I have my own a cappella version of Cotton Eyed Joe. It's slow, bluesy, and mournful. Paul Mills and I recorded it in 2000 on a CD called All the Good Times. These days, it's selling through iTunes Europe, but I still have some hard copies for ayone who'd like one. People love to sing along. It came down to me from Doug Bush, Nina Simone, and Josh White.

I,too, heard it recently on Dancing With the Stars. I loved that version as well. It's part of the fiddle-tune tradition, a little jazzed up for modern country-music fans. A touch of the Charlie Daniels sound. And why not keep adapting the song for different times and tastes? That way, it will live forever.

I make no apology for watching the dance shows. I'm a performer myself and I learn a lot from the work ethic of the dancers, especially the kids on So You Think You Can Dance?

I usually avoid anything on tv that did not originate with HBO, home of arguably the best films being made in the US today, but I do learn a lot from the dance shows - and from baseball, of course! Baseball teaches me everything I need to know about the ups and downs of life.

Balladeer