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defrogAs you may have guessed, there are some novelty records in my 45 collection.
But only one of them is a slice of Tennessee history.
In the late 70s, Governor Ray Blanton was caught signing pardons for convicts – some of them multiple murderers – who had bribed state officials, including two from his office. Blanton was never charged with anything directly related to the pardons-for-cash scandal, but he was eventually convicted in 1981 for unrelated mail fraud, conspiracy, and extortion for selling liquor licenses, and served 22 months in the federal pen.
The pardons scandal remains the biggest political corruption scandal in state history. And at some point, when all this was making the news, Brian Blue Christie and the Gitch Your Own Band cut a record called “Pardon Me Ray” – set to the tune of “Chattanooga Choo Choo” done in a mod-country style. It was a major hit on Nashville radio.
And of course I bought a copy. Thus began my interest in political humor (possibly).
BONUS TRACK: Ray Blanton is rated one of the ten most corrupt politicians in US History by RealClearPolitics. (Note: by “corrupt” they mean “use of power for financial profit”, which is why Dick Nixon isn’t on it, but Spiro Agnew is.)
I wanna get my money’s worth for what I’m buying,
This is dF
But only one of them is a slice of Tennessee history.
In the late 70s, Governor Ray Blanton was caught signing pardons for convicts – some of them multiple murderers – who had bribed state officials, including two from his office. Blanton was never charged with anything directly related to the pardons-for-cash scandal, but he was eventually convicted in 1981 for unrelated mail fraud, conspiracy, and extortion for selling liquor licenses, and served 22 months in the federal pen.
The pardons scandal remains the biggest political corruption scandal in state history. And at some point, when all this was making the news, Brian Blue Christie and the Gitch Your Own Band cut a record called “Pardon Me Ray” – set to the tune of “Chattanooga Choo Choo” done in a mod-country style. It was a major hit on Nashville radio.
And of course I bought a copy. Thus began my interest in political humor (possibly).
BONUS TRACK: Ray Blanton is rated one of the ten most corrupt politicians in US History by RealClearPolitics. (Note: by “corrupt” they mean “use of power for financial profit”, which is why Dick Nixon isn’t on it, but Spiro Agnew is.)
I wanna get my money’s worth for what I’m buying,
This is dF
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on 2013-07-29 02:16 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2013-07-29 02:26 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2013-07-29 05:53 pm (UTC)