Hello All,

What's that pairing all about?...bear with me, I'll get to it. Just watched, "John Denver-A Song's Best Friend" on PBS and it brought back some fond memories.

Burl Ives, "Big Daddy", was and still is a favorite. An icon of my childhood. We had his record "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" OH MY, did I play THAT record. (not forgetting "Big Rock Candy Mountain and others). Can still sing every line AND with a smile as that's a treasured memory of a little boy's delight in an absurdity. The man was multi talented and enormous in more than girth. Never understood why he hasn't been given his due.

He retired to a small town in Wa (Anacortes). A place where I had my first and best, to this day, licorice ice cream. Blacker than sin it was, and we never visited without partaking of that pleasure.

Anyway, my friend Russ lived for a time there, right across the street from Burl and his wife. Russ had two small children and one day Burl invited them over. Per Russ, he was a sweet old man with NO pretensions who loved children and delighted in playing games with them, reading to them, and laughing like only a fat man can. A friendship developed and he and his wife babysat many times for Russ's kids. He became Grandpa Burl. Once autographed a book as a gift. Russ said he "put it away" until the kids could appreciate it. Think I might have done the same.

When Burl died it became apparent that the whole town had come to regard him as Grandpa Burl too. A memorial service was held in a large local auditorium. Russ told me, Jon, I HAD to go. The audience was greeted with an announcement that there would be a guest host. NOBODY knew who it was going to be, and out walked John Denver (probably flew there himself). No publicity, no fanfare...he JUST...SHOWED...UP. Just being there was a statement in itself, and he told them Burl had been a major influence in his career. Can you not imagine Burl singing "Inch By Inch", or "Grandma's Featherbed", or "Thank God I'm a Country Boy"...I can!

Now, I always regarded John Denver as a wonderful singer/composer. Not a crazy fan, but I liked him. Russ told me: the audience was mesmerized, he held them in the palm of his hand. A total professional showman with wit, class, sincerity, and an obvious appreciation for the legacy being celebrated. My esteem for him rose beyond what I can explain.

A joyous remembrance and I only wish I could have been there. Russ says he can't think of one without the other. I think I'm there too.

And..."that's the end of the story"...told ya I'd get there.

Best,

Jon

You paint a picture that will live in my own memory for all time.

I was as much (and still am) a fan of John Denver as I am of Burl Ives.  Who but that 3 balled snow man can truly make Christmas??  Listen to Calypso and Come Let me Look in Your Eyes by John Denver, you will be caught all over again.  I had the great joy of seeing Jaques Cousteau sail Calypso down the river in front of my house, although not during the year John Denver spent on her.  

Silly songs and songs that change lives.  Both artists SHOULD be remembered for such, although I'm sure many and more think of their most popular rather than the ones that are obscure and can cause a person pause.

Thanks for sharing the 'rest of the story...'

Cat

Dude, great post!

Think I'm partial to the Little White Duck & Froggy Went a' courting.

Also, from all account either Denver had the world's best PR person or he was a class act. My guess is the latter.

Quote:

or he was a class act.

My son Jim who is a pilot is also an aerobatic instructor and John Denver came to him for lessons.  My son  told me how impressed he was with  Denver and how much he respected him.  Yes...a class act he was.

John Denver was a government hit man.  ;)

superhawk, he was not


As for John Denver and Burl Ives, I absolutely ADORE them both!!

My fav. songs from J.D. are Grandma's Featherbed & Aspenglow :)

Quote:

John Denver was a government hit man.

 I hope you were just kidding.  Shoulda put a smilie face after that.

  Jon has already painted a beautiful picture of Burl Ives.   Here is John's bio:

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Linda

bad joke super...helps if you're 9, but THIS here IS funny,


There was an Old Lady

There was an old lady who swallowed a fly
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - perhaps she'll die!

There was an old lady who swallowed a spider,
That wriggled and wiggled and tiggled inside her;
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!

There was an old lady who swallowed a bird;
How absurd to swallow a bird.
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!

There was an old lady who swallowed a cat;
Fancy that  to swallow a cat!
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why  she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!

There was an old lady that swallowed a dog;
What a hog, to swallow a dog;
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!

There was an old lady who swallowed a cow,
I don't know how she swallowed a cow;
She swallowed the cow to catch the dog,
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!

There was an old lady who swallowed a horse...
She's dead, of course!

That's a splendid story, Jon, and confirms much of what I've heard about both these fine gentlemen.

I'm going to be talking to my mother on the phone tomorrow, and I intend to read her this--she's always been a fan of both Burl Ives and John Denver, and I know it'll tickle her.

Thank you.

Best wishes,

George

Whoops, sorry on that one. I sometimes forget people can't see the sarcasm across the screen.......

Yeah, I do not like country music (though for some reason I did like some Kenny Rogers) but I really did like JD. My dad played a lot of it when I was a kid. I still play JD greatest hits and my friends are like "WTF?". It makes me feel like a "country kid" again, back out in the boon-docks of middle wisconsin, 10 miles from no-where.

I saw him do Grandma's Feather Bed on the Muppets! It was great. I love people who can bring so much delight. I loved the Muppets too, especially the first Muppet movie.

Burl Ives - knew nothing of him other than the X-mas stuff, which is some powerful childhood memories for me. Kids nowdays (I hate saying that) will never experience the euphoria of a "TV speical" from my day (the day when there was only 3 channels on TV and the only time you saw cartoons was on Saturday morning). What a big event Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer was every year for us kids! And Holly Jolly X-mas always puts me in the X-mas mood!

superhawk2300 wrote on Sep 22^nd, 2008 at 11:11am:

Kids nowdays (I hate saying that)

Get used to it. ;)

lol the muppet show. i got my sister about 10 muppet show dvds for christmas one year. i forgot how cool that show was. they had alice cooper, marty feldman, elton john, vincent price, peter sellers, man what a classic. they don't make like that anymore. one of my all time favorites.

just found this. quite a list

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I learned guitar on John Denver! The beauty of his music is 95% is perfect for singing along. Can't tell you how many retreats I played grandma's featherbed, take me home country roads, that's what I miss most about todays music, it's just not real condusive to "sing alongs!"

And I love anyone who isn't afraid of laughing at them self.  ;D

Guiseppi

Jon, I just saw the first part of your post. My joke wasn't really about JD, more a joke about that urban legend. for those that do not know, and apparently this is less famous than I thought, but there are urban legnds about John Denver being a governemnt hit man or a ex-vietnam sniper.

Thats about as likely as Jim Henson being a CIA agent.  ;D

I will forever be sad about Jim Henson........

I will try to respect the laws of proper smiley placement a little more carefully in the future, though I have never been one for being overtly PC.

johnny - My wife got me that same set years ago for xmas. My fav is the one with Alice Cooper and Marty Feldman in it.

Fozzie - "Genie with the light, brown bear". Man that is funny stuff! WAKA WAKA

superhawk2300 wrote on Sep 22^nd, 2008 at 2:17pm:

I will try to respect the laws of proper smiley placement a little more carefully in the future, though I have never been one for being overtly PC.

From one who's been there more than I care to remember, be prepared to be misinterpreted.

Well with words like "gooch" whadda you expect!?!?  :D

I ain't sayin', I'm just sayin'.

got it superhawk 8-)...I too was thinking of Grandma's Featherbed on The Muppets Show...best adult "kids" show I've ever seen...

Regards,

Jon

Quote:

I will try to respect the laws of proper smiley placement a little more carefully in the future, though I have never been one for being overtly PC.

It is NOT a matter of being politically correct.  With emotions /sarcasms not being able to be conveyed through a message board your thought/idea/point could get lost...hence my smilie face comment.

John Denver was not perfect, just a real down home kind of guy that a LOT of peope respected.   He never ever once got out of a car with his private parts showing, never once was in the tabloids, never once was busted for drugs or driving while intoxicated,  never once did his wife say he cheated on her, never once did he do anything unclassy.

It's all good Super hawk.   ;)

i remember the "grandmas featherbed" episode. i can remember grandma singing along and laughing. man those were some good times. grandma was always pretty hip.

Yeah. Let that be a lesson to ya. START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGESTART PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE  8-)

Burl Ives... You should have been around in the 50s. He was everywhere.

Charlie