Teach me about country Music

[Arvind Mahendra]

I want to get into country music. I like Big & Rich(Save a horse ride a cowboy), Lone Star, Carries Underwood, Trace Adkins, Keith Urban can be okay also, Faith Hill is nice. But not so much love songs, but more about country life stuff like that. I really like Rock country artists like Daughtry also

What else should I get into? Bear, anyone can help.


Thanks.

[Pat Farrell]

Get a copy of David Allan Coe's "you never even call me by my name" and listen to the lyrics.
From them, you will learn everything you need to understand country music

http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/You-Never-Even-Call-Me-by-My-Name-lyrics-David-Allan-Coe/F649568248FCD1F848256CD4002F099B

A guitar is required, and nearly always a dobro or petal steel guitar, add other instruments as needed.

[pete stein]

Pat Farrell wrote:Get a copy of David Allan Coe's "you never even call me by my name" and listen to the lyrics.
From them, you will learn everything you need to understand country music

Good lord, I was thinking about this very song when I saw this thread's title. God bless David Allen Coe and Steve Goodman.

[Pat Farrell]

Yes, its a great song.

One thing that a lot of folks don't realize is that country music is where a lot of serious guitar playing gets shred through distortion petals, or 50 watt Marshal tube amps. Its usually not long, and often only a break, but its there. Them boys in Nashville have some serious chops.

[W. Joe Smith]

I like late 80's/early 90's country. People like:

Garth Brooks
Alan Jackson
Reba McIntyre
Brooks 'n Dunn
early Toby Keith
Neal McCoy

Ah, those were some good performers...

[Arvind Mahendra]

Thanks. After listening to some of what you guys posted I'm starting to feel the stuff I was listening to wasn't country or atleast quintessential country at all.

I am really fascinated by this kind of music because of the story telling - its not just noise or about how many cars I have and how many women I've slept with.

David Allen Coe I like, its very rustic but I'd say his style is a mosaic of toughness and borderline Jerry Springerish. In one of his tracks he's singin' bout his sister bein a first rate "lady of the evening" and his mom in and out of jail. wtf? But maybe, he's just being self deprecating in that particular instance.

A great thing happened when I clicked Pat's link for the lyrics of You Never Even Call Me by My Name Lyrics(which is a great rack btw), I ended up clicking an an Ad for an online Radio station playing this genre and discovered other greats like Waylon Jennings(listen to his track 'this time') and John Michael Montgomery - (Letters From Home). These are my 2 fav country tracks so far.

[fred rosenberger]

Hank Williams

[W. Joe Smith]

Note that the following is just my opinion, but I'm putting it out there anyway:

Basically, I feel like there has been 3 major stages of country music. We had the Waylon Jennings/Johnny Cash era, the Garth Brooks/Alan Jackson/Reba era, and the current era. To me, the Waylon/cash and Brooks/Jackson eras are real country music. Once you get into the more recent (I'd say about 2000 onwards) country music, you get what I like ot call either "pop-ountry" or "rockountry". Pop-ountry's best examples are Kenny Chesney and Taylor Swift. While they technically are country singers, their music, at least to me, is much more pop-like than country. Rockountry would be the more recent Toby Keith and Kid Rock (who, admittedly, did come from rock, but he is moving to country). For reference, I will list a few of my favorite country songs for your consideration:

1. Thunder Rolls - Garth Brooks
2. The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia - Reba McIntyre
3. Ring of Fire - Johnny Cash
4. Chatahoochie (spelling is wrong) - Alan Jackson
5. Beaches of Cheyenne - Garth Brooks

And, just because I am a huge Garth fan, his whole album "The Hits". Good stuff there.

[fred rosenberger]

W. Joe Smith wrote:
2. The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia - Reba McIntyre

I'm sure you really meant "by Vicky Lawrence"

[W. Joe Smith]

fred rosenberger wrote:

W. Joe Smith wrote:
2. The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia - Reba McIntyre

I'm sure you really meant "by Vicky Lawrence"

Normally I'm kind of prudish, and prefer orginals to covers, but I really like Reba's version. Vicky's is really good too, but I've been listening to Reba's since I was 6 and it was first released. I be a young'un......

[Frank Silbermann]

What I find frustrating and disappointing is that Country/Western music has become so dominated by the Country side. Personally, I much prefer Western, e.g. the Sons of the San Joiachim, the Sons of the Pioneers, Michael Martin Murphey,

[Pat Farrell]

W. Joe Smith wrote: I like ot call either "pop-ountry" or "rockountry".

Its clear that Country is a wide label, and a lot of recent Country is really pop. Makes sense since pop radio died a decade or more ago.

There is a long tradition of Country edging into other genres. The Byrds in the early 70s nearly changed into a Country group, which freaked out their rock fans. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band started out as Rock with some country flavor, and then did the Will the Circle Be Unbroken album, which was pure bluegrass.

[Bear Bibeault]

It's clear that country music died when the Queen of Country, Olivia Newton-John, changed her format to Pop/Rock.























OK, OK! Yes, I'm kidding!

[Pat Farrell]

Bear Bibeault wrote:It's clear that country music died when the Queen of Country, Olivia Newton-John, changed her format to Pop/Rock.

You know, country has an amazing filter on talent. The women singers can really sing, and they are great looking. The guy singers are probably great looking as well, but I sure would not know.

[W. Joe Smith]

Pat Farrell wrote:

Bear Bibeault wrote:It's clear that country music died when the Queen of Country, Olivia Newton-John, changed her format to Pop/Rock.

You know, country has an amazing filter on talent. The women singers can really sing, and they are great looking. The guy singers are probably great looking as well, but I sure would not know.

Judging by the 16.5 BILLION women I met at college that had major freakouts when Kenny Chesney was going to be performing at my school, I'm going to go with yes. I mean seriously, what is it about him?