I too have just finished watching "The Nashville Sound" DVD and also wondered whatever happened to Herbie Howell. In my search for info I came across Les Marcott's great article. As Les said, Herbie may have just drifted away...I think those guys in charge of "the C & W Business" seemed pretty hard and controlling, I don't think Herbie would have survived long in that cut throat environment. The movie, The Nashville Sound was fascinating, a time capsule of fashions, cars, hairstyles, manners, advertising and performance techniques and most of all full on, wonderful music.
A fun movie and a great story by Les.
Jim Stapleton
Some of the standouts were: * Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys (The performance of "Body and Soul" mesmerising, Bill, wailing out the saddest of lyrics in his high tenor voice, his face showing no emotion, the attentive audience know all about taking the blows delivered by life and giving no reaction, just displaying a stoic disdain. The camera zooming into faces of some of the crowd, many of whom look like they are having their once a year trip to town...The women worn down by hard work but dignified, the men wearing dark coats and open neck white shirts just like in the old Americana rural paintings...the pain of loss and despair seeping into Bill's words, "Her beautiful body still here on earth, her soul has been called from above" On top of that a magnificent, melancholy burst of violin from two wonderful players... * Johnny Cash, singing Folsom Prison Blues at a mad pace, I wonder if he had some chemical assistance at the time. The Tennessee Three sounding great. * An impossibly young Dolly Parton, with a huge beautiful voice, singing about breaking a boy's heart severely. Dolly had a little bump on her nose, no plastic surgery in sight. The only thing artificial I think was her hair, it must have been nearly 3 feet high... * Loretta Lynn, knowingly innocent, also a big hair gal, with the audience in the palm of her hand, singing about "letting men wear the britches at home " and a warning to errant husbands "not to come home a drinkin' with loving on their minds"... * Tex Ritter, singing High Noon almost with no accompaniment. Only Tex would dare rhyme the words "prison" and 'hison" From his appearance I think Tex liked a drink.
* Only at the Grand Ole Opry would they broadcast "The Stony Mountain Cloggers, live on Radio. * Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs played independently of each other and showed their class. * Roy Acuff, balancing a violin bow on his nose and playing with a yoyo whilst performing was, well Roy Acuff... * Porter Wagoner, singing about "A big wind". The crowd loved him, all smoothness and carved hair...Also part of a great commercial for Goo Goo Clusters... A fun movie and a great story by Les.
