John Mellencamp – Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian

Last Thursday would have been Elvis Presley’s 91st birthday. Believe it or not, that’s not why I picked today’s movie – Honeymoon in Vegas. I actually chose it because the soundtrack is loaded with some great Elvis cover songs.

Take a look at the talented folks who contributed to the album! Offering up their versions of Elvis tunes are Billy Joel, Amy Grant, Bono, Travis Tritt, John Mellencamp and today’s birthday boy Ricky Van Shelton.

I first heard Ricky when I worked at my first country station. He had plenty of hits, but many of them were cover songs. He covered Statue of a Fool, From a Jack To a King, and He’s Got You. For the Honeymoon in Vegas soundtrack, he covers “Wear My Ring Around Your Neck.”

The song was written by Bert Carroll and Russell Moody. It was recorded and released by Elvis in 1958 and only made it to #2 on the pop chart. Prior to this song, Elvis had a string of 10 consecutive #1 songs. Wear My Ring broke the streak.

Ricky’s version of the song was the first single release from the soundtrack. It didn’t do as well as Elvis’, but it did reach #26 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.

In May 2006, he announced that he would be retiring from touring to spend more time with his family. Since then, Shelton has been sort of a recluse. He has almost disappeared from public life. He does keep busy, however, focusing on painting and writing children’s books.

I hope he is enjoying his retirement and that he has a very Happy 74th Birthday!

It wasn’t until I was working at B-95 that I discovered National Accordion Awareness Month. My buddy Tim and I would get together quite often and think of bits we could write and produce to play during our radio shows. We came up with some really funny stuff.

It was mid-May and we were writing stuff for June. I am pretty sure that it was Tim who told me about it. I don’t recall who came up with the idea, but we produced this little sweeper to play in between songs. It was the silliest thing, but it always made me laugh. It basically went like this:

The song playing on the air ends. Then the announcer says, “B-95 reminds you that June is National Accordion Awareness Month! Here’s an Accordion Awareness Month Update!” Then we’d insert 10-15 seconds of some ridiculous accordion clip which was followed again by the announcer. “Keep it here all month long for more Accordion Awareness Month Updates – on B-95!” Then the next song would play. It was so out of place and so funny to me. I used this bit for years even taking it to other stations.

According to the National Day Calendar Website:

Through a complex construction of bellows and reeds, the accordion (also known as a concertina) produces its mournful timbre when air is forced over the reeds. While the accordion accompanies traditional polka music, the instrument has found its way into many classical and modern works of music.

For generations the accordion complimented many genres in American music. From jazz and zydeco to folk and Gospel and Blues, musicians found the accordion a fit a variety of musical styles.

The instrument changed, too. Manufactured in several different sizes, the smaller squeeze boxes became popular. The accordion fit well into country music, and when Rock and Roll made the scene, the accordion followed. Today, the instrument is no stranger to the recording studio.

Musicians such as Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, and Mumford and Sons all have recorded hit songs with the accordion playing a supporting role.

In honor of the occasion, here are some of my favorite accordion players: