This song was released in July 1973. That was shortly before I turned 12. That was also the fifth year out of the 6 years that I lived with the fear that my older brother was going to kill me and make it look like an accident. He was nearly twice my size and my father didn't take it seriously when I told him about how my brother had threatened me and how often he would beat the snot out of me when he got mad about anything. His stress relief was to try to knock my teeth out. I first heard this song a couple of years later and by then I was trying to cope with the PTSD that was making me wish I was dead. This is a feel good song that I used as a coping mechanism to keep me from hanging myself or blowing my brains out. I love the song but there is no way I want to go back to that time. If I believed in hell, that was as close as I ever want to get to it.
A funny story I have to share, about the first time I heard this song. We used to have a Panasonic AM transistor radio, which was usually tuned to WJLS, a country music station in Beckley, WV. My dad used to listen to the Cincinatti Reds baseball games that were also broadcast over WJLS, and I recall that one of the Reds' sponsors was Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer, and their commercials always had a catchy jingle. So, one day I had the radio to myself, tuned to WJLS, as usual, and the DJ was playing this song. In those days I didn't always pay attention to the words of a song when it played, so when I kept hearing the words "...blue ribbon beer" over and over, I thought this must be a new Pabst jingle, which meant the Reds were on the radio, and my dad was missing his ball game!! Naturally, I kept the radio to myself, and didn't bother dad! Lol
It's wild that I heard this song on the Grand Ole Opry as a kid and found it entirely by accident when I was looking for Catfish John about a week ago. I had a vague memory of hearing that song a few months ago and looked it up. Both were songs that I hadn't heard in over 40 years and maybe only heard them a few times as a kid. I have been thinking about songs from my younger years that have been popping into my head and I can't remember when I heard them until I put enough clues together to find and listen to the whole song. Then a lot of memories come flowing in. I'm not a drinking man and never was interested in hanging out in a bar but this song is a memory of one of the better times of my youth. I was still coming out of a period of my life that left permanent scars on my personality and left me with flashbacks and nightmares. The parts that I remembered were part of what I used to break up the bad memories.
I was 18 and working as a bartender in a place called The Anchor in West Virginia, a beer only bar. I remember some great bar fights that always seemed to start after this song played on the jukebox. Sometimes just after it played, Sometimes right in the smack damn middle of it, The best of times!
Back in 81 I met a guy who said that he would go to the jukebox and play a few songs, then rack this one up and walk away. He said that it would start playing about the time the next guy was putting in his coins and usually a fight would start. I told him that I thought it was crazy that people would start fighting over a feel good song. He said that the problem is that people think that being a redneck is a bad thing. The origin of the term is descriptive of good hardworking people. Yes, my neck is red and I think that being a hardworking man is an honorable thing. No, I'm not a drinking man and I have worn out quite a few white socks. The whole idea of this song is having a good time.
Great post with music from a great artist. Hey, if you happen to have Johnny's "Hello, I Love You", can you please post it? Thanks so much if you can. Love the things you post here. There's nothing like original classic country.
Beatle Bob's Worst Album Cover Art Work: 1. REDNECKS, WHITE SOCKS AND BLUE RIBBON BEER - Johnny Russell (1973). I would never wear white socks in the winter. They look lame with pants. Weak strength beer and crap chicken wings. Nothing I like more than relaxing at the K-mart snack bar. What are three things not found at my parties? Celebratin' their favorite holiday, Jan. 6! Wait are we cowboys or construction workers? Get a cop and a guy with a warrior costume and we could be the Village People! Ah, the southern trifecta. And, of course - no women. So it's Country music?
beats the cover of your own personal album photographed in Portland Oregon. Remember the one where a guy was giving it to ya up the rear while you were wearing a tutu and holding a Biden for president sign?
