This is the way it is…

Well, it’s over.



If you’ve seen the publicity, it is the most monentous event to have occurred in TV news since the advent of 30-minute newscasts. Katie Couric(hardly a giant of journalism)is now the anchor of the CBS Evening News(hallelujah!)!



And it WILL be different, that’s for sure. As she signed off last night, Katie gave us a nice shot of her legs…something that neither Douglas Edwards, Walter Cronkite, or Dan Rather(her predecessors)ever did.



She even asked us to submit a sign-off line for her, a la Cronkite’s “And that’s…the way it is”. We can make our choices on the CBS website.



Well, I’ve always wanted this to be an interactive blog. So I’m going to allow you to do it here, too. After all, if TV history is being made, I’d like us to be involved with it.



So if you have a suggestion for a tag line for Katie, feel free to submit it here. I’d love to be of help to this woman of history. Personally, the best suggestion I’ve yet seen is “Good night…and keep it perky!” Got a better one? Let me know!

Leave A-Rod alone!

Maybe it’ll finally stop for awhile now.

I’m referring to the incessant booing by New York Yankee baseball fans of their highest paid and highest profile player, Alex Rodriguez(a.k.a. “A-Rod”).

A-Rod has had his problems at times this season…he has made 25 errors at third base this season for the Yankees, a rather alarming total for a former Gold Glove infielder. And during a recent batting slump, he had struck out at the plate 12 times last weekend…and was booed unmercifully by the hometown fans the whole time.

Fools.

I know, they pay the (outrageous)ticket prices…and along with that, they have the right to express their displeasure when they’re unsatisfied with the way someone plays. Fine. And for some reason, they feel they have the right to boo louder and shout out nasty comments toward a player who earns a reported $3 million dollars a year.

I’ve got news for them, and you…if you feel that way, too. A-Rod is a human being, and is not entitled to that kind of pent-up hostility, especially when he’s trying to perform his job.

Why does he get it, then?

I think the biggest factor in the abuse is his salary. There are many people out there who feel that all A-Rod is doing is playing a kid’s game, and that no one should get paid the kind of money that he gets paid.

In one sense, this is understandable. When compared to a doctor working to save lives, or a scientist trying to invent a cure for cancer or Alzheimer’s disease or something of this nature, then, yes, perhaps it’s not proper for a baseball player to make over ten times the income that those dedicated people do.

But in another sense, it’s like the late entertainer, Jackie Gleason, once said, “Nobody’s overpaid.” What does he mean by THAT?

Well, from a strictly economic sense, wages and prices are determined by the laws of supply and demand. In other words, the more demand for your goods or services, the higher price you can charge for them. It’s that simple.

And whether we like it or not, we are an entertainment-driven society…we spend far more money on entertainment than we do on anything(even gasoline). And major league baseball is a multi-billion dollar annual business(yes, with that B).

And Alex Rodriguez is one of the leading attractions that draw fans into ballparks to watch baseball games. The fact that he is the youngest player in baseball history to reach 450 career home runs does not hurt his fan appeal at all.

And for the past decade or so, he has been ranked at or near the top of the game, as far as baseball talent experts are concerned. This is no doubt because his combination of speed, power, and skill is among the most striking in recent baseball history.

So is he overpaid? No, simply because the people who pay him are paying him that much money. No one has put a gun to the head of former Texas Ranger SM Tom House or current Yankee GM Brian Cashman to MAKE them pay A-Rod what he makes. They do it because they’re convinced that A-Rod helps them MAKE the money they make.

In other words, he’s worth it to the New York Yankees, and that’s all that matters. They’re the only ones paying him, NOT you or me. If he’s worth it to his boss, then he’s worth it.

But in real life, we all know our bosses would NEVER pay us that kind of money for what we do. Not only because it’s not there to pay, but because we don’t bring in that kind of revenue for what we do…and deep down, we know it.

And that makes us jealous…no question about it.

We ALL played baseball in school, right? So WE could do what A-Rod does, right?

Wrong.

Anyone who has ever seen major league baseball in person, or who’s tried to play it profesionally, knows that the skill level one needs in order to play it is far greater than anything we ever experienced in our lives. The fact that there are only some 300-400 people in the country that even make major league baseball teams proves that not just any of us can do it.

And certainly we don’t do it to a level that would make 50,000 people a night come out to see US play baseball.

So why are people so jealous of baseball players? The money…partly. The fame…partly.But next time we get the temptation to go out to a ballpark and just verbally abuse these people, let’s stop and think how we’d feel if people came to where WE work and boo and jeer us while we try to do our jobs.

Or what Bob Dylan once said about fans who came out to seemingly just boo him…”These people must be really rich…to pay that kind of money just to go someplace to boo someone.”

Are we that rich? And if we do that, are we REALLY rich?

I submit we’re not. And I can identify personally with the kind of jealousy guys like A-Rod get. And it’s NOT because I could do A-Rod’s work the way he can.

But things might be looking up. A-Rod is on a small homerun binge right now…he hit two today in a lopsided Yankee win over the Minnesota Twins. He is officially over the 30 home run mark for the season, and over the 100 RBI mark as well…again.

And when you’re winning, the world seems to be your friend.

Well, I love the people of the world, but it’s not my friend. I realize this every time I upset someone, or make a public mistake. Fortunately, my goals are in much higher places.

I’m not saying A-Rod’s necessarily are, though he IS well known for his kindness and philanthropy. Yes, he makes a lot of money, but he SHARES a lot of that money with people, too.

And he’s a nice guy…who is really good at what he does.

So I don’t know about you, but I’m willing to cut A-Rod some slack…maybe someday, Yankee fans will appreciate what they have in this remarkably talented young man.

Nothing…but the Gospel Truth

Well, I’m finally going to get around to something I’ve wanted to do here ever since I began this blog…review a classic gospel album!

And the one I’ve chosen first is one I still listen to often, and is one of the most underappreciated classics, much like the group that recorded it. But collectors seek it often, as well they should. It is the landmark album “Nothing…but the Gospel Truth”(Warner Bros. W/WS 1514), released in 1963 by the Couriers Quartet.

One listen immediately makes it evident why this album is a classic. 43 years after it’s release, the album still sounds current and fresh. But it was truly remarkable to hear an album by a gospel quartet that sounded like this in 1963. One, the idea of using a full orchestra was unheard of for a gospel quartet on albums. And two, it was the Couriers…certainly an earnest, dedicated, and talented group…but not one that one would expect an album like this to come from.

The Couriers had a few things going for them, though. A creative and dynamic manager in baritone Don Baldwin, an extremely talented musical mind in lead Neil Enloe, and a willingness to be a little different, and follow a direction that made sense for them, not necessarily what every other group was doing.

The idea for this album came after the Couriers had heard a recent album by the Oak Ridge Boys for Warner Bros., “Sounds of Nashville”(W/WS 1497). This 1962 album featured the Oaks singing backed by Nashville backing musicians in the brand-new “Nashville Sound”, and even had three cuts using strings, something gospel albums weren’t doing yet. Baldwin wanted his Couriers to make an album that would create a similar but even more distinct and contemporary(for then)musical impression.

Thus challenged, Enloe went to work on fresh vocal arrangements of familiar songs, and even worked on writing his own. He had written one song to date that had been recorded, but worked on more for this bold new project. He also contacted Brock Speer, who was extremely well connected with the RCA Studios in Nashville, having produced many such recordings for Skylite Records, in addition to being a session musician for many gospel recordings along with his brother Ben.

Speer rounded up a makeshift 16-piece orchestra for the album, drawing from a combination of Nashville musicians and students from Bowling Green State University in Kentucky. He also got an arranger to work out the score for the orchestra. Enloe in the meantime worked the Couriers through the most difficult vocal arrangements they had tried to sing to date. This album would be different, they were sure.

Come May 28. 1963, the Couriers, the orchestra, and Brock Speer and the other studio musicians he had assembled for the project gathered at RCA’s famous Studio “B” in Nashville to make the album. To say the Couriers were excited is an understatement. They were even more excited when they saw the orchestra assembled to sing behind them. Other artists who were at the studio that day wondered what was going on…a gospel quartet using an orchestra? Who could THIS be?

No, it wasn’t the Blackwood Brothers…or the Statesmen…but a group of humble youngsters from Pennsylvania, who had never dreamed they would be making a record like this. By the time they were done, it cost them $3,000…a pretty hefty price in 1963 to make a record!

The orchestra was only available for an hour or so…so it was time to get to work! The first song they would do was “Joshua”, done in a big-band jazz style with fancy vocal licks from the Couriers. But when the orchestra hit the opening bars, the Couriers were so overwhelmed with the specter of it all, rather than sing, all they could do was laugh! It was their way of releasing the tension they felt.

When the Couriers had composed themselves, they began the song anew, and this time finished it flawlessly. They recorded six songs with the orchestra, and then they were left to do the remainder of the album by themselves, with only the session musicians remaining to assist.

While the orchestra was still there, a member of the Speers singing group, tenor Sherrill Nielsen, stopped by to watch. At that point, the Couriers launched into a new song by Doris Akers, “Sweet Jesus”. The excellent arrangement and the sweeping strings, and Duane Nicholson’s excellent lead on the song made Sherrill eager to record it himself. And that very arrangement was done by Sherrill with not only the Speers, but with the Imperials when he joined them a year and a half later.

When the album was finished, 12 songs had been recorded. 10 were used for the album, and of the two that weren’t, one song, an early Bill Gaither song called “The Battle Is Almost Won”, turned up two years later on a Canaan Records album called, “The Sensational Sounding Couriers Quartet”, Don Baldwin’s last album with the group. The two replacements to make the total number of songs 12 were a couple of songs from earlier Courier albums recorded at that same studio(”Oh, Lord”, Neil Enloe’s first recorded song, and a luscious modern harmony arrangement of “If You Know The Lord”, from the previous album release).

Once complete, the Couriers learned that the very company that had issued the Oak Ridge Boys album that inspired their new album, Warner Brothers, was looking for a new gospel group to add to their roster. A phone call and a listen to the new album later, and the Couriers were Warner Brothers recording artists! It seemed to good to be true for the Couriers…they had made the big time! They were on a major secular label…singing gospel music…their way!

A few weeks later, they pulled up to a venue where they were appearing with the Speers, and the Couriers were amazed to see the Speers and othr singers gathered on the stage, listening to THEM! Brock Speer explained to the group that they had received an advance copy of the album, and the Speers were so impressed with it, they HAD to play it for the other groups! The Couriers were proud to have acceptance from their peers…this album was making them a big name in the business…at last!

The Couriers were hoping that the packaging that Warner Brothers would provide would help the album sell well. Once the album was officially released, the Couriers got their copies…and couldn’t believe what they saw. Yes, the picture was attractive, and the cover layout was attractive. And the title, “Nothing…but the Gospel Truth”, certainly was catchy.

But when the saw the color of the album…they were taken aback…it was orange! And later when they did concerts, and their fans saw that orange cover and the Warner Brothers label, they feared that their Couriers had “sold out” to a movie company! And the sounds on the album were so “worldly”, people initially were concerned!

They needn’t have been, however. The music on “Nothing…but the Gospel Truth” is among the finest made by any gospel group ever. From the swingy, uptempo songs like “Joshua” “Ezekiel Saw The Wheel”, and “Down By The Riverside” with the orchestra, to the string-laden sounds of “Sweet Jesus” and “Were You There”, the side with the orchestra(Side 1)is some of the most accomplished music made by a gospel group. The Couriers sing Enloe’s tricky arrangements masterfully(their best singing to that date), and the orchestra is not merely a device used to make the record sound fancier, but it really enhances the songs as musical experiences(”He’ll Understand And Say Well Done”). “Were You There” was to be sung by Baldwin, but his voice was not up to the task at the time of the recording, so the versatile Enloe sings the lead throughout, one of his most memorable vocal solos.

Side 2(the “normal” side)is not exactly chopped liver, either. “Oh, Lord” is balanced by another Enloe original, “Open Wide Thy Merciful Arms”, sung convincingly by Baldwin. “Whosoever Meaneth Me”(recorded five years later by the Blackwood Brothers) is a snappy toe-tapper highlighted by outstanding piano fills by session pianist Marvin Hughes. “I Am Counting On You” is an outstanding vocal performance by both Baldwin and Nicholson, and the sublime harmony of “If You Know The Lord”, although not recorded at the sessions that produced the album , is perfect for it.

This masterpiece was not a huge seller, but it had a huge influence in the industry. The Cathedral Quartet would use strings and brass two years later, while the Oak Ridge Boys and Imperials got around to picking up where the Couriers left off with this album much later in the decade.

And today, “Nothing…but the Gospel Truth” is among the most sought after collectors’ gospel albums out there…and the Couriers went on to be among the major gospel groups of the 1960s and 1970s.

And now you know….the “rest of the story”.

Nothing to say…

Some things speak for themselves far more eloquently than I could EVER describe them…even if I were to arm myself with a battery of dictionaries and/or thesauruses.



What happened? I won’t say…the party involved’s “Andy Warhol” minutes have long since elapsed in this corner of the Web.

And frankly, it’s not worth going into.

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