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.

'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

Kicking off Elvis Week

Hi gang.

Sorry it's been awhile since I've pulled up a chair. Had some fun with sciatica (insert your old man joke here) and a killer migraine that didn't want to quit.

Tomorrow kicks off Elvis Week. Nope, I won't be walking in Memphis, but I am going to commit to blogging something about The King for seven straight days, culminating with the special show that Brad Reeves and I will be doing on WDVX-FM at 10 p.m. (Eastern) Thursday, Aug. 15, that will include a tribute to Elvis. Don't miss it -- 89.9 FM or 102.9 FM in Knoxville, TN or online at www.wdvx.com.

This photo is from Elvis' March 15, 1974, concert at Stokely Athletics Center in Knoxville. Somebody had given him an orange and white "guitar." Go Vols!

Happy Elvis Week. And hail, hail rock and roll!

The smoothest voice in country music

I had never been to the WDVX Blue Plate Special.

Glad I went, though. There's nothing like a live radio show and good music to get your Tuesday off to a great start.

Plus, it gave us an opportunity to get caught back up with RobinElla. She only sang for 30 minutes -- it could have been for the whole hour and then some as far as we were concerned -- but her set was great, as always.

The highlight was a cover of an old Don Williams song I haven't thought about in a mess of Sundays, "Listen to the Radio."

Listen to the radio, oh listen to the radio
Let's spend the night together
Baby don't go, they sing it on the radio

My thoughts jumped back in time a decade or so. Pal Drew and I took a quick jaunt up I-75 one Saturday night to Renfro Valley, Ky., and hung out in a big, converted barn for a couple of hours.

Don Williams came in, wearing that same old hat he's had forever. He sat on a stool and sang. He didn't swing from ropes. He didn't bust his guitar. He didn't rely on overblown (forgive the pun) pyrotechnics.

Nope, he just made music.

I can remember being a little boy and playing my mom's "Don Williams' Greatest Hits" (MCA label) album on my little Fischer Price record player. These days, the lyrics to his hit "Amanda" mean quite a bit more than they did in the early 1980s.

Now I'm crowdin' 30, and still wearin' jeans...

My mom loved the song "Ghost Story" that was a cut on that album. I bet I haven't heard it in 20 years.

Anyway, that Saturday night in Kentucky, I wanted Don to sing "Amanda," of course, which he did. I also wanted him to sing my favorite waltz of his, "She's In Love with a Rodeo Man." He didn't, but I listened to it in the car on the way home.

I do remember he sang "Good Ol' Boys Like Me," which is an understated, "says more than you know" kind of a tune; and "Heartbeat in the Darkness;" as well as "Shadowlands," a pretty little ballad he recorded later in his career, after the hits stopped.

My favorite Don Williams song? Oh, can't name just one. "Amanda," certainly. And "Rodeo Man" and "Rake and Ramblin' Man" and "Good Ol' Boys Like Me" and "Lord I Hope This Day Is Good" and "I'm Just a Country Boy" and 10 others.

I also just love that John Prine song he did, what was it called? Oh, yeah -- "Love Is On A Roll." And the one about "If Hollywood Don't Need You (Honey I Still Do)."

Well, I hope you make the big time/I hope your dreams come true/But if Hollywood don't need you, honey I still do...

But "Listen to the Radio"? Hadn't thought about it in years.

What a special memory it brought back. Good songs are like that.