October 22, 2014 (Wednesday)
This week’s blogs are about songs of various kinds. If one were to attempt to write an article on the broad subject of “Music,” it would soon develop into a book, and, perhaps, a library of volumes representing a wide array of choices and numerous musical genres. I therefore have narrowed my subject for today’s blog.
Today, I started out to write about “Country Music,” but soon discovered that it’s too big a subject so I’ll just write about its early days. In the 1920’s, before I was born, its popularity was becoming more widespread, mainly because of the budding recording industry and radio. One of the most popular artists was Roy Acuff.
When I was about nine years old, my uncle Lloyd took me to a country music show featuring Roy Acuff and his band, “The Smoky Mountain Boys.” His pal on the stage was “Bashful Brother Oswald,” (Beecher Ray Kirby 1911-2002), who entertained by singing harmony with Roy and by moving his bow tie up and down with his Adam’s apple. The show was presented on the grounds of the old Buffalo Stadium in Houston, in a tent with folding chairs and aisles carpeted with sawdust chips. We had front row seats.
For years such music was called, “Hillbilly Music.” It featured acoustical instruments. There was always a guitar and a banjo, a mandolin, a fiddle, a bass fiddle, sometimes a dobro, piano, harmonica, accordion, washboard, cowbells, etc. 
Roy would sing a while and play his fiddle a while. He was a true pioneer of the genre. He became known as “King of Country Music.” Before his death at age 89 in 1992, he could be seen walking the grounds at the Grand Ole Opry park (where he had a residence), chatting with the visitors.
One of his most popular songs was “The Great Speckled Bird,” a bird right out of the Bible book of Jeremiah (12:9). The immediate reference in Scripture was to Ancient Israel, but the song was written to illustrate the value of conservative Christianity. I liked to hear him sing it, but I never knew what it meant. I’m still not sure if I do. But multitudes of people bought his records, even though sales were down during the Depression. Radio seemed to emerge as the most popular way to publicize country music and whet people’s appetites for more.
Through the years country music has manifested itself in many different forms, and some say that the newest kind that is popular today is not even country music anymore. What I think of when I think, “country,” is called “Classic Country” on my television lineup. That’s where George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Merle Haggard and many more old-time artists can be heard.
I love music of all kinds. I could not possibly pick out a favorite. I don’t, do not, absolutely do not like “rap,” which is not music at all, or “hip hop,” which I just don’t like, along with certain types of rock that feature ear-splitting sound without a tune. But, generally speaking, when music is played, be it classical, country, folk, or whatever (except the ones I don’t like), I will listen and enjoy.
Occasionally, a country song makes it to church. One such song was a solo in “I Love America,” a Bi-centennial Musical presented at our church in 1976. The song was, “It’s Time to Pray,” and the words are “It’s time to pray to the God who watches o’er us, It’s time to seek His help without delay, For the world is dark and the clouds of war still threaten, It’s time for all America to pray.” Great words. Wonderful song. Magnificent
music. (By John Peterson and Don Wyrtzen).