Rusty the Soldier (Part 2)

Annotation — My Lai & Lt. William Calley Songs

- Rusty the Soldier (Thompson, Ronnie) - My Lai / Lt. Calley, defends Calley, country - It's a no win war, in Vietnam for you and for me. - Followed order, My Lai to take. - Vietcong everywhere, set Calley free. - Media have tarnished his name - He's a scapegoat. - Record World, 1 May 1971, by Lee Barry. An original tune written on a big silver bird winging its way to a White House meeting with President Richard Nixon...that's the story of the latest composition from Macon's budding tunesmith Ronnie Thompson. After a 40-minute visit with imprisoned Army Lt. William Calley, Macon Mayor Ronnie Thompson became so overwhelmed with Calley's situation that he felt inspired to write a song about his friend, "Rusty the Soldier." The Mayor, a longtime friend of the Georgia recording industry, has just completed recording the tune with Bobby Smith in the big swivel producer's chair at the Starday-King studio. In an interview prior to his recording session, Thompson asserted that he intended to donate all proceeds from the Federal label release to "Rusty's" defense fund. Present plans call for His Honor to personally deliver the first copy of "Rusty the Soldier" to Lt. Calley. By the way…

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Notes

Part 2 of the two-sided single; see Part 1.

About the artist

Ronnie Thompson, born 21 July 1934 in Augusta, Georgia; died 22 March 2020. Gospel and country singer who formed the Ronnie Thompson Quartet by 1955, appeared on Georgia television through the 1960s, cut the Starday LP "Here I Am" (1970), and served as Mayor of Macon, Georgia, 1967-1975 - the first Republican to hold the office. [Source: Wikipedia; Mercer University]

Themes

Patriotic · My Lai · Pro-Calley · Calley-Order · Calley-Scapegoat · Calley-Danger · VC · Journalist · Anti-War

In collections

My Lai & Lt. William Calley Songs