I Can’t Stop Lovin’ You - The End of the World - Six Days on the Road - I’m a Honky Tonk Girl - From a Jack to a King – old memories

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Today’s Blog Post
I Can’t Stop Lovin’ You - The End of the World - Six Days on the Road - I’m a Honky Tonk Girl - From a Jack to a King – old memories

It was a just a silly TV Advertisement that set off the flash back. Sheesh! Suddenly I was in a tent trailer in my parent’s backyard – 54 years ago. Swish!

It was late at night. I had a small light turned on and my hand was on the radio dial, slowly tuning in the different stations from far, far away.

After a carefully turning of the knob on the radio I was able to get WGN Radio from Chicago, Illinois. Chicago was over 700 miles away from that small tent trailer in the backyard of the Regina, Saskatchewan. Listening to that station from so far away, late into the night was simply amazing. The guy on the radio told about the place of Chicago and all that was in their area. The talk was interlaced with music, most of it was country… but some was rock and roll… or rather “rock-a-billy”. Lots of Honk Tonk and story kind of songs.

My Uncle Phil Kirkpatrick had trained as a radio technician and he worked at the local radio store. One day he had brought an old radio home for me to try out. The case was gone. All that was left was the base with the parts openly exposed. Phil told me that he thought all the parts were there and that I should try it out.

One tube was burned out. Tube? Yes Tube. Away back then transistor radios were still not ready for the likes of a 14 year old boy.

When I told Uncle Phil how I got it going, telling him that one tube was not lit up like the rest, and that I simply had bought another one. I told him that I had also taken the other tubes out and tested them. He asked how I did that. I had taken them to the drug store not far away that had a tube tester… and at the same time the machine cleaned the prongs/pins on the tube to make a better connection.

Uncle Phil’s comment was that I might put him out of business…

Being able to resurrect that old radio and then bring in a signal from 700 miles away was amazing. The feeling of the deep satisfaction, that came from taking that old carcass of simple electronics and get it to open a new world for me – was so gratifying.

Not only did Chicago come in but also Des Moines, Iowa and Lincoln, Nebraska. Each time a new station came on I would pull out the old map that my dad had given me. There it was another new city or town that was beaming their signal out where I was catching it so far away.

I cannot tell you what that did for my imagination and the desire to travel and see that world where the signal came from. It ignited it and set me on fire.

The TV Advertisement was trying to get me to order the TimeLife offer for “The Golden age of Country Music”. And it almost worked.

Over and over they played clips of
Singing the Blues - Marty Robbins
(When You Feel Like You’re in Love) Don’t Just Stand There - Carl Smith
If You’ve Got the Money, I’ve Got the Time- Lefty Frizzell
I Can’t Stop Lovin’ You - Don Gibson
Crazy Arms - Ray Price
Four Walls - Jim Reeves
That’s All Right - Elvis Presley
The Cattle Call - Eddy Arnold and His Guitar
I’m Moving On - Hank Snow
The Carroll County Accident - Porter Wagoner
The Battle of New Orleans - Johnny Horton
A Boy Named Sue - Johnny Cash
The Three Bells (Les Trois Cloches) - The Browns
Waterloo - Stonewall Jackson
My Elusive Dreams - Tammy Wynette and David Houston
The End of the World - Skeeter Davis
Why Baby Why - Red Sovine and Webb Pierce
Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy - Red Foley
A Little Bitty Tear - Burl Ives
Thanks a Lot - Ernest Tubb
I Ain’t Never - Webb Pierce
Lonesome 7-7203 - Hawkshaw Hawkins
Six Days on the Road - Dave Dudley
I’m a Honky Tonk Girl - Loretta Lynn
From a Jack to a King - Ned Miller
Laura (What’s He Got That I Ain’t Got?) - Leon Ashley
Hello Vietnam - Johnny Wright
You’re the Reason - Bobby Edwards

(Note: The songs names and artists listed I plucked from the TimeLife Web Site)

Everyone of these olds songsters and crooners I remember. And it all happened in that small tent trailer so long ago.

I grinned as I listened to the TV Ad. I wondered if my Grandkids will every understand their Grandpa.. or even care. So much will be lost when I am gone. Who cares what happened in 1958 – so long ago.

The little boy inside of me grinned widely. I am so thankful for the many old memories. If Uncle Phil could only know now what happened to me when he gave me that dusty old radio carcass… if only…

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/