I am spinning for this episode.
Various – Souvenirs Of Music City U.S.A.
Label: Plantation Records – PLP-506
Format: Vinyl, LP
Released: 1978
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
We will hear 10 of the 20 songs on this album. I got a little carried away.
There are no liner notes per se. The back cover lists out all of the details of each song on the record complete with a small headshot of each artist.
So let’s see what prices this record is being sold at on discogs dot com.
It’s never been sold on that website.
My dad’s record is in poor condition. In fact, you get to hear a couple big skips in Harper Valley and coming up in Night Life. But they didn’t affect the song enough for me
The surface does not look to be in bad condition, but this does seem to be a budget label product, so you never know.
The cover is in fair condition. Just some wear marks on the white cover from being in a stack of records. There are none of my dad’s usual markings on the back and no address label on the front.
So I’ll value my dad’s vinyl at two dollars since nobody else wants to set a value.
Next up is from a singer I was not familiar with, but what a sweet pure voice.
[Music: Feel My Love]
[Music: Sweet And Easy To Love]
The one and only Roy Orbison singing Sweet And Easy To Love
written by Sam Phillips
recorded on December 14, 1956 and released on January 24, 1957.
Before that we heard Rita Remington with Feel My Love
Written by Rita Remington and Shelby S. Singleton
Released in January of 1977
Since there is no one artist for the bio section, we’ll just keep rolling along with TWO of my favorite singers.
[Music: Got You On My Mind]
[Music: Night Life]
The Red Headed Stranger and National Treasure Willie Nelson singing Night Life
written by Myles Goodwyn, Walt Breeland, Paul Buskirk, and Willie Nelson
Released in September of 1965.
Before that we heard from the ever rebellious David Allan Coe with Got You On My Mind. Not exactly You Never Call Me By My Name, but it’ll do.
Written by Howard Biggs and Joe Thomas
Released August of 1977 more than 10 years after recording it.
Time now for this episode’s interesting side note and it has to do with why Nashville has earned its title.
Nashville’s connection to the title “Music City” reaches back well over a century. In the late 1800s, the Fisk Jubilee Singers, a vocal group from Fisk University, traveled across the United States and Europe to raise money for their school. Their performances of spirituals and folk songs were so moving, they found themselves invited to sing for Queen Victoria. When she learned they were from Nashville, she’s said to have remarked, “You must be from the Music City.” The name followed them home, and the city’s identity began to grow around it.
By the middle of the 20th century, Nashville had more than lived up to that name. The Grand Ole Opry, broadcasting live every Saturday night, brought country music into living rooms from coast to coast. At the same time, producers like Owen Bradley and Chet Atkins developed the “Nashville Sound,” a smooth blend of country and pop that made the city a magnet for artists from all over the country. Recording studios sprang up along what became known as Music Row, turning the area into one of the busiest music-making hubs in America.
Over time, the nickname stopped being just a catchy phrase and became a reputation — one that stretched across genres and across the globe. From church choirs and front porch pickers to chart-topping hits recorded in world-class studios, Nashville built its legacy note by note. Today, when people say “Music City,” they’re talking about more than a place on the map — they’re talking about a place where music is woven into everyday life.
I do have my own Music City story.
I’ve only been in Nashville once for a professional conference many years ago. Music Row was everything it was said to be. I ended up in a bar that during the day did business as a diner and boot shop. At night, they would clear out the front display window of all the boots and stick a band in there. I saw one of the best guitarists I’ve ever heard in that place that night. And he was so young. I never caught his name, so I’ll never know what happened to him. But if that was the caliber of music being heard on a week night in a converted boot shop diner, then I can only imagine what was happening around the rest of the city and in the recording studios.
Next up, a famous version of a song made even more famous just a few months later.
[Music: Blue Suede Shoes]
[Music: I Walk The Line]
I told you there was some powerhouse talent on this record.
The Man in Black Johnny Cash with I Walk The Line
Written by Johnny Cash
It was recorded on April 2, 1956 and released May 1.
Before that was Carl Perkins singing Blue Suede Shoes
Written by Carl Mr. Blue Suede Shoes Perkins himself.
It was recorded and released in December 1955. Elvis did his version just three months later.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you.
There were some great artists and songs on this episode. You can always hear the quality of music coming out of Nashville.
These songs brought me back to my days at WBKC in my hometown of Painesville, Ohio. The BK Country Network as we simulcast on two other radio frequencies.
I worked there for nearly three years. And while I was a DJ, playing many of these tunes on a regular basis, that’s the station where I earned most of my news and sports reporting experience. I covered the Cavaliers and Browns for three seasons.
But I also got to meet some pretty big stars at the time in the Forrester Sisters and Steve Earl. Great memories from my years there.
Now, I don’t remember this album cover from my growing up days in the house.
The front is strictly words. Souvenirs of Music City USA along the top in black and blue thick serif font. There are two star bursts reading “Contains 20 original Hits” and “Contains 20 Original Artists.”
Under each are the songs and the artists in the order they appear on the record. But I know any graphic designer worth their salt would hate it. Those all capital sans serif letters are in SEVEN different colors. There’s no need for that kind of violence.
The back, like I described it above, is filled with info about each song with the photo of the artist next to each listing.
OK…Let’s end with a weird one.
[Music: I Walk The Line]
Little David Wilkins, who in the photos I saw of him isn’t very little, with Just Blow In His Ear.
Written by Bill Way, John Reynolds, and Johnny Bienstock
It was released in 1969
And there you have selections from an album with some real country star power.
So thanks for tuning into Volume 241: Nashville Souvenirs
however you did. If you want more information about this SHOW, head over to spinning my dad’s vinyl dot com.
I’ll be back next week with all my skips, scratches, and pops
FOR Volume 242: Mancini’s Gunn
Until then,
Go with the flow my friends.
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