U-turn in Nashville

               Listening to all that music, and  writing all that 'prose and poetry'.....I came up with this, that I thought at the time would be one of my first songs:

                      I made a u-turn in Nashville,
                      'cause I couldn't take it any more.
                      I made a u-turn in Nashville, 
                      after you walked on out the door.

                      If I could make my mind up,
                      I sure would like to know
                      why I'm headin' this way, 
                      and is it the way that I should go?

                      My heart says to wait, 
                      don't be so fast to leave, 
                      but once I set mind in place
                      there is no other place for me.

                      Then headin' down that fast Highway,
                      headin' down that Southern road
                      along that lonesome bi-way,
                      headin' straight to where I should go.
   
                      Near the warm water and blowin' wind,
                      that sings to you all day!
                      Then some tales from the past
                      just seem to come by and say:

                      'Don't make that u-turn in Nashville, 
                      for once you're there, stay awhile, 
                      take the time you have, it's short
                      and longing for your smile.'
  
                     So don't make that u-turn in Nashville, 
                     since your time may come,
                     that anything could happen
                     and soon it will be done!
                   

                      
 
                      

Count Down of The Top '40's' Hits of the Year 1961...on WMGM, New York.

   In 1960's, like most kids those days, we always had our ears glued to the Radio....of course back then it was only A.M. radio, which wasn't all that bad, considering that was when I heard 'little Stevie Wonder's first song. He was 13 and I was about the same age, our birthdays are close . It happened in the garage, where my father had his office and work-shop. Many things transpired there, but I think this one made the most difference to me at that young age, and looking back now, how music in general affected my life. There was a large up-right Radio next to his desk. I would go there alone, and listen intently to all the sounds coming out of this wonderful gadget. Some were two-way frequencies where I could pick up on other conversations. A multifunctional devise.
   On this particular day, as I sat close  and fooled with the knobs, I came across the sound of a Harmonica, playing to a different beat. The only other time I listened to a 'Harp',,,was when my father made a valiant effort to entertain us. 
   I just couldn't believe what I was hearing...the sound of Stevie Wonder coming full blast into my life, my heart and my soul!

   Other times I would lay on my bed and listen to the top 40's and Cousin Brucie, ramble of the hits of the day. This time was a little different, because it was for the end of the year 'top 40's'.
Now here they are for any of you that may be old enough to remember most, or at least some of them.

   I'm going to start with # 40, since that's the way it was presented and I have it written down that way.....

                    #40 ..Stand by me
                    #39..the lion Sleeps Tonight
                    #38..Baby Blue
                    #37..I Like It Like That
                    #36..Rain Drops
                    #35..Peppermint Twist
                    #34..Heart & Soul
                    #33..Gee Wizz
                    #32..I've Told Every Little Star
                    #31..Shop Around
                    #30..Always & Truly
                    #29..Twist
                    #28..Spanish Harlem
                    #27..Excides
                    #26..Calcuta
                    #25..The Boweval 
                    #24..I Don't Know Why I Love You, But I Do..
                    #23..Will You Love Me Tomorrow
                    #22..Big Bad John
                    #21..Please love Me Forever
                    #20..Barbara Ann
                    #19..Bristol Stomp
                    #18..School is Out
                    #17..Let's Twist Again
                    #16..My True Story
                    #15..There's a Moon Out Tonight 
                    #14..Tossing & Turning
                    #13..Daddy's Home
                    #12..Pony Time
                    #11..Take good Care Of My Baby
                    #10..Mother-in-Law
                    #9....Pretty Little Angel Eyes
                    #8....Hundred Pounds of Clay
                    #7....Michel
                    #6....Please Mister Post Man
                    #5....Run, Run..Run-away
                    #4....Run Around Sue
                    #3....Blue Moon
                    #2....Traveling Man
      and the #1.....Quarter to Three
              
      Well as you can see there are a lot of familiar songs of which, as I was adding them down the list, I was tempted to make a remark on how it brought me back to certain things that happened in that year. I thought better, since it would have taken too long. I then even thought how about an * after the one I reflected on the most. That too would have brought my fingers to yield under great emotion to my Hands, therefore a sudden slump on the Key board.
    
    Well I hope you enjoyed it and that those memories that might have been brought to light, were Joyful and with great positive feelings all over....
   

"Henry' & Jack meeting Grover for the first time...continued...

       I'd like to dedicate this continued part of the story to a special lady, on her Birthday......

       Looking at Grover, standing over the Wrangler he had just put a whooping to , was a sight you don't see that often out here in the lone prairie. He stood well over six foot two, since I was six-two, and had to wrench my neck to look him in the eyes, and with arms as big as my legs, held together by a massive Black frame.
    I leaned over to help the wrangler up, and whispered in his ear that he should get out of town as fast as he could. Knowing damn well that if he didn't we'd be the ones running for cover. I could see that as little as that town was, more & more people were gathering to see this unusual sight. It was also small enough, so that all that was there was a Feed & Grain store, a Saloon, and a dry goods, where I could see Henry coming out of with enough supplies to get us to the next County. I didn't give Henry time to come over and hash out the details of what had just happened. I grabbed on to what I thought was a huge Ham-hock, but realized that it was Grovers' large forearm. I motioned for Henry to get the horses and bring them here. At that point, I told Grover to get on his horse and come with us out of town, to at least sort matters out.
   Once we were a safe distance from town we slowed our pace and retreated to the camp site that we left that morning. It was a good spot to go over our plans to hook up with another crew of wranglers' that had a large herd of Cattle, or even some horses that needed to be brought down the Pike for some Ranchers that needed  fresh stock.

    Sitting around the camp fire, Grover began to tell his story, and how he ended up out here. 
    Apparently he was a rare breed of 'free' slaves from the North. He still was endowed to a wealthy Ship builder out of Massachusetts, by the name of Pierce. Life was good for him there, but soon the the partner of the business got greedy and arranged for his partner, Pierce, to 'disappear'. Which didn't leave Grover in a good light, since it was Pierce who had legal rights to Grover. Not sure how long this arrangement was going to last, Grover too disappeared, and  found himself in Pennsylvania taking on odd jobs, to say the least, since being a very large Black man, and that much closer to the South, he had no choice but to take on any work. Even if it meant cleaning up after the livestock for some wealthy nobleman. 
   He had a place in the back of the barn, which he had to share with the other Negros that that farm kept around for duties to be done at the drop of the hat. Within that little niche of friendly folk that he could trust, there came word of changes to come between the North and the South. Nothing they knew of for the near future, but the feelings ran deep in the minds of the Negros, who had more of a feeling and having that sense about them that only they could feel.

   Grover took these feelings to Heart, so much so he felt it better to get as far away as possible, before and if any of this came to be.
   All he could do was head West, it was the last Strong-hold for anyone looking to start a new life.......

          ....Sorry, Birthday girl, but to be Continued.....
   
          ....Hope you had a great day, Mo...!!
 
    

Riding Hard with John Henry and Jack Long in the Wild West.

    We last left Henry and Jack in the high plains of Montana, resting from their quick exit from Canada, now
 ready to break camp and move on......

    I could  tell that we had over stayed our welcome, when after we finished our coffee. looking to the North, you could see the menacing dark sky with clouds shifting with each gusts of the winds, threatening our chance to get to lower ground, if we didn't get a move on. 
    Henry had already sensed the on coming storm, and had his bed-roll wrapped, guns slid into his saddle holster, with saddle on his trusty Palomino, 'Butter-cup'. I too picked up the pace & after dosing the fire, grabbing my saddle & gear, threw it over my Stallion, Shamus's back, and proceeded to get the 'Hell out of Dodge'!
    
   We rode hard and as fast as we could, knowing that Mother Nature frowns on any Human that doesn't heed Her warnings! Heading South, but still in the High Country, we made pretty good time, considering this was how we rode down from Canada to get to our camp in the first place!
Getting to the lower plains, we could then ease up a bit, and catch our breath, along with our bearings.
   As we made our way slowly along a ridge, in hopes of finding a good place to settle in, that perhaps was next to a stream, both horses needed that much for giving us their 'All' in the past couple weeks. Then there was the other consideration for ourselves to a welcomed bath.
   It wasn't much longer, and a little bit further South, that we came across what seemed to be the 'perfect' spot. A grove of trees surrounded a pool of water, made natural in a brook from fallen branches, and curved rocks to make one end deeper then the rest.
   
   Here we were in a setting only Mother Nature herself made especially for us, after getting us on the move not more than the day before.  We decided that his might just be a good spot to hold up for a time, so that we could reconnect with our bearings. 
   Henry, had already gotten Butter-cup settled and was rustling around for some firewood. I had Shamus, tied and wiped down by the time he got back and started to get the fire ready for the night.
    Later that night, we sat there around the fire, haven eaten a Jack rabbit for dinner. Henry sat there for a minute in silence, which is the way he usually is....not much get's him to blurt out much sound, or at lease sound that makes any sense. Then all of a sudden he turns and says to me:
'you remember that 'ol Black man that took up with us a few years back, and wanted to go along with that round up we signed up for in Wyoming ?'  Man , Henry said, he must have been the blackest man I've ever seen. But sure glad he tied up with us, that there trip needed just what he had behind that belt of his!
   Henry was talking about Grover, sure enough a black man in these parts don't come around too often, but there he was, just smilin' down on a wrangler  he had just beaten down. He was holding the biggest Bowie knife that I'd ever seen, And lucky for that wrangler, Grover never had the chance to use it. 
    Grover was from the East, the Northeast. He said he came out this way becuse he had a bad feeling about that part of the Country. So he signed up with the first team of Wagons coming this way. Had a few run-ins, like the rest of us, but you knew deep down that this guy would back you to the end, as long as he knew you'd do the same for him! No problem....

            .....to be continued.....