Glen Campbell warming up playing Mosrite guitar at recording session

los-angeles-january-7-country-star-glen-campbell-sits-in-on-an-everly-brothers-recording-session-at-united-western-recorders-on-january-7-1967-in-los-angeles-california-photo-by-jasper-dailey-michael-

Oxblood shoe polish, it's still around, from back when I polished my shoes.

Darrel Shoemaker at the razing of the Green Parrot tavern in Galena, Kansas, July 31, 2006

(screenshots, YouTube)

Ron Reed Smith seems to be a 1974 Galena High (Kansas) grad who enjoys fictionalizing Galena people and places. Amen to him.

After writing technical documents and monthly reports during a 38-year career in the aerospace industry, Ron Reed Smith retired and found time to do the type of writing he enjoys the most. He is an award-winning writer of short stories and novella-length manuscripts, using a style that is considered wholesome and down-to-earth. He prefers to interject a bit of humor, when it's appropriate, and will create a surprise ending when the story's plot allows for it. His most recent work has included a cozy mystery (Aunt Bev's Ghost) and a historical fiction piece that features people and events from his own hometown (Staffleback Gold).

Mr. Smith is a member of the Ozarks Writers' League and has served as president of the Joplin Writers' Guild.

Currently a resident of Southwest Missouri, Mr. Smith also enjoys gardening and playing golf.

The Buck Owens Show, Oklahoma City, Okla., Episode #42, March 27, 1967

Bob Morris

Faye Harden

Wayne ("The Baby Buckaroo") Wilson

 Wynn's Wife Delores Benefit Show

 

An F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron 213, lands on the flight deck of the world's largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), while operating in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 2, 2026 in the Mediterranean Sea. (U.S. Navy via Getty Images)

 CUZ...

Mark Louis Hudson, son of Marcel and Helen (Ford) Hudson

  An esteemed savovant* of life's foibles and triumphs

*Don't bother trying to look it up. Archaic Context: In older French and English texts, spellings like "savosant" or "savovant" sometimes appear as phonetic or regional variations used to describe a scholar, distinguished scientist, or someone with profound wisdom.

 Galena High 1904

Actress Ida Lupino was director for the movie about Joplin's murderous Bill Cook. Female movie directors were a rarity in the 1950s.

 Martin home at 2209 Short Street is totally gone

 Bringing Home the Fish

   Here in the Hills

 Linda Fern Waldrop was my aunt Fern's daughter.

         Asheville Citizen-Times Asheville, North Carolina, 11 Jun 1959, Thu • Page 37

This is a photo my maternal grandmother, Fern (Ford) Morey had kept of her and John. It was taken around 1968. She noted on the back that John was 38 years, and Fern was 40 years when the photo was taken. -- Melinda Bandy

 

                                "Vital Records," San Bernardino Sun, January 18, 1967, Page 32

  TRONA - Assets of the Searles Lake Federal Credit Union have grown to 6, 799, 437, as reported at the annual meeting last week. This is about $650,000 more than the previous year. The credit union is open to any Searles Valley resident and had 3,103 shareholder accounts as of the end of 1973. Annette Pastrone and Walter Martin were re-elected to the Union's board of directors. Max Rosen was reelected to the credit committee by the 30 shareholders who attended the meeting. Meetings are open to all shareholders. Shareholders received $341,138 in dividends last year, six per cent quarterly.

Dan Mullin told those at the meeting about the new Microfiche machines being installed to reduce the amount of paper used. The machines take photographs in reduced size of daily-work records and when they are needed to be viewed, the machines enlarge them for the personnel. Two machines will be used so that two employes may work with different sets of records at the same time. The microfilm storage saves space as well as paper. After the annual meeting the board met and elected the following officers: Odell Raker, president; Walter Martin, vice president; Annette Pastrone, secretary; and C. C. Jones, treasurer. Shareholders have been mailed their annual statements of interest paid and dividends received as well as balances in their accounts.

"Credit Union lists increased assets," San Bernardino Sun, January 27, 1974, Page 70

 

KIT SMITH -- Bill Woods, producer and promoter

 Rookie Mantle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Whatta guy

                                        Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for SCAD; S. Granitz/WireImage)

 Mark the date

Vintage long wooden kitchen matches wall holder for the gas cook stove, most often used to ignite the pilot light.

 Caney Fork

 Caney Fork

 Caney Fork River

 The Cal

 Frank Bruce, newspaper man, teacher, baseball coach

Next Friday, June 17,1955, the Southwestern Publishing company, which publishes The Southwestern, will begin the publication of the Galena Record of Galena, Kansas. Each week the Record will enter all Galena homes and all the homes on the two rural routes out of Galena. It will be the only newspaper or periodical of any kind, daily or weekly, which completely covers Galena and Its immediate surrounding territory! The Record will be delivered early Friday mornings, and its offices will be located at 803 East Fifth in Galena, phone 28. Combination advertising in The Southwestern and the Record will have A potential readership of 35,000 persons. The combination advertising rate of these two newspapers will be the lowest "per reader cost" of any newspaper in Midwest! Joplin offices of the Galena Record will be located with The Southwestern.

...

In Frank's June 10, 1955, issue of the Southwestern newspaper (considered a Joplin publication covering a four-state area and selling for a nickel), he gave props to the Joplin Eagles baseball team:

 Missouri House Resolution No. 166 Honoring Eagles WHEREAS, The Joplin High School Eagles won the Missouri State High School Baseball Championship for 1955, in Busch Stadium at St. Louis, on May 26, 1955; WHEREAS, the statewide competition surmounted by the Joplin High School Eagles was keen and excellent, thus making the accomplishment a meritorious victory; WHEREAS, team play and sportsmanship characterized this championship team, WHEREAS, this team, its managers, and its coaching staff have reflected credit upon the State of Missouri as well as upon themselves and the city of Joplin; and has added the baseball laurels for this year unto the State High School Class A Basketball crown for the same year; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the House of Representatives of 68th General Assembly of the State of Missouri, by these presents, congratulate this splendid team, Gordon Long, the coach thereof; Roy Greer, Principal of the Joplin High School, and Roi S. Wood, the Superintendent of Schools at Joplin, upon the occasion of this achievement; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Clerk of this House cause an appropriate number of these resolutions to be prepared and forward the same to each player, manager, and coach, as well as the school officials; and to the news media there for dissemination of these congratulations to the people of Joplin.

 

Frey House II by Albert Frey

©Andrea Rugg Photography/Alamy Stock Photo

Palm Springs, California -- built in 1964

 Hey, hey, workin' man ...

Memorial Site of Patsy Cline Plane Crash in Benton County, Tennessee

 Union Chapel schoolteacher, Galena, Kansas, 

The Galena Evening Times, 1902

Galena, Kansas • Wed, Nov 19, 1902Page 1

 The Pal

 Merle and Bon-Bon

 DON RICH

 Kansas Bryce Martin

• Thematic Overlap: His songs frequently focus on rural life, manual labor, and "honest, non-clichéd" stories—traits that are essential to the Red Dirt and Outlaw Country traditions.
• Regional Context: While the genre originated in Stillwater, Oklahoma, it has expanded to include artists from across the region who share its raw, storytelling-driven approach. Martin is often grouped in playlists and discussions alongside other modern Red Dirt and "Outlaw" figures like Bryan Martin, Jamey Johnson, and The Red Clay Strays. 

While he is a distinct artist, his work is essentially "country music with attitude," making him a natural fit for the Red Dirt label. 

 Gritty, Unvarnished Vocal Style 

Both artists utilize a "weathered" vocal delivery that avoids modern pop-country polish: 

• Jamey Johnson: Known for a deep, "muddy" baritone that conveys world-weary sincerity.
• Kansas Bryce Martin: Possesses a "southern rock-soaked" lead vocal often described as "grit-filled" and "redneck," emphasizing character over technical perfection. 

2. Blue-Collar and Manual Labor Themes

Both songwriters focus heavily on the struggles and pride of the American working class:

• Manual Labor: Kansas Bryce Martin’s work is famously tied to the "driller" lifestyle, highlighted in his EP Driller Man and songs like "Red Truck Redneck". Similarly, Jamey Johnson’s catalog is noted for resonating with "common back breakers" and hard-working Americans through tracks like "High Cost of Living".
• Authenticity: Both have been described as "the real deal" for writing songs that don't chase radio cycles but instead "tell the truth" about life’s harder edges. 

3. Roots in Traditional and Outlaw Country

The sonic foundation for both artists is rooted in the 1970s Outlaw movement and the

Bakersfield Sound": 

• Influences: Both cite legends like Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, and Johnny Cash as foundational influences.
• Instrumentation: Their music typically features stripped-down arrangements, relying on acoustic guitars, steel guitars, and minimal percussion rather than electronic elements or "glitter". 

4. Rejection of the "Nashville Machine" 

Both artists have maintained a level of independence or vocal criticism toward mainstream commercial country:

• Traditionalism: Jamey Johnson is frequently cited as proof that the "soul of country" still exists outside of pop-country trends.
• Indie Sensibility: Kansas Bryce Martin operates with a similar ethos, focusing on storytelling and specific regional Americana—such as his work in the Nashville area that avoids modern digital production methods (he famously does not use computers for his artistic endeavors). 

These articles explain Jamey Johnson's authentic, weathered vocal delivery and themes of manual labor, aligning with Kansas Bryce Martin's gritty Americana:

 The 2025 album Down on the Caney Fork by Kansas Bryce Martin focuses on themes of traditional storytelling, regional identity, and moral reflections typical of classic country music. 

Specific themes explored through the tracklist include:

• Regional and Rural Life: Several songs emphasize a sense of place and local culture, such as the title track "Down on the Caney Fork" and "Bakersfield Winds".
• Moral and Religious Reflection: The track "Big Churches Don’t Preach Hell" suggests a critique or observation on modern religious institutions compared to older, more traditional spiritual values.
• Nostalgia and Life Lessons: Songs like "This Old Road" and "Never Get Your Whiskey at a Place Called Papa Joe’s" explore personal history and practical, often humorous, life advice.
• Mortality and Folklore: "Death Be Sworn to John Q. Barleycorn" draws on traditional personifications of death and grain (likely referencing whiskey or the cycle of life), a common trope in folk and country storytelling.
• Americana and Classic Imagery: "Pink Cadillac Drive-In" and "Up Jumped Johnny" utilize classic American symbols to evoke a sense of mid-century nostalgia.
•  

What's the story behind "Big Churches Don't Preach Hell"?

While there is no published official "behind-the-song" interview for 

"Big Churches Don't Preach Hell," the track's lyrics and title reflect a common critique in traditional country and bluegrass music regarding the "seeker-sensitive" movement in modern American Christianity. 

The song explores the following narrative and thematic elements:

• Critique of Modern Megachurches: The title directly addresses the observation that larger, modern "big churches" often avoid "hellfire and brimstone" preaching in favor of more positive, motivational messages to avoid offending congregants or "seekers".
• Traditional vs. Modern Values: Martin contrasts the "old-time religion"—which emphasized the reality of sin and judgment—with a contemporary "theologically soft" approach that focuses primarily on prosperity and comfort.
• The "Itching Ears" Concept: The song likely draws on the biblical theme from 2 Timothy 4:3, which suggests a time will come when people will only seek out teachers who tell them what they want to hear rather than "sound teaching".
• Preservation of Rural Faith: Within the context of the album Down on the Caney Fork (2025), the song reinforces a regional identity that values the grit and unfiltered truth of rural, small-town life over the polished, commercialized nature of modern urban institutions.