"If we could all sound like we wanted to, we'd sound like George Jones."
Waylon Jennings
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
George Jones - The Race Is On (Live at Farm Aid 1986)
"If we could all sound like we wanted to, we'd sound like George Jones."
Waylon Jennings
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Prolific Original
Producing in large quantities or with great frequency; highly productive...that is the definition of prolific.....and Hank Williams song writing was extremely prolific, producing many number 1 hits and songs that crossed over into a variety of genres....even after his death.
Hank Jr. said to accomplish what his dad did in 29 years is unbelievable and has never been duplicated by anyone else, ever. It's amazing when looking over his catalog of songs, the sheer number alone is staggering.
Then to think that not only did he write the songs, he performed them as well. His only musical education came from a poor black street performer in Alabama, yet Hank was able to parlay that along with his uncanny arrangement of words and stories into songs that have stood the test of time.
As so many great performers he died a tragic, early death.....but as Hank Jr. says about his dad.....his journey continues on even in death.....and it always will. Hank was born into a very low-income beginnings and could not read, write or notate music but somehow with his God given talent, he forever changed the face, sound and destiny of country music.
Not bad for a hillbilly from Alabama.....such an amazing talent.....and some say the original Honky Tonk country music outlaw....ride on Hank !!!
Super Stoked
Super Stoked !!!! Got my tickets yesterday....going to be an awesome show. Whitey is a hometown boy from Mt.Morris actually. I worked many years at Sears with his Grandma Shirley and also worked with his mom too. I can remember him coming into the store on occasion as a wee lad.
Whitey's grandpa was quite the accomplished guitarist. There is a large number of people in the Flint area that came from the south to work at GM, and a good number of them play or played music.Whitey's gramps was one of them, Bill Morgan.
Whitey has a song called Grandpa's guitar. Apparently he was the only one of Bill's kids or grandkids that had an interest in music. Bill taught Whitey how to play guitar. Whitey in his teen years and early 20s played punk or alternative music.
However, something was missing and he went through all of Bill's vinyl...which were all country....and he discovered that country music was his true calling. The rest they say is history.
Cody Jinks is a fantastic country singer and player as well....I don't know much about him other than he is the real deal......give these boys a listen on youtube.....you won't be disappointed.
Friday, June 24, 2016
Current Times
Basically I've tried to give a brief and it's very brief history of how I've come full circle back to my Country Music Roots. The twang is something that I now crave. Something about the moan and wail of the steel guitar along with the sad sounds of the fiddle mixed with the crooning twang of the singers that really strike a chord with me.
One of the things that draws so many to what is considered Country Music these days is the words of the song. The words or story of the song got lost somewhere along the way with Rock and Roll. In the late 80s and into the 90s Heavy Metal seemed to take up the mantel of Rock.
Some of the Metal is pretty cool, but the lyrics are just lost to me. I love the hard driving guitar work and drum work....but the lyrics are so hard to understand. One thing I never got into was the whole kill the puppies screaming lyrics....to me they just didn't translate. Nirvana was genius and Pearl Jam okay....probably because of the moody edge of Eddie Vetter. Nickelback, Shinedown, and Daughtry are all very cool...but I was lacking something.
Listening to "Pop Country" today is a strange experience. It seems like pop rock music with a southern accent and usually a fake accent at that. The country of old or as I like to call it Legacy Country is a soulful way of telling a story. It's the white man's blues in my opinion, and believe me the blues is cool....I'm a sucker for guitar what can I say.
There is a big movement going on that "Hates Pop Country".....hate is a pretty strong word. There are some that have stronger feelings than that. Whitey Morgan for example has t-shirts that say "Fuck Pop Country", I can relate to his sentiments because country radio will never play his music.
Even in the 90's George Jones wasn't getting the air play he deserved. Everything is run by matrix numbers which are computer generated and based on demographics. It's all about the numbers and sales. Eddie Arnold in the 60's was accused of not doing country music, to which his reply was he didn't care if it was country or not he was selling records.
At the latest CMT awards they had artists like PitBull and other rappers in the line-up....really....what they hell do they have to do with country music and who gives a shit if they are there or not....only the number crunchers and producers that turn out the mindless dribble like Florida Georgia Line and Sam Hunt.....they are pop artists at best. Even Taylor Swift had enough respect to say that her music is really "pop" and not even "pop-country" and she got out and catered to the "pop" crowd......at least she showed some respect.
Glen Campbell was the first highly successful cross-over artist from country to pop and paved the way for hundreds of others along the way......but there seems to be a resurgance of interest in "true" Country Music.....and the only outlet seems to be XM/Sirrus satellite radio.....there are plenty of "Classic Rock" stations but no "Classic Country" stations that I'm aware of.
.Blake Shelton and his ex Miranda are about the only ones I have any respect for on country radio. They seem to have some allegiance to those who went before them for the roots that are making them rich. We'll see which way they go.
One of the things that draws so many to what is considered Country Music these days is the words of the song. The words or story of the song got lost somewhere along the way with Rock and Roll. In the late 80s and into the 90s Heavy Metal seemed to take up the mantel of Rock.
Some of the Metal is pretty cool, but the lyrics are just lost to me. I love the hard driving guitar work and drum work....but the lyrics are so hard to understand. One thing I never got into was the whole kill the puppies screaming lyrics....to me they just didn't translate. Nirvana was genius and Pearl Jam okay....probably because of the moody edge of Eddie Vetter. Nickelback, Shinedown, and Daughtry are all very cool...but I was lacking something.
Listening to "Pop Country" today is a strange experience. It seems like pop rock music with a southern accent and usually a fake accent at that. The country of old or as I like to call it Legacy Country is a soulful way of telling a story. It's the white man's blues in my opinion, and believe me the blues is cool....I'm a sucker for guitar what can I say.
There is a big movement going on that "Hates Pop Country".....hate is a pretty strong word. There are some that have stronger feelings than that. Whitey Morgan for example has t-shirts that say "Fuck Pop Country", I can relate to his sentiments because country radio will never play his music.
Even in the 90's George Jones wasn't getting the air play he deserved. Everything is run by matrix numbers which are computer generated and based on demographics. It's all about the numbers and sales. Eddie Arnold in the 60's was accused of not doing country music, to which his reply was he didn't care if it was country or not he was selling records.
At the latest CMT awards they had artists like PitBull and other rappers in the line-up....really....what they hell do they have to do with country music and who gives a shit if they are there or not....only the number crunchers and producers that turn out the mindless dribble like Florida Georgia Line and Sam Hunt.....they are pop artists at best. Even Taylor Swift had enough respect to say that her music is really "pop" and not even "pop-country" and she got out and catered to the "pop" crowd......at least she showed some respect.
Glen Campbell was the first highly successful cross-over artist from country to pop and paved the way for hundreds of others along the way......but there seems to be a resurgance of interest in "true" Country Music.....and the only outlet seems to be XM/Sirrus satellite radio.....there are plenty of "Classic Rock" stations but no "Classic Country" stations that I'm aware of.
.Blake Shelton and his ex Miranda are about the only ones I have any respect for on country radio. They seem to have some allegiance to those who went before them for the roots that are making them rich. We'll see which way they go.
Ralph Stanley....Rest In Peace
One of the true Pioneers of Bluegrass Music.....chilling rendition of an old Native-American songs
New Country ???
The mid 80's brought about a new wave of Country Music with some bleed over of the standards. Perhaps the ultimate country song was released by the King, George Jones, "He Stopped Loving Her Today"
Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, and Garth Brooks were gaining in popularity along with a huge stable of "New" country stars.
The new country seemed to respect those who had gone before them and one could even detect a slight "twang" in some of the songs.
All the while this new country was gaining a foothold....Willie Nelson had left Nashville after his house burned down. Willie found a new home in Austin, Texas. The Nashville Music machine which had come into being in the late 50's and became very strong in the 60's and 70's....it was extremely important in those days to have that Nashville Sound....complete with orchestrated accompaniment, back up vocals, and huge production efforts. Willie being disillusioned with the Nashville Sound saw the fire as a sign to get out of Dodge and go back to Texas.
While in Austin, Willie began to release records with that pure, raw, country music with an edge and a twang. He had a respectable showing against the manufactured youngsters making noise in Nashville.
Soon others began to join Willie in Austin....the likes of Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson and the man Waylan Jennings.
Meanwhile Garth, an Oklahoman who had a strong rock influence brought huge legions of fans to country music. Garth was and still is new country, but he still has a little bit of an edge and plays slight homage to the classic sound.
During the late 80s and through the 90s, I saw quite a number of country shows. Alan Jackson opened for Randy Travis, always thought he should have been the other way around. Another great show was Brooks & Dunn opening for Reba. Reba puts on a hell of a show, and she has that classic country female sound. Also, Lorrie Morgan, George Jones, and Conway Twitty. George stole the show. Lorrie seemed kind of bitchy and Conway just walks out and sings.
In the 90's at the old Pontiac Silverdome was a country music fest. There were so many I can't
remember them all. I do remember the Dixie Chicks before the shit in their nest, and George Strait who was awesome. A lot like Conway....George just comes out and sings and does it very good.
I wish I could remember more about George Jones though, he definitely was the highlight of that show. Definitely the King of Country Music, this I now realize, it took a while but it's a fact in my opinion and that of many others.
Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, and Garth Brooks were gaining in popularity along with a huge stable of "New" country stars.
All the while this new country was gaining a foothold....Willie Nelson had left Nashville after his house burned down. Willie found a new home in Austin, Texas. The Nashville Music machine which had come into being in the late 50's and became very strong in the 60's and 70's....it was extremely important in those days to have that Nashville Sound....complete with orchestrated accompaniment, back up vocals, and huge production efforts. Willie being disillusioned with the Nashville Sound saw the fire as a sign to get out of Dodge and go back to Texas.
While in Austin, Willie began to release records with that pure, raw, country music with an edge and a twang. He had a respectable showing against the manufactured youngsters making noise in Nashville.
Soon others began to join Willie in Austin....the likes of Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson and the man Waylan Jennings.
Meanwhile Garth, an Oklahoman who had a strong rock influence brought huge legions of fans to country music. Garth was and still is new country, but he still has a little bit of an edge and plays slight homage to the classic sound.
remember them all. I do remember the Dixie Chicks before the shit in their nest, and George Strait who was awesome. A lot like Conway....George just comes out and sings and does it very good.
I wish I could remember more about George Jones though, he definitely was the highlight of that show. Definitely the King of Country Music, this I now realize, it took a while but it's a fact in my opinion and that of many others.
Thursday, June 23, 2016
What is Going On ??
The early eighties was pretty much a complete era of confusion for me musically. The supposed rock scene was going what we called "bubblegum" and it just wasn't satisfying. The punk scene morphed into alternative, so I was seeking out the rock of the 70s and 60s.
In the early 80s the Urban Cowboy thing got really popular.Cowboy hats and boots and mechanical bulls swept the nation for a minute.
This brought attention to country music and the first country cross-over mega star, Glen Campbell came out with Rhinestone Cowboy.
.
Willie Nelson also came out with Honeysuckle Rose, and Willie gained new popularity as the Redheaded Stranger and a whole new sound from Austin.
Country radio began to build in popularity and thus Pop Country was taking foothold
In the early 80s the Urban Cowboy thing got really popular.Cowboy hats and boots and mechanical bulls swept the nation for a minute.
.
Willie Nelson also came out with Honeysuckle Rose, and Willie gained new popularity as the Redheaded Stranger and a whole new sound from Austin.
Country radio began to build in popularity and thus Pop Country was taking foothold
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
FM Album Rock
Sometime in the early 70's FM radio came into it's own. Up until then it was pretty much restricted to what we called "Dentist Office Music" and classical.
Suddenly AM radio and it's static and pop music gave way to "Album Rock" on WWCK FM and it opened a whole new dimension to my musical taste. WKMF country and WTAC rock was a thing of the past.
Led Zepplin, Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones and countless others like Grand Funk Railroad blared through the air with a clarity we had never heard from the radio.
As we moved into High School....and I do mean High....VanHalen was white hot....and also some "Southern Rock" like Lynard Skynard and 38 special gained some popularity....but the hard driving rock was my favorite of the time.
There were a number of great concerts at old IMA Auditorium....some of the ones I remember are Foreigner, REO, Heart, Santana, then the IMA Sports Arena...Ted Nugent, Foghat, April Wine..I'm missing a few but you get the idea.
Right after graduation WCK changed their format to "pop" instead of album rock and my musical tastes didn't have a local radio outlet.....punk rock was coming on the scene with The Cars, The Clash, the Sex Pistols and others....it was fun for a while but something was missing.
Suddenly AM radio and it's static and pop music gave way to "Album Rock" on WWCK FM and it opened a whole new dimension to my musical taste. WKMF country and WTAC rock was a thing of the past.
Led Zepplin, Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones and countless others like Grand Funk Railroad blared through the air with a clarity we had never heard from the radio.
As we moved into High School....and I do mean High....VanHalen was white hot....and also some "Southern Rock" like Lynard Skynard and 38 special gained some popularity....but the hard driving rock was my favorite of the time.
There were a number of great concerts at old IMA Auditorium....some of the ones I remember are Foreigner, REO, Heart, Santana, then the IMA Sports Arena...Ted Nugent, Foghat, April Wine..I'm missing a few but you get the idea.
Right after graduation WCK changed their format to "pop" instead of album rock and my musical tastes didn't have a local radio outlet.....punk rock was coming on the scene with The Cars, The Clash, the Sex Pistols and others....it was fun for a while but something was missing.
Early Years
Where do I begin?
My parents moved to Flint, Michigan in search of better opportunities as so many did in the early 50's. The migration was heavy from the south. The people of the south were great for the expanding and booming auto manufacturing business. They were no strangers to work and their work ethic was beyond reproach.
My dad tried his hand at construction until he got hired at GM. The unfortunate part was that he couldn't be shackled to the production line. He told me that all he could think of was his team of mules who pulled the plow and shit and pissed in their work and couldn't waiver from the row they were in.
The above sounds like a country song on it's own. I grew up listening to WKMF 1470 AM in my early years. My dad patting his foot to the beat of the song is something that always had a special part in my memories.
In elementary school I discovered Elvis. Probably the mindless dribble of Elvis movies made quite an impression on me. Elvis was my idol beyond belief. Everything I could take in movies, 45s, albums, magazines...anything as long as it was Elvis.
Thumbing through my parents albums....what no Elvis???....you've got to be kidding me....all country...bummer or so I thought. In my parent's cars was always country crooning through the glories of AM radio.
My first concert was Glen Campbell. My cousin who was 8-10 yrs older than me had convinced her parents to take her to see Glen at the Whiting Auditorium. Dad and I happened to stop by their house as they were getting ready to leave for the concert and somehow to my amazement we went along.
Glen definitely wasn't the feature but definitely stole the show....he was not Elvis but would do for a hot Sunday afternoon...hey it was air conditioned.....Glen put on a good show, I was about 7-8....it sure would be great to know who he appeared with. I may have seen a great country star and not even realized it.
My parents moved to Flint, Michigan in search of better opportunities as so many did in the early 50's. The migration was heavy from the south. The people of the south were great for the expanding and booming auto manufacturing business. They were no strangers to work and their work ethic was beyond reproach.
My dad tried his hand at construction until he got hired at GM. The unfortunate part was that he couldn't be shackled to the production line. He told me that all he could think of was his team of mules who pulled the plow and shit and pissed in their work and couldn't waiver from the row they were in.
The above sounds like a country song on it's own. I grew up listening to WKMF 1470 AM in my early years. My dad patting his foot to the beat of the song is something that always had a special part in my memories.
In elementary school I discovered Elvis. Probably the mindless dribble of Elvis movies made quite an impression on me. Elvis was my idol beyond belief. Everything I could take in movies, 45s, albums, magazines...anything as long as it was Elvis.
Thumbing through my parents albums....what no Elvis???....you've got to be kidding me....all country...bummer or so I thought. In my parent's cars was always country crooning through the glories of AM radio.
My first concert was Glen Campbell. My cousin who was 8-10 yrs older than me had convinced her parents to take her to see Glen at the Whiting Auditorium. Dad and I happened to stop by their house as they were getting ready to leave for the concert and somehow to my amazement we went along.
Glen definitely wasn't the feature but definitely stole the show....he was not Elvis but would do for a hot Sunday afternoon...hey it was air conditioned.....Glen put on a good show, I was about 7-8....it sure would be great to know who he appeared with. I may have seen a great country star and not even realized it.
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