Johnny Horton- More YouTube Research

Johnny Horton was a country music star during the 1950's, and is still popular to those who enjoy the older musical style embodied by him and the likes of Johnny Cash, Hank Williams Sr. and Ferlin Husky. His ballads run the gamut from adventurous to amorous, and quite often they are laced with humor.

Unfortunately Horton was killed by a drunk driver on a narrow bridge in Texas on November 5, 1960, and is buried in Hillcrest Cemetery, Haughton, Louisiana. [1]

Although I was not born until after his death, I remember hearing Horton's songs on the barber shop radio or on Dads car radio (when we got close enough to the transmitter) well into the 1960's. Perhaps at that young age and unbeknownst to me, my love of history was being developed. Songs like Johnny Reb, Sink The Bismark, and The Battle of New Orleans were the most common of his songs based on a historical theme, and songs like North! To Alaska! and Whispering Pines would always pop up. Johnny Horton has long been one of my favorites.

That said, my YouTube research will usually find a path to Johnny Horton, and for you listening pleasure, I present two more of my “finds”. These songs were produced in 1959 or 1960, just in time for the Centennial of the war which may have added to their popularity.

In keeping with my policy of balance, there is one representing the Union and one for the Confederacy.

 

 



I posted this latest edition of YouTube Research in part to let my loyal reader know I am still here. That is if that person has not given up on me already. I am still chasing down stories to tell, but have encountered several dead ends. That has discouraged me terribly. Additionally I have been ill with an upper respiratory infection which I have just about whooped and school started again in August. Two more years and I will be “edjukatud”! Add trying to make a living to the mix and spare time comes at a premium. I will say this. Now would be a good time to “follow me by email”. I hate to waste everyone’s time having them come and find old posts.

I am also trying to regain some of my research and writing discipline which has gone away over the last several weeks. Other bloggers seem to have no trouble posting and I am sure they are just as busy if not busier than I am. Rest assured though that I am still here and trying!

Thanks for stopping by!

 

The Picket

Source

1- Retrieved from Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Horton 09-29-2012



YouTube and the American Civil War: The Sequel

As I stated in my post of February 16, 2012, YouTube is hardly the place to do ACW research, but I believe I also said that you never can tell what you might find.
This link is the latest of my finds, and in the interest of keeping things balanced here I thought I would share it. It combines two of the things I most enjoy, Irish music and the study of the war. It also maintains a balance that I wish to preserve so no one can say I am decidedly Confederate in my leanings nor by the same token a super Yankee.

Presenting:

The Wolftones- The Fighting 69th

Again, it is not the best place for research, but it is a good place to take a break! And this might get to be a habit!

The Picket

YouTube and the American Civil War

      The following video can be found on YouTube. It is loosely based on the fight at the “Dead Angle” during the battles around Kennesaw Mountain near Marietta Georgia on June 27, 1864. The particulars related in the song are described in Sam R. Watkins' “Company Aytch” and stay pretty near the account presented by Watkins. YouTube is not a place I would recommend one go for source material although there are some videos from some well known historians sprinkled in if you take the time to look. I have found some old songs after reading the title in an old book or magazine and sometimes I chance upon the song as rendered by present day artists.

      What makes this song and video so appealing is that it uses less footage from movies like “Gettysburg” to portray the action. There are some scenes from the movie but most of the action is provided by re-enactors. It is not full of “still” shots or artwork, but it blends them into the whole rather well. It stays pretty close to historical fact as far as Watkins and Maury Grays are concerned. Every unit mentioned in the song was at the “Dead Angle” as were Walter Hood, who in fact died there, and Colonel Field. All in all it is one of the best videos I have seen on the subject of the American Civil War. Give it a look, and when you are finished browse around. You might be surprised at what you find!

The Picket