Note: for this year, entries were made in chronological order.
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January, 2004:
[Editor's Note: These are Janet's comments regarding the January 24th Mesquite Opry Reunion Show] The show was really great. Went till 11pm. Everyone was there. Old fans and all the great talent. Jamie played her guitar and sang with Larry and Zane playing guitar and singing. She was wonderful. Emma and Robert were really good, and the comedy they did worked well.
The Country Flair were outstanding. Junior Knight is "the best," Jerl was awesome, Thomas is wonderful and Paul kept us on track. The Pirtles did their thing, Bill Rogers was great, and Mary Rogers was there but has had back surgery, unfortunately. She didn't move around very much.
Bill Goodman blew us away with his comedy, Vicki Gatlin sang so fine, Brian Cline thrilled the ladies and John and I did our thing also. I hope I didn't leave anyone out, but the whole show was great.
Fans came from Manhattan, KS, Desert Hot Springs, CA, and the Peermans came from Newburg, Indiana. All of
these people were old regulars of the Opry who made the special effort to drive hundreds of miles to attend the reunion show. Wow, that was nice.
January, 2004:
The book that Bart Plantenga put out is available now. The price is $19.95 at Barnes and Noble.
There is a photo of me with my brother Dan taken in 1954. The article on me is on page 222, 223, 224 & 225, with a mention in two other places.
This is good. It mentions Art in there with the 'Toy Yodeler' song. Quite a project for sure.
February, 2004:
I had a meeting with a group of folks who are working on the July Academy of Western Artists Convention at the Doral Hotel out by the Racing Stadium. I will be presenting some of the kids I work with.
I'll let you know more as we go along. I am excited about the people who put on these things actually noticing that the kids are 'GOOD.'
I love em all [the kids]. What did I do before I retired, anyway? They really keep me going.
February, 2004:
[Editor's Note: Janet comments, here, on her recent interview with Country Music Television for their Inside Fame biography on LeAnn Rimes.]
The interview went great. It was changed to 10:15am, so I was there at 9:20 waiting in that beautiful lobby.
They were really nice and I think it went well. Of course they might use one minute, or none of it, but they seemed interested in what I had to say.
It was a thrill to be asked this time. If they actually put me on we really should get some hits from it. That would be awesome.
This was for sure the 'Big Deal Of The Day.'
March, 2004:
I will be at the Mountain View Missouri Cowboy Poetry Gathering, and holding two 'yodeling workshops' while there.
The first is on Friday, April 23rd, in the afternoon at the Community Center. Next is Saturday, April 24th, in the morning at the same place.
I will perform several times Friday, Saturday, and on Sunday at the Cowboy Church.
For information, please contact Jennie Cummings cowboypoet@socket.net, 1-800-683-6149, or 417-934-2213.
March, 2004
[Re: The Annual Patsy Montana National Yodeling Competition] I will be conducting yodeling workshops both days, which is free once they have paid the price of admission.
[Re: Festival of the West in Scottsdale, Arizona] This is a really big western festival and I am sooo looking forward to being on the stage again.
April, 2004:
** NEW **
Here are the Country Music Television broadcast times for LeAnn Rimes's "CMT Inside Fame" appearance, regarding which our Janet was consulted:
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Friday | April 9, 2004
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9:00 PM CT
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10:00 PM ET/PT
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Saturday | April 10, 2004
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7:00 PM CT
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8:00 PM ET/PT
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Sunday | April 11, 2004
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1:00 PM CT
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2:00 PM ET/PT
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Sunday | April 11, 2004
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10:00 PM CT
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11:00 PM ET/PT
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Monday | April 12, 2004
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7:00 PM CT
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8:00 PM ET/PT
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Monday | April 12, 2004
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10:00 PM CT
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11:00 PM ET/PT
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Monday, April 19, 2004
Yesterday at the Buckaroo's was fun as always. 7 kids came early for yodeling practice. We worked for 1 hr 15 minutes before they yelled "uncle. "
The Buckaroo's practice starts at 2 and their show is usually around 3 on the steps of the Exchange Building on Exchange Avenue. The kids always draw a crowd on beautiful days like yesterday.
There were several bus loads of tourists who came from the new Gaylord Hotel in Grapevine so we had a great time with them.
Our kids yesterday ranged from 5 years old up to 12 years. They range from beginners to more polished, but that is what makes it work.
They all get a shot at the mic.
This is a photo taken by a parent on March 14th at the last Buckaroo's Sunday show. The little girl Libby is standing by me. She's the little bitty one. She is 5 years old.
May, 2004
This is where I will be appearing in Los Angeles, CA on Aug. 28th. This is The Autry. Below is the
information on how to obtain tickets. I am very excited to be included in this.
Fourth Annual Old West Fest
May, 2004
[Re: New Recordings] Jeanne Cahill and Jerome, who are known as Call of the West, came down from Oklahoma on the 19th of May and went into the studio and added harmony to my session.
I recorded What Ever Happened To The Yodeling Cowgirls, Happy Yodeling Cowgirl, and Singing The Blues. These three songs will not be released first, but will be on another CD with yodeling songs.
My next CD will be Gospel Songs. The new songs I just recorded for this project are:
Save A Little Spot In Heaven, Little Green Valley, If I Could See The World Through The Eyes Of A Child, The Old Country Church, and The Legend Of The Dogwood.
I will add to these songs one song cut in 1951, with my bro and sis, called Lets Pretend. I will also include Gone from cassette #3, all 9 of the songs on the gospel cassette, and The Greatest Party Ever Planned from cassette #8. It will be ready as soon as I get it put together.
This will take a visit to Phil York's studio since he will have to digitally master the 1951 song.
I will also include a cut taken from the 1997 Mothers Day Tribute my two brothers, my sister and I did at the Baptist Church in Weaverville, CA for our Mom.
We sang a song as a quartet for the first time since 1950. We sang a song we used to perform in church titled I'll Be Listening. It wasn't bad.
June 11, 2004
Click photo above to see the full picture.
President Reagan was the best in our time for sure. Amazing man with such humor. He gathered us all into his world with him.
This is the photo taken by us as we stood on the stage platform at the Mesquite Rodeo. We were all shouting 'Mr. President, Mr. President,' and he looked up at us, and the photo tells the rest.
We were absolutly thrilled to death. We didn't actually 'meet' him, but we were honored to be chosen to perform.
He was an awesome person, with a super lady Nancy by his side. Not many folks find that like of Love. They are both special.
July, 2004
Hi Paul and Fans,
My song "Yodeling Tribute" is included in the documentary about lady wrestlers in the early days of organized wrestlers.
My friend Ida Selenkow, Miss Ida to some, was a pioneer in the field. The documentary has been in the works for some time, but was introduced in Canada this spring, and she says now they are planning to put it into the movie theatres.
I call the movie "Lipstick and Dynamite." Ida is a yodeler and, when they did her part of the movie, she yodeled my song.
Check it out. Janet
[Editor's Note:] Below are a few links to information about the movie. Warning: you may encounter some strong language.
September, 2004
John and I got into LA on the 27th [of August] for our show on the 28th. We were housed in the Holiday Inn Burbank, which is a wonderful hotel. The room was great.
We asked directions to 'The Autry' as it is known and off we went. At the museum we were met by Jeff Barber, who is the man in charge. We checked in our product with the 'gift shop,' and toured the museum with our 'freepasses.' It is such a wonderful facility. It rates right up there with the Buffalo Bill Cody Museum in Cody, Wyoming.
On Saturday, we made our way to the museum and just visited with fans and friends until 2:30pm, when I was scheduled to host a 'how to yodel' session. John passed out the words to one of Carolina Cotton's songs 'Yodel Mountain,' and we proceeded to sing and yodel.
There were a lot of great folks who joined in, and we had a lot of fun for the next 30 minutes.
When I finished with the yodel session, I was met behind the outside stage by an older Japanese man who introduced himself as George, and said he met me in 1964 at a radio station promotion in Glendale. Sure enough. My fan George had an 8 X 10 Janet McBride autographed photograph in a photo album that he had obviously treasured from that day. What a thrill! He took pictures, and I loved it. Now folks, that is a true fan.
Carolina Cotton's daughter, Sharon Marie, was there, and with her help we had the greatest 30 minute tribute to her mom. Sharon put together a 16 minute DVD of her mother's life from birth to her last show, which was in Gene Autry, Oklahoma.
I can't thank Sharon Marie enough for taking the time to put the Carolina Cotton Story together. Our 30 minutes consisted of the Carolina Cotton Story, and then me singing 4 Carolina songs. I sang 'I Love To Yodel', 'Yodel, Yodel, Yodel', '3 Miles South of Cash' and 'Yodel Mountain'. It was a highlight of my career for sure.
My brother Don and his wife Dorothy were there and loved the show. Our little friend Ginny Mac, ex Buckaroo, did her 30 minute tribute to Dale Evans, and our buddie Judy Coder's 30 minutes were to Patsy Montana.
The shows ran all day, and a good time was had by all.
We loved our time there. Janet
October, 2004
Phil York tells me that I am pre-nominated [for a Grammy] in the [categories]:
1. Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album for Gospel Country
2. Best Gospel Performance: The Gospel Yodel by Janet McBride from the CD Gospel Country
It is a milestone for sure. Janet
November, 2004
I will do an interview with a radio station in Idaho on the 17th of December. They are a very powerful radio station up there.
I have just signed a contract with a production company for them to perform Yodeling At The Grand Old Opry, which I co-wrote with Gwen Young of Dallas.
They will use it in a stage play called 'Honky Tonk Laundry.' It is about the gals who are singing country songs while they do their clothes at the laundry, I think. Details are forthcoming as to where it will play first.
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