country music - caveinspiredmusic.com

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caveinspiredmusic.com
COUNTRY MUSIC
Introduction
This is a rich category of down to earth music inspired by caves, ranging from simple cave
ballads to death and murder ballads, nearly all connoting that real country feeling so familiar to
American cavers who drive to those countryside caves while listening to country music on their
car radios.
The numerous versions of Clement's "Milller's Cave" illustrate the growing trends in
country music throughout the 1960s where producers were willing to try anything that would give
the music a broader and more commercial appeal. These entries take up 23 pages, so “Miller’s
Cave” has been listed separately and split into two sections: 1960 to 1970 and 1970 to 2004.
The Violent Femmes bit hit, “Country Death Song” has also been listed separately here.
The original studio version in 1984 was followed by at least four live recorded versions by them
right up to 2002.
Four country songs listed below were inspired by real caves: Hiawatha Caverns in
Minnesota, Blanchard Springs Caverns in Arkansas, Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, and Nickajack
Cave in Tennessee. “Dead Man’s Cave” may well have been influenced by a real cave legend but
this was not possible to ascertain. Two songs had more than one version recorded: “The Cave”
written by Larry Kingston and “Cave Man” by Chris Smither.
_____________________________________
CY1 United Kingdom 1965
AN AMERICAN SAILOR AT THE CAVERN
CY – Rock – Vocal & Instrumental
Comp: Tim McCOY & Tom MURRY
Perf: THE
RANCHERS
Phil Brady (vocal)
Frank Peters (steel guitar)
Rec. Co: Cavern Sound Ltd.; Liverpool
Time: 2:18
Label: C.S.T.(Cavern Sound Ltd.) IMSTL 2A
Flip Sd: Sidetracked
Spec: 7" 45rpm
Notes: A native of Liverpool, Phil “Brady learned about country music from
the seamen returning from the USA. Encouraged by Hank Walters’ Black
Cat club, he formed his own band, the Ranchers, in 1962, including Frank
Peters on steel guitar, and they built a reputation in the north-west despite
the fierce competition from beat music.” in the Liverpool area. (Rovi 2013)
The Cavern Sound Recording Studio was installed in Feb. 1964 to provide
demo recording facilities for local groups. The Ranchers only played once at the Cavern in 1965 on March
12, so this was not doubt the date of this recording or maybe it was recorded in the studio. (Thompson
1994) “Because the Cavern went into liquidation, most copies [of this 45] went to the official receiver, and it
is the UK’s most collectable British country single.” (Rovi 2013)
As for the songwriters, we are told that former seaman Tim McCoy “wrote the number with the aid of an old
shipmate called Tom Murray, a guitar and a tape recorder. Tim didn't know what to do with his number till
he was passing a youth club in Park Place. He heard a group playing [a Toxteth group called the Jackals],
looked in and offered them the title he’s written and now they feature it in their act. And the title: 'The Sailor
At the Cavern', and it is about a seaman who jumps his ship in Liverpool, goes to the 'Cave' and meets all
the people who are just not around anymore.” (Harry 2013) When The Ranchers recorded it the title was
modified.
This is definately a country & western song with a distinct Hawaiian influence. The second and third
stanzas talk about the Cavern Club, which had originally been a jazz cellar club, then a skiffle club, and
finally a rock club –
2. I went to a place called "The Cavern" last night,
The best place I've ever been;
Cilla Black was singing there, she's Liverpool's singing queen;
I met John, George, Ringo, an' Paul, fine young fellows one an' all,
An' they asked me if I was free, then why not settle by the River Mersey.
A thousand miles of travel an' many ports I've roamed
CHORUS:
I found a place for me by the river Mersey, land of the Liverpool sound.
3. If you're ever in Liverpool an' you're passin' Mathew Street,
Just drop into the Cavern an' hear that Mersey beat;
Once you've heard the rhythm, you'll never want to leave.
See also under Recorded in Caves – Artificial Caves – United Kingdom – The Cavern Club; & under Cave
& Bat-Inspired Record Labels – Cavern-Other – Cavern Sound Ltd.
Ref: Harry, Bill 2013, Behind the Scenes 1, Mersey Beat, triumphpc
Phil Brady & The Ranchers, An American Sailor at The Cavern (2:18), YouTube (◄COMPLETE AUDIO SAMPLE)
The Ranchers, An American Sailor at The Cavern, 45cat
Rovi 2013, Phil Brady & The Ranchers, Biography, Alllmusic
Thompson, Phil 1994, The Best of Cellars: The Story of the World Famous Cavern Club, Bluecoat Press,
Liverpool, p. 81, 160
_____________________________________
CY2 United States 1995
BACK TO THE CAVE
Country – Comedy – Vocal & Instrumental
Comp: Skip EWING & Tim JOHNSON (LY-CY1)
Rts: Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Perf: Joe
DIFFIE (vocal & guitar)
Paul Franklin (steel guitar)
Stuart Dunkin (fiddle)
Glenn Worf (bass)
Lonnie Wilson (drums)
Prod: Joe Diffie & Johnny Slate
Prod. Co: Johnny Slate Productions
Time: 3:59
1. Single 45: Epic 34 78333
Flip Sd: Whole Lotta Gone
7” 45rpm
2. CD: LIFE’S SO FUNNY
Epic 67405 (Tk 7)
3. Reissue CD: LIFE’S SO FUNNY (2003)
Sony Special Products 61178 (Tk 7)
Notes: A light-hearted comic country song about doing things like they did in the days of prehistoric
caveman. (See LY-CY1) The chorus spells it out –
Back to the cave make a little fire
A man and a woman and a primal desire
That's the way it is that's the way it was
Before he made the wheel, man was making love.
The end of the third stanza gives things a new twist –
In the time machine at the end of the hall
We can be a couple of Neanderthals,
Do you want to go back to the cave?
This CD album reached position 28 on the U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums charts.
Ref: Joe Diffie, Back to the Cave (3:57), YouTube (◄COMPLETE AUDIO SAMPLE)
Joe Diffie, Back to the Cave, Lyrics, sweetslyrics
Joe Diffie, Biography, Wilipedia
Joe Diffie, Life’s So Funny CD, Back to the Cave, Chorus, Allmusic (◄AUDIO SAMPLE)
Joe Diffie, Life’s So Funny CD, Back to the Cave, Chorus, CDUniverse (◄AUDIO SAMPLE)
________________________________
CY3 United States ca.1964
THE BALLAD OF HIAWATHA CAVERNS *
CY – Ballad – Vocal & Instrumental
Comp: LEE & FRITZ (LY-CY2)
Mus: (Unaccredited) Andrew JENKINS
Perf: LEE
& FRITZ (vocal)
(with accordion)
Prod. Co: (?)
Time: 2:12
Label: Hiawatha Caverns KB 4519
Flip Sd: Ease My Aching Heart
Spec: 7” 45rpm
Notes: A nice country ballad that uses almost note for note the music
of Andrew Jenkins, “The Death of Floyd Collins.” The three stanzas
here have the same 8-verse structure and the same rhyming scheme
(see LY-CY2).
Hiawatha Caverns only operated as a show cave from 1964 to 1966.
Apparently there were two Hiawatha Caverns in different counties in
Minnesota. This small one, in Winona County, was mapped in 1991 to
a total length of 44 feet (13m) and the map shows a pool, formations,
and a natural bridge. (Gerboth 1991) The photo of the entrance door
dates to 2007, more than 40 years after the commercial operation was
abandoned. Greg Brick, a Minnesota cave historian, provided this
photo and a copy of Gerboth’s article.
It is not known if other 45 records were released on this unusual label.
Ref: Brick, Greg 2010, eMails dated Aug. 5 & 27, 2010
Gerboth, Dave 1991, Minnesota’s Two Hiawatha Caves, Minnesota Speleology Monthly, v. 23, n. 11, Nov. 1991,
p. 101-111; Reprinted in 1991 Speleo Digest, p. 129
________________________________
BLANCHARD CAVE *
CY – Folk – Vocal & Instrumental – Cave Pic Cover
Comp: Jimmy DRIFTWOOD (?) (LY-CY3)
Perf: Jimmy
DRIFTWOOD
[aka. James Corbett Morris] (vocal & guitar)
Ed Nickolson (guitar)
Johnny Minick (bass)
Timothy Green (Indian drums)
Prod: Clyde Snider
Prod. Co: Rackensack Records; Timbo, AR
Liner Notes: (LP) Jimmy Driftwood
Time: 2:34
1. LP: I HEAR YOUR PEOPLE SINGING (PC-RE-US# )
Rackensack 78836
12” 33rpm (Sd 1 – Bd 1)
2. Reissue on Anthology CD: 26 CLASSIC OZARK MOUNTAIN SONGS (2007)
(Jimmy Driftwood Legacy Project) (Tk 14)
Notes: A tribute to this show cave in Arkansas, called Blanchard Springs Caverns, which first opened to
the public in July 1977, shortly before the release of this song on LP.
Jimmy Driftwood was born in Mountain View, Arkansas, which is where this show cave is located. His
parents and grandparents had a “great wealth of folk songs” and, starting in his youth, Jimmy collected
many folk ballads from people in the area. (Anon. 1969) He “became involved in environmental issues
when the United States Army Corps of Engineers planned to dam the Buffalo River. Driftwood worked to
defeat the plan, which ultimately led to the establishment of the Buffalo National River. Driftwood played a
major role in preserving Blanchard Springs Caverns, which later came under management of the United
States Forest Service.” (Anon. 2005)
Jimmy writes in the liner notes –
“ ’The most beautiful cavern in the world is Blanchard Cave.’ That is what a man who was a world traveler
said to me, and I believed him. Someday you ought to go to the natural entrance and look down in a hole
that might have been made by a Greek god with an Olympian auger. Two Indian uncles took me there
when I was a child. They were born in the Ozarks and moved in early life to the Indian Nation – now
Oklahoma. Two long cedar trees had been dropped into the hole. One went to the bottom and the other
rested on a ledge part way down. My uncles went down in the hole and stayed a long time. My dad and I
stayed above ground. I seem to recall that my uncles’ trip into the underworld had something to do with
religion. There is a creek in the cavern that pours out of a hillside, making Blanchard Spring. Many times I
have gone as far back as one could go, to where the water came straight up like a huge spring – I could
never dive down through the spring. The old timers said that when the spring issued muddy water and
there had been no rain here it was a sign that the Buffalo River was muddy. They believed there were big
sinks in the Buffalo which came through the Ozarks to Blanchard Spring. I have heard of people going in a
cave, getting lost, and after several days coming out across the White River.
Let me tell you how I came to write the song Blanchard Cave. I wrote “The Battle of New Orleans” and
used it in teaching school for twenty-one years before RCA heard about it and had me record an album,
Early American Folk Songs [1957]. Others recorded the song and it became a multi-million seller [Johnny
Horton – 1959]. The National Forest in which Blanchard Springs is located was having a groundbreaking,
June 20, 1970, for the Visitor’s Information Center, and I was asked to sing “The Battle of New Orleans.”
That morning when my wife, Cleda, and I arrived at the site, a severe thunderstorm struck. As we sat in the
car, surrounded by the terrible thunder and lightning, the thought came to me that, if the cavern could have
been made in the twinkling of an eye, it would have been on such a day. So, I picked up my guitar and
began to compose and sing. Cleda made notes of the lyrics. When the time came for me to sing on the
program, I sang the new song, Blanchard Cave. Later, the National Forest people came to my house and
taped the song, in my living room. It is used in the film shown to visitors before they go into the cave. Many
people have asked for the recording, so we decided to make this album and to use other songs of the area
along with The Ballad of Blanchard Cave.”
Jimmy sings five stanzas in country style telling how Father Time got together with Mother Nature and built
a castle with pillars underground. Later men found this “castle” and called it Blanchard Cave. (See full lyrics
LY-CY3)
The show cave is northwest of Mountain View, Arkansas off Route 14 and the Jimmy Driftwood Barn is
located on Highway 5 north of town. In this photo on the right there is a small sign promoting the show
cave.
The Jimmy Driftwood Legacy Project re-mastered and reissued this out-of-print LP album as a special CD
along with another LP, “Beautiful Buffalo River.” This CD was released in 2007, which is well beyond the
cut-off date for this discography, but it is mentioned here because the LP is extremely hard to find and
there are those who may want to have the song.
Ref: Anon. 1969, Jimmy Driftwood: Doctor of American Folklore, Opry, v. 1, n. 10, April [1969], p. 6
Anon. 1977, Welcome to Blanchard Springs Caverns, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Anon. 2005, Jimmy Driftwood, Nation Master Encyclopedia, nationmaster
Allen 2012, Jimmy Driftwood, Allen’s Archive of Early & Old Country Music, blogspot
Blanchard Springs Caverns, Home site, blanchardsprings
Eder, Bruce 2013, Jimmy Driftwood, Biography, Allmusic
Jimmy Driftwood – Americana, 50 Classic Ozark Mountain Songs, jimmydriftwoodlegacyproject
Gurnee, Russell & Jeanne 1980, Gurnee Guide to American Caves, Zephyrus Press Inc., Teaneck, NJ, p. 44-45
Jimmy Driftwood, Biography, Wikipedia
Jimmy Driftwood, Discography, rocky-52
Streeter, Richard Kent (Editor) 2005, The Down in Arkansas Songbook, The Jimmy Driftwood Legacy Project, Calhoun,
GA, p. 9
_____________________________________________________
VARIOUS VERSIONS OF
THE CAVE
In chronological order of Release
THE CAVE
Country – Vocal & Instrumental
Comp: Larry KINGSTON (LY-CY4)
Rts: Mayhew-Window Music (BMI)
Perf: Johnny
PAYCHECK
[aka. Donald Lytle] (vocal)
Lloyd Green (steel guitar)
(with guitar & bass)
Prod: Aubrey Mayhew
Prod. Co: Little Darlin' Corp.; Nashville, TN
Rel. Date: August 1967
Time: 3:32
1. Single 45: Little Darlin' LD-0032
Flip Sd: Then Love Dies
7" 45rpm
2. Reissue on CD: THE REAL MR. HEARTACHE – THE LITTLE
DARLIN’ YEARS (1997)
The Country Music Foundation 008 (Tk 20)
Notes: An important 6-stanza country ballad that starts out talking
about exploring a cave and ends up pointing out the dangers of nuclear
warfare. The lyrics tell of a man dreaming of finding a cave as a
teenager, crawling around in it, getting lost and falling asleep, then
waking up to an earth-shaking noise, and exiting the cave only to find
parched ground and total devastation caused by the bomb.
Larry Kingston, the song writer, was originally from Lafayette, Indiana.
South-central Indiana is an area rich in caves and Larry could well
have explored some of them in his youth since his lyrics suggest a
certain familiarity with caving –
II. And like most any young boy would, I crawled into the cave
And through the damp, dark darkness there I slowly made my way;
Tunnel after tunnel going this way and that,
'Til suddenly I knew, I didn't know where I was at.
With his producer, Aubrey Mayhew, Johnny Paycheck co-owned his record company, Little Darlin'
Records. In the late 1060s, “Paycheck and Mayhew, along with steel guitarist Lloyd Green, would record a
slew of highly influential records and set the mold for exactly who and what Johnny Paycheck was
supposed to be -- dark, brooding, moody, violent -- with such milestone recordings as "Pardon Me (I've Got
Someone to Kill)," "You'll Recover in Time" (about being straightjacketed in a mental ward) and "The Cave"
(a song about nuclear destruction), all of which sent influential waves of change throughout the country
music community. The seeds were sown during these years of 1964-69 for what would then be known as
Outlaw Country, and no one could fit that bill better than Johnny Paycheck, a man who lived the life he
sang about.” (Dickerson 2011) This single reached position 32 on the US Country Charts.
The only known case of a modern country singer who has performed more than one cave song; Paycheck
also recorded a version of "Miller's Cave." For more information on Johnny Paycheck see under Country
Music – Miller’s Cave 1960-1970.
Ref: Anon. n.d., Johnny’s Biography, Johnny Paycheck Official Website, johnnypaycheckmusic
Bear, Eddie 2006, Larry Kingston, Artist Tributes, eddiebear
Dickerson, Deke 2011, Musings of a Muleskinner, blogspot
Johnny Paycheck, Biography, Wikipedia
Johnny Paycheck, The Cave, (3:22) 45cat (◄COMPLETE AUDIO SAMPLE)
Johnny Paycheck, The Cave (3:32), YouTube (◄COMPLETE AUDIO SAMPLE)
Johnny Paycheck, The Real Mr. Heartache – The Little Darlin’ Years CD, Allmusic (◄AUDIO SAMPLE)
Johnny Paycheck, The Real Mr. Heartache – The Little Darlin’ Years CD, Amazon
_____________________________________
THE CAVE
Perf: Gene
STEWART (vocal)
(with guitar, bass, & drums)
Prod. Co: Stop Records Inc.; Nashville, TN
Rel. Date: ca. Oct. 1967
Time: 2:56
Label: Stop ST 127
Flip Sd: This Just Can’t Be Happening
Spec: 7" 45rpm
Notes: This is the Larry Kingston song alright, probably
recorded in Nashville, TN. A perfectly valid version by a
relatively unknown country artist.
There is only one very minor wording change –
Stz. 1, vs. 2 – I dreamed I was a boy again, just barely in my teens
For the last verse, as with the Johnny Paycheck version, Stewart pauses and slows the pace to sing –
Where people used to live, before the bomb came down.
And the last five words resonate with all the force of their meaning.
Nothing further could be learned about this singer other than that he did at least nine singles for different
labels including Decca and King (see the Praguefrank discography). He should not be confused with Gene
Stewart & The Country Rebels of Rayville, Louisiana.
Ref: Gene Stewart, The Cave 45, (2:56), musicme & YouTube (◄COMPLETE AUDIO SAMPLE)
Praguefrank 2010, Gene Stewart, Discography, Praguefrank’s Country Music Discographies,
countrydiscography.blogsport.fr
_____________________________________
THE CAVE
Country – Instrumental
Comp: Larry KINGSTON
Perf: Lloyd
GREEN (steel guitar)
(with guitar & bass)
Prod: Aubrey Mayhew
Prod. Co: Little Darlin' Corp.; Nashville, TN
Rec. Date: ca.1968 or 1969
Time: 2:12
A. American Releases:
1. LP: GREEN VELVET
President
12" 33rpm
2. Reissue on CD: MASTER OF THE STEEL STRINGS –
THE LITTLE DARLIN’ SOUND OF LLOYD GREEN (2004)
Koch 9801 (Tk 14)
B. British LP: GREEN VELVET (1982)
President PRCV 112
12" 33rpm (Sd 2 – Bd 4)
Notes: Lloyd Green is most noted for his session work and he worked a lot with Johnny Paycheck at Little
Darlin' Records in the late 1960s. It is he who played steel guitar on Paycheck’s original vocal version of
this song in 1967 (see above). On that Little Darlin' recording he only gets in occasional spooky licks to
dramatically underline certain verses. But here he does a full instrumental interpretation of the music.
This piece is a slow tempo instrumental with a guitar intro followed by Lloyd’s high-pitched steel guitar
doing variants on the theme. The guitar returns, backed by the bass and occasional chords on the steel. It
closes with a short silence followed by a one forceful final guitar chord.
Lloyd Green also plays backup on two versions of “Miller’s Cave” (see under Country Music – Miller’s Cave
– Early – Johnny Paycheck CY-MC-EY13 and Late – Don Williams CY-MC-LT3).
Ref: Lloyd Green, Biography, Wikipedia
Lloyd Green, The Cave (2:08), YouTube (◄COMPLETE AUDIO SAMPLE)
Lloyd Green, Discography, rocky-52
Lloyd Green, Master of the Steel Strings CD, steelguitarmusic
Lloyd Green, Master of the Steel Strings CD, CDUniverse (◄AUDIO SAMPLE)
Kienzle, Rich 2004, Master of the Steel Strings CD, Review, Not Fade Away, Issue 54, Nov.-Dec. 2004, nodepression
_____________________________________
CY8 United States ca.1985
THE CAVE
Rts: Dream City Music/Window Music Publ. Co. (BMI)
Perf: Ken
SCOTT (vocal)
THE CAROL LEE SINGERS (backing vocals)
Prod: Charlie Fields
Prod. Co: Charta Records; Nashville, TN
Time: 3:24
Label: Charta CH 184
Flip Sd: Cuttin’ Close to the Heart
Spec: 7" 45rpm
Notes: I had found this single listed in the highly useful Phonolog Catalog and in 1986 when I was in
Nashville, I went to the Charta Records office to buy this single. Ken Scott was there that day and I was
introduced to him, but I failed to ask how he got this song.
The Carol Lee Singers made frequent appearances on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
Charta Records came out with their first singles in 1977 and Charta 196 was released in 1985, so we might
assume that this one was released in 1984-85.
Ref: Anon. 2008, 45 Discography for Charta Records, globaldogproductions
_____________________________________
THE CAVE
Country – Contemporary Bluegrass – Vocal & Instrumental
Perf: Josh
WILLIAMS (vocal, guitar, & mandolin)
Ron Stewart (fiddle)
Kristin Scott Benson & J. D. Crowe (banjos)
Randy Kohrs (guitar)
Missy Raines (bass)
Photo by Michael Wilson
Prod: Don Rigsby
Prod. Co: Pinecastle Records; Orlando, FL
Time: 3:30
CD: LONESOME HIGHWAY
Pinecastle PRC 1136 (Tk 11)
Notes: A nice version of this older country disaster song, first recorded
by Johnny Paycheck in 1968. This is a newgrass rendition and should
be listed under bluegrass music, but it was considered better to group it here with the other three versions
of the song.
Regarding this album one critic commented – “Josh primarily sticks to guitar and mandolin, but he also
serves up some tasty mandolin licks on ‘The Cave’.” (Ross 2004)
Ref: Josh Williams, Lonesome Highway CD, The Cave, Stanzas 2 & 3, Allmusic (◄AUDIO SAMPLE)
Josh Williams, Lonesome Highway CD, CDUniverse
Jurek, Thom 2013, Josh Williams, Biography, Allmusic
Ross, Joe 2004, Josh Williams, Lonesome Highway CD, bluegrassworks
_____________________________________________________
CAVEMAN
Country – Rock ‘n’ Roll – Vocal & Instrumental
Comp: Hal BYNUM & Larry COKER (LY-CY5)
Rts: Lode Publishing Co. (BMI)
Perf: Terry
FELL (vocal & guitar)
Buck Owens (guitar)
Prod: Terry Fell
Prod. Co: RCA Victor
Rec. Co: Lewis Talley Studio; Bakersfield, CA
Rec. Date: Sept. 15, 1956
Liner Notes: (CD) Colin Escott, 1993
Time: 1:56
A. American Releases:
1. Single 45: RCA Victor 47-6707
Flip Sd: Play the Music Louder
2. Promo EP:(with 2 Homer & Jethro songs)
RCA Victor DJ-20 & 47-6706
7" 45rpm (EP) (Sd 2 – Bd 1)
B. West German Releases:
1. Reissue on Compilation LP: TERRY FELL/ BIG BILL LISTER (1977?)
Country Classics Library 1102
12" 33rpm (Sd 1 – Bd 3)
2. Reissue on CD: TRUCK DRIVING MAN (1993)
Bear Family BCD 15762 (Tk 2)
Notes: A smash-bang, Tarzan-Neanderthal-type love story. Lots of hoopa-la-ugh stuff done to the beat of a
tom-tom, Native American style, with a decidedly country-sounding guitar accompaniment. A weird mixture.
The only amusing break in the heavy-handed lyrics comes in Stanza 4, where he takes his girl to his cave
in Gaga to "show her caveman etchings that were scratched upon the wall." This refers to the trite old
playboy seduction line, "come on up to my place and I'll show you my etchings." The musical tradition here
is country & western, but the style is close to rock ‘n’ roll.
“Terry Fell a very popular hillbilly singer of the 40’/50’s who had arrived from his home state of Alabama out
to California during the late Thirties. Terry was to make over 30 records for a dozen or so labels over a two
decade period in time without ever losing the real security of a full time job outside music.” (Bentley &
Tricker 1985) He’s best known for his bit hit “Truck Drivin” Man in 1954, which became a classic, especially
in the trucker country music scene.
In the early 50s, Terry Fell recorded alone or with his group called, "The Fellers," or “His Seven
Southerners” mostly for RCA Victor and its subsidiary label, X, but also for the Memo, Courtney, and 4-Star
labels (the latter two were Los Angeles labels).
Ref: Bentley, C. & Tricker, P. 1985, Roll Street Journal, v. 3, n. 3, Issue 11, Spring 1985, p. 30
Simmons, Screamin' Brian 1977, Terry Fell, The Camel-Walk-er Magazine (Fanzine), n. 5, Sept. 1977, Farnborough,
England, p. 20
Terry Fell/ Big Bill Lister LP, Dismarc
Terry Fell, Biography, Wikipedia
Terry Fell, Caveman (1:56), YouTube (◄COMPLETE AUDIO SAMPLE)
Terry Fell, Truck Driving Man CD, Allmusic
Terry Fell, Truck Driving Man CD, CDUniverse
_____________________________________________________
CAVE MAN
Comp: Chris SMITHER
Rts: Homunculus Music (ASCAP)
Perf: Chris
SMITHER (vocal & guitar)
Chris Maresh (bass)
Brannen Temple (percussion)
Prod: Stephen Bruton
Prod. Co: Hightone Records; Oakland, CA
Time: 4:36
CD: SMALL REVELATIONS
Hightone/ Shout! Factory HCD 8077 (Tk 4)
Notes: This mellow song starts out –
When I was a cave man
Paintin’ on the wall,
I never had a dollar,
Man, I had it all,
And I was very high
In the order of things.
Just one step and I’d spread my wings and fly
Oh, I would fly
From there on Smither sings four more stanzas that talk of the vicissitudes of life and have nothing to do
with cave man or caves – “And I never knew the truth might set me free;” ”Each one is truly mine, they
never last;” “And I could save your soul I do believe;” “And I’ll be on my way before it’s gone;” he then
repeats the second stanza. And he wraps the song up with –
I had it all (2X)
The lyrics are somewhat difficult to hear in places without the lyric sheet. For full lyrics see elyrics.
Ref: Chris Smither, Biography, Wikipedia
Chris Smither, Cave Man, Live (6:16), YouTube
Chris Smither, Cave Man, Lyrics, elyrics
Chris Smither, Small Revelations CD, Allmusic (◄AUDIO SAMPLE)
Chris Smither, Small Revelations CD, CDUniverse
_____________________________________
CAVE MAN (Live)
Comp: Chris SMITHER
Perf: Chris SMITHER (vocal & guitar)
Prod: Darleen Wilson
Prod. Co: Hightone Records; Oakland, CA
Time: 5:21
CD: LIVE AS I’LL EVER BE
Hightone HCD 8120 (Tk 7)
Notes: Concerning this live recording of Chris Smither’s song one reviewer
remarked – “Songs like ‘Cave Man,’ from 1997’s Small Revelations, find an
easy soulfulness in their unadorned settings.” (Cooke n.d.) Another reviewer
said – “ “Cave Man’ boasts a gorgeous melody about the supreme loneliness.”
(Armstrong 2003) And a third reviewer remarked – “Few recordings can delve
as deeply into the psyche as Smither’s ‘Cave man’.” (Smith 2004)
Ref: Chris Smither, Cave Man, Live (6:16), YouTube (◄COMPLETE AUDIO SAMPLE)
Chris Smither, Live As I’ll Ever Be CD, Allmusic (◄AUDIO SAMPLE)
Chris Smither, Live As I’ll Ever Be CD, Wikipedia
Cooke, Matthew n.d & Armstrong, Lee 2003 & Smith, Graham 2004, 3 Customer’s Reviews, Live As I’ll Ever Be
CD, Amazon
_____________________________________________________
THE CAVERN
Comp:
Perf: Eddie
DEAN (vocal & guitar)
Leon COPAS
Prod. Co: Crown Records; Culver City, CA
Time: 2:10
LP: LITTLE GREEN APPLES
Crown CST 578
12” 33rpm (Sd 2 – Bd 2)
Notes: An urban cowboy song sung in a lazy baritone voice with
chunky rhythm & cymbals.
Only a few verses were heard in the sample –
[….] that the one so dark within
Deep in the heart of a cavern
Beyond [these] depths far below
|….] a ball like a crystal [….]
Ref: Brennan, Sandra 2015, Eddie Dean, Artist Biography, Allmusic
Eddie Dean (singer), Bio, Wikipedia
Eddie Dean, Little Green Apples LP, Amazon.fr (◄AUDIO SAMPLE)
Eddie Dean, Little Green Apples LP, apple
Eddie Dean, Little Green Apples LP, Discogs
Callahan, Mike; et al. 2010, Eddie Dean Sings Little Green Apples LP, Crown Album Discography – Part 6, bsnpubs
_____________________________________
DEAD MAN'S CAVE
Country – Vocal
Comp: Eddie MILLER (LY-CY7)
Rts: Vidor Publications (BMI)
Perf: Bobby GRIGGS
Prod. Co: Bettye Jean Productions
Matrix: 45-60528
Label: Tower 234
Flip Sd: Woman At Home
Spec: 7" 45rpm
Rel. Date: Feb. 1966
Time: 2:30
Notes: An obscure song by an obscure Country singer. The songwriter may be the same Eddie Miller who
wrote several of Patsy Cline's songs and was elected to the Nashville Songwriter’s Hall of Fame.
Vidor Publ., owned by Tex Ritter and Johnny Bond, was named after their wives – Violet (Bond's wife) &
Dorothy (Ritter's wife). (Anon. 1985)
The lyrics are very intriguing from the standpoint of cave folklore. Are they referring to an existing legend
connected with a known cave in the United States? There are several caves named Dead Man's Cave (or
Dead Man Cave) west of the Mississippi: one in Missouri (Pulaski County), two in Texas (Burnet & Kendall
Counties), and two in Wyoming (Albany & Big Horn Co.), one in Utah (Salt Lake Co.). And in the east there
is one in Garrett County, Maryland, one in North Carolina (Smoky Mtns.) and Deadman's Pit in Georgia
(Dade Co.) – just to name a few.
Legends, as told in this song, involving 39 men who entered a cave and never returned; caves where
slaves were bound in chains; caves leading to the infernal fires of Hell. All this sort of thing can be found in
cave folklore, but I don't know of any specific American cave legend that combines all these elements.
There's some resemblance here to the Indian legend connected with the Cave of the Catacombs
(Calaveras County, CA) (also known as Miller’s Cave) owned by Jerry Miller in 1950-62. (Halliday 1955)
Ref: Anon. 1985, Goldmine, v. 11, Issue 5, n. 120, Mar. 1, 1985, p. 28
Bobby Griggs, Dead Man’s Cave, 45cat
Halliday, William R., Hidden Skeletons of the Mother Lode, in Mohr, Charles & Sloane, Howard 1955, Celebrated
American Caves, Rutgers Univ. Press, New Brunswick, NJ. p. 195, 197-198
_____________________________________
CY15 United States ca.Early 1960s
MAMMOTH CAVE SECRET *
Country – Vocal
Comp: Charlie STEWART (LY-CY8)
Rts: Grandwealth Music Co. (BMI)
Perf: Charlie
STEWART (vocal)
(with piano, steel guitar, bass, & drums)
Prod: Bennie Hess
Prod. Co: Show Land Records; Nashville, TN
Time: 3:07
Label: Show Land SL-151971-B
Flip Sd: Hitchhiking Talking Duck
Spec: 7" 45rpm
Notes: Charlie Stewart was a Hoosier country singer who
generally did comedy songs. Between 1959 and 1964 he recorded ten other singles mostly on Nashville or
Indianapolis labels: two others for Show Land Records, three for Nabor, and one single each for four other
labels. (Abrahamian et al. n.d.)
A very intriguing title here for what turns out to be a country murder ballad with 8 stanzas. The lyrics (see
LY-CY8) tell of picking up a girl in Glasgow, Kentucky and riding off with her –
And that was the start of the Mammoth Cave secret
A secret that’s haunted my conscience for years.
At night they “parked on a hillside at Mammoth Cave Park” to drink beer, he made advances, and she
resisted and jumped out of the car. To stop her from screaming he choked her to death. Thinking about a
lifetime of prison, he decided – But if I could get into the cave undetected
The darkness would hide us, the rocks wouldn’t tell.
I dragged her down to an underground river
An’ I [wooed] her into her watery grave
Just me an’ the blind fish that pick at her bones
Would know the dark secrets of old Mammoth Cave.
In the final stanza, as he is dying, he must say – But the Mammoth Cave secret is a secret no longer
Oh, Lord, I just had to tell.
Then in stanza 7 he tells about in the cave –
This song comes from a long tradition of country death and murder ballads, some of which directly involve
caves, such as all the Floyd Collins ballads and Jack Clement’s “Miller’s Cave.”
I first located this 45 single in a rather curious way. I had learned on the Library of Congress Recorded
Sound Reference Center Website about an old 45 country single with the intriguing title, “Mammoth Cave
Secret.” I went right to eBay and looked under the artist’s name. There was a 45 by this artist but the seller
only gave the song title on the flip side. Well, I knew that title from the LOC site so I went ahead and
ordered it straight off.
Ref: Abrahamian, B.; Ball, C. et al. n.d., 45rpm Recordings by Indiana Bands; (No longer online), indiana45s
Charlie Stewart, Mammoth Cave Secret, Discogs
Charlie Stewart, Mammoth Cave Secret (3:15), YouTube (◄COMPLETE AUDIO SAMPLE)
Charlie Stewart, Mammoth Cave Secret, Sonic, Recorded Sound Reference Center, Library of Congress, loc.gov
Mammoth Cave National Park, Park Service Official site, nps.gov
Mammoth Cave National Park, Wikipedia
_____________________________________
NICKAJACK CAVE (JOHNNY CASH’S REDEMPTION) *
Country – Rock – Vocal
Comp: Jamie O’HARA (LY-CY14)
Rts: Sony/ATV Songs/Magic Knee Music (BMI)
Perf: Gary
ALLAN (vocal)
John Wesley Ryles & Perry Coleman (background vocals)
Brent Rowan (electric guitar)
Steve Nathan (organ)
Robby Turner (steel)
Michael Rhodes (bass)
Eric Darken (percussion)
Chad Cromwell (drums)
Prod: Mark Wright & Gary Allan
Prod. Co: MCA Nashville; Nashville, TN
Gary ALLAN
Rec. Co: Sound Kitchen; Nashville, TN
Time: 4:14
CD: TOUGH ALL OVER
MCA Nashville B0003711-02 (Tk 6)
Notes: Song is entirely inspired by a decisive incident in the life of the famous country music star, Johnny
Cash. In October 1967. Driven to despair by his addition to pills and alcohol, Cash decided to end his life
by dying in Nickajack Cave. He wrote in his autobiography that he had resolve to – “Go into Nickajack Cave
and let God take me from this earth and put me wherever He puts people like me.”
Earlier in his life he had visited the cave with friends in search if Civil War relics. Another country music
star, Hank Williams, Jr., had been to the cave with Johnny and later remarked about his recklessness and
his disregard for safety in the caves. (Miller 2003)
After several hours the batteries of his flashlight died. His energy sapped he laid down to rest in the dark.
Miller writes – “Suddenly, he felt a new energy and though he couldn’t see where he was going, he started
to crawl through open passages, eventually feeling fresh air on
his back which told him he was near the entrance.” (Note – the
“fresh air” or cooler autumn air would have been felt on his face if
he was headed toward the entrance, and that is the way the lyrics
have it also)
This event must have taken
place
soon
after
the
Tennessee Valley Authority
started
impounding
the
Nickajack Reservoir on Sept.
14, 1967. (Ball 2006) Once
the reservoir was filled the
lower half of the huge cave
entrance was flooded and the
cave floor was completely
underwater. One of the largest cave entrances east of the Mississippi River, its flat-roofed opening spans
140 feet (43m) and is 50 feet (15m) high. The total length of the main cave is about 3,500 feet (1,067m),
but there is a network of small passages 900 feet (274m) from the entrance and about 1,500 feet (457m) of
passage were known in this section. (Barr 1961) (See detail of network section on left, which, if pivoted a
quarter turn clockwise, fits on the main map of the cave just southeast of the entrance.)
Allan introduces the song – “Every man has to come to a crossroads somewhere along the way. Johnny
Cash came to his crossroads in a place called, Nickajack Cave.”
Be forewarned, this is not traditional country music; with its heavy, prominent drums, the song might rightly
be classed as country rock. Lots of instrumental amplification and reverb with a driving beat. Allan gravelly
voice fits well with the gravity of the lyrics. The text tells the story, including the dialogue that Cash claimed
to have had with God while he was in the cave (see LY-CY13). There is a definite religious flavor to the
song but this is not gospel music, it’s Nashville new country music.
The video clip on YouTube, directed by William Cody Pittman, uses some cave shots, entrance and a huge
cave interior, etc., but none of them taken at Nickajack Cave itself.
The CDUniverse critic said – “The standout song, however, is ‘Nickajack Cave (Johnny Cash's
Redemption),’ an intriguing narrative about the Man in Black's darkest days that hints at Cash's signature
sound without attempting to duplicate it.” (Anon. 2013b)
However another critic considers the song only in the context of a concept album – “ ‘Nickajack Cave
(Johnny Cash’s Redemption)’ is one of the most praised songs on the album. Every time the album is
brought up in a discussion you can bet somebody will mention this song. I don’t think all the praise is
warranted, unlike the rest of the songs this one externalizes the pain. Every other song [on the CD] is about
dealing with loss, this one ruins the flow of the album in my opinion.” (Stacey 2010)
“Tough All Over sold over 99,000 copies in its first week, debuting at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1
on the magazine's Top Country Albums chart.” (Anon. 2013a) This CD album was ranked album number 7
on the "Country’s Best Albums of the Decade" list by both Rhapsody (Online music service) and the 9513
country music blog.
Ref: Anon. 2012, Nickajack Cave, Wikipedia
Anon. 2013a,Gary Allan, Biography, Wikipedia
Anon. 2013b, Gary Allan, Tough All Over CD, CDUniverse (◄AUDIO SAMPLE)
Ball, Donald B. 2006, Historical Accounts of Nickajack Cave, The Journal of Spelean History, v. 40, n. 1, Issue 129,
Jan.-June 2006, p. 20-21
Barr, Thomas C. 1961, Caves of Tennessee, State of Tennessee, Division of Geology, Bull. 64, Nashville, TN,
p. 305-306
Cash, Johnny & Carr, Patrick 1997, Cash: The Autobiography, Harper, San Francisco
Gary Allan, Nickajack Cave, Lyrics, songlyrics
Gary Allan, Nickajack Cave, The Redemption of Johnny Cash (4;17), YouTube (◄COMPLETE AUDIO SAMPLE)
Gary Allan, Tough All Over CD, Stanza 1, Amazon (◄AUDIO SAMPLE)
Gary Allan, Tough All Over CD, Wikipedia
Halliday, William R. 1966, Depths of the Earth, Harper & Row, New York, p. 288-297
Miller, Stephen 2003 (2005), Johnny Cash: The Life of an American Icon, Omnibus Press, New York, p. 161-162
Nickajack Cave, Wikipedia
Stacey, Jordan 2010, Album Review, My Kind of Country, wordpress
Stratton, Christopher 2005, Johnny Cash Walked the Line, quoted in Matthews, Larry E. 2007, Caves of Chattanooga,
The National Speleological Society, Huntsville, AL, p. 100-101, Online at explorefaith
Tennessee Valley Authority, Nickajack Reservoir, Nickajack Cave (Map - Detail), The Limestone Ledger, v. 11, n. 4,
p. 40 (Reprinted in Speleo Digest 1963, p. 1-43 & also Speleo Digest 1961, p. 1-99)
caveinspiredmusic.com

country music - caveinspiredmusic.com

Transcription

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