Someone explain why Wynn Stewart isn't in the HOF by now

[LJ Eiffert]

Jeff,you're right about that too! Lloyd Green should be in the CMHOF Also. Let's see who gets in first. Will it be Keith Whitley or Wynn Stewart with Lloyd Green behing them? Leo J.Eiffert,Jr.

[Stephen Gambrell]

Neither Keith Whitley NOR Wynn Stewart will ever get in the CMHOF.

[LJ Eiffert]

How bout Tiny Tim? or Billy Bar - D ? Leo J.Eiffert,Jr. PS: Okay,give me a shot!

[Jason Odd]

Wynn was probably his own enemy in some ways, he'd party too much, spend more time with down home fans, and settled for sit down gigs.

Like Bobby Austin, he failed to seriously tour his early hits, and when he finally formed the Tourists he took so many gigs he wore his bands into the ground.

He moved to Texas about the time he should have relocated to Nashville and he signed to RCA and Atlantic Records at a time when both labels were really crap at promoting new country artists.. hell, Atlantic dumped their Nashville division and Wynn, like Bobby Austin, Terry Stafford and a whole bunch of others never signed to a major again.

He wasn't cool with the Urban Cowboy and Outlaw tastemakers, died before the new traditionalists could make him their own (eg: Dwight and Buck), and the country-rock crowd and alt-country guys have no idea about him.. (except Chris Hillman.. Gram was totally clueless about Wynn)..

To me, Wynn is massive, but to most he is a footnote.. which sucks.

[Johnne Lee Ables]

Wynn was probably his own enemy in some ways...To me, Wynn is massive, but to most he is a footnote.. which sucks.

Wow!!! Were you a Left Coast Okie in a previous life?

I'll high-five your comments about Wynn! Thanks for this great post!!!!

Are your REALLY from OZ?

It is hard for me to understand (but somehow uplifting) that someone outside of the good old USofA could appreciate Wynn as much as you obviously do!

I know this next comment will probably get me banned/deleted or flamed, but hey, I'm a cynical old fart, huh?

IMHO, Gram was just clueless in general...let alone about Wynn. I was in the same vicinity as Gram for a brief time (but certainly not in his sphere)and he came across to me as a poor little boy rich dilettante lowering himself to playing games with the poor Redneck country bumpkins.

Anyway, Jason! Great post! Thanks!

Johnne Lee

[Jason Odd]

one hand in a sling, hard to type and keep the grammar precise, however i will try.

i am a former gram cracker, and remain a fan, as you can see: http://www.myspace.com/gramparsonsrecords


there's no doubt that gp changed a loy of heads, mine included, to be honest i thought country music was kinda hokey, until i got the burritos first lp, which i might add, helped me get into soul music as well.
to me, wynn was a leader, but suffered from his inability to look at the big picture, his stubborness about touring was incrediable, the nashville nevada band did one gig outside of the club, san diego or something (they did do some vegas tv, but i'm thinking of actual touring.

even when he the buck owens roadshow through '68-69, wynn was kind of distracted, ralph mooney tells a story of wynn stopping off at fishing hole when they were supposed to rejoin the tour.
no amount of pleading would get wynn to leave, so ralph dynamited the pond to speed things up!

wynn loved his fans, and was famous for hanging with them and working crowds, but he always thought regional instead of national.. buck and merle, they thought national.
having hardcore fans is great, having a legion of fans, that gets you in the HOF.

i'm not an okie, but about as southern as you can get!

[Johnne Lee Ables]

...there's no doubt that gp changed a loy of heads, mine included, to be honest i thought country music was kinda hokey...wynn... suffered from his inability to look at the big picture...wynn loved his fans, and was famous for hanging with them...i'm not an okie, but about as southern as you can get!

Hey Jason, Thanks for the reply!

GP was just barely discovering and putting out what I'd been around for years so I didn't see anything special in what the BB did. I mean I (and others like me) had been playing some of those same songs before GP & the BB ever heard them. The music isn't hokey when they're often singing your life story. At least GP was smart enough to hire Emmy Lou...

I think Wynn was disinclined to look anywhere he didn't want to look. He was more comfortable with his fans (Okies like me.) than he could ever be with the 'Suits' that populated NV pseudo-country.

I'm from Mccurtain County, OK myself and I lived back and forth between there and Bakersfield most of the time I was coming up. Maybe I can get you a 'Green Card' (Well in OK it is a 'Brown Card'). That way you won't have to be an illegal immigrant anymore!

Take care, Young Man!

Johnne Lee

[Jeff Evans]

So, Wynn Stewart. The earlier clips were kind of anomalies . . . very interesting ones. This 1967 song might be more stylistically representative:
That's the Only Way to Cry

[Johnne Lee Ables]

So, Wynn Stewart. The earlier clips were kind of anomalies . . . very interesting ones. This 1967 song might be more stylistically representative:
That's the Only Way to Cry

I was fortunate enough to see Wynn play live in 4 different decades and I believe his style on stage was HIS style (especially when he'd had a couple). I don't consider what Capitol expected him to put on vinyl in '67 to be Wynn's style.

As much as I love Chet (I've worked at emulating his guitar style for decades.), he and Owen Bradley damaged country music to a point from which it has never recovered.

This song (That's the Only Way to Cry) was not nearly as hard-edged as Wynn's true sound. The first recordings of "Wishful Thinking" and "Wrong Company" are more representative of Wynn on stage. 1967 marked the initiation of Wynn's county-pop for Capitol (and was the beginning of the end for Wynn IMHO). He had his biggest hit (not his best song or performance) during that phase, but I never considered the syrupy choruses and strings of that era to be Wynn's true style.

Johnne Lee

[Stephen Gambrell]

As much as I love Chet (I've worked at emulating his guitar style for decades.), he and Owen Bradley damaged country music to a point from which it has never recovered.

THANK YOU, SIR!!! I've been saying that for years. I remember when Chet actually apologized for screwing up country music with all that "sweetening."
Like you, I am a HUGE Chet fan. But before "American Idol," or "Nashville Star," or Gaylord, or Clear Channel, there were Chet and Owen, pushing the fiddles and steels to the back, and bringing in the strings and Wurlitzer pianos, and generally degrading "country" music, in search of that big pop crossover hit.

[Johnne Lee Ables]

THANK YOU, SIR!!! But before "American Idol," or "Nashville Star," or Gaylord, or Clear Channel, there were Chet and Owen, pushing the fiddles and steels to the back, and bringing in the strings and Wurlitzer pianos, and generally degrading "country" music, in search of that big pop crossover hit.

Stephen,

You are most welcome! And thanks for that post! I figured I'd get flamed big time!

Speaking the truth requires no effort on my part. I had (he has passed away) a very close friend who was a small-time session/road guitarist out of NV and Muscle Shoals for many years. He introduced me to Chet when I was visiting between overseas tours and it was a HUGE thrill to shake his hand, but the truth remains. This current "New Country" is Chet and Owen's legacy.

I heard or read the apology you mention... I think Chet said something like "I get the credit...or blame...for taking country uptown."

It is sad that two great contributors to music were in reality very short-sighted. I'm sure the goal was more exposure and financial reward for the country performers of the day. Unfortunately, they ended up putting them out of work!

Take care,

Johnne Lee