Date News Posted: May 12, 2007
Probably one of the all time good story telling country singers of the times was Henson Cargill, his music just had the sound that was easy to listen to.

Henson was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma February the 5^th 1941, his grandfather O.A. Cargill was a longtime attorney and former mayor of Oklahoma City.

Shortly after Henson married in 1959, he and his wife Marta moved to Fort Collins, Colorado where Henson attended CSU where he planed to study Veterinary Medicine, Henson was a member of the nationally acclaimed  rodeo team as a calf roper.

Maybe that’s why his songs about cowboys and horses and the cowboy way just came so easy to Henson because of his love for the animals and the great old west.

Henson’s 20 songs CD titled “All American Cowboy” is absolutely and positively second to none, on it not only includes some great cowboy songs but his first biggie “Skip A Rope”.

His version of the western classic “Strawberry Roan” is one that an old cowboy (maybe even a young one) could get lost in while it went round and round on the turntable.

“Silence On The Line” was just a great story about an old cowboy who finally got around to calling his wife a few year later after he had gone off to rodeo’n. On the roadside pay phone he’s asking his wife if it’s ok to bring an old busted up friend with him when he comes back home, she said they don’t need a rodeo bum and for him to get on home.

Of course he never told her that the busted up old cowboy was him so he just hung up the phone and was saying to himself “I hope the weather’s good in Mexico”.

Any of you ladies that your husband has been gone a few years and finally calls you, you might want to tell him to bring anybody home he wants to, or on the other hand you might just want to tell him to kiss your A - -. Depending on your mood of course.

And then in this album is a song I had searched for, for 2-3 years, I didn’t know who’s song it was or who had ever recorded it, I heard it from a bar band we had booked in Southern California and they didn’t know where they found it, anyway Henson just turns it inside out, it’s a Kris Kristofferson song like I had never heard him write before called “Here Comes That Rainbow Again” what a great little story.

But the overall top winner on this album is still another story song from Henson that will really get-cha, this one’s called “Have A Good Day” it’s about an old blind man standing on the corner with a cup full of pencils tied on the neck of his guitar, at his feet is his old dog that growls if you take a pencil and don’t put a nickel in the cup, he said that old dog might even show you his teeth.

The old man stands out there every day singing “There’s a Star Spangled Banner” or “Goodnight Irene” anyway, have a good day.

One great song writer left this world and in my opinion never got all the credit he deserved from the songs he wrote, it would take a while to list them all or even the ones that touched you in some way or another, that writer would be Dave Kirby who wrote the above “Have A Good Day” and one that the great George Morgan (and others) recorded of a song Dave wrote called “A Walk On The Outside”.

And this is to say nothing of the fact he was a “Great” with a capitol “G” guitar picker.

Anyway, the story on and about Henson Cargill is a great one the sad part is, his life came to an end March the 24^th of this year 2007 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from complications following surgery earlier in the week, what the surgery was, none of the reports said but it must have been somewhere above the norm to take his life.

Henson Cargill was only 66 years old.

Tommy Overstreet is always sending us something to smile about, here is his offering for the week;

A soldier was talking to Chelsea Clinton and she asks him about fear.

He said there were only three things he was afraid of>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 “Osama, Obama and yo Mama”

Almost as well know as the word “Hawaii” was the name Don Ho and probably the third most well known word would be “Tiny Bubbles” a song Ho said he hated.

Don Ho was born August the 13^th 1930 in Honolulu and was 76 when he passed away from heart failure.

It was pretty common to see the likes of Lucille Ball, Frank Sinatra or Sammy Davis at one of Ho’s shows>

A part of Hawaii is now gone.

 Word has it our friend Ken Nelson is working on his book. When we let you know that it’s ready for sale then go looking for it. Why? Because the list of artist that Ken produced for “Capitol Records” has to be second to none and the stories he must have running around in his head on each of them would probably fill a book of its own.

We have a list around here someplace, two pages single space typed of the artist he produced, all country, and all of them people you remember (I hope).

With out every reading a page of his book so far, I would bet it will be a hard book to put down once you start.

Anyway, we will let you know when it’s on the stands and where to get it.

It’s always fun to look back and see what was happening 50-60 years ago.. Here’s somthin’.

Week of April the 19^th 1947

Ernest Tubb returned to the Grand Ole Opry after completing his latest picture in Hollywood.

Week of March the 15^th 1947

Smiley Burnett was reported to breaking theater records during his five-week personal tour thru Texas.

In 1946

Rosalie Allen was riding high with Rosalie’s Guitar Polka and “Cowboy’s Sweetheart”

In 1947

It was “Silver Wings To San Antonio” & “I’ll Never Grieve” on RCA

Week of October 5^th 1946

Gene Autry has a hoedown with the “Cass County Boys” before leaving for an eastern tour with his Rodeo.

Week of September the 21^st 1946

Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys were in Hollywood for their semi-annual Columbia Records recording session after completing a tour thru the Midwest and South.

In those early years, Even though the Opry had long been in operation for several years in the 40’s, it was mentioned very few times in the major publications, when it came to recording the major artist would go to Hollywood where the streets were lined with recording studios .

Country artist in the 40’s  were either called Hillbillies or Folk singers, Tex Ritter was often called a Sagebrush singer probably because he made some of the early westerns where there was sage brush on every corner and, now and then the words Cowboy music was heard, but for the most part if you sang a sad song you wuzz a Hillbilly.

It’s no wonder the Movie Makers of today are looking for different locations other then Hollywood or even California for that matter, almost everything in California is more expensive and you would think our governor would do something about that since he is an actor but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

And as far as the movie ranches are concerned they have one by one disappeared, the Corriganville Movie Ranch where over three thousand five hundred movies were filmed is gone for the most part, the Iverson Movie Ranch is gone and Big Sky where “Little House On The Prairie” was filmed has just opened a new million dollar housing project in the middle of that.

Seems like the only real place left to film a western that has all of the feel of a western is Texas.

Just outside of Bandera, Texas is a movie ranch that will knock your socks off, but then again, there ain’t no westerns.

AND>>on top of all that, people are (I guess) trying to eat our horses, Willie Nelson has started a campaign to ‘SAVE THE HORSES” from going to the slaughter houses I guess if they are taking them to the slaughter houses somebody is going to eat them or make dog food out of them, what’s wrong with these people don’t we have enough hamburger?.

Clint Walker is probably as busy as he ever has been, he does a lot of personal appearances and is working on a lot of projects.

Just about all of his product is for sale on his web site which is easy to find at clintwalker.com or check Google and his name and site will pop up for you

Walkin’ Charley Aldridge is on the home stretch with his latest book, other then his main book which is already fork lift heavy he is working on some smaller book projects with the above mentioned Mr. Clint, and you know what? The main thing with all of us is, we are keeping busy and that’s the main thing.

You see and probably know, a lot of folks that get up get dressed (or maybe not) eat-watch TV, eat, watch TV eat some more jump in bed and start all over tomorrow, ye need to get out there and do somthin’ it don’t have to be sittin’ the woods on fire but something.

There is plenty out there to do and a lot of people need help so share a hand.

As I have mentioned before Don Imus and I went to radio school together, as long as I have known him he has always been a little bit different and after he got his first job in radio it didn’t take the owners of those stations in which he worked to find that out, some fired him some gave him a raise, those that gave him a raise liked what he was doing and for the most part that was putting people down when the situation arose, and make no doubt about it, Don Imus is king when it comes to putting people down.

Some people just laugh at him for what he says others I am sure would just like to get a hold of him and shake the crap outa him, but what ever the case.

What he said about the girls basketball team was uncalled for and he knew it but, “That’s Imus” he said he was sorry so drop it. Not once while the reverend and many others were digging a hole for Imus did I hear anyone mention the ranch that he has had for several years in New Mexico for little children with cancer, they fly and bus in these kids to see and feel apart of America that some may never see again.

Not one person mentioned that Don Imus spearheaded a fund to re-model the Walter Reed Hospital so our service men would have a decent place to come home to and be treated for the wounds they suffered for you and me, that hospital was a run down place before the remodeling started and now they say it is a place to be proud of.

I believe Don Imus got the fund underway with five million dollars of his own money.

Please “show me one” thing, anything, that any of these “do good” Reverends are doing, show me one church they have built, one hospital they have donated to or one poor soul they have took off the streets of skid row. “Just One”.

I think for those that have nothing better to do then go after the likes of Don Imus should get up real early in the morning and look at what’s looking back, who in the world could be proud of that, and reverend it sure ain’t Jesus.

Picture this>>You are walking down a two lane country road where the trees on each side touch in the middle of the highway, in other words a cool summer day, down a rambling long highway. After three or four miles a walkin’ you could sure use a ride, finally a car screeches to a halt right beside you>>thank goodness you’re thinking, then you open the back door to get in, and it don’t take you long to spot that the two dudes in the front seat,(driver and passenger,) are chickens.

Now here’s the question, would you feel more at ease accepting a ride with two Foster Farm Chickens, or two not to well kept chickens that just might be car thieves?

Watch those fires, don’t be throwin’ no cigarettes out the window or hot matches, you just may burn up some ones sleeping place and that’s to say nothing of all your tax money it’s going to take to put that flame out.
 

Have you got any old country 78’s or old country albums lying around that you’re not playing?

We’ll see ye later but just in case we don’t, take care of yourself 

God Bless America         

Don Bradley