CDA x 2: Montgomery and Plowright

I’d never heard of country singer Melba Montgomery (died at 86) but was intrigued by her NY Times obituary. I looked for a duet with George Jones on YouTube (I’ve always loved his voice and his smile) and found this:

There’s so much to unpack here.

1. Her voice is fascinating. I’ll describe it as “rough hewn.” She sounds like a washboard come to life.

2. She moves her trunk in a peculiar way. Is it part of her vocal production?

3. Is that her hair, or a wig, or a number of wigs, or what?

4. I LOVE that Jones’s guitar strap is made of a similar fabric to her dress. Gold star to whoever came up with that idea.

5. Doesn’t George Jones have the sweetest smile?

6. Is there anything more fabulous than a steel guitar? I was determined to learn to knit in my 30s and then quilt in my 40s. Maybe the abandoned project for my 50s is learning to play steel guitar.

And Dame Joan Plowright (Lady Olivier to you) died the other day at the age of 95. She had a splendid career on stage and screen but is probably best known as the second wife of Laurence Olivier. Here she is having a meta moment in The Last Action Hero. Do I need to see that movie? Based on this clip, hell yes.