Samuel's Blog

Samuel’s Musician Of The Week, and a Samuel Salute: Ferlin Husky

A couple weeks ago in the wee hours of the morning, I was listening to John Kerr on the radio when he announced that he had to do something “now” because he wouldn’t have enough time to do it during the country music news segment, and it deserved the time. John announced the sad news that, during that week, country music legend Ferlin Husky had passed away. John proceeded to pay tribute to Ferlin, broke out in to a few lines of “The Wings Of A Dove” and then a few minutes later, took the time to play the record of Ferlin Husky singing this song.

This was a very emotional time for me as Ferlin Husky was one of my favourite singers when I was growing up. I absolutely adored his voice, and loved it when one of his songs would come on, particularly “The Wings Of A Dove” which was my favourite of his songs…in fact I gave Ferlin the Musician Of The Week award for this very song back in 2006, so it was quite upsetting for me to hear that this kindly 85-year-old had passed on, as it felt like a bit of my childhood had left me. It still feels that way.

Taste of Country’s Amy Sciarretto published a small, but lovely, piece about the late Mr. Husky on the day he died. I’ll share it with you.

Country Music Hall of Famer Ferlin Husky passed away at his daughter’s residence in Westmoreland today, reports The Tennessean. Husky was known for the 1957 hit ‘Gone’ — which was a catalyst for the poppier, Nashville Sound era — as well as the hit ‘Wings of a Dove.’

Ferlin Husky was 85-years-old and was suffering from congestive heart failure. He had seven bypass surgeries as of 2009, to which Husky once said, “I just pray and keep going.”

Husky wasn’t just a country singer who nailed songs to the top of the charts. He helped erase some of the stigma of twangy music by proving that a country song could appeal to a mass audience and crossover to pop music fans. He also acted in films and entertained people as “Simon Crum,” which was his comedic alter ego.

Country legend Merle Haggard spoke about Husky in The Tennessean last year, effectively summing up the entertainer. Haggard said, ”There were a lot of years when nobody in the business could follow Ferlin Husky. He was the big live act of the day.”

Husky was elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame in February 2010, which was a lifelong dream of his. He entered along with Jimmy Dean and Billy Sherrill during a ceremony in May 2010.

Even in the face of serious health problems, Husky never lost his sense of humor, which is very admirable to say the least. “Some of the people that vote [for the Hall members] are so young, I thought they’d never heard of me,” he joked at the time. “I figured they thought Ferlin Husky was some kind of disease.”

Our thoughts and prayers are with Ferlin Husky’s family members and friends on this day. Rest in peace, Ferlin. Your legacy will live on in the hearts of many.

And so, it is with a heavy heart that I once again award Ferlin Husky with the Musician Of The Week award, and offer up a rare Samuel Salute to this true legend of the music industry and a man for whom I have great admiration and respect…a man who gave me many fond memories despite the fact that we never meet.

Mr. Ferlin Husky. Born December 3, 1925. Died March 17, 2011. May you rest in peace.

Once again, the feature song is “The Wings Of A Dove”. A song for which I will forever remember this great man.

On the wings of a snow-white dove
He sends His pure sweet love
A sign from above
(Sign from above)
On the wings of a dove
(Wings of a dove)

When troubles surround us
When evils come
The body grows weak
(Body grows weak)
The spirit grows numb
(Spirit grows numb)
When these things beset us
He doesn’t forget us
He sends down His love
(Sends down His love)
On the wings of a dove
(Wings of a dove)

On the wings of a snow-white dove
He sends His pure sweet love
A sign from above
(Sign from above)
On the wings of a dove
(Wings of a dove)

When Noah had drifted
On the flood many days
He searched for land
(He searched for land)
In various ways
(Various ways)
Troubles, he had some
But wasn’t forgotten
He sent him His love
(Sent him His love)
On the wings of a dove
(Wings of a dove)

On the wings of a snow-white dove
He sends His pure sweet love
A sign from above
(Sign from above)
On the wings of a dove
(Wings of a dove)

On the wings of a snow-white dove
He sends His pure sweet love
A sign from above
(Sign from above)
On the wings of a dove
(Wings of a dove)

On the wings of a dove
(Wings of a dove)

On the wings of a dove
(Wings of a dove)

With special thanks to Taste Of Country and the Country Music Hall of Fame for Ferlin’s photo.

Samuel

2 comments April 3rd, 2011 at 11:20pm

Concussions

Good morning John,

John, who called earlier, was asking about concussions and which sport stands players down the next week if they're concussed. I'm not sure about Rugby, which he was talking about, but the AFL have introduced a rule this year where if a player receives a concussion on the field, they are not allowed back on the field that day. They don't stop the players from returning the following week if they doctors think they're fit to play, but they are absolutely not allowed back on that day.

So far this year this has caused two players to be sidelined for the remainder of the match. Geelong's Joel Selwood last week who was knocked out and had to be taken to hospital, and Richmond's Jack Riewoldt last night who landed very hard on the ground and received medical attention in the dressing rooms for some time. He didn't have to go to hospital, but he was concussed so the doctors kept him off the field and the team played their substitute player.

Personally I think it's a good rule. Concussions can be tricky things to deal with and the extent of them isn't necessarily known for a while, so whenever there's a head injury it's better to be safe than sorry and keep the player confined for a while, both for the player's health's sake, and the team's sake, because I don't think that any player, no matter how good they are, is going to make sensible judgements and play to their full potential while they're concussed.

All the best!

Samuel Gordon-Stewart
Canberra

April 2nd, 2011 at 02:46am

Samuel’s Footy Tips: results from the first few weeks

It’s been a few weeks, so I probably should run through the results of my tipping…if I don’t do it now, there’s a good chance that I’ll never get around to it. So, here goes.

NRL Round 1
Broncos V Cowboys
Roosters V Rabbitohs
Titans V Dragons
Warriors V Eels
Storm V Sea Eagles
Raiders V Sharks
Panthers V Knights
Bulldogs V Tigers

NRL Round 1: 4/8 (50%)
NRL Total: 4/8 (50%)
Overall Total: 4/8 (50%)

NRL Round 2
Eels V Panthers
Raiders V Broncos
Storm V Titans
Tigers V Warriors
Cowboys V Knights
Rabbitohs V Bulldogs
Roosters V Sea Eagles
Sharks V Dragons

NRL Round 2: 4/8 (50%)
NRL Total: 8/16 (50%)
Overall Total: 8/16 (50%)

AFL Round 1
Blues V Tigers
Cats V Saints
Magpies V Power
Crows V Hawks
Lions V Dockers
Bombers V Bulldogs
Demons V Swans (Drawn match: half a tipping point)
Eagles V Kangaroos

AFL Round 1: 5.5/8 (68.75%)
AFL Total: 5.5/8 (68.75%)

NRL Round 3
Eels V Souths
Titans V Broncos
Panthers V Sharks
Tigers V Raiders
Warriors V Dragons
Bulldogs V Roosters
Sea Eagles V Knights
Cowboys V Storm

NRL Round 3: 5/8 (62.50%)
NRL Total: 13/24 (54.17%)

Week Total: 10.5/16 (65.63%)
Overall Total: 18.5/32 (57.81%)

And so the graphs after the first three weeks.

Week-by-week tipping

Running totals

Samuel

April 2nd, 2011 at 01:56am

Samuel’s Footy Tips: AFL Round 2 and NRL round 4

AFL Round 2
Saints V Tigers
Kangaroos V Collingwood
Power V Eagles
Suns V Blues
Dockers V Cats
Bulldogs V Lions
Swans V Bombers
Hawks V Demons

NRL Round 4
Broncos V Panthers
Rabbitohs V Sea Eagles
Raiders V Titans
Eels V Cowboys
Knights V Dragons
Sharks V Warriors
Roosters V Tigers
Storm V Bulldogs

Samuel

April 1st, 2011 at 07:30pm

Another Mark Colbran press release…

I’m sure the guy tries, but seriously, someone in ACT Policing’s media unit should check his press releases before they go out, because almost without fail he manages to say something stupid each time.

Today’s effort has suddenly made it legal for car passengers over the age of 16 years to not wear a seatbelt.

“It is an offence to drive while not wearing your seatbelt or to permit passengers under the age of 16 to travel in your car without seatbelts ” said Supt Colbran.

I wonder, if the police pulled you over for having an unrestrained passenger and you waved that press release at them, would they let you off with a warning?

Samuel

April 1st, 2011 at 02:29pm

My goodness, President Obama finally gets it

Is it possible that President Obama finally gets it? I never thought there’d come a day when I’d say that, but having read his recent leaked letter to former President George W. Bush, it certainly looks like it to me.

President Barack H. Obama
The White House

Dear George,

The Gulf oil spill opened my eyes.

As with Hurricane Katrina, it happened suddenly. I barked out orders. I pounded my desk. But the oil kept flowing. Worse, the nation watched it all on television and said: “Why doesn’t the President do something? Doesn’t he care?” From then on, I fully understood both the expectations and the limitations of this job.

I ran on “hope and change.” I said I would bring the sides together. The American people, I told Republicans who opposed my stimulus plan, have spoken. And “I won.”

So without any of the bipartisan support you received for your tax cuts, my stimulus passed, and I confidently predicted it would prevent unemployment from reaching 8 percent. It climbed to 10.2 percent.

Without a single Republican vote, we passed “ObamaCare.” But half of the states’ attorneys general filed suit to stop it. And a year after its passage, most Americans want it repealed.

My party lost its House majority and its Senate supermajority. Voters wanted smaller government. Turns out voters wanted to retain the “Bush tax rates” — even for the rich — which I campaigned against. Again, the American people had spoken.

The morning starts, as you know, with an intelligence briefing. My goodness, does America have enemies — hateful, violent, vicious enemies all over the world who are determined to destroy this nation! Our job is to prevent them from succeeding — all of them, all of the time.

I labeled you a cowboy, promised humility and offered enemy countries an “outstretched hand” for their “unclenched fist.” But calling the Global War on Terror an “overseas contingency operation” not only failed to deter the Islamofascists from wanting to kill us, it suggested a weakness that only strengthened their resolve.

Al-Qaida, Hezbollah, Hamas and the mullahs who run Iran, I learned, couldn’t care less that I’m a person of color, born to a Muslim father from Kenya, and who lived in Indonesia. They hate us still.

Guantanamo Bay exists for a reason. It imprisons the worst of the worst. No other country will take these terrorists, and many former detainees have returned to the fight.

Gitmo is among many of your “Bush era” terror-fighting policies that I not only retained but, in some cases, even expanded. What once seemed reckless and wrongheaded, I now see as prudent attempts to strike that difficult balance between safety and freedom.

I came into this job eight years after September 11, 2001. I cannot imagine 3,000 Americans killed on my watch. I cannot imagine polls showing that 90 percent of us anticipated another attack within 12 months of the first, perhaps with chemical or biological weapons. I can imagine how you must have blamed yourself during those long, dark days, and spent every waking hour asking, “What can I do so this never happens again?”

This brings me to the Iraq War, a mission I once called “dumb.”

Seventy-six percent of Americans, at the time, supported your decision. You obtained approval from Congress. By contrast, 47 percent support my actions in Libya, less support than for any military action taken in the last 40 years. Unlike you, I did not seek approval from Congress even though I once said the Constitution requires it.

Thanks to the Iraq War, Libya’s Moammar Gadhafi surrendered his WMD. He poses no direct threat to America and cannot use these terrible weapons on his own people. Saddam Hussein, on the other hand, invaded his neighbors, used chemical weapons on his own people and shot at our planes patrolling the no-fly zones. All 16 of our intelligence agencies thought he possessed stockpiles of WMD, a prospect that threatened to make the 9/11 carnage look small.

I even opposed the “surge” in Iraq and predicted its failure. I now see this unpopular decision for what it was — one of the most courageous decisions ever made by any of the 43 Americans who have sat behind this desk.

I vividly recall shaking my head during the speech you made to make the case for the “dumb” war. A disapproving New York Times wrote: “President Bush sketched an expansive vision. … Mr. Bush talked about establishing a ‘free and peaceful Iraq’ that would serve as a ‘dramatic and inspiring example’ to the entire Arab and Muslim world …”

Now I understand why, in 2008, you signed National Security Presidential Directive-58, Advancing the Freedom Agenda: “To protect America, we must defeat the ideology of hatred by spreading the hope of freedom. Over the past seven years, this is exactly what the administration has done.”

It began with newly liberated Afghans and Iraqis who risked their lives by leaving their homes to vote for the first time. Your Freedom Agenda ignited the promising, historic “hope and change” we are now witnessing all throughout the Arab and Muslim world.

You were right. I was wrong. The nation — and the world — owes you a huge debt of gratitude.

Let’s do lunch and then sneak in a round of golf. The “near beer” is on me.

With respect and appreciation,

Barack

Could it be that Obama finally gets it?

No.

It’s April 1.

Thanks to KABC host and Mark Levin Show guest host Larry Elder for the letter which, rather than being written by Obama, was written by Larry Elder who, incidentally, would without doubt make a much better President than Obama.

Just for clarification, Obama is the 44th President. I assume that Elder either meant to write “the 44 Americans who have sat behind this desk” or “the 43 Americans who have sat behind this desk before me”. Oh, and the intelligence agencies were right about Saddam Hussein having WMDs, even if the mainstream media likes to act surprised every time we find more of ’em. Elder didn’t say that we didn’t find WMDs, but the conclusion is there to be drawn if you read it in the “WMDs are a myth” mindset.

So anyway, April Fools!

Samuel

April 1st, 2011 at 12:14am