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December 13, 2021 6:16 pm  #1


I'm trying again to see if anyone can think of anything...

https://vocaroo.com/1gDaZfw5o49j

This is a Czech adaptation from the seventies. 
I would like to know which UK or US female singer sang it in English. Carly Simon ? Carole King ?...
No one has been successful yet.

 

December 25, 2021 7:28 am  #2


Re: I'm trying again to see if anyone can think of anything...

The original is identified.
Martha Reeves - "Dixie Highway" (1974)

     Thread Starter
 

December 25, 2021 8:30 pm  #3


Re: I'm trying again to see if anyone can think of anything...

I find it quite interesting to see how songs that were as obscure as this were covered by Czech artists. When I did a search, I found that this one was written by Carole King, but it doesn't seem that she ever recorded it -- and I also didn't find any indication that Reeves' version was ever released as a single. So it's nice to see that you were able to solve this mystery.

 

December 28, 2021 9:00 am  #4


Re: I'm trying again to see if anyone can think of anything...

Lorne wrote:

I find it quite interesting to see how songs that were as obscure as this were covered by Czech artists. When I did a search, I found that this one was written by Carole King, but it doesn't seem that she ever recorded it -- and I also didn't find any indication that Reeves' version was ever released as a single. So it's nice to see that you were able to solve this mystery.

he made a few albums, later, but i dunno if he ever recorded it either. i used to see the ace moreland band quite a bit, mostly at grant's lounge, in macon, georgia, circa 1975. almost every show, ace would do "dixie highway" usually in tandem with the bluebelles' "holiday".
 

Last edited by gopher (December 28, 2021 9:17 am)

 

December 28, 2021 9:18 am  #5


Re: I'm trying again to see if anyone can think of anything...

gopher wrote:

he made a few albums, later, but i dunno if he evever recordrd it either, but i used to see ace moreland quite a bit at grant's lounge, in macon, georgia circa 1975. almost every show, ace would do "dixie highway" usually in tandem with the bluebelles' "holiday". 

With it being a Carole King song, I was a bit surprised when I didn't find more versions ... the only other one shown at https://secondhandsongs.com/work/178662/versions#nav-entity is by Dutch singer Margriet Eshuijs. However, I think that the fact that King didn't record it would have meant that most other artists wouldn't be aware of it, unless they were fans of what Reeves was doing in the 1970s. So that's interesting to know that Moreland did perform it, even if he never recorded it. 

 

December 28, 2021 10:13 am  #6


Re: I'm trying again to see if anyone can think of anything...

Who knows how the record got to what was then Czechoslovakia. 
Maybe someone brought the LP Martha Reeves from abroad. Or someone recorded the song "Dixie Highway" from a foreign radio station. 
After those years, there is no one to ask. I must admit that a random helped with the identification. 
I also just found out that we have the Czech version of Elvis Presley's song "Rubberneckin'". 

     Thread Starter
 

December 28, 2021 10:24 am  #7


Re: I'm trying again to see if anyone can think of anything...

mroldies wrote:

Who knows how the record got to what was then Czechoslovakia. 
Maybe someone brought the LP Martha Reeves from abroad. Or someone recorded the song "Dixie Highway" from a foreign radio station. 
After those years, there is no one to ask. I must admit that a random helped with the identification. 
I also just found out that we have the Czech version of Elvis Presley's song "Rubberneckin'". 

Thanks for your thoughts on this as well. The issue just had me curious. It could well be a Martha Reeves fan who got the album, and then saw that it had a song was written by Carole King. With her being such a great songwriter, I'm not surprised that someone discovering this song could figure that it was worth covering.

 

December 29, 2021 11:31 am  #8


Re: I'm trying again to see if anyone can think of anything...

Lorne wrote:

gopher wrote:

he made a few albums, later, but i dunno if he evever recordrd it either, but i used to see ace moreland quite a bit at grant's lounge, in macon, georgia circa 1975. almost every show, ace would do "dixie highway" usually in tandem with the bluebelles' "holiday". 

With it being a Carole King song, I was a bit surprised when I didn't find more versions ... the only other one shown at https://secondhandsongs.com/work/178662/versions#nav-entity is by Dutch singer Margriet Eshuijs. However, I think that the fact that King didn't record it would have meant that most other artists wouldn't be aware of it, unless they were fans of what Reeves was doing in the 1970s. So that's interesting to know that Moreland did perform it, even if he never recorded it. 

i don't know if ace was particularly a reeves fan, but he was a song farmer, and certainly looked for anything he liked which might work for him... my original, theb prized, copy of the chess lp, "folk festival of the blues" curiously disappeared from his vine st residence during the time, but i'm sure somebody made good use of it. no problem, i've got a cd copy now.
 

Last edited by gopher (December 29, 2021 11:56 am)

 

December 29, 2021 11:54 am  #9


Re: I'm trying again to see if anyone can think of anything...

gopher wrote:

Lorne wrote:

With it being a Carole King song, I was a bit surprised when I didn't find more versions ... the only other one shown at https://secondhandsongs.com/work/178662/versions#nav-entity is by Dutch singer Margriet Eshuijs. However, I think that the fact that King didn't record it would have meant that most other artists wouldn't be aware of it, unless they were fans of what Reeves was doing in the 1970s. So that's interesting to know that Moreland did perform it, even if he never recorded it. 

i don't know if ace was particularly a reeves fan, but he was a song farmer, and certainly looked for anything he dug, which could work for him... my original copy of the chess lp, "folk festival of the blues" curiously disappeared from his vine st residence during the time, but i'm sure somebody made good use of it, and, no problem, i've got a cd copy now. 

Understood, and "fan" might not have been the best word choice there ... a better way of putting this would be to say that I figure anyone knowing of that song back then would likely have found out through it being an album cut by Reeves, and because her album wasn't successful it would have taken some level of awareness of what she was doing at that point. But certainly someone could have brought it to Moreland's attention as a possibility for him as well. 

 

December 29, 2021 1:37 pm  #10


Re: I'm trying again to see if anyone can think of anything...

Lorne wrote:

gopher wrote:

Lorne wrote:

With it being a Carole King song, I was a bit surprised when I didn't find more versions ... the only other one shown at https://secondhandsongs.com/work/178662/versions#nav-entity is by Dutch singer Margriet Eshuijs. However, I think that the fact that King didn't record it would have meant that most other artists wouldn't be aware of it, unless they were fans of what Reeves was doing in the 1970s. So that's interesting to know that Moreland did perform it, even if he never recorded it. 

i don't know if ace was particularly a reeves fan, but he was a song farmer, and certainly looked for anything he dug, which could work for him... my original copy of the chess lp, "folk festival of the blues" curiously disappeared from his vine st residence during the time, but i'm sure somebody made good use of it, and, no problem, i've got a cd copy now. 

Understood, and "fan" might not have been the best word choice there ... a better way of putting this would be to say that I figure anyone knowing of that song back then would likely have found out through it being an album cut by Reeves, and because her album wasn't successful it would have taken some level of awareness of what she was doing at that point. But certainly someone could have brought it to Moreland's attention as a possibility for him as well. 

macon radio was, certainly in regard to r&b, not static at the time, a.m. or f.m. it's quite possible ace heard it on the radio. or, somebody could have left martha's record at his house too. who knows? ace tried to get the song around to folks, in any case.
 

Last edited by gopher (December 29, 2021 1:49 pm)

 

December 30, 2021 7:37 am  #11


Re: I'm trying again to see if anyone can think of anything...

It surprises me that identifying one old and forgotten recording will provoke such a long and interesting discussion.

     Thread Starter
 

December 30, 2021 8:42 am  #12


Re: I'm trying again to see if anyone can think of anything...

As you may realize, it's the fact that it is so obscure that makes it interesting, given that it was written by Carole King. And she probably wrote it in the early 1970s, when she became very highly regarded for her abilities as a songwriter on her own (i.e. without Gerry Goffin). Given all the albums she was recording during that time period and beyond that were filled with her own material, it makes this song very unusual in not having been recorded by her -- and probably being unknown to most other artists here as a result.  

 

December 30, 2021 10:20 am  #13


Re: I'm trying again to see if anyone can think of anything...

Lorne wrote:

As you may realize, it's the fact that it is so obscure that makes it interesting, given that it was written by Carole King. And she probably wrote it in the early 1970s, when she became very highly regarded for her abilities as a songwriter on her own (i.e. without Gerry Goffin). Given all the albums she was recording during that time period and beyond that were filled with her own material, it makes this song very unusual in not having been recorded by her -- and probably being unknown to most other artists here as a result.  

Thanks for the explanation. I'm in bad health. I hope to still be able to compare the two recordings on the radio.

 

     Thread Starter
 

December 30, 2021 10:35 am  #14


Re: I'm trying again to see if anyone can think of anything...

mroldies wrote:

Thanks for the explanation. I'm in bad health. I hope to still be able to compare the two recordings on the radio. 

You're welcome. I thought it might be helpful if I provided some additional comments on what a major creative force King was here in the early 1970s, and this was on top of how well-known she had already been for the many hits that she wrote with Gerry Goffin. So that's why this song is a bit of a curiosity. I can't help but think that she may have specifically written it for Reeves as a way of helping her to launch her career as a solo artist ... I haven't found anything specific to support this, but it certainly looks that way to me. 
More importantly, however, I'm sorry to hear about your health. If you would like to tell us anything more, either now or in the future, please feel free to do so. You're a valued member of this forum, and I'm glad that you are able to contribute here as often as you do.

 

December 30, 2021 11:58 am  #15


Re: I'm trying again to see if anyone can think of anything...

Lorne wrote:

mroldies wrote:

Thanks for the explanation. I'm in bad health. I hope to still be able to compare the two recordings on the radio. 

You're welcome. I thought it might be helpful if I provided some additional comments on what a major creative force King was here in the early 1970s, and this was on top of how well-known she had already been for the many hits that she wrote with Gerry Goffin. So that's why this song is a bit of a curiosity. I can't help but think that she may have specifically written it for Reeves as a way of helping her to launch her career as a solo artist ... I haven't found anything specific to support this, but it certainly looks that way to me. 
More importantly, however, I'm sorry to hear about your health. If you would like to tell us anything more, either now or in the future, please feel free to do so. You're a valued member of this forum, and I'm glad that you are able to contribute here as often as you do.

Lorne, 
Thank you for the kind and encouraging words at the end of your post. 
 

     Thread Starter
 

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