Try to get something past her and it was, “I knowed you wasa sneakin’ round about somthin’ an here you come grinnin’ like a jackass eatin’ briars”. I meant to say, “Tater fields and tater sheds!” Someone already listed, “arsh taters,” but I must admit that I was in junior high school when I went to the grocery store with my mama and saw a bag in the vegetable section, labeled as,” IRISH Potatoes.” Now, having many tater people as family friends or members of the church in which my dad ministered, most of our potatoes came from a field, and was stored under the house. Thanks David it was a great read and a great walk down memory lane. Pearl, Minnie (1912–1996)American entertainer who was the first humorist in country music to achieve worldwide recognition. Minnie Pearl has had the most fabulous day at the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo! What a wonderful walk down memory lane. Offstage, Colley married Army Air Corps pilot Captain Henry Cannon in 1947, and he devoted himself to her career. I never knew anyone named John Brown or Sam Hill, but I sure heard about them. She was known for wearing a big hat with a price tag ($1.98) hanging off the side. My mother was born and raised in South Pittsburg TN. I had said it all my life and never even thought about it. Thanks for these fine sayings as I remember back when I was a kid. We once grew a lot of cotton, then flowers, and of course potatoes. I remember my Granny saying “Well, I’ll be dipped!” And when we moved to Sand Mountain when I was in the sixth grade I heard a boy in my clas say “ort to ort’n I” which translates is “I ought to, shouldn’t I?” Lol. I’m just so proud to be here!” who received the attention. And cathead biscuits….yum yum. When I hear Minnie say “She looks like she’s been rid hard and put up wet,” I know where that came from. Sarah Colley Cannon. Recently, I saw the musical “Million Dollar Quartet,” which depicts the early days of Sun Records, with actors portraying Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis. When “O Brother Where Art Thou” came out I remember having to translate for the group that we were watching it with. In 1998, Mercury Records released "The Complete Hank Williams" box set, but complete it was not. One of my favorites you said to me decades ago when the kids were littles, and Cindy (or maybe it was you), had a bad backache, so I brought over some eats one day. I named her Minnie Pearl because both names were country names I had heard and loved all my life.” She stopped back at her parents’ home in Center- ville shortly after her expe- rience in Sand Mountain, and imitated the old woman who had wel- comed her. Minnie Pearl, on. My dad was from Brindlee Mtn. I’ve also heard phrases like back set instead of setback, youins, H-E-double toothpicks, slicker than snot, and some I can’t tell here. Some of the cast members, like Buck Owens, Grandpa Jones, Archie Campbell, Minnie Pearl and Junior Samples, have passed away, but as long as I live, I’ll remember the laughter I enjoyed watching them perform on “Hee Haw.” Shannon J. Allen is sports editor of The Sand Mountain Reporter. 5:00P. On her 104th birthday, take a look at how the quick-witted comedian shaped country culture. So raise your hand if ever in Florida or anywhere up North, people looked at you funny if you talked about going to the grocery store and filling up your ‘buggy’. While producing an amateur musical comedy in Baileyton, Alabama, she met a mountain woman whose style and talk became the basis for "Cousin Minnie Pearl". I knew some older gentlemen who never said, “thank you.” Instead, they would say, “much obliged,” although it would sound more like “much-a-blodged” to me. The decidedly down-home Minnie is the alter ego of Sarah Colley Cannon, a refined and educated native of Centerville, Tennessee. He used to say “I’ve got a whoopin laid up for you”. Or your fixin to get stripped legs. I mean taters. I didn’t grow up on Sand Mountain but, my Mom and Dad did…….I reckon I understand what you just said….don’t forget the kin folk…. At home, we never had “lunch.”  Lunch was something you had at school. Minnie Pearl. I use many of these frequently. Then I went out in front of the hundred or so men in the audience and said, “I’d like to give you my interpretation of the mountain girl, Minnie Pearl.” I started telling them about the marvelous, mythical town of Grinder’s Switch. Back then we reckoned. I have heard these all my life and have said them on occasion when the moment called for it. Nashville. After seeing her perform at a Lions Club event, WSM-Radio program director Harry Stone offered her a Grand Ole Opry audition. It certainly made me smile. I have heard many,many of these phrases and I grew up on “the other Mountain”.. lol Really enjoyed your blog. Rod Brasfield and Minnie Pearl 1954 & 1955 - Duration: 55:35. I knew a few old-timers whose primary occupation was “piddlin.” They would piddle in the morning, and piddle in the evening. Maybe you can help me keep them alive, by handing this down to your grand-young’uns. “Well I’ll be a monkey’s unkle”, was one of my Pop’s sayings. Sources. At one point, a character shakes his head and says, “Lordy mercy!” My Pennsylvania-born wife Cindy looked at me and said, “Where did that come from?”  I told her, “That’s from MY neck of the woods.”. At his request, she temporarily stopped traveling with the Opry road shows and dedicated her extra time to charities such as Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, the National Heart Association, and the American Cancer Society. All you Yankees that a loaf of white bread if bought from the store. And sure do miss you all. And when my uncle teased her about sweet milk, she switched it for buttermilk once. Knew & heard all of those sayings plus many more.. My parents grew up in Bryant (aka Long Island). So, it lives on. I was probably 12 before I knew that “directly” was the word I’d hear people say when they were telling someone they would arrive soon. ‘I put a wrench on my head ‘ meaning ‘I dyed my hair’. It sounded to me like, “I’ll be over there dreckly!”. Classic episodes of The Big Joe Polka Show. Her first stage performance as Minnie Pearl was in 1939 in Aiken, South Carolina. I am definitely helping to keep them alive in my classroom! I’d love to see your book! Country Music. My foot! In 1934 she began to work for William P. Sewell, founder of a theater company that sent teams of field workers throughout the South to organize local dramatic productions. From the edge of the lake it looks perfectly like a grave mound and tombstone. I really enjoyed your story David. north of Chattanooga but it seems those in that era in the rural south spoke the same language. (Speaking of Minnie, she referred to her brother as “Brother,” like a lot of us did. Minnie Pearl, who spent some time on Sand Mountain in 1936, said she got a lot of her sayings from a local family. I’ll kill a bean and knock a tater in the head.” She was also friends with the Louvin sisters (Charlie and Ira’s sisters) and could tell some tales from that era. Minnie Pearl soon became famous on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville where she was a regular for more than 50 years. If a little boy sneezed, his Mama would say, “Scat there!” That always helped shoo away the sneeze. I actually did have a student named Sammy Hill! While producing an amateur musical comedy in Baileyton, Alabama. Thank you for reading. See more ideas about minnie, country music, opry. With her trademark straw hat dangling its price tag and her raucous “ How-dee! ... Minnie Pearl Season #2015, Ep. Her droll stories and impeccable timing affected Colley deeply. Picked lots of cotton also. Required fields are marked *, David Carroll's Chattanooga Radio and TV © 2021, Website by. Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon (October 25, 1912 – March 4, 1996), known professionally as her stage character Minnie Pearl, was an American country comedian who appeared at the Grand Ole Opry for more than 50 years (from 1940 to 1991) … After graduation she taught dance, dramatics, and piano to local children in Centerville, but longed for a serious acting career. 10. He built the old Columbia River Highway in Oregon, a Stonehenge replica and a museum in Maryhill, Washington, and the Peace Arch in Blaine, Washington. Never heard that one ( I did hear the first part). Another word I was wondering about that I heard all my life is “oosh” or “ouche” … When I say it others seem to think I am speaking another language ?? That’s where I met some real characters whose Southern-fried words are embedded in my memory. Mar 24, 2015 - Explore Kathy Morrison's board "Minnie Pearl", followed by 879 people on Pinterest. Shoot-far! She usually said she was in “a mell of a hess.” I miss her so much. UncleGertrudes. She wasn’t as particular about “cussin” as some folks today if something was unsatisfactory, it was “Sh*t far (fire) and save matches” or “H*ll’s bells”. In 1985 Cannon was diagnosed with breast cancer, and after undergoing a double mastectomy, devoted her time to education and counseling. They never seemed to get anything done, which I later learned is the very definition of piddlin. For help you . Milton Welch 115,124 views. Thanks David. I remember my Grand mother tell my uncle. Alabama born and raised, but lived outside Chicago for 21 years as an adult. I’m sure there are hundreds more that elude me at the moment. 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