鄉村音樂大使去世

鄉村歌星George Hamilton IV九月17日因心臟病不幸於田納西州Nashville一家醫院中去世（77歲），自1956-1963年他曾有11首歌進過流行歌曲榜，而自1960-1978年則有40首歌進過鄉村歌曲榜。

George Hamilton IV出生於北卡羅萊納州Winston-Salem，1956年的"A Rose And A Baby Ruth" (#6)與1958年的"Why Don't They Understand" (#10)使他在歌唱界知名，後來他雖然轉向鄉村歌壇發展，但還是有"Abilene" (#15 pop,#1 country, 1963)跨界在流行歌曲榜受歡迎。

George Hamilton IV曾在加拿大主持過電視節目長達六年，也是第一位去錄Gordon Lightfoot 與 Joni Mitchell這二位著名加籍創作歌手作品的美籍藝人，1974年他也是第一位到蘇聯與捷克斯洛伐克這二個鐵幕國家演唱的鄉村歌手。

George Hamilton IV於1960年獲選進鄉村音樂指標節目Grand Old Opry表演，且以"International Ambassador of Country Music"「國際鄉村音樂大使」知名。

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AydZbnQ0_4

 

Abilene

Songwriters

 GIBSON, BOB / BROWN, LESTER / LOUDERMILK, JOHN

 

Abilene, Abilene

 Prettiest town I've ever seen

 Women there don't treat you mean

 In Abilene, my Abilene

 

I sit alone most every night

 Watch those trains pull out of sight

 Don't I wish they were

 Carrying me back to Abilene

 My Abilene, Abilene, Abilene

 

Crowded city ain't nothing free

 Nothing in this town for me

 Wish to the Lord that I could be in Abilene

 Sweet Abilene, Abilene, Abilene

 

Women there don't treat you mean

 In Abilene, my Abilene

Lynn Anderson酒駕肇事

鄉村歌星Lynn Anderson九月12日在田納西州那許維爾因酒駕肇事遭警方逮捕，十年前她也因酒駕被德州警察逮捕過，而且進過勒戒所，不過這一次她交了五千元罰款後被釋放出來。

Lynn Anderson 1947年出生於北達科它州Grand Forks，但在加州Sacramento長大，母親Liz Anderson也是鄉村歌星，1966年她在加州的一場馬術表演節當選選美皇后，因而加入Chart唱片公司，展開了歌唱生涯，後來且嫁給唱片製作人兼作曲Glen Sutton，並轉投更大的Columbia唱片公司。

Lynn Anderson自1966年至1989年一共有60首歌進過鄉村歌曲排行榜，其中獲得鄉村榜第五名的Rose Garden，在熱門流行歌曲榜獲得更好的二週第三名的成績，這首歌也為她奪得1970年Grammy最佳鄉村女歌星獎，在全美最常播出歌曲榜也名列99名。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-eclUz-RYI

 

Rose Garden

Lynn Anderson

(peak Billboard position # 3 in 1971)

Words and Music by Joe South

 

I beg your pardon

I never promised you a rose garden

Along with the sunshine

There's gotta be a little rain some time

When you take you gotta give so live and let live

Or let go oh-whoa-whoa-whoa

I beg your pardon

I never promised you a rose garden

 

I could promise you things like big diamond rings

But you don't find roses growin' on stalks of clover

So you better think it over

Well if sweet-talkin' you could make it come true

I would give you the world right now on a silver platter

But what would it matter

So smile for a while and let's be jolly

Love shouldn't be so melancholy

Come along and share the good times while we can

 

I beg your pardon

I never promised you a rose garden

Along with the sunshine

There's gotta be a little rain some time

 

 

I beg your pardon

I never promised you a rose garden

 

I could sing you a tune and promise you the moon

But if that's what it takes to hold you

I'd just as soon let you go

But there's one thing I want you to know

You better look before you leap, still waters run deep

And there won't always be someone there to pull you out

And you know what I'm talkin' about

So smile for a while and let's be jolly

Love shouldn't be so melancholy

Come along and share the good times while we can

 

I beg your pardon

I never promised you a rose garden

FADE

Along with the sunshine

There's gotta be a little rain some time

 

Cher展延巡演

 

因嚴重的細菌感染，Cher被迫延後她的"Dressed To Kill"巡迴演唱會一個月，這系列復出演唱行程原訂九月11日於紐約Albany展開，現在要改到十月才開始要唱到十二月了。

Cher是歷年暢銷歌星排行榜第58名的巨星，1946年於加州出生，早年從幫人家唱背景合音開始，後來與Sonny Bono以二重唱Sonny ＆ Cher之名一同灌唱片並結為夫妻，還有了自己的電視節目，與Sonny離婚後改嫁過鄉村歌星The Allman Brothers Band 的主唱Gregg Allman。

Cher演過不少電影，其中的Moonstruck「 月暈」，於1987年為她奪得奧斯卡最佳女主角金像獎，證明她並不是當年電視節目裡那種譁眾取寵的角色，電視節目的歷練反而讓她有了一流的演技，因得獎而使她成了一線演員。

Cher個人名次最好的歌是1998年的四週冠軍曲Believe，她與Peter Cetera合唱的動聽情歌After All，是小勞博道尼與西碧謝佛主演的電影Chances Are的插曲，1989年獲得過第六名。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXfWCqI3AUg

 

AFTER ALL (Love Theme From Chances Are)

Duet between Cher and Peter Cetera

(Tom Snow/Dean Pitchford)

 

(Him)   Well, here we are again

        I guess it must be fate

        We've tried it on our own

        But deep inside we've known

        We'd be back to set things straight

 

(Her)   I still remember when

        Your kiss was so brand new

        Every memory repeats

        Every step I take retreats

(Them)  Every journey always brings me back to you

 

(Them)  After all the stops and starts

        We keep coming back to these two hearts

        Two angels who've been rescued from the fall

        And after all that we've been through

(Her)   It all comes down to me and you

(Him)   I guess it's meant to be

        Forever you and me

        After all

 

(Her)   When love is truly right

(Him)   This time it's truly right

(Her)   It lives from year to year

(Them)  It changes as it grows

(Her)   And oh the way it grows

(Them)  But it never disappears

 

(Them)  After all the stops and starts

        We keep coming back to these two hearts

        Two angels who've been rescued from the fall

        And after all that we've been through

(Her)   It all comes down to me and you

(Him)   I guess it's meant to be

        Forever you and me

        After all

 

(Him)   Always just beyond my tough

        Though I needed you so much

(Her)   After all what else is living for

(Them)  Whoa

 

(Them)  After all the stops and starts

        We keep coming back to these two hearts

        Two angels who've been rescued from the fall

        And after all that we've been through

(Her)   It all comes down to me and you

(Him)   I guess it's meant to be

        Forever you and me

 

(Them)  After all the stops and starts

        We keep coming back to these two hearts

        Two angels who've been rescued from the fall

        And after all that we've been through

(Her)   It all comes down to me and you

(Him)   I guess it's meant to be

        Forever you and me

        After all

 

Commodores與Lionel Richie

R＆B 合唱團The Commodores所有團員八月19日控告創始團員吉它手Thomas McClary，他們指控Thomas 擅自在臉書和個人演唱會使用Commodores的團名， McClary於1984年就已離開The Commodores，團員們設法申請禁制令以避免因Thomas McClary使用Commodores的團名帶來金錢方面的損害。

The Commodores合唱團1970年代前期於阿拉巴馬州Tuskegee組成，團員中最有名的就是後來單飛且成就不凡的主唱Lionel Richie。

The Commodores作品很多，在歷年暢銷歌星排行榜獲得第110名，他們名次最好的歌是1978年的二週冠軍曲Three Times A Lady，而Lionel Richie則在歷年暢銷歌星排行榜獲得更高的第81名，他個人名次最好的歌是1981年的九週冠軍與Diana Ross合唱的Endless Love 。

Lionel Richie共有11首歌獲得抒情曲榜的冠軍，在1984年洛衫磯奧運期間更因唱All Night Long等宣傳歌而非常紅，沒有他後的Commodores則並沒有撐很久。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jLvnuf10uU

 

Three Times A Lady

The Commodores

 

Thanks for the times that you've given me

The memories are all in my mind

And now that we've come to the end of our rainbow

There's something i must say out loud

 

You're once, twice, three times a lady

And I love you...

Yes, you're once, twice, three times a lady

And I love you... I love you...

 

When we are together the moments I cherish

With every beat of my heart

To touch you, to hold you

To feel you, to need you

There's nothing to keep us apart

 

You're once, twice, three times a lady

And I love you... I love you...

 

Neil Young離婚

著名的搖滾樂手Neil Young七月29日在加州San Mateo家鄉被法院判處和太太Pegi離婚，Pegi,和Neil Young是在南加州認識的，當年Pegi,是一位餐廳女侍，但是後來她不僅幫Neil Young唱過和聲，還出過三張專輯唱片。

Neil Young 1945年出生於加拿大多倫多，是一位出色的搖滾樂手、作曲人與吉它手，早年參加過底特律的搖滾樂團Mynah Birds，1965年應邀擔任Rick James的主唱，1966年組成包括幾位搖滾樂界巨星的Buffalo Springfield合唱團，1970-1971年他參加的Crosby,Stills,Nash&Young更是歌壇盛事。

Neil Young在排行榜上有一首冠軍曲，即1972年的Heart of Gold，是滾石雜誌500大歌曲榜第297名的歌，由Linda Ronstadt與James Taylor唱和聲，在錄製他第四張專輯唱片Harvest的那二年，他因脊椎突出連電吉它都不能彈，還常進醫院，但沒想到其中的單曲Heart of Gold成了他唯一的冠軍曲。

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u925g6CgKuw

 

Heart of Gold

Neil Young

 

I want to live, I want to give

I've been a miner for a heart of gold

It's these expressions I never give

That keep me searching for a heart of gold

And I'm getting old

Keeps me searching for a heart of gold

And I'm getting old

 

I've been to Hollywood, I've been to Redwood

I crossed the ocean for a heart of gold

I've been in my mind, it's such a fine line

That keeps me searching for a heart of gold

And I'm getting old

Keeps me searching for a heart of gold

And I'm getting old

 

Keep me searching for a heart of gold

You keep me searching for a heart of gold

And I'm getting old

I've been a miner for a heart of gold

黛比雷諾獲終生成就獎

電影名星刊物the Screen Actors Guild八月18日宣佈頒發終生成就獎給資深偶像女演員與歌手Debbie Reynolds，以表揚她在演藝圈的貢獻，這個獎將於明年元月25日該雜誌21週年慶好萊塢的活動典禮中頒發，也在TNT 與 TBS電視頻道播出。

Debbie Reynolds係於1932年四月一日出生於德州El Paso，主演過很多電影，是1950-1960年代的青春偶像女藝人，她為自己主演的電影Tammy And Bachelor所唱的插曲Tammy，1957年曾獲得五週排行榜冠軍。

Debbie Reynolds與男歌星Eddie Fisher的女兒Carrie Fisher曾在電影「星際大戰」飾演莉亞公主而知名，後來也是成功的小說家。

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdlakYIfuOo

 

Tammy

 I hear the cottonwoods whisperin' above,

 "Tammy ... Tammy ... Tammy's in love"

 The ole hooty-owl hooty-hoos to the dove,

 "Tammy ... Tammy ... Tammy's in love"

 

 Does my lover feel

 What I feel

 When he comes near?

 My heart beats so joyfully,

 You'd think that he could hear

 

 Wish I knew if he knew

 What I'm dreamin' of

 Tammy ... Tammy ... Tammy's in love

 

 Whippoorwill, whippoorwill, you and I know

 Tammy ... Tammy ... can't let him go

 The breeze from the bayou keeps murmuring low:

 "Tammy ... Tammy ... you love him so"

 

 When the night is warm,

 Soft and warm,

 I long for his charms

 I'd sing like a violin

 If I were in his arms

 

 Wish I knew if he knew

 What I'm dreaming of

 Tammy ... Tammy ... Tammy's in love

Paul Revere 退休了

在歷年暢銷歌星排行榜排第165名的知名合唱團Paul Revere And The Raiders，他們的領銜主唱Paul Revere因年事已高達76歲，八月八日宣佈不再參加該團的巡迴演唱，這個合唱團仍將以Paul Revere's Raiders的名字持續下去，但Paul Revere只擔任執行製作人，他兒子Jamie則將重新加入。

搖滾樂團Paul Revere And The Raiders成立於愛達荷州Boise，Paul Revere與另一位後來單飛的團員Mark Lindsay都是主唱，1968年他們在ABC電視網曾有過自己的節目Happening，是當年很紅的合唱團，作品亦很多。

1970年起他們改以The Raiders團名出唱片，次年獲得排行榜冠軍的Indian Reservation（The Lament of The Cherokee Reservation Indian）是一首為印第安人爭取關注的歌，也是他們唯一的排行榜冠軍曲。

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZev8fDpiOk

 

Indian Reservation

Artists: Paul Revere and the Raiders (peak Billboard position # 1 in 1971)

Words and Music by John D. Loudermilk

 

 

They took the whole Cherokee nation

Put us on this reservation

Took away our ways of life

The tomahawk and the bow and knife

Took away our native tongue

And taught their English to our young

And all the beads we made by hand

Are nowadays made in Japan

 

Cherokee people, Cherokee tribe

So proud to live, so proud to die

 

They took the whole Indian nation

Locked us on this reservation

Though I wear a shirt and tie

I still part redman deep inside

 

Cherokee people, Cherokee tribe

So proud to live, so proud to die

 

But maybe someday when they learn

Cherokee nation will return, will return, will return, will return, will return