By Moragh Carter
Published by Matador
© Copyright 2012
ISBN#978 1780884 202
Pages: 136
Author Moragh Carter
offers an inside peek at the private lives of Jack Blanchard and Misty Morgan,
best known for their hit song, Tennessee Birdwalk, which reached the number one spot on the country charts in
1970.
Through Carter, Jack
and Misty share the joys and sorrows they faced over the years as they shared
their music with the public in everything from run-down bars to festivals,
packed auditoriums and even the Grand Ole Opry. What makes this book particular
delightful is Jack’s humor that not only shines through in their music but also
in how he tells their story.
Carter shares both
the highs and lows this talented duo endured during their years in the music
business. There were times of extreme poverty, when they struggled to make a
living and aside from performing gigs, they took on extra odd jobs. At the same
time, they had to content with bar owners that sometimes disappeared before
paying them and even one at The Comic Book in Jacksonville Beach who fiend a
fake robbery just to get out of paying them.
In 1965, the couple
recorded an instrumental together called Gemini. Then in 1967, their first recording session at Woodland Studios in
Nashville resulted in their song, Bethlehem Steel. Their next title - Big Black
Bird - was a ‘Top 10 Pick’ on Billboard.
Their best times were
during the ‘70s when they released a series of popular songs, including
Somewhere in Virginia in the Rain, Humphrey The Camel and There Must Be More to
Life than Growing Old but even then, record producers found exceptional ways of
getting out of contracts and refusing to pay.
After suffering from ill health for a time,
the couple made a major comeback going into the 2000’s with remakes from old
vinyl records to digital editions of such songs as Call On Me, Back from the
Dead – Volume 2 (there was no Volume 1, which again showed Jack’s amazing wit),
A Little Out of Sync and Jack & Misty are Crazy. In 2004, the couple was
inducted into the New York Country Music Hall of Fame and soon thereafter, into
the Buffalo (NY) Music Hall of
Fame in 2010.
But by far the most
interesting aspect of their lives unfolds when Jack relates some of the things
that happened over the years. For example, he relates that when he was a
teenager, he joined a trio with two other young men, who were Mohawk Indians.
The boys took him to races at the Six Nations reservation in Ontario where their
parents ran a general store, post office and funeral parlor.
One night, the boys
took him downstairs for a jamming session “by flashlight and candle light. It
seems the entire family woke up and came down to cheer them on but when the
lights went on, Jack realized “they were in the funeral parlor with two dead
bodies in the audience!”
Years later, when Jack and Misty performed at
a hotel restaurant and lounge in Sebring, Florida, they ran into trouble when
they sang their song, Cows. Right in front of the audience, the owner yelled at
them saying, “they should have known better” and promptly fired them.
This book, which is such an easy read, also
includes a collection of Jack’s lighthearted and humorous stories. As Moragh
noted, he has the innate ability to “paint with words.” When you purchase this
book, be sure to read such stories as, ‘Henhouse Murder Trial Begins and The
Last Day. You’re sure to have a great laugh!
To hear their music and keep up with their
latest news, be sure to visit Jack’s web sites:
http://www.jackandmisty.com
CD Baby: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jackmisty
Moragh
Carter web site: http://www.about.me/moraghcarter
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