What really is Country?

Cameron Tilbury · Post by **Cameron Tilbury** » 1 Apr 2009 12:32 am

This is sort of a pick-up from another thread. Someone mentioned that the public had been brainwashed into thinking that artists like Big & Rich, Montgomery Gentry, etc are country.
What do you define as country? Personally, on my iPod I have Haggard, Cash, Guy Glark, Townes Van Zandt, Allman Brothers, Skynrd, Travis Tritt, Randy Travis, Big & Rich, Asleep at the Wheel, Poco, Eagles, Commander Cody, Miranda Lambert, Randy Rogers, Gary Stewart, Keith Urban...well you get the idea.

Sure..some are a little "more country" than others. I'm 47 and have been an active participant in country music all of my life. I just see it as different styles of country--but country all the same.

Thoughts?

Alvin Blaine · Post by **Alvin Blaine** » 1 Apr 2009 1:39 am

Country is everything from a fiddle and banjo played on the back porch to Ray Price singing with a 40 piece orchestra to Big & Rich on stage with Les Pauls & Flying V's, a dozen Marshal Stacks, and a midget swingin' from a rope.

Country Music is the widest, broadest, most inclusive music genre around. It always has been and always will be!!

Theresa Galbraith · Post by **Theresa Galbraith** » 1 Apr 2009 4:32 am

I just see it as different styles of country.....but country all the same.

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 1 Apr 2009 6:33 am

Not much past 1959.

Charles Davidson · Post by **Charles Davidson** » 1 Apr 2009 8:48 am

BILL,YOU NAILED IT BUDDY. DYKBC.

Marlin Smoot · Post by **Marlin Smoot** » 1 Apr 2009 9:16 am

This topic could last another 50 years?

Theresa Galbraith · Post by **Theresa Galbraith** » 1 Apr 2009 9:16 am

Brett Day · Post by **Brett Day** » 1 Apr 2009 11:54 am

To me, country music is music about the heart, it's written, sung, and played from the heart in many ways and there are so many singers, songwriters, and musicians who make country music what it is today and they all write, sing, and play from the heart.

Brett

Theresa Galbraith · Post by **Theresa Galbraith** » 1 Apr 2009 12:11 pm

Ditto Brett!

Billy Tonnesen · Post by **Billy Tonnesen** » 1 Apr 2009 4:20 pm

Country is where you recognize who is singing or playing, what instruments are in the band, the song has a good story and words, and after listening to it, it stays in your head and you can hum it. in my humble opinion !

John De Maille · Post by **John De Maille** » 1 Apr 2009 4:54 pm

This is really an open ended topic, that, will never be resolved. Country music, as recorded, goes as far back as the 1920's ( I think? ) till recent recordings. Each generation of us will say that, their's is the one and only true country music. But, times change just as the music does and not all music venues were accepted by previous devotee's. There were a lot of diehards, who, hated drums being introduced and when electrification was added, the zealots screemed again and rebuked it. But, the transitions kept happening and we are where we are today. Not my cup of tea, thankyou. I prefer country music from the 70's, 80's and early 90's, but, that's just me. The 70's are when I started playing country music, so, that's where my roots start from. I've heard some new country tunes that aren't bad, but, that's because there's steel in them. Unfortunately, that's getting to be few and far between. Who knows where it will go from here. I certainly don't. New trends for anything are always hard to swallow. You either like them or not. I think a lot of us are stuck in a time warp and that's really OK.

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 1 Apr 2009 5:15 pm

Topic: What really is Country?

Cameron, we may never know, but you came to the right place for an endless supply of opinions on the subject.

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 1 Apr 2009 5:34 pm

Just what the heck are the blues - and how the hell do ya git 'em?

Larry Jamieson · Post by **Larry Jamieson** » 1 Apr 2009 6:47 pm

You get the "blues" when you don't hear any steel guitar in your "country" music...

Rick Campbell · Post by **Rick Campbell** » 1 Apr 2009 6:58 pm

I think the United States is a country, and so is Mexico. There may be others. I'm too busy watching CMT videos and playing X Box to research this.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 1 Apr 2009 9:24 pm

When you pass through the Pearly Gates, just ask Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, who IMHO had the only intelligent answer for this sort of question: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_know_it_when_I_see_it

Until then, anything goes.

Rick Campbell · Post by **Rick Campbell** » 1 Apr 2009 10:17 pm

Dave is on track.

If you have to ask the question, you probably won't understand the answer.

Theresa Galbraith · Post by **Theresa Galbraith** » 2 Apr 2009 4:48 am

Martina's, "Timeless" CD!

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 2 Apr 2009 6:41 am

Just what the heck are the blues - and how the hell do ya git 'em?

Mike, the first thing you have to do is wake up this mornin'...

Chris LeDrew · Post by **Chris LeDrew** » 2 Apr 2009 9:26 am

The big difference between Country and Rock?

Country songs are about married people.

Rock and Roll is about boyfriend and girlfriend.

....at least that's the old cliche, but now Country music is about killing your boyfriend and your husband.

Ellis Miller · Post by **Ellis Miller** » 2 Apr 2009 12:19 pm

... and the discussion about what is real Country music goes on and on and on and on.......

George Rout · Post by **George Rout** » 2 Apr 2009 6:36 pm

The discussion could end here because I once heard:

Epitaph of a bluesman: "Didn't wake up this morning".

And now you've heard the rest of the story!!!

Geo Rout

Rick Campbell · Post by **Rick Campbell** » 2 Apr 2009 9:54 pm

Picture a large funnel, and all the different forms of music being at the top of the funnel placed equally apart around the circle. As time goes on, they move toward the bottom of the funnel and therefore closer to each other. When they reach the bottom, they will be united and all mixed up together. I think we're nearing this point. Maybe when they exit the bottom, they'll disperse and claim their own identity again.

The music industry contributes to this in their quest to squeeze every nickel they can out of the public by attracting the masses, by weakening the boundries between music forms.

It's a chicken and egg thing. If Dale Watson could pack a civic collisum, he would be played on radio a lot. .......On the other hand, if he was played on the radio a lot, he would be able to pack the house. The industry programs the public into supporting what they want them to like. Many people are content with going along with what's currently popular, except for those of us that have very narrow musical taste and choose to listen to only what we enjoy personally.

I admire and respect any kind of talent, but my ears are particular in what they will listen to. I even enjoy some classical music, but I don't call it country.

John Steele (deceased) · Post by **John Steele (deceased)** » 2 Apr 2009 10:27 pm

I wish someone would inject the term Period Music into this discussion, and liven it up a bit.
-John

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 3 Apr 2009 5:03 am

What is Country?

Hm.. now theres a good question..

I use to think I had the answer and in my aging mind I guess I feel I once did..I sure hope the path I followed for 30 plus years did not have me as well as many others fooled..

But Music is ever changing it has too..It has been infitrated by people who are more quanity concious than quality..They learned to put a Cowboy hat on on a good looking marginal voice or a sexy dress on eye candy and better yet promote and rake it in until the product self destructs..Country may be just a word now,certainly its borders have expanded..I don't remember too many teenagers sitting in the front rows of a Hag,Price,Jones ect. People thought 15 bucks at our time was a high price for front row seats..Now you would be lucky to find a place to park for that amount..It seems now that being there is the in thing ,not so much being close enough to actually listen or be able to..But Its their time now ,we had ours and our generation was satisfied but the numbers are not there to bring it back the way it was...There is a lot of great music of the past archived,Country music has its share.. and most of it has proven stong enough to test time..Now some hate the new music because of its lack of Steel and Fiddle..Thats a valid complaint just as in early Rock Sax was king..Country music does not owe me a thing,I will always feel lucky to have been a part of it..Mostly for the friends I made and cherish but for the music I loved..Can anyone of us really say what Country is?

I know many of us feel we know what it is not..

But trying to convince an industry that has grown so big than in our time or any of us could ever have imagined,seems foolish..