👂GROW BIGGER EARS #15: The "Kentucky" Playlist!🐴Our Tribute to the 15th State!
Joining the Union on June 1, 1792, the Bluegrass State aka The Bourbon State, has inspired a Derby-full of songs!
This Playlist is neither a best-of ranking nor a sales chart (nor anything close to exhaustive of all the Kentucky songs extant)! There has been an attempt, though, to arrange them with some degree of thematic creativity.
#1. Loretta Lynn “Old Kentucky Home”
“My Old Kentucky Home, Good Night!” is a ballad written by Stephen Foster, likely composed in 1852, and published in January 1853. Foster was probably inspired by Harriet Beecher Stowe’s anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, as evidenced by the title of a sketch in Foster’s sketchbook, “Poor Uncle Tom, Good-Night!”
The late Loretta Lynn (who passed away in October 2022 at age 90) released the song in March 2021. The album from which it was taken, Still Woman Enough, was produced by Lynn’s daughter, Patsy Lynn Russell, and John Carter Cash, the son of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. The album shares its title with Lynn’s 2002 autobiography.
#2. Blue Highway “Dear Kentucky”
Blue Highway, based in Tennessee, is an American contemporary bluegrass quintet formed in 1994. “Dear Kentucky” was written by bluegrass songwriter, Gerald Ellenburg, and Blue Highway-man, Shawn Lane, and appears on their 2019 album, Somewhere Far Away, produced by the band.
#3. Larry Sparks “Kentucky Girl”
Larry Sparks, 75, is an American Bluegrass singer/guitarist. He was the winner of the 2004 and 2005 International Bluegrass Music Association Male Vocalist of the Year Award, and has been a major influence on current Bluegrass sensation, Billy Strings, about whom we’ve proudly written much.
Written by Bluegrass musician/songwriter, Charlie Moore, “Kentucky Girl” wanders off Sparks and The Lonesome Ramblers’ 1987 Silver Reflections album on Rebel Records.
#4. Neil Diamond “Kentucky Woman”
Written and originally recorded for Bang Records by Neil Diamond, “Kentucky Woman” was released in October 1967, reaching #22 on the U.S. pop singles chart, #58 on the Australian charts, and #6 on the Canadian charts.
Diamond’s song was produced by Jeff Barry, who produced two albums by Houston singer/actress, Lisa Hartman, and wrote songs with FR&B’s singer/songwriter/guitarist, Stephen Michael Schwartz:
Waylon Jennings and Deep Purple both released their own covers of the song in 1968.
#5. Johnny Cash “Kentucky Straight”
Penned by Johnny Cash, and included on his 1973 Columbia Records Any Old Wind That Blows album, “Kentucky Straight” helped the album get to #5 on the Country Album charts that year. Produced by Larry Butler, joining Johnny on the record are The Statler Brothers, Carl Perkins, Texan Larry Gatlin, and The Carter Family.
#6. Merle Haggard and the Strangers “Kentucky Gambler”
A Dolly Parton composition, Merle Haggard and his Strangers recorded “Kentucky Gambler” for Capitol Records in 1974, Ken Nelson (Capitol A&R, based in Hollywood) and Fuzzy Owen producing.
#7. Elvis Presley “Kentucky Rain”
Elvis was the first to record “Kentucky Rain” in 1970 (his was followed by over 30 covers), in sessions produced by Chips Moman and Felton Jarvis. It was written by Eddie Rabbitt and Dick Heard, and features then-session pianist, Ronnie Milsap, who joined Elvis as a fellow RCA artist in 1973.
#8. Lisa Hartman “Kentucky Rainbows”
Written by Brad Burg and Dene Hofheinz, Houston songbird, Lisa Hartman (who co-starred in the ‘80s prime-time soap, Knots Landing), recorded this at 19 in 1976 for her debut album for Kirshner/CBS Records, produced by Rock Hall of Famer, Jeff Barry. We went deep, recently, to dig into how the album came together:
#9. The Kentucky Headhunters “Blue Moon of Kentucky”
The Kentucky Headhunters are actually from Kentucky. While not actually headhunters (according to their bio), the band’s members, nonetheless, are Doug Phelps (vocals, bass guitar), Greg Martin (vocals, lead guitar), and brothers Richard Young (vocals, rhythm guitar) and Fred Young (vocals, drums).
They were founded in 1968 as Itchy Brother, consisting of the Young brothers and Martin, along with Anthony Kenney on bass guitar and vocals. Bill Monroe’s “Blue Moon of Kentucky” is given the Headhunters treatment from 1993 and their Rave On!! album, their third; it topped out at #22 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.
#10. Kenny Rogers “Kentucky Homemade Christmas”
Released on Liberty/Capitol Records in 1981, this is Kenny Rogers’ “Kentucky Homemade Christmas,” written by the late country/bluegrass musician/songwriter, Bill Caswell (passed away in February 2023), and Kin Vassy (who’s sung on Elvis Presley records, and played on Frank Zappa records and concerts in the early ‘70s).
Produced by Rogers, the song was arranged by veteran composer/arranger/producer, Gene Page.
This doesn't have "Kentucky" in the title, but this dude is from Kentucky and is a good friend of one of my schoolmates. First song is hilarious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNV16tz1NK0
Can't add anything to that list, but I was wondering if you would mention the Deep Purple cover. As an old Purple fan, I always found it a really bizarre addition to their catalogue. Like, really out of left field! Do you have any idea what prompted them to do it?