America, Why I Love Her

America, Why I Love Her

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This sentimentally over-the-top spoken-word recording was originally issued in 1973, during the height of Watergate and the final, unsettling days of the Vietnam War. In the wake of September 11, 2001, the John Wayne Estate reissued it on CD. And why not? Marion Morrison, a.k.a. John Wayne and the Duke, remains an enduring symbol of America--a country with an endlessly conflicted legacy of largely improvised symbolism, national myths, revised-on-a-dime history, and the freedom to make a buck on effusive patriotic rhetoric. Kitsch collectors may welcome the chance to own a true genre staple in digital sound, while others may yet find genuine solace in its orchestra-and-choir-backed oratory. With a poetic sensibility that seldom strays from the "Carolina pines/Appalachian mines" level of its opening verses, Wayne's processed voice (which betrays the health problems that would be his demise) expounds on topics that range from his homeland's undeniable natural beauty to his son's high school football career and the wisdom of a fictionalized aging Mexican caballero. The would-be idealism in "The Hyphen" aims to erase ethnic and racial boundaries, yet modern hyphenated Americans may find continued prejudice and the vagaries of history have rendered its rhetoric distinctly double-edged. Still, Wayne's love of country emanates from every track. Patriotism may be the last refuge of scoundrels, but it's been graciously hospitable to Hollywood icons, from the Duke to Dutch Reagan. --Jerry McCulley

From the Artist
Folks: All of my life I've felt privileged to have had good friends around me, privileged to have been able to do the kind of work I know and love the best, and to have been born in a country whose immense beauty and grandeur are matched only by the greatness of her people. For a number of years I have tried to express a deep and profound love for these things; to be able to say what I feel in my heart. And now, in this album, I've had the chance to do so. I know most of you feel the same as... read more --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Album Description
This best-selling recording was performed by the legendary John Wayne. It's finally available as Duke’s spoken-word CD of poetry, written by Big John Mitchum. It's a must-have for all patriotic Americans, film buffs, collectors and poetry fans. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.