Track 24
Tag Along, by The Wilburn
Brothers (1963)
Doyle and Teddy Wilburn were a
popular country music act from Hardy, Arkansas, who performed and recorded
together for more than 30 years – first as The Wilburn Children, and later as The Wilburn Brothers. They were discovered by country legend Roy Acuff, who arranged for them to perform at the Grand Ole Opry, but while their act was well-received, they were forced to stop performing after about six
months due to federal child labor laws. Both brothers served in the U.S. Army
in Korea, after which they signed with Decca Records and had a string of modest
hits with such numbers as “Go Away with Me” and “Trouble’s Back in Town.” Tag Along was recorded in the early 1960s and
released as a special holiday single several different times. It tells the
story of Santa’s watchdog, Tag Along, who travels with Santa each Christmas Eve to guard the sleigh
while Santa goes indoors with the presents. It’s
apparently a prestigious assignment. Both Rin Tin Tin and Lassie sought the position unsuccessfully. But it’s no easy job, as the song makes clear.
The Wilburn Brothers continued recording into the 1970s, by which time they
were putting the bulk of their energies into talent management. They were
instrumental in launching the careers of a number of popular country stars,
including Loretta Lynn, and they also hosted their own syndicated TV variety show,
The Wilburn Brothers Show, which ran from 1963 to 1974. Despite their
successful careers as performers and businessmen, the two brothers will also be
remembered as the singers who gave away their chance to record “Heartbreak
Hotel” before Elvis Presley. In 1956, they decided against recording the song,
which they described as “strange and almost morbid.” When you stop to consider
that assessment for a moment, it’s pretty tough to argue the point.
Track 23
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,
by Shakespeare Man (1993)
 |
| Kevin and Bean |
Thirty years after the release of
Tag Along, Kevin Ryder and Gene "Bean" Baxter, better known as Kevin and Bean, hosts of the morning show on KROQ-FM, released a lovely album called “A
Family Christmas in Your Ass,” which is where I found Shakespeare Man’s rendition
of Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Kevin and Bean have handled the morning
duties for KROQ-FM since 1990, and their show is also syndicated in a number of
other markets. The “Family Christmas” album is just one in a series of similar
holiday releases that were sold to benefit local charities. It mimics their
morning radio show in that it offers a mix of music and comedy bits designed to
appeal to adolescents and those with adolescent sensibilities. But, hey, it’s
for charity, and people like me deserve to be entertained, too, right?
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