Ponies

Most of my posts recently have been focused on a single artist or group, but I am going to try to start doing more posts based on a theme. Today songs about ponies.

First, Kasey Chamber's song "Pony".



Here is Lyle Lovett with "If I had a Pony".



This performance, of the Bill Monroe classic "Molly and Tenbrooks", is by a combination of two groups, Bearfoot and 49 Special. I don't know anything about 49 Special, but I did see Bearfoot perform at the Kennedy Center a while back.

Van Morrison Covers

Van Morrison vigilantly restricts embedding of his videos, otherwise I would have posted some videos of him before now. I guess he figures he has been cheated out of money in the past, and doesn't want to miss any now.

So here are covers of some of his best songs.

Amos Lee performing "Crazy Love".



Hal Ketchum performing "Tupelo Honey".



The is no video with this, but since this is my favorite Van Morrison song and I am going to see David Gray next week, here is "And It Stoned Me".

R.I.P. Marva Wright

Marva Wright, a blues and gospel singer from New Orleans, died earlier this week. Her house was flooded in Hurricane Katrina, and for a while she relocated to Maryland. I saw here perform once in Baltimore. She had quite a powerful voice. Here are some videos.

"Heart Breaking' Women"



"Bluesiana Mama"



"A Change Is Gonna Come"

Dorothy Love Coates

One of my first posts was to mark the passing of Mildred Howard, who was a member of Dorothy Love Coates and the Gospel Harmonettes. So Dorothy Love Coates was in those videos, but I am going to post some more of her videos today. She wrote some of her own songs, but I am not sure if any of these are ones she wrote.

"The Winner"



"I'm Just Holding On"



There is no video for "That's All Right With Me", but I like the song so I am just posting the audio.

Adele - Pt. 2

This is my 100th post on this blog, so I am going to go be and revisit my first post by posting a couple more Adele videos. Adele is now working on her second album, but no word when it will be out.

This is her cover of the Raconteurs song "Many Shades of Black". This video actually starts with the end of another song, "Many Shades of Black" start a little over 1 minute in.



I think all but one of the songs on her debut album, 19, where songs she wrote. Since I only included one of these in my previous post, I want to make sure I get more of her songs in this post, including this one "Melt My Heart To Stone".



Another of her original songs, "Right as Rain", recorded the night after she won her grammys in 2009.

Paul Brady

Paul Brady finishes this week on Irish artists. A singer and a song writer, his songs have been recorded by several American performers including Tina Turner and Bonnie Raitt.

Here is a video from over 30 years ago of "Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore".



This video is more recent. It is only about 15 years old—"The World is What You Make It".



This is a song Brady wrote over 20 years ago, but I think this is a fairly recent video of "The Island".

Mary Black

For Saint Patrick's Day, this is my favorite version of my favorite song about Ireland—Mary Black performing "Song for Ireland" with DeDannan. I went to one of her concerts a couple years ago just to hear her sing this song. The concert was on St. Patrick's Day, so I figured she would have to sing this, and she did.



And a traditional Irish song, "Oró Sé do Bheatha 'Bhaile"



This next song is my favorite song off Maura O'Connell's latest album, but there is no video of her performing this. So here is Mary Black's version of "Bright Blue Rose". Both women do great versions of the song.

Maura O'Connell

Since St. Patrick's Day is this week, I am posting on Irish singers this week.

I am going to start with Maura O'Connell. She recently released an album titled Naked With Friends, on which she performs a cappella with some of her friends, though none of the songs on this post are from that album.

Appropriately for St. Patrick's Day, here is a song about being separated by the ocean, "The Water Is Wide".



From her 2006 album The View From Here, "The Blessing".



This video appears to be from quite a few year ago, but this is one of my favorite Carter Family songs. Maura O'Connell and Mike Hanrahan performing "No Depression".

Ernest Tubb

In the interview I linked to on Wednesday, Chubby Checker tells about seeing Ernest Tubb when he was four years old, and being inspired by him. So in recognition of that here are a couple Ernest Tubb videos.

This song, released in 1941, was his first hit, "Walking the Floor Over You"



"I'm Looking High and Low"



"Thanks a Lot"



Tubb also recorded several duets with Loretta Lynn. Here is one, "Who's Gonna Take Your Garbage Out".

The Twist - Chubby Checker

2010 marks 50 years since Chubby Checker's version of "The Twist" was released setting off a whole new dance craze. Here is an interview he gave about that recently.

Here is "The Twist".



And "Let's Twist Again".

Julian Velard

I ran across this first video when I was searching for Jimmy Dean video's for last Friday's post. The song isn't even about the same Jimmy Dean, but I really liked the song, and have bought the album it is on. So here are three songs from Julian Velard's album The Planeteer.

"Jimmy Dean & Steven McQueen"



"Do It Alone"



"Joni"

Jimmy Dean

The third Country Music Hall of Fame inductee is Jimmy Dean, also of the sausages fame.

Dean hosted several TV variety shows. Here is a clip of one of his shows from 1964 with Eydie Gormet and Jim Reeves.



Here is an appearance with Buck Owens of "Foolin' Around".



Finally, a recent version of his hit "Big Bad John".

Ferlin Husky

The second inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame this year is Ferlin Husky. I posted a video of Husky and Patsy Cline right before Christmas.

His career was most active in the 1950's and 1960's. Here is a western swing version of "Don't Be Ashamed of Your Age".



This song, "On the Wings of a Dove", was a big hit in 1960.



Here is a recent version one of his early hits, "Gone".

Don Williams

This week I am going to post on the three performing artist who were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame last week.

Don Williams, from Texas, had an active recording career from the mid 1970's through the mid 2000's. One of his biggest hits was with this song from 1980, "Good Ole Boys Like Me".



Here is one of his earliest songs, from 1973, "Amanda".



Williams retired from performing in 2006. This is the title track from his last album, My Heart to You.