Comments on: Friday Five: Mining Deaths

By: Jack Williams

Jack Williams — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:37:49 +0000

Blue Diamond Mines by the Johnson Mountain Boys. Don’t think anyone actually dies in the song. More like death of the spirit.

By: Carrie

Carrie — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 00:04:01 +0000

No, I just feel like I tend to mention him more than not, that’s all. :)

By: nm

nm — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:52:57 +0000

Is this mostly a non-Dierks environment? I didn’t know that. I thought we we all Dierks-friendly here.

By: Carrie

Carrie — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 15:34:21 +0000

And as the token Dierks fan, I’d recommend “Down in the Mine.”

By: badrockandroll

badrockandroll — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 15:38:39 +0000

@Barry: I remember a month long cross-continent family road trip in 1968 – 2 adults, 3 kids, a baby, a teenager and a dog in a Chrysler – and the only thing that prevented homicide was the AM radio.
And to the Friday 5, may I remind everyone of Kathy mattea’s “Coal” which presented other types of hazards for miners (and is a straight up good album as well).

By: Barry Mazor

Barry Mazor — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 13:25:33 +0000

In that era, Luckyol’, the Top 40 Pop charts included whatever the best moving singles were. So where I lived (Harrisburg PA) , for example, a few years later, the top three hits might have been The Supremes’ “Stop in the Name of Love,” the Beatles’ “Ticket to Ride” and Buck Owens’ “I’ve Got a Tiger By the Tail.” That’s how it was. (And it was pretty good.)

By: luckyoldsun

luckyoldsun — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 05:09:23 +0000

Listening to “Big John,” it’s just amazing that this was a No. 1 POP hit in 1961. I can’t imagine rock stations playing this 20 times a day and teenage girls singing along to it.

By: Rick

Rick — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 02:03:39 +0000

This topic is a perfect place to plug a fine song about the true story surrounding the death of a miner’s young daughter back in the early 1900′s in Goldfield, Nevada. Top tier western/cowgirl artist Mary Kaye was inspired to write this song after reading the autobiographical book “The Life of an Ordinary Woman” by Anne Ellis. According to Mary the rough hewn grave marker that just says “Joy” can still be found in the Goldfield cemetery to this day. Well worth a listen for western music fans, and everyone else for that matter…

Link: http://www.myspace.com/marykayemusic/music/songs/annie-staked-a-claim-for-joy-69048185

By: bob

bob — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 17:55:12 +0000

I remember “Big Bad John” well since it was a crossover hit in ’61.

The Bee Gees had a hit with “New York Mining Disaster 1941″ in ’67.