Walking with Mohair Sam

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Despite the sad news of Bob's (Anne's brother in law) death in Idaho, I am here in Oregon trying to stick to my routine of walking tow to three miles each morning. Tomorrow will be the 14th day and I will be out there. I don't take a radio or listen to music, preferring to hear the sounds of birds and the breeze instead (not the traffic on one part of my route though). My mind turns on the music anyway and lately it has been that huge hit from 1965 called "Mohair Sam." The cadence is great for walking. The thing that really surprised me was that the song was a Charlie Rich hit. If i ever knew that, it was long forgotten. I associate him with that droning "Behind Closed Doors," but he had a long string of crossover hits. The song was written by Dallas Frazier, who also penned "Elvira," "Tell it like it Is" and more. So, it's usually "Mohair Sam" or that old Army cadence song/chant, called "Sound Off," which curiosity led me to find originated in 1944 when an African-American soldier training troops at Fort Slocum, NY started it to buck of the spirits of soldiers marching back from a weary day of training. It was used when I was in the Army and, no doubt, still is. If you never heard the cadence of Sound Off, click the video on this link: http://www.npr.org/2014/06/16/322589902/sound-off-where-the-militarys-rhythm-came-from