The Cumberland Post

The Cumberland Post
My Backyard, Six Miles from the Cumberland River

Friday, October 14, 2011

For Montana George and Sara

By turning the numbers of the date 1968 around to 1986, my buddy George in Montana reminded me that twenty years after the Byrds album I wrote about in the last post ("Sweetheart of the Rodeo") a country sisters singing duo added an "s" and took that album name as the name of their group.

Though Sweethearts of the Rodeo had a success in '86 with "Since I Found You," their high ranked, successful single of the next year "Midnight Girl in a Sunset Town" launched their career in country music which continues today. The duo consists of sisters Janis and Kristine Oliver. Janis married Vince Gill (then in Pure Prarie League) in 1980. Kristine married Leonard Arnold who was a member of the band Blue Steel. Janis and Gill were divorced in 1997. The duo has stayed together over the years and recently worked on an album "Restless" which was supposed to be released in 2010, but according to their website, it's still not out but coming soon.

So, what were you doing in 1986-87? Me? Yeah you. Well, after 25 years in the classroom (and the waves, tsunamis really, of student papers that came in each semester), I was beginning to feel the first tiny flames of teacher burnout singeing my posterior. I still enjoyed my work, but confess that by then, a little of the luster had worn off my pedagogical pursuits. So, four years later in 1991, I was ready when the opportunity came to move in to administration. It took several more years, but that move was most important in terms of changing my perspective on politics. I think I'll probably try and write about that sometime on the Post.

Here's Sweethearts of the Rodeo with "Midnight Girl in a Sunset Town."


This duet with George Jones and Sweethearts of the Rodeo is probably my favorite of their stuff on youtube. "Travelers Prayer."


Hey, George. It's October and you're in Montana. Got that firewood stacked high enough?

5 comments:

  1. Thanks for the update on the Sweethearts Dan. I've been wondering for quite some time what happened to them. Believe it or not, that cassette went 'round and 'round in my truck 'til it was plumb wore out. Their first album was used as the soundtrack for the B grade movie 'Nadine'. It was cute but not something that set the world on fire.
    Interesting note on Gill's divorce; he didn't want her out there performing and (from what I heard) was the cause of their divorce.

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  2. Deb, That's interesting about the divorce and Gill's old, traditional view of marriage. I did notice that the wiki entry says she divorced him. He seems to be a decent enough guy and does all kinds of charity stuff in Nashville. Different values I guess. It'll be interesting to hear what the Sweethearts new album sounds like.

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  3. So, what were you doing in 1986-87?

    Well, since the Sweethearts ain't my cuppa... I'll answer the question. ;-)

    I was deep into the second career (first and second year), learning how to translate what (little) I learned in the military into a better payin' gig with industry. On a brighter side, I was also in Dee-troit and learnin' how to love hockey. The career was over too soon (it ended favorably, I should add) but hockey lasted. That IS a comment on life's priorities...

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  4. Buck, IMHO, there are quite a few things that take priority over work. I can see that truth clearly now; even though I professed to see that back in the day (and even sometimes had class discussions about it), I probably didn't see it that clearly then. Work does have a tremendous power and subtly presents itself as the major component of identity. In retirement, I've been trying to rediscover my old, non work self.

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  5. Identity after retirement is a challenge.
    Are we what we were, or what we have become?
    Now there's a good question! Do we carry the baggage of our working days with us, until the last shovel full of dirt is packed on top of us, or are we liberated upon retirement to begin anew and shed the shackels that bound us?
    Maybe it is a combination of the two.

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