Chet The Dog

Posts Tagged ‘gospel’

Beginnings (Not)

Normally Sunday is for beginnings, where we take a look at the start of a Peter Abrahams novel, including those written under the Spencer Quinn moniker™, but Jerry Lee Lewis died this week: the sacred and profane in heightened human form. He was a great gospel singer, perhaps no surprise, so here’s the sacred. If you’ve been to a funeral or two, you know this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sotdSV678dE

Spoiler Alert! Sort Of!

In the next Chet and Bernie, a one-time female country music singer-songwriter (fictional) plays an important role. And all because I’ve been thinking about female country singer-songwriters! (Like Cindy Walker, Loretta Lynn, Lucinda Williams.) That’s how books happen sometimes! Dottie Rambo wrote a lot of country songs – as well as gospel, which seems apt for today.

Poem

Sunday morning- how I know is because Elvis gospel is on the radio. Bernie’s a big fan of Elvis gospel. The truth is that the only Elvis gospel song I like is Milky White Way. We’re listening in the car, not at home, because we’re on a case. Some hikers found something bad out in the desert – not sure what – and Lt. Stine wants us to have a look. Meanwhile here’s a poem Charlie wrote for school. Have I mentioned Charlie, Bernie’s kid? He’s the greatest! But since the divorce, we don’t see him nearly enough.

                           Chet

       Chet’s a big strong guy

       He always looks you in the eye

       And he can leap so high!

       Here’s one thing you can safely bet

       I will always love Chet the Jet.

Bernie really likes the poem. He’s going to get a special frame for it, one that hides the teacher’s grade, which was a B minus, whatever that means.

Elvis

Sunday morning. How do I know? Two things (which happens to be my biggest number).

One – a great big newspaper lands on the front step. Bernie sits at the kitchen table with his coffee and reads it, starting with the comics and the sports – I can tell from the pictures – and then going to the very front page and reading through until something annoys him and he pushes it away, the whole big thing soon ending up in the recycling bin.

Two – Elvis gospel is on the radio. “Did his best work with gospel, Chet. One of the greatest gospel singers who ever lived.” The truth is there’s lots of music I like better – Billie Holiday, especially when Roy Eldridge is playing his trumpet, Elmore James, Steeldrivers, especially when the fiddle player gets going – but if Bernie says Elvis gospel is great, then that’s that. Right now it’s Milky White Way. “Love this one, Chet. He copied it almost exactly from the Trumpeteers’ version. But does that matter?”

I leave that to you.