Cowboy Church #14

Happy Sunday my friends and welcome to another edition of Cowboy Church.

We begin with our music selection off with Gene Autry performing There's a Goldmine in the Sky. This song served as the title song for Gene's feature film, Gold Mine in the Sky (1938). This song was written by brothers Nick and Charles Kenny, who also wrote such songs as Love Letters in the Sand and Gone Fishin'. Next comes The Sons of the Pioneers' 1947 recording of Will There Be Sagebrush in Heaven. Next comes Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers performing Cole Porter's classic The Last Roundup. After this comes Johnny Cash performing the classic gospel song Do Lord off his 2003 album My Mother's Hymnbook. This is one of his most personal and intimate albums. When he was growing up, Johnny's mother had a book of old hymns called Heavenly Highway Hymns. This book would later become Johnny's. It meant a lot to Johnny and he decided to pick some of his favorite songs out of the book and make an album out of these. He performed these songs with no backing band. He just had his voice and his guitar. Do Lord is pure toe tapping country gospel at it's best. We follow this with another toe tapping country gospel song, with I'll Fly Away. This version is performed by George Jones and is from 1966 album Old Brush Arbors. Then comes Ernest Tubb's 1949 recording of Jimmie Rogers' The Wonderful City. Next is Hank Williams performing Drifting Too Far From the Shore on the Mothers Best radio show in 1951. This song was originally written in 1922 by Charles E. Moody from the early country music group Georgia Yellow Hammers. The song was very popular when Hank was growing up and stayed with him. We end with the Georgia Yellow Hammers 1927 recording of I'm Saved. This song was written by the group's fiddle player Bud Landress.          



























Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. John 3:16

Thank you for joining me and Happy Trails to you until we meet again.


-Michael J. Ruhland

Happy Birthday Loretta Lynn

Today Loretta Lynn turns 87 years old. Most of you who read this blog know that I am a huge country music fan and Loretta is definitely a singer I am quite a fan of. Now because this hit me to make this post kind of late and I have some TCM Film Festival stuff to see, there won't be much writing on this post, just a few songs from Loretta. First off we will have Loretta performing one of her earliest hits, a song which she first recorded in 1960 and written by herself, I'm a Honky Tonk Girl. Being her birthday I would regret not including this next song, Happy Birthday. This song was off her 1964 album, Songs From My Heart and was written by Ron Kitson. Loretta's most popular duet partner was Conway Twitty (yes the country singer you see on Family Guy), but Conway was not her first duet partner. Before that was the country music legend Ernest Tubb, who had been in the business since 1936 and was still at the top of his game when they made these duets in the 1960's. Here we have one of my favorite of their duets. From 1967 here is Sweet Thang. Last but not least is her hit, Hey Loretta. This song was written by Shel Silverstein, who had a great career as both a country song writer and a children's book writer. This version comes from a 1974 episode of Hee Haw.

Also happy 27th birthday to me, am glad to share this birthday with her.

-Michael J. Ruhland 

.