Normally, I have no patience for vinyl records that are divorced from their cardboard jackets, but I once took a chance on three loose LPs — a transcription of a syndicated radio program that had been broadcast in 1977 — and was richly rewarded. But only because I had spent my first twenty-eight years in Cincinnati and am rather familiar with the city’s streetscape. It was almost as if my finding this particular item in a Berkeley Springs, West Virginia charity shop was divinely orchestrated as some sort of cosmic contest for this music-obsessed former Cincinnatian, for I had to wade through several hours of a broadcast of Ralph Emery‘s weekly radio show from January 24, 1977 to find this moment. And what a moment it is. But, again – only if you know the street layout of Cincinnati’s core business district.
Nine Songs About Her –
Plus one about Cincinnati
On this particular episode of The Ralph Emery Show, Ralph’s special guest happens to be Joe Stampley, who is promoting his latest album, Ten Songs About Her. At one point in the broadcast, Emery wants to talk about the story behind the title of the song, “Apartment #4, Sixth Street & Cincinnati” with Stampley, who is completely unprepared for the ambush that awaits him. As it turns out, Ralph (and I, too) know that “Apartment #4, Sixth Street & Cincinnati” is a non-existent street address — mainly since there is no street by the name of Cincinnati anywhere within the city limits. But Stampley doesn’t know that.
Stampley, who is from Springhill, Louisiana, innocently insists that the song title is the actual location of the girlfriend of a person connected to Norro Wilson, one of the tune’s main songwriters (although this source, finds Bobby Braddock to be the song’s sole tunesmith). Ralph, however, doesn’t come right out and bust Stampley. Nor does he exactly help Joe save face either. Instead, Emery slyly inquires, “You mean this would be, ‘Apartment #4, Sixth Street in Cincinnati’?”
Stampley, however, pretends not to understand what Emery is getting at and simply answers, “Right,” but you can tell that by now he is getting wind that the host is pricking his balloon with all the nitpicking over the song’s title. You can actually hear the air escaping. So much so that by the time you can hear him declare, “It’s kind of a clever idea, I think” over the opening strains of the song, Joe is audibly deflated — and sadly unconvincing.
[Click on triangle above to hear Ralph Emery grill Joe Stampley over the song title, “Apartment #4, Sixth Street & Cincinnati“]
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Would You Believe?
“Apartment #4, Sixth Street & Cincinnati” rubs shoulders with Willie Nelson’s “Whiskey River,” Lynn Anderson’s “Listen To A Country Song,” and Mary Kay Place’s “Save The Last Dance For Me” on a hand-picked Columbia compilation from 1979 entitled, Don’t Stop The Music.
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Postscript:
Song Inspired by Las Vegas – Not Ohio?
Joe Palma posits (in his comment below) that perhaps Norro Wilson, who was living in Las Vegas at the time, took songwriting inspiration from Sin City’s Cincinnati Avenue?
(image courtesy of Google)
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LINK to Ralph Emery
LINK to Country Rock
LINK to Cincinnati In Song
One Response
I just checked and there is a Cincinatti Ave. in Las Vegas, which would seem to be more
than a little coincidental. Maybe Joe Stampley knew the story but missed that detail
of it, that it was Apt. 4 on Cincinatti (Ave.) in Vegas, where Joe said Norro was living.
Just pretty trivial, but that explanation makes perfect sense.
Just a thought….many years later.