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Everyday Creation
This show has to do with different kinds of creation: human, divine, and a third kind that connects the two. Our human creativity is easy to talk about because clearly we're prolific creators. We make music, we write, we cook; we establish businesses, we design gardens, we invent things. The list goes on and on. Another kind of creation is divine. We feel its presence when, for example, we contemplate birth, death, our life purpose, or have a quiet realization that there's something bigger than us. The third kind is perhaps a little more difficult to grasp and yet, with a little practice, it's easy to put into action. This is the personal power each of us has to direct our thoughts, words and actions every day toward what we want in our life and world, rather than what we don't want.
This sounds heavier than it is. For me, this show is an acknowledgment that while we're all here to learn and grow and do our best, there's still plenty of opportunity to relax, laugh, love, and enjoy this playground we call life. So my hope is that you'll get some enjoyment and illumination out of these episodes. Here you'll find interviews with delightfully creative individuals; short stories about some who have passed away; and essays about personal power.
I'm Kate Jones, host and creator of Everyday Creation. Thank you for following my show.
Everyday Creation
YoYo Man Tommy Smothers and His Brother Brought Laughs to the World Along with Their Music
Tommy Smothers and his brother, Dick, started out as a serious musical act that morphed into one of 20th century’s most successful comedy teams.
In the '60s, they were the eponymous stars of the Sunday night TV variety show “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour." In this clip from the show, Tommy performs yo-yo tricks following his brother's commands. And here's a video from 1988 when they played with the Boston Pops. Both are fun, and the comments are good too. Here's one of them: "Tommy was a class act. The YoYo Man......'Mom always liked you best' and so much more. Thanks for all the laughs Tommy. Rest In Peace."
The picture in the thumbnail and the chapters, credited to CBS Television, is a 1967 cropped photo available on commons.wikimedia.org. It shows Tommy performing on the brothers' show. The photo does not include who he was performing with — his brother and their guest, Judy Collins.
Also in the chapters, you can go right to the tribute by skipping my intro; feel free to skip my closing remarks too. Both are there to provide context for those who haven't listened to the other tributes.
Sheldon Zoldan, a longtime writer and editor, wrote and recorded this tribute and the others in the series. He also writes a Song of the Day story that he sends by email to a list of subscribers. To get on his subscriber list, email shzoldan@comcast.net with the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD.
Audio engineer/musician Mike Villegas edited all the audio for this series. Hope you enjoy these intriguing glimpses into the lives of the people who made some of the music we love.
This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation, available on YouTube and in podcast directories including Apple, Audible, iHeart and Spotify.
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Kate:
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Hello, and welcome to Everyday Creation. This is
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your host, Kate Jones, with one of 44
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tributes
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to significant figures in the music industry
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who passed away in 2023.
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My guest Sheldon Zoldan,
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a longtime writer and newspaper editor,
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wrote these short biographies
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and recorded them.
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Each one is an intriguing
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glimpse into the life and impact
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of someone who contributed
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to the soundtracks of our lives. Here's what
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Sheldon has to say in this tribute.
Sheldon:
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Tommy Smothers was best known for his comic
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banter
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with his brother, Dick,
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but Tommy was an accomplished musician.
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He and his brother began as a serious
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musical act that morphed into one of the
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20th century's most successful comedy teams.
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Tommy Smothers died December 26th
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in Santa Rosa, California,
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of lung cancer.
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He was
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86.
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Tommy was two years older than his brother.
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Their father died in a Japanese POW camp.
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In high school, he was a state champion
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gymnast on the parallel bars.
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The brothers started as folk singers
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but when they realized they didn't know enough
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folk tunes,
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they used comedy bits to extend the songs.
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They hit it big in 1959,
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turning what was supposed to be a two-
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week booking at the Purple Onion in San
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Francisco
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into
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36 weeks.
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They became popular guests on talk and variety
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shows.
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In 1967,
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CBS gave them the deadly Sunday-night time
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slot against NBC's
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number one rated "Bonanza."
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CBS never thought "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour"
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would survive,
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let alone surpass "Bonanza,"
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but it did.
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Tommy might have played the dumb brother, but
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he was the brains behind the show.
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It attracted a young audience
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who appreciated the counterculture
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characters,
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anti war message, and rock bands.
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Tommy spent much of the time fighting the
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censors
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and bad-mouthing CBS.
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The network abruptly canceled the show near the
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end of the third season.
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Tommy and his brother Dick continued their act
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over the years.
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Part of the act included Tommy doing yo-
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yo tricks.
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They would play our Song of the Day
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during the routine.
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Marty Cooper and Rich Kuna
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wrote the Song of the Day, "Yo-Yo
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Man,"
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in
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1969.
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A fun fact:
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Tommy played guitar during John Lennon and Yoko
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Ono's recording
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of "Give Peace a Chance
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recorded in a Montreal
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hotel room in 1969.
Kate:
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This is Kate again. Please go to the
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description for more information and to hear the
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song that Sheldon referenced. If you enjoyed this
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tribute, please check out the rest of them.
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Although some of the names are not as
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familiar as others, the biographies
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are equally intriguing.
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Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation.
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Please share this episode with anyone who might
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enjoy it.
