Posted by Robert Wagner on August 4, 2019, 8:22 pm
I have been planning penning this post for a number of weeks. I am sure that I will fail to document all I want to say, but I'm going to give it a try. I have to start by saying that I am very saddened about the up coming Ken Burns Country Music Documentary, because I am certain that Jim Reeves Legacy, the Nashville Sound, and Reeves major contribution in spreading Country Music to the United Kingdom and the rest of the world will not be properly represented. Jim Reeves will yet again receive a "short shrift" relative to his talent, influence and legacy. I have tried in my small way to see that this injustice would not occur especially in this monumental documentary. The following are some of my efforts and observations. On or about 2013 PBS released a couple of programs "Remembering George Jones". Recently deceased at the time they kept referring to Jones as the "Greatest Country Singer". I was aghast. I had seen Jones and Tammy Wynette in Hartford Connecticut, and he was terrible. He was hostile on stage, probably due to his troubled marriage at that time to Tammy Wynette. Tammy Wynette performed well, but the tension between them was palpable and shown through to the audience. We all know George Jones had some very successful recordings and I do not disparage that, but his voice was sandpaper compared to the velvet Jim Reeves. I vowed to set PBS straight and guide them to the career of Jim Reeves for inclusion their future Country Music documentary. I am retired 30 year veteran of the Holyoke Massachusetts Police Department serving a Chief 1991 to 1994. Aron Vega was one of Holyoke's first Latino City Councilors, moving up to Massachusetts State Representative (vege@mahouse.gov). Aron Vega worked as a film editor for Ken Burns for many years. Some time in 2013 Ken Burns and Aron Vega held a meeting at City Square in Holyoke. I could not attend the meeting but left a composition I drafted about Country Music, George Jones, and the necessity for PBS to fill a void in producing the Jim Reeves story. I left the document with Vega's representative. The next two days I made numerous calls to Ken Burns at WETA Washington DC, leaving numerous messages receiving no response. I tried to get Jim Reeves history to PBS while their "Country Music Documentary" was in production. No Go. Now the Documentary is "in the can" and any attempt to get Jim Reeves his due is fruitless. I notice in the 25 minute promotion video with Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan the following observations. 1. Johnny Cash is given much more credit for the success of country music than I think appropriate. 2. Tom Dooley is presented as country when it is folk music. 3. Patsy Cline is given due respect with no mention of the similar tragedy Jim Reeves suffered a year later. 4. Charlie Pride, a great artist and person, is also given respect he is due, but it was Jim Reeves in the early 60's that had more impact, especially in bringing Country Music to the world. Even Charlie Pride did a Jim Reeves tribute album. No mention of Elton John's admiration of Jim Reeves in the UK. 5. Both Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan make excuses for their lack of inclusion in the documentary before release. They make fun of it. Lastly, check the song tracks on the 5 CD set associated with the program. They are terrible and proof positive that Jim Reeves story will not be properly told. Ken Burns lives in Walpole New Hampshire. He attended Hampshire College in the Peoples Republic of Amherst Massachusetts, an extremely liberal institution promoting "alternative education" where I think he met his future wife from Walpole NH. This institution is way out there with the students grading themselves with questionable academics. They refused to fly the American Flag some time ago causing all kinds of protest and media attention. Rachel Maddow the liberal MSNBC commentator is also from the area. I mention these things because I have lived next to these liberal college towns all my life, and to state that these people do not accept a position not their own. they refuse to acknowledge intelligence beyond theirs, and a differing view is met with skepticism, and ridicule, and finally a differing viewpoint must be made by crazies. There in no chance that any Jim Reeves input will be accepted, contrary too what anyone might believe. This is tragic because Burns is respected for his productions such as "The Civil War", "Jazz", "Vietnam", and others. This documentaries "crimes of omission" will do terrible damage to the future of Jim Reeves Legacy.
WOW. Thanks for posting this. I had no idea you had been making attempts to make sure Ken Burns covered Jim Reeves in his new documentary!!!!
However -- one point I want to address and that concerns your denigration of "liberals." I am one. And yet I wrote the 672-page, award-winning book, "Jim Reeves: His Untold Story."
So I don't think being "liberal" had anything to do with Ken Burns apparently not including Jim in his documentary. After all, "liberal" generally means open-minded as most definitions of conservative encompass being traditional and not open to new thoughts or experiences.
Anyway, one important factor here is that Michael Streissguth, who produced the trash book on Jim some years ago, brags that he has served as a consultant to Mr. Burns since 2013. It would not be beyond the realm of possibility that he influenced the Burns people to NOT include Jim, since he is highly jealous of Reeves' contributions to country music as Streissguth is hung up on Eddy Arnold. Eddy had no Number One hits after Jim arrived in Nashville, and stole "Make the World Go Away" even though both he and Chet Atkins knew that it had been planned that RCA would release that song as a single from Jim's posthumous 1965 album. I know, because Mary Reeves personally told me about how betrayed she felt. Of course, Eddy also tried to copy everything about Jim, including his manner of dress, even recorded an original Christmas song that had been present to Jim by a good friend of his in England, and that Reeves had planned to do at his next session, and also tried to duplicate Jim's success in South Africa by recording music for that market. He failed.
At this point we don't know for sure that Jim is not mentioned in the documentary, but if he is, it seems odd that he does not appear in the half-hour promo, nor are any of his tracks in that accompanying CD set.
Mary and I used to talk about how Jim was constantly being overlooked and neither of us can understand why. At least the Academy of Country Music still acknowledges Jim's contribution because they still bestow an annual "Jim Reeves International" award to major country stars of today.
Thanks for your response to my posting. I would like to alleviate your concern, and add a couple of things that I knew I would forget in the original post. Lets get to your response proper.
First, it was not, nor is, my intention to denigrate "liberals". Half the country is liberal. I consider myself either conservative or liberal depending upon the particular issue. My intention was to describe the conduct and attitude of those exposed to the extremely liberal institutions of higher learning of which Ken Burns is a product. Your definition of liberal, which I agree with, does not seem to exist in today's college campus environment if current news reports are correct. Hampshire College, Smith College, and Mount Holyoke College are in this category. I have friends and relatives who were in law enforcement at those institutions who were forbidden and even punished for performing proper police duties up to and including making arrests for sexual or domestic abuse. But, we are completely off topic.
As far as Your Book, it is a monumental work which I am proud to be quoted in. I believe your book is evaluated on its content not the political views of the author.
I don't think Ken Burns being liberal had anything to do with whether Jim Reeves would be included in the documentary or not. I do believe that his educational environment had everything to do with not entertaining input regarding the content of the documentary.
I agree totally with your Eddy Arnold history.
Now to the things I forgot to mention in my first posting.
While attending a function at my grandchildren's high school library, I discovered "The Encyclopedia of Country Music" compiled by the staff of the Country Music Hall of Fame. I had my grandchildren get me a copy as it is very comprehensive and Jim Reeves gets very good coverage. I wonder if Burns had used this work as a guide in his documentary if Jim Reeves would get proper coverage?
A check of Jim Reeves on YouTube shows strong and growing current interest and appreciation of Jim Reeves music, by younger generations. Did Burns take note? No mention of the movie "Kimberly Jim" that we know of, or Reeves contribution to the expansion of Country Music world wide.
My wife and I were surfing the web a few years ago. We discovered the obituary of a woman from Chicopee Massachusetts, a neighboring town to us. She mentions the effect Jim Reeves music had on her life in her obituary. Impressive. I haven't been able to find it again.
Finally, it is true that we don't know for sure whether Jim Reeves will get adequate mention in the Burns 8 part documentary or not.
I have not posted for a long time …. How ever, the issue regarding Mr Burns Country Music documentary . One only has to read the inscription on Jim's plaque in the Country Music Hall of Fame to appreciate the contribution he made to Country music worldwide. “Is rich voice brought millions of new fans to country music from every corner of the world” And you know what....IT STILL IS.
“He will be remembered as one one of country music's most important performers”
Now I ask, is the Country Music Foundation wrong ? I don't think so.......
on August 4, 2019, 8:22 pm