Goodbye, Doc.

Another great American music pioneer has died in 2012.  "Traditional Plus" artist Doc Watson, a blind virtuoso from North Carolina who played a variety of genres on both electric and acoustic guitar before achieving fame in the country-folk field in the 1960s, passed away yesterday at the age of 89.

He is reunited with his son Merle, who died in a farm accident in 1985.  Here they are performing Cole Porter's Summertime. Doc doesn't show off his own picking skills on this one, but his soulful singing talent really shines.

Rest in Peace, Earl Scruggs

History's most famous banjo player passed away at the age of 88.  He was always a class act, and his contributions to one of America's homegrown musical genres cannot be overstated.

An Anthem for Our Times

Have you ever had an old song stuck in your head? Lately, I can't stop hearing this one by the great Arlo Guthrie. I first heard it decades ago, but if he didn't mention Lee Iacocca, you'd think it was brand new:

I'm Changing My Name To Chrysler
by Arlo Guthrie

Oh the price of gold is rising out of sight
And the dollar is in sorry shape tonight
What the dollar used to get us
Now won't buy a head of lettuce
No the economic forecast isn't right

But amidst the clouds I spot a shining ray
I can even glimpse a new and better way
And I've demised a plan of action
Worked it down to the last fraction
And I'm going into action here today

CHORUS:
I am changing my name to Chrysler
I am going down to Washington D.C.
I will tell some power broker
What they did for Iacocca
Will be perfectly acceptable to me
I am changing my name to Chrysler
I am headed for that great receiving line
So when they hand a million grand out
I'll be standing with my hand out
Yes sire I'll get mine

When my creditors are screaming for their dough
I'll be proud to tell them all where they can all go
They won't have to scream and holler
They'll be paid to the last dollar
Where the endless streams of money seem to flow
I'll be glad to tell them what they can do
It's a matter of a simple form or two
It's not just renumeration it's a liberal education
Ain't you kind of glad that I'm in debt to you

CHORUS

Since the first amphibians crawled out of the slime
We've been struggling in an unrelenting climb
We were hardly up and walking before money started talking
And it's sad that failure is an awful crime
Well it's been that way for a millenium or two
But now it seems that there's a different point of view
If you're a corporate titanic and your failure is gigantic
Down to congress there's a safety net for you

CHORUS