Somebody done somebody wrong

Happy birthday, Billy Joe Thomas.

Some of us remember you before you were cool, before "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head'' propelled you to stardom and you could seemingly do no wrong.

We knew, without even knowing what you looked like -- and that surely sealed the deal -- that you weren't going to be producing little-known singles for Hickory Records your whole career. So we played the grooves off "Billy and Sue'' and waited for it to happen.

Next we snagged "The Eyes of a New York Woman'' and thought, yep, this guy has a chance. Then came "Hooked on a Feeling'' and there was no doubt whatsoever -- that single climbed the charts to No. 5 and now everyone knew your voice (and the face that went with it).

The movie "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' was your magic carpet ride, helping "Raindrops'' become one of the most popular songs of 1969. There you were, the pride of Hugo, Okla., hottest new singer on the planet.

Then we went off to college and started listening to music that wasn't so, well, mainstream. Music that had been around awhile but we hadn't been exposed to. And it was all albums -- nobody brought 45s to the dorm. Albums like "Traffic'' and "Disraeli Gears'' and "Electric Ladyland'' and "Trout Mask Replica.''

And we dropped you like a bad habit. Not that it mattered one bit. Then, or now. Tomorrow night when you take the stage at the Palace Theatre in Corsicana, Texas, you'll have a packed house of people hootin' and hollerin' and making a big fuss over you. Still slaying 'em at 67.

Way to go, man.

Whistle me Elmo

I consider myself a pretty fair whistler, but I've never been mistaken for Elmo Tanner.

In fact, until a friend told me a story the other day I had never heard of Elmo Tanner.

So let me tell you the story. My friend was in a store with his father, who was whistling a happy tune as they were walking down an aisle shopping. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a man appeared and exclaimed: "I know you -- you're Elmo Tanner!''

Well, there was just no convincing this guy that my friend's father was not Elmo Tanner. The fellow was dead certain that the whistle he heard could only have come from the man who performed with the Ted Weems Orchestra. Now we all remember, with the help of Google, that Weems was a popular bandleader in the Midwest back in the day who helped launch the career of Perry Como. (Tanner, though talented himself, apparently didn't have the staying power of the more famous vocalist.)

Anyhow, they finally shook this guy and finished their shopping. But once they got to the checkout counter the pest appeared again -- more certain than ever that he was in the midst of a whistling legend. "C'mon, I know you're Elmo Tanner -- you gotta give me your autograph!''

So my buddy's father gave it to him. The autograph, I mean.

There's a life lesson there for everyone. I'm just sorry I never got to hear my friend's father whistle, because I have absolutely no doubt he was in a league with the great Elmo Tanner.

Sure gonna miss her

As if the heavy burdens of the world aren't pressing hard enough on our tired shoulders. What are we to make of the news that Paul Abdul will be leaving "American Idol''?

I started reading this morning and almost spilled my coffee upon discovering that Paula was a judge on the show! All this time I thought she had been a recurring contestant whom they kept bringing back because they felt sorry for her.

All kidding aside, I love Paula Abdul. But you know it's the beginning of the end for FOX's wildly popular show. It's all about chemistry, and "Idol" had it before adding a fourth banana to its judging lineup last season.

Remember what happened to ABC's Monday Night Football after Howard Cosell left the show? In 1983 ABC added O.J. Simpson to the booth, joining Cosell, Frank Gifford and Don Meredith. The next season Cosell was gone.

One key difference: Humble Howard didn't announce his departure on Twitter.

Summer of Sinatra continues

We've toasted Frank Sinatra several times already this summer. Must be something in the hi-balls. And now this: Our good buddy Psycho has passed along this must-see animation video of Sinatra. It's a scream.

And while we're wondering what Frankie might have really thought about MySpace, social networking and music on the web, consider the song "Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now)'' by Cracker, especially this rant:

What the world needs now
Is a new Frank Sinatra
So I can get you in bed
Cause what the world needs now
is another folk singer
like I need a hole in my head

I'm thinkin' ol' Frankie would have dug that. I'm not as sure about the video below. But you never know.

BTW, I saw Cracker's sold-out show at Skipper's Smokehouse in Tampa Saturday night, and I'm here to confirm that this is a tour you definitely want to tap into. Enjoy "Teen Angst'' now.

The list you DIDN'T want to see

People love lists, and here at Six String Sanctuary we feel a responsibility to provide them whenever possible to support our noble mission, which is: Monetize the blog!!!!

No, no, no. Just kidding. Lewie filled the tip jar over the weekend; we're flush for another week.

We're actually here today to squash forever a rumor that circulated for some time following the Green Bay Packers' march to the Super Bowl XXXI championship in New Orleans. (This was probably hatched by Chicago Bears fans hoping to derail the Pack during their exciting 1996 season.)

The rumor: Linemen for the Packers girded for games by dancing the Macarena. After much diligent research, our unbiased conclusion is this: False!!! It's true the team and dance are inexorably linked in history. On this date in 1996 "Macarena'' hit No. 1 on the Billboard chart just as Coach Mike Holmgren was writing his script for the championship run. The song's wild popularity -- 14 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart -- roughly paralleled the Pack's 13-3 regular season. But Reggie White dancing the Macarena? Perish the thought.

I'm just glad we had football back in 1996, because the music and videos they were playing back then, well, look for yourself. Two songs from '96 made Billboard's all-time Top 10. (Don't ask us for the formula; it supposedly is a blend of sales and airplay. We call it a lab experiment gone bad.)

Billboard's All-Time Top 10 Songs
1. The Twist, Chubby Checker, 1960 and 1962
2. Smooth, Santana Featuring Rob Thomas, 1999
3. Mack the Knife, Bobby Darin, 1959
4. How Do I Live, LeAnn Rimes, 1997
5. Macarena, Bayside Boys Mix, 1996
6. Physical, Olivia Newton-John, 1981
7. You Light up My Life, Debby Boone, 1977
8. Hey Jude, Beatles, 1968
9. We Belong Together, Mariah Carey, 2005
10. Un-Break My Heart, Toni Braxton, 1996

Another strip tease

Here's an anniversary of sorts: On this day in 1984 Charles Schulz became the first artist to have his comic strip appear in 2,000 newspapers.

My question: What took the Daily Times of Portsmouth, Ohio, so long to climb on board with "Peanuts'', the most popular strip in history? Were those readers forced to go elsewhere for their daily fix of Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Snoopy and the gang for the first 33 years of its syndication?

In its heyday "Peanuts'' appeared in more than 2,600 newspapers worldwide. So beloved is the strip that many newspapers continue to run reprints -- nine years after Schulz's death.

But the world is changing, no doubt about it. One day soon there may not be 2,000 newspapers left. This sobering thought does not deter Sarasota artist Rick Hotton, who would like his "Holy Mole'' strip to be appear in every newspaper from Anniston to Abu Dhabi. "Holy Mole'' currently appears in exactly two daily publications, the Bradenton Herald and St. Petersburg Times.

Of course, there are other venues for comic strips, like magazines, books and online. Some people who still enjoy "reading the comics'' but won't pick up a newspaper are now downloading favorites on their cellphones.

It's a tough hill to climb. Hotton must feel at times like Custer, which he drew for a strip next week. (Click on the image to see better detail). But Hotton, a karate instructor, is a warrior with great spirit. Next week you'll be able to visit his revamped website and see some dynamic changes. Check it out and leave feedback. Maybe it's time to drink the lemon ... er, Kool Aid.

Pssst: More than just a memory

Our connections to music are usually obvious. We share songs and CDs and conversations about our favorite -- and not-so-favorite -- artists, and if we get to know each other well enough we gain a good understanding of each other's sensibilities.

But we should never be too pushy. Back when my niece Lori was singing in Wisconsin road houses with the Bear Creek Band, I remember handing her a tape (that's how long ago it was) of Kim Richey and strongly encouraging her to do some listening. Whenever I listened to Richey I could visualize Lori on the stage doing "Those Words We Said.'' Truth is, she had the pipes to sing a song like that.

I don't even remember if Bear Creek eventually added Kim Richey to their playlist. But I do recall, years later, Lori and I going to see Richey at the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville. It was a warm-up show for a new tour and Richey was, shall we say, a bit rusty. There was new music, a new look, and the show just didn't deliver what we were expecting. But it doesn't -- it shouldn't -- diminish our impressions of an artist we really appreciate.

Flash ahead to last week. I received a letter from my son Zach, who most of you know by now is in Navy boot camp. It was great to hear from him, to get a glimpse of what his structured life is like, and to read some of his written thoughts. You wonder, besides the physical and mental punishment (the Navy wouldn't call it that), what these recruits really go through. Unable to read a newspaper or know what's going on outside their training command. Unable to watch television, listen to music, pick up a guitar or have a minute to do anything that isn't dictated to him.

Zach's letter was very personal and touching, and nothing he would want me to share with you here. Except maybe this: Of all the things he was recalling to keep his sanity, one thing he mentioned was a voice that had somehow attached itself to some of those memories. A voice he probably heard for the first time when he was 10 years old.

Sometimes, I'm reminded, the music connections are not so obvious. And now I'm pretty sure the next time Zach and I are tooling down some highway together we won't have to ask each other what's going in the player. Kim Richey will already be in there.

Friends, we give you Personal Six String Sanctuary Tout No. 11.