Slim Whitman, Cowboy Copas, And Tom T. Hall

Once upon a simpler time, a local TV radio station attempted to reclaim past glories with a "barn dance"-style of counrty music, al la The Grand Ol' Opry or the WLS Barn Dance, or any number of variants on the theme.

A voice from the dim and misty past, Slim Whitman, was enjoying a renaissance of popularity, and headlined the debut broadcast. It was my pleasure to fly into CMH with Slim, who mostly napped and sampled small bottles of spiritous refreshment and revival.

Far from the legends of the genre, Slim was the consummate professional. He showed up, did his job, and avoided scandal. He broke little new ground; he was himself, at all times.And himself was pretty darn good on most every night.

Based on Slim's srong opening, the next show featured a unique writer and performer, Tom T. Hall. "The Storyteller" created a school and style of country music, and single-handedly wrote a heart-stopping, chart-topping string of hits beginning in 1971 and placing 26 singles in the BMI Top Ten.

The crowd, as we say, went wild.

There was not ever to be a Cowboy Copas show. The Country Gentleman, essentially a honky-tonk singer left over from the '40s, perished in the plane crash that also took Hawkshaw Hawkins and Patsy Cline from us.

But, the model was not a financial hit, anyway, and the concept folded, so there were no shows headlined by has-beens, up-and-comers, wanna-bes, journeymen or masters.

The lessons for supply chain practitioners are these: There's room for shooting stars, game-changers,  innovators, and thought/style leaders; we need them desperately.  There's also room—and a need—for journeymen and journeywomen—capable performers who've mastered their craft and are on top of the game.

Maybe not stars. But capable and reliable performers; we need them desperately, too.