Thursday, October 9, 2008
Daily Diversion Harry Smith Records Country Tune, Changes Name to Bocephus
Posted by Jim Ridley on Thu, Oct 9, 2008 at 6:06 PM
As soon as Bob Schieffer scooted his boots at the Ryman, we just knew trouble was a-brewin' in hillbilly heaven. And sure enough: here's The Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith closing up the honky-tonks with his "The Red State, Blue State Blues," recorded here with country singer Sarah Darling and her Black River Music Group label chief Jimmy Nichols. It made its world premiere Wednesday on the show.
The verdict? On the scale of political novelty tunes by vacationing network newsmen, it's not bad—somewhere between Walter Cronkite's "Wisconsin Delegation Polka" and Howard K. Smith's "Our Love's in the Tank (With Mike Dukakis)." But it's not a rump-rocker on the order of MC Morley Safer's "Bitches in the Front, Bush Doctrine in the Rear."
