The 70s and John Ford Coley

I will admit to being a child of the 70s. Musically I survived the disco era.

Which brings me to a wonderful man, John Ford Coley. About six years ago, my friend Tom Wurth, had become friends with John who became his mentor and producer. When I came up with the idea to do a musical benefit for the church I attended I enlisted my friend (and then boss) Dean Sams of Lonestar and Tom to help get the talent needed. For John Ford Coley to participate was absolutely unbelievable. In 1977 I graduated from college and groups like England Dan and John Ford Coley as well as Seals and Crofts and Bread were at the top of my listening chart. What I found was not only a talented and gifted individual, but a very special man gifted with wit and storytelling (two of my favorite qualities in people).

This past weekend we revisited the Country Music Hall of Fame to hear John (last year he did the Songwriter Session with our friend Tom Wurth). It was great to not only hear John again, but also to grab a copy of his Live CD (from his Phillipine tour last year) that he and Tom produced once he was back in the states. I love live projects and this is great listening.

Throughout High School it was Bread; Three Dog Night, Carole King, Tommy James and the Shondells, The Carpenters, James Taylor, Simon and Garfunkel, The Rolling Stones and I have the LPs to prove it! It was the era of "American Pie" and still when Garth does that song I think of my brother using the handle of the fireplace screen pull as a mic to sing that song on the hearth at age five or six.

So, what WAS the number one song each year I was in college (at the University of Missouri).

1973 - September 8th "Let's Get It On" - Marvin Gaye - WOW - listen to the version done by Shannon Lawson!
1973 - July 21 & 28 "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" - Jim Croce - he died on his way to a concert at Mizzou - what a loss
1974 - February 2nd - "The Way We Were" - Barbara Streisand - I was in LOVE with Robert Redford and this movie!
1974 - May 18th - "The Streak" - Ray Stevens - my father LOVES Ray, but I am still laughing at my baby brother acting out this song through the halls of our house (do not KILL me Mark for my story telling!) At Mizzou "streaking" was rampant. That's a whole different blog!
1974 - "Annie's Song" - John Denver - ok, I liked John Denver. Shoot me! I saw him twice in the late 70s and even went to Aspen in the early 80s and there was just a mood. He did a song that we sang in Girl Scouts in the 70s that is my favorite song of all time. It is a folksy ballad called, "Today."
1975 - "You're No Good" - Linda Rondstadt - visions of the Dixie Club, the Ag Sig house, the DG house and lots of beer. Life at Mizzou.
1975 - "Blackwater" - The Doobies - ok, just read one line up. This song, forever will remind me of college days and Jack Daniels.
1975 - the BeeGees, The Eagles, KC and the Sunshine Band, America, Captain and Tennile, B.J. Thomas, Barry Manilow - dancing "The Hustle," and yes, Glen Campbell's "Rhinestone Cowboy."
1976 - Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover," love me some Simon and Garfunkel AND "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight" - by England Dan and John Ford Coley
1977 - David Soul (Starsky and Hutch) - "Don't Give Up On Us Baby" - I interviewed Keith Urban once and we found we had David Soul records in common! and the Eagles "Hotel California"


Enough for memory lane music, bring it to the future. Good music any day is just that and those I've met make the best!


Check out http://www.johnfordcoley.com/ soon as he is changing up his site and his MySpace at www.myspace.com/johnfordcoley Tom's is www.MySpace.com/TomWurth