State of the Union

Tonight, President Barack Obama will deliver his State of the Union Address.  I'll likely spend the entire time rolling my eyes and yelling at the TV, but I will watch because he is our President and the elected leader of our country.  We have a duty to pay attention whether we agree or not.  In honor of this momentous occasion, I give you my personal list of the top five most historically significant State of the Union addresses:

5.  Woodrow Wilson - 1913 - This was the first time in over 100 years that a President actually delivered a State of the Union in the form of an oratory address.  From the time of Thomas Jefferson forward it was simply a written document delivered to Congress.

4.  Harry Truman - 1947 - The first televised State of the Union address.  Watch a clip HERE.

3.  Bill Clinton - 1996 - Maybe not historically significant to some, but hey.... this is my personal list.  This is the first State of the Union address that I really remember.  I was 16 years old.  While it was remembered mostly as Clinton's attempt to move to the center after a mid-term republican takeover, the biggest thing I remember was the talk of the V-Chip.  As a young man who had good parents which monitored TV habits, I was not a fan of the v-chip.

2.  Franklin Roosevelt - 1944 - Referred to by many as the Second Bill of Rights.  It revolutionized what Americans thought of as "Rights."  It birthed Social Security, Medicare and the Department of Education.  It was a turning point in the history of our country.  A good or bad turning point?  Well...... I'm not going there today, LOL!

1.  Abraham Lincoln - 1862 - This was kind of a no-brainer really.  It was delivered two months after the announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation and one month before it was enacted.  He stated, "We of this Congress and this administration, will be remembered in spite of ourselves."  He was right.  Fortunately they were remembered for the right reasons.


Y'all take it easy,


Alex

Wilson Pickett

Six years ago today we lost Wilson Pickett.  In honor of this momentous occasion I give you my top 5 favorite Wilson Pickett tunes.  I'm gonna give links so you can listen too!

#5 - Everybody Needs Somebody to Love - You probably remember it from The Blues Brothers, but Wicked Wilson Pickett sang it first.

#4 - Stagger Lee -  A popular folk song based on the murder of William "Billy" Lyons by Stagger Lee Shelton. Herb Wiedoeft and his band originally recorded the song in 1924

#3 - Mustang Sally - A favorite at every band party and beach music concert I ever attended throughout college.  This may be Pickett's best known song.

#2 - Land of a Thousand Dances - Pickett's highest ranking song ever on the US Hot 100, peaking at #6.  You'll be singing the hook all day ;)

#1 - Hey Jude -  Written by Lennon and McCarthy, the Beatles are largely considered responsible for making this song famous.  I have always had an affinity for Wilson Pickett's version though.  It was recorded at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals in late 1968 and features the late great Duane Allman on guitar.  A classic song with a bluesy voice and badass guitar riffs.  Does it get any better?

Y'all take it easy,

Alex