Hand me my beer, Mabel, I'm a fixin' to play you a sonata

In recent years I've come to like a genre of music that I grew up listening to - country, and I've also come to enjoy the light
classics. They are two forms of music I never dreamed I'd come to appreciate, if, in fact, that's what I've come to do.

However, country wins out as the favorite of the two - hands down.

I think I began warming up to country about three years ago when the movie "O Brother Where Art Thou" came out. It's soundtrack featured a lot of country music. In fact, as I recall, "A Man of Constant Sorrow" - a song from the movie - won an award or two. The whole soundtrack may have been an award winner. I know its a winner to these ears of mine.

As for the light classics, I began to pay attention to them when our household became a digital TV subscribed. Charter Communications' digital services includes a zillion music channels from Hip Hop to
something called Seascapes to Opera. That's where I found the Light Classics. I never knew there was such a category until then. I always thought classical music was classical music. Never knew there was a McClassics.

And, so, I admit. I like 'em - country and the light classics.

But, don't get your hopes up. That doesn't mean I'm about to start enjoying opera and gospel. I haven't gone completely off the
deep end.

As for liking country more than the light classics, I did grow up in south Georgia listening to it. I grew up in Tifton and Moultrie and the radio stations in both towns felt compelled to play country music
- at least in the mornings when I was getting ready for school. The only radio in the house was controlled, of course, by mom and dad.

So, I grew up listening to such country classics as Smoke, Smoke, Smoke That
Cigarette; Your Cheatin' Heart; Oh, Lonesome Me; I've Been Everywhere; Crazy Arms; Why Baby Why; I Walk The Line; Walking The Floor Over You; Cattle Call; etc.

But, the one thing missing from a lot of today's country music, the so-called "new country," is the twang of a steel guitar, a nasal whine in the singer's voice, a good piece of fiddlin', a mandolin, etc. A lot
of it sounds a lot like some early rock 'n' roll. And, there doesn't seem to be as much singing about fooling around on your
spouse, drinking, and messin' up your life in general, i.e, songs about "leaving the bar with my wife's younger sister and stopping for
the night at the Do Drop Inn."

Country songs have produced some classic titles over the years, some you're probably familiar with but some you're probably
not. There are even Web sites devoted to the all-time strangest/worst country music song titles.

Here's sampling from two of them:

*Her Teeth Was Stained, but Her Heart Was Pure
*I Don't Know Whether to Kill Myself or Go Bowling
*Tears in My Ears from Lying on My Back Crying Over You
*My Wife Ran Off With My Best Friend, And I Sure Do Miss Him
*She Got The Ring and I Got The Finger
*You're The Reason Our Kids Are So Ugly
*I'm The Only Hell Mama Ever Raised
*Drop Kick Me Jesus, Through The Goalposts Of Life
*Mama Get the Hammer (There's A Fly On Papa's Head)
*I'm Just A Bug On The Windshield Of Life
*What Made Milwaukee Famous Made A Fool Out of Me

So you see. Country's a natural over the light classics - at least for me. I'm sorry but Sonata K. 481 In F Minor just can't hold a candle to Get Your Tongue Outta My Mouth 'Cause I'm Kissing You Goodbye.



Ken Stanford is the longtime News Director at WDUN NEWS TALK 550, AM 1240 SPORTS RADIO THE TICKET and MAJIC 1029, and is Editor of accessnorthga.com.