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Vassallo: It’s Never Too Late to Appreciate Country Classics
Tammy Wynette and George Jones, photo taken by Kirk West and shown on Kirk West Photography site.
Through the years great country vocalists have teamed up to release many classic songs.
Being raised in Nashville I never appreciated the country music scene until much later in life. I was too focused on The British Invasion, top forty hits, and the theme songs from motion pictures and Broadway. Now in 2015 I have a much greater appreciation for this music, especially the lyrics!
Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty, photo from Hulton Archives, Getty Images
It was twenty two years ago when we lost Conway Twitty. One of Conway’s memorable hits was recorded with Loretta Lynn: “You’re the Reason Our Kids are Ugly.” Conway was one of the more famous country music legends as was Loretta and in their prime, they ruled the roost.
Another country classic featuring a man and woman duet was “You’re The Reason God Made Oklahoma” by David Frizzell and Shelly West. This has always been one of my favorites for a number of reasons. My grandmother was born in Hugo, Oklahoma, and I invested three summers at the university in Norman obtaining a degree from the Economic Development Institute. Aside from these personal connections to the state, the song is truly a classic in every respect.
However, my all time favorite by a country duet is clearly “Two Story House” by George Jones and Tammy Wynette. Here is a video courtesy of easylyricsorg6398.
Having lived in a two story house for 17 years in Madison. I can relate to this song every time I hear it played. It’s interesting though being a realtor in Oxford at the number of requests for single story houses. Maybe these folks never heard the song, or more likely they have! In any event the melody is fantastic.
If you occasionally need a break from your musical preference passion, consider flipping on the Classic Country channel. Some of the lyrics may hit home even if you do have beautiful children. In our case, we’ve had nine beautiful canines, but who’s counting?
Steve Vassallo is a HottyToddy.com contributor. Steve writes on Ole Miss athletics, Oxford business, politics and other subjects. He is an Ole Miss grad and former radio announcer for the basketball team. In addition, he is a certified economic and community developer and currently, a highly successful leader in the real estate business with Premier Properties of Oxford.You can contact Steve at sovassallo@gmail.com or call him at (985) 852-7745.
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Jim Hays
April 7, 2015 at 8:15 am
I grew up on “big band” however “country” took over later. I lived for a time in Florence, Al. and for a time, George Jones lived just up the street. One day mine & the neighborhood children were in our front yard playing badmittin. George walked up the street in his Bermuda shorts and cowboy boots. He watched a while then asked if he could play. Well, he did take off his boots and they played for about 1/2 hour. He was not “world-class” but seemed to have more fun than the children. He did catch them several times and always played. Great memories.