BOTB RESULTS: 2024, FEB. 1 (Or, THE BEATLES VERSUS THE EAGLES)

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Well, I did expect The Eagles' 'HOTEL CALIFORNIA' to win my most recent Battle Of The Bands contest HERE against The Beatles' 'Rocky Raccoon'. However, I also thought it would be a bit closer than it was. Nevertheless, I appreciate each and every one of you who took time to visit 'n' vote!

Unfortunately, what surprises me most of all (not really - I believe most people have lost their sense of curiosity) is that no one asked me about the meaning of this dialogue in my 'League Of Soul Crusaders' manuscript:

That shtick came from the Laurel & Hardy movie 'Our Relations'. Click HERE! League members routinely quoted from the greats, such as Laurel and Hardy, W. C. Fields, Monty Python, Benny Hill, Wally George, and Mister R. P. McMurphy! 

Aside from the fact that both songs in the contest mentioned a type of booze (gin, wine & champagne), both songs also had a theme that pertained to checking into a rented room. Rocky checked into a hotel room above a saloon and found... "Gideon's Bible". The delusional dreamers checked into the Hotel California and found... they could "never leave!" 

Yes, 'Hotel California' - the massive #1 hit by The Eagles - was way overplayed (and probably still is!) But a song *that* famous and *that* good, which happens to mention two types of hooch, just HAD to be included in my BOTB's Battle Of The Booze series. It's definitely a well-crafted song with one of the most melodically memorable electric guitar solos EVER recorded! The song is justifiably considered a Classic. 

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Even so, I like 'Rocky Raccoon' better, although I certainly like The Eagles better than I do The Beatles! I just have too many (hazy) memories associated with that particular Beatles song. Plus, I love the loose rambling style of it (so unlike so much of the overproduced, drugged-out, artsy-fartsy crap The Beatles usually recorded during that same time period); and I really dig the "jig" sections in that tune. Oh, how many times did a hungover D-FensDogG dance in circles to that? God only knows... and He's protly tryin' to erase it from His Memory!

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FINAL TALLY: 

The Beatles = 4 votes 

The Eagles = 8 votes 

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So, 'Hotel California' advances to the BOTB Playoffs (to occur at some future time). And I plan to return here again on February 15th with a new musical Battle for your consideration. Until then, may you all be well and... 

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...Bless & Be Blessed!! 

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~ Stephen T. McCarthy 

BATTLE OF THE BANDS: FEB. 1, 2024 (Or, GIN Versus WINE & PINK CHAMPAGNE)

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Welcome to my 3rd installment of Battle Of The Bands' Battle Of The Booze (BOTB's BOTB). This time we have two of the most famous bands in Rock music history battling it out for a future Playoff spot. It's GIN (The Beatles) versus WINE & PINK CHAMPAGNE on ice (The Eagles).
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Brief reminder: Every song I use in BOTB's BOTB must mention a type of booze and/or a brand name of booze or a cocktail made with booze.
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As most o' youz peoples know by now, in my very early twenties I was a member of [link> 'The League Of Soul Crusaders', perhaps the funniest, most unusual and outrageous drinking gang of all time. Below are a few excerpts from "the book", if you're interested in reading them.
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.Click photos to enlarge:

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'ROCKY RACCOON' is the fifth track on the second side of The Beatles' "White Album", and it was also the center and highlight of "The Hangover Waltz". It includes these lyrics:
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Now, the doctor came in, stinking of GIN
And proceeded to lie on the table
He said, "Rocky, you've met your match"
And Rocky said, "Doc, it's only a scratch
And I'll be better, I'll be better, Doc, as soon as I am able"
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In 1977, The Eagles had a massive #1 Billboard hit titled 'HOTEL CALIFORNIA':
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So I called up the Captain
"Please bring me my wine"
He said, "We haven't had that spirit here
Since 1969"
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Mirrors on the ceiling
The pink champagne on ice
And she said, "We are all just prisoners here
Of our own device"
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Remember: This is really about the songs and not the booze. So, in ye olde comment section, please vote for which song you liked better betwixt these two, and then please visit the other wonderful BOTBers and also drop your two cents in their comment sections.
* See the BOTBer links over there --->
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I'll return here on or about February 8th with my own vote and the final tally.
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Alright, let's get on it.
Let's get ON this thing!
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ROCKY RACCOON
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDcDCZGcZj8

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HOTEL CALIFORNIA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BciS5krYL80

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~ Stephen

BOTB RESULTS: 2024, JAN. 15 (Or, LYNYRD SKYNYRD VERSUS HANK WILLIAMS JR.)

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Hey, FRIENDS, thank you for taking time to visit and participate in my second installment of BOTB's Battle Of The Booze which took place HERE. I had fun, and I hope you did too. It was a whiskey versus whiskey contest between Lynyrd Skynyrd's 'Whiskey Rock-A-Roller' and Hank Junior's 'My Name Is Bocephus'.
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When I was a young man (yes, I WAS!), I really liked Lynyrd Skynyrd. But as I got older, my taste in music changed pretty drastycally. Today, there are really only about three Skynny Lyzyrd songs I still like pert-goot: 'That Smell', 'T For Texas' (which to me means "Route 66, Arizona") and 'Whiskey Rock-A-Roller'. 

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My very favorite part of that last song is at the beginning, when we hear that woman laugh and say, "Ha-Ha-Ha! Whiskey, baby". Who was that woman? I think I knew her in my youth (Yuh-huh!) Or maybe there's a bunch of hers all over the country? Perhaps I met her one night in Vegas, baby. Or in that old saloon in Rock Springs? The bar in Nashville? The hooch parlor in Tallahassee? Well, wherever I met her, I'm still in love with her voice! She liked to drink Old Grand-Dad, and her shoes did shuffle around. (I love that lyric, too!)
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I figured Bocephus was the underdog in this match-up and Lynyrd Skynyrd would win because... Lynyrd Skynyrd. However, I voted right along with the majority:
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FINAL TALLY
Lynyrd Skynyrd = 4 votes
Hank Williams Jr. = 8 votes
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That's why we play these games. Sometimes the underdog wins. And this means that sometime later (God willing) this Bocephus song will show up again on this blog when the BOTB's Battle Of The Booze playoff rounds begin. (Playoff-bound: 'Tequila' by Xavier Cugat; 'My Name Is Bocephus' by Hank Williams Jr.)
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Thanks again for playing along, peoples! I'll have a legendary, monumental-like Battle for ya'll here on February 1st (God willing). The third one's going to be a charm!
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~ Stephen T.
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation

BOTB's BATTLE OF THE BOOZE: JAN. 15, 2024 (Or, LYNYRD SKYNYRD VERSUS HANK "BOCEPHUS" WILLIAMS, JR.)

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This is the second installment in my Battle Of The Bands' Battle Of The Booze series. (I can't even remember the last time I posted a mid-month BOTB installment.)
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Brief reminder: Every song I use in BOTB's BOTB must mention a type of booze and/or a brand name of booze or a cocktail made with booze.
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We have two live recordings here, one by Lynyrd Skynyrd called 'Whiskey Rock-A-Roller' and the other by Hank Williams Jr. titled 'My Name Is Bocephus'. We could call this "Whiskey & Old Grand-Dad versus Whiskey & Beer".
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I'll bet only 3 of my regular voters can name the movie that this photograph was taken from.

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Before we get this Battle started, here are some FUN FACTS you ought to know:
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* The legendary Country music singer Hank Williams nicknamed his son, Hank Williams Junior, "Bocephus" after Grand Ole Opry comedian Rod Brasfield's ventriloquist dummy.
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* Bocephus mentions Lynyrd Skynyrd in his song.
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* Old Grand-Dad is a brand of bourbon.
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* Bourbon is the term for a whiskey made from a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn. Bourbon gets its name from Bourbon County in Kentucky, and most bourbon is still produced in the state of Kentucky.
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* Several decades ago, I saw Bocephus perform at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. It was a great show, and Bocephus was the only person at the concert who was drunker'n I was! 😎

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L.A.'s Greek Theatre

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"Take me down to Memphis town; bus driver, get me there
I got me a queenie; she got long, brown curly hair
She likes to drink Old Grand-Dad, and her shoes do shuffle around"
~ Lynyrd Skynyrd 

(from 'Whiskey Rock-A-Roller')
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"I'll tell you something now: they ain't real
They got no scars, they got no feel
They can't cut no guitar whiskey-bent and hell-bound!"
~ Hank Williams Jr. 

(from 'My Name Is Bocephus')
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Alright, let's get on it.
Let's get ON this thing!

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Whiskey Rock-A-Roller 

by Lynyrd Skynyrd

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5OQa5QMtCs

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My Name Is Bocephus 

by Hank Williams Jr. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9AZCeKO3H0

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In ye olde comment section, please vote for which song you liked better betwixt these two, and then please visit the other wonderful BOTBers and also drop your two cents (not your wallet) in their comment sections. * See the BOTBer links over there --->

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I'll return here on or about January 22nd with my own vote and the final tally.

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~ Dr. DogG
Stephen of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation

BOTB RESULTS: 2024, JAN. 1 (Or, XAVIER CUGAT VERSUS BUDDY MORROW)

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First of all, my thanks to everyone who participated in my latest 'Margarita Day' Battle Of The Bands contest, which also happened to be my first Battle Of The Bands' Battle Of The Booze contest. It took place HERE. The song was 'Tequila' and the contestants were Xavier Cugat & Buddy Morrow.
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I love BOTH renditions of the song and grade them both a solid 'A'. However, I like the Buddy Morrow version just a wee tiny bit more. Perhaps because of the slightly slower tempo which allows for more tension between the instruments. And then of course there's that filthy sax. There are prostitutes who aren't even that filthy!
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At any rate, my first BOTB's BOTB (a.k.a. The Battle In The Bar #1) was a fairly competitive affair.
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FINAL TALLY:
Xavier Cugat = 8 votes
Buddy Morrow = 5 votes
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I am posting another BOTB's BOTB installment on January 15th, so I hope you all will check back in then. I believe a lot of people are going to be surprised by the musical variety and the possibilities inherent in Battle Of The Bands contests in which hooch (a.k.a. "Evidence") is a primary ingredient / theme.
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Until next time...
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Bless & Be Blessed!!
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~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation

BOTB's BATTLE OF THE BOOZE: JAN. 1, 2024 (Or, XAVIER CUGAT VS. BUDDY MORROW)

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First things first: My Pa started the Margarita Day tradition on Jan. 1st in 1986. Git you one today or... I'll know the reason why!

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Now, on to other matters . . . 

I'm using Margarita Day 2024 to announce my new theme. I call it Battle Of The Bands' Battle Of The Booze.

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My self-imposed rules for BOTB's BOTB are. . .

Every song I present in Battle Of The Bands' Battle Of The Booze will contain at least one of these three references: 

1 -- The name of some type of booze (e.g., gin, bourbon, tequila, etc.), or 2 -- the brand name of some kind of booze (e.g., Beefeater, Old Grand-Dad, Jose Cuervo, etc.), or 3 -- the name of some sort of cocktail made with booze (e.g., salty dog, mint julep, margarita, etc.) 

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STMcC's "BOTB's BOTB" #1 

Let the hooch flow like water! 

This being Margarita Day, I am kicking off my new 2024 BOTB theme with "Tequila". Let's drink it! listen to it!

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Tequila -- Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzJ9D1HHKDI 

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"Alright, let's slow it down a little" so we don't pass out before the evening's entertainment is over.

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Tequila -- Buddy Morrow & His "Night Train" Orchestra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iA26WyGW2o8 

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Please let me know in the comment section which Tequila you liked better, Xavier's or Buddy's. And then please visit all the other BOTBers (*see links in right sidebar) and support their music battles, too.

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I'll return here on or about January 8th with my own vote and the Results of the first Battle in the bar.

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~ Stephen 

DogGtor of Alcohology & 

King of Inebriation Nation

BOTB RESULTS: DECEMBER 1, 2023 (Or, MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER VERSUS LAWRENCE WELK & COMPANY)

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CHRISTMAS & HOLIDAY GREETINGS, All Y'all!
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I thank you all for giving me the only gift that really matters (i.e., a vote in my Battle Of The Bands installment HERE). The song was 'CAROL OF THE BELLS' and the contestants were Mannheim Steamroller and Lawrence Welk & Company. I won't go quite so far as calling it a "Christmas Miracle", but Larry & his Goils completely wiped out Mannheim & his Steamroller! It wasn't beyond my ability to imagine Lawrence Welk winning this Battle, but I surely thought that it would be a close reindeer race.
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I like the Mannheim version quite well, except for that section around the midway point in the song when they introduce about 20 seconds of very un-Christmassy electronic robot voice & sound effect stuffs. Thankfully, the music quickly returns to a majestic Christmas sound (as is proper).
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For so many of the same reasons that Welk voters mentioned in the comment section, I also prefer Champagne Larry & his bubbly Goils' version.
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FINAL TALLY:
Mannheim Steamroller = 2 votes
Lawrence Welk = 11 votes
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Beginning on January 1, 2024, I will be presenting a brand new BOTB theme and ongoing song challenge. I think it's going to be a lot of fun and will include an extremely wide range of different musical styles. So I hope you'll all rejoin me in the New Year. Until then, I wish for each and every one of you a joyful Christmas and a very safe, healthy and Happy New Year!
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If you're looking for a great playlist to enjoy during these next two or three weeks, check out my YouTube...
[link> E-Ticket Christmas Song Videos! (playlist)
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I'll leave you all for now with this bit of weirdness from me, D-FensDogG, your favorite Christmas Canine:
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God is Love & Jesus Christ is our Sinless Savior!!
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Me? I have a twisted sense o' humor and it's just not quite Christmas until I've heard Tiny Tim coughing his way through 'Amazing Grace' in his 'O Come, All Ye Faithful' medley.
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Every year on Christmas Day, my Brother and I drop a coin into a body of water and make a wish that someday Tiny Tim will have a second hit song! This December 25th tradition is now roughly 20 years old. But I believe 2024 is the year the Tiny Tim wish will finally come true (...maybe). Please join us on Christmas Day and "Make A Wish For Tiny Tim".
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O Come, All Ye Faithful (medley) -- Tiny Tim


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~ Stephen

BATTLE OF THE BANDS: DEC. 1, 2023 (Or, MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER VERSUS LAWRENCE WELK & COMPANY)

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Howdy, Xmas DogGs and DogGettes. 

Welcome to my traditional Christmas / Holiday Battle Of The Bands installment!
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How many of you remember this really old television commercial?
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When I was a kid, that Andre Champagne TV commercial always merrily reminded me that Christmas (my very favorite Holiday) was right around the corner. I've never particularly liked champagne, but I still love that commercial in a very heartwarming, nostalgic kind of way. It probably wasn't until I was about 21 years old that I learned the music used in that Andre commercial was a real, genuine Christmas song titled 'Carol Of The Bells'. Today, that is amongst my all-time favorite Christmas songs. And I really appreciate that it's about "The Reason For The Season":

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Photo credit: 'I Love L.A.' music video by Randy Newman

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So, I've chosen two versions of 'CAROL OF THE BELLS' to share with you in this December BOTB contest. One is instrumental-ish and the other is a song with singing and harmonizing and stuffs like that. I like them both. (It'd be difficult to really mess up this great carole.)

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Pour yerself a glass of champagne (or Revel Stoke Roasted Pecan Whisky & ekker nog) and vote for your preferred rendition in the comment section below. And then please be sure to visit all of the other BOTBers (links in the column over there somewheres ---->) and vote in their Battles also.
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I intend to return here on or about December 8th to cast my own vote and announce the winner.

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Alright, let's get on it. 

Let's get ON this thing!
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CAROL OF THE BELLS -- 

Mannheim Steamroller
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8405nEFJXpk

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Santa signals the "BEEE!" sign. (Some of you Al K. O'Holics know what that means. 😉)

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CAROL OF THE BELLS -- 

Lawrence Welk Orchestra & Chorus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIntt9md7ok

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We'll yak again soon.
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May you all...
Bless & Be Blessed!!
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~ Stephen T. McClaus

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POSTSCRIPT:

LEARN THE HOLY BIBLE IN 15 MINUTES!

Part 1 & Part 2

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BOTB RESULTS: NOV. 1, 2023 (Or, JONNY LANG VERSUS JOHNNY HORTON)

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Former bar owner, Stephanie, at far left.

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I sincerely thank every one of you who stopped by to cast a vote in the "Super Bowl" (final round) of my Battle Of The Bands $ilver Dollar $aloon $ong Challenge which took place HERE. After six months of Battles, we have our champion!
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This was a really terrific Battle; exactly the sort of neck-&-neck competition I had hoped to see in our $D$$C Super Bowl. And it seemed very fitting that a Jonny Lang song would wind up vying for the championship, since it was the Silver Dollar Saloon's former owner, Stephanie (now dwelling in the Spiritual realm), who made me aware of Jonny Lang in December of 2019.
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I like the Jonny Lang song 'Lie To Me' quite well. Apparently The Kid was only 15 years old when this was recorded. What a talent! (This kind of nearly unreal "prodigy" stuff is one of many things that convince me of the truth of reincarnation. You don't come into "this world" with talent like that unless you honed it to some degree in a previous lifetime.)
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Beforehand, I felt certain about how Debbie D'Doglady would vote (no "Purple Waylon Effect" this time), and also certain about how Judge Al Bondigas would "rule". And since I knew their votes would cancel each other out, a shutout was out of the question. I didn't feel confident in predicting how my other friends would vote, so I was anticipating a possible blowout... or a tie.
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I love the Johnny Horton novelty song 'The Battle Of New Orleans' too much, and have far too much personal history wrapped up in it to possibly vote against it. My Ma bought the 45 single but we wee kids (my Brother, my Sister, and I) played it more than she did. I must have spent hours studying the record's dust sleeve.
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What all that boils down to is...
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FINAL TALLY
Jonny Lang = 5 votes
Johnny Horton = 6 votes
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'The Battle Of New Orleans' by Johnny Horton is (in this blog's opinion) the supreme song of the Silver Dollar Saloon in Virginia City, Nevada. The Silver Dollar Saloon, the only essential dive bar in Virginia City, where dogs are welcome and people are tolerated:
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Fun Fact: Did you know that the Silver Dollar Saloon was once included in a Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoon?
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..

SPEND 1 MINUTE INSIDE THE 

REAL SILVER DOLLAR SALOON: 

CLICK RIGHT HERE!

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Well, thanks again all y'all for making my $ilver Dollar $aloon $ong Challenge lotsa fun! I intend to return here again on December 1st with a Holiday themed Battle for your consideration. I hope you'll be here, too! Until then...
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Happy Trails to you, and may you
Bless And Be Blessed!!
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~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation

BATTLE OF THE BANDS: NOV. 1, 2023 (Or, JONNY LANG VERSUS JOHNNY HORTON)

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Welcome to the $uper Bowl of the $ilver Dollar $aloon $ong Challenge! For you folks who don't know nut'n 'bout football, that means this is the LAST installment in this Challenge, and whoever wins is "the best", and they'll be going to Disneyland... Knott's Berry Farm... Virginia City, Nevada (my favorite place whole the world!)
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ONLY songs that I have heard played at the Silver Dollar Saloon in Virginia City have been eligible to participate in this contest. That's the common thread: I've heard them at one time or another in one of the funkiest bars I've ever had the pleasure to pass out in!
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No, the sign isn't a joke. Dogs ARE welcome at the Silver Dollar Saloon; and I have been tolerated there many times since February, 1992.
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A quick recap of what's brought us to this point:
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Dr. John (11) beat The Average White Band (4) in February, 2022.
Dr. John (9) beat Jonny Lang (4) in January, 2023.
Dr. John (10) beat Greg & Steve (3) in February.
Dr. John (8) beat Waylon Jennings (3) in May.
Jonny Lang (9) beat Dr. John (4) in August.
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'Lie To Me' by Jonny Lang is our current reigning champion. I heard this song in the Silver Dollar Saloon on December 8, 2019. In this Grand Finale showdown, it is going up against 'The Battle Of New Orleans' by Johnny Horton, which I heard in the Silver Dollar Saloon on August 8, 2022.

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I consider Horton's recording to be one of the all-time greatest American bar songs. In my 2016, "Margarita Day" Battle Of The Bands post, I explained why I feel this way, and how this song connects Arlee Bird, Sixgun McItchyfinger (a.k.a. Sheboyganboy Six) and myself together into a Terrible Trinity! If'n anyone is interested in that old story, you can read it HERE. (In a funny and twisted roundabout way, if you like Lee's blog, and if you like the April 'A To Z Challenge', you can probably thank Johnny Horton's song for their existence.)

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It's JONNY versus JOHNNY "for all the marbles", as we kids used to say in the early 1960s on the playground at Iva Meairs Elementary School in Garden Grove. Jonny (without an h) or Johnny (with an h) - which one are you voting for in the comment section below?
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LIE TO ME by Jonny Lang

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tigVYfHVmQ

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THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS 

by Johnny Horton

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50_iRIcxsz0

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After you vote here, please be sure to vote in the other BOTB contests. (See the Participants links in the right-hand column of this blog.)
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I will return here on or about November 8th to cast my own vote and announce the final winner of THE $ILVER DOLLAR $ALOON $ONG CHALLENGE! Be here or be really, Really, REALLY uncool!
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Bless And Be Blessed!!
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation

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POSTSCRIPT:

If you'd like to view a beautiful 5-minute tour of Virginia City, Nevada, photographed from above by a drone, don't miss this super-bitchin' video:

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VIRGINIA CITY by Drone World

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