Leo Kottke - Pamela Brown

[modelleg]

To all loves lost...

[arjunbanerjee]

Leo Kottke said that his voice sounds like "geese farts on a muggy day", but I think he actually sings quite well!

[signjay]

This was a great series on Channel 2 in the Twin Cities. Why it was canceled is anyone's guess. This was also during a time when Leo was struggling with constant pain due to carpal tunnel. We're all thankful he got it fixed. What an incredible player.

[gageman70]

@signjay I can't believe things like this used to be on T.V. wow

[jappychap]

He just makes it look so damned easy!

[fdjondal1]

I thought Greg Brown wrote this song.

[XLIVwhodat]

@fdjondal1 If that was the case would pamela brown be a relative? Given they were never married. Lol.

[844jimthompson]

Leo knows his range when he sings He,s quite good at it.As far as his guitar playing he,s the BEST i EVER SAW.He,s so good with his crowd. He,s so funny.He said at one show that I was present that he was having a better time than the crowd

[844jimthompson]

I think us men all have a Pamela Brown story.I cryed for weeks.But it was all for the better.I have the best wife in the world now.So I guess I owe it all to Donna Jean.

[TerryPFunk]

So good......

[chevy790]

f**k this guy can play a mean guitar

[XLIVwhodat]

I could listen to 1:33-1:53 for every second for the rest of my life.

[themanren]

Leo Kottke is just a fantastic guitar player. No doubt about it, one of the best!

[Mouldytone]

The extraordinary Mr Kottke exploring the ironic side of lyrics as (almost) always. Love Tom T`s song and love Leo`s version most of all.

Tony

[JedF2010]

To be dreadfully honest I didn't like his singing THAT much. but on Pamela Brown it fits the song perfectly.

[Sammie078VDP]

That's pretty much one of the best gee-tar players I've seen live. Play it Leeeeeooooo!

[Frailerpark]

Leo is basically unequalled on a 12 sting I think.

[MUSESQ]

He is so Beautiful, what we should all aspire to, guitar players, people, geese,

[srsteve12]

I saw Leo at the Coach House a couple of years ago, he was so close and it sounded like a CD he was so tight and good couldn't believe it. all guitar players including me in audiance trying to figure out how he does it.

[Grouchomx]

By Leo's own admission, his voice sounds like "Goose farts on a muggy day..."

[carollizc]

@Grouchomx Actually, I like his voice - it's warm and comfortable. like an old sweater, while his guitar playing just leaves me in complete awe. Wonderful combination.

[seamastertime]

Phyllis George, former Miss America and NFL Today host, has a very beautiful and talented daughter named Pamela Brown. She's a television reporter in Washington DC. Phyllis had never heard of this song so I was happy to find this rendition to send her. I and my buddies sat at Leo's feet in Moody Colosseum on the SMU campus in Dallas and saw him perform it in 1974. Stuck with me ever since.

[srsteve12]

Pure Genius

[ocgiii]

I saw this exact show on PBS the night before my high school graduation, and 5 months after I started learning guitar. Leo was the reason I didn't give up!

[rpdugoni]

Love this one..and "Louise". Saw him in 1974 for the 1st time. Seen him about 10 times. Love Leo!

[cyberties]

I was in 8th grade and she in 6th. I loved her from afar and lacked the courage to tell her,

and her name really WAS Pamela Brown. That was long ago and far away in my home town of Champaign, Illinois.

Here's to you Pamela, wherever you may be. And wherever that is, I pray you are very happy!

[parkt6792]

@cyberties find her on fb

[iaingbrennan]

Yes he does! Now you come to mention it!

What a virtuoso of the 12-string, this guy is, long may he continue to play.

[keo774]

doesn't he looks like neil young at the beginning of the video?

[lambdachi1826]

I am the 163,000rd view of this....far too few. I love this tune like I can't even explain!!! Cheers to the rest of you partaking in this greatness too!!

[qn35]

nice voice too

[MilesPittman]

is that open G?

[cocochanelleke]

... and he has a warm voice, too!

[lenard1977]

have I ever mentioned how much i like this tune?

[woodyt56]

Another great KSHE classic. Everybody grow your hair long, light up a joint and pretend it's 1973.

[MrJojogun]

@woodyt56 you mean it's not 1973?....where in the @#$% am I...holy$%%^aaahhh Kottke still playing on my turntable...backup on the reel to reel....Jeeez what a dream!!! Hey dude! quit bogarting that J.......t!

[TheSwampkatz]

awesome sounding 12 string slide guitar!

[fortuenti]

Amazing virtuoso ... then and now!

[GibsonHummingbird]

Leo in his youth ...he's had some lousy lodgings.

[MrBluesTrain]

gotta love Leo's smirks! Great tune!

[bkeay100]

Kotke is the undisputed King of the 12 String Guitar

Educate me if I m wrong ,but I ve never heard anyone better

WHAT A SONG

What a performance

Even the Great Chet Atkins was amazed at Kotke

[soapbarbob]

gr8 pickin'! bad haircut,jesus help us!!!

[hrothgleas]

@soapbarbob I looked a lot like that back then.

Shame I didn't sound more like him, too.

[feristelli]

so much more beautiful than the studio recording!

[Grouchomx]

By his own admission, he singing voice sounds like "Goose farts on a muggy day..." : )

[Lafayettebluesman]

@Grouchomx That's ridiculous, his voice is beautiful! (It's funny, I'm 14 and my dad brought 6and12 string guitar home on vinyl, and I screamed like a little girl. Jeez I love Leo.)

[LikeSomeDickFuck1337]

How do you say his last name?

[coolram52]

cot-key

[raas33]

This guy is briljant!!!

[journeyquest1]

Matt Dylon??

[Alan62651]

"She dug him 'cause he drove a pickup truck." Is Leo the only guy in Minnesota who doesn't drive a pickup truck? How else can one go ice-fishing?

[therandman1]

lol right on

[chiefhalftown]

A young Leo and one of the best performances he has done of this Tom T Hall song. He gives it just the right reading.

[jcrawford82294]

What great, great music. Leo has it all.

[y2nutta]

Yeah he is still around touring, I am going to see him this weekend. Not sure how big a tour he does these days, but I am excited to see him for the first time.

[fatalfflaw]

fine memories... i worked security at his gig in milwaukee oriental theatre , then saw him 15 years later just drop jaws in atlanta, he stil around?

[whirlspinner]

Oh my sweet Lord, pure talent.. Such beautiful pure sweet talent........... The Genuine Article, how refreshing these days....

Was lucky enough to see Mr Kottke live in concert away back in the Seventies, in Alaska, of all places... It's still one of my all-time peak experiences, that I enjoy recounting, to this day... :-)

Thank you Mr Kottke, thank you........

[joealanouf]

just found the album greenhouse in my collecion. forgot i had it. lisseind to it about 6 times eatch side yeatser day while laying down

[laurapolkflint]

Thank you, Thank you , Thank you for posting this video ... says so much ... for me it defines the good times!

[wilkiemart]

for some strange reason his face reminds me of david gilmour i dont know why...

[scratcherscratcher]

the best

[vodka041147]

Agreed. Simply the best.

[mmgdavis]

get a life!! this man is one of the best, save your armchair bullshit for folks who r stupid

[lenard1977]

Great Song, it certainly makes you think about the silver linings and all.....this version seems to carry alot more emotion than the others also and he seems more relaxed playing it......great performance, great song..

[Rasurusan]

I saw a website somewhere that showed how he tuned his guitar most of the time. As I recall he used open G quite a bit. Not sure that is all he used. He is amazing. I wish I could find Cradle to the Grave from the Greenhouse album. Louise was on that record as well.

[jeffreyjennings]

Was actually for Dana Brown

[honeyroyellis]

Who is Dana Brown?

[honeyroyellis]

Actually this song was written by Tom T. Hall.

[mojoman64]

@honeyroyellis

Sure seems like the song really means something to him though. When that happens to a musician, you get great performances like this.

[honeyroyellis]

@mojoman64 I love Leo's rendition best. Still my favorite version. I've played it for 30 years as I also had a "Pamela Brown" in my life. Never like Leo who is the best.

[Tenntoad]

To Wesalittle: Nope....bush555 is right, it's Open G. However Leo tunes down his 12 string 1.5 - 2.0 steps. 1.5 steps would make the pitch E. Another tip for you: Note how he's hitting the root note at the 5th fret on his high E string (which in this case is C#). You can't do this in Open D...it would have to be the 2nd string, 5th fret.

In summary, I 100% guarantee he plays this in Open G.

Hope this helps.

Rgds,

Joe Carpenter

[dahuterschuter]

Wow, this guy makes me want to learn to play twelve-string. He's so good, I can't even come close to that on a six string.

[ronaldsneek]

Uncle Leo is one of the greatest acoustic players ever!

[ronaldsneek]

Great song, makes you think about your life if your'e a poor jackass who's wife rules your life. Single life rules for sure.

[wyldeotse]

Still such a cool beautiful song, after all these years. Thank you Leo Kottke, for sharing your awesome voice and yourself , with my world.

The cosmos is a damn sight better place because you're in it !!!

[Simon20Lagree]

Great song by Tom T. Hall, immortalized by Leo Kottke...

[SoulamSee]

...me too!

[grieche56]

every day....... and i was happy !!!!!!!

[stanleycreek]

WHAT a cutie..have always loved him !

[lucianocraveiro]

Great video. I've just embed this video to my blog: Elemento Musical

[FunBoy15]

his voice is good though

[grieche56]

man muss diesen menschen live gesehen haben!!!! (ich zähle mich zu den glücklichen)

[softguitarr]

tritt leo kottke heute noch auf?

[grieche56]

in den letzten jahren nur mehr in den us. auch in österreich war er leider nur einmal zu sehen (graz)

[egrogshub]

I remember this song being played by Mesa, Arizona dj Nina Joy of KDKB-FM way back when.....

Many thanks for posting!

[wolfeaglenetwork]

Wow I have not heard this song in a long time.

I gave it 5stars even though the audio is breaking. " I owe it all to Jesus" :)

[dstill92]

Does anybody know what tuning he's using?

[geetarwanabe]

open G

(D G D G B D ) low to high.

[wesalittle]

Open D

D A D F# A D

[bush555]

Haha no man it's open G

[wesalittle]

To bush555 - you're kidding, right? This song is in D. Tune your guitar like I just said and play the song with your slide like Leo- open, 5th fret and 7th fret (with a 2nd fret E in the chorus). At least hit a single D note along with the beginning of the song so you can hear what key it's in, man. Haha

[jamesappleridge]

Have loved this song for going on 30 years, we all have someone like a pamela brown we can thank for not being a part of our lives anymore.

Thanks to all who have gone away to leave me here to live the life I have now.

Ha ha

Shelley

[richintalent]

As a former owner of a 12 string (that I miss very dearly) I can attest to their excellent sound- a pain in the ass to tune correctly though.

[RainerHendrick]

Beautiful! Thank's to KoRt7 for hosting this song. I saw this performance in television when I was about 14 years young and I never forgott. Even though I never heard it since then.

[ChicagoBeth1945]

FYI - this song was written by Tom T. Hall

[BenAliGtor]

Used to perform this one for friends back in college- changing the name "Pamela" for that of a gal also surnamed "Brown"....she loved it!

[fender1739]

This is for oceans34. The slide really is a "bottleneck slide". It's the top portion from a wine bottle neck. Leo stated in "Guitar Player" many years ago that he had them cut from "Almaden" wine bottles. I had a few cut at a glass shop. The slight curvature works very well, especially on a 12-string. Later on Leo started using metal slides. It's my understanding he has them turned at a machine shop. I don't know what kind of metal or curvature specs, if any, are involved.

[Guitarworld1910]

he plays good on a 12 string!

[stratorobert]

Great, my father play this song when i was a young boy on his 12 string ,Leo is the best

[GuitarNerd1]

The slide is probably the legendary early early 20th century medicine bottle mentioned across the net - they trade for legendary prices

[oceans34]

Does anyone know what kind of a slide this is? Glass or what? I've never ever been able to find one that seems like it would fit. I'm really interested in learning the slide techniques and have been studying open tunings for a while now. If anyone could help me out I'd appreciate it!! Thanks for posting this video too, Leo Kottke is a dream come true!!

[MiniMoppel]

It's not so important, what kind of slide you use (the ones of glass are sound a little smoother than the chromed ones).

It's more a thing of what guitar you have. The strings need a little more distance to the neck, so that the sound has room to develop.

I have experienced that it works with my Daion Western-Guitar, but not with my Ovation.

So maybe just try another guitar.

[bolson567]

i take back my previous comment i kind of like his voice

[cocochanelleke]

Kottke compared his own voice to "geese farts on a muggy day" and "goose farts on a rainy Sunday morning". I´m not sure about the exact words, but the goose fart bit I clearly remember

I used to find his voice quite warm and soothing back in the seventies.

:)

[pitdog7]

I think it was "a goose fart on a muggy day" at least that's how I heard it. Regardless, I'd listen to his goose farts all day if he just plucks that 12-string. :-)

[erniegoss57]

I love the song. Another Athens, Georgia product. What's in that city water?

Ernie

[bolson567]

i prefer his instramentals, i don't really like his voice.

[diamondrhyme]

too bad for you. I love it. Want to get WAY out there? Get a copy of Burnt Lips. It'll reinvent your mind. :)

[bolson567]

i'll check it out

[LeeteaHutchin]

YOU DONT LIKE HIS VOICE!!YOU DONT LIKE HIS VOICE!!YOU DONT LIKE HIS VOICE!!YOU DONT LIKE HIS VOICE!! Have you no soul???

Kindest Regards,

Lee x

[dlevin76]

HAHAHAHAHhahahaaha!! hahahaha! *snort* heh. whoo...

[rockinroller7]

Perhaps, not totally, but I can relate.

I got to do plenty of traveling.

Saw many things of beauty. The kind of beauty that keeps you yearning to travel.

Yeah, the guy did drive a truck.

[Jarrahnut]

I used to live across the road to a Pamela ... I thought she was lovely ... but I don't think she liked me ... sad ... isn't it ... unrequited love? But, thankfully, I went on to meet my wonderful wife ... she is the real true love of my life. And I love her ...

[yendoreor]

Leo at his best: 12 string guitar and a great Tom T. Hall song. I would like to know the tuning. I don't think it is "drop" D. Maybe "slack string" open G.

[bigskyguy58]

open G, it works for me

[eddiethe111]

This song by my buddy Leo was fairly

responsible for me escaping US New York for a life a around the world over 30 years!!!

Thanks again....

[dummyguava]

Does anyone know the tuning he used for this - I thought it was open D (drop a tone or two) but some of the fingerings don't seem to match..

[Tenntoad]

Yes, it's Open G, down 1.5 or 2.0 steps.

[ScooterNerd]

Absolute master of the twelve string.

[musictheropist]

outstanding Leo - so relaxed and true

i lost my pamela too

[JohnGee1977]

Thanks so much...

[JohnGee1977]

Bless you for sharing this song - it helps me relive memories I thought I'd lost. I'm not sure, but I think this concert was somewhere in NY and I'm in there somewhere with MY Pamela Brown..

[Tenntoad]

Sorry, this show wasn't in NY. It was in Minneapolis, on the Night Time Variety TV show (1982). This is the same show where Michael Johnson did the duet with Leo on "Mona Ray".

[duinnerfs]

This song and "Cradle to the Grave" are certainly my favorites as performed by Kottke on his album called "Greenhouse" Thanks for posting this one, great work.....

[Mouldytone]

Wonderful. Ice Water is one of my favourite Leo records and I`ve always loved this Tom T Hall cover. I`ve never seen a clip for it before. Thanks for uploading it.

[AfricamAddict]

This is one of my least favorite Leo songs EXCEPT THAT you can tell that he enjoys it so much. So even though I don't really like the song, it makes me happy to hear him sing it. Leo rules. =)

[gattosub]

If there ever was a Guitarist who could be called America's best, it's Leo. Been a fan for 30 years and will be so forever. Smoke them wires Leo

[LemonadeBoy]

Did this guy actually say sometime that he can't sing??

He sure sings well!

[songster22046]

Yes, like "Geese farts on a muggy day".

[DEATHoB4oDISHONOR]

Like "Geese farts on a muggy day". HAHAHAHA!!! You fuckin douche bag. It sounds like you're the one that needs to take the cyanide.

[jgaller]

That is how Leo described his own singing. He said he sounded like "geese farts on a muggy day."

[stegg17]

Yet another reason to bow at the musical altar of YouTube!

[SiMoFkr]

I can relate to this tune in some aspects

[hirondel]

Always one of my favorite songs, thanks!

[BeatnikManfred]

Awesome...many thanks for upload....Take Care

[mcphate]

Join the new Fingerstyle Guitar Club of Brooklyn: brooklynfingerstyle dot com

[nighters]

I remember seeing this on another site, have been looking for it ever since. Thanks for posting.

Any chance of posting Airproofing II ?

[cesbass]

Great memories. Thanks

[KrisShred]

Great

[yhz22]

great song thanks ! :D.