Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

 The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its inductees for 2025 yesterday.  There are seven honorees in this year's class.  Three of the selections I whole-heartily agree with (Bad Company, Chubby Checker & Joe Cocker), one that is a maybe (Cyndi Lauper), one I don't agree with (Soundgarden), and two groups were honored that I never heard of (Outkast and the White Stripes).

I'll be 68 years old in 38 days, and to say that I am set in my ways music-wide is a major understatement.  I pretty much listen to classic rock and that is about it.  When I am in the car and have Sirius on, I am listening to one of four channels.  Classic Vinyl, The Beatles Channel, Radio Margaritaville or 70's on 7.  That is pretty much it.  I've mentioned before, radio was always one of my first loves.  Back in 1975-76 and 1976-77, I worked at KHCA, which at the time was the Harding campus radio station.  I also worked for KWCK-AM/KSER-FM in Searcy, Ark, and KPOC AM-FM in Pocahontas, Ark., At all of those stations we had a format that shall we say was loosely enforced.  As long as it was not say, Led Zeppelin or Nirvana or Judas Priest or somebody like that, I could always play pretty much play what I wanted.  I honestly don't remember one time that program director or station manager saying to me, "Um, Dalton, let's not play that again."

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was formed in 1983 with the Hall of Fame and Museum sitting on the shores of Lake Erie in Cleveland.  The first inductees were the Class of 1986, and it included Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Elvis Presley.  A very distinguished first class.

Over the years fans have voted in many of the inductees.  There are also inductees for "Early Musical Influences," "Nonperformers" which would include record producers, engineers, etc. and "Awards for Musical Excellence."  It should come as no surprise for many of the inductees the first 10 years or so, they counted rockabilly, bluegrass, the blues, even gospel as their early musical influences.

Over the years, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has expanded its reach, and I think that is a good thing.  In the last few years, we have seen Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson inducted, as well as hip-hop artists like Jay-Z, Tupac Shakur and Eminem.  What I would consider "Middle-of-the-Road" artists like Cher, Carole King, and Bill Withers have also taken their place in the Hall.   

As I was going over the names of those groups and individuals who are enshrined in the Hall, I was struck by the names of those bands, solo artists, nonperformers and engineers that for whatever reason have been overlooked.

As you might have guessed, I have made a list of those individuals who I feel are worthy of being included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  My list includes (in alphabetical order)

America - Another great band from the 1970's.  These three American teenagers met in England while their fathers were stationed in the U.K..  "Ventura Highway," "Sister Golden Hair," "Tin Man," and "Horse with No Name" were all giant hits.  I would love to see them get the nod.

Glen Campbell - Simply put, one of the greatest guitar players who ever lived.  A long-time session musician in Los Angeles, he was asked to join the Beach Boys during one of Brian Wilson's illnesses.  He went on to have a legendary county and rock and roll career.  He definitely belongs.  Plus he and my dad both grew up in Pike County, Arkansas

The Guess Who - This band from Canada led by Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings deserves Rock Hall consideration for a number of reasons.  Let's name a few.  "American Woman", "These Eyes" "No Sugar Tonight" and "Undone".  You get the idea.  One of my favorite bands to sing along to.

Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Another English group from the 1970's.  What I remember most about ELP is their use of a new instrument, the Moog synthesizer.  Suddenly everything sounded different.  "Lucky Man" is a classic vinyl favorite.

Rick Hall - Owner/Producer/Engineer at Fame Recording Studio in Muscle Shoals.  He really is the one who got it started in this area.  Many performers who recorded at Fame are already enshrined.

Ben E. King - Ok, this comes with an asterisk.  King is already in the Hall as a member of the 1950's group The Drifters.  But like many, he deserves recognition for his solo career as well.  "Stand By Me" is one of the great songs of all time.

Procol Harum - An English band that started in the late 1960's, there music was almost classical.  In fact, their hit "Conquistador" was recorded with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.  They brought in the era of Symphonic Rock.

Jethro Tull - The English band led by flute-playing Ian Anderson is another '70's staple.  They were unlike just about anybody else.  I mean who else could do songs like "Bungle in the Jungle" or "Locomotive Breath."

Johnnie Rivers - It astounds me that Rivers is not enshrined in Cleveland, while others, who I think are inferior in talent are members.  Songs like "Summer Rain," "Secret Agent Man," "Slow Dancing," and "Rocking Pneumonia" are classics.

Kansas - The first time I heard "Dust in the Wind" I was mesmerized.  It had such depth, such soul, I thought it was one of the greatest songs I had ever heard.  Sam Bates, one of my long-time friends (over 50 years), is the biggest Kansas fan I know.  This is for you buddy.

Three Dog Night - In the early 1970's Three Dog Night sold more concert tickets than anyone else.  How many times have you heard the word "Jeremiah" and immediately said "was a bull frog," Like America, a great trio with great harmonies, they had great songs and rode a wave of popularity for a decade.

Traveling Wilburys -  Ok, I understand, they only put out two albums.  But they were incredibly good.  The Supergroup by whom all other supergroups are measured.  George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne.  I mean, just wow.

Ok, I have thrown myself on the sword with my Rock and Roll Hall of Fame snubs.  I would love to hear who you think belongs as well.  In the meantime, if any of you have any relatives that take part in deciding the ballot, I'd like to speak to them.

Have a great week.  Be nice to each other.

Deep South

There are times when I hate the Internet.  Specifically, I am talking about Facebook, X (nee Twitter) and Instagram.  Anyone with a keyboard, no matter their degree of intelligence or lack thereof, can write (type) anything they want, and pass it off as gospel, no matter how ridiculous it seems or untrue it is.

But then again, there are times when a post is made, and it prompts genuine discussion.  Counterpoints are made, discussion is civil, it is good reading.  The discussion may be Biblical, about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the weather, baseball, or who has the best tacos.  Folks can be passionate without being rude.  I like that.  (Did you catch that, Baseball, God and Tacos all in the same sentence.)

The other day, while I was perusing Instagram, I came upon a post by unimaps.world.  It showed a map of the United States.  The question posed to readers like myself was "What is the Deep South?"

Each state was one of four colors.  The states they considered the "Deep South" were colored red.  Other states just considered the "South" were orange, while states they considered "Partly South" were yellow.  Everybody else was green.

According to whosever opinion this was, had the 50 states divided thusly.

Deep South (4) - Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina

South (6) - Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas

Partly South (4) - Kentucky, Oklahoma, Virginia, and West Virginia

Not South (36) - Everybody else

I'm almost 68 years old.  I was born in Louisiana.  I have lived in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida and Missouri.  I have spent considerable time in Georgia, South Carolina and Texas.  Let's face it, I love college football, I like to fish, tornadoes fascinate me, I go to church regularly, I love cornbread and beans, collards and coconut cream pie.  I think the Southern Living Cookbook belongs in every kitchen, Lewis Grizzard is the funniest writer who ever lived, and you should call your momma every single day if she is still alive.

So in my own humble opinion, I feel I am more than qualified to separate the wheat from the chaff.  In other words, what states should be considered deep south, south, partly south, or Yankees.

I should add, whoever put this list together I will giver kudos to.  For the most part, I think they did a credible job of deciding who's who.  But I have a few changes to make.

First in the "Deep South" category.  I really debated about this because I love South Carolina.  It is my second favorite state (after Alabama), and I literally would move there tomorrow if given the opportunity.  But I don't think of South Carolina as the deep south.  It is simply the south.  So if I were making this map, South Carolina gets moved to another category.

Secondly let's visit the "South".  First, I want to the ability to divide states, and will start by dividing Florida.  Everything north of I-4 will remain in the south.  But south of I-4 is no more southern than Connecticut or Wyoming.  Secondly, I am moving Virginia to the South with the exception of the D.C. metropolitan area.  That area is just, well, no southerner worth his bacon grease would want to live there.  But (with no urging from my brother or sister-in-law), I am welcoming most of Virginia back to the South.

Ok, finally we have the "Partly South," and I have some serious editing to do.  I'm going to redraw lines faster than Mason and Dixon.  I am adding Maryland to the partly south.  I really thought long hard about this, but to be fair, they belong.  Moving west, my home state of Missouri, where I have spent 32 of my nearly 68 years.  Everything south of the Missouri River, which runs across the state from Kansas City to St. Louis, everything south of it will be welcomed into the "Partly South" category.  Southern Missouri is very southern, they grow rice and cotton, are nice to their neighbors and use all their fingers when they wave.  They definitely belong in the partly southern category.  Northern Missouri?  Leave them where they are.

I'm not quite finished yet.  Oklahoma is not the south.  It is the southwest.  Ok, they have tornadoes, I'll give you that, but I can't think of anything southern about them, and why we let OU into the SEC is beyond me.  Finally, we come to the big enchilada, Texas.  Most of Texas is like Oklahoma.  I know some of my Texas relatives will put a contract out on me for saying that, but really, when you think of Texas, do you think it is more like Georgia or more like Oklahoma or New Mexico?  I rest my case.  Sure, I know they were one of the 11 who thought it was a good idea to start their own country, but still.  So here is what I'm going to do.  Like Florida, Missouri and Virginia, I'm going to divide it.  Everything east of I-35 will remain in the "Partly South," while everything west of I-35, yes that includes you Fort Worth will be classified as "Not South."

I should add as of Thursday afternoon, there were over 2,000 comments, some of which were passionate pleas, while some were just downright hostile.  We are all protective of where we live.

So let's review, here is my updated, what is the "Deep South?"

Deep South (3) - Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi

South (7) - Arkansas, Louisiana, North Carolina, North Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia (except DC metro area)

Partly South (5) - East Texas, Kentucky, Maryland, Southern Missouri, and West Virginia

Not South (39) - Everybody else

Feel free to comment about my re-classifications and let me know what you think.

Have a wonderful Thursday evening and be kind to each other

He Has Risen

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5. 6-8

Easter is tomorrow.   A day when the world recognizes and celebrates that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.  I will go so far as to say this was, and still is, the most important day in the history of the world.

When I was younger, Easter meant new clothes, hunting for Easter eggs, going to Granny's for lunch.  I had no idea what Easter meant.  Oh sure, I knew it was the day Jesus was resurrected, we even sang a song about it, "Up from the grave he arose, with a mighty triumph o'er his foes, He arose."  That was number 145 in the old blue songbook.  Some of you will know what I mean, but in reality, for way too long, I had no clue what this day meant.

Christmas is celebrated as the day Christ was born, and that's nice.  I will never complain when the focus is on Christ.  Praise God that it is for a few days each year.  But Christmas was the culmination of what was prophesied in the Old Testament; it was the beginning of a new chapter.  The best and the most incredible was still yet to come.  It was all part of God's plan.

There are a lot of men and women who can do a better job of explaining all of God's plan to you.  Perhaps I should have had them write this blog, but I didn't.  So I am going to try to keep it short and stick to the main points.

It is so important to realize that God loves us and he wants us, all of us, to spend eternity with him.  The apostle Peter writes in 2 Peter, "He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

We are all sinners.  All of us.  Simply put we are not good enough to get into heaven, so someone had to pay the price for our salvation.  That was Christ. That is why he came, that is why he died and that is why he arose on the third day.

I love that final line Paul uses.  Read it carefully.  "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  That is the most important sentence you will read all day, or tomorrow or this week.  Christ died for us, so we would have the opportunity to spend eternity with him.

If Christ died, then why is the Resurrection so important?  By rising from the dead, He is triumphing over death, he is conquering the Evil One (Satan).  He is loudly proclaiming death is not the end and it cannot hold me.

If Christ doesn't rise from the dead, everything in the Old Testament and his life to that point is for naught, it's useless.  The Apostle Paul really nailed it on the head toward the end of 1 Corinthians, "If we have hoped in Christ only in this life, we are of all people most miserable. "This means that if the resurrection is not real and our hope is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone else."

If Christ doesn't come back from the dead, we are all just wasting our time.

That is why I believe, Easter, the morning Christ arose on the first day of the week, is the most important day in the history of the world.

May God bless you.  

Thank you for reading, be nice to each other.

Great Aunts

 When you write a blog or column with any sort of regularity, there is always a fear in the back of your mind that you are going to run out of things to write about.  I worry about that from time to time to time, and I'm sure Shakespeare and Hemingway went through it as well.  I mean that should have been evident the other day when I wrote a 700-word blog about making up a song about collards.

As soon as one blog is finished, you immediately start thinking about the next one.  Where will it come from, what will it be on, is there enough material, etc. etc.  

Today's column, well the idea for the column, came from a phone call I had with my mother this morning. As you are well aware, or at least should be, I call my mother, Princess Charlotte (she likes being called that, but I call her Mom) every morning.  I call her most evenings as well.  She is 88 years young and likes to talk.  About almost anything, but mostly about her adventures and her relatives.

I call her because I want to be a good son, and it's the right thing to do.  I also call her because she has lost a number of friends over the past few years, friends she has known since I made my debut almost 68 years ago.  Mona and Kay, Bev and Barbara, Jean and Bootsie.  Ladies she talked to with regularity.  She misses that, so I have come to realize, I fill that void, which is fine, I don't mind at all.  Sometimes I learn something.

One thing I really love about my mother's parents is they came from big families in Randolph County, Arkansas.  The Dalton's and the Poteet's.  Yes, that is how I got my first name.  My mother's maiden name is Dalton.  It's a southern thing you know.

Anyway, as we talked this morning, we were talking about her aunts, my great-aunts, and all the wonderful things about them, how they were so different.

My grandpa Dalton was one of six boys.  He also had a sister.  My Granny Dalton was one of seven sisters.  She also had two brothers.  So if you count the spouses of my grandpa's brothers, that is 12 great-aunts I had through mom's side of the family.  Most of them I knew quite well.  They were all alive when I was born and I can recall spending time with at least ten of them.

Since my discussion with mom is fresh on my mind, I thought I would write about my great aunts.  Well, at least some of them.

Of the 12 great-aunts I had, there is still one, my Aunt Roxie, who is still alive.  She is my granny's youngest sister.  She is 102 (but looks 80) and lives by herself in St. Louis, even though four of her five kids live nearby.  She still cooks, but has given up driving.  She lives about 15 minutes from mom and nearly every time I am in St. Louis I go see her.  We always have a wonderful visit and almost always, when M and I are getting ready to leave, she insists we stay for cookies and lemonade.

Aunt Roxie is sharp as a tack and likes to talk politics, she is a die-hard democrat and keeps up with current events.  She wants you to as well.  Christmas of 2023, she gave me a subscription to Time magazine, which I thoroughly enjoy.  Since Granny died in 2013, Aunt Roxie has taken her place for me.  I love her dearly.

Of my Grandpa's five brothers, the one he was closest to was my Uncle Roscoe.  Of the six brothers, Grandpa, who died in 1973, was number five.  Uncle Roscoe was number four.  They did everything together and were best friends in addition to being brothers.  

Grandpa and Granny lived in Reyno, but a few miles north of there, in Clay County, was the small town of Datto.  That is where my Aunt Adele was from.  She fit smoothly into the Dalton clan.   They traveled a lot with my grandparents, and I can remember going to Memphis to see them when they lived there.  

My Uncle Roscoe died in 1963.  I was six, and I have some memories of him, but not too many.  But I have a lot of memories of my Aunt Adele.  One, she was glamorous.  She was pretty, attractive, carried herself well, an immaculate dresser, and always wore hats with those dresses.  Janice Kennedy at church reminds me in many ways of my Aunt Adele.  She was always smiling, and despite losing both her husband and her son when they were in their 50's, I never heard her complain and say anything mean to or about anyone.  She was pure class.

The brother just older than Roscoe was my Uncle Acel.  He and my Aunt Tharon lived very close to us in St. Louis, and it was not uncommon for us to stop by there to visit or drop something off and wind up staying for dinner.

Aunt Tharon was a great cook.  She made wonderful biscuits, biscuits that just melted in your mouth.  I also remember her fried okra being among the best I ever had.  She was not tall, but she stood tall in the family.  I was happy when my folks retired and moved to Pocahontas, there in Randolph County, that my Aunt Tharon was living there as well.  I remember her coming to our wedding in 1999.

One of Granny's older sisters was my Aunt Maggie.  She was either number two or three.  Granny was number five of the seven.  There are a couple of things I remember about my Aunt Maggie.  Let me stop for a minute.  I know all these wonderful ladies are my great-aunts, but I just called them aunts.  Ok, Aunt Maggie was a schoolteacher.  She taught in the Berkeley School District in St. Louis for years and years.  For Christmas she would always give Barry and me books.   I know part of my love of for reading came from the encouragement I received from my Aunt Maggie.

One another note about my Aunt Maggie.  When she retired from teaching, she moved back to Reyno, even living with my Granny, her younger sister, for a period of time.  Of the seven sisters, Aunt Maggie was the only one who did not live to see 90.  She was 88 when she passed away.  The other six all lived to be in their 90's and as previously mentioned, my Aunt Roxie is still going strong at 102.  

When I was growing up in the St. Louis suburbs, in addition to my grandparents, I had four sets of aunts/uncles who also attended church where we did.  Uncle Carl and Aunt Roxie, Uncle Acel and Aunt Tharon, Aunt Maggie, Uncle Paul and Aunt Ginny.

We called my Aunt Virginia "Aunt Ginny."  She and my Uncle Paul did not have any children of their own, so all of their nieces and nephews were their children.  When my mother was young they took her on a vacation trip to California.  In the '40's that was a big deal.  She always called mom "Shorty."  My mom is 5-9, she wasn't short, but even when I was an adult, she called my mom shorty.  That always made me laugh.  Aunt Ginny was legally blind and couldn't drive, so for a lot of her senior years, my Granny would take her where she needed to go.   One memory I will always cherish is watching Granny and Aunt Ginny play cards.  They fought and argued when they played cards.  I can still hear my Granny say, "Virginia, what did you play that card for?"  Granny hated to lose.

I could go on and on, but I've written about the five I was closest to, that five I knew the best.  I could add my Aunt Aldena, who was married to my Grandpa's baby brother, Uncle Glen.  After I moved to Pocahontas after M and I got married, I got to know and love her a lot more.  She was always liked showing off her nephew the writer.

Aunt Roxie, Aunt Ginny, Aunt Margaret, Aunt Maggie, Aunt Doris, Aunt Myrtle, Aunt Effie, Aunt Irene, Aunt Hester, Aunt Tharon, Aunt Adele, and Aunt Aldena.

When I was a teenager spending time around them, I thought they would all live forever.  Now, there is only one left and I love her dearly.

I was blessed growing up in the family I did.  It was a village, led by those who loved me like I was their own.  I really hope I show that kind of love to my nieces and nephews.

If you still have your aunts and uncles, call them, send a note, go see them.  Tell them how much you love them.

Till next time, be nice to each other.

The Collards Song

This blog is going to be kind of silly.  In other words, one of my favorite ones to write and hopefully one of your favorite ones to read.

I haven't posted a new blog in a week since the beginning of the Masters Week.  M and I left South Carolina on Thursday, stopped to see Barclay and Sarah and the grandkids, then came home on Friday.  Plus, there was a lot of golf to watch, so who has time to write a blog.  Right?

I had a few ideas in my head for possible columns/blogs, but nothing concrete.  But at worship this morning, two things happened that made the light go on and realize I had a column already written in my head.

First, a little background.  Will Young led our singing this morning at the Sherrod Ave Church of Christ or SA for short.  He is not our normal song leader, that would be Kaleb Suggs.  But he was excused today because late Thursday night, his wife Morgan gave birth to their second child, who also happens to be their second daughter. So Will led our singing this morning.

As a side to that, having an April 10th birthday, the newest Suggs girl has the same birthday as two of my favorite people, Miss Peggy Murphy, who turned 94 on Thursday, just a wonderful, wonderful lady, and Allison Blair, who did not turn 94.  Just thought I'd throw that in for free.

Anyway, back to the story, the second thing that spurred my little brain into action was a conversation I had with Susan Easley after worship.  We just happened to be leaving the auditorium at the same time, and I said something along the line of, "how is my favorite comedienne doing today?"  Those may or may not have been my exact words, but something like that.  She looked at me like I had worms coming out of my ears and said, "who, me?"  Yes, of course, you silly girl.  In my warped opinion, Susan is one of the funniest people I know.  Her FB posts almost always make me laugh.  We chatted a bit as we walked to get coffee, agreeing laughter is indeed the best medicine and it helps just to be a little bit warped, which we both are.

So Will leading singing, and having a brief chat with Susan, led me to today's blog.  Collards!

I know you are scratching your heard or rolling your eyes thinking, has Dalton lost it, what in the world do collards have to do two with the seemingly separate incidents at SA today.  Normally I would say you would be right.  But if you dig deeper into my brain, you would know why.  But then again, you still might not understand.

Have you ever heard a song on the radio and made-up new lyrics, you know, funny lyrics.  Or perhaps, taken a familiar tune and inserted your own lyrics?  Of course you have, we all have.  It is the latter that I need to confess.

Our second song today was "The Glory-Land Way," a wonderful old hymn written in 1924 by James Samuel Torbett.

The first verse and refrain of the hymn go like this.

"I'm in the way, the bright and shining way, I'm in the glory-land way.

Telling the world that Jesus saves today, yes, I'm in the glory-land, glory-land way

I'm in the glory-land, glory-land way, I'm in the glory-land, glory-land way;

Heaven is nearer and way groweth clearer, for I'm in the glory-land, glory-land way."

It is a beautiful song with great words, and the 300 or so in attendance at SA this morning sang it with everything they had.

Now let's back track a bit.  I like collards.  That is a lie, I love collards, cooked with bacon and smothered with Louisiana Hot Sauce.  We grow them in our garden, eat what we can when they are fresh, then freeze the rest.  They freeze very well, and we enjoyed collards from our garden most of the winter.

When we ran out of our own collards, we would buy "Glory" brand collards.  They are a company, I think based in South Carolina.  They sell all sorts of canned fruits and veggies, including collards that are almost as good as home grown.  A month or two ago, M was making dinner and had opened a can of Glory collards to have with the rest of our dinner.  As my son Barclay would say, they were glorious.  So glorious in fact, while we were still eating, I burst into song, using a familiar tune, just putting in my own lyrics.

"I'm in the way, the bright and shining way, I'm in the Glory Foods, Glory Foods way.

I love their collards, I eat them every day, yes, I'm in the glory Foods way.

I'm in the Glory Foods, Glory Foods way, yes, I'm in the Glory Foods, Glory Foods way.

I love their collards, I eat them every day, yes, I'm in the Glory Foods way."

M actually stopped eating, looked at me and said, "ok, that one was pretty good."

So every time we have collards, I break into song.

As we were driving to church this morning, M was looking at the songs we were going to sing.  Good singers, like M, do that.  Bad singers, like me, don't.  But at one point she told me we would be singing "Glory-land Way."  My eyes lit up, but she immediately said, "don't you dare."  I pretended to be hurt by this remark, as if I am going to be singing about collards when everyone else is singing about heaven.  Well yeah, a much younger and more immature Dalton just might have.

So all of you young writers, there you have it.  A substitute song-leader, a chance conversation, and collard greens.   I'm telling you, there is a blog in everything, all you have to do is look.

Thanks for reading, and be nice to each other.

If I Were Scottie Scheffler

This week is Masters Week, the week when the sports world turns its attention to Augusta, Georgia for the greatest golf tournament in the world.

On Tuesday evening the Augusta National Golf Club hosts the Champions Dinner, a time for all previous winners of the Masters to come together for an evening of great food, fellowship and storytelling.  The winner of the previous year’s tournament picks the menu for the evening.  Last year’s champion Scottie Scheffler oversees this year’s menu.

I thought it would be fun in this space to ask a few friends of mine who play golf, to pretend they are the current Masters champion, and to come up with a menu.  Nearly all enthusiastically responded, and I hope you enjoy everyone’s unique menu of their favorites.  The menus are listed in alphabetical order.

 

Jordan Campbell – Florence, AL

Appetizers – Smoked Conecuh sausage bites with cheddar cheese, with a BBQ/pineapple juice sauce, served pick and poke style.  Pimento cheese (Southern Grocery style0 with Ritz, Saltines and Crostini along with slices of fried bologna.

First course – Seafood or chicken gumbo, or a chef salad with dressing of choice

Main course – Marry me chicken pasta with blackened chicken breast over angel hair pasta, or aged Tomahawk steaks with garlic butter, twice baked potatoes, Parmesan asparagus and cinnamon butter rolls

Dessert – Snickerdoodle cookies with homemade snickerdoodle ice cream

Beverages – For those who indulge, Smoked Peach Old Fashioned, Chateau Lynch-Bages Red Wine, Wayfarer Chardonnay, or a dessert Carmel Snickerdoodle Martini

 

Donnie Daugherty – Florence, AL

Appetizers – Luke chicken wings, jalapeno poppers

First course – Salad

Main course – Steak and baked potato, or pork steak with beans and cornbread and coleslaw

Dessert – Blackberry cobbler with ice cream or whipped cream and butter

Beverages – Sweet tea

 

Justin McGill – Florence, AL

Appetizers – Mozzarella cheese sticks, firecracker shrimp, duck egg rolls served over Thai coleslaw

First course – French onion soup or Caesar salad

Main course – Balsamic crushed filet mignon or blackened Mahi-Mahi served with steamed broccoli, loaded baked potato and corn

Dessert – Peanut Butter pie with vanilla ice cream

 

Jason Neir – Searcy, AR

Appetizers – Seared scallops with crab cakes

First course – French onion soup

Main course – Hamburger pie with roasted zucchini and slaw. (My mom made the most incredible pie)  The slaw would have to be from Cock of the Walk Fish House in Maumelle, AR.  Zucchini is my favorite green vegetable, sauteed in olive oil and seasonings

Dessert – Mom’s Peanut butter pie

Beverages – Southern sweet tea, cappuccino with a shot of Bailey’s Irish Cream, and Mountain Valley Spring Water

 

Drew Nipper – Muscle Shoals, AL

Appetizers – Loaded fries and cheese sticks

First course – Chips and cheese dip

Main course – Filet or red fish, with mac and cheese, twice-baked potato

Dessert – Peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream

 

 

James Nipper – Muscle Shoals, AL

Appetizer – Sweet and spicy wings, cheese sticks, pigs in a blanket

First course – Lobster bisque

Main course – Wagyu filet, or Maine lobster tail.  Loaded mashed potatoes, onion rings and green bean casserole

Dessert – Crème brulee

 

Drew Smith – Florence, AL

Appetizers – Shrimp and grits skewers and mini fried green tomatoes

First course – Seafood gumbo or Caesar salad

Main course – Choice of fried chicken with a honey-mustard glaze or grilled salmon with lemon butter sauce.  Sides include mac and cheese, loaded mashed potatoes, collard greens and cornbread

Dessert – Peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream or cheesecake with choice of toppings

 

Ken Springer – Florence, AL

Appetizer – Bang-bang shrimp, hot wings

First course – Gumbo

Main course – Fried chicken on the bone, blackened snapper

Dessert – Coconut creme pie, chess pie

Kaleb Suggs – Killen, AL

Appetizers – Sauteed crab claws, Smoked sausage, pickle and cheese plate with banana peppers and pickles.  Chili con queso with pita chips

First course – French onion soup with cheese cap or Caesar salad with freshly grated cheese

Main Course – Choice of filet mignon with blackened shrimp or blackened mahi-mahi.  Sides include roasted garlic mashed potatoes, seasoned sauteed green beans, and fresh grill squash and zucchini

Dessert – Double layer chocolate cookie cake with homemade vanilla bean or chocolate ice cream on top.  New York-style cheesecake with fresh strawberries

 

Barclay Sullivan – Cartersville, GA

Appetizers – Toasted ravioli or Neapolitan-style pizza

First course – Sarah’s shrimp and grits

Main course – Pimento cheese and egg salad sandwiches with kettle cooked chips

Dessert – Peach cobbler or monkey bread

Beverages – Coke, water, Arnold Palmer, Cookies n Cream milkshakes, PBR

 

Barry Sullivan – Abingdon, VA

Appetizer – Fried calamari, fried crawfish tails, crab stuffed mushrooms, all with New Orleans remoulade sauce

First course – Shrimp and cheese grits with andouille sausage, peppers and onions and remoulade sauce

Main course – Blackened grilled monk fish, red beans and rice, coleslaw.

Dessert – Beignets with powdered sugar

Beverages – Arnold Palmer tea, Chicory coffee

 

Clayton Sullivan – San Francisco, CA

Appetizers – Bruschetta on crostini bread with a balsamic glaze, grilled and spiced chicken wings with bleu cheese

First course – Steak tartare with raw quail egg or Caesar salad

Main course – Baby rack ribs or smoked brisket, served with Phillipe’s carrot salad, roasted garlic potatoes and jalapeno cornbread

Dessert – Carrot cake and macadamia nut cookies

Beverages – Coke, Arnold Palmer, and red wine from Sonoma County

 

Dalton Sullivan – Tuscumbia, AL

Appetizer – Drago’s char-broiled oysters topped with butter, bacon, grated parmesan cheese and white wine.  Blackened alligator bites with remoulade sauce, fried calamari with marinara

First course – Shrimp and grits or Caesar salad

Main course – Grilled swordfish, blackened grouper or ribeye.  Cilantro-lime rice, green bean bundles wrapped in bacon, collard greens, cornbread with honey butter

Dessert – Vanilla bean ice cream with fresh strawberries or peaches

Beverages – Sweet tea, Arnold Palmer, water, House Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc, coffee, Irish coffee with dessert

 

Jeff Walton – Florence, AL

Appetizers – Cheese dip nachos, fried mushrooms, served “Fungus Amongst Us style,” and Fried Crab Claws, served rock and roll Walton style

Opening course – Jammin’ Jeff’s Cajon Jambalaya Soup with cornbread cracklings

Main course – Roll Tide Ribeye, or Big Al’s Alice Springs chicken, with loaded baked potato, collard greens with ham hocks, Bear Bryant mixed greens salad, Saban spicy rice, Roll Tide rolls

Dessert – Yellowhammer apple pie, homemade vanilla ice cream

Beverages – Water, Milo’s tea, Milo’s Arnold Palmer, Coke, Diet Coke, Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew

 

Josh Wear – Muscle Shoals, AL

Appetizers – Bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers stuffed with cream cheese and smoked sausage.  Buffalo chicken dip and smoked brisket burnt ends

First course – French onion soup with breadsticks

Main course – Choice of Balsamic glazed fillet with loaded baked potato, and honey glazed brussels sprouts, or honey garlic salmon with rice pilaf and broccoli

Dessert – Flourless chocolate cake and homemade vanilla ice cream

 

Will Young – Florence, AL

Appetizers – Grilled cilantro lime shrimp w/Mexican slaw, street-style corn with queso fresco and tomatillo salsa with tortilla chips

First course – Pork tamales with chipotle enchilada sauce

Main course – Choice of grilled skirt steak or blackened grouper tacos topped with fresh chipotle aioli and pickled red onions.  Side of black beans, cilantro lime rice and guacamole

Dessert – Sopapilla with vanilla bean ice cream

 

MTV

 The great humorist Mark Twain was once asked, "what is your opinion of labor unions?"  Twain, ever quick with a word, wasted no time with his response.  He said, "poor execution of a good idea."  There are many who say that assessment is still valid today.  But that is another blog for another day.

But I think his assessment of labor unions would be accurate to describe another part of Americana.  That being MTV.

It was on August 1, 1981, when a cable channel named MTV began broadcasting.  The first few minutes were a montage of pictures from Apollo 11, showing everything from blast-off to Neil Armstrong on the moon.  The montage of pictures, which was used with NASA's blessing, ended with Armstrong facing the American flag.  But suddenly there was an explosion of color on the flag, different colors and patterns, that went on for a minute or so, or so it seemed.  One thing did not change, the big block "M" in the middle and the "TV" which looked like it had been spray-painted across the right leg of the "M."  Thus was born the first truly media influencer.

In a bit of irony, the first video played by MTV was by the English group The Buggles and their hit, "Video Killed the Radio Star."   The world was not quite ready for MTV.  They had never seen anything like it.  For that matter, I'm not sure there has been anything like it since.  24 hours of non-stop music videos.  All music, all the time.

I was 24 in the summer of '81, living in St. Louis.  Baseball was on strike, so with no Cardinal games to listen to on KMOX, I became hooked, dare I say addicted to MTV.  It was just like radio, except you could see the group, It was phenomenal. Good-bey KSHE, goodbye KADI, there was a new sheriff in town and it was named MTV.   Music videos suddenly became the rage.  Vintage videos of groups from the 1960's suddenly surfaced, the top bands like the Eagles and Rolling Stones and Bob Seger were suddenly doing videos.  We were also introduced to a whole bevy of new stars who were buoyed by being in the MTV rotation.

MTV had dj's, five to be exact.  Except they were not called dj's, they were now VJ's.  Video disc jockeys.  Can you name the original five?  Three men and two women.  Alan Hunter, Mark Goodman, J. J. Jackson, Nina Blackwood and Martha Quinn.   They were the face of the franchise.  They introduced videos, did interviews, introduced concerts, they were more popular than Walter Cronkite.

Watching the videos was enthralling.  Some of the videos were nothing more than concert or studio footage, while as MTV got older, there were more creative concept videos.  If you have never seen the group a-ha's video "Take on Me", or any video from Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album, do yourself a favor and go to YouTube and watch them.  They are really, really good.  The video "Thriller" is over 10 minutes long and was nominated for an Oscar.  the video by the Norwegian group a-ha was so groundbreaking it has garnered over two billion views on YouTube.  I know I am probably responsible for 100 of those.

Along with a-ha, MTV gave life to groups most of us had never heard of.  The Police, The Thompson Twins, Eurythmics, Duran Duran, INXS, R.E.M., Flock of Seagulls, Culture Club, Power Station. The list goes on and on.  If you still have never heard of them, check them out, they are all there living on YouTube.

I'm ashamed to admit this but back in the early days of MTV, I would spend hours watching it.  Way past my bedtime. It was new, and it was entertaining.  But somewhere along the line, before the end of the decade, the interest started fading, at least I think it did.  The people who ran MTV tried to become all things to all people.  They started adding reality shows, competition sprang up from NBC and Turner Cable.  The numbers were down, and suddenly so was the music.  Today, I honestly don't even know if you can watch a video on MTV anymore.  Maybe in the wee hours, I don't know.

Maybe things could have been done differently by the higher ups.  I don't know they didn't ask me.  But like a shooting star, it was the brightest light in the sky for several years, and then suddenly, what I though made them great, was gone, replaced by shows like Beavis and Butthead and MTV Spring Break.  Music no longer paid the bills, so bring on the sex and sophomoric humor.

Was it poor execution of a good idea?  I don't know for sure, maybe I just outgrew it as I was no longer in the target audience.  But I do know there are still times when "I want my MTV."