I'm sure you heard this weekend country legend, Charley Pride passed away at 86.  Legend is not too strong of a word to use here.  In fact, it may not be big enough.  He simply was.  And he was one of the most gentlemanly people the entertainment industry has ever had. I proudly played his songs on many Country stations around the country for many years.

Classic Pride  - 1971  - Million Seller

Charley Pride wanted to be a baseball player.  And even though his run through various levels of professional ball was way before any of us can remember, by all accounts he was a darn good one, pitching for a number of years.  But many times in all of our lives, one dream supplants another, and when injury and time ended baseball, he chose differently.  About as different as you could then.  He became a country singer.  He was actually singing before some of his minor league games for a small price.  Interesting stuff.

One Of Pride's Best  -1981

I interviewed Charley Pride a few times over the years, and he was a truly nice man.  You would never have known he has about 30-40 number one songs on the Country Chart. He was in the same breath as Conway Twitty in chart success in the 1970's, and he was the second biggest seller for RCA behind Elvis.  Between about 1970 and the mid 1980's he charted 44 singles and all but about 7 went to the top 5.  He outsold everyone for a good while in the 1970's. And that means EVERYONE in country. BY A LOT!  The size of his popularity was incredible.  Name a name and he was outselling them.

Incredible Pride Song - 1981

He had many gifts.  First, you absolutely KNEW it was him singing (Best gift a singer can have).  He knew how to sing the song the way it was written.  He knew what the fans wanted.  He knew where the notes were and found them with great ease and power.  He NEVER over sang a song.  He knew how to put everyone in the audience at ease.  He chose songs perfect for him.  And he knew he was going down a road not really traveled before, and made everyone comfortable.  He was the right man, in the right place, at the right time for every reason there is!

Many Fans Today - Discovered Pride With This Song

After his incredible run through the 70's, Pride gently reinvented himself for the 1980's and did it perfectly as his booming baritone voice got even better. His style and song choices modified slightly, as was the Country music sound and landscape.  Many not familiar with the 1970's Pride, more than likely remember the 1980's Pride. The music was different, but still great.

A Month Ago At The CMA's With Jimmy Allen

Charley Pride would sound good singing a Google page.  He sang everywhere.  He sang the Anthem at a Superbowl, the World Series, he won ACM'S, CMA'S ,Grammy's, AMA'S, and is in the Country Music Hall Of Fame.  He also gave sage advice to a young and unknown Ronnie Milsap after seeing him perform one night in a Nashville Bar.  Told him sing ONLY Country Music. He took it, and Milsap had about 30 #1 country songs himself.

Fans were glad to see Charley Pride honored by the CMA for Lifetime Achievement a month or so ago, and it was good to see him sing with Jimmy Allen in front of many of today's stars!   It was well overdue, but with that said. We should all be so lucky to stand on our own stage at 86, sing our own song with a strong voice, and leave a multi-faceted legacy that will be remembered for generations to come. 

Charley Pride - Incredible talent, incredible career, incredible life

This time of year I always seem to have a memory or two about a couple of dogs I have had, and have.  I adopted the late Kona when she was 3 about this time of the year many years ago.  And 9 years ago this week, I adopted, Juneau from a shelter when she was 1.

Kona And Juneau Years Ago!

Windy brought Midnight the Pug home two years ago this week, and he's turned out to be a really nice dog too.  We love our dogs, and I'm sure you do do!  I found this article and thought it was apt, about how we can understand our pooches better and they can do the same!

Midnight Loves The Kitchen Heat Vent!

KNOW YOUR DOG BETTER!

Wynn's Weekend Watch -  2005  - Number One movie ON THIS DATE was Peter Jackson's  - King Kong!

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Cobra Kai 3 - They released the Cobra Kai season 3 trailer yesterday.

It Has Been Found – That - No. 1 was Wisconsin, followed by Utah and Oregon miss going to the movies the most!   (Map)

Wonder Woman – Writer and Director Patty Jenkins rips Justice League movies  (Story)

In Theaters NOW - Croods / Freaky / The Outpost, Honest Thief, The War With Grandpa   

DVD This Week - Tenet 

Christmas Day Movies - Wonder Woman 1984, News Of The World / Promising Young Woman / Pinocchio

WOW – Big News here about Disney!  (Story)

More Indiana Jones - Harry Ford is ready to go!  (Story)

Mario Lopez – Will star as a sexy Colonel Sanders in a Lifetime KFC mini-movie called A Recipe For Seduction.  (Story)

Dr. Strange 2 - Is in production – Rachel McAdams coming back  (Story)

Black Widow – Will NOT stream the same day it's released to theaters  (Story)

Recap Of My Articles This Week -   Real Christmas Trees -   Useless And Useful -  This is Interesting -

This Weekend – Check out my Country Music Memory Lane (link)

Things are surely different than they were a year ago, and we hope that all will return to "normal" sometime soon.  But until then, there are ideas that are taking off for the long and short term good.  

But I am not sure about this!

CLICK HERE FOR THE VYZR

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Many have asked if I could look back on 1990's artist Hal Ketchum, who just passed away at 67 from dementia last month.  So young for that, and we are all very sad about it.  Here's a guy that performed his entire life starting about 15 years old.  I proudly played all of his songs on the radio for many years.

Hal Ketchum was a very interesting person and artist who burst upon the scene in 1991.  And even though his big run was short, he found a following, and had tons of fans.  Looking back, I'm not so sure he was totally "country", as his roots were very diversified, but he found success on the charts, going up to #2 a few times.  He showed up at a good time, and added a real different color to the country music rainbow.  He was blessed with an interesting look, and a wonderful mainstream voice that would sound good singing about anything.

Small Town Saturday Night - Still A Favorite Of Many  - Mine Too!

Country was exploding when Ketchum showed up, and the time was right to have success.  I always felt Ketchum was like only few others of the era, as to where they were kind of pop, and even folk inspired at times, mixed in with the current tide of country.  Ketchum during his run, reminded me of Colin Raye and others in the the fact that they were blazing a new trail and expanding our borders beyond the monstrous hat acts of the decade, but all the while still very cognizant of what was going on in mainstream country.  They were not Alan, Garth, or George sounding, but they were not light years away musically, even if their outward image was. The whole bunch were not traditionalists, but they found a place where they were comfortable, and fans were too.

Hal's Fantastic Signature Song

Hal Ketchum's run on the charts was short, but with great success. He had two very big albums what had a lot of popular songs on them. 1991's Past The Point Of Rescue was a terrific project that catapulted him into the spotlight.  Seems everyone loved Small Town Saturday Night as it went to #2 on the charts.  Three more hits followed from it, I Know Where Love Lives, Five O'clock World  (remake of a 60's hit by The Vogues.)  And of course what would become his signature song, Past The Point Of Rescue, which is terrific - and SHOULD have been a #1 (#2) 

I'm Not Big On Remakes  But This Is One Of My Favorites- Perfect Artist To Do It!

The Sure Love  album was next, and it was also great, and it seemed Hal Ketchum was here to stay. Hearts Are Gonna Roll raced up to #2 on the charts and two more singles followed. But for some reason, after this album commercial success was tough, and Ketchum's best chart days were behind him.  He started acting, and had some roles in movies including Maverick, and Heartbreak Hotel.  He was also a painter. He was a very interesting guy, multi-talented too.

Great Song!

In 1998 he was stricken with a spinal chord disorder where he lost the use of the entire left side of his body. He had to relearn how to sing and play guitar. He did, and performed for many years after.  But in 2019, is was announced he had dementia and in November, he died at 67.  So young.  His passing hit a lot of people hard as our emotions and memories were driven back to the early 1990's where many of today's fans discovered country for the first time. Those are great memories for many, and Hal Ketchum was there to welcome them.

But for his short run, he racked up some very loyal fans who still love his music. Past The Point Of Rescue and Small Town Saturday Night still sound great, and fans still hit the dance floor when played.  Hal Ketchum made some great music in country's biggest decade, where he was part of it.

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Just to prove that there is a holiday for everything, today is Toilet Paper Appreciation Day!  And as it seems people can't stop buying it at a break neck pace for some reason these days, here is a very useful article on the history of a very useful product!

HISTORY OF TOILET PAPER

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Because of the climate of things these days, it seems the sale of REAL Christmas trees is booming!  And I think that's a great thing.  Growing up, that was always a tradition in my house, we would go out and buy a tree from the YMCA, or some church group and we would be on our way.  And of course you can still do that if you wish.

There are also GREAT places like Galehouse Tree Farm in Doylestown, they've been there for 89 years and counting. You can buy a tree cut, or you can go and walk the acres and cut your own.  People all over the area, heck all over the country are doing the latter.  It's something that you can do that checks all the boxes on safety, and gets you out of the house for a while.

And Everything For Your Tree Inside!

There is thought this could a trend now for a few years, as people may find they like the fresh tree, and what it brings to your house.  I'm thrilled for Galehouse and others.  In a time where good news is at a premium, it's good to see that there is a return to a tradition lost on some, to finding a new way for the family to have fun, and discover something they didn't know before.

Galehouse Tree Farm Facebook

Galehouse Website

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Wynn's Weekend Watch -  Christmas Chronicles 2   -  Not quite as fun as the original, but still a nice Netflix Flick!  (Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn) 

Cinema Safe – Great site for movie theater procedures (Site)

Warner Bros - Is going to release all of their 2021 movies on HBO Max on same day they hit theaters  -  (Story)

Big Recommend -  Hillbilly Elegy  (Amy Adams / Glenn Close) -  (Netflix) -   GREAT!   (True Story)

In Theaters NOW -The Croods  (#1 movie last week)  Freaky /  The Outpost /  Honest Thief /  The War With Grandpa /  Tenet  / Let Him Go

DVD Soon - Tenet   (Preview) 

Christmas Day Movies (Theaters)  - Wonder Woman 1984 /   News Of The World  / Pinocchio /  Promising Young Woman

Will Farrell - Turned down 29 MILLION dollars to make an Elf sequel!  (Story)

One Year Ago – Frozen 2 - Was the #1 movie in America!  

Ten Years Ago This Month  -  True Grit

As Long As We Are Talking Westerns - 27 Years ago This Month (hard to believe)  - Tombstone

This Weekend – Check out my Country Music Memory Lane (link)   

Out of all that has happened the past few months, many things have been cancelled, delayed and changed. And a whole lot of it not fun at all. In fact, most of it stinks.  And with the storm of the past couple days it got me thinking about the following. 

But what really might stink for many in the aftermath of this are Snow Days from school.  Seems to me that in the long run with all we've learned about virtual learning, that snow days may bite the dust up the road.  I was like every other kid from every other generation before and after me.  I loved snow days!  Waiting to hear your school had no school that day. We would gather around the radio and wait, and wait.  Somehow, ours was always the last one to be read.  But I feel those days may be on borrowed time.  I am hot advocating this, I am just wondering if it is inevitable.  Even ardent supporters of snow days have to possibly see the writing on the wall here.

Why cancel school when you can virtual learn instead of taking the day off? Easier decision for superintendents to make, and safer for the kids in bad weather, bus drivers too, and it saves money. The teachers would hate it, as many times they are happier than the students about no school. Also for all, there would be no worrying to make up days if the winter was really bad, as no one wants to go in late June.  But the fun of snow days would be over.

So, are snow days on the way out?  If I was asked to bet, I would say yes -  in the long run, but they will go kicking and screaming into the night by both students and teachers.  But it just may be a thing whose time has come.

Alan sent me a note asking if I would showcase his favorite from his early 20's, David Ball.  What a great memory for us to look back on.  David Ball was exceptionally talented always, and very popular for a very short time.  His gift to us was an unmistakable, original sound.

David Ball beat the odds for while, then didn't, then did again.  He was a long time player in the Texas music scene from the late 1970's till he finally hit the country charts solo in 1994. His big album, Thinkin' Problem, with the title song as the first single was a big success.  And what a song it was, although it didn't go number one, (it stalled at #2), it should have.  It also cracked the Top 40 All Genre Chart (quite a feat).  It was so catchy, so different, so refreshingly big time country, tons of fans fell in love with it.  David Ball had arrived in the middle of the country boom, in the best decade ever in our format  - at 41 years old.  That was almost unheard of, and still is. Thinkin Problem is about as good of a pure country song as you will ever hear.

HERE IS THE OFFICIAL VIDEO CLICK HERE!

Talk About A Cut-Through Song And Sound  - Thinkin' Problem

In the age or Garth, Alan, George, Tim, Shania, Toby, Kenny, Patty, Clint, Brooks And Dunn, Reba and countless others, David Ball's first big album found an audience, and it sold well over a million copies.  Thinkin' Problem in my view, was one of the best albums of the decade.  For me, the reason was simple -  the pure originality of it.  He sounded like nothing anything else we were playing on the radio.  I remember my music director, Dave Wright at WPCV in Lakeland, Florida grabbed me and my partner Tom O'Brien after our morning show one day and said, "You gotta hear this song, we just got in!"  He was right, Thinkin' Problem was great and very different. And in the 90's, with so many mega stars, it was genius.  Two more successful singles came off that album going to the top ten, and it appeared David Ball had joined the 90's party for good.

This Single Was A Really Great Song  - Great Versatility - Honest Stuff  Top 10

But while the world was understandably paying attention to a thousand other country stars, David Ball somehow got lost in the shuffle, and I have always felt that was a real shame. Then came 2001, and his huge hit, Riding With Private Malone that he took to #2 again, when it should have been #1.  Almost 20 years later, when we get requests for real older songs, that one is always there.  Fans love and loved that song, which he delivers about as perfectly as you can. That song was no small feat either, coming back to the charts big after about 6 years off of them is a tough thing.

Another Great Single - Top 10

But let's clear a few things up about him to the positive.  He had a sound that was all his, and he knows his way around a country song.  Listening to David Ball, there is no crossover, no pop country, and there is no fat in the songs. He sings them, they are good, and we believe them, and to me that is the mark of a fine country artist.  I loved playing his music on the radio then, as I felt listeners were getting something very different than the song before, and very different than the song that would follow it.  For a time that was much too short, David Ball was every workin' dudes hero.  They bought the album, blasted it in their trucks, they requested the songs, and they punched the jukeboxes while playing shooting pool and throwing darts.

Private Malone -  Was A Song That Spoke To A Lot Of People  (11 million views on YouTube)

Was he in the right place at the wrong time?  Was he in the long run swallowed up by the enormity of our format?  I always felt that someone dropped the ball with him as he seemed to be right on time. I don't know that answer, but I do know I am thankful for his incredible gift to us in the form of an album, that somehow found a breakthrough sound and big success in a time that was very tough to do. Thinkin' Problem is a fantastic album worth a listen -  if you love your country - COUNTRY!

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