Tom Fair's 20 Great American Performances

Tom Fair is this cool singer songwriter dude I met at the Pete Seeger birthday party at the Backstage.  He writes good, sings good, and you should check him out at his myspace page by clicking on his name up at the top of this graph.

Anyway, 4th of July he sent out this excellent essay about finding reasons to be proud of America.  And he capped it off with a great list of killer performances he found on youtube.  And since this is just the kind of thing I like to include in the SongMine, and I've been so darn busy I haven't been keeping the SongMine hopping lately, I thought I'd share Tom's list with you.  Start digging!...

TOM'S TOP TWENTY AMERICAN MUSICAL ARTISTS FOR 2009 (not in any particular order, other than the order in which I found the videos)

 ELVIS / THAT’S ALRIGHT MAMA 69
Elvis unplugged and seated:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAonlWEWYF8

 BOB DYLAN / BLOWING IN THE WIND
Dylan at his peak, his best - Concert for Bangladesh:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4nPJ-YYHBc

My favorite American female vocalist:
MARTINA McBRIDE / IN MY DAUGHTER’S EYES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLS0Y40WwlA

WHERE WOULD YOU BE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fRBLzffy5U

THERE YOU ARE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5Z1pR5DTd0

GEORGE JONES, TAMMY WYNETTE et al / HEROES AND FRIENDS
Guest appearance by Roy Rogers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1pw5fkJIDw

NITTY GRITTY DIRT BAND / FISHIN’ IN THE DARK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh3ml8gzrd4

SPINNERS / RUBBERBAND MAN
Smooth and Funky – they had it all:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7KHSzf10T4

HALL & OATES / EDDIE KENDRICKS & DAVID RUFFIN
At the Apollo theatre:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2swurbxq50

EARL SCRUGGS & STEVE MARTIN et al
On Letterman – hottest guitar & banjo pickin’ you ever saw:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icMTVV5Lwaw

EAGLES / TAKE IT EASY
Hell Freezes Over version, very tight musicianship:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScG0ilS0dgI

Original Eagles line-up, also with Jackson Browne & Linda Ronstadt:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kTAT4vj_hI

BEACH BOYS / THEIR HEARTS WERE FULL OF SPRING
Beach Boys a capella:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Vy4eVYJQrs

THE HIGHWAYMEN / THE HIGHWAYMAN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw1bHaUk1CM

EMMYLOU, LINDA & DOLLY / TRIO
Each one takes lead on a separate song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IP0VGRDIaI

HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS / NATIONAL ANTHEM
International Good Will - bringing the U.S. to Japan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxF9wCQTSiM

CHUCK & THE BOSS / JOHNNY B. GOODE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epHPXZBsp8M

NEVILLE BROTHERS / THE SOUND
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epHPXZBsp8M

JT & DIXIE CHICKS / SWEET BABY JAMES
If JT had three daughters, they would sound like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoN5B6UyMss

THE ICEMAN (JERRY BUTLER) / MAKE IT EASY ON YOURSELF
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbtY4eKQADo

WE ARE THE WORLD / USA FOR AFRICA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmxT21uFRwM

VENICE / THE FAMILY TREE
Local LA heroes, a great contemporary group:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcEURhzbbA8

MANHATTAN TRANSFER / OPERATOR
Smokin'!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r8286teVgc

JACKSON BROWN / RUNNIN’ ON EMPTY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bww2prhAWEA