Yesterday morning I heard that Jerry Scoggins died, at the age of 93.

Scoggin’s baritone, along with pickin’ from Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, brought us The Ballad Of Jed Clampett, the theme song for The Beverly Hillbillies. And since I read this, that’s the song that’s been the background music to the movie of my life that’s playing through my head…

Come listen to my story ’bout a man named Jed
A poor mountaineer, barely kept his family fed
Then one day he was shootin’ at some food
When up through the ground come a bubblin’ crude

Oil that is. Black gold. Texas tea.

Well… it’s better than having Grandma Got Runover By A Raindeer going through my head, which it’s threatening to do…