OLD MOUNTAIN SONGS

FIRST THERE IS A MOUNTAIN, THEN THERE IS NO MOUNTAIN

There was a time when I worked as a Certified Whitewater guide taking people down rivers throughout the west. Of course, I had to be trained in the use of both paddle boats and oar boats. At first, I wore long pants to hide my artificial leg because I wasn’t sure the rough tough outdoorsmen who trained me would accept me into their realm. During that training we were on the Tuolumne River in the Sierra’s in May rafting the spring runoff and it was a raging torrent. I loved every second and ran that river several times with my buddies after I quit doing it professionally. Clavey Falls is considered to be Class IV+ at low to medium flows and becomes more difficult at higher flows (it flirts with Class V). This is a picture of us in Clavey Falls at high flow. Class V for sure.

I was also a Certified Ski Instructor (both Alpine and Adaptive) and taught adaptive skiing for many decades. I used to say, “ski on it in the winter and raft it in the spring”. I did. Both of these things I love require mountains and these are a few songs about mountains that I love.

The Mountains high by Dick and Deedee has unusual special characteristics, being - at least in part - pentatonic. The instrumentation consists of two alternating minor bass-chords, played at the very bottom of the pitch-range of an electric-guitar. For most of the song, the two bass-chords are played in descending order, but for the alternative sections, two different bass-chords are played in ascending order.

Each of the two singers (who co-wrote the song) recorded two vocal tracks. It featured Dick’s overdubbed falsetto and Dee Dee’s harmony. It was released as the B-side of “I Want Someone”. It was flipped inadvertently by a San Francisco DJ and became an immediate hit with local listeners. It reached the #2 spot in September 1961 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent two weeks there. I still listen to it!

“Morning Side of the Mountain” by Tommy Edwards was first recorded in 1951. It settled at #24 on the pop chart. Edwards re-recorded it in 1959, reaching #27 on the Billboard Hot 100. The re-release was featured as the B-side of Edwards’ other hit, a cover of Johnnie Ray‘s 1952 success “Please Mr. Sun.” I really like both songs and absolutely love his voice. The song you probably remember by Tommy is “All in the Game”.

"Mountain of Love” is a song written by Harold Dorman. Dorman released his version as a single in 1960. It was originally recorded in late 1959 in Memphis before the backing vocals (and strings, much later) were overdubbed. It performed well, spending 19 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It peaked at No. 21 in May 1960, while reaching No. 7 on the Billboard Hot R&B Sides chart. I have confused him with Tommy Edwards and Earl Grant a few times in the past. The song was his only top forty hit and was the highest-charting single of his career. I often listen to this one when I am harkening back to my high school days.

Bluebirds Over the Mountain by Richie Valens was a song written and recorded in 1958 by Ersel Hickey. It was later covered by artists such as The Beach Boys, Ritchie Valens and Robert Plant. Hickey's original recording of the song peaked at No. 75 on the Billboard Top 100. Ritchie Valens' cover version was released on his 1959 album.

Ritchie Valens was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement. Valens died in a plane crash just eight months after his breakthrough. Valens had several hits, most notably “La Bamba “, which he had adapted from a Mexican folk song. Valens transformed the song into one with a rock rhythm and beat, and it became a hit in 1958. A bunch of us sang La Bamba karaoke when we were doing a clinic in South Korea.

River Deep - Mountain High is a song by Ike & Tina Turner released on Philles Records as the title track to their 1966 studio album. Rolling Stone ranked “River Deep – Mountain High” No. 33 on their 2004 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame added it to the list of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

Ike and Tina Turner were an American musical duo consisting of husband-and-wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. From 1960 to 1976, they performed live as Ike and Tina Turner Revue supported by the Kings of Rhythm and backing vocalists, the Ikettes. They were regarded as "one of the most potent live acts on the R&B circuit" and "leading exponents" of soul music. They sold more than 10 million records.

Wolverton Mountain by Claude King is a country music song and 1962 crossover hit that established Claude King's career as an American country singer-songwriter. I always sing along with this one. The song spent nine weeks at the top of the Billboard country chart in the United States in June and July 1962. A crossover hit, "Wolverton Mountain" reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart.

“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell I label a classic hit from 1967. It is about unwavering support and determination, emphasizing that no obstacle is too great to overcome. It was written by American singers and songwriters Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson in 1966 for the Tamla label, a division of Motown. The composition was first successful as a 1967 hit single recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell.

To me the original version is a care-free, danceable, and romantic love song that became the signature duet between Gaye and Terrell. Its success led to a string of more Ashford/Simpson penned duets (including "You're All I Need to Get By", "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing", and "Your Precious Love"). In 1999, the Gaye/Terrell version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

“Rocky Mountain High” by John Denver is a song written by John Denver and Mike Taylor. It is one of the two official state songs of the U.S state of Colorado. Denver told concert audiences in the mid-1970s that the song took him an unusually long nine months to write. On April 10, 2017, the record was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales exceeding 500,000 digital downloads.

Released in 1972, this song celebrates the beauty of the Rocky Mountains and the feelings of freedom and connection to nature. Having skied all over the Rockies, this song resonates with my sense of freedom.

Although I have skied and taught clinics at ski areas with VERY small mountains, for instance in the mid-west, the thrill of skiing down whatever slope existed brought me immense joy. I ran rivers that were leisurely floats and ones that were rampaging torrents and loved it! Both took mountains.

I am 82. I have been many places, seen and done many things. I have enjoyed most genres of music. I was a DJ. I was an army brat and a soldier, losing a leg in Vietnam. I learned adaptive sports and taught them to people all over our great nation and overseas. I have guided and lead expeditions down raging rivers.

I have many stories about my experiences in Vietnam, the military and at West Point. Plus, lots of life stories, stories about adaptive sports, my adventures, my travels and great music too. When you click Subscribe you will be presented with options. One is to remain or become a free member. The next level up is $5 monthly and you can unsubscribe anytime.

I publish weekly on Friday. I want you to be transported to a different time and to enjoy what you read. I want to tell you about my life and my love of music. I want music that evokes memories. I want you to escape today’s worries for a few minutes.

Please check out my weekly blogs. Subscribers, even free subscribers, will be able to view my posts and archives and comment as well. You can unsubscribe anytime.