#56: Clay's going to sing. Life is good.

[duckyvee]

Just in time, Couchie! :04:

[jamar1700]

O/T, but I just had to say - goldarngirl and I saw Ray Price last spring here in London, and let me tell you - the man is 80+ years old and he absolutely blew us away. He sang for well over an hour - standing at the mic the whole time, and his voice was amazingly strong. Hee - there was even a 'Raymate' in the audience who kept shouting out I LOVE YOU RAY! at random moments. It was awesome.

Aw. That's so good to hear. I think Ray was truly the first VOICE that ever totally took me in. I just couldn't STOP listening to him. To this day I could listen to him sing For the Good Times anytime anywhere and melt into a puddle of goo. For a teenager (late '70's) I think it was the MATURITY and emotion in his voice and the lyrics of the songs that really made me sit up and take notice.

Don't look so sad. I know it's over.

But life goes on, and this old world will keep on turning.

Let's just be glad we had some time to spend together.

There's no need to watch the bridges that we're burning.

*big sigh*

---

Clay? I'm so excited for this CD!!!!

[Thankful4Clay]

OK. I am impressed with Larry the golf blogger. I am even more impressed that his blog hasn't been overrun by haters or by fans who have an agenda.

He approves the comments on his blog, so I bet he's getting them, but not posting them.

[Carolina Clay]

Oops -- had to change that from MORNING to AFTERNOON!

I love the energy that Larry the Golfer has inspired among Clay Aiken fans. He even came up with his own Clayism -- Clay-riffic. After he posted the third blog, I added the link and summary to the current Carolina On My Mind entry. According the "live feed," some of his readers have linked to the Carolina corner. Many thnx to all here who drop by on a regular basis, too.

OK. I am impressed with Larry the golf blogger. I am even more impressed that his blog hasn't been overrun by haters or by fans who have an agenda.

I could have sworn he deleted JP's comment in the first blog, but it's back up this morning, sticking out like a sore thumb/loser!

Hear, hear for your post about the Ray Price concert, cindilu2! Awesome that he is still singing robustly.

WOOHOO for the job(s) coming through, Couchie! You have time to build up some reserves before Clay tours.

Many thnx for all the photo, video, audio clack from GFI! :04:

Have a wonderful weekend, all!

Caro

[Couch Tomato]

Other than gospel I didn't have lot of music in my life early on. But I loved gospel especially the Hawkins family. So that music was the family music. Before my mom married the preacher man -- I do know that she loved sam cooke (he started out gospel), Jackie wilson and that her first concert was James Brown in Washington DC.

So maybe that's why I'm not really into music that much and that I didn't really start to develop my own likes until i was in jr high school and away from the house and hanging with my friends. And so all of that was R&B and funk. One of my first if not the first concerts was Earth wind and Fire -- I think September was like my first real favorite favorite song so i was determined to go see them. This is how strict my dad was -- he had a cow when he saw me in my tshirt from the "FUNK festival". And he though Thriller video was evil. Of course by the time Thriller was born I was living in L.A. and doing my own thing. And I was totally into mtv and music videos and 80s pop music. I was totally into the british invasion part whatever with boy george, wham, spandau ballet, tears for fears etc..and it was all about michael jackson and prince. then somewhere around 1987 it all crashed and burned for me and i retreated to the music i still listen to today -- old R&B stuff from the likes of marvin gaye, Al green, tina, motown etc. so maybe that's why I appreciate clay. i've never thought of pop music as the be all and end all of anything. and to me his sound was older and from the era that i liked music - the 1980s. I also liked good singers and that was the main thing for me. His voice just did something to me I can't explain so it was always about the voice and not the song. which is why he has made me love just about everything but Mandy and a few others.

I have to say that for the first time in years I'm atually enjoying two modern acts. I have actually purchased (hear me now LOL) PURCHASED (kill me but I've probably paid for about 3 albums in the last ten years so yes i'm the evil free downloader - other than Clay that is.) One is the BEP whose UBIQUITOUS I gotta feeling would not leave my head. Everywhere I went I heard it and I was singing it all the damn time and my niece was telling me the words and singing it with me. And now she does some dance to it so I hear it every time I take her to dance practice.

And then the power of the moment -- i'v always liked her music (one of the very few female pop voices of the 2000s that I have liked) but never brought her music. But Pink's grammy performance was just incredible to me. Not just the theatrics of it all which I thought was beautiful and despite the screaming headlines of nearly nude - we really do have an issue in this bountry with the human body - I thought it titllating but not risque at all -- but the voice was just fantastic. Last night I'm turning around the dial and there seh was on oprah and she sang another song that was also fantastic. That girl didn't fritter away her opportunity LOL. bought her funhouse pink album this morning.

I'm very intrigued to see what Clay will do this year album wise, appearances wise, but mostly please baby jesus concert wise. I miss that most of all. I want to hear him live again and feel the personality and the voice wash over me. i hope we know if there will be a tour to concentrate on because the one event things are probably not in my future. but for a tour, I would beg, borrow and steal to get there.

[treenuts]

And then the power of the moment -- i'v always liked her music (one of the very few female pop voices of the 2000s that I have liked) but never brought her music. But Pink's grammy performance was just incredible to me. Not just the theatrics of it all which I thought was beautiful and despite the screaming headlines of nearly nude - we really do have an issue in this bountry with the human body - I thought it titllating but not risque at all -- but the voice was just fantastic. Last night I'm turning around the dial and there seh was on oprah and she sang another song that was also fantastic. That girl didn't fritter away her opportunity LOL. bought her funhouse pink album this morning.

I'm very intrigued to see what Clay will do this year album wise, appearances wise, but mostly please baby jesus concert wise. I miss that most of all. I want to hear him live again and feel the personality and the voice wash over me. i hope we know if there will be a tour to concentrate on because the one event things are probably not in my future. but for a tour, I would beg, borrow and steal to get there.

The parts I have hi-lited above are what my hopes/wishes/dreams are for this year

[Couch Tomato]

bwah ha ha...

well who knows..maybe Reed has taught him a thing or two

very bad girl, yes you are

[merrieeee]

Somehow this song springs to mind!

Monday Monday, so good to me,

Monday Monday, it was all I hoped it would be

Oh Monday morning, Monday morning couldn't guarantee

That Monday evening you would still be here with me.

Monday Monday, can't trust that day,

Monday Monday, sometimes it just turns out that way

Oh Monday morning, you gave me no warning of what was to be

Oh Monday Monday, how yould cou leave and not take me.

Every other day, every other day,

Every other day of the week is fine, yeah

But whenever Monday comes, but whenever Monday comes

You can find me cryin' all of the time

Monday Monday, so good to me,

Monday Monday, it was all I hoped it would be

Oh Monday morning, Monday morning couldn't guarantee

That Monday evening you would still be here with me.

Every other day, every other day,

Every other day of the week is fine, yeah

But whenever Monday comes, but whenever Monday comes

You can find me cryin' all of the time

Monday Monday, ...

Please to the bolded part!

[wandacleo]

Congrats, Couchie.

Money is always a good thing.

Whatever Reed has taught Clay, it certainly has made them both happy.

[cindilu2]

Ain't free wi-fi at the airport grand?

Anyone else notice that when talking about the CD he said "I did say "it" didn't I"? It made me wonder if there is more than one and he wanted to make sure he didn't say they.

Wishful thinking?

I'm late to the Clack party - I've been downloading like crazy but only just got to watch this evening, and I remembered this comment from earlier in the week, re: the banter pre-What Kind of Fool Am I. I'm pretty sure if you take the second 'it' out of this sentence, you'll see what he meant. Our king of the double entendre! He's adorable.

"You can bid on that if you want to - the higher it goes the sooner we'll put it out."

[merrieeee]

merrieeee runs to the bank....na! not enought there darn!

[treenuts]

"You can bid on that if you want to - the higher it goes the sooner we'll put it out."

::slaps a $50 on the bar::

[jorepak]

"You can bid on that if you want to - the higher it goes the sooner we'll put it out."

::slaps a $50 on the bar::

get in line!

[liney23]

ldyj... I absolutely love your avie. Jest sayin'

Congrats, Couchie.

Money is always a good thing.

Whatever Reed has taught Clay, it certainly has made them both happy.

wanda....

Couchie.... congrats!!! Jobs are nice to have right now! Clay money, ya' know! LOL I'd be very happy to throw some money his way.

My mother was into country. She used to play "Don't leave your gum on the bedpost overnight" over and over.... that kind of country... and I'm not sure it was cause they were funny! I, of course, liked rock n' roll and still do. It took John Denver to get me back into country again. I, too, did love Tennesse Earnie Ford... big voice, funny man. hmmmm... not near as cute, tho. I liked Dolly and Kenny. So, select country.

Weather on the coasts are nuts... we're getting rained/mudded out and my boss is stuck in DC cause of the massive snow. I sure wish that meant I did not have to work on Monday... oh, well... next Monday, thank goodness!!!

[keepingfaith]

My mother was into country. She used to play "Don't leave your gum on the bedpost overnight" over and over.... that kind of country... and I'm not sure it was cause they were funny! I, of course, liked rock n' roll and still do. It took John Denver to get me back into country again. I, too, did love Tennesse Earnie Ford... big voice, funny man. hmmmm... not near as cute, tho. I liked Dolly and Kenny. So, select country.

Weather on the coasts are nuts... we're getting rained/mudded out and my boss is stuck in DC cause of the massive snow. I sure wish that meant I did not have to work on Monday... oh, well... next Monday, thank goodness!!!

Being from Texas, I've heard my fair share of country music, and then some. But there's just not enough real emotion in what is called country music today. My mother came from a small town in East Texas where everybody had a Woody Guthrie in the Depression sounding voice - especially the lady who led the singing at the Baptist Church. There's a specific tone in the voices that I love for some reason. I can admit that I have been known to appreciate a good down-and-out version of Faded Love, with a mournful fiddle just a little out of tune, and a singer with a highly resonant voice. My dad was a Dallas guy and loved the big bands and popular swing and jazz singers of his generation. My mother's taste went toward Tony Martin or Perry Como. Neither of them cared much about country music, probably because they'd been hearing it all their lives and it sounded like hard times, I guess. My dad's exception was Marty Robbins, my mother's was Eddie Arnold. My mother did not like Ernie Ford because I remember how much she hated that song Sixteen Tons, she would rail about it. Mother mostly entertained herself singing The Old Rugged Cross, In the Garden, How Great Thou Art and Shall We Gather At the River. But ---- speaking of country, I heard a local radio program this morning, on my way to get breakfast, called Lone Star Jukebox that played these heartfelt country tunes, "Even If You Didn't Love Me, At Least You Cared Enough to Lie" -- followed by "I've Lost My Girl to Some Guy Named Jesus" - about this dude whose girlfriend screamed out the name Jesus! while they were making love. That was as much as I could take on an empty stomach.

[FearofH2O]

Back in the olden days when RJR Tobacco and Schlitz beer were the biggest companies in Winston-Salem, now it's health care and banking, they subsidized a wonderful weekend festival each year in the fall. The festival had huge names for a small town like ours. We would eat outside while watching and listening to the music of Muddy Waters, Dave Brubeck Trio, Dizzie Gillespie and so many more I don't remember. The downtown was broken into segments based on genre and we would walk miles it seemed to see whoever we decided to see at a scheduled time.

I know bigger towns have these festivals but for us it was seeing people we lived near and others we worked with on every corner. To our kids it was a living music lesson. To us it was a great oppoptunity to share our heritage with them.

With the onset of computers and the necessity to work long hours for a living, Mr Fear and I lost our connection to music. Clay's voice and the amazing network of people who follow him brought me back to a small extent. It's fun and my friends still think I'm crazy.

[aikim]

1 Day until The Big Clay Aiken News is Revealed!

20 Days until Clay speaks at the HRC Convention!

33 Days until The Magical Mystery Date!

41 Days until The First Day of Spring!

:glasses:

4 months until June and the New CD/ PBS Special!

:04:

Clay addresses The Key Club Convention in July!

Happy Birthday to all celebrating!

Everyone have a great day!

Kim

[duckyvee]

Interesting to read about the music in people's homes as they were growing up. My parents listened mostly to 40's and some early 50's music - jazz, big band instrumentals, and soloists with the big bands. There were some great voices. But then my mother started calling Englebert Humperdinck her boyfriend and played him a lot. Funny to think back on that. Sounds a bit familiar.

[treenuts]

I was a late in life child so my folks were still listening to Steve & Edie, Frank and Dino were very big on our stereo!!, Rosemary Clooney, Julie London, Judy Garland, The Lennon Sisters, Nat King Cole, Johnny Mathis along with one of my dad's very favorite was Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass and even though I was pretty little they took me to see many of these artists whenever they came to the SF Bay Area. I have some very vague yet fond memories of these events and am forever grateful for the exposure to this music in a live setting. My brother is 10 years older than me and of course he exposed me to continuous blasting of Jan & Dean, The Turtles, The Stones, The Byrds, Cream and The Doors whenever the folks were out I really loved all of it! My first choices were The Beatles...even if they had already decided to break up I still fell madly in love and lust with their older stuff and John. *sigh* I was hooked on the cartoon!! It was like a drug.

The Monkees and Paul Revere and the Raiders came in a close second to them along with Three Dog Night. heh

I suppose music is so very subjective that we can here something different in everything each time we listen. For me it was never about the just the music or just the lyrics, it was both!! It was never about "the voice" either with the exception of John Lennon. I was mesmerized by his voice for some reason. And his stance when signing. I may have been little but it is my first recollection of feelings of lust I think. Since then I fell in love with Cat Stevens then Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe and Tom Petty. But not until Clay Aiken did I actually experience this again. That's a long period of time to wait for a musical "O".

Uhm....where was I?

eta - Ruh Roh I kilt the thread

[jmh123]

BWAH! Not really. Things are just slow round here lately. I think they'll pick up soon. :04:

[Couch Tomato]

OMG who didn't get the memo. Queen Latifah is not a singer. She is a rapper. That folly needs to come to an end right now LOL.

oh good, Carrie -- a real singer heee.

[jmh123]

Lordy, Queen Latifah hasn't rapped since Will Smith was the Fresh Prince of Belair. (Actually, a bit more recently than that, according to my research.) Check our some of her albums, like the Dana Cook album. Woman does standards. I've heard her sing and I think she's good. I like her.

I assume you're commenting on something that's going on at the moment, probably the Superbowl, which I am so not watching, so maybe she did suck at whatever it was you saw today.

I'll probably check out the halftime show if I don't get distracted by something else.

[Couch Tomato]

I've heard her standards album and i stand by my position hee.

but ok i agree about the rapper thing-- so I'll revise that to she's an actress and a spokes model and personality.

watching the superbowl. And carrie's SSB was average. It was loud and on key, but average.

[ldyjocelyn]

Yeah, I like Queen Latifah too, and have liked many of her standards. Didn't see her tonight though....tuned in right at the end of Carrie's SSB. Hubby says she went sharp, but then "she's a country singer." (His thought is that a lot of country singers go sharp for some reason). I'm just impressed that Carrie sang the song without accompaniment!

Speaking of standards...I'm looking forward to the news tomorrow, and hope he blows us out of the water with his collection of standards in the near future.

It is interesting to read everyone's experiences with music, and how many of us think somewhat fondly of those times. I wonder if Clay feels the same way, somehow. I know he's said his Grandpa listened to the Grand Ole Opry, and we know a bit about his mother's tastes as well. But that may not be the whole picture, and I wonder if there's something more there.

It frustrates me when I read some fans say "he's YOUNG, he should be singing YOUNG music." HUH? Isn't age a number? Let him make his art the way he wants to.

[gbmifan]

Carrie's version was good except for the last note. If Clay had hit that note that way the critics would be all over him. Carrie is Americas sweetheart so she will not be critised(sp). I enjoy her CD's my husband is more of a fan. He was in the room listening and did not comment on the last note so I did not bring it up.