Country Cornerstones-”Coat of Many Colors”

Just so all of you readers know, I am a big Dolly Parton fan.  Dolly has wrote many incredible songs over the years (It is hard to find a bad Dolly song), and this is one of her very best.  “Coat of Many Colors” is a story of Parton’s childhood.  Her mother makes her a coat out of old rags, while reading Dolly the story of Joseph from the Bible.  Dolly loves the coat, but at school her classmates laugh and make fun of her.  Still, the Dolly because it was made with love, and therefore she is rich.  In the song’s final chorus, she sings one of my favorite lines of all time, “One is only poor only if they choose to be.”  This song is purely autobiographical, as are a good number of Dolly’s songs.  This fact and the song’s message of what true wealth is make this one of my favorite songs of all time.

Artist: Dolly Parton

Album: Coat of Many Colors

Writer: Dolly Parton

Year: 1971

Country Cornerstones-”The Gambler”

Kenny Rogers has a lot of great songs and this is one of his best (and one that often comes to mind when i play cards, even though I don’t gamble. It is a tale of an old man (the gambler) who gives his advice to a traveler in exchange for whiskey. The advice perhaps applies to both gambling with cards and to life. The old man “breaks even”, which is generally assumed to mean that he dies, in the second verse. The narrator realizes that in the old man’s final words “he found an ace to keep”.

Artist: Kenny Rogers

Album: The Gambler

Writer: Don Schlitz

Year: 1978

Single Review-Miranda Lambert’s “Baggage Claim”

Miranda Lambert’s new single features an interesting metaphor that is executed well. All her signature spark is there and it is different than anything else on country radio. That’s a compliment, of course.  It can be classified as alt-country, but still can appeal to mainstream country fans as well. It’s a great song.

Rating: 4.5/5

 

New Projects From Miranda Lambert

 

Miranda Lambert currently has two albums in the works. One is her trio(with Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe), The Pistol Annies’ debut. It will be released on August 23, 2011. The other, her fourth solo album, titled Four The Record, will be released on November 1, 2011. I know I am excited about hearing new music from Miranda.

Country Trivia-Road Trip

Alright! Time’s up. The answers are in itlaics.

1. What movie did the Willie Nelson hit “On The Road Again” appear in?

A. Urban Cowboy B. Honeysuckle Rose C. Coal Miner’s Daughter D. Smokey and the Bandit

2. Who first recorded the classic country song, “King of The Road”?

A. Waylon Jennings B. Merle Haggard C. Hank Williams, Jr. D. Roger Miller

3. Rascal Flatts had a big hit with their version of Life is A Highway. Who recorded the original version?

A. Chris Ledoux B. Billy Ray Cyrus C. Tom Cochrane D. Def Leppard

4. What is the name of the truck driver in Kathy Mattea’s hit, “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses”?

A. Charlie B. Jim C. Edwin D. Billy

5. What brand of vehicle is George Strait known for driving?

A. Honda B. Chevrolet C. Ford D. Dodge

Staff?

I am the only current staff member here at 5 Star Country. If you, are interested in writing here at 5 Star Country, please leave a comment on any given post and I will get back to you as soon as possible, most likely with an e-mail. Thank you.

Country Cornerstones-”Walking The Floor Over You”

This is by far the oldest song I have talked about on this feature to date, being released  in 1941 by Country Pioneer Ernest Tubb. It was a big hit and sold over a million copies. an impressive feat for the time. It has been called the first honky tonk song and helped launch the honky tonk subgenre of country music. Ernest continued to release hit songs, though he would eventually fade away from the charts. Tubb  passed away in 1984. If you are interested, I may have a Featured Artist article on him in the future.

Artist: Ernest Tubb

Album: When it was first released, it didn’t have an accompanying album.

Writer(s): Ernest Tubb

Year: 1941

Check out this video of Tubb performing the song: