Country's Family Reunion Full Episode 2

foreign this room will soon be filled with laughter tears and joy stories of the road and the songs that made these 29 country music Pioneers country music stars thank you for joining us for what I think you will agree is a piece of country music history I think Johnny Russell said it best when he described the people about to assemble in this room as representatives of the golden age of country music to settle back in an easy chair and imagine that these Legends have just paid a visit to your living room they're here to have fun and let you go behind the scenes and share the stories of their lives just as they live them you know there was a time in our business when they called our music country and western there was a time when they called it Hillbilly too and I remember that very well were you insulted when they called it Hillbilly music no well no that Gene says no well I was in New York you guys want to change over to country music a lot of these pop sounding guys but none of them wanted to be known as a hillbilly so if we if you know I didn't that would have stopped uh a lot of these guys from trying to think number one because I didn't want to be noticed I just want to be known didn't you I was getting to the fact that Billy Walker has recorded a lot of great western songs songs with Western flavors to them well you know my old Granddad wasn't absolutely West Texas Cowboy uh one of my granddads and in fact he rode the old Chisholm Trail and he used to tell me a lot of stories about the west and I got fascinated uh not only by all the stores that he told but you know the early Cowboy singer sang about the old Chisholm Trail and all the gunfighter ballads and things like this and I guess me and Marty both were vaccinated by sons of the Pioneers needle and we enjoyed Gene Autry and Roy Rogers and all these songs kept coming up from uh Youth and when I heard the cross the Brazos at Waco I uh I said boy I've got a I've got to record that song it's a great song would you sing it for us I'd be delighted too [Music] that was midnight Carmelo was strong food is mine because of the light he had chosen Carmel on behind too long [Music] but today is someone brought the message should then say that old San Antonio cross the rise and sit away come white Hollow and it'll make it back down the cross the price will sit wake up I'd say when I reach sand and go he glanced back over his shoulder the Posse was nowhere in sight it's in four Carmella to meet him on the banks of the Brazos tonight she was waiting and he kept the promise it made such a long time ago as he brought the guns that she hated and the money grazzles below cross the Razzle said wake up [Music] cross the grasses and wake up I'd say when I read silence are here then the night came alive with gunfire he knew that it last had been found as the Rangers stand so brightly El Bandido ring on the ground [Music] knew he was dying that all of her dreams were in vain as she kissed his lips spawned the last time she heard him whisper again cross the rise and said wake up and I'll make it fun across the prices [Music] when I read [Music] [Applause] foreign you're a great songwriter you wrote one of the biggest hits in country you've written a lot of them you wrote The Ring of Fire you wrote more and more but uh Wolverton Mountain boy what are some yeah yeah well I wrote this song in 1959 because I was going to see my uncle Clifton flowers who lived on Wilburton mountain and Wolverton mountains in Arkansas between Clinton and Marlton Arkansas on the route 65. and so uh I thought to bring him a present now he turned me on to country music he played manlin and Fiddle and as a little kid I said well I can't wait to go over to Mountain to hear Uncle Cliffs and pig so when I got there they were cutting Sargon molasses in the in the field and I said Uncle Clifton I wrote your song as a present so I sung the song to him and uh he was just uh just it's just dries he can be he said well I think you wrote yourself a hit that's it I just wrote it for you as a joke and he said you ought to think about that for a hit so I I had in fact the next week I was on tour with George Jones and uh George and I shared a hotel room together he said sing me something new I sung in a little bit of what was the mountains here I hate Mountain songs so Johnny Horton was with my dearest friends and of course he had the Battle of New Orleans he was the hottest thing going and he said Chief you got a song for me to record I can make you some money now so a song you go over to Mountain he said uh you know something about Mountain songs just don't get me yeah from the plains of Texas you know so I gave up I gave up on the song I moved to Nashville and Tillman Franks and Claude came up to finish an album the comet Cheryl's album and uh he said uh tell us that Merle have you got a song we want to help you out on your move to Nashville have you got a song that uh that uh you know this folk music it's really big now if you got a mountain song [Laughter] flowers [Music] [Applause] [Music] has a pretty young daughter is body with God our tender lips are tender lips a sweeter than holding mountains texture there hold the Bears and the birds damp clipped and flowers if a strange wander them all my dreams all over 10 pounds for my wife I take my chance I'm gonna climb that mountain don't lifted flowers bartender lips or Tender lips or sweeter than home [Music] if the spring should one on that mountain I'm gonna get the one I love I'm going up [Music] it's the loss down here below you know it's just a run for him to hide that daughter [Music] tender lips [Music] are there on the Bears in the birds tail clipped and flowers if the stranger should wander them well I don't care about Clifton flowers [Music] [Applause] love those Mountain songs talking about Roger Miller one time I was in Branson and Roger called me and we were talking and he said well Mary and I are fixing to go eat lunch and take the kids you won't go with us and I said well I'm not ready Roger he said well if you get ready we're going and he told me where they were going I didn't go because I went back to sleep a year later almost to the day I'm back in Branson and he's there my phone rings and I pick it up and Roger said you ready yet well this was after Roger made it he was in the Brown Derby uh in La one night and Frank Sinatra was in there and Roger had this girl in there with him and uh so he goes over to Frank's table and he you know if he introduces himself to him he says you know I was snatch on ride he says yeah Roger I know who you are he said well listen he said would you do me a great favor he said this would be the coolest thing I've ever done he said what's that he said I've got this girl in here tonight I'm really trying to impress he said is there any chance you would just come by the table and say hi Roger like we're old buddies he said sure you know I'll do that so Roger goes back to the table with this girl in a little while later Sinatra comes over to his table and says hey Riser how you doing Roger says not now Frank I'm busy [Applause] Roger winner behind Ronnie Milsap put his hands over his ears and said guess who hahaha he was stopped by a traffic cop and the cop says uh can I see your license and Roger says can I shoot your gun I love what he told Johnny Cash that time he said don't ever put your pills and your change in the same pocket he said I just swallowed 35 cents [Music] and bye bye there's a better all the way in the sky Lord in the sky I was standing by my window on a cold and cloudy day when I saw the hers come rolling just to carry my further away will the circle be a broken [Music] The Undertaker Undertaker please drive slow for this body you are all in Lord I hate to see [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] my father's all the way [Music] follow [Music] and be brave but I could not have my sorrow [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] my home was lonesome cause my mother she was gone all my brothers sisters [Music] let's bear in the sky Lord in the sky [Music] [Applause] you know a lady we haven't talked about since we've all been gathered here and I know there's a million stories about our dear friend Minnie Pearl nobody has nobody's talked about now Jimmy you mentioned her a while ago that you flew into playing with with the cousin Minnie and her husband Henry you must have a a jillion many Pearl stories Minnie Pearl was truly my friend because when I first came to the Opera and work in concerts with Mr a cup and the mini pearl and Earth's tub and so many of my dear friends uh I was green at the Grand Ole Opry you know and just starting and I do little gags on stage admitted Pearl when the show was over she said you want me to show you how to get a better life out of that joke yes and take the time to show me you know teach me the timing and so forth and it worked you know but what I always what I was always so grateful for was her taking the time to do that yeah you know the timing was was the key to what she did because she told the same stories you know for years and years but that timing was just so incredible you know what she always said if you get a good horse ride it that's what she said and that's what she did with her gags yeah same old stories year after year but every time you heard them they were funny the first time I ever saw many was when I was 10 years old in Maryville I had a test show with Roy a cup and uh I'm so thankful that in the last few years that we've had the matinee Grand Ole oprys and on Tuesday and Thursday uh each time we'd be on usually around three o'clock or 3 30 and I'd always stay around and wait because me would come out with Roy at 4 30 and Henry was standing backstage telling me what was going to go next and tell me the stories about how many times they'd been out on the road and he'd give me all those Road stories while I'm trying to listen to what million Roy's doing Henry was telling me the road stories but I'm just so thankful that I'd stayed around you know I could have been off doing other things but I wanted to see Roy and many work together as long as I could yeah bill I got a little story quick about I mean there was a lady who wrote to me one time and uh said it looks like you'd help me out being said I'm your illegitimate daughter this is true and I just ignored it you know and a few weeks later many come at me and says Gene I got I gotta chill I said wait Minnie I I don't have a illegitimate daughter she said well now that's enough to be ashamed of I said if I had one it'd be right with me but I really don't have an illegitimate owner she said but I never did I don't think I ever convinced many that I didn't have an energy before this girl was wanting me to send her some money you know where I was here not in this lifetime in 1960 I will tell you I came to the Opry and uh as a guest and then it was on the show and after I sang the song I walked over to the Santa station let me tell you something Dale he said you're going to be a big star in this business you've got that Charisma about you and do you know I didn't know what what she was talking about I went away back to California not knowing was she talking good about me well I got back and asked my wife I said what in the world is charisma mean that's a fact she told me that of course Minnie was a school teacher but she said that to me at 7 days 1960. and Joe a microphone he's got a minute when I met Minnie Tex Ritter and I were driving from New York to California Just the Two of Us greatest trip I ever took my life we were going through Arkansas and there was a head show print sign up on a telephone pole said Peewee Kings tent show in Pocahontas Arkansas I said text you know where Pocahontas is no but we'll find it and we went there and Minnie was on the show so that's the first time I ever met her she was a young girl and a wonderful comedian the next time I saw her to get close to us he played uh Disneyland and I went down to see her and I had grown a beard by that time so up on stage she says girls there's that sweet Joe Allison look at that beard he said I want you girls to know that it's all right to go through the brush to get to a picnic I worked one of the last shows that many worked it was those opera shows just before Juliet in Charlotte North Carolina she said something to me that really struck me she was standing there and Johnny I think you may have been on I'm not sure Tater was on there and I think I think it was while you were on the stage Tater she was getting ready to go on they were getting ready to introduce her and she looked at me and she said do you think we'll ever get over being nervous and I'm thinking many Pearl is nervous before she goes on the stage but then she said you know if if you don't get a little nervous then it doesn't mean as much to you as it should yeah that's true yeah Bill Jan wanted to say something uh I love many pearl of course because everyone did but one of my most cherished moments was right after her second uh cancer surgery she had the surgery I think on on the Wednesday or something like that she called me the following Sunday she was home and she said what are you doing tomorrow about noon and I said what are we doing and she said well we're having lunch if you'll come and get me she said the doctor said I can't drive but I can eat and so I said I'll be there and I went to her home and and picked her up and she showed me all through her home and I I'd been there but just usually downstairs in the living room whatever and she showed me some of her uh Treasures that she had collected through the years and out in the pool house and and it was it was really a precious time and then we went went to lunch and I had the privilege of Sprint spending three hours with Sarah Cannon right she she was Sarah that day and that is one of the most cherished times of my life what was the difference between Minnie Pearl and Sarah Cannon uh she was she was serious very dignified and we went to the Bellmead Country Club which was her club and and she was very dignified and even as many pearls she she was but that day it was just a different Persona it was it was uh yeah many yeah it was a country girl she was like she was a classy sophisticated lady because I worked the show in Charlotte North Carolina during her illness with her the True Value Store you remember those tours and for 45 minutes she went on that stage and she never pulled one joke in that 45 minutes she was Sir Canon she talked about mini pearl many pearls life in general and kept those people Spellbound for that entire show well the thing about her to me was the love that she and Henry had for each other a lot of it and she told me one time she said the first time that she went out with Henry their first date they went to Roy acuff's house or wasn't a trailer odds trailer trailer and they walked in the kitchen and uh there was two or three people down on their knees shooting dice and Henry looked at me and said this is where I want to be the week that Marty died Marty Robbins died Jimmy riddle died that week and many felt real close to Jimmy because she'd worked so much with a cup and them and she was really hurting and I was standing back by the curtain and she was going on but she grabbed a hold to me and she said I can't do this she started sobbing but she went out and she was really funny she was extremely funny then she came off the stage and grabbed me and I I kind of held her there and while she cried a little bit and I saw Henry walk in and he didn't come over in a few minutes she saw him and so she left and went over to him then a few minutes later Henry walked over to me and he said thanks for holding my many foreign I remember when I was doing mornings at WSM the morning that Roy Acuff passed away we were prepared for his passing we knew that that was probably eminent that morning when I hit the radio station and they said Roy had passed away I said let's do this there's time to grieve and to mourn his passing and there's a time for that it's appropriate but this morning let's celebrate his life and if we're talking about many or we're talking about Marty Robbins or Patsy Cline or Faron Young or Mama May Axton any we're going to celebrate their life we've all had a time to mourn their death and we know that that lies in front of all of us so hey you know it's an accepted thing but let's celebrate the life of the people and that morning Bill Anderson started off the telephone conversation he called me and he said I remember the last time I was on stage with Mr Acuff and I bill would you tell that story I was telling about the time that um of course Roy and I had the song you know I wonder if God likes country music which was a pretty serious song and um Roy had come out on the stage and as we all know he was he was pretty feeble and uh and and pretty sick in his last days and it was it was really very sad the way that that the song came off but then it was so great to see that Roy Acuff never lost his sense of humor because at the end of the song I think the audience really sensed that something special was going on and at the end of the song they stood up and I went over and put my arm around Mr Roy as a fan and frail and all as he was and uh and I leaned of course you know he didn't see real well in his later years and I said to Mr Roy they're standing up and he looked at me he said they ain't going home are they oh we got a guy over here and us how many years did you work with Roy Akins how many 54 54 years [Laughter] what do you remember about Roy Jacob when people ask you today to talk about Roy what what stems out in your mind the most I'll tell you one thing it's Apple it was in Pennsylvania at Sunset Park in Pennsylvania Robert knows Robert Orlando yeah we pulled up in the park and Ryan was asleep when we pulled in the park right we only got out and asked everybody for a dime and see Roy ain't gonna sleep we're gonna see these guys are traveling these buses today so they couldn't do it because y'all were in the car right yeah how much money did he make money you got your dough bro over there I think we need to hear a little bit of The Great Speckled Bird can you do that [Music] oh [Applause] [Music] what a beautiful thought I am thinking [Music] certain [Music] [Applause] all the pages of God's holy words [Music] Desiring to lower her standard they watch every move that she made they long to find fault with her teaching [Music] teaching but really they find no mistake [Music] anybody else know anymore [Music] Kitty you know some of the words Kitty will jump in start singing to what God who made Honky Tonk Angels visit your slave Melody oh yeah Roy went out in the The Green Room we call it there you know they got the padded seats and everything you draw all those chairs in and put it in his dressing room and he called it the Johnny Russell chair and uh whenever I came in and somebody was sitting in that chair he asked them to get up the only person he wouldn't ask to get up was my mother and I said well Laura she's sitting in my seat and he said well you ask her one night I came in and he had his chair and he was facing this guy they were really in conversation and I went over and I said but Roy and I went and the man was sitting in my chair and Roy looked at me and he wouldn't say nothing and I said Roy and he looked at me and he still wouldn't say anything finally the man said something about he felt like something was happening that he was involved in but he didn't know what it was and so Roy if I said well to tell you the truth that's the Johnny Russell chair and when he comes in every who's sitting in it we ask him to get up so he can have a place to sit down so he said well let me get up I don't want to break tradition he got up and I sat down in the chair and when he left when he walked out of the room makeup looked at me and he said you realize he owns every chair in here he thought he thought it was funny hey I got to tell one but Hank Williams Jr did the outlaw movement at the very peak of the outlaw Boomin and uh Hank was invited to single the Grand Ole Opry and Royce that I want to introduce him I've known him as a little boy so I got excited called Manuel in Hollywood and had one of those dusters from this uh right from the outlaw movie you know I thought he was a beautiful duster all trimmed up nice and had a nice velvet collar and real love and so Roy looked at him on the stage he said now friends here's uh a little rascal that I helped raise tonight he's appearing with long hair and a nice little raincoat [Laughter] well he was introducing me one night and he he said here he is and he told him where I was from told him about my records and he said now here he is Johnny uh Johnny uh somebody said Russell and he said oh yeah Johnny Ross and I came out and he said Johnny said I want to apologize for not being able to remember your name I said well that's okay Mr snow that didn't bother me one time he and Herman crook you know would uh be on the state a lot of time together though you know and hear him walk out and and uh Roy said uh Maryland said you and did you ever drink said no never did drinks I said nobody else said uh did you ever go out with any other women and he said no Rosa you don't know what you've missed bill I think probably Osman can tell you more about this but I was along on the trip every time Roy would go into a restroom at a truck stopper where one of the boys is slipping out under the door and said God is watching [Laughter] didn't know of course the boys were doing it and they went to truck stop and one of them slipped a note under the door and said God Is Watching You and Roy had just about all they could take so the guys had done left the restroom he came out this big old Burley truck driver sitting there and he slapped him on the shoulder and said I know God's Watching Me You know keep the microphone I was good I was gonna get Gene to sing a little bit of the Wabash camera oh okay you always do that [Music] from the Great Atlantic Ocean to the wine [Applause] [Music] she's a combination came down from Birmingham one cold December hey there's a gal from Tennessee she's long and she's tall she came down from Birmingham [Music] laughs he never did yoga I forget what Kia [Music] let's see [Music] all the hill far away really knows Rugged Cross [Music] the emblem of suffering and I love that old cross where the tears [Music] or a world of lost sinners [Applause] [Music] so I'll cherish [Music] Ed [Applause] [Music] I will clean [Applause] [Music] and exchange [Music] all that old Rugged Cross so despised by the world has a wondrous attraction for me for the deer Lamb of God left his glory [Music] to bury the dark gallery [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] can't stop me now [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] someday someday before the crack [Music] s Hallelujah [Applause] what do you think it is I'll ask Billy Walker why do you think it is when country singers getting a group together before longer singing gospels well I think probably it's because gospel is really the roots of country music uh and two there's there's something spiritual uh in country music that gospel put in there you know I was telling somebody the other day you really realize the redeeming factor of country music It's Gonna it's really got a redeeming moral to it you take your Cheating Heart and uh it says if you cheat you're gonna pay it's just like Charlie shoes well I looked at this woman I'd like to be in Charlie's shoes I looked at this woman and I said boy what I really like to have her I really want this woman and then the desire got so strong well he finally got a hold of this woman and what he got hold of was trouble sorrows and heartaches and so country music and gospel music are kind of hand in hand one is talking about the spiritual side of living and that's the gospel because see being a country music performer and and folks that like country music generally have a great feeling for the Lord and that's where when they sing gospel songs that feeling of being close to Our Redeemer is really prevalent and then when we sing country music we sing about situations and we get light-hearted and sometimes we get sad because they're sad situations in life and that's really what country music is about but in answer to your question it's the closeness With Our Redeemer when we sing gospel music and you know this we all joined in and we all knew the words and we all loved what we were singing one of the greatest gospel singers in the world is sitting behind you I remember no kitty Wells one of the greatest singers of any kind I remember an old one of the first albums than I ever had was called singing on Sunday sang some just some terrific gospels gospel news has been a big part of your life hasn't it starting really I mean gospel songs I bet you if we ask everybody in this room where they sang the first time in public 90 of us would say in church [Music] at the zoo I'm really happy to be a part of all this today we're glad to have you kitty could you sing a gospel song for us yes sir do you know that's on the Bible yeah start out [Music] dust on the Bible the song the holy word the words [Music] so I went into a home one day to see some friends of mine of all the books and magazines [Music] for the shame less [Music] last song [Music] you can read your magazines of love and tragic things and not one verse of scripture like Converse do you know when it is very true and its content's good for you hold the storm the Bible will do your poor soul the song Holy word words [Music] [Music] thank you

Channel: Country's Family Reunion

Views: 101,870

Keywords: country artist, old country music, gold country artist, live country music, live music, singersongwriter, country life, nashville, nashville country, blues, outlawcountry, acoustic guitar, acoustic country, new country, greatest country hits, greatest hits

Id: t3V3MI1IELk

Length: 43min 48sec (2628 seconds)

Published: Sat Jul 15 2023