"I Don't Have No Skin Hang-Ups"

Charley Pride - Is Anybody Goin to San Antone? (from VA - From Where I Stand 1998)

My laptop is in the shop right now so for the next week or so I'm going to be posting random stuff found on my old computer and maybe some vinyl rips. Going to be throwing some curve balls, half of which you will probably hate but I expect you hate half of the music I post regularly anyways.

Grammy winner, semi-professional baseball player, manic depressive, and the most successful black Country music artist who ever lived. In fact, Charley Pride was the best selling artist since Elvis on RCA in the mid 70s. He surprised many early in his career who came to see a white man play hillbilly music, eventually becoming the 2nd black artist ever to play the Grand Ole Opry. Did I mention he was nominated for an Oscar too? This kind of success isn't even really possible in the music industry today, and Pride had one hell of a battle within the white medium he was working with. That and dealing with good friend George Jones' Klu Klux Klan tour pranks(read, great/fucked up book). A very interesting artist who put out some great ballads on the poppy tip. I generally lean towards the "drunk and alone" side of things, but sometimes I'm a sap. This is his cover of a Doug Sahm tune and one of my favorites. Off of From Where I Stand, a chronological box set of black Country music that is wonderful.

My Day was Thursday

Mississippi Fred McDowell - I'm So Glad I Got Good Religion (from Amazing Grace 1966)

Hearing Amazing Grace for the first time about 4 years ago was like one of those corny record collector stories about music that changed your life. Like "the first time I heard White Light White Heat I knew I wanted to start a band", or "I got my first kiss to DJ Funk", or "I lost my virginity to Schlachthofbronx". Well it wasn't really, I just happened to put it on as the sun was rising after being up all night from partying or something. Fred McDowell is often lumped in with the rest of the Delta Blues musicians, although he is actually from the northern Mississippi region, and if you ask me better than them all (save Blind Willie Johnson, Son House maybe). These recordings were made with his wife and the Como church choir and are some of the best these ears have ever heard. Not really into his later electric stuff, but I'm not into much of that anyways. And there aren't many things that bother me as much as college kids ranting about Robert Johnson or Leadbelly. Maybe it's just as bad listening to a collage graduate ranting about Ghetto House? I can't even listen to other versions of a lot of these songs, namely this track. They just aren't as convincing.

Playing Favorites

Killer Mike - Scared Strait (from "Monster")
Killer Mike - Deuces Wild (from "I Pledge Allegence to The Grind")
Killer Mike - Shot Down (from "Ghetto Extraordinaire")
For a Grammy Award Winning rapper with music in video games Killer doesn't get enough attention. Probably my favorite rapper at the moment both musically as well as in interviews. Somebody that would be a big problem with the right production team. A track from each of his three releases(I think?). Hopefully I.P.A.T.T.G. II comes out in july like its supposed to.


O.V. Wright - Everybody Knows (The River Song)(from VA - "Down & Out")
O.V. Wright - He's My Son(just the same) (from VA - "Down & Out")
O.V. Wright - Lets Straighten it Out (from VA - Soul Sides vol. 2: The Covers)
Certainly THE southern soul dude with a lisp. Dying before he reached 42, Wright was a lot more prolific than it seems. Only a few of his 10 albums are in print or where ever put on cd. Aside from a few best ofs, the only thing thats really in print is a ridiculously expensive Japanese boxset. Maybe thats a sign that more will pop up? The first two cuts here are from the "Down and Out: The Sad Soul of The South" comp on Trikont. "Everybody Knows" is like a broke ass version of Sam Cooke's "A Change Gone Come". The whole Trikont comp is very much worth hearing as well (Johnny Copeland's "Ghetto Child" is on there too). "Lets Straighten it Out" from one of the Soul Sides comps is the backbone of U.G.K's "Quit Hatin' The South". One of the finer examples of ripping someone off.

Bright Light Quartet - Straighten 'Em (from "Southern Journey Vol. 6")
Bright Light Quartet - The Prayer Wheel (from "Southern Journey Vol. 6")
Bright Light Quartet - I'm Tired (from "Southern Journey Vol. 8")
There isn't any info on this group so obviously there's no picture. I don't really enjoy looking at Alan Lomax but he will do. I don't really know what to say about this stuff. I have about 10 tracks from this group, most of which are on the Lomax "Southern Journey" collection. An odd contrast when put next to Fred McDowell and prison field recordings and such. This stuff almost sounds more "modern" for the time it was recorded(1959).