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I’m on vacation for a week Pt. 2: Jerry Clower

I'm on vacation for a week Pt. 2: Jerry ClowerNow, consistency has never been a strong point of mine, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that while I certainly have great affecion for mad comedians like Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor, one of my absolute favorites is an unabashed, straight-up redneck comedian and lay preacher from Deepest Missisippi named Jerry Clower .

A favorite of the audience at the Grand Old Opry for many years, Clower never played too many venues outside the South, usually appearing in county auditoriums, military bases, and out of-the-way resorts. He put out 27 LP’s in his career, and was wildly popular with a lot of people who appreciate ironic stories; the ones about city fellers and egghead professors who always seem to wind up asking rural farmers stupid questions.

Someone gave me the album here – Jerry Clower’s Greatest Hits – in the early 80’s. I was completely enthralled. Still in my digging phase, I amassed at least a dozen of his albums, including the rare non-MCA LP of Clower giving his testimony as a lay preacher, Ain’t God Good.

I love this guy’s work; he had a wonderful voice and a great sense of timing, and since I’ve lived in the rural South, I appreciate the irony and the defensiveness about big city folk and book learning – even if I spend a lot of time here railing about ignorant right-wing religious nuts.

As I say, consistency is not my strong point.

Here’s a story about a noted university professor on the after-dinner speaking circuit, and his chauffeur.

“Well sir, he forever more made a speech.”



The Professor and The Chauffeur

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