Day #26 - Iolanthe

Here’s another one that was never supposed to be in this project. Again, I was struggling yesterday with familiar songs so I decided to dust this one off. I bet I haven’t played it in a decade. Like riding a bike.

I was introduced to James McMurtry in 1995 while listening to a Seattle based radio station when we lived for a year on Whidbey Island. McMurtry’s album “Where’d You Hide the Body” was just released, and it brought this incredibly gifted songwriter to my world. “Fuller Brush Man” was the song the station played over and over. I immediately snatched up the CD.

McMurtry is the son of novelist and Pulitzer prize winner Larry McMurtry (Lonesome Dove). The apple doesn’t fall far with McMurtry. His lyrical genius must be part of his DNA. I have several of his records and they’re all great. He’s gotten a bit political in recent years, but who hasn’t. You just have to look past it and marvel at the storytelling.

I learned a few of the songs on WYHTB. Levelland made it into my 50 for 50 in 2020. “Live in Aught-Three” was another of his CDs that the aforementioned Brennan Gildersleeve shared with me. Several songs off that live recording are in my repertoire. For years I’ve tried to learn “Choctaw Bingo” from that record. It’s a tough song to get right. If you want to hear a crazy, whacked-out story about a dysfunctional family, check that one out here.

Thanks for listening.