'Folk.' OK...1954. What's 'country?'

Subject: Folklore: 'Folk.' OK...1954. What's 'country?'
From: saulgoldie
Date: 25 Jan 13 - 08:27 AM

So we've done "What is 'folk'"? to death.

How 'bout "what is "'country'." The instruments? The themes? The accent of the singer? Playability? A time frame, which perhaps has gone? Like what they play currently on "country" stations is more "pop" than "country?" Unless they mention "the South" "tractors" "trucks" "beer or whiskey" or "lovin and losin, or losin and lovin" or "Jesus?" The "artists" who do it?

One song mentions "Cash, Hank, Willie and Waylon."

Anyone?

Saul

Subject: RE: Folklore: 'Folk.' OK...1954. What's 'country?'
From: artbrooks
Date: 25 Jan 13 - 08:32 AM

Same as folk, except the instruments plug into the wall?

Subject: RE: Folklore: 'Folk.' OK...1954. What's 'country?'
From: Will Fly
Date: 25 Jan 13 - 09:03 AM

Being pig ignorant on the subject, I always make a distinction between "old", unplugged country music (the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, the Delmore Brothers) which I love - and modern C&W - which I detest.

So, no help from me, I'm afraid.

Subject: RE: Folklore: 'Folk.' OK...1954. What's 'country?'
From: GUEST,999
Date: 25 Jan 13 - 09:09 AM

Music such that when played backwards results in yer dog living, yer wife coming back and yer pickup starting.

Subject: RE: Folklore: 'Folk.' OK...1954. What's 'country?'
From: Will Fly
Date: 25 Jan 13 - 09:21 AM

LOL! Bruce!

Subject: RE: 'Folk.' OK...1954. What's 'country?'
From: Mark Ross
Date: 25 Jan 13 - 11:21 AM

Bruce, you also get your job back.


Mark Ross

Subject: RE: 'Folk.' OK...1954. What's 'country?'
From: GUEST,999
Date: 25 Jan 13 - 11:28 AM

Hi, Mark. Yeah, indeed. Hope things is good.

Subject: RE: 'Folk.' OK...1954. What's 'country?'
From: Maryrrf
Date: 25 Jan 13 - 11:37 AM

That's a good question and there's probably no real answer. What passes for country on most country radio stations has little in common with what I would call country (and what I would choose to listen to).

Subject: RE: 'Folk.' OK...1954. What's 'country?'
From: Bill D
Date: 25 Jan 13 - 11:56 AM

"Country" is a handy word they stole appropriated from the 'older' music because it would take a paragraph to fairly describe what they have done to the concept in the last 50 years.

Subject: RE: 'Folk.' OK...1954. What's 'country?'
From: Midchuck
Date: 25 Jan 13 - 12:04 PM

Music such that when played backwards results in yer dog living, yer wife coming back and yer pickup starting.

Bruce, you also get your job back.

And you sober up. That's very important.

P.

Subject: RE: 'Folk.' OK...1954. What's 'country?'
From: GUEST,999
Date: 25 Jan 13 - 12:45 PM

LOL

Subject: RE: 'Folk.' OK...1954. What's 'country?'
From: GUEST,Stim
Date: 25 Jan 13 - 04:41 PM

This, now and forever, is country music If I Could Have a Beer with Jesus

Subject: RE: 'Folk.' OK...1954. What's 'country?'
From: GUEST,Big Al Whittle
Date: 25 Jan 13 - 05:04 PM

I had a scary introduction to country music.

I got the courage to get up and perform in folk clubs in my mid twenties - but I found i couldn't get bookings. Not funny enough for the Jasper Carrot set. Unwilling to do phoney English trad accents - felt it was a betrayal of my working class roots.

So I entered a competition one night at the Roebuck Country and Western Club in Erdington. I sang a song in the country idiom I'd knocked up two nights before and Leroy Van Dykes Just Walk on By (wait on the corner). To the annoyance of several REAL committed country singers, I won.

I got to sing at the Wembley Conference Centre - on a festival that had Merle haggard, Don Everly, Don Williams, Vernon Oxford - god knows who else. And Mike Storey - the best country agent at the time asked me to work for him.

So i went on tour. getting paid fees that my idols on the folkscene were cutting each other throats for. However I didn't know ANYTHING.
Never heard of Crystal Chandeliers, Folsom Prison Blues - only dimly aware of Ghost Riders in the sky. For some country clubs - it was like finding they'd booked someone who'd never heard of Kilgarry Mountain, and the Wild rover.

However I learned so much in the years I was a country music singer. I learned that I was right. Working class people actually detest the middle class version of their music. To them, its like calling them niggers.

I learned the craft of musicianship - how to get people up to dance and sing along. What equipment you need to play in a noisy pub. Not just play but arrest the attention of casual listeners. I leaned a lot abot Irish music. Many of the guys playing the miners welfares countrty nights were Irish professional musicians - refugees from the collapsed showband scene - after disco hit Ireland.

Nowadays I realise much of what i learned is as useless as the manufacture of corn dollies.

If you really don't understand what modern country music has in common with Hank Williams and the Carter family , if you're not just being uppity - I'll explain. You don't have to have to learn any morris steps to dance to Shania Twain or Hank Williams. And its near enough the English language as spoken - not to need a translater to tell you how many shuttles it took to make a Cornish wodger - you can walk round your kitchen understanding it and singing it.

Subject: RE: 'Folk.' OK...1954. What's 'country?'
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 25 Jan 13 - 10:21 PM

Much of the stuff that I sing is country from the early 60's back to the 20's. Back then every artist was unique and when you first heard a song on radio you knew right away that it was Hank Snow, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins, or George Jones. Most every song told a story and many would bring a tear to the eye or a smile to the lips. Today what is called country music has changed so much that I find it of no interest so I happily live in a time warp of my own making. I play mostly to an audience of my own vintage who share a love of the older stuff.

Subject: RE: 'Folk.' OK...1954. What's 'country?'
From: Maryrrf
Date: 25 Jan 13 - 10:42 PM

Sandy pretty much summed up the country music situation.

Subject: RE: 'Folk.' OK...1954. What's 'country?'
From: GUEST,999
Date: 25 Jan 13 - 10:50 PM

Al, you are one beautiful guy.

Bruce

Subject: RE: 'Folk.' OK...1954. What's 'country?'
From: Ron Davies
Date: 26 Jan 13 - 12:21 AM

Congratulations, Al.    Woulda loved to heard you.   Any chance of crossing the Pond soon?

We'd love to have you at Getaway. We do a fair amount of country, especially in the world-famous all-night Peace Cabin sings.

It turns out one thing country has over folk is that it's often a lot more fun to sing.    And you can join in real fast, even if you've never heard the song before.

And people really love it--especially older people, I have to admit. I sing with a bluegrass-country band as a guest every 2 months at a retirement community.   Last time I did "Waiting In the Lobby of Your Heart", "Christmas on Christmas Island" and "Crazy Arms".   They love it--especially when there's a place for them to sing, e.g.   "And now I'm waiting" (Echo:   Waiting) Waiting in the lobby of your heart".

And I play country and bluegrass viola--which as far as I'm concerned means figuring out a harmony--in country you know where the song is going, just have to possibly plan for some detours.   And change real quick if you guess wrong.

Maybe another plus country has is it often doesn't take itself as deadly seriously as folk often does.

I also often whistle a break (then usually the fiddler can take one---so we have 2 breaks in a 2 verse song. )   And I sing the chorus a lot, so the audience can join in.

Maybe that's another plus for country--it seems a lot more inclusive, with easy choruses for the audience.

What's country music?   It's hillbilly but they decided they could sell more records by calling it country.