They Don't Want Me Anymore- Okie Jones MP3
God Help Us Understand- Okie Jones MP3
6/18/11
beeradvocate.com- B+
Victory Summer Love Blonde Ale- Brouweji Lane- Greenpoint, Brooklyn- 32 oz. Growler- Poured in to Brandy Snifter Glass- 5.2% ABV- Brewed in Pennsylvania- Golden, straw colored. A bit darker than a Budweiser. I actually had a glass of this the other day and resealed the growler. The beer kept well but the head was not as impressive as the initial pour. The first days pour yielded about a two finger fluffy head which receded quickly. This time it barely had half a fingers worth of head. Little to no lacing on the glass. Lively small carbonation. This beer has a floral, slightly sweet aroma which is not overly hoppy. Mouth feel is definitely light bodied. The taste is truly refreshing and crisp and feels more like a pilsner to me than what I would typically consider an ale. Not super complex but has a subtle hop bitterness and absolutely no clingy aftertaste. I could definitely see myself drinking this again and it probably be just as good straight out of a bottle than it would be in a glass or from a tap.
My first 45 post is on the turntable, Okie Jones- They Don't Want Me Anymore b/w God Help Us Understand- Recorded in Nashville, Tenn. I am not a big 45 record buyer but on occasion I will leaf through some if I come across them in a thrift shop which is where I found this record. I was inspired to listen to this record after reading a blog post on http://somelocalloser.blogspot.com/2011/06/allen-potter.html which featured another Sur-Speed Records 45.
I don't know to much about Sur-Speed Records or Okie Jones but there is a bit of info on his discography at Hillbilly-Researcher.com for those interested. This 45 is, I am assuming pretty rare. What is even rarer is where I found it in a Long Island thrift store where really it had no place being. I wish I had the opportunity to find more records like this but being in New York certainly prevents me from coming across many old hillbilly records. This is a really weird little record and Okie Jones singing style has an almost preacher like quality similar to recordings by Porter Wagoner. Side 1 is They Don't Want Me Anymore written by H.R. Jonas which is a conversation between a bartender and a broken down customer who feels neglected by his family. Okie Jones wrote the flipside, God Help Us Understand, and is definitely not a politically correct track. This is the story of a man conflicted about his Christian upbringing and the way the world and himself treats African Americans. Both these tracks have minimal instrumental backing. Steel guitar, bass and guitar gently play in the background lending themselves softly to the voice on these tracks which is clearly the focal point.
Having trouble getting these files to play. Is this thing on?
ReplyDeleteOkie Jones is my uncle. His brother Cecil was my father. "They Don't Want Me Anymore" was written by H.R. Jones - my grandfather (Okie's dad.) Okie toured with the Little Jimmy Dickens Show, along with Faron Young, Grandpa Jones (no relation) and other popular stars of the day. He retired from performing and became a road manager / bus driver for Hank Williams Jr. and wound up as Marty Robbins' right hand man / driver / studio manager and friend for most of 40 years until Marty's death. Rock Legend Steve Miller has publicly acknowledged Okie as being a direct influence on him getting into the music industry after seeing him perform on the Big D Jamboree when Miller was just a boy. Okie influenced me as well. I began performing at a very young age. I performed "They Don't Want Me Anymore" in school talent shows, a kid dressed as a bartender telling the story. I ended up in the music biz too during the 70's and 80's. But I digress. Okie is a very unique character, full of wonderful stories from the Golden Days of American Country Music. I would just like to add that the B side of that record is often misinterpreted. It was actually a statement against prejudice and social injustice. Just as there is no crying in baseball, there is no prejudice among musicians. This was simply a dramatized recitation (pre-political correctness) telling the story about a southern raised white man who realizes everything he'd been taught about the black race was ignorant and wrong.It ends with an emotional question of any who might be bigoted; "If the choice is yours when life is throgh and you stand ol' Judgement Day... if there's colored folks in Heaven, would you go or would you stay?" Google Okie Jones and you will find an excellent vintage color performance of him doing a song on a TV show hosted by LIttle Jimmy Dickens. Oh, and I have that 45 record along several others Okie recorded in my collection as well. Thanks for your interest. Steve Jones
ReplyDeleteFt. Worth, TX
sjones@airmail.net