Tennessee Mountain Girl

Country Music Power House - Pic courtesy of Wikipedia

by Trebor Snillor

The Weather is Here

We had a wonderful cool spell this weekend with temps dipping down into the 60’s. It was also overcast and rainy which takes away from the enjoyment factor. I’m looking forward to my favorite month, October which typically gives us the cool rays of sun and seventy-two degrees to go with it.

Joan Rivers and Robin Williams

I’m remiss not to mention these two great talents who recently left us under differing circumstances. They’ve been memorialized already so much in print I can’t add a lot more. Robin Williams was a comic tour-de-force who was gripped by internal sadness. Can’t imagine that the Reaper was really ready to take him yet. Joan was the acerbic insult comic that some people loved to hate. In fact, she was generous, fun-loving lady who gave generously and stirred things up on stage just for shock and entertainment factor. An acquired taste for some – yes probably, but I liked her right off the bat.

A Very, Very, Very Nice House

Since redoing my master bedroom, I’m basically doing the whole house. My house has had the confusing clutter of a furniture consignment store, with oddly placed junk in every corner. I’m mostly now taking carloads of stuff to Goodwill and discovering the wonders of empty space. I like that look.

Topic du Jour

I’ve always loved Dolly Parton – she was already bigger-than-life in the 70’s when I started following her career. With the piled hair, big boobs and angelic voice, she posed a conundrum of sorts – what to make of her? She’s joked in interviews that she envied the look of the “town hooker” but her incredible work ethic and career history belie all that.

One of 12 children born to a tobacco farmer, she quickly overcame a childhood of poverty. By age 10, she was performing on The Cas Walker Show. By age 13, she had a contract with Gold Band records and was receiving career advice from Johnny Cash. Did I mention 13 years old? Dolly Parton had (and has) an incredible combination of talents: singing, songwriting, business moxie and people skills -- all wrapped up in her compact little body. Immediately after graduating high school, she signed as a songwriter with Combine Publishing Company. She variously composed and sang backup for a few years until she landed her career-making part on The Porter Wagoner Show in 1967.

The rest after this is showbiz history, and this is pretty much the point where I became a fan. She’s had 25 number 1 songs, 8 Grammy’s, 110 charted singles and way too many other accolades to mention here. Even at 68, the surgically enhanced Parton is still a music powerhouse. In 1966 she married Carl Thomas Dean – an asphalt company manager 4 years her senior. He has kept such a low profile, that one might doubt his actual existence. He is steadfastly his own man and has shunned the spotlight across 50 years. Maybe it helps explain why the couple has remained together so long.

What to make of Dolly? If you removed the makeup, wigs, heels and accessories I’m not even sure what would remain. I’m still getting over the shock of seeing Kathy Griffin and Joan Rivers without makeup in various videos.. Don’t anyone take me up on the Dolly question just posed. Some things are better left as a mystery.

If you read the lyrics of Dolly’s songs (eg Coat of Many Colors, Tennessee Mountain Home), the words are evocative and beautiful. Even without her voice and guitar strumming she could be the Poet Laureate of Tennessee. We are very blessed to have this living music legend serenading us.

The sun finally came out after 3 days of cloudiness. Think I’ll wrap this up – maybe listen to Dolly’s greatest hit collection on the way back to the house.

© 2014 Snillor Productions