Too Country For Country? What Does That Mean?
So, we are back from Europe for nine days and then we go back next Wednesday for a quick jaunt to France to play a festival. As I re-read that sentence, I NEVER thought that would be something I’d hear myself say. I HATE FLYING, and so does my guitar player, so we are not ever allowed to sit next to one another on the plane.
I digress. So, on our nine-day “break,” we are playing five shows, some of which are Wal-Mart in-stores, which by the way, have been going really well. I didn’t know what to expect doing an in-store not in a record store. The first day was outside (100-degree Texas heat does not bode well for dancing). However, yesterday at the show, we were inside and there were people literally dancing in the aisles.
More and more times at shows, kids are walking up saying things about how they appreciate what I’m doing. One teenage girl said, “I thought I HATED country, but if THIS is country, then I’m down with it.” She’s now a huge fan and brings all her other friends to our shows. Today a 5-year-old walked up to me and said, “I’ve already told my dad, but I wanna be a country singer just like you.” Guess we’ve got our answer to the Possum’s “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes.”
After our set, I was talking with a DJ from a local country radio station about “country” music. He was saying he really appreciated my “kind” of music. I said, “By ‘kind’ do you mean real country music?” He said yes and that it was a throwback to the old-school music, and that nobody sings that anymore. He said, and I quote, “I think more people should try to put out music that has meaning again. People are STARVING for it.” I took that as a HUGE compliment, as my musical heroes are all old-school: Merle, Loretta, Tammy, George, Conway, Jerry, Gary, Little Jimmy, Keith, Wanda, Patsy, Marty, Porter, Dolly, Waylon, Willie, Kris, Johnny and June, Carl and Pearl, and the list goes on. It’s called “classic country” for a reason. It will always be classic. I think with what we do, you can tell we are influenced by the above referenced, but it has a certain element of modern.
This led us to our next phase of the conversation. I asked him, “So, as a DJ, maybe you can help me answer this question: What does it mean when someone says mine or someone’s music is “TOO COUNTRY FOR COUNTRY RADIO”? He giggled.
My point exactly.
I mean, seriously, is that what it’s come to? You sing country music and yet it’s TOO COUNTRY for country? I would love to hear your thoughts on this matter. My email is sunnysweeneyband “at” gmail.com if you would prefer not to respond publicly for fear of suffering “the wrath.” HA!
©2008 Country Music Television, Inc., a Viacom company. A division of
mab says:
I hate to even come to the CMT site because they are so very supportive of the acts that are so very anti-(real)country, but I’ll tell you what-
too country for country radio are the really good artists out there like Dale Watson, Wayne Hancock, Roger Wallace, Idgy Vaughn and the like who choose to play country music instead of pop music whilst wearing a hat.
Rooster says:
Due to the fact that Nash-Vegas is in control of everything from CMT, to most of the “country” radio stations, all you hear is this pop-country crap that is about as country as a parking meter. There are lots of great new up and coming country acts, (like yourself), that don’t get played on mainstream radio because some pinhead in an office in Nashville thinks it is “too country”. Country music on the radio now is all about the sexy image and selling a few million records to make the executives rich. Luckily there are a few good stations like 95.3 around Dallas that play the good ol classic country and play the REAL new country artists. They are proud to not be playing Shania and Kenny Chesney (5′ 6″ and bald as a doorknob… haha). God Bless to you and your music Sunny, and those like you. Keep real country classic.
Lee says:
It is what it is. I just wish whoever makes these decisions would call Big & Rich, Sugarland, etc. “pop country” instead of country. Why? Because it’s slightly countrified pop music. Calling that stuff “country” (when it’s not) and then calling artists like Sunny Sweeney, Dale Watson, etc. anything other than “country” is just wrong. What do they call your music anyway? Alternative country? Americana? Roots? Anyway, the real crime is that good country artists are not getting airtime or experiencing the success that these countrified pop musicians are experiencing. When I tell people I love country music I always have to end with the disclaimer, “but not what you hear on the radio.”
Rob says:
Why did folks like Merle, Willie, Ray, Dwight, George, Loretta and other country LEGENDS have to change the name of their genre to Alt-country/Americana?
Money!
I’m sick to my stomach at what is pawned off on mainstream radio as country music. It’s mostly bad pop performed by an endless parade of interchangeable Calvin Klein models wearing drugstore cowboy hats singing vapid songs to a demi-graphic of 18-30 year olds? What passes for talent in Nashville these days is looks, not talent or substance. But then again, this is the same industry that turned it’s back on Johnny Cash. Hank Williams wouldn’t make it now in Nashville, TN.
You have the right idea Sunny. If we’re going to take country back, we have to do it one kid at a time.
Keep it real, Keep it TOO country!
r0b
Kelly says:
Hello there,
It’s me, Kelly from http://www.thegobblersknob.com. You signed a koozie for me a month or two ago and then was forwarded a posting from my site about that from a friend of yours. (you have been a tad busy with the whole, “international touring thing”, so I understand if it doesn’t strike your memory).
As far as your CMT.com post……
A few years back,I attended a Lucinda Williams show and your bud, Jim Lauderdale (a hero of mine), opened the show and he made comments from the stage detailing how HE had been told that his more recent releases (this was back in 98) were “too country for country radio”, in those exact words. I have ever since felt a bit sad by that, especially since he has written several mainstream hits that I feel to be very real and authentic, yet accessible to the masses. It’s easy to bash “Nashville” for being slick or too poppy, but country radio, and the conglomerates that own the large market stations are really to blame in the regards of shrinking playlists and lack of grit, let alone quality. As you now know, Nashville still is a thriving scene of writers and performers who do what is done every night down here in Texas, so it isn’t “Nashville” that is the problem. In fact, the “mainstream” has always leaned toward the safe, polished arrangements that go against what many of us call real, or hard-core. Hank Sr. was kicked off the opry, Willie was told he couldn’t be a singer and to cut his hair, and to use more lavish production (so he moved, braided the pony-tail, sang behind the beat and became a legend), hell, the term “traditionalist” is now used in an alternative way, as an exception and not the rule. While “real” country may never find it’s way back into the mainstream, it is still alive and well. As long as folks like yourself can get a record deal by an up and coming power label, and folks like John Anderson can be a part of a “mafia”, real country will be there, it just requires looking a bit harder than we might prefer.
Sorry that was so long. I may be at the Woody’s Tavern show on Friday, also. Have a great break!!!
Kelly Dearmore
Mike Ellis says:
As the Brad Paisley, Possum, Bill Anderson song says. I work at a so called “contemporary” country station. I requested your Cds which you sent (Thanks). I think your voice and music is extraordinary. I love the album. I’ll keep working on my higher ups to play it. You just keep plugging and keep up the good work. You WILL break out. I can guarantee it. We’d love to see you in California anytime. There is a thirst (and not just cause it’s hot here) for real country music. Take care and never stop making real music.
Tom C says:
Hey Sunny,
I haven’t talked with you since Jan 1, 2007 at The Wormy Dog in OKC. We hung out with you and your hubby. Anyway, country is country. I don’t know why I’m responding, but mainly because country music is about simple songs, about simple people and life’s fortunes and life’s mistakes.
Remember when Garth Brooks “broke the mold” for country music and made it more rockin’? If you hear his songs now, you’d think they were almost “old country.” And that’s crazy. Play a song by Rascal Flatts and the difference is quite a amazing. Rascal Flatts and other pop-country acts are really just making pop music and adding a fiddle or a pedal steel to call it “country.”
in the end, music is music. If it take Rascal Flatts to get people to open their eyes to what country music is about and where it came from, it’s really all worth it. I listen to mostly “indie” country bands. The Texas/Red Dirt scene is what moves me. It’s real music, its real stories and most of the time it is written or co-written by the artist. Even if it’s not, it’s usually a great song with heartfelt emotion and that’s what is important. country music, rap, blues, whatever your taste might be, just let it be real! Sometimes Brad Paisley’s songs put an ache in my side, “Ticks” and “Online” and other songs like the duet with Dolly Parton really amazing. If I can believe in a song and it moves me then that is what is most important!
Keep it up Sunny Sweeney!! 95.3 The Range is still rocking you out everyday. If you see June Carter in your dreams, tell her hello for me…
Tom C says:
I might be misunderstood before… I LOATHE the song “Ticks” and the song “Online.” It sounded like I liked them….no sir! Take that off the air.
Sheena says:
I am also a country radio DJ and Music Director. Country music has been changing for a long time, but it got really bad when Stonewall Jackson wasn’t even allowed to perform on the Opry stage because he was “too country.” I have a classic country hour during my show every week, and I get so many compliments about it because those are songs that will be around forever and everyone knows them. No offense to any country star, because I think it takes courage and guts to get up in front of anyone and do what they do, but Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts, and others like them are not singing country music. As I write this, George Strait has 2 songs in the top 60. “It just comes natural went to #1, Wrapped only made it to #2, but now he has “How ’bout them Cowgirls.” The reason that he is consistant with top 5 hits every time he opens his mouth is because he is country and has always been country. The pop country acts will fade away and the classics will only be remembered.
Mandy says:
To say that the “pop country acts will fade away and the classicas will only be remembered.” seems unlikely. Many of the acts that we call “pure country” and “legendary” today were deemed “pop country” when they first came out. Pop country is often just as good as “traditional” country.
Zack says:
Shut your pie hole mandy, you don’t know what you’re talkin bout. You probably LOVE Rascal Flats and Keith Urban.
Jeremy says:
It is all about the money, the image and not about the songs anymore.
There are plenty of folks out there making good country music and have the talent and the songs to back them up. YOu will never hear them on Country Radio. Basically the have taken the country out of country music. But people have become sheep; if they hear it on country radio then that must mean its country music right? That to me is what is happening..
Rob says:
George Jones, Merle Haggard pop country? Sorry Mandy, you’re dead wrong. Did your parents have any children that lived?
parker snow says:
Finally, someone breaches the forbidden question. Country music has changed so much since I first began listening that I hardly recognize it. That in itself would be alright if the stations still played classic country,too. The only time I get to hear bar room honky tonk is when the station decides to have an “oldy goldy hour”. Then they do not play the few new people (you for one my dear) that actually sing true country music. If I want to hear singers like you I have to listen to XM or stay up til the very wee hours and see you video on GAC.
Classic country is about 3 things: the voice of the singer, the story the song tells and the band. To me, true country can be duplicated in a bar or a backyard and sound just like the cd. I only know a few singers who can claim that today. I call it a “true voice”. By the way, I love this blog!!!If you need to support your country singing habit, you could write…
Cash says:
All I have to say is thank you to all of the radio stations that do get away from the bogous mainstream stuff. Also thank goodness for XM, Sirius, live365.com, and radiofreetexas.org!
Bruce says:
Sunny, you know how I feel about you and your music. There is no such thing as to country. I love your music and am glad that you aren’t ashamed to do the old style music with new songs. Your song writing is teriffic. The way you deliver a song is great. Little band of Gold, still does it for me. Thanks for being you, Sunny. I talked to Penny earlier in the week.
Take Care,Bruce
Blues Bob says:
I started listening to country music a few years back. Thanks to Trashville’s sell out of country music, I’d thought the pop-crap I’d been hearing on my local radio was all there was. I knew about Hank, Johnny, and Merle, but everything I heard sounded like it came from a bubble-gum machine. Then I picked up a few albums by contemporary artists who play absolute, tried and true country. No more of this Nash Vegas B.S. When I started telling my friends I was listening to country they would groan and roll their eyes. But when I put on artists like Wayne Hancock or Dale Watson they became fans also. We didn’t know real country existed anymore. We thought Nashcrap killed it long ago. Too country for country? Only because the corporate idiots who own everything are turning country into an assembly-line of bland sound alike shills. Keep playing what you’re playing. The revolution is coming and we’ll throw the jackasses out.
Dave Pilot says:
Matthew Grimm said it best in his Hangdogs days — Country’s just a bar you lay your weary head upon/So why does country radio/Sound like Celine Dion?
It’s just image these days, same as American society. That’s why Leatherpants and his fake wife are on a big tour right now, and it’s why Turtleboy is singing island songs in a tank top while barely peaking out from under his taco’d up hat. Short answer is that what’s on country radio today is just a bunch of reworked Journey songs. The problem there is that Steve Perry would’ve looked like sh*t in a Stetson. But oh well. The image sells.
For the rest of us, there’s plenty of real music to be found. Posters here have already listed some of the great streaming ‘net radio sites available. Look for others as well. And (shameless plug alert) point yer browser over to http://www.spiritoftheoutlaws.com, where we’re doing our best to find the ones who still know what it means to pour out a soul on a six-string. Real country’s only dead if we let the Urban-infatuated soccer moms make the rest of us forget what matters.
DP
Britany says:
The difference in country music from even just ten to fifteen years ago to now is amazing. I can’t say that I dislike all of the music on “country” radio stations, however, to categorize it as “country” is such an unjustice to true country music.
It’s unspeakable that the same “country” artist can be played on rock, country, and christian stations, the same song, at the same time and no one even takes a second glance. Have all music genres become that generic? That doesn’t even take into account all of the “remade” songs that a pop artist had a hit with that a “country” artist “remakes” days later or vice versa!
The first time I listened to your album, it took me a few seconds to adjust to the sound because, for the first time, in a long time, I was listening to REAL COUNTRY MUSIC! My ears didn’t know what was going on! What a breath of fresh air!
Way to go Big Machine Records! Keep this girl around! Let’s pray that one day we can get the radio stations to start playing REAL COUNTRY MUSIC again!
Mandy says:
Rob — did I ever say that Haggard or Jones were pop country? No! Although do listen to some of the strings on some George Jones CDs and some of the countrypolitan influences on his Billy Sherrill -produced CDs. Countrypolitan sounds were a blatant attempt to take the “smooth” aspects of 1950s pop and transfer those elements into country, in an attempt to appeal to mass audiences. So even some George Jones records were strongly influenced by pop sounds, although Jones is not really a pop country artist.
Britany says:
In reply to Sheena who wrote: “As I write this, George Strait has 2 songs in the top 60. “It just comes natural went to #1, Wrapped only made it to #2, but now he has “How ’bout them Cowgirls.” The reason that he is consistant with top 5 hits every time he opens his mouth is because he is country and has always been country.”
Being a George Strait fan, for as long as I can remember, I would have to say that even Mr. Strait himself has “popped” up his country. It may not be to the same degree as some of the music out there today, but if you compare his first album to his latest albums, there is a change and not just a “maturing” artist change but a “pop up my country” change to appeal to the radio stations and record label execs.
I’d almost bet that if George Strait was making the same music he made 25 years ago that he wouldn’t still be being played on today’s “country” radio stations.
OutlawSteph says:
Nice to see some folks who like authentic country music coming out of the woodwork!!
Artists like Sunny deserve to have the same chance at radio as those that came before her. Stay ‘too country’ my friend! While you are at it, everyone check out bands like the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash and Rancho Deluxe who are bringing back the Bakersfield sounds pioneered by Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and the Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers.
Twang on!
love and peace,
Stephanie
Mandy says:
I love George Strait, but he has definitely put some “pop in his country.” Songs like “I just want to dance with you,” “One Night at a Time,” “Blue Clear Sky,” “Run,” all have pop influences. But even some of George’s older songs have some pop elements — “You Look So Good in Love” and “Marian Del Rey” come to mind.
Tim says:
Better to be too country than not enough.
Rob says:
Mandy - To say that music changes with the times is one thing and I can agree on that. To call it pop when “pop” wasn’t even a genre is quite another. Much like calling this Nashvegas manufactured crap “Country”, when it clearly isn’t.
George Strait’s secret to success is he picks good songs.
Francesca says:
All of my favorite music is “too country for country”, and I like it that way. Country music these days is nothing but glorified pop music with a slide guitar thrown in every once in a while to give it a little twang. It’s a disgrace. If someone told me my music was too country for country radio, I’d take it as a compliment, too.
Donalee says:
I enjoy enjoy the current crop of Nashville performers. I like listening to our local country radio station AM 690 in Honolulu, they play the hits of the day. Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Big & Rich, Carrie Underwood all sound pretty good when you are living on a rock in the Pacific Ocean. I don’t go out and purchase their music, but the radio plays their songs and I like to listen to the radio. I don’t have a problem with Nashville, I like the music produced in Nashville.
Blues Bob says:
Donalee…you can listen to whatever you want in life. The only thing everyone one is saying is this…
YOU’RE NOT LISTENING TO COUNTRY, YOU’RE LISTENING TO POP.
If your country music station played real country music…you wouldn’t be listening to any of the people you named.
melissa says:
Hi Sunny,
I just wanted to thank you for posting this, and also for offering us an “out” with that edited e-mail address! ;) I’m gonna do my best not to get caught up in all the frustration that I’m sure lurks in the comments here because if I do I’ll probably be here for another hour. As someone who’s been to my fair share of country shows though, it’s ALWAYS weird to me when someone comes up to an artist and says “I don’t like Country…but I like you.” Especially when, in my opinion (and I like to think I know what I’m talking about), that artist is very much country. But I do think it’s great you’re exposing people to some really wonderful new music! (And if it’s any consolation…Kylie Harris certainly seems to love you!)
Also, I’m surprised no one has mentioned specifically the name of the song though I noticed one poster came really close to it. I couldn’t help but hear the song entitled “Too Country” that Brad Paisley recorded in my head the second I saw your MySpace bulletin about this blog. While it’s somewhat simple, it’s also one of the most powerful and beautiful songs I’ve ever heard. Please check it out if you’ve not already. (I love Bill Anderson btw and I’m continually stunned by the songs he writes!!!) Take care and thanks again. –Melissa
Rob says:
I’ve never heard Brad Paisley sing anything. I guess that statement in and of itself speaks volumes about my listening tastes.
For those of y’all who actually like and listen to the mainstream country/pop clogging up the airwaves. Next time you buy a CD, take a look at who wrote the song, do a google on that songwriter, check out their website, listen to them on myspace, click on their friends and listen to them. Then give a good ponderin about what’s country (or TOO country for that matter) and what ain’t. I think you’ll get a real good idea of where we’re coming from.
I ran across this site a couple years ago. It’s a 2 hour NPR program and it goes into great detail about the birth of country music and it’s evolution. If you have time take a listen.
http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2003/honkytonks/
Since music is pretty much like religion in that it means different things to different people I can respect everyones musical likes/dislikes….. just keep Chris Gaines the hell off my lawn. :)
r0b
otis says:
“too country” is a good thing. they told willie and waylon they were too country when alot of artists were sliding into the disco country muck. it’s the same today, between the country hip hop collaborations and the blind idiotic loyalty to all things detrimentally American, there’s not much room to be an outlaw anymore. i wonder what would happen if waylon or hank were just starting out today? would they ask george jones to record honky tonk badonkadonk with nelly? “too country” equals dale watson, hank 3, wayne the train, kevin fowler, cornell hurd, ray wylie hubbard, billie joe shaver(except that big and rich song, how’d they get you man?) unknown hinson, pauline reese and last but not least sunny sweeney! we love you!
everyone down in austin
ps- nashville the city is cool, i have friends there and i love to visit tennessee. nashville the establishment has always been hell bent on ruining country music, which has for the most part been made outside of nashville. everyone in texas and the rest of the world knows the heart of country music is in Austin!
otis says:
as far as new country goes, brad paisley is one of the best on CMT! he is a great guitar player, and he writes most of his own songs which is unheard of. now, when he starts doing hip hop i will take it all back.
otis says:
oh, and the george strait thing is pretty accurate i suppose. i’d just like to say he reinvigorated honky tonk style country in the early 80’s, and he still puts out great music. it is poppy, because he knows how to craft a single. 53 and counting number ones, more than the beatles and elvis combined. that’s mind boggling!
Clem says:
Quote from Rob– “I’ve never heard Brad Paisley sing anything. I guess that statement in and of itself speaks volumes about my listening tastes.”
Whether one likes Paisley or not this statement speaks volumes that you’re a bit narrow and elitist. How can one dismiss an artist without ever listening to them? Because his music is played on the radio it must be watered down pop? I have a feeling you’re the type to cry sellout if a country artist you like becomes big and gets airplay, even if their music never changed.
There is a lot of fluff on country music radio these days but once in awhile something decent does make it’s way into the vast wasteland.
Rob says:
To be honest Clem, I don’t listen to the stations that play his music, nothing more to it than that. So your feeling is pretty much wrong. Narrow & Elitist? Ha!
Otis - Actually it’s 55 and that ties him with Conway Twitty.
OutlawSteph says:
>> I don’t go out and purchase their music, but the radio >> plays their songs and I like to listen to the radio.
The above quoute from Donalee says it all. No offense. I’m not picking on you for liking what you like. But the point is, Music Row is not making music that is inspiring people to go out and actually BUY albums. Like Bob Dylan says, people are taking music for free over the internet because it’s not worth anything. When I was young, I remember racing to the record store to buy new albums from the Desert Rose Band, Vince Gill, Steve Earle and Dwight Yoakam when I heard them on COUNTRY RADIO, and that was only 15-20 years ago. They were all different in terms of the backgrounds, music, and styles but had a common bond. Where did it all go wrong?
love and peace,
Stephanie
parker snow says:
This blog has shown me one thing that is true: people love their music and country fans are some of the most audible. I looked back over all these blogs and except for Faith defending her man(hooray for her) nothing in the CMT BLOG has touched a nerve quite like this one. I am proud to love country and, as Sunny so providentially states in her myspace blog, I also love Nashville. I could ditto all she says but you could just go and read it. After all, Sunny has a supportive Nashville label, so someone there is listening!!!
Billy Joe Sewell says:
Gettin em all riled up, Miss Sweeney. I like it!
Billy Joe Sewell says:
Oh, and MANDY, make up your mind. This is your comment from the blog that someone else wrote. It was by Edward Morris entitled Sing A Song of Squalor.
Mandy wrote:
These songs are an embarrassment to cou”ntry music because they convey a moronic message, even if they are intended to be pure fun. The problem is not that these songs present a positive view of rural or hillbilly life, it’s that they present a wrongheaded rejection of education and ambition. In doing so, these songs present bad things (e.g., ignorance) as good things. These songs also confuse a good thing (living a simple life) with bad things (living an ignorant life, or working endless hours in a miserable job for no pay).
As for happiness: neither education nor money necessarily make one happy, but that is beside the point because education is valuable for reasons other than its ability to make one happy.
Worse yet, some of these songs don’t even portray redneck life in a positive fashion. Consider Gretchen Wilson; what is she proud of? Knowing all of Tanya Tucker’s songs by heart? Keeping her Christmas lights on her porch year round? Drinking beer? Are these really things to be proud of? Surely Redneck Women have something to be legitimately proud of (maybe having a good marriage or living an honest life, etc), but you wouldn’t know it from the song.
Baron Lane says:
When Billboard changed the “Hillbilly” music charts for “Country and Western” in 1949 twang has been an embarrassment for those trying to get maximum demo crossover. To coin a hip hop phrase, the industry was afraid to “keep it real.”
Occasionally an artist will come along and embarrass the powers that be and show the world it’s still possible to stay true to your craft and make badass music - Hank in the beginning, Willie and Waylon in the 70’s, Dwight Yoakam and Steve Earl in the 80’s and Hank III and Shooter Jennings and many others not on commercial country music today.
Honky tom says:
This is what I love about blogs and Sunny (lol) mixing it and not afraid of where they lead. I have a few suggestions for your next blog, comment on the Dixie chicks politics or homoseexuals in country music (not that there is anything wrong with that) HA!!!!!
Mandy says:
Billy Joe Sewell — there is nothing inconsistent with the post that you copied into this thread and anything else that I have said on this thread.
Larry Mofle says:
Very well said, Sunney and I am extremely happy to see you making it in the scene! Give all of us true Country Music lovers what we want and we will follow you. Names that have already been mentioned but are worth mentioning again like Dale Watson, Bastard Sons Of Johnny Cash, Wayne Hancock all come to mind.
If you are a fan of this sort of scene (Texas Country/Red Dirt) I’d like to invite you to check out our site - http://www.ourtracks.com (sorry we couldn’t get you on board, Sunny) - we have some of the best unheard artists around - and we are constantly growing! From blues to alt-rock to alt-country and everything in between!
Britany says:
This post goes along with the posts of Billy Joe Sewell and Mandy. This is mainly directed to Mandy, I just bring BJS into this because he reposted what Mandy said somewhere else:
I’ll repost part of it now.
Mandy wrote:
“These songs are an embarrassment to country music because they convey a moronic message, even if they are intended to be pure fun. The problem is not that these songs present a positive view of rural or hillbilly life, it’s that they present a wrongheaded rejection of education and ambition…”
I can tell from these statements that you (Mandy) were never raised anywhere near the “redneck” side of life. I feel it is for this reason that you don’t understand the meaning and reasoning behind these type of songs.
These songs reflect REAL LIFE for many people and they are not ashamed or embarassed to tell it like it is. That’s what makes those songs priceless not an embarrassment to country music.
I have a lot more I would like to say about that subject but I will leave it at that. I don’t want to start a war of opinions but I do want you to realize that everybody comes from different walks of life and opportunities. When people write songs about real life it’s not going to always be positive. That would be pretty boring music if no one had stories to tell of the heartbreak life can put you through sometimes.
How would we ever learn to love the things we have if it weren’t for the hard times?
Mandy says:
Britany — I can assure you that I am very familiar with the redneck way of life and I certainly was raised near the ‘redneck’ side of life. I
Britany says:
Ok, now replying to what OutlawSteph had to say.
>> I don’t go out and purchase their music, but the radio plays their songs and I like to listen to the radio. - Donalle
John says:
Rob, you should not try to pass off song lyrics as your own words not cool man.
John says:
and I bet you can’t even spell demographic
Rick says:
I gave a retail copy of Sunny’s CD to one of the DJ’s at the new FM Mainstream country radio station here in Los Angeles, but I really don’t expect to ever hear Sunny’s music played over the air. This particular DJ had been working for the Lofton Creek label owned by Scott Borchetta’s father, so a link to the Big Machine label was present if not direct. I figured any angle might help…
Top 40 Mainstream Crap Country Radio these days is mostly an insult to real country music and the culture that spawned it. Nowadays the mindless songs about getting drunk, getting rowdy and being stupid are everywhere, but I do think they have targeted their listener demographic quite well. The pop-rock crap that passes for mainstream country music these days is notable mostly for its shallowness and mediocrity, which seems to appeal to the masses on a lowest common denominator basis.
Its sad that so many if not most of the mainstream country radio programmers these days hate real, traditional country music and go to great lengths to avoid anything they consider too twangy. The whole industry has become like a closed loop, no feedback system clique like the Jocks and Cheerleaders back in high school who considered themselves superior to everyone else and therefore “know better” than their lowly listeners. I rarely listen to Top 40 country as most of the current music that becomes hits these days is pop-rock garbage. As the old saying goes, you can try to polish a turd, but you can’t make it shine…..
The saddest part about this whole situation is that if all these Top 40 stations would just play Sunny’s songs like “Lavender Blue” or “Here Lately”, then they WOULD become hits. They are just great songs that transcend category label barriers and would appeal to anyone that likes any form of country music. All it takes is listener exposure as has been demonstrated by the reception Sunny has received in Europe. Scott Borchetta needs to start thinking creatively about how he can get Sunny’s music more exposure here in the US. Real fans of traditional country music have mostly tuned out of the Top 40 stations, so each of spreading the news of Sunny’s music by word of mouth (or online) to any like minded individuals is a great way to start…..
Rob says:
John - Should I have attributed those lyrics to Dallas? I wasn’t tryin to be cool…..just funny. I also didn’t know we were being graded on spelling. So thank you Mr. Helper
For those of you that have no idea what John is talking about:
http://www.dallaswayne.com/8.htm Dallas Wayne rocks btw.
sue me. :)
Rob says:
Rick - You really hit the nail on the head. Just imagine if instead of playing honky-tonk badonkadonk (mispelled?) for the 4th time in the last 2 hours they gave a spin to an artist like Sunny or Wayne Hancock. The listening public just isn’t very demanding on what kind of product they are getting, cuz they don’t know what they are missing. In what little exposure I’ve had to mainstream country over the last 5 years or so, one thing really stands out to me (aside from it sounding poppy). There’s really not a lot instrumentally going on in the songs…nothing that makes you go “WOW”. We’re pretty lucky here in Texas, you can see Bobby Flores, Frenchie Burke, Lloyd Maines and other awesome musicians almost anytime you feel like it. I’m sure it’s the same in Nashville. I always leave those shows wondering why THESE guys don’t get more airtime.
parker snow says:
Rob - I have never heard it expressed so well! I personally do not dislike mainstream music as much as some of the bloggers, but I am really in love with the stations who play Sunny and others like her. I simply LIKE her music! I read an article online the other day about the flight of listeners going to satellite radio. The funny thing was it was written by someone who could not understand why people would pay to hear music…news,comedy, and weather they understood. I wish I could find it again and send them this link! I have heard Sunny twice this AM!!!
Rob says:
Parker - Were you listening to XM10? Just curious. I like Ray’s show in the morning.
Burnt Out on Radio says:
After Parker and Rob’s blogs I have to say that the underlying issue here is that radio listeners are not given the choice of what they want to hear on the radio station.
People are always telling you to call the radio stations and requests songs, making the listeners believe they have a choice but the truth of the matter is that if the radio programmer doesn’t want to play the song then you can call a million times and the song will still never get played.
The real deal, that radio stations don’t advertise to listeners, is that a record label can buy “special advertising” for their artists, which really means paying the radio station to play so many spins of a single. In other words, this is their way of legalizing bribes.
Satellite radio, so far, tends to lean toward the listeners because it is the listeners who pay them to be there and do what they do, not the other way around.
parker snow says:
Rob,
I flip back and forth between XM 10 and XM 12. I also do some local stations. The real reason I like satellite better is that I think it so cool to hear the obscure. Listening to a new artist before they have already been deemed good by everyone else is a musical novelty. The first time I heard Sunny, I had no idea who she was. I had to wait a week or so to hear her again and I remember yelling at my spouse to come listen. It is almost like discovering the artist yourself. That is why I love to tell people about her. Maybe I should start handing out cd’s on the corner. Hey Sunny, how about a deal for your fan club?
Tom says:
This has turned into an interesting dicusion. Thanks ron & rick . Plus I like the idea parker has about dicounts for fan club / street patrols for sunny. What do you say S.S.? Keep spreading this great music y’al
Donalee says:
Someone is making money off of the music that is being played on the radio. When people invest large amounts of cash they have a right to expect a return on their investment. The executives in Nashville know the type of songs, voices, instrumentation and production that the radio stations will play in their music mixes. The successful Nashville acts may not be authentic country music performers, but they do produce their music in Nashville, Tennessee and that LOCATION gives them discretion to call their music “country” even if it is not traditional sounding country music. Most of the successful Nashville performers are from small towns in the south or midwest, they were not raised in large cities or on the west coast. The music is not produced in New York or Los Angeles, it comes from Nashville, Tennessee, and therefore radio, and large corporations have a valid reason to label the product as “Country” music. Sunny’s music sounds great, I hope that she finds a way to break through and get played on the radio. Everyone knows how difficult the music business is, Sunny is doing a great job playing authentic country music and bringing it to the world.
Rob says:
Parker - I listen to XM13 as well. The guy in the morning gets a bit carried away sometimes opening fake beers and pouring cups of coffee.
Clem - I took the time to research Brad Paisley. I listened to his 5 most popular songs according to yahoo music.
1. Ticks
2. Online
3. She’s Everything
4. Whiskey Lullaby
5. All I wanted was a car
If he’s one of the better artists as folks in this thread seem to say….Country Music is hurtin. I mean he’s a good enough singer but American Idol is filling football stadiums with those these days. He’s a good guitar player, but that’s not enough to get it done for me. Texas is full of bad ass guiter players. “Ticks” just sounds like a bad Lynrd Skynrd cover. Vapid and homogenous. Sorry.
If you have time take a listen to these guys (shameless plug). It’s the real deal.
http://www.myspace.com/theruefferbrothers
Rick says:
I just wanted to add these insightful words from CMT’s own Chet Flippo from 2003. I think he kind of hits the nail on the head here regarding the current state on mainstream country radio:
“Just last night I was speaking with a BBC producer in London who was puzzled about why American country radio long ago turned its back on artists such as Cash, Haggard, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Tom T. Hall, Emmylou Harris, Don Williams, Steve Earle and the like, and why it rejects new artists who deviate too far from the commercially approved norm.
“They’re still all heroes in England,” he said. He didn’t like my answer that they no longer can draw a desired 25-49 year old female demographic so radio can sell commercials for shampoo, new cars and all kinds of other shiny new products to that target — which is what mainstream country radio is all about these days.
Music, however, continues to exist and flourish outside the world of demographics and focus groups and shampoo pushers. It’s no surprise that Cash, Haggard and Willie Nelson — artists who took stands — continue to draw new audiences and listeners.”
Because of his background and experience, Chet really sees the current Top 40 country music scene for what it is these days and his Nashville Skyline editorials are always worth reading.
frog763 says:
I agree with all!! I grew up listening to real country music! Waylon, Conway, Merle, George Jones (favorite male), Loretta, Patsy (Favorite female) and many more! I happen to fall into their “target demographic”, why don’t they poll us and find out what we really want to hear!!!! If I wanted to listen to Pop I’d watch MTV or VH1! Luckily, I live near Austin and get to hear plenty of GOOD COUNTRY! One of my favorites is Pauline Reese, wonderful voice!!!!!!! God Bless the Legends!!!!!!! Thanxs to AM Radio which is the only place I can listen to the good stuff, and Serious Radio. Maybe CMT will pay attention and play some of the good stuff instead of Dukes of Hazard reruns!!!!!!!!!!!
Lilli says:
Nothin like challenging the what’s country and what’s not theories to rile ‘em up, huh? I’ve gone through phases myself of what I liked and what I didn’t (and I do like both sides of the country fence) but there’s nothing like “traditional” country. And it’s interesting when you look at a lot of the older stuff, it was coming from singer/songwriters. Some with average but identifiable voices and styles even but the real magic came from the lyrics they were writing and really meant.
The Gobblers Knob says:
[...] of my more famous readers is imitating me and has become the best and most prolific blogger for CMT.com. In fact, other than Chet Flippo, she’s the only one worth reading in my [...]
Martha says:
Miss Sunny,
I love your music, and have been listening to your CD long before Big Machine records signed you. I love it that you follow your heart and play the music that you want to play and not the music that radio/record label execs think needs to be played. I have stopped listening country radio and have not listened to it in years because I don’t like what I hear. The only radio I will listen to is the internet based radiofreetexas.org. The radio is never on in my car, I am always listening to CD’s of yours truly and many others most people probably have never heard of. I am not sure what is going on with mainstream country, but it isn’t country music, maybe too much Yankee influence in the record labels and the radio executives? Let’s take our country back with the likes of Miss Sunny, Jason Boland and the Stragglers, Kevin Fowler, Aaron Watson, Deryl Dodd, Rick Sously just to name a few. Maybe if everyone turned their radio off it would get the establishment’s attention? Just a thought. Keep up the fantastic work Sunny. Looking forward to when you come to town with Jason Boland at the historic Cain’s Ballroom, the house that Bob built, in November!
Lilli says:
I agree with Martha and for some time now I only listen to the radio once in a while and rarely to top 40 country (”top 40″ is an incorrect label anyway since I doubt there are 40 different songs getting played daily as the same top 20 seem to be played over and over!)
Sure do miss hearing DD on the radio.
KAREN BILLINGS says:
so glad to find this website. I too, am an old country fan. I listen to xm-13 most times. I agree we need to take back our music. I was born in 1952 and we listened to the grand ole opry every Fri. and Sat. nights. I remember Wanda Jackson, Loretta, Bill Monroe, Hank Thompson, etc. This stuff we have today, is not country. It truly is pop-rock, no country to it at all. And what is with this “on line” song. Nothing country there!!
Me says:
Yeah, um, Donalee, gonna have to call BS:
The successful Nashville acts may not be authentic country music performers, but they do produce their music in Nashville, Tennessee and that LOCATION gives them discretion to call their music “country” even if it is not traditional sounding country music…The music is not produced in New York or Los Angeles, it comes from Nashville, Tennessee, and therefore radio, and large corporations have a valid reason to label the product as “Country” music.
Recording in Nashville does not give a person the right to be called “country”. Nashville is the home of country music by birthright, and England has a queen. And?
___________________________________________________________
The executives in Nashville know the type of songs, voices, instrumentation and production that the radio stations will play in their music mixes.
Of course they do. It’s their jobs to know what’s POPular, so they can reproduce that POPular formula. It’s their job to make money, not hold true to an ideal.
I understanding the reasoning, but I don’t have to like it.
Ace Tudd says:
The main problem in Nashville is they are targeting teenage girls and catering to the gay media, instead of trying to reach the real country audience. Old guys who hunt deer and have done time, either in the military or jail, are the real country audience. Don’t try to sell your crap to some gay dude in France. We don’t need them! And while I’m on the subject, I think we ought to move it all to Austin.
El Presidente says:
Who knows what “too country” means? I’ve heard that about other artists as well. Some that you know Sunny. I’ve also heard that the opposite comes from other radio stations. A super talented, albeit lesser known, artist from Texas that hit the Billboard charts was told by a radio station here that he was too mainstream. In the end, I think the whole industry is in a massive paradigm shift as the fans redefine the borders of music genres. At http://www.radiofreetexas.org we see the debate all the time on what does or does not belong in a genre. Bottom line: It really should be up to the fans to determine. Let the fans hear and let the artists be heard. It works for us.
What The Hell Does Too Country Mean? — The 9513 says:
[...] nest over at the semi-new CMT blog yesterday when she asked the proverbial question, “What the hell does too country mean?“ Ok, those aren’t her exact words, but they might as well have [...]
The Norwegian says:
Too Country is just silly! I live in Norway and we love the classic Country Music. Most new stars from Nashville are not well known (Unforunatelly, cos not knowing them kills any discussion on the subject), but “eveyone” knows who Johnny, George, Merle and Waylon is. We’re right there behind you Sunny! Keep up your brilliant work!
Tim Williams says:
Hey CMT… Why don’t you read these posts!
If I said antyhing here, I would be “Preaching to the Choir.” ENOUGH OF THE POP-COUNTRY! WE WANT SOME OF THE REAL DEAL!
Hank III, Dale Watson, BR549, Wayne Hancock…
Paker says:
I agree with what most people are saying here. I’m tired of this pop stuff with hair gel and ambercrombie clothes on “country” singers.
One of my new favorite country singers is Chris Knight. He isn’t that popular yet because he’s not into the whole pop image and actually sings country music. I reccomend ya’ll listen to some of his stuff if you’re tired of this dumb pop music. Hold on, Rascal Flatts just came on CMT, I have to change the channel. Dang, lost my train of thought now.
And lastly, why is CMT playing that rockstar song by Nickleback? I just want to hit somebody.
mandy says:
u know what i think is funny??????i love the way everyone is parading around in hollister clothes when they dont even wear those clothes in hollister, california. so i give KUDOS to everyone who has not fallen into the so-called “FAD” of hollister and abercrombie clothes!!!!
country isnt country anymore. its like…i cant even explain it, its a mix of pop and rock and all that crap….i mean im not kocking rock i love it, but a lot of things have changed in the music industry including the kind of music that is being let into the different genres. dude im 14 and i dont get much country in jersey…….and the stuff i do get….isnt hardly country at all
Itty Bitty says:
country music .late and great ! thats how I like it
Jane says:
The way I see it, there’s the traditional country, and the new country. Now, I’ve listened to country music on and off for years. But, I got more into it in 2003 when I became ill. Let me tell you “COUNTRY MUSIC” and CMT got me through some rough times. At the same time, I became a big fan. COUNTRY MUSIC to me is the music of our country, whether its the traditional country, or the new country. To me COUNTRY MUSIC is COUNTRY MUSIC and I love COUNTRY MUSIC.
As far as this statement goes “too much country for country” is the most ridiculous statement I’ve ever heard. That statment is just a cop out, as the saying goes. It means they’re not interested, for whatever reason. How can a country artist be too much country?? There’s no way.
Dick Moffett says:
When it comes to country, what can you ask yourself? Are we the MUSICIANS making the music? YES!!! We are the fans. You can say all you want about true/real country and/or “pop” country, or whatever. You sound like a bunch of “true/real” punk fans. They say ” PUNK IS DEAD.” Whats real country? The way you are talking….. COUNTRY IS DEAD. The unsympathetic fans made it that way. All music changes. It becomes something different and new. (I’m not even saying I enjoy it…) But, the blues became rock and roll. (ex. ELVIS!) We are “country” at heart, and that is what counts. If you don’t like the new stuff coming out, don’t listen. Quit your bitchin’!! You’re probably an un-educated barbershop cowboy/cowgirl anyways. (Did you post on here? How “COUNTRY” of you.) I’m not saying to embrace where country is going either. I can honestly say that, a metal/rock band just came out with a song that, may be more country than anything you may have heard lately…. It is called Dear God By Avenged Sevenfold. Look it up, listen to it, and tell me that, it is “not” ok for a musician to embrace music, whatever genre it may be…. I say, “embrace music and its musicians for what CAN be done progressively, not how the musicians are selling out.” Or selling out country because they aren’t writing songs like Merle or Cash did. Use your head for more than a hat rack…..
Paker says:
Dick, I listened to that song, and personally I don’t consider that halfway country, not a bad song though. The sad thing is, by todays country music standards, it could be. I can’t imagine anyone at their concert even with a cowboy hat on. They should tour with rascal flatts and nickleback because they’re for some reason considered country. I doubt the people bitchin’ are un-educated barershop cowboys/cowgirls, but whatever. I’ll just stick to my cd player instead of the radio when it comes to music.
Larry says:
It’s very sad, to me, that there are some artists today that can sing and play real country music but in order to keep a recording contract they have to play whatever it is they are calling country music. I saw an interview with Ricky Skaggs on the Johnny Carson Show several years ago and Ricky said that if he was going to have to go to the modern country music style to play music he wouldn’t do it. Hence, he went back to playing bluegrass music. I don’t (and won’t) watch to country music awards because there isn’t anything country to watch and it’s so political that it’s ridiculous. I haven’t figured out why they still play George Strait on radio. Hope they never figure out that he IS country.
Edmund says:
Two words: CORPORATE AMERICA!!!!
david chute says:
country music is gone by to me i will never watch it anymore its a bunch of s its all childish no one can fill the shoes like the old timers what a shame you people have ruined it for us. thanks a bunch
PATRICIA says:
We have to return to the old country. this stuff they are putting out now is really rock and no true country fan likes it. Bring back the old country and the old country stars. We are losing the original fans of country music. It’s a shame.
ZenKancelaf says:
I’d prefer reading in my native language, because my knowledge of your languange is no so well. But it was interesting!
Fred Kole says:
The only way we can get the traditional country back on the air is by using the power we have in the marketplace.That means we purchase music only of real country artist and leave the other stuff alone.We must also flood the so-called country stations with e-mails telling them you will not buy the products of their sponsers if they will not play music you want to hear.Competition is the key here.There needs to be more radio stations that play only traditional country and we the listener must support them and their sponsers.
Maddman says:
I have a bit of a different persepctive on this, as I’m a new country fan. Not meaning the new music, but I’ve just started listening for the last couple of years. Except for Johnny, even in my metalhead days I loved Johnny Cash.
Anyway, I’ve become a very egalitarian listener. I don’t care about genres at all. I don’t care if its new country, old country, metal, rock, pop, hip hop or whatever. If its a good song, I’ll listen to it. I like some new stuff, I find Brad Paisley’s songs clever like good country music can be. But the classics are really good, I love Willie and Waylon and the boys.
I don’t blame it on Nashville. Just learn what the indie rock scene has been figuring out. Nashville doesn’t matter. Good music in Austin? Why do they need to go to Nashville to make records to sell you in Austin? The old methods of music distribution are dying, the record industries are become less relevent every day. So of course they aren’t going to take chances or deviate from the formula. They’re trying to hold on to all they have.
Maddman says:
Oh, almost forgot. Before seeing this blog I’d never heard of Sunny Sweeney. From her comments here and the discussion, sounds like she could be my kind of thing. I’ll have to check it out!
johnny bond rules says:
come on now we all know where it all stems CMA or country my ass as waylon used to say they control who your next big star is gonna be we dont see guys like jeffrey steele or anthony smith or bobby pinson guys that are the waylons and willies of our era or buddy miller they dont play the game . we all praise johhny cash but there are those of us who remember how he was ousted from alot of the CMA activity .johnny cash was prasied more by rolling stone magazine than most country publications .we all know those artists are out there and were seeing great ones like jack ingram slowly changing his image to fit it! its all politics and ratings thats just the way it is til a revolution starts .so dont complain! change! risk obscurity to change even if its for the next generation.
i also think its wise to remember what you hear now is a reflection of trends and numbers ,back in the day when hank williams was tearin it up traditionalists thought he was a sell out too cause he was so popular he was known everywhere he wasnt from the mountain top like the carters not the real deal at first but of course we all know what happened history wrote it like it was he was a genius and people finally figured it out and of course the CMA was the last one there to jump on the bandwagon and wave the flag and take all the credit for it . we only hear what we see and its a very mediocre world now more than ever , and this is not a gripe its just reality
pure country is a novelty now a new generation has grown up around alot of different music and you cant tell me the pop country crap of the 80’s was any better than whats out now ,theres always been alot of crap and always will be . so to you purists keep waving your flag but make it better than george jones and merle and willie and waylon and kris and johhny thats wherethe bar must be set and thing less is no better than whats out there now!
jimmyjohn says:
i agree with alot of those points i remember in the 80s it was horrible along came dwight and randy and country was reborn then boom boom boom a million knock offs some great some not so great .
i also remember people calling alabama a pop country group now theyre revered as great american country group which they deserve but man people just wanna shoot down everything its so easy to be a critic god bless all the ones who keep fighting for the music they love
jj
jen says:
while i do like some of today’s country, i’ll always love classic country. i read about half of these posts and i agree with what is being said about today’s country being too pop and too contemporary, and there ain’t no such thing as too country. but after taking into account what i have read about this and about how good sunny is, i decided to check out one of her music videos, and i have to say that i am impressed. that is real country and i’m gonna start keeping my eye…or ear…out for her music.
i listen to country radio all the time and i hardly ever hear anything like that on there, and i wish they played more classic country. now i do like george strait, and my favorite country artist is josh turner, but today’s country is too contemporay, like rascal flatts. i do like ‘backwards’ and ‘winner at a losing game’ isn’t bad, but the group just does not sound country. and i don’t know why sugarland’s ’stay’ is so popular; i just don’t care for them or that song. but i’m not critizing those who like them; it’s just a personal preference.
but just cause i like some of today’s country does not make me a fan of like kenny chesney, keith urban, toby keith and terri clark, to name a few. in fact, i’m not really a fan of most of today’s country artists; i just love country and the way it sounds, except for the really contemporary stuff that doesn’t sound country at all. well except for george strait cause he is still country. the only artist i closely follow and keep my eye on and am a way huge fan of, is josh turner. he’s not classic but he’s not contemporary either; he just has good songs and a way awesome deep voice.
i like a lot of country songs, both classic and today’s, but most of it…with the exceptions of george strait and josh turner…is not by any one single artist cause i like a handfull of songs from various artists, except for the ones that i don’t like. but there are those that i don’t dislike, but am not a fan of, either. two examples of this would be vince gill and taylor swift. i don’t know if vince has gone contemporary or not, as i don’t keep up with his music, but i love ‘when i call your name’. and while taylor has some good songs…’our song’ and ‘teardrops on my guitar’…and will likely have more, personally i think she’s too pretty. not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it can make a girl feel like she’s not very pretty and it lowers her self esteem. but i am not critizing taylor, nor am i saying there’s anything wrong with her cause there is nothing wrong with being pretty.
Bill says:
Sheena, I agree with you about George (Strait). I only have one question though. What do you call it when George opens his mouth and sings “Shift work”? That has to be one of the worst songs in a long time to come out of Cashville. I know that Chesney will do anything for a buck, but I expected better from George.
CMT, are you listening? Scroll up and read what the fans are saying. Start a channel called PMT (Pop Music Television) and put McGraw, Chesney, Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift, etc. on it. I’m not knocking their music, and I don’t think anyone is saying it is bad music. We’re just saying, “It isn’t country!”.
I read an article on the 9513 a while back, and it said that if Hank Sr. wouldn’t sing it, then it isn’t country. Last time I looked, I didn’t see “Honkytonk Badonkadonk” in the Hank Williams catalog.
Sunny, you effin twang girl!
Casey says:
The truth is its all about money. Most of these new guys can’t even sing, they just put on a cowboy hat and make up and dance around the stage claiming to be country. George Jones has more country in his pinky then any of these new “country superstars” have in their entire body. And Mandy who posted something above about George Jones having pop sounds, that was just an ignorant comment.
Pam says:
THE ONLY TRUE COUNTRY ARTISTS IN THE PAST 10 YEARS ARE DAVID BALL,GEORGE STRAIT,ALAN JACKSON,AND POSSIBLY BRAD PAISLEY. WHAT DO THESE NEW MEN AND WOMEN STARS PLEDGE WHEN AGREEING TO MUSIC CONTRACTS? THERE IS NO VOICE DISTINCTION BETWEEN ANY OF THE NEWER SINGERS. IT SEEMS TO ME IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE FOR SOMEBODY WITH SOME BIG BUCKS TO BUY A FEW STATIONS AROUND THE COUNTRY TO PLAY REAL COUNTRY MUSIC.ANY BETTER SUGGESTIONS?
Graymalkin says:
I recall in the early 70s when Nashville had become “too commercial,” the artists “too homogenized” and the music production “too slick.” The result was what came to be called “Outlaw country.” Hank, Jr, Waylon, Willie and a handful of other artists went their own way, and the fans followed.
Nashville noticed, and attempted to copy the trend, without much success (the suits, with their demographics, pie charts, and financial pre-zentations just couldn’t grasp the concept of What Country Audiences Want To Hear; after all, it was their job to market: they told the customers what they should buy).
Well, Nashville is more commercial, homogenized and overproduced now than ever.
Artists always persued a process for getting their music heard; a long, slow process that involved miles traveled, gigs in bars that barely paid for gas to the next town, shoe leather worn out, knuckles calloused from knocking on doors,and through it all a honing of voice, instrumental and self-promotional skills needed to catch a break.
Nowadays, the music industry - particularly Nashville, it seems - has taken an American Idol approach to finding suitable “artists” that can be molded into a marketable form.
(Imagine Hank, Sr, Johnny Cash, George Jones, or any icon of country music going before Simon Cowell for their “big break.” What are the chances we’d have ever heard of these icons today?
Oh, there’s also the Gone Country approach: forget the hundreds of talented performers waiting to be discovered. How about a “reality” show in which 70s celebrities will compete for the chance of having a “country” album produced by “country” artist John Rich? Woo-hoo! Can’t wait for Danny Bonaduce and Gary Coleman to get THEIR shot!)
Unfortunately, I don’t see a new “outlaw movement” on the horizon, even with (or perhaps partially because of) the vast internet jungle available at our fingertips.
One of my favorite artists today is Rhett Akins, who was signed, had a few songs on the charts, and now is unsigned. To tell you the truth, I think Akins’ music today is far better than the safe, “produced” albums Nashville released. There is a huge degree of freedom when one has the talent, and the following, to overcome “unsigned” status. You’ll never hear “Kiss My Country Ass,” “Down South” or “Friday Night In Dixie” on ultra-safe, ultra-pc Top 40 Country stations. Real country music on commercial radio today is as taboo as rebel flags at a NASCAR event! To hell with roots; the suits are in control.
There’s more money to be made with cookie-cutter “artists” lip-syncing slightly country-fied mass-marketable pop tunes targeted at an audience raised on dance music, hip-hop, American Idol and “reality” TV shows.
Maybe someday REAL country music will return. But from what I see out there, it’s gonna get worse before it gets better.
Dewayne Blackwell says:
As a Nashville sonwriter who now lives in Mexico, I’ve really enjoyed all the comments.
I’ve written some number 1’s that everyone will know, but I’m not on here to puff my chest out. I just wanted to say that I’m here in Mexico to get out of the ratrace, to Escape From Nashcatraz. I wasn’t going to comment because when an old timer like me sounds off, it sounds a little too much like sour grapes. But it’s nice to have someone sound off for me. Ditto, you guys.
db