I can’t believe it is March 2019.  How does this happen?  Day after day, I suppose.

Last year as I turned 50 years old, I wrote 50 posts in 50 days leading up to March 18th.  No such luck for 51.  I need to get to this spot more often.

Recently I took a few memorable photographs.

Caught the sunset on the way to school on the Tunnel Hill bridge.  I pulled over and took a photo in a hole between the chain length fence.When the light is right, this can be a nice scene for sure.

I took this photo today.  Down the hill is the Blue River and Crawford County in the other side.  I took this from a basement room where I exercise and watch Moody Blues videos!

Above, the main hallway of the high school is much brighter than it was.  Part of a building and renovation project, this place looks much different from the exterior.  The old gym and this hallway are the only things that resemble the old place.  I have no complaints.

The Seagull and the Godin A6 (center and right) got some new strings thanks to my dear friend Danners Goins.  Saw Danners twice in four days this week.  That was refreshing for sure.  The Fender 12 string is a good piece too.  The Seagull and the A6 have been with me most of my musical journey.  They are like old friends too.

I took this as I did some walking last week. There is something about a high school gym in Indiana.  This is one seats 3000.  Indiana has a love affair with their high school gyms.  I know I have said it here before.  Nine of the ten largest high school gyms are in the Hoosier state.

Got a burger at a place called Grind Burger Kitchen in Louisville.  It was our first venture there.  My dear wife, Carrie, and I both had quality vittles.  I had fries with my burger.  She had some doctored up brussel sprouts that were great too.  I give high marks!

On Thursday, I attended the funeral of Patty Hall.  Her husband passed in 2007.  I went to Mr. Hall’s funeral too.  These are the parents of my dear friend, Barry Hall.

This was Barry and me in November before a Regional game in Evansville.

This was Barry walking across the field before the Brownstown Central-North Harrison game in September.

A life-long friend, that is what I call Barry Hall.  Those are not easy to come by.  I am fortunate enough to have a few of these folks in my life and I am blessed for it.

Barry played football for my Dad at BCHS in the 1970’s.  Dad and I drove up to Clearspring for Mrs. Hall’s funeral.  It was a celebration of a full and wonderful life.  You know those when you are there.  No doubts in the air.  Just plenty of love and respect and some sadness of course.  Sadness does not discriminate.

Patty Hall was always wonderful to me.  Whether she was working the front desk of the elementary school I went to in Brownstown, or taking up tickets at a BC ball game, or telling me and Jerry Brown to straighten up if we needed as 5th graders, or asking me how my folks were doing as she was catching me up on her wonderful family.

Patty Hall had a kind and distinct voice.  I am glad the musician in me allows me to remember all sorts of cherish sounds.  In that, I am blessed.

Speaking the rights…

Danny Johnson

The photo above is of me and my Uncle Stanley in 2012.

Not sure of as many things as I thought I was not too long ago.

I don’t know if that is experience or doubt or regret talking.  Maybe it is a combination.

The last time I saw Uncle Stanley Chambers in July of 2017, he was in the nursing home room where he died this past week.  During our visit we went back and forth the best we could.  He couldn’t hear very well.  He couldn’t see all that well.  But I do plainly remember a conversation we had that caught me quite off guard to tell you the truth.  But I can tell you I have not forgotten it.

He looked my way and asked, “Danny, what do you think about Donald Trump?”

I kind of thought I was walking into a bit of a trap.  A frustrated Republican, I thought I knew where this was going.  I was wrong.  Nonetheless, I had to answer my Uncle.

“Uncle Stanley, I have to tell you I am not much of a fan.”

There was a pause.  Then Uncle Stanley spoke.  “I don’t care much for him either, anyone who talks about a woman the way he does don’t deserve anyone’s respect.”

At that moment I was somewhere between relief and sadness.  Glad that we were not going to have to tap dance around our belief systems and sad that we had to be considering having to have this conversation about a, (gulp), leader.

Uncle Stanley was a commercial painter in Forest, Mississippi.  I have no doubt he did good work.  He was 89 when he died.  His wife, my Aunt Reat, was there when he passed.

My mother is originally from Forest, Mississippi.  She had sixteen brothers and sisters.

I have said it before.  Living in Indiana so far away from my kinfolk has been a bit frustrating at times.  I’d say there might have been a time when one of them looked to the North and thought I had it made to be up the road.  I truly don’t know.

I do know that I have never had a cross word with any of them.  The precious time we have spent together over the years has been sheer bliss and a source of great thanksgiving.

This is one of my favorite photographs.  My dear wife, Carrie, and my Uncle Stanley hit it off when they met.  I am so glad they did.

Speaking the rights…

Danny Johnson

A couple weeks ago I was at Jeff Carpenter’s Al Fresco’s Place Recording Studio in Louisville, Kentucky.  Jeff and I are working on some new recordings.  It has been a work in progress that began with recording sessions in June of 2016.

For me, recording music is a case of I go when I get the call to do it.  After all, I don’t have a great deal of time to do it.  I have never spent much time chasing down a song.  I am fortunate enough to know that the songs usually come to me.

Why I saw some writing on the wall this time around I am not sure?  I do know I have some things planned for later in the Spring performing wise.  Maybe that helped this along.  I just don’t know. But I do know the time is right.

What else do I know?  I am very blessed to have a friend like Jefferson Carpenter to help me realize my musical prowess, whatever there is of it.  The best part of all of this is that Jefferson and I are good friends.  We have a rapport that is priceless.  He pushes and I pull.  On occasion we push and pull in the same direction and POW we have it!  These are great times.

So it is 2019.  The first time I walked into Jefferson’s studio was in 1999 and I was scared to death.  I made one demo.  It was not very good.  But, it was not real bad either.

Eventually, experience and material came together.  We have produced some great sounds since.

Jeff looking over the console. Jeff takes care of business.

It amazes me how a few words on a piece of paper and the chords scribbled over them can turn into a full blown song full of a wall of sound.

This is my favorite spot.  A place to plug in a guitar and sing along.

Re-singing a tune that was already finished.

On March 10, this will be a crowded place with a full band in the house.

Listening to a playback of something is always “interesting” and on occasion it can be a source of great satisfaction.

My dear wife, Carrie, with Jeff and my old friend Jerry Brown.  Jerry loves music.  He is a visual artist and I am giving him a great deal of latitude in creating the cover art for my new CD that will be finished in April.  It will be CD #3 for me.  Charming.

Jerry behind the drums.

Thankfully, the mics were not on!

Looking forward to making some great music again.  The March 10 recording session is going to be one for the record books.  I can feel it.  Good times, indeed.

Speaking the rights…

Danny Johnson

There is nothing like the smell of freshly popped corn in an Indiana high school gymnasium with folks filled inside wanting to watch high school basketball.

Recently I visited three gyms and enjoyed the time.  The results of the games I could have done without.  All three of the games ended with the team I was rooting for being defeated.  Still, it was time well spent.

At the New Albany Sectional last week the North Harrison Lady Cats gave their all against a BNL team that is very talented.  I will say it again and I will say it with conviction, the Indiana High School Athletic Association got it wrong by penalizing a public country school for making two trips to the State Finals without winning the championship.  The IHSAA, in its infinite wisdom, has a success factor rule that is asinine.  Wasn’t class basketball enough?  Now this?  No team south of Columbus is going to matter much to Indianapolis.  It is a fact we deal with down here.

Lilly Hatton and Savanna Rhodes ended their high school basketball careers and they will be both remembered and missed.

Thanks for the memories.

On Friday night, Brother Tim Petty and I sat on the top row of the Ron Ferguson Gymnasium at Marengo’s Crawford County High School.  As usual it was a close one.  When these two teams meet on the hardwood, you can throw out the record books.  It will be a tussle.

It was.  Alas, the Cougars were bested.  It was still a good game.  Props go to the announcers Friday night!  Steve Hanger did a great job as the PA man and young sprite from Crawford did a fantastic job with introducing Crawford County’s starting lineups.

This is a great rival game that is enjoyed each year.

Yesterday, my dear wife, Carrie, and I ventured over to Springs Valley High School to watch the first ever Regional game featuring the Lady Eagles from Lanesville High School.  They took on a powerful Vincennes Rivet team.  The Lady Eagles played hard.  I was most impressed by #23 Gracie Adams.  She is a fine young ball player and is just a sophomore.

When I was a younger fella, I played on a North Harrison junior high summer league team.  I made a shot.  I was fouled.  I made my free throw.  I didn’t have many basketball highlights.

The Lanesville team is coached by my friend and colleague, Angie Hinton.  Angie graduated from North Harrison a few years before I did.  She was a great track and field star and a good basketball player.  She has excelled tremendously as a coach.  She led New Albany to a State Championship twenty years ago and she was on the coaching staff at North when they made two consecutive trips to the finals in 2016 and 2017.

Angie took on the Lanesville coaching gig at the behest of an old friend.  It worked out.  Lanesville had the first winning season in over a decade and won its first girls sectional ever.  They had some good coaching.

The guy on the bench there knows a thing or two about basketball also.

Lastly, a Happy 23rd Anniversary to my dear wife, Carrie.

And me, I never get tired of looking at this picture of us in an empty Rose Bowl. I am a blessed man for sure.

Speaking the rights.

Danny Johnson

I need the Rams to win today and the total points scored equal 64 points.  That is what my guess was the contest on Rock Radio 96.3 WJAA the best radio station in America.

I doubt I will win.  I don’t deserve to.

I enjoy football more than the next man.  However, about Tuesday or Wednesday of this past week, I saw a news program on a television in our home whose sound we muted.  On the screen I saw Jared Goff, the LA Rams quarterback.

Oh my, I thought, the Super Bowl is this Sunday.

About ten weeks into the season I was hoping the match-up would be the Rams and the Chiefs.  ANYONE else…just don’t put the Patriots there again.

The Pats are there.  Therefore, my give-a-crap meter is running low.  I am afraid that experience will win out.  But I also remind myself that Tom Brady was a bit of a tater tot when he won his first one. I am sure the St. Louis Rams were favored that day against the Pats   New England won on a last second field goal 20-17.

The last time the Rams, albeit they were the St. Louis Rams, won the Super Bowl, they were playing the game in Atlanta. That was Super Bowl 34 when the Rams defeated the Tennessee Titans.

The Los Angeles Rams have never won a Super Bowl.  The last time they played in one it was played in my favorite stadium

The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Rams in Super Bowl 14 in 1980 in the Rose Bowl.  When my dear wife, Carrie, were pass a football to each other on the field of the Rose Bowl, I pointed out to her that she just caught a pass at about the same spot that Terry Bradshaw hit John Stallworth with an over the should bomb.  That was it.  She was done.  Our game of catch in the Rose Bowl was over.

Go Rams!  And 64 points wouldn’t be too bad either.

Enjoy the game (if you can).

Speaking the rights…

Danny Johnson

It has been over a week since I put something here.  That is too long.

If I am not writing here it means I am writing something else.  I can’t be two places at once.

Music has taken my evenings of late to a degree.  I have been writing a few new songs and this weekend I will go into the studio to demo these songs with my friend Jerry Brown in the house.  Jerry is an artist.  I asked if he would design the cover of my new CD that is a work in progress.  I certainly hope we get there.

I saw Jerry and his brother, Harv, and his son, Clay, last week at the Brownstown Central- North Harrison Lady Cat basketball game at BC.

The Brown boys were wrapping up the radio broadcast.  On the right is another dear old friend, Barry Hall.

North Harrison’s Lady Cats went into The Pit at BCHS and dominated the Lady Braves.  It was a great win for NH.

It is always good to enjoy the long drive home.

Before the game I walked out on Brownstown Central’s new turf field for the first time.  The goal posts I kicked on as a kid and teenager were not there, replace by nice new yellow ones.  It was all kind of surreal.  I was out there alone and it was a good thing.  I was kind of speechless.  Between the new stadium going in and now a new field, my boyhood field of dreams is a memory.  North Harrison didn’t beat Brownstown Central 59-0 on that field when I was a junior in high school.  We beat BC on that “space”.  Oh well.  That’s progress for you.

Looking forward to coming back in September to watch the Cougars take on the Braves.

Gulity pleasure.  I wrote this post listening to 1977’s Barry Manilow Live.  I had the LP when I was a kid. Now I have the CD.  Sans the scratches a nine year old kid puts on a record album, this stuff sounds better than ever.  I was all about Weekend in New England over forty years ago and I still love it and I am proud of it!

Now that is truly Speaking the Rights!

Danny Johnson

Jim Mora.  We will never forget him uttering “Playoffs?!” to a media person while he was the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.

Today the NFC and AFC Champs will be crowned.  Those winners will play in the Super Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia providing there is not a political move to postpone it.  You just never know these days.

In the first game today, the New Orleans Saints host the Los Angeles Rams.  I am for the Rams.  My Granny would not have approved.  I hold a grudge when it comes to NFL and College football.  The Saints beat the Colts in the Super Bowl.  I can’t root for them.

When I was a kid the 49ers beat the Bengals in Super Bowl XVI.  Have hoped for SF to get beat every time since.

If the Saints play the Patriots in two weeks, I might as well watch a marathon of Fraiser.

You can surmise that I hope the Kansas City Chiefs beat the New England Patriots in the second game this evening.  You would be right.  If you know anything of the Indianapolis rivalry against New England in the Peyton Manning administration, you know I will never root for the Patriots.

How cool is it that the two Super Bowls the Giants won with Eli Manning behind center were both against the Patriots.  It is awesome stuff for sure.

Late in the season, I was hoping that if the Colts did not get there, that we would see the Rams play the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.  I will be for the Rams if they get there I think.

Let’s see how things play out.

I am not as avid in my following of the NFL as I once was.  No, it has nothing to do with the National Anthem.  The game has changed and I don’t like it as much as I did.  I remember an article in a magazine in 1979 that led with this: “It’s Bombs Away in the new NFL”.  The reference here was a nod to the Air Coryell offense of the San Diego Chargers.  In 1978 the Chargers quarterback, Dan Fouts, threw for over 4000 yards in the first sixteen game season.  Joe Namath threw for 4007 in 14 games in 1967.

Still, the forward pass was gaining momentum.  Roger Staubach pulled out the shot-gun offense when they needed a big play.  These days most quarterbacks don’t even know what their center’s backside is about.  Maybe that is a good thing.  And, a QB throwing for 5000 yards is no one’s front page news now.

I suppose my heroes are gone.  I root for Eli Manning now.  He won’t play much longer.

At least we have some good games to look at today.  I am going to enjoy them.

Speaking the rights…

Danny Johnsojn

This was not the plan.

This is better.

Isn’t it nice when things turn out that way.  Reminds me of the song lyric that says “If you want to make God laugh, tell him what your plans are.”

This is post # 500 of speaktherights.com.  That is what I have tried to do.  I just want to speak the rights.  I had big plans to take a chunk of this weekend and put together some “best of” material with excerpts and a collection of favorite photos.  You know, some kind of celebratory milestone post.

In earnest, I have been giving serious thought about making post # 500 the last one.  I was talked out of it.  Our mothers can be persuasive that way.

But as is the case, I write when the spirit moves me.  I was moved tonight.

It has been years since I have been to a wrestling match.  I think I went with my Dad to a college wrestling meet when I was a kid.  One of his former football players was into wrestling and we went to watch him.

Tonight was Senior Night for the wrestling team at North Harrison High School.  From my perch in the Northeast corner of the gymnasium, I took in a sport that comports itself with more class and dignity than any game going.  Don’t get me wrong, I like celebrations.  I really do.  What I don’t like, is for an athlete to make a great play and then show out like he wants to run for public office and bring as much attention as possible to himself.  This posturing drives me even more crazy when the attention seeker’s team is losing a game by a large margin.

What I witnessed tonight, as North hosted a visiting Scottsburg team, was true sportsmanship and appreciation for each other’s efforts.

The wrestlers meet the referee on the mat and conducted themselves with class before and after they tried to pin each.  There was no dirty pool.  Well, not that I could tell.  The sportsmanship was what was impressive.

Also impressive was the talk given by NH coach Dusty Rhodes as he acknowledged the seniors and imparted a few words of wisdom to them.  It was heart-felt and sincere.  I was very proud to be there.

A match begins.

A young man from Scottsburg won this match.

One of the things I delighted in was how the wrestlers would interact with the coaches of the other team.

I get it.  This is a different sport.  It is not a match of team work.  It is you and the opponent and the mat.  I talked about it with senior wrestler Coleman Biddle today.  There was a conviction and a drive in his voice as he talked about it.  The sense, and I have seen my share of sport, I had was that this was an “it is all on me” thing.  The accountability factor is multiplied many times over with this attitude and this realization.  Still, there is a great deal of team spirit as mates cheer one another on and encourage them.

And coaches of the other team encourage opposing wrestlers.

It was a special thing to behold.

No.  This is not what I planned on for my 500th post of speaktherights.com.

This was better.

Thank you to the North Harrison Athletic department, the coaches, the wrestlers, and their parents.  None of this gets done without hard work.  That was certainly gracefully displayed tonight.

Speaking the rights…

Danny Johnson

It is January 5, 2019 and I am already sick of the political tone in this country.

What happened?  No No No…not a rendition from a “base” (ironic term) or a pundit or talking head on television.

What happened?

I doubt I live long enough to find out, and I am just glad I can sit here in and listen to an ELO cd and think about it all.  I am not wondering where my next pay check is coming from or, gads, even worse, when it is coming.

I feel sorry for the Government workers whose livelihood is in jeopardy.

I am sorry we have a president whom I doubt knows much about paying bills.

I am sorry a freshman congresswoman shot her mouth off with a vulgar term whilst speaking of her desire to see the current sitting president impeached.  That was not necessary.  Regardless of her convictions, there are higher roads for sure.

Just because the president talks like a potty mouth that should not give the rest a license to do the foolish same.

I am sorry the political party I grew up left me.  Alex P. Keaton would be sad too.

So I am back to my question?  What happened?  Was it the computer?  I doubt it.  Was it social media?  I don’t think so.

News channels taking sides in blatant ways that require no brain cells to sift information?  We may be on to something here.

One day a great scholar will hold forth on this place in time and he or she will have plenty of answers and they will be looking to this place in time as a place that was oxymoronic for sure.

A president that knows more than all of us about everything (according to him).

Two political parties that are good with letting their own suffer and live in fear of what to do next without funds.

Two political parties fighting over a border issue that is not as bad as it has been (pending on who you talk to).

Cold War enemies are playing sweethearts now.

So, we are stuck with what is best for the country?  You remember, the USA.  That place that folks used to look up to much more than they do now.  Boats of immigrants made this country the place it is.  I am not afraid of folks wanting a great life in this country.  I am more afraid of politicians trying to kill the American dream.

That was evident when the president was laughed at during an appearance at the United Nations.  What a country!

I wish politicians were as interested in the drug problems that are killing our young people as they are in arguing over walls, slats, fencing, and other ways to posture their separate causes.

I have said it before and I still believe it.  The generation of current thirtysomethings are paying attention.  They are the first “bunch” to live first hand with a new information age.  Not as much is new to them.  My toys are not their toys.  My toys are their way of life and things have changed greatly.  If Twitter is still around, they will know what to do with it.  I do hope I see that day.

Oh yes, Roll Tide!

Speaking the rights…

Danny Johnson

I am sitting on the couch watching college football as I type these words.  The bowl game picks have gone well so far.  22 winners and 8 losers so far, though it looks like my pick of Mizzou over Oklahoma State is not going to work out.  But, there is still time.

I hope and pray that 2019 is good to you and your loved ones.

We are in the middle of some strange times.  That is for sure.  God help us.

Last week I found something I had never seen before.  My dear wife, Carrie, and I were in Indianapolis.

Peyton Manning’s statue outside Lucas Oil Stadium, a.k.a The House That Peyton Built.

I have said it before.  Peyton Manning made football in Indiana.  The sport gained popularity exponentially while he was behind Jeff Saturday.

Peyton will always stand tall here.

I must say I am delighted that the current Colts are in the playoffs after starting the season 1-5.  Only the third team to do that.

Happy New Year and keep speaking the rights!

Danny Johnson