I was introduced to the term "Rocky-Talk" while watching Dolly Parton perform Rocky Top for an audience in Zimbabwe
"yall like that rocky-talk, dont cha?"(holy crap.)
So Im going to be doing a lot more rocky-talking about Rocky Top.
While my allegiance is to the Blue Ridge, a song singing for simple places and beautiful landscapes sits well with me.
Rocky Top is Uptempo pop-country music at its best.
If you're not familiar with it, Rocky Top is a town in east Tennessee just off the Appalachian trail.
There is now a mediocre college and football team there, that eat up most of the attention, but Rocky Top was once a beacon of moonshine, cherished landscapes, and apparently wild animal like women.
It is still one of the prettiest places to hike in the east and there is a damn good state song written for it.
I would like to point out a few choice lyrics:
"Once I had a girl on Rocky Top half bear the other half cat" (..half bear. half cat...)
"Wild as a mink but sweet as soda pop, I still dream about that" (me too)
"...All the folks on Rocky Top get their corn from a jar"
"Ive had years of cramped up city life Trapped like a duck in a pen"
My picks for best version are:
Skeeter Davis- Clear lyrics and eeriest female harmonies FIT for modern times.
Dolly Parton- Winner of live versions. I just love all the weird shit she peeps into the audience midsong because she's SO excited to be singin' about her HOOOOOME!
Chet Atkins- Has some dude Waaaailing on the harmonica
and finally
The Osbourne Brothers- These boys debuted this song and they speak for themselves
There will be more Rocky Talk to come. Enjoy the jam.
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