I'll make it



Richmond VA
When I'm there I want to go but when I'm gone I don't 




Hydra Glide

No special gear, no special equipment, no sponsors and he probably never skated. 

Havana 59

It's a Richmond bar that has been around for a while. The food is good and the staff friendly. Get there for happy hour and leave before 8 and you will have a great time. If you stay any longer you run the risk of getting tied up in the silliness of frat boys and sorority girls binge drinking on 9 dollar mojitos. 

Smiths

You know, I am beginning to think that he doesn't really have a girlfriend in a coma...

Mills & Co

Pile of parts laying around at Mills & Co this weekend.
Contact josh@millscustoms.com for information on parts

Straight A's -SOLD-






It took me a while, but I finally ended up with straight A's. fresh from storage still covered in dust. 2coupes and a roadster will be up for sale. Send an email for more information to: joesmithearlyford@verizon.net Serious inquires only, please

Eddie's Bike




Almost there

It has been a while

  Sorry for the lack of communication. No excuses, I just haven't made time to post anything new. This blog is about documenting the rebirth of Joe Smith Early Ford & Hot Rod in the VA location. If I was posting instead of working there wouldn't be much to post pretty soon.

action

Mr.Hughes

                                                                        Getting there

Last weekend

Thank you for a good time and the support of a worthy cause. More pictures to follow.

Pete Hartman

"When you write a song like "The Wild Side of Life" and the hit line of the chorus is "I didn't know God made honky tonk angels", you gotta realize you're speaking from the man's point-of-view and it just begs for a response. And Hank Thompson's song- oh man- did it get a response from none other than the ringleader of feisty female singers. I'm talking about the fabulous Kitty Wells. No sooner had Thompson been enjoying his success, than she recorded her response, "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels." Same tune, but very different words, and what a contrary, in-your-face viewpoint.

The song's been covered by many artists, but Kitty's is still the best.

And in a major way, she turned it around on Hank Thompson and opened the door to women being heard in country music. His version made women a little ashamed of the label, honky tonk angel, but Kitty's song and commentary made it something that certain- not all- women could wear with pride. And it opened the door to other songs that are strongly from the woman's point-of-view and don't apologize about it. Check out Loretta Lynn's You Ain't Woman Enough to Take My Man or Fist City or The Pill; or Jeannie C. Riley's Harper Valley P.T.A, all very controversial songs at the time. Rural women, after all, were supposed to be seen and not heard. But in the country, the women are strong (and the men, good lookin') and these songs were about "empowerment" long before Betty Friedan wrote The Feminine Mystique or Gloria Steinem thought about bra-burning. Go read up on the women's movement and every writer brings up that book, but nobody ever, ever mentions Kitty Wells or Loretta.

It just ain't right somehow.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKleTa94dC8

As I sit here tonight the jukebox playin'
The tune about the wild side of life
As I listen to the words you are sayin'
It brings memories when I was a trusting wife

It wasn't God who made Honky Tonk Angels
As you said in the words of your song
Too many times married men think they're still single
That has caused many a good girl to go wrong

It's a shame that all the blame is on us women
It's not true that only you men feel the same
From the start most every heart that's ever broken
Was because there always was a man to blame

It wasn't God who made Honky Tonk Angels
As you said in the words of your song
Too many times married men think they're still single
That has caused many a good girl to go wrong


And were the women listening? Oh yeah! Go-after-your no-good-man-with-a-frying-pan they were listening! The song was never, ever forgotten and became a rallying cry for country women everywhere. Forty-one years after the original release- in 1993- it lead to an album called, Honky Tonk Angels, produced by Steve Buckingham and featuring none other than Loretta, Dolly, and Tammy.  Talk about a lineup of "Mister, I ain't taking none of your foolishness" women! And guess who makes a guest appearance on the cut of It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels? Yup, Kitty Wells.  That's her on the first two lines of the 2nd verse. Still kickin' butts and takin' names. Nice to see a little respect paid to the woman who kicked off the movement.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpt_-...eature=related



And finally, here's a neat little clip of Waylon and Jesse having fun with the back-and-forth with these two songs. Live from Austin, TX:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H66Mf...eature=related

So when you go to the show on Saturday, just know that there's a ton of history behind the headline title of the evening, A Night of Honky Tonk Angels. Lots and lots of history there. That title wasn't just picked out of the blue by accident. Many early artists laid the foundation and richly deserve the credit for what they did a long time ago. Lest we forget...."

Thanks for adding some perspective on the show Pete.

Back when

red

You say Castro, I say GI Joe...

Green Acres Cafe

5th Annual Hoodie Award winners

Jack knows

May Pie Run

I'm not one to take pictures of my food, but this tells the tale.

end of the night AL

Birmingham arches

Dixie Roundup

Thanks for the hospitality fellas. 

Thank You

We give thanks for the men who carried out this operation, for they exemplify the professionalism, patriotism, and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country.  And they are part of a generation that has borne the heaviest share of the burden since that September day.

mock up

not the helmet you're looking for

It just occurred to me that the Speeder Bike Trooper's have the absolute worst helmets for riding. How are you supposed to change lanes with no peripheral vision?

                                                     No wonder The Empire crumbled.

Have you Stroked your Flatty?

Shirts available at the Open House