When Do You Call It Quits?

Knowing when to leave … and exactly when is that? The Rolling Stones are expected to hit Nashville next month as scheduled. Some buzz online yapping that they should quit. It’s not the Stones without Charlie Watts? Hmmm.

The Beatles were never, ever getting back together as The Beatles when Lennon died, but we would have loved it. When the remaining Beatles did “Real Love” and “Free Bird” using old Lennon demos it was fantastic.

The Rolling Stones will be great when they play the short, No Filter tour in the U.S. beginning September 26th in St. Louis. But the bigger question arises, when are you supposed to say goodbye?

Nashville artists never stop touring and never stop singing for money, like Roy Acuff, Glen Campbell, Willie Nelson, Little Jimmy Dickens, Tammy Wynette, George Jones, and on and on. They play until they fall over. Beach Boys genius Brian Wilson has a very thin voice these days, but still I love the band and Al Jardine sounds as good as ever. As long as these folks can recreate the music, I’m there.

Time is not always our friend. Two Middle Tennesseans passed away recently who left huge marks in Music City’s history. They lived among us, but fame is fleeting.

No one but Elvis Presley was more famous than the Everly Brothers at the beginning of Rock and Roll in the mid 1950s. Don Everly was one of the conquistadors of rock and roll. He lived among us so quietly. Can’t list the stars who learned to sing in their teenage years pretending to be Phil and Don Everly. Go to iTunes and spend some money on those Everly songs. Few ever recorded in Nashville that have that clarity and longevity.

Tom T. Hall was the great storyteller. Any Nashville songwriters in the last 40 years not influenced by Hall’s style and ability to paint a song picture? (Still love “Sneaky Snake.”)

Had to explain to several non-music people who these folks were and why they were important. Fame is fleeting.

Alabama had to step away from the tour this weekend. Someone in the camp testing Covid positive. You can run, but it’s hard to hide from that monster. Stricter rules are coming into play. Garth Brooks said his upcoming Dive Bar shows will be an everyone vaccinated event, 100% of fans, staff and star. The fight over this will get stronger as the noose tightens. The military has a showdown coming with their mandate.

It has long since been time. Still most in Country music leadership hide in the weeds. A few strong stand on the front lines.

Thousands of songs run through the Nashville pipelines every year. A handful will be remembered. One song made it past 100 million views on YouTube this week, Josh Turner’s “Your Man.” Is “Your Man” or “Long Black Train” his signature song? “Your Man” was a #1, and triple platinum. That was his first video and his wife, Jennifer, is playing the leading lady. Chris Stapleton, Chris DuBois and Jace Everett wrote it. A grand slam for all on that one.

Tired of summer yet? Ready for a cool breeze