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Pardon me for asking but what exactly was his ailment?  It just seems like he was way to young to leave this earth.  

and we're trying to get older

about songwriting, demos, and rights... in a minute. 

here is the original:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmrnr90tvPQ

here is the OTHER "original": 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bA_7biyxVo

i know the guy who wrote this personally- Kevin Welch.  he recorded this song on "Life Down Here on Earth", released somewhere in the 94~95 era... It had no real radio success- and radio was everything back then.  

his manager gets a call one day from Garth Brooks manager- setting up a time for Kevin to speak with Garth directly.  The call happens, and it's Garth asking for the song (obviously, buying it) and telling Kevin "I intend to change it up some to fit the circumstances.  It is going to be a tribute to my father who recently passed".  Kevin said Garth was so sincere, and that he was actually taken aback by how intense the guy was that he was half afraid to deny him.  Garth took it and released it on "Scarecrow". 

so who wrote it? Garth did... that's what the record and contract says.  Who wrote it? Kevin Welch.  KW not only 'won't' play it out, even in one of his house concerts, but he won't play it 'at all'.  

another quick tale about Kevin's daughter Savannah- She was in Nashville under contract to write 8 songs i think it was for a label.  She produced them a good bit before deadline.  She was contacted by the label asking to amend the contract- they wanted to parse them off to performers (HUGE distinction in my mind between performers and artists) after altering lyrics a bit... so, money speaks and she does it.  those songs are now on albums of other performers with zero credit to Savannah.  she holds no grudge as that's how it works... but she made a comment or two about just how bad the songs were butchered- the labels were wanting songs about 'mad girlfriends, religion, and patriotism' at the time, and they made the changes to her work to make it happen- then attributed the changes to the performer, who is now called an artist aka songwriter.  

^that's how the business works. 

Garth Brooks sat in on a small bar's singer/songwriter's demo with a fella named Tony Arita- who performed "the dance"... and that was Garth's breakthrough. He didn't attempt to remove the rights.  Tony Arita made out pretty good on it.  

another example: 
Mick Hanly wrote, recorded, performed- and was paid handsomely for: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUc_7pZ5Zxg


of course Hal Ketchum's is the one everyone knows, and he did it better by my measure: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgDZSFZHBD8

many songs are already out- but the artists sells the entire rights away including recognition.  ask prince about changing his name to that symbol in effort to get out of a contract (which worked) or John Foggerty about his CCR days and songs... the record business is a nasty bunch without any scruples whatsoever.... some songs are written for labels, some are scouted and purchased by labels, some are written by contract by labels, and some are straight up stolen by labels.  

there is all kinds of stories around of how it works and they aren't consistent- meaning it's anyone's guess where a song originated.  the songwriters who have established themselves can get bank for a hit single... a country hit single can raise in the $.5M range for the writer.  a Gospel, on the other hand, can raise $25k... and the distinction between those two is blurry sometimes... a Pop hit can raise $600k while a rap may bring up $250k.  this is single songs... a song written by the likes of the late Townes Van Zandt would cost you a fortune just to own rights as original recorder... he was responsible for the likes: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SjwO17gsqU

which we all know as:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvdmxszsDM8

truly prolific songwriters who command this kind of respect, and certainly an abridged list but perhaps one most folks don't realize wrote a LOT of 'other' people's hits:

Willie
Prince
Bob Seger
Ray Wilie Hubbard
Townes Van Zandt
Chris Stapleton *started out as a studio/label writer
Jackson Brown
Tom Waits
Jon Prine
Kristofferson
Lucinda Williams
Dan Penn
James Taylor
Tom Petty
Robby Robertson
Dolly (3k+ songs she's written)
Merle
Neil Young
Rodney Crowell
Rosanne Cash...

buying a song from them? gonna cost you... the chances of it hitting are pretty good.  hell, y'all, this is a short list. 

I really like City of New Orleans.  Here's the first cover.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvMS_ykiLiQ

Here's another.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XyRdJr4LSc

Of those two, I think Arlo Guthrie's version captures the lamentation of the song better.  At least I see the song as a lament.

Here's the original, by the guy who wrote it.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbnVutoQFyI

There's a reason Steve Goodman never really made it as a recording artist.  He sings it almost as if it were a jingle.

I always loved DP's Jolene, and that's a cool cover that I'd never heard. Thanks droog!

Has someone (probably me) already posted this cover of a Willie Nelson song?  If so, well, here it is again:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDe60CbIagg

Jolene what a hussie.Hey 94 I thought your dad had some BBQ Shacks or sumsuch.Spinning discs and smoking beef ribs that's some serious multi-tasking and a tall order to boot

My dad was the GM for KOKE-FM from the early 70s into the mid 80s.  He also bought our BBQ restaurant during that time and my mom managed the books for it, and we had another manager for the kitchen and front of the house.  So, he did both!  He's had a pretty cool life and met lots of interesting people, no doubt.

The radio station was also the broadcast partner for UT athletics for many of those years, so we had some pretty cool inside access to the athletics department.  Good times!