songs of a coal miner’s son 14

With Gene Christy & Rod MacDow

episode fourteen . . .

Wow! I’m excited now!

It was 12 below in the Berskshires last night!

Now that is the fact, but it’s hardly what I’m excited about!

I’m excited about Norm Schaffer heatin’ things up over at the American Legion Hall,

in the downstairs pub, last Friday night.

NORM SCHAFFER __OUR

FEATURED ARTIST OF THE WEEK!

BAD MOON RISIN’

What better song to warm you up, and get things cookin,’ than a little Creedence!

WORDS AND MUSIC by John Fogerty. From the CCR album, “Green River”

We were there with a table-ful of friends–

I SEE MARIE G!

and Norm kept it warm and lively with his inimitable renditions of all our favorites from days gone by that we grew up with and went to high school with and fell in and out of love to—the soundtrack of our lives!

I imagine it’s the same or similar all over “This Land is Your Land,” as Woody sez, and has been for a long time now—for the life of me, I can’t understand why some of the talents you see on a Friday night at the Legion Hall or the VFW or the Grange are not household names in every town and village across this great big USA of ours! But as someone wisely told me—I think it was good-buddy Rod MacDow—“The further up the pyramid you go, the less room there is at the top!”

And that’s not to say that the Norm Schaffers of the world don’t have their finger on the pulse. They do! It’s the TV dolls with their botox lipsticks and beat-box monotony that all look and sound the same, and only talk to each other, removed and remote behind their glass walls and inside their pixel-boxes, in their rarefied isolation from the real world of real people.

I’ll take me some home-cookin’ any day in the week!

“NORM IS AVAILABLE!”

So without further ado, let me introduce NORM SCHAFFER, as our FEATURED GUEST OF THE WEEK—and also let you know that Norm may be just the first—if our plans work out, there will be many more as we go through 2014 together.

And one of the extra-added nice things about this is that, beginning with Norm, we will commence a series of LIVE RECORDED INTERVIEWS with our featured guests, so that listeners and musicians alike can learn about not just the person but how he goes about creating the sounds of music that we present on our blog alongside the interview.

Listen up, folks! Here’s Norm Schaffer, in a studio version, on the well-known John Denver favorite,

TAKE ME HOME, COUNTRY ROADS

This song was written by John Denver with Bill and Taffy Danoff in an all-night session after a gig in Washington, DC, on a night when Denver broke his thumb in an auto accident! When Denver brought it in to his producer with the title “Country Roads”–Milt Okun pointed out to him that James Taylor had just brought out a song called “Country Road.” Denver didn’t blink when he replied, “Sure–whatever–make it “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”
Whatever, indeed. Even if you call it “Country Roads,” it will forever be known as John Denver’s signature song.

And next, one of my own particular all-time faves,

GREEN, GREEN GRASS OF HOME

“Green, Green Grass of Home” was written by Curly Putman and recorded by singer Johnny Darrell, but originally made popular by Porter Wagoner, in 1965—but it only reached No. 4 on the country charts. It didn’t become the world-wide sensation and trendsetter it was destined to become until Tom Jones, the Welsh heart-throb of the blue-haired Vegas set—and your living room TV!—put it out in 1966—and suddenly every pop star had to record a country ballad!

Before we go any further–! COMING NEXT WEEK!

Jessica Roemischer—Piano Beautiful!—right here on “Songs of a Coal Miner’s Son”—

JESSICA !

NEXT WEEK! Don’t miss Jessica!

A live recorded interview with Jessica will be one of the features!

And now—back to Norm Schaffer—with the Beatles!

Seeing as we are celebrating right now 50 years of the Beatles on our American shores—

STRANGERS WELCOME

And to show you a little peek into Norm’s diversity of talent–

here’s John Lennon’s “Across the Universe”

Check it out! Recorded live on a Teac VR-20 Digital Recorder
Friday night, 17 Jan 014, at
the American Legion Hall, Downstairs Pub, Pittsfield, MA
. . . in the Berkshires, USA!

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

This song was written, words and music, by John Lennon, but credited to Lennon-McCartney—just as “Lady Madonna” was credited to the partnership, but was actually written by Paul McCartney. John’s song first appeared, in a version different than the one on the “Let It Be” album, in December of 1969, on a compilation album called “No One’s Gonna Change Our World.”

And now it’s time for us to sit down with Norm for a little Q&A session!

INTERVIEW WITH OUR FEATURED ARTIST OF
THE WEEK!
__NORM SCHAFFER!

A song written by Norm Schaffer himself?—both words and music?

Here it is—and it’s a good one–I love it–I’m jealous!–good job on you, Norm!

PEACE OF MIND

Words and music by Norm Schaffer

Norm Schaffer ***** Sammy Winner
__Notable New Berkshires Performer of 2014

This award is named after little Sammy, the son of Cam and Rachel Collins, and also little Sammy, the son of Ricky and Theresa Marquis—I can never tell them apart—they both have sons named Sammy!

They have the Grammy! We have the Sammy!

REFLECTIONS OF NORM

UPCOMING THIS YEAR__2014!

We will have plenty of new, original Gene Christy tunes, recorded here at Christy Studios, some from last year and yet-to-be-recorded, some yet-to-be-written, on the road to 99 good tunes—

As you can see–

The Berkshires is not only home to James Taylor and Arlo Guthrie!

—we are lucky enough to have here in our little mountain home an array of talented performers, which makes it a very special place indeed!

so look for such featured guests such as Erin and Duffy, Rakish Paddy, Anthony Luchi and Bobby Sweet—

And don’t forget!—

COMING NEXT WEEK! — JESSICA ROEMISCHER!

So stay tuned, once a week, same time, same station—

Join the blog and become a Follower—click on the flag lower right corner!

And don’t forget, people, to go visit the websites, while you’re here, of our friends,

Bobby Sweet at

http://bobbysweet.com/

You can find Rakish Paddy at

http://www.rakishpaddyband.com/

You can find Eddie Dillon and a world of great music at

http://clancybrothersandtommymakem.com/ed_01.htm

See you guys next week, same time, same station!