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Program 03-06-15-A

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To The Best of Our Knowledge
from Wisconsin Public Radio

What are the great country music singles? Patsy Cline's "Crazy," probably. George Jones' "slobbing tearjerker," "He Stopped Loving Her Today."? What about the Rolling Stones' "Honky Tonk Women"? and Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay? According to the book "Heartaches by the Number," all of these songs are among country music's 500 greatest country singles. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, we'll count down some country music classics. Also, a profile of Welsh roots-rocker Dave Edmunds.

SEGMENT 1:

David Cantwell and Bill Friskics-Warren are the co-authors of "Heartaches by the number: Country Music's 500 Greatest Singles." They tell Steve Paulson why they chose to focus on single recordings, and defend several of their choices. And we hear excerpts from several of the singles. Also, Dave Edmunds is a guitarist, singer and producer. He doesn't have a lot of name recognition outside the industry, but has worked with stars from k.d.lang to Paul McCartney. Edmunds talks with Doug Gordon about his career and his music, and we hear lots of examples.

SEGMENT 2:

Lisa Tucker is the author of a novel called "The Song Reader." She tells Anne Strainchamps that she thinks the songs that get stuck in our brains reveal a lot about us. She says that song fragments reveal the unconscious, and de-constructs Sarah McLachlan's "Adia."

SEGMENT 3:

Jim Fleming talks with Cecil Brown, author of "Stagolee Shot Billy." Brown has researched the true story that gave rise to the Stagolee myth, and explains what the song has meant to various groups, especially within the African-American community. And the tradition lives on in rap. Brown says every rapper is enacting the Stagolee myth. And of course, we hear several versions of the song.

Cassette copies are available at 1-800-747-7444. Ask for program number 03-06-15-A.

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Books:

• Cecil Brown, Stagolee Shot Billy (Harvard University Press)
• David Cantwell & Bill Friskics-Warren, Heartaches by the Number: Country Music's 500 Greatest Singles (Vanderbilt University Press/Country Music Foundation Press)
• Lisa Tucker, The Song Reader (Downtown Press/Pocket Books)

• -- Lisa Tucker's website http://www.lisatucker.com/
• -- Cecil Brown's "Stagolee" website...features audio clips from many different versions of the song http://www.stagoleeshotbilly.com/

Music:

• -- "Help Me Make It through the Night"/Sammi Smith
  from the CD, "The Best of Sammi Smith" (Varese Records)
  -- "Lost Highway"/Hank Willliams with His Drifting Cowboys
  from the CD, "The Best of Hank Williams, Sr. (Original Recordings
  Remastered)" (Polygram Records)
  -- "Honky Tonk Women"/The Rolling Stones
  from the CD, "Hot Rocks, 1964-1971" (Abkco)
  -- "Crazy"/Patsy Cline
  from the CD box set, "The Patsy Cline Collection" (MCA)
  -- "Workin' Man Blues"/Merle Haggard
  from the CD, "Merle Haggard - 20 Greatest Hits" (Capitol)
  -- "I Hear You Knocking"/Dave Edmunds
  from the CD, "The Dave Edmunds Anthology (1968-90)" (Rhino)
  http://www.rhino.com/
  -- "Saturday Night Shuffle"/Dave Edmunds
  from the CD, "Hand Picked Musical Fantasies" (Handpicked Records)
  -- "Lady Madonna"/Dave Edmunds
  from the CD, "A Pile Of Rock Live" (Essential Records)
  -- "One More Night"/Dave Edmunds
  from the CD, "The Dave Edmunds Anthology (1968-90)" (Rhino)
  http://www.rhino.com/
  -- "Warmed Over Kisses (Leftover Love)"/Brian Hyland
  from the CD, "Brian Hyland - Greatest Hits" (MCA)
  -- "Warmed Over Kisses (Leftover Love)"/Dave Edmunds
  from the CD, "The Dave Edmunds Anthology (1968-90)"
  http://www.rhino.com/
  -- "Baby Ride Easy"/Dave Edmunds with Carlene Carter
  from the CD, "The Dave Edmunds Anthology (1968-90)"
  http://www.rhino.com/
  -- "Nike Golf - Super Soft TV"/Dave Edmunds with Carlene Carter
  http://www.endlessnoise.com/reels.htm
  -- "Allegro from Mozart's 40th Symphony in G minor"/Dave Edmunds
  from the CD, "Hand Picked Musical Fantasies (Handpicked Records)
  -- "Adia"/Sarah McLachlan
  from the CD, "Surfacing" (Nettwerk)

  Versions of "Stagolee" used:
  -- Instrumental by Sidney Bechet (New Orleans, 1934)
  -- Ma Rainey (Georgia, 1927)
  -- Buena Flynn, female inmate (Florida, Raiford...May 1936)
  -- 'Bama, a black convict (Mississippi, 1947...Parchman Prison Farm)
  -- "Stagger Lee"/Lloyd Price
  from the CD, "The Best Rock & Roll Album of All Time" (Various
  Artists) (PolyTel)
  -- Instrumental by Duke Ellington (Washington, D.C., 1929)
  

Distribution dates:

week of 06/27/2004 - hour 2 week of 06/15/2003 - hour 1

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Questions and comments can be addressed to: flemingj@wpr.org

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