PUNJO REED & LUCY JACKSON Chicken House Opry
Leavenworth Prison – Send Me The Pillow – Chicken House Polka – Comedy:Family Reunion – Don’t Neglect The Rose – Comedy:Cajun Airlines – Comedy:Flight To Florida – Workin’ Whur Da Sun Don’t Shine – L.A. Times – Comedy:Dibble Dabblers – Texas Proud Hillbilly Heart – I’ll Get Around To It – Since I Found You – It’s Such A Pretty World Today – God Bless America Again
Once in a ‘blue-moon’ those of us who listen to all kinds of music and CD’s come across a keeper. By that I mean the CD goes into our personal private file, to hear once again and again and again. This Chicken House Opry CD is one of those CD’s. The Chicken House Opry is a very successful show at two locations in Mid-America. One of the show-houses is located in Mountain View, Arkansas (summer-time shows). The other one is out in the country north of McAllen, Texas (winter-time shows). Both of them carry on the tradition set down by the very successful ‘live’ radio and television shows that actually did ‘real’ country music and old time rube comedy. In this case, the two movers and shakers are husband and wife; Punjo Reed (a long-time old-time country music advocate, promoter, performer, historian, recording artist, songwriter (he’s written over 1,200 songs), producer and presenter) and Lucy Jackson (a long-time ‘same as Punjo’ with the addition of being the keyboardist for none other than Hank Thompson, for many years).
This CD opens with a super country song “Leavenworth Prison” written by Punjo. Punjo writes a lot of music. He also writes a lot of comedy. He has a tongue-in-cheek style very reminiscent of Mark Twain, both of them coming from similar parts of America. I think it was Punjo who said, “America is like a big pie. The crust is the wealthy city folks. You know, the upper crust. It gets kind of flaky up there sometimes, nothing is very sure, lots of trouble making it just right. The middle of the pie is the country folks, where all the good stuff is. That’s where I’m from.”
The Chicken House Opry has a terrific house band that can play just about anything (showing that as well on this CD), and have lots of fun working with the many guests Punjo and Lucy invite to perform on their show. They like to say their Opry show is proud to provide the best in old fashion family entertainment at old fashion admission prices. And their house-fulls tend to prove that. Special guests appearing on this CD include Char Greathouse, Troy Adams, Pam Millsap, Charley LeBlanc, Pooty Toot, Sherri Jerrico, Rooster Red Beeker, and Charley Day.
Punjo has a nice soft side of singing country music, much like some of our really greats who had no trouble at all singing, making it look as easy as pie. Well, at least the middle part where all the good stuff is. And Lucy can do anything. Hank Thompson said “Lucy can do it all; sing, play the keyboards and do comedy.” She was given the 2009 Comedian of the Year Award.
I had a lot of fun reviewing this CD, and recommend it to anyone who remember folks like Minnie Pearl and a young Andy Griffin in comedy. Or, remember good country singers like Eddie Arnold and Tennessee Ernie Ford, Kitty Wells and Patsy Cline. It’s all here, not only in this little package called a CD, but on the stage, either in Arkansas or Texas. Wherever they are, it’s a sure bet you’re going to have a good time listening and seeing and laughing.
BUY THIS CD DIRECT FROM: Punjo Reed, P O Box 327, Mountain View, AR 72560
Bob Everhart