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What's 'Country Music'?
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Subject: What's 'Country Music'? From: GUEST,Andy Date: 11 Nov 07 - 09:49 AM I know a lot of folks on this site do not particularly like to define any type of music too closely, but my initial post is a serious question which I hope, will not lead to daggers being drawn and/or blood being spilled. It stems from my watching part of a show on late-night UK telly yesterday evening. This was the Country Music Awards, from Nashville. It was a very glitzy, glam affair. All the lady performers had big hair, usually blonde, dresses designed to show a lot of cleavage or leg (no complaints there then!) and were made up like Barbie dolls. The guys tended to wear big 'cowboy' hats and boots. There were such luminaries as Riba McEntire, Cheryl Crowe and Alison Kraus, who's names I have heard, plus many more who were unknown to me. My question is this. What defines 'Country Music'. Most of what I heard was not unpleasant but didn't float my boat. It seemed to be pretty much the same, and to my (inexperienced) ear, much like any other form of popular music which is churned out over the airwaves, for the mass market. I got the impression that any song, on any subject, provided its (maybe) got a bit of fiddle, slide guitar, pedal steel and such, can be called country music. Is that about it? Can any of you enlightened folk out there give me an answer? Thanks and regards Andy |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: oldhippie Date: 11 Nov 07 - 11:26 AM That's about it. It's not your fathers' country music anymore. Alas. |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: oldhippie Date: 11 Nov 07 - 11:28 AM PS: Good country music is still out there, you just won't find it on the mass market. |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: Bonzo3legs Date: 11 Nov 07 - 11:43 AM Dollars! |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: Bee Date: 11 Nov 07 - 11:45 AM The 'old' Country Music doesn't exactly impress me either, although I can listen and admit it has integrity, much like opera, it holds little charm for me. |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: Richie Date: 11 Nov 07 - 12:14 PM Country Music (Country and Western) is an American style of popular music associated with the rural, agrarian southern United States or with the music of cowboys in the west. Country music was originally (1922-1924) called "old timey" (old-time), "old familiar tunes," "hill country tunes," "mountain" music or "songs of the hills and the plains." In 1925 country music began to be called hillbilly music as in "originating in mountainous regions of southern US." The word "country" didn't become the standard term until the mid-1940s when (lead by Ernest Tubb) it began being called "Country and Western" and eventually this was shortened to "Country." The music spans a wide variety of styles and is usually played on guitar and other stringed instruments. Most historians believe Country Music started in 1922 (Russell gives 1921) with Eck Roberston. For me when commercial Copuntry recording and radio combined in around 1922 that was the beginning of Country Music. Richie |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: Midchuck Date: 11 Nov 07 - 12:44 PM Country music died (in terms of the mass market and radio play) when the switch was made to a computerized system for tracking record sales, and it turned out that Barf Gooks was the biggest-selling recording artist in any genre, at that time. The money boys took notice, and Hot New Country was born. Hot New Country is, simply stated, bad 1970s rock. As has been said above, Country is still out there, but you have to look for it. You should have seen the crowd for George Jones at the Vermont State Fair in Rutland in August. Peter. |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: Richie Date: 11 Nov 07 - 03:01 PM Hi, I've separated Country Music into tiem spans the first is the early "String Band" and "Cowboy" Years (1922-1932) which spans the time period of the first commercial recordings made in the early 1920's until the early 1930s and encompasses the major politic and economic event of the 1929 Depression. Early Country ends with the beginning of Western Swing in 1933 but before the honky-tonk style which was firmly entrenched until after the death of "The Hillbilly Shakespeare" Hank Williams in 1953. The late 1940s also saw the birth of hillbilly boogie; which became rockabilly. A new phase of Country began with the birth of rock n' roll and Elvis (starting in the late 40s but 1954 seems to be the accepted date) in the mid-1950s, which is the end of the radio era. Richie |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: Art Thieme Date: 11 Nov 07 - 03:02 PM All of you are correct! Now, if you substitute the words FOLK MUSIC for Country Music in the above posts, you will see how some here can be put off by the ease with which definitions are deleted and re-formulated now. Art |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: Fliss Date: 11 Nov 07 - 03:51 PM Country Music isnt my thing either. Take, for example, the song 'Danny Boy' and listen to it in folk style and Country style. A lot of Irish music is done country style rather than in a traditional Irish style. I went to the ST Pats parade in Brum a couple of years running and all the loud speaker music was Irish songs done Country style. While most of the floats were doing the tunes and songs the more folkie traditional way. |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: Bill Hahn//\\ Date: 11 Nov 07 - 03:55 PM It is true that C/W music can be defined by decades (or eras, if you will). One can surely put some of the early material into the folk/historical context. As for today's version of C/W the NY Times reviewed those awards and came up with a fairly good definition (the columnist did)--A Mishmash. Bill Hahn http://billhahnprogramnotes.blogspot.com |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: Richard Bridge Date: 11 Nov 07 - 04:11 PM As one of the resident pedants (and I have just been re-reading the Bert Lloyd discussion of the 1954 definition of "Folk Music") I wonder if there is a country equivalent of the 1954 definition. Don't get me wrong, I think country does tend to have a particualr sound (one I don't much like, but that is not the point) but I would be interested if there was a defintional technique in play. Do folklorists or ethnomusicilogists apply any sort of definition to "Country" or "C+W" or "New Country"? |
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Subject: Lyr Add: MURDER ON MUSIC ROW (Alan Jackson) From: topical tom Date: 11 Nov 07 - 06:33 PM My feelings about country music are pretty well summed up in this song:
MURDER ON MUSIC ROW
Nobody saw them runnin’
The almighty dollar
For the steel guitars no longer cry
They thought no one would miss it
For the steel guitars no longer cry
Why they even tell the Possum Today's country music is,in my opinion, for the most part country-rock, even rock-country. |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: GUEST,Jeff Date: 11 Nov 07 - 06:46 PM Your description is a scathingly accurate indictement by virtue of the fact that your query is genuine. |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: freightdawg Date: 11 Nov 07 - 11:21 PM "Hot New Country is, simply stated, bad 1970s rock." Touche'. Except that it gives too much credence to bad 1970's rock. At least some of it was palatable. There are some wonderful country artists still performing, but they are uniformly dismissed and disdained by the new Nashville mob. Randy Travis is, for my money, one of the truly great country singers to ever perform. Listening to him and his modest but adequate band is pure nectar from the gods compared to the drivel that clogs the airways today. Sooner or later the pendulum will start to swing back the other direction, or if not there will be a "break away" of young artists who will discover that what made Charlie Pride, Tanya Tucker, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, The Statler Bros., and other similar female, male and groups popular was their VOICE and not their hokey clothes. At least we can hope. Freightdawg |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: GUEST,Andy Date: 12 Nov 07 - 03:40 AM |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: GUEST,Andy Date: 12 Nov 07 - 03:55 AM Sorry about the above. Got too eager and hit the return key. However, thanks for the comments. It appears that 'real' Country & Western music has been hijacked, or sidelined in favour of the stuff that will sell to the masses and makes big bucks for the corporations. I have heard (a little) of people like Hank Williams, Willie Nelson,and the like, who seem to me to purvey a more earthy, 'real life' sort of music than the pop songs which the Nashville crowd seem to deliver. It's good to know though, that there is still some good 'Cowboy Music' out there for those who wish to find it. Regards Andy |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: scouse Date: 12 Nov 07 - 05:08 AM "Country Music." is certainly not for the most part what I witnessed and heard on Saturday night BBC 2.. The CMA awards I saw, was Woman with manufactured hair styles /bodies no doubt to boot, plus men looking as if they had all been dressed by Amarni!! I simply could not understand how those Nashville idiots could ever have passed over Alison Krauss for an award.She stood head and shoulders above any of the other performers that night apart that is from the Eagles!!! :-) Oh, how I long for the time of the new Tompall Glaser, who will come and set up a recording studio up in Nashville again and we will have a brand of new "Outlaws. " who will come in and buck the system and do their own thing. Nuff Said!!! As Aye, Phil |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: GUEST,Russ Date: 12 Nov 07 - 09:00 AM For what it is worth, the story I heard was that the people who make the decisions decided to change their target market to soccer moms. I've never bothered to research the story because it makes such a good one. Russ (Permanent GUEST) |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: Richie Date: 12 Nov 07 - 09:07 AM What seems interesting to me is that corporate money and early record companies with A & R men like Ralph Peer and Frank Walker preserved some of the great early Country/Folk music. Nearly all the great cowboy ballads and traditional "Country" songs were sought out and copyrighted. The number of Country Music recordings between 1922 and 1942 (World War II) is a staggering 20,000 according to Guthrie Meade's book "Country Music Sources" with around 11,400 different pieces. These have all been preserved on recordings by some of the best artists of the day. The same recordings (songs) have been used by rock artists, R& B artists, punk, jazz and swing. Many country artists keep singing the old songs and they are certainly not gone. The number one Country song in 2003 was as song from 1916 by blind Dick Burnett "Man of Constant Sorrow." Tom Ashley taught Roy Acuff the "Rising Sun Blues" at a medicine show. Now there's a new book about the song and it was a number one rock song in the 1970s. Jimmie Davis was elected Govenor singing "You are My Sunshine," a song he claimed to write while in law school. In fact he bought the copyright from Paul Rice, who made the second recording and probably didn't write the song at all! The songs are still alive! Richie |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: GUEST,Jeff Date: 12 Nov 07 - 09:28 AM There's a book called 'Fender Benders' by Bill Fitzhugh published by HarperCollins available @ www.harpercollins.com. Would wholeheartedly suggest getting and reading this book. Pass it along to your friends interested in country music. Also, there's an old movie called 'Songwriter' w/Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Townes Van Zant, Guy Clark, etc. which is, also very good re the 'state of country music'. Both the book and the movie are very 'in', so some of the humor may be lost, but are interesting, nonetheless. |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: GUEST,Alan Ross Date: 12 Nov 07 - 10:23 AM I remember years back there was this big argument over the UK country charts as to what consituted Country Music. Back in the 80's and early 90's Irish MOR country singer Daniel O' Donnell virtually took over the country charts and awards, and there was debate as to whether his releases should have ever been counted as country music and would therefore have to be removed from these charts. If I remember correctly, for a while Daniel's releases were banned from the UK country charts. Apart from his pure Nashivlle recorded Last Waltz album - which was a really strong country release, most of Daniel's releases at this time were a mixture of classic country, 60's pop, folk and MOR - thus causing confusion in the classification system. My own father Stewart Ross wrote a Scottish song called 'My Bonnie Maureen', which was included on the Daniel o' Donnell album 'From the Heart'. 'From the Heart' occupied the top Country slot and was in top ten British Country charts for years. The album won the Music Week top country album award for 1988 ahead of Nancy Griffiths and Steve Earle. This album contained 50's-60's Pop covers, Country, Irish and even my father's Scottish song. So this shows the kind of dilemma in classifying music. In my father's song's case you had a Scottish song, sung in Irish style on a top country album which crossed into the pop charts. |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: john f weldon Date: 12 Nov 07 - 11:52 AM My understanding is that prior to the 50s Country and Folk were used interchangably. But when the Weavers referred to themselves as Folk, those who didn't want to be associated with those "lefties" began to use the word Country exclusively. It was a political split at first, which was later reflected in a different sound. Of course there are always a few who can be claimed by both sides, like Uncle Dave Macon, or, nowadays, Emmylou Harris. I admit this might be highly apocryphal. |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego Date: 12 Nov 07 - 04:22 PM I first heard "western" or "country" music back in the late forties. We had chores before daybreak, and the only radio station we could get was broadcasting the genre. I was never an unabashed "country" fan, although I certain performers and songs appealed to me. Early on, it was "western swing," a la Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys. Hank Williams was a staple. I have admired Chet Atkins, Joe Maphis and Merle Travis, among others. The "Grand Ole Opry" was broadcast at night, and many non-country fans tuned in. It was music from the south, southwest; the "dust bowl" and other rural areas. It wasn't literate, much of the time, and it could get very nasal and "twangy," which not everyone could accept. But, it was personal, much of it was folk-based, and it appealed to the emotions of those who most identified with it. In the 1960's and '70's, "country" music "went uptown." Smooth arrangements, with orchestral backing and better production values began to emerge. There was more "crossover" from country to pop. Not everyone was happy about that, but it continues today. I can admire Ricky Skaggs, Alison Krauss and others who stay closer to their roots. Much of it is way too slick for my taste any more. |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: SouthernCelt Date: 12 Nov 07 - 08:20 PM What's really bad about the modern "country" music is that good singers and bands that have good old-time or folk music styles and sound get glitzed up by the moneyed studios when they start promoting them. The artists figure they've "made it to the big time" but what they've done is sell their musical soul for the almighty dollar. Give me indie artists that stay faithful to their roots and sound any day. SC |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: Bobert Date: 12 Nov 07 - 09:02 PM "Country music" has been reduced to formula songs that all sound alike... Even the content is predictable... It is designed to keep the rednecks entertinaned one one hand and also ready to "kick some hippie's asses" (Bobby bear) on the other... I mean, let's get reeal here, any woman who is interested in you because she thinks, ahhhhh, that your tratcor is sexy is one woman that you can't run fast enough from... I mean, lets get real, modern day country is music that is intended to keep redneck American just that... Folks don't like me sayin' that kinda stuff but I live right in the middle of redneck America where women find tractors sexy and I'm hear to say that any music that would make a woman think like that has gfot to be bad for general consumption... Kinda like McDonalds... With that being said, I play "country" blues... Yeah, this country ain't glitzy... Just real stuff... And, fir the record, county bluesman and their women folk don't find nutin' about farm equipement (or animals) sexy... B~ |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: Richie Date: 13 Nov 07 - 08:00 AM Bobert, Somehow you've managed to reduce a whole multi-faceted form of music to reneck America. Which is kinda like saying everyone that plays country blues is ignorant and backward. Stereotyping is a Nazi Germany type thing... Richie |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: Michael S Date: 13 Nov 07 - 08:57 AM From today's NY Times (Nov. 13, '07): Muslim Country |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: M.Ted Date: 13 Nov 07 - 11:42 AM "Country Music" and "Country and Western" music are labels that were created by record merchandisers as a way of keeping track of certain music markets. When record industry found Eck Robertson, they discovered a market, and they started making records that they thought would sell to that market. The original market was centered in the rural South, and was defined by the music that was played there. As lifestyles changed, the music changed to accomodate, and that was reflected in changes in the recorded music. Gradually, the market expanded til the "non-rural South" portion of it was greater, and gradually, a studio sound began to be more important than the live sound of performers--and that's basically how we got to polyethylene prefab ersatz 70s rock from Eck Robertson and Uncle Dave Macon-- The idea of UK Country Charts is pretty much an oxymoron-- anything that a multinational record company records with the idea that it should sell well in London in 2007 is not going to be much like traditional rural southern music-- |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: Bobert Date: 13 Nov 07 - 06:49 PM Rickie, Lighten up, pal... It was written as pure satire... Geeze... But back to the question at hand... If we are going to be acadmeic about it then about the only thing you can say about country music is that it is a very wide spectrum of music that has very little to do with what is popularally percieved as "country music", which has "the Nashville" brand burned into it and is played on Claer Channel radio... That, IMO, is a very narrow definition... If Bob Wills were alive today, he wouldn't be getting any air time... Nor would one of my favorites, Waylon Jennings... Steve Earle never had gotten any air time... These folks ain't got the Nashville brand burned into the hindsides... Emmy Lou??? The late Gram Parsons??? The late 70's Bryds??? New Riders??? Poco??? I mean, these fols all played country music... And I think that blues folks play country music... And gospel folks... And folk folks... I mean, how can one really begin to define "country music"... It isn't really possible unless one paints with a big brush... B~ |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: fumblefingers Date: 13 Nov 07 - 09:40 PM I won't attempt to define country music, but I know it when I hear it. I've been playing it all my life. What it ain't is the stuff on the CMA music awards these days. |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: Janie Date: 13 Nov 07 - 10:40 PM It ain't complicated. Ignore the labels of the Industry. It doesn't matter what gets 'labeled' country. Use your ears. |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: Beer Date: 13 Nov 07 - 11:17 PM Country to me was Hank Williams,Jim Reeves, Hank Thompson, Faron Young, Sonny James,Hank Snow,Slim Whitman, Wilf Carter, Johnny Horton(not quite sure here but I sure liked Johnny's music.)and so many others. Then to me it started drifting away. Maybe like Rock and Roll. The Elvis generation would also cringe at today's so call rock "n" roll. Just as we are cringing at new country. But you know what?? I'm also getting the same feeling about today's "Folk" music. Maybe there is nothing wrong with it, but the sound and that feeling that grabs you isn't there. I know we (or I am)are getting older and maybe not able to accept the new sound or relate to it. Pisses me off but what the I the heck. Beer (adrien) |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: Jim Krause Date: 13 Nov 07 - 11:32 PM What defines 'Country Music'. Three chords and The Truth. JimK |
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Subject: Lyr Add: SLIPPING AROUND (Floyd Tillman) From: Beer Date: 13 Nov 07 - 11:37 PM As I have read, this is considered the first cheating song in Country music. Or should that be also Western???? Slipping Around Texas Jack Robertson Written by Floyd Tillman This version did not chart but In 1949, it was a # 1 for Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely Competing version by Ernest Tubb hit #17. Seems I always have to slip around to be with you, my dear Slippin' around, afraid we might be found I know I can't forget you and I gotta have you near But we just hafta slip around and live in constant fear Oh, you're tied up with someone else and I'm all tied up, too I know I made mistakes, dear, but I'm so in love with you I hope someday I'll find a way to bring you back to me Then I won't have to slip around to have your company |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: dick greenhaus Date: 14 Nov 07 - 12:02 AM It's been defined as music that comes from the heart, and is sung through the nose. Three chords, and heart. |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: Richard Bridge Date: 14 Nov 07 - 03:27 AM It sems very odd that academics have not sought to define the genre. Why might that be? |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: Big Al Whittle Date: 14 Nov 07 - 05:58 PM I think maybe because it means different things in different parts of the world. In England, my Dad would have called himself a country music fan - but I doubt he had ever heard of the The Carter family or Gid Tanner. the 78 rpms in his little collection that he put together in the 1940's contained Jimmy Rogers, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry. So I think the 'singing cowboy' pictures at the cinema must have alerted a few peoples attention. Personally it meant very little to me until I started work in Birmingham in the 1970's. the showband scene was coming apart in Ireland when discos took over - and suddenly there loads of really fabulous Irish musicians gigging the English country clubs. They were so much more professional than us. They really blew us away. The scene was fairly strong up until the miners strike. A lot of the country scene was based round the miners welfares. Within a couple of years the scene dwindled to nothing. It wasn't music you could produce on rubbish instruments. Most bands had guitarists playing telecasters through Fender Twin amps fitted with JBL speakers. you need to be at least turning over money to pay for that kind of gear. I haven't really kept up with the scene. They put some of my songs on a line dancing album, but I don't know anything about it - I couldn't tell the difference between a grapevine and a tush push or Texas two-step and a red neck girls dance. The songwriters like Joe Ely and Guy Clark who made a breakthrough in the 1970's are still around. But I never really felt these were the people who excited the punters - they excited the musicians more than the hardcore country fans. Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, George Jones, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Marty Robbins, Hank Snow - these were the guys whose songs went down best. For a few short years they had a devout following in the UK, and they were brilliantly represented by a great set of musicians. |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: GUEST,petr Date: 14 Nov 07 - 08:29 PM I thought it was watered down pop rock and greeting card lyrics. just kidding.. Does the term Western in C&W mean - cowboy songs etc? |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: Melissa Date: 14 Nov 07 - 09:53 PM It's the other way around, petr--mainstream radioplay stuff seems to be the watered down, shiny version. In the right (?) crowd, the discussion of "What's Country" gets as feisty as Mudcat threads on defining "Folk". I suppose if a person wanted to hear a goodly amount of music that falls neatly into the "country" category with some informative talk that leads toward definition, he would probably do well by finding the WSM site and clicking on the 'listen' button..then checking into some of the Request Shows in the archive. The Folk/Trad I got through school and the 'Real Country' I got through family/social still seem very much the same to me and I like the By Era break down mentioned earlier in this thread as a possible definer. I'll be watching this conversation to see who comes up with the name of the person who divided folk/country for regional marketing purposes. I've been wondering for years and this is a perfect place for the trivia to surface! M |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: Beer Date: 14 Nov 07 - 10:11 PM How about Kris Kristofferson for a start. "If it sounds Country man, thats what it is. It's a country song". Then he proceeds to sing "Bobby McGee". |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: Nerd Date: 14 Nov 07 - 10:32 PM I think one reason we hear less about the academic study of country music than (say) folk music is that the term "folk music" began among academics. It described a kind of music that they thought existed, or should exist, as a category in the world. So the academic attempt to define folk music is really the origin of "folk music" as a category. "Folk" was only later used as a marketing term. Country, on the other hand, began as a marketing term, so academics are aware from the outset that they are only really trying to establish boundaries around an artificial category from the marketing world. That said, don't believe for a minute that academics haven't sought to define country music. There's an international Country music conference that's getting close to its thirtieth year, and there are plenty of academic tomes covering country music. For the original question, I hate to be so lowbrow, but Wikipedia has a pretty good article on Country music... |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: M.Ted Date: 14 Nov 07 - 11:35 PM The differentiating between markets really came from the Billboard Charts--in 1944 they introduced a regional jukebox chart called "Folk Music", which, in 1947, was re-named "Hillbilly" and then, in 1949, was re-labelled "Country and Western". I think that the names among those used by different record companies to refer to the markets that they served. Billboard more or less standardized the useage. I know that "Hillbilly", like "Race Music" was dropped because it was considered by many to be offensive. |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: Lonesome EJ Date: 15 Nov 07 - 01:09 AM What is Country? YES Roy Acuff Merle Haggard Buck Owens Hank Williams Jimmy Rodgers Waylon Jennings George Jones Tanny Wynette Patsy Cline Dwight Yoakam Johnny Cash Hank Snow Clarence White Emmy Lou Harris Loretta Lynne Willie Nelson Randy Travis Johnny Paycheck Gram Parsons Alison Krauss Carl Jackson Charlie Pride Freddie Fender Lefty Frizzell Skeeter Davis Vince Gill The Louvin Bros George Strait Faron Young Rodney Crowell Statler Bros Conway Twitty Marty Robbins NO Brad Paisley Garth Brooks Faith Hill Tim McGraw Eddy Arnold Clint Black Billy Ray Cyrus Kenny Chesney Leann Rimes Rascall Flatts Trisha Yearwood Shania Twain Jimmy Buffet MAYBE Ray Price Charlie Rich Steve Earl Don Williams Hank Williams Jr Keith Urban Travis Tritt Chris Ledoux Dixie Chicks Alabama Alan Jackson Glen Campbell Roy Clark David Allen Coe Toby Keith Keith Whitley Ryan Adams Alison Moorer and there ya have it, in my opinion anyway |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: Melissa Date: 15 Nov 07 - 03:45 AM I recently inherited a stack of Hit Parade type magazines. While I was browsing the wealth of lyrics, an article thing caught my eye by not having split folk/country...it was considered one category there. That mag was early/mid 50s. The lyrics are not listed with categories and looking at the words to unfamiliar songs, I wouldn't even try to guess where they should be slotted. By the early 60s, I could guess, but the 40s/50s stuff looks to me like it could fall into any genre. Yes: Bill Anderson Jean Shepard Johnny Russell Porter Wagoner Kitty Wells Melba Montgomery Jimmy Dickens Carlisles My guess as to why we don't run across many discussions attempting to define Country is that the conversations are probably considerably less wordy. Several times a month, I hear things like "This isn't country, but I'm going to sing it anyway" or "Where did you get that one?" and I consider that to be a type of categorical discussion. Not academic, but perfectly valid conversation on the topic. |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: Big Al Whittle Date: 15 Nov 07 - 04:37 AM I think it was perceived as something different from the more sophisticated route that jazz and general songwriting was taking. Right up into quite recent times The Yetties used to do a number that was very popular on the radio in the 1950's - Make Mine Country Style. I think that song actually catalogued what was perceived a clear route between country and folk - in that both genres rejected the urbane wit and implicit sophistication that songs like Under the Bridges of Paris and tin pan alley stuff of the 1940's and 1950's generally promised. The people who sang that could hardly have imagined that within a few years AL Lloyd and his friends would have convinced so many people that English folksong was in fact modal and very complex in structure and essence. |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: dick greenhaus Date: 15 Nov 07 - 10:10 AM COuntry music was most likely the fusion of traditional folksong (which was almost invariably sung unaccompanied) and traditional instrumental dance music. Of course, it took off in several different directions from there. |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: M.Ted Date: 15 Nov 07 - 11:39 AM As I said, "Country Music" a a catagory of music, was introduced by Billboard Magazine--it was an umbrella term to cover the music that was being played on jukeboxes in particular areas of the country-- Billboard was originally a magazine that covered touring entertainments--Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, and the Ringling Brothers Circus, for instance. The first music charts listed the songs that were popular on the Vaudville Circuits--When Nickelodeons and jukeboxes became popular entertainments, charts showed which songs were most played--more charts were developed because different sorts of music were popular in different markets (which often paralleled the old entertainment circuits--R&B corresponding to the Chitlin' Circuit, for instance). Billboard, from the outset, said that it was not concerned with art, it was concerned with business--so the distinctions it made were not based on aesthetics, but on business--meaning that it wasn't concerned so much with what happened on the stage, but with what effect it had in the box office. The difference between BB King and Louis Armstrong, and Little Richard was, whose records were played the most in a given week--as far as the charts went, it was all R&B-- So the terms, Pop, Country and Western, MOR, Latin, R&B aren't really descriptions of the music, they are descriptions of the audience. |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: dick greenhaus Date: 15 Nov 07 - 06:40 PM Well, it's perhaps more accurately the types of music that appealed to these fragmented audiences. |
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Subject: RE: What's 'Country Music'? From: M.Ted Date: 15 Nov 07 - 07:40 PM "types of music"--With emphasis on the plural--when you check out the specialty charts, meaning the first time you hold the R&B and Country and Western books in your hands, the first thing you notice is all the unexpected stuff--Bing Crosby, on the Country and Western charts, for instance. |
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