We're throwing Frank a party and you're invited.

This invitation cordially invites you to join Bradley Reeves and Jake Mabe for a birthday tribute to Francis Albert Sinatra, 10 p.m. (EST) tonight.

No need to RSVP. Simply turn your Knoxville radio dial to WDVX-FM at 89.9 or 102.9, or surf here to stream us via the interwebs.

This very special installment of Reeves' "East Tennessee Quiver" pays homage to The Voice, The Chairman of the Board, Ol' Blue Eyes, or as they say in Australia, Ol' Big Mouth.

We will be playing tunes from each studio era, 1940-84, a few live cuts, rarities, quotes and clips.

We hope to have a knocked out, cuckoo, groovy wind in your hair night without care.

Ring-a-ding-ding, Jack!

For those who can't attend, the show will be archived for two weeks.

Every single lovely day...

Tonight's the kind of night for the good stuff -- the Great American Songbook, Francis Albert Sinatra, "It Was A Very Good Year" -- the perfect punctuation for a cold and wet end to the workweek.

Can't get in a Christmas music mood just yet, so I've turned to Frank's Reprise years, thinking of life as vintage wine from fine, old kegs, pouring sweet and clear.

Driving to Beaver Brook Country Club after work, I flipped the radio to Siriusly Sinatra. Blossom Dearie was singing "It Amazes Me." I mouthed the lyrics when I remembered them, hummed along when I didn't, keeping time with the windshield wipers.

And hum this music you can. It isn't of my era, but so what? This is Music that deserves the capital M, lyrics and melodies that serve as time travelers, reminding you of what once was -- that first love, the true love you thought would be the end of you for sure, man in the looking glass.

The other day I heard "Strangers in the Night" and was transported to 20 years ago, Bel Air Grill, a forgotten lunch with a lovely girl who married someone else. She may have forgotten, but the song remembers.

Perhaps it's best heard in small bars or bistros, just you and the bartender and the tune, at a quarter to three, no one in the place 'cept you and me.

It's funny. I remember listening to "It Was A Very Good Year" years ago and thinking that 35 seemed an eternity away. Now it's a memory in the rearview mirror.

 It comes back to you in pieces. The scent of perfume, blue eyes crying in the rain, trying to stay younger than spring and knowing it's a fight you won't win.

But the music, it endures. Sinatra may have left this world in May 1998, but tonight he's here in the room, leaning against the piano, sipping Jack Daniel's and taking a drag on an unfiltered Camel, crooning about the nights it gets lonely early.

It was really more than lovely, wasn't it? Truly lovely, wasn't it?

Every single lovely day...

Jake Mabe will co-host a special birthday tribute to Frank Sinatra with Bradley Reeves on the WDVX-FM "East Tennessee Quiver" at 10 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12. WDVX can be found locally in Knoxville at 89.9 FM, 102.9 FM or streaming worldwide here. 

A burger fit for a king (and Dolly's still the queen)

Well, I was in a bit of a pickle for about 15 minutes last night. Meeting friends at a new (to me) restaurant on Market Square -- The Stock and Barrel -- I noticed the specialties were burgers and bourbon.

I'm a beer guy when it comes to potent potables, so that was no problem. But did they ever have a selection of burgers.

"What shall I get?" I said to myself as I scanned the menu.

And then I saw it.

Peanut butter. Fried bananas. Bentons' bacon.

I know what you're thinking. And you're right. The burger is called The Elvis.

I did a double take. Too good to be true. But no. It was there.

I came. I ate. I conquered.

Next time you're downtown, stop by. The service and food are superb. And, chances are, you'll find a burger you will love, whether it's The Elvis or The Billy or even the Free Bird.

Oh, and by the way: in case you missed it, my buddy Bradley Reeves had a fantastic show last night on WDVX-FM. Boy, howdy. The highlight of the evening were RARE Dolly Parton recordings, including a live performance from 1960 on a Maryville, Tenn., radio show and some other goodies.

Do not miss this one, y'all. The program will be archived for two weeks and can be found by visiting the WDVX website, clicking on Archives, scrolling to Thursday, Sept. 5, and beginning with the 10 p.m. hour "East Tennessee Quiver." The rare Dolly recordings begin about 11 p.m.

Wait until you hear Dolly sing "Making Believe." That's country music, y'all.

Frank Sinatra does WHAT?

Hey, gang. Gotta make it short and sweet today.

You're not going to believe this, but Frank Sinatra -- that cool cat, The Chairman of the Board -- recorded his version of "The Twist."

No, it isn't the Chubby Checker version. It's Frankie's attempt to be hip, a little number called "Everybody's Twistin.'"

My buddy Brad Reeves says, "It's so bad, it's good," and I guess that's about right. Kinda like the Adam West "Batman" series.


Listen for yourself and tell me what you think. There's one line near the end that's guaranteed to crack you up! (No pun intended...you'll know what I mean when you hear it.)

See y'all tomorrow.

'You'll Never Walk Alone'

Thank you very much to the host of folks around the world who called, emailed, texted, and most especially listened to the WDVX-FM "East Tennessee Quiver" last night.

Special thanks to Tony Lawson and the gang for this great American(a) treasure of a radio station, to Bradley Reeves for inviting me to be a guest, to Dewayne Lawson, who listened to the entire four hours, to blogger Brian Hornback for the shout out, and to Wayne Bledsoe, Jim Childs, Bill Householder, Spencer Solomon, and Brad Walker for showing up at the studio.

We had a blast to say the least.

I'm going on three hours' sleep, so I'm too tired to wax poetic about Elvis tonight. But I think we said it all (I hope) in the music last night.

The show will be archived for two weeks at www.wdvx.com by clicking on the dates Aug. 15 and Aug. 16 and listening to the hours from 10 p.m.-2 a.m.

Thanks also to all of you who have read and commented on the week-long blog tribute to The King of Rock and Roll.

As a final salute, here is a fitting song to close out Elvis Week.

God bless ya, Elvis.

Listen to the radio...

To quote the country crooner Don Williams, "Listen to the radio, oh, listen to the radio..."

Tonight promises to be a big honor for your humble servant. Bradley Reeves, host of the super "East Tennessee Quiver" on the superb WDVX-FM radio station, has asked me to be the guest and talk about musicians with local and regional ties about whom I've written during my 15-year newspaper career.

(My first response: "Guess somebody couldn't make it, huh?")

Seriously, this is quite humbling and we hope to treat you to a good show.

It will begin at 10 p.m. (Eastern) and can be found in Knoxville at 89.9 FM or 102.9 FM on your radio dial or streaming on the interwebs at www.wdvx.com.

During the hour, we'll talk about and play music by Mary Costa, Robinella, Carl Smith, Carl Butler, Archie "Hee Haw" Campbell, the Brad Walker Orchestra, Ross Southerland and Ronnie Speeks. We also have a few surprises and the promise of some special guests.

Tune in if you can and hang around at 11 p.m. for a hunk-a hunk-a burnin' love, if you get my drift...

Thankyaverymuch!

"I'm Leavin''

In the spring of 1971, Elvis Presley recorded a song that should have been a smash.

Whenever anyone asks me which Elvis record is the best "unknown" track, "I'm Leavin'" is my No. 1 answer.

I first heard it on a British documentary about the singer. Its haunting lyric and unusual structure made me curious about its origins. I knew there had to be a story there somewhere.

It finally surfaced on a fan website in a fascinating 2010 interview Arjan Deelan conducted with song co-writer Michael Jarrett. Jarrett had been on the road right out of high school -- including a stint with Jerry Lee Lewis -- and finally had his fill of the lifestyle. During a performance in Portland, Ore.,  he had an epiphany, he says, that enough was enough. He was tired of playing other people's music. After the show, he picked up his guitar and left.

Resting in San Francisco, clearing his head, he happened to see that his Vegas friend Sonny Charles was singing one night. He eventually stayed with Charles for awhile in Los Angeles and ultimately wrote "I'm Leavin'" with him.

"Sonny put me up for awhile, and it was in the fall of 1970 that I took Sonny's 12 string into the shower (water off, of course) and shut the glass door and was getting off on the natural echo and the 12 string, it sounded huge!," he tells Deelan. 

"I just started singing the la la la's and was just fooling around and the first verse just happened. It was then I realized I was singing about this girl I'd left behind in Portland who really wasn't supportive of my quitting the band and taking off for parts unknown, and had said to me at one point, 'What if your songs aren't good enough'? She said this to me when I told her I wanted to go to LA and get my songs recorded, and I'm thinking, 'Gee baby, if you're my girl, why can't you dream with me?' ... well, she just didn't understand so I said, I'm leavin' and that's that, I'm not beating my chops up in the bars anymore and if you can't dream with me, then what good is it anyway.....'" 

The song peaked at a meager No. 36 on the top 40, but Elvis thought enough of it to sing it several times in concert, including at the Boston Garden in 1971 and again in 1974 and 1975.

Here it is, backed by some poignant footage from Elvis' funeral. 

Bradley Reeves and I will highlight "I'm Leavin'" and several more of Elvis' lesser-known songs on the WDVX "East Tennessee Quiver" beginning at 11 p.m. (Eastern) Thursday, Aug. 15. Tune in at 89.9 FM or 102.9 FM locally in Knoxville or online at www.wdvx.com. Call or write us with your request. Just remember: It has to be a non-hit!  

What a time to be in L.A.! Sonny put me up for awhile, and it was in the fall of 1970 that I took Sonny's 12 string into the shower (water off, of course) and shut the glass door and was getting off on the natural echo and the 12 string, it sounded huge! I just started singing the la la la's and was just fooling around and the first verse just happened. It was then I realized I was singing about this girl I'd left behind in Portland who really wasn't supportive of my quitting the band and taking off for parts unknown, and had said to me at one point, 'What if your songs aren't good enough'? She said this to me when I told her I wanted to go to LA and get my songs recorded, and I'm thinking, 'Gee baby, if you're my girl, why can't you dream with me?' ... well, she just didn't understand so I said, I'm leavin' and that's that, I'm not beating my chops up in the bars anymore and if you can't dream with me, then what good is it anyway.....' - See more at: http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/interview_with_michael_jarrett_songwriter_im_leavin.shtml#sthash.zAxqbJ1Q.dpu

What a time to be in L.A.! Sonny put me up for awhile, and it was in the fall of 1970 that I took Sonny's 12 string into the shower (water off, of course) and shut the glass door and was getting off on the natural echo and the 12 string, it sounded huge! I just started singing the la la la's and was just fooling around and the first verse just happened. It was then I realized I was singing about this girl I'd left behind in Portland who really wasn't supportive of my quitting the band and taking off for parts unknown, and had said to me at one point, 'What if your songs aren't good enough'? She said this to me when I told her I wanted to go to LA and get my songs recorded, and I'm thinking, 'Gee baby, if you're my girl, why can't you dream with me?' ... well, she just didn't understand so I said, I'm leavin' and that's that, I'm not beating my chops up in the bars anymore and if you can't dream with me, then what good is it anyway.....' - See more at: http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/interview_with_michael_jarrett_songwriter_im_leavin.shtml#sthash.zAxqbJ1Q.dp

What a time to be in L.A.! Sonny put me up for awhile, and it was in the fall of 1970 that I took Sonny's 12 string into the shower (water off, of course) and shut the glass door and was getting off on the natural echo and the 12 string, it sounded huge! I just started singing the la la la's and was just fooling around and the first verse just happened. It was then I realized I was singing about this girl I'd left behind in Portland who really wasn't supportive of my quitting the band and taking off for parts unknown, and had said to me at one point, 'What if your songs aren't good enough'? She said this to me when I told her I wanted to go to LA and get my songs recorded, and I'm thinking, 'Gee baby, if you're my girl, why can't you dream with me?' ... well, she just didn't understand so I said, I'm leavin' and that's that, I'm not beating my chops up in the bars anymore and if you can't dream with me, then what good is it anyway.....' - See more at: http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/interview_with_michael_jarrett_songwriter_im_leavin.shtml#sthash.zAxqbJ1Q.dpuf