The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page 44

They're just strummin' along for some fun times, 3D 'Starlight Express9 does more than just chug, 8D SECTION ARISLEISURE The TENNESSEAN TV Log, 4, 5D Comics, 6D 0 Horoscope, 7D SATURDAY, April 11, 1987 ever gentle oh mind ROBERT K. 0ERMANN j--. A 5 "I love to work," he said. Tve traveled all my life. Everything did involved travel.

It was either the river or music." In a way, it's the river and music for Hartford these days. After the General Jackson had cruised up the Cumberland for a while, he stepped out on the boat's deck to wave to his wife Marie. She stood with friends on the deck of their Madison home, a rambling affair which sits on a bluff overlooking the river. "Marie and I love the Victorian style and old-fashioned things," said Hartford, who appears with his wife on the cover of the new-LP. "We've furnished our house with a lot of those things.

"I also get very into the history of country music" In line with his affection for traditional country, Hartford harbors a desire to become part of one of the music's most noted institutions, the Grand Ole Opry. "I've always wanted to be a member," he said. "I've dropped hints about it for years. I'd love Hartford have other career goals? "Mainly just to get better at what I do," he said. "I'm always working on quality." Hartford's insistence about keeping his career in line with his personal convictions, he believes, has been a factor in the continued success of Gentle on My Mind.

Since its first hit version by Glen Campbell in 1967, the tune's more than four million broadcast performances have made it the most played country song off all time. "I was doing something from the heart," Hartford said. "It's almost like I didn't write it; it's so improbable. It violates all the principles of pop songwriting. "It's a banjo tune, it has no chorus, it has a lot of words so that it's hard to sing.

One of my songwriting principles at that time was that the words should travel past you as fast as they do in conversation." "I'm extremely thankful for it I had something that wasn't topical task THOMAS GOLDSMITH Staff Writer For better or for worse, John Hartford says, his music will always be "something from the heart." From the massive hit Gentle On My Mind, released two decades ago this year, to a new album of rolling, riverboat-style country music, singer-picker-songwriter Hartford has steered his own course. "My artistic credo is that I do what's in my heart," Hartford, 49, said recently. "I don't try to psych out what the public wants. "If the public likes it, that's great If they don't like it, I haven't wasted my time. Conversely, it would be awful to be successful at something I didnt enjoy." During a cruise on Opryland USA's General Jackson showboat, of which he is honorary captain, Hartford offered his views on music, travel and Gentle On My Mind.

He was enthusiastic about each of those subjects and especially happy about Annual Waltz, his new MCADot LP. "I think this record could also work on the radio, in spite of the fact that it's something that I like," Hartford said. "I think it's the best one I ever did." Hartford has recorded for labels including RCA, Warner Bros, and Flying Fish; was a regular network television guest star for years and recently debuted as an author with the children's book Steamboat in a Cornfield. Continuing threads of wit, virtuosity and traditional music have tied his career together. "I love all kinds of music, but I particularly love old-time country music," Hartford said.

The acoustic musicians on Annual Waltz came up with a clear, lively country sound dominated on many tracks by smooth, three-part harmony fiddles played by Hartford and John Yudkin. Guitarist Mark Howard both engineered and played on the record; Music City patriarch Jack Clement produced. "Jack Clement has really straightened me out on how to make records," Hartford said. A dedication to Clement on the back cover of the disc reads, "He always told us to stay with it until it Hartford explained; "There's always a point with every record that you get to where you feel like you've listened to it so much that you've lost perspective. "Jack would say, 'If something bothers you, you get rid of it' You smooth it out, so that there's no imperfections, so it disappears.

The moment it disappears; it reappears." Hartford arranged the fiddle music on Annual Waltz by writing the harmony parts out in formal music notation. He learned to IS fi Bill Welch Staff Gentle On My Mind launched John Hartford, a man who loves music and the river. He lives, both on land and on the water, by his artistic credo: 'I do what's in my Nashville Notes Reba'sall 'fired up' about this Reba McEntire's got something cooking. The Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year is opening a chain of restaurants bearing her name. The first one opened on Music Valley Drive last week.

Reba McEntire's Kitchen, as the eatery is known, specializes in home-cooked fare. It's a family-style restaurant that features photos of the Oklahoma cowgirl on its walls and memorabilia from McEntire's award-studded music career. ITS THE first of several Reba McEntire Kitchens planned for the TennesseeKentucky tourism regions. She contracted with a firm called The Ranch, to open the chain. The Ranch also operates Loretta Lynn's Kitchen.

According to McEntire, she was impressed with the company's work, the quality of its food and the family atmosphere it projected at Lynn's establishment Part of the new building at 2600 Music Valley Drive houses a gift shop containing homemade jellies and jams, handcrafted items and Nashville souvenirs. ON LAST Monday night McEntire received her third straight Female Vocalist of the Year award from the Academy of Country Music in California. Backstage at the same event she was awarded her second consecutive Gold Record award. What Am I Gonna Do About You has joined Whoevefs in New land at the 500,000 sales mark. The music video of the title tune from the latter was named the ACM's Country Video of the Year.

McEntire has won three consecutive Female Vocalist of the Year awards from Nashville's Country Music Association and two in a row from Music City News. Next out by McEntire will be a Greatest Hits album. Billy Joe Royal has moved to Nashville. The Down in the Boon-docksl Knew You WhenCherry Hill Park pop star has reemerged on the country charts with Burned Lite a Rocket, I Miss You Already and Old Bridges Burn Slow. His new business office on Music Row is 1503 16th Ave.

S. (292-6079). Ricky Skaggs will "waltz across Texas" on a seven-city Lone Star State tour next month. Actually, htfs calling it the "Texas Two-Step Tout," which will take him to San Austin, East Bernard, Fort Worth, Corpus Christi, Abilene and Ector. When Kris Kristof erson show-ci sed at the Bottom Line in New Turn to PAGE 7D, Column 1 At the Opry Hosts of show segments for the Grand Ole Opry are in capital letters.

The schedule is subject to change. The p.m. portion of Saturday night's show is telecast live on The Nashville Network. SATURDAY: JACK GREEN. The 4 Guys; JIMMY DICKENS, Skeeter Davis; BILL ANDERSON, Ray Pillow, Jeanne Pruett, Billy Walker, Charlie Louvin; ROY ACUFF, Clyde Moody, Zeke Clements, Pee Wee King, The Crook Brothers, Melvin Sloan Dancers; JIM ED BROWN, Lorrie Morgan, Jimmy Newman, Curly Fox, Riders in the Sky.

HANK SNOW, Jeannie Seely, Stonewall Jackson, Wilma Lee Cooper, George Hamilton IV; BILL ANDERSON, The 4 Guys, Jeanne Pruett, Charlie Walker. Carlisles; JIMMY DICKENS, Zeke Clements; ROY ACUFF, Pee Wee King JIMMY NEWMAN, Jack Green; Jim Ed Brown, Clyde Moody, The Crook Brothers, Melvin Sloan Dancers; HANK SNOW, Wilma Lee Cooper, Justin Tubb, Curly Fox, Lorrie Morgan; 1 GEORGE HAMILTON IV, Riders in jhe Sky, Jeanni profession, but music got the best of me," Hartford said. "I identify with Jlmmie Rodgers although I don't sing any of his songs because he was a railroad man before he was a musician. "On the Julia Belle Swain I mostly pilot and I do a little bit of music. In recent years perhaps there's been a fair percentage of people that come because I'm there." A lot of people on and off the river get to see Hartford perform he spends about 250 days a year playing fiddle and banjo and singing at clubs, theaters, festivals and other venues.

shimmering fiddle pieces Ohio River Rag and Pennington Bend. "I don't want to be pretentious and call it John Hartford music, but with a little push I probably will," he said. On the instrumentals, the 12 fiddles overdubbed by Yudkin and Hartford create images of sunlight dancing on the inland rivers which are Hartford's second home. Every summer, he spends time piloting the Illinois riverboat Julia Belle Swain, keeping sharp the skills he dreamed of attaining as a child in St Louis. "Originally that was my chosen Woodland-in-Waverly home up for award r-.

TV. i 1 I it could go on and on. I love the song; if anybody asks me to sing it, I sing it "Sometimes I open the show with it so that if people don't like the rest of the show, they can walk out and not miss what they came for." Twenty years after its release, the song continues to generate substantial royalties, even though it has never been exploited for advertising purposes. "My instincts told me not to let it be used as a commercial or a parody; it hurts the credibility of the song," said Hartford, who wrote and recorded a theme song for the General Jackson. "I could only do a commercial for something I believe in.

I believe in this boat" Diet creator wants to help us 'butt' out PATRICK CONNOLLY Staff Writer The city that diets together smoking too? That's the idea being floated by Rotation Diet creator Martin Katahn in the Week 3 brochure of Rotation Plus, available free in area Kroger stores this weekend. The goal: a week-long smoke-out come Week 6, May2. "Smoking is worse than being fat for your health, and I firmly believe that if Nashvillians can diet together successfully, they can quit smoking together successfully," says Katahn. "Choosing the right time to quit and getting the support you need makes it much easier to really succeed in breaking the habit and we're going to create the right environment to give you that support" A heavy smoke-out push will be included in Rotation Plus brochures the next three weeks. The Week 3 pamphlet includes preliminary suggestions on gearing up for quitting with both the "gradual" and "cold turkey" methods offered as possibilities along with information on avoiding the weight gain usually associated with quitting smoking.

"The most important thing Is to really feel good about what you're doing for yourself by quitting," says Katahn. Among the benefits of stopping smoking listed by the Week 3 bro-' ft Tnrn 1 read and write music about six years ago after being "shamed into it" by his musician son Jamie. "For a hillbilly musician, it's revolutionary," Hartford said. "I immediately started writing things out in harmony. "To me, being able to write things out on paper is real digital recording It puts it down in the form of a code and you can do it as many times as you want and you never lose quality." Album tracks include a fast-paced version of the Harlan Howard classic Gone, Gone, Gone, Hartford's gently swinging love songs Annual Waltz and Learning to Smile All Over Again and his This house at 744 Benton in Ramsauf, and has hwn nominated 1 ii(mj' 1 Al in -1 ItLlVfiY A turn-of-the-century brick house at 744 Benton Ave.

in the Woodland-in-Waverly historic district has been nominated for a Metropolitan Historical Commission Architectural Award. The house was built as a single-family residence by a Chicago doctor in 1902, and is currently owned by Jimmie Lynn and Allan Ram-saur, who have done extensive restoration work on the house. The architectural awards are held each year to recognize the preservation of Davidson County's older buildings, and are open to both residential and commercial structures, which were built prior to 1940. Nominations will be Judged on the basis of quality and appropriateness of either maintenance or rehab work, sensitivity to architectural integrity, attention to detail and pioneering effort. The judge for this year's awards will be Gail Timmis, executive director of the Atlanta Urban Design Commission.

Nominations should be made by April 22, and can be sent to: Metropolitan Historical Commission; Customs House; 701 Broadway, Nashville 37201 Awards will be presented on May 11 Nominations should include the name and address of the structure, any available historical information, and a description of preservation work. For further Information call 259-5p. III fftfc I fit A i "tii I it the Woodland-in-Waverly district, belongs to Jimmie Lynn and Allan for a Metropolitan Historical Commission Architectural Award. 4 1 niih nff0i i uni it, it 1- 1-.