Country Mike Blog

Joy and July 4th

Mike Sudhalter  |  June 25, 2007

From one touching story (Kellie Pickler) to another, lesser-known one.

Homer Joy, the songwriter for the Dwight Yoakam/Buck Owens hit "Streets of Bakersfield" recently recorded an album called "Someday It'll Be Country".

Why's that special, you ask? The album jacket includes a touching story.

After "Bakersfield", Joy and Owens were to work on a project together, but Joy's battle with heart disease made that impossible. Joy received a heart transplant in 2006, the same year that the legendary Owens died of heart disease. Joy wrote the "John Law" and recorded it as a duet with Owens. He also promised the legend he'd finish the recording project.

Joy has a unique sound for country music, it's traditional with a hint of rockabilly and a flair of the Bakersfield sound with odes to the Sooner State -"Oklahoma Blues" and "Okie Road". It also has some fine ballads like "She's An Angel"

Probably too country for today's country radio, but that shouldn't mean anything to real country music fans.

With July 4 coming up, I'm hoping for a big celebration, and I might check out this television special on Great American Country at 9 p.m. on July 4. I'm not a big fan of symphony orchestras or any music sans twang.

But that's where Rodney Atkins, Taylor Swift and Van Zant come in. They're going to be part of "Music City July 4th: Let Freedom Sing!"

Keni Thomas, an underrated country singer and a U.S. Army veteran, will perform the national anthem.

Since I don't get GAC, I'll have to find a friend who has the program and celebrate our nation's birthday with them.