If I had sent any of the three pictures you are about to feast your eyes on to loved ones across the country, the collective cry of "Who's that?" would have echoed from coast to coast. The photos that annually grace the Sigman Holiday Greeting must register with Joe and Jane Jamessfriend, good folks who generally would have a hard time identifying country music stars. Sure, Reba made it one year, but that was a weak year, and I consider that a less-than-shining moment in the archives of Sigmana (if I had remembered to open my jacket to reveal the "Country Music Isn't Pretty" t-shirt I was wearing, then it would've been something).
So, I now present three photos taken outside Carnegie Hall before the Grand Ole Opry show in November. If you are country-ignorant, please know that you prevented their inclusion on the Sigman Holiday Greeting this year.
An all-time classic. Oh, the many times I watched TNN and saw that same crazy, wide-eyed face of Whisperin' Bill Anderson as the cameras panned away and the Grand Ole Opry pre-show went to commercial. And now I have a picture with that look immortalized, and I'm in it, too. I may send this one to Country Weekly. Keep an eye out for it.
I was nervous that this wouldn't come out good, because (a) it was taken on a disposable camera, which I had to rush to Duane Reade to buy after I left the apartment without my usual camera, and (b) it was taken by a stranger (as were all the pictures here... same guy took all three...nice work, wherever you are). I had no need to be nervous. It's a winner.
Another photo with a missed opportunity for extra fun. Underneath my stylish Western shirt was a Jimmy Martin: King of Bluegrass t-shirt. I had worn it with the intention of showing it off if I had a picture taken with The Biggest Asshole in Nashville. Of course, Ricky Skaggs isn't really the biggest asshole in Nashville (not even top 100), but that's what Jimmy Martin called him in the fantastic book, "True Adventures with the King of Bluegrass" by Tom Piazza. And now, whenever I see Ricky Skaggs, that's the first thing that pops in my head. Then comes that "Country Boy" video with Bill Monroe.
Anyway, I forgot I was even wearing the shirt by this point of the day. I really didn't want to pose with the signed album in my hand, but the guy taking the picture insisted. Again, good call.
Birthed out of sheer boredom and disappointment that I had missed Little Jimmy Dickens, this shot with Trace Adkins also brings me great joy, both for what I assume is Trace's attempt at a smile and a frequent bonus to the celebrity photo, a bewildered-looking older man in the background. It's a peach, and now I have proof that I have shaken the hand of the man who brought the world the country anthem "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk." And, no, I'm not making that song title up.
TOMORROW: The Winners
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