Salute.

In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s a sub-genre of American country music was introduced.  This new sub-genre was called “Nashville sound,” and meant to sound different than the honky tonk music that had been popular in the 40’s and 50’s.

Patsy Cline was one of the main trend setters for this new genre.  Her hit song, “I Fall to Pieces” is the best example of this.  

Cline has been considered one of the few musicians who have successfully crossed into two genres.  She has had numerous hits and sold millions of records.  VH1 voted her number 11 in the 100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll, and CMT voted her number 1 out of the 40 Greatest Women of Country Music.  These are all amazing accomplishments and contributions to the music world.

While Patsy Cline enjoyed the zenith of her fame from 1957-1963, another young musician enjoyed an equal amount of success in the rock and roll, rockabilly and country genres.  

Roy Orbison may be best known for his Billboard Top 40 hits, “Only the Lonely,” “Crying”, and “Oh, Pretty Woman.”  These hit songs eventually led to his indignation into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.  That same year he was also inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.  Rolling Stone magazine has placed Orbison at number 37 on their list of the Greatest Artists of All Time.  The best part about Mr. Orbison is that he was born in Vernon, Texas.

A few years after the pinnacle of Roy Orbison’s success, America was introduced to yet another amazing entertainer.  Foster Brooks burst onto the scene in 1969 when he opened as a comedian for singer Perry Como.

Best known for his imitations of characters who had a few too many drinks in their system, Foster Brooks had much success as a comedian.  In the 70’s Brooks was a frequent on The Dean Martin Show where he found an Emmy Award nomination.  Brooks acted in many situation comedies, talk shows and even a few films.  His signature character was the basis of his hit comedy album, “Lovable Lush.”

Patsy Cline, Roy Orbison, and Foster Brooks all entail something different in terms of what they brought to the world.  Patsy Cline’s gorgeous, soft and smooth voice will forever be imitated by loving country fans, while Roy Orbison’s rich and powerful rock sound is in a category all its own.  Foster Brooks has been named one of the greatest comedic performers of all time, and our country has seen nothing similar since his fame flourished.

While we have many great performers and entertainers in the 21^st century, I feel that it is still important to take some time off and enjoy the great names of our past that led us to the music journey we (collectively) are on now.  Without these heroes of entertainment our generation might still be trying to figure out the wirings of a 6-string and a fiddle.  The progressive gains of the 1960s have benefited us all.