For train song #4, let’s turn to Jack Ashford and The Sound of New Detroit. Here’s Do the Choo Choo…
“Jashford” was the percussionist for the Funk Brothers in-house Motown band in the 60s and early 70s. He was known for his tamborine work in particular, but played all kinds of percussion. This cut, from 1975 had Mr. Ashford as the feature performer.
In the spring, the first tasty edible mushrooms to appear in Southern Ontario are morels in May. Those are followed at roughly the beginning of June with oyster mushrooms, and then we don’t see anything much happening on the edible mushroom front for some time.
If we get a little rain, there should be some interesting items starting to pop up in our forests fairly soon. I’m going to do a little scouting mission on Friday to see what’s out there. It could be we haven’t had enough rain and I’ll have hold off on wild mushroom omelettes for a while yet. I won’t know until I have a good look. I know a few places I think of as barometer spots. These are places that might not (but occasionally do) give up a generous number of mushrooms, but are usually good indicators that tell me quickly if certain species are fruiting in the area. On Friday, I’ll be checking these spots and if I have time maybe I’ll also wander into some forest I haven’t had a good look at yet.
Johnny Burnette is back for Train song #5 for all you rockabilly maniacs out there…
Sharp readers will recall that Mr. Burnette was featured earlier in this list with Lonesome Train. OMG only 4 more train songs to go.
We keep coming back to Hank Snow. Here’s train song #6…
I thought about this tune after I posted a picture of a painting I did of the same title – Lover Please. The recording I was thinking about was performed by Clyde McPhatter and I’ve loved this tune for many years. It has some great features, including really catchy hand-claps, nice piano and sax work and even some tasty back-up singing. Plus, it features Clyde McPhatter’s singing. Here’s Lover Please (train song #7)…
Now you might say that Lover Please isn’t technically a train song at all, but is really a don’t leave me baby song. After all the train songs I’ve given you, I hope you’re not going to get technical on me. Sure, he doesn’t want his baby to leave him but he’s specific about it – he doesn’t want her to take that train comin’ down the track.
Mr. McPhatter only lived for 40 years but was a very influential performer. Among other things, he founded The Drifters. Lover Please, written by Billy Swan, was recorded in 1962. It was McPhatter’s final top 10 hit. Curiously enough, it was also Mr. Swan’s first big tune. A dozen years later, Swan had a very successful album and single you might recall, called I Can Help. I used to have that one on vinyl.
I took the dogs out for an early morning walk in a forest not far from the city. I was hoping to see the first chanterelles of the season or possibly even some early summer boletes, but I didn’t come across any interesting fungi.
We enjoyed a hike along various forest trails and stopped at a creek so the dogs could splash around and cool off.
A few small paintings have been haunting my studio since I made them in 2007 or 2008. I was using some collage elements in these works and also using corrugated cardboard as well as acrylic paint. I think they’re about 18 inches wide and 12 inches high. I made four or five of these before my mind wandered off to other things. I’ve not exhibited any of them, and as an orphan group of paintings that are already 4 years old, I don’t know if or when I’ll get around to exhibiting them. I’ve kept them hanging in my studio though. There’s something about them that continues to gnaw away at me.
Deluge
Layers
Lover Please
Sorry for the wonky photos. I just snapped them as best I could where they hang in my studio with my little point and shoot digital camera. If anyone out there is interested in these pictures, let me know. I’d like to find homes for them and will negotiate fantastic deals accordingly.
Today is the Pride parade here in Toronto, and it’s a beautiful day for a parade, too. Wishing all my friends out celebrating a fantastic day.
There were several popular versions of train song #8 – Wreck of the Number 9. First let’s here Jim Reeves…
Of course Hank Snow recorded it….
And here’s Marty Robbins…
*spoiler alert* On the strength of mostly excellent reviews, we trundled off to our local movie house to see Super 8. There are some positives. The kids were well cast, and the first half hour or so of the film was nicely done. Beyond that, Super 8 is a cheesy monster movie. The monster-alien plot (the air force just doesn’t understand) takes over and the characters stop developing. Stuff gets blown up and the female child-lead gets rescued. The alien gets to reconstitute (?) his ship and take off for home. The end. Save your money.
27th Street 