The Marshall Tucker Band: This Ol' Cowboy (1974)

We remember Spring days in the north when you were finally able to open the windows in your dorm because the sun had arrived and the snow was gone. Parties erupted on the sunny dry lawns and music blared from those dorm windows.

This Ol' Cowboy was one of those songs. While it will no doubt come across to you as country, it was considered mainstream Southern Rock and The Marshall Tucker Band was in the forefront of that movement. Their infusion of jazz elements is obvious and this set them apart in our opinion. The flute playing by Jerry Eubanks takes the song to another level and the guest fiddle playing by Charlie Daniels and Andy Stein (Commander Cody), makes this an irresistible tune.

This song is the story of a guy who has been around the block, and one more ended relationship is not going to devastate him:

Well I'm sittin' down in San Antone
Waiting on an eight o'clock train
My woman left me here last night
Things ain't been quite the same
I gotta get back to Dallas
And tie up a few loose ends
I'm gonna work a week make a hundred dollars
Aw and hit the road again
So I don't want you to think
That you're the first one
To leave me out here on my own
Cause this ain't gonna be the first time
This ol' cowboy spent the night alone

The Marshall Tucker Band traces its origins to South Carolina and was centered around the Caldwell brothers Toy and Tommy. Toy wrote most of their songs (including this one) and Tommy played bass. The band still exists today but really peaked in the late 70's. 

As per Wiki: The original lineup of the Marshall Tucker Band, formed in 1972, included lead guitarist, vocalist, and primary songwriter Toy Caldwell (1947–1993), vocalist Doug Gray (born 1948), keyboard player, saxophone player, and flutist Jerry Eubanks (born 1950), rhythm guitarist George McCorkle (1946–2007), drummer Paul Riddle (born 1953), and bassist Tommy Caldwell (1949–1980). They signed with Capricorn Records and in 1973 released their first LP, The Marshall Tucker Band.

Where We All Belong, which contains This Ol' Cowboy, was the third album by The Marshall Tucker Band. It is a double album; album one is a studio album (on which This Ol' Cowboy appears) and album two is a live album, featuring extensive jamming by the band and guests.. Album one was recorded in 1974 in Macon, Georgia at Capricorn Studios.

As a vinyl double album, disc one is side one and four, and disc two is side two and three. If you ever had a phonograph and stacked records, you will understand why.

The band would have many gold and also a platinum album run during the 70's.

Sadly, things did not go well for the Caldwells. Tommy died in a car accident in 1980 only a month after another brother, Tim, was killed in a car wreck as well. Toy would battle addiction and succumb to a cocaine induced heart attack in 1993.

 

Winner: Biggest Turkey Song 2012- Paper Lace: "The Night Chicago Died" (1974)

Well the nominations are all in, and we have our Thanksgiving Day worst song ever winner! Hats off to alert reader Gary DiStefano for bringing this song to light. A bubble gum confection you want to scrape off of the sole of your shoe. Imagine if you will, two guys who together wrote three of the most unlistenable songs ever. "Bonnie and Clyde"(1968), "Billy Don't Be a Hero"(1974) and our winner "The Night Chicago Died". A troika of tripe!

Mitch Murray (who appears to have written some good things as well) and Peter Callander are bestowed that honor. They got Paper Lace, the pride of Nottingham, England (They are the best band to ever hail from that town) to record "Billy Don't Be a Hero" and it was a big hit in England. Before they could release it in the U.S., Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods covered it and made it a hit for themselves. The Paper Lace version only hit #96. Bo and the boys were not nominated this year but will surely winn worst song somewhere down the line.

Murray and Callander were not going to get beaten again so they rushed the Paper lace version of "The Night Chicago Died" to U.S. release, peaking at #1 in August 1974. No wonder I was following the blues by then! The other four top five songs were "Feel Like Makin' Love" by Roberta Flack, "(You're) Having My Baby" (already a worst song winner on this blog), "Tell Me Something Good" by Rufus, and "Please Come to Boston" by Dave Loggins...wow. CNN pointed out that 1974 may have been the worst year for songs in history.

Paper Lace came to America but other than playing at a few radio stations, they were unable to perform the song live in the U.S. at the height of its popularity because of contractual issues.

Oh, and the name of their lead guitarist was Carlo Santanna...most unfortunate.

This song made quite a few worst songs of the '70s lists and CNN named it to their worst songs list as well. It is cited in TV writer Ken Levine's blog also.
Lyrics? Here you go:

And the sound of the battle rang
Through the streets of the old east side
'Til the last of the hoodlum gang
Had surrendered up or died

There was shouting in the street
And the sound of running feet
And I asked someone who said
"'Bout a hundred cops are dead!"

I heard my mama cry
I heard her pray the night Chicago died
Brother what a night it really was
Brother what a fight it really was
Glory be!

The band would try to sign with another label to make more money but it all collapsed in lawsuits. Some of the members press on as Paper Lace today. Glory be!

So enjoy this song and try to get it out of your head as you dig into your stuffing today!

Submit Your Nominations: Biggest Turkey Tune Ever!

It's turkey time and so here is your chance to submit (for our consideration) your nominee for worst song ever! The winner will receive top billing as a connoisseur of garbage. We are looking for songs that are just plain band and/or received way more airplay than it deserved. Let's do away with novelty songs that try to be bad and go for the epic failures (by today's measures) that never held up over time.

So I seek your input. I'll pick two submittals and publish them Thanksgiving Day. One caveat: the song you suggest must be a video I can post or at minimum, an audio link from a website. I want our readers to hear what you have chosen.

Simply submit your choice by commenting on this post or send it via e-mail (with a link to the song) here.

Let me get you started with this one:
Paul Anka:"(You're) Having My Baby" (1974) 
In 2006, CNN poll voters named this the worst song ever. But wait, the video has a bonus in that Anka is introduced by none other than BBC's late child abuser Jimmy Savile! Is this a small world or what?!