Tag: Sammy Hagar

The First Farm Aid

farm aid On September 22, 1985, the first “Farm Aid” was held in Champaign, Illinois. Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp organized the benefit concert for struggling American farmers. Performers at that concert included a broad range of performers, including Bob Dylan, B.B. King, Hoyt Axton, Don Henley, Johnny Cash, Tom Petty, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Billy Joel, Waylon Jennings, John Denver, Loretta Lynn, Joni Mitchell, Charley Pride, Sammy Hagar, George Jones, and Lou Reed.

Reportedly, the idea for Farm Aid began when Bob Dylan played at Live Aid earlier in the year in July and suggested some of the money from that concert should go to American farmers. While some — including Live Aid organizer Bob Geldof — were upset that Dylan exploited the stage of a worldwide televised concert in support of African famine relief to focus on Americans, other artists used the comment as inspiration for the Farm Aid concert. And Farm Aid benefit concerts continue to this day.

That September 22 in 1985, the performers did not know that the work would continue for decades. But they joyously sang and played to try to give something back. Below is one of the performances that day in Illinois, featuring Willie Nelson, Arlo Guthrie, and Dottie West singing “City of New Orleans.”



What is your favorite Farm Aid performance? Leave your two cents in the comments.

Buy from Amazon

  • Willie and Merle Are “Missing Ol’ Johnny Cash”
  • Cowboy Jack Clement: “I Guess Things Happen That Way”
  • Devil’s Right Hand Arrest in New York City
  • Thanksgiving with Marty Stuart: The Pilgrim
  • Taxi Driver Music: “The Pilgrim, Chapter 33”
  • Van Morrison: Til I Gain Control Again

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

    Chelsea Lately’s “Goodbye to E!” Song

    Chelsea Lately Last Show
    This week, Chelsea Handler had her final episode of her late-night E! talk show, Chelsea Lately. A number of her famous friends stopped by to say goodbye, and many of them took the stage with her to sing “Goodbye to E!”

    The lineup for the parody of 1980s social awareness songs included Gwen Stefani, Dave Grohl, Trace Adkins, Sammy Hagar, Jennifer Aniston, Fergie, Avril Lavigne, Gerard Butler, Kate Beckinsale,Selena Gomez, Kelly Osbourne, LeAnn Rimes, Kathy Griffin, Marlee Matlin, and Melissa McCarthy. Check it out. [September 2014 Update: Unfortunately, the video of the song is no longer available on YouTube, so instead below is an Entertainment Tonight video of “The 6 Best Moments From the ‘Chelsea Lately’ Series Finale.”]

    What will you miss most about Chelsea Lately? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Times Like These by The Live Lounge All-Stars
  • Dolly Parton Covers Brandi Carlile’s ‘The Story’
  • Ryan Adams Covers Foo Fighters’ “Times Like These”
  • BBC Releases All-Star “God Only Knows”
  • The First Farm Aid
  • Snow Angels (Missed Movies)

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

    U.S. Speed Limits and I Can’t Drive . . . 15?

    15 mph sign On May 21 in 1901, Connecticut passed the first state speed law regulating motor vehicles. That first law limited city drivers to 12 mph but allowed drivers in the country to go up to 15 mph.

    At the time, there had been other speed laws for non-motorized vehicles such as horse-drawn wagons, including laws banning such wagons from proceeding at “a gallop.” But the 1901 Connecticut law prompted other states to start passing similar laws, which eventually led to you getting that speeding ticket.

    Some of our readers may remember the 1970s when rising gas prices caused states to lower speed limits, culminating with President Richard Nixon in January 1974 signing the National Maximum Speed Law, making the national speed limit 55 mph. At the time, there was a public service campaign designed to get drivers to obey the new laws.

    One 1978 television commercial that stood out for me was one about Grinnell, Iowa. In my many years of driving, I have often thought about the commercial that makes a powerful argument for not driving too fast. The producers do a good job of drawing you in before hitting you with a powerful — and yes manipulative — message. In case you do not remember the commercial, check it out below.

    By 1987, though, concerns about fuel supplies diminished and Congress passed a law allowing states to raise speed limits up to 65 mph. Then in 1995 the national speed limit was completely repealed, leaving it up to each state to set its own speed limits. Apparently, we decided we wanted to get to our destinations faster even if we were to wipe out poor Grinnell.

    While many credit the 1987 increase and the later 1995 repeal to a drop in concern about fuel availability, I give full credit to a protest song by Sammy Hagar, “I Can’t Drive 55,” which was released in 1984 on his VOA album. It is one of the most famous songs written in response to Congressional legislation.

    Hagar has explained that he came up with the idea for the song when he was driving in upstate New York at 2 a.m. after returning to the U.S. after a long plane trip. When an officer pulled over Hagar for going 62 mph on a four-lane highway, a weary and exasperated Hargar uttered the immortal words, “I can’t drive 55,” realizing immediately it was a great idea for a song.

    As soon as Hagar arrived to his house in Lake Placid, he sat down and wrote the rest of the song. And the rest, like the national speed limit law, is history.

    What is your favorite song about speeding? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • What Is the Murder Ballad That Holly Hunter Sings to Nathan Jr. in “Raising Arizona”?
  • Who Sang “Change in My Life” In the Steve Martin Movie “Leap of Faith”?
  • “Last Train to Clarksville” as a Protest Song?
  • How Farah Fawcett Inspired “Midnight Train to Georgia”
  • “Shannon”: Henry Gross, Sha Na Na, and a Beach Boys Dog
  • The True Story of Tom Dooley

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)