The 50 States: Kentucky
Hey kids -- Back from the super-long weekend with a post about Kentucky. It wasn't so much that I was being lazy (that did contribute), it was rather that Kentucky is a very musically inspired state and there was too many choices for me to sift through. This may not be a complete list of songs, but it is one that I spent far too much time on for you thievin' bastages!
The in-line mp3 player is gone -- so it's a sad day. What I am going to do for those of you that want to listen to this post without downloading it is offer podcast feeds on the left side of your screen. If you click on the +podNova button then you can listen to this entire feed through a player of your choice (or a flash player) without having to manually download all the songs. Check it out, it's pretty cool.
Now -- onward towards Kentucky.
Kentucky was made a state in 1792. It's been sitting down there representin' the BACKBONE of southern culture for a loong, long time. In that time it has given us things like the kentucky derby, cheeseburgers, corvettes, the first commercial oil well, KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN, Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, a wet Christian County and a dry Bourbon County (oh, the irony!), the birthday song, post-it-notes, bluegrass, the unveiling of the electric light bulb, the radio, fort knox gold warehousing, and millions of stereotypical toothless, truck drivin', wife beatin', beer drinking' rednecks (or is that milwaukee I'm thinking of?).
People from Kentucky include Muhammed Ali, Crystal Gayle, her sister Loretta Lynn, Casey Jones, Bill Monroe, Diane Sawyer, and the great great great Hunter S Thompson.
We love you Kentucky!
- Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose
- Christiansen - Goddamn Kentucky
- Sid Griffin - The Last Kentucky Waltz
- Gram Parsons - Kentucky Blues
- John Lee Hooker - One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer
- Sam Bush - Eight Miles to Louisville
- Paul McCartney - Blue Moon of Kentucky
- The Beatles - Blue Moon of Kentucky
- Ray Charles - Blue Moon of Kentucky
- George Jones - Blue Moon of Kentucky
- Ralph Stanley - Blue Moon of Kentucky
- The Stray Cats - Blue Moon of Kentucky
- Elvis - Blue Moon of Kentucky
- Tom Waits - Jockey Full of Bourbon
- Mark Lanegan Band - Lexington Slow Down
- John Prine - Paradise
- John Cephas - Don't Want Ice in My Bourbon
- Soggy Bottom Boys - A Man of Constant Sorrow
- Joan Baez - A Man of Constant Sorrow
- Bob Dylan - A Man of Constant Sorrow
- Loretta Lynn - High on a Mountaintop
- Nazareth - Kentucky Fried Blues
- Those Legendary Shack Shakers - The Kentucky Song
- Sam Bush - Beaver Creek Mansion
- Iron and Wine - Jason Loves Kentucky
- Tom Waits - Kentucky Avenue
- Donal Hinley - Louisville
- Randy Newman - Old Kentucky Home
- Loretta Lynn - Blue Kentucky Girl
- Fast Friends - Jack Daniels (You're My Best Friend)
- Natalie Merchant - Owensboro
- The Kinks - Kentucky Moon
- The Everly Brothers - Kentucky
- The Orphans - For An Old Kentucky Anarchist
- Nappy Roots - Kentucky Mud
- Merle Haggard - Kentucky Gambler
- Alive N Kickin - Kentucky Fire
- Angry Johnny & The Killbillies - If You Buy Me a Jack Daniels
- Emmylou Harris - Blue Kentucky Girl
- Deep Purple - Kentucky Woman
- Gary Allan - Bourbon Borderline
- Ella Fitzgerald - Louisville
- Josh Joplin - Louisville Massacre
- Lee Perry and the Upsetters - Kentucky Skank
- Leroy Van Dyke - Louisville
- Louis Jordan - Louisville Lodge Meetup
- The Louvin Brothers - Kentucky
- My Morning Jacket - Nashville to Kentucky
- Neil Diamond - Kentucky Woman
- Paul Robeson - My Old Kentucky Home
- Pavement - Kentucky Cocktail
- Reverend Horton Heat - Sue Jack Daniels
- The Automatic - Jack Daniels
- The Band - Kentucky Downpour
- The Be Good Tanyas - Horses
- Nicolai Dunger - White Wild Horses
- Alicia Keys ft Adam Levine - Wild Horses
- Duke Ellington - Paducah
posted by Robert @ 8:22 AM
18 Comments:
wow what a selection from dylan to baez nazareth..( a crackin band from bonnie scotland) loretta lynn and my favourite george jones. a collection to keep me happy for a week and a day. i am getting called to bed, but i have to suck these babies onto my hard drive for a hoot n a holler tomorrow for evaluation purposes and future purchase. thanks very much and the best o' tartan..waggle yer kilt..
What's with all the Jack Daniel's songs? That's a Tennesee bourbon. How about "Jim Beam Blues" by Rob Tognoni or "Wild Turkey" by Lacy J Dalton.
What? No Ryan Adams 'Sweet Carolina'? It's got the line 'I miss Kentucky' in there somewhere :-)
Isn't The Father of bluegrass, Bill Monroe, from Virginia?
Nope ... Kentucky. From Wikipedia:
Bill Monroe (September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) developed the style of country music known as bluegrass, which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for his home state of Kentucky. Monroe's performing career spanned 60 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and bandleader. He is often referred to as "the father of bluegrass."
Monroe was born in Rosine, Kentucky. His father was a well-to-do farmer while his mother, née Malissa Vandiver, was from lower down the social scale.
If you thought Kentucky was hard, Louisiana is many times worse. Jazz was basically invented in New Orleans. Hundreds of songs reference Louisiana, New Orleans, or Cajuns. What about Zydeco?
Some thoughts:
* Conway Twitty/Loretta Lynn - Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man
* Mel McDaniel - Louisiana Saturday Night
* Oak Ridge Boys, Rodney Crowell, or Emmylou Harris - Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight
* Randy Newman - Louisiana 1927
* Muddy Waters - Louisiana Blues
* Dave Mathews Band - Louisiana Bayou
* John Lee Hooker - Goin' to Louisiana
* Count Basie - Louisiana
* Bix Biederbecke - Louisiana
* Leadbelly - Down in Louisiana
* Tommy Dorsey - Louisiana Hayride
* Elvis - Crawfish
* Johnny Horton or Johnny Cash - Battle of New Orleans
* Willie Nelson, Steve Goodman, or Arlo Guthrie - City of New Orleans
* Jelly Roll Morton - New Orleans Bump
* Any number of people with When the Saints Go Marching In
* Any number of people with House of the Rising Sun
* Louis Armstrong - New Orleans Stomp
hey Robert, stumbled onto the site, really dig it! made a small note of it on my site, keep up the great posts! - Dig! - Chris
"What's with all the Jack Daniel's songs? That's a Tennesee bourbon."
It's not even that. It's a Tennessee *whiskey*. It ain't bourbon if it ain't from Kentucky.
Also, gotta mention the world's biggest cave system, Mammoth Cave.
Totally rockin' post, though - you did KY proud and gave me abunch of songs I didn't have. Loved it all, even though I think maybe you were baiting me with that wretched fast food chain in all caps...
Canadian song:
The Tragically Hip - "New Orleans is Sinking"
Johnny Cash - "Battle of New Orleans"
Johnny Cash - "City of New Orleans"
Fats Domino - "Walking To New Orleans"
808 State - "Baton Rouge"
Jelly Roll Morton - "Shreveport Stomp"
Awesome collection of LA songs. Many thanks for the time and effort put into these amazing posts. Heard Rodney Crowell play Smith's Olde Bar in Atlanta several months ago, and he took requests. Someone requested "Jewel Of The South," which, surprisingly, I'd never heard. He said he felt it was probably the best song he'd ever written -- that's saying something -- and then played it. Indeed, it's a fantastic song. Guess which city he's referring to? NOLA, of course. Check it out.
better than ezra - king of new orleans
Probably should have something by Harry Connick on the LA list.
Good job on the KY list (and all of them).
for upcoming LA--
you could always play HURRICANE by Dylan. Though, you may get a lot of hate-mail.
cj
Hurricane is about a boxer named Ruben Carter (Denzel movie a bit back about the same man). He's actually from Jersey, I believe. Of course, Rock You Like a Hurricane might be the direction you were looking for ...
Love the John Lee Hooker. I was sick of the George Thorogood version; nice to hear what I'm guessing isthe original.
Greetings from Kentucky! Great variety of songs. I am from Kentucky and didnt even realize some of these songs where out there.
All the best!
Gastr Del Sol - A Watery Kentucky
Papa M - O Kentucky
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