If they stoped calling it Country

Joe Miraglia · Post by **Joe Miraglia** » 27 Jun 2009 12:42 pm

If radio,CMT, Recording producers,singers ,and all involved in today's so called country music suddenly stopped calling the "new country" music "country", what would be left of country music? A much smaller following--people who liked the traditional country--would have less exposure. At least today's country brings out people who normally don't like the majority of country but who like SOMETHING about country. In the small market areas--in the North where I come from--50 years ago there was little or no TV or radio programing of country music. Maybe one hour a day of country but plenty of rock and roll. Today we have 24 hour FM radio stations playing country music. Mixing the new country DNA with the tradional country will keep country music alive--and the steel guitar with it.

Leslie Ehrlich · Post by **Leslie Ehrlich** » 27 Jun 2009 1:46 pm

But do we have to depend on country music to keep the steel guitar 'alive'? What the world needs is more players who think outside the box and make better use of steel in other genres of music.

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 27 Jun 2009 1:52 pm

Start a Bluegrass band and slowly turn it into an electric band ! That's where all the good Country music is now anyway, on the Bluegrass channel!

Steel to Dobro then back to Steel, throw in a Telecaster and hey ! Look what we got !

t

Joe Miraglia · Post by **Joe Miraglia** » 27 Jun 2009 2:16 pm

Leslie Ehrlich wrote:But do we have to depend on country music to keep the steel guitar 'alive'? What the world needs is more players who think outside the box and make better use of steel in other genres of music.

Leslie, You are so right,It dosn't have to be country.
Tony sounds ok to me, From Rock a billy to Grass a billy. I got to go get ready gave a gig tonight,playing more of that Neeeeeeeeeeeew country music.

Joe
www.willowcreekband.com

LJ Eiffert · Post by **LJ Eiffert** » 27 Jun 2009 3:24 pm

I(Leo J.Eiffert,Jr.) just wish the Steel Guitar player like our own(Ron Epperson) would understand that they are a Musician first. It's not the Music you play.It's the Steel Guitar Musician who plays the music. It don't matter what kind of music a steel guitar is in ,it's still music with any style. Now,what did I say?

Leo J.Eiffert,Jr and that Gold Star Recording Studio in Hollywood,California of History with Al Bruno,Jay Dee Maness,Jerry Cole,Don Lee,Johnny Angel,Steve Stone and so many more.

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 28 Jun 2009 6:42 am

You are so right,It dosn't have to be country.

That's fine, but stop calling it that.

Joe Miraglia · Post by **Joe Miraglia** » 28 Jun 2009 8:23 am

Barry Blackwood wrote:
You are so right,It dosn't have to be country.
That's fine, but stop calling it that.

Lets go back and call the old country music Hillbelly again,and the new country what every you want to. Joe

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 28 Jun 2009 10:35 am

Lets go back and call the old country music Hillbelly again,and the new country what every you want to. Joe

You can call it all whatever you want to, but just stop calling what is clearly rock, country. Apparently calling a spade a spade is just too much to ask of some.

Theresa Galbraith · Post by **Theresa Galbraith** » 28 Jun 2009 11:59 am

I personally don't care what anyone calls it.
I would call Ray Price's older material Pop Country...I could really care less. I'm thankful for the freedom to!

I know many of you do....so call it what you want.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 28 Jun 2009 5:14 pm

If they stoped calling it Country

Then a lot of people here would have to find other things to complain about - not that I think that would be remotely difficult.

Seriously, though - I'd prefer to find a more descriptive and accurate musicological term for the stuff that really, to my ears, sounds like mainstream rock and roll or pop music. Making a clearer distinction might actually attract people who actually like what most people actually consider country music - many of whom are fed up with what's going on right now - back into the fold. Like it or not - a helluvalotta people out there are "one-style-only" folks, and if you mess with their one style, they get their dander up. This cuts across a lot of styles, but seems pretty visceral among a lot of country music fans.

I've always wondered what the ultimate effect of "disco-country music" and "urban-cowboy-country music" had on country music at large. It drove me - and a whole lot of other people I know - very far away for a period of about 10 years, until people like Ricky Skaggs and Dwight Yoakum cut through the mainstream. Even though there was plenty of good country music going on in the interim, I think it seriously tarnished the "country music" label. To me, that's what this should be about - "What does including music far out of the style have on perceptions about that stylistic label?" IMHO, the new traditionalists of the mid-80s to early 90s were what led to a big turnaround. Without that, I think the urban cowboy thing and more and more disco-country could have really tanked it. I really there really is a danger that country music could truly lose its identity in a wash of mainstream pop.

Lets go back and call the old country music Hillbelly again,and the new country what every you want to.

Because not all older country music is "hillbilly". Hillbilly typically denotes a particular take on country music, and is often taken as a denigrating label - not to me, but I'm speaking of the larger "culture", such as it is. But simply put - it's not accurate to call even all traditional country music "hillbilly". IMHO.

In truth, I know perfectly well that people can and will label any music (or anything else) any way they please. That, my friends, is the First Amendment in action. Or maybe you'd like to eliminate that and substitute the brain police? But I still think that the powers-that-be who make these decisions are on the wrong track. In a divided, polarized society, the successful strategy is "targeted marketing", or if you will, "divide and conquer." If everybody goes after the "cash cow" demographic, they'll all just beat each other bloody trying to get it, and ignore lots of juicy pickings there simply for the taking.

Marketing 101? Yeah, I think so. Seems to me that I heard something about a "recession" or even "depression" going on. If the approach being taken now is so great, why are people so jaded about music? Do you not think there's a possibility that having passion about a particular style might help this? Why would anybody have passion about a style of music that they think is bland and corrupted by "outside influences" and corporate interests? For people really into music, it is much more than just music - it is a major part of their personal identity.

I also agree that pedal steel doesn't have to die with country music. As far as I'm concerned, pedal steel belongs in all styles of music. It is emphatically not a "country instrument."

My opinions, of course.

Rick Campbell · Post by **Rick Campbell** » 28 Jun 2009 6:00 pm

Joe is right. It probably wouldn't make any difference if they called it something else. Most people just want to be entertained and don't really know, or care about, the differences. If they hear it on the radio and it pleases them, that's all they care about. Here's something they could call it, if all else fails:

Bill Anderson
Miscellaneous
Quits (1971)
We couldn't call it love cause it really wasn't love anymore
Yet we couldn't call it hate cause there's no way to hate
Someone you've loved so much before
We couldn't call it living cause it wasn't still alive
We couldn't call it dead cause it refused to die
We ran out of anything to call it so we called it quits

Quits, quits we called it quits
It sounds like the easy way out but oh when it hits
The longer you live with someone you can't live with the harder it gets
We called it magic then we called it tragic finally we called it quits
[ Bill Anderson Lyrics are found on www.songlyrics.com ]

It's always been harder to fall out of love than fall in
I don't know where I'm going but I doubt if I'll ever forget where I've been
We couldn't call it happy though it was for a while
We couldn't call it sad cause it taught us both to smile
For luck for a better word to call it we called it quits

Quits, quits we called it quits it sounds like the easy way out but oh when it hits
The longer you live with someone you can't live with the harder it gets
We called it lovely then we called it lonely finally we called it quits
We called it magic then we called it tragic finally we called it quits

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 29 Jun 2009 12:33 am

I tried to figure out the lyrics of this song by ear. There is one word missing and I am not sure about
the country fan, sir. It comes from Doug Sahm's last record.

Oh no! not another one
Oh no! not another one
I'm a real country fan, sir
Oh no! not another one
I just turned on my CMT today
Man my mind was blown away
There's a young dude walking 'cross the stage
like a gazelle
Hell I bet he never even heard of Lefty Frizzell.

Country changed to pop they had a ...
As the real country fans got the shag
They said Bob Will's fiddles was a joke
'course you know it had been replaced
by laser beams and smoke.
Oh no! not another one
Oh no! not another one
I'm a real country fan sir
Oh no! not another one

http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/mus ... ouglas.htm

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 29 Jun 2009 4:00 am

When they pulled the Steel off of original Patsy Cline and Ray price recordings, what did they call it then ?

They did that long before Kenney Chesney could even ride a bike.

t

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 29 Jun 2009 5:21 am

They called it the Nashville Sound.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 29 Jun 2009 5:32 am

The general term was "Countrypolitan", or metropolitan (city-style) country. Actually, I like to refer to most all of the modern country as "country rock". This sound was firmly established 25-35 years ago, by such acts as Travis Tritt and Hank Jr., though it's roots (with screaming singers, "lead drums", and distorted guitars) probably go back farther.

Joe Miraglia · Post by **Joe Miraglia** » 29 Jun 2009 9:45 am

[quote="Donny Hinson"]The general term was "Countrypolitan", or metropolitan (city-style) country. Actually, I like to refer to most all of the modern country as "country rock". This sound was firmly established 25-35 years ago

So lets call it COUNTRY ROCK,I could live with that.Joe

Brint Hannay · Post by **Brint Hannay** » 29 Jun 2009 10:41 am

Problem with that is, there's a different style of music that already has the name "country rock"--though it mostly only existed for a brief period. Late Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, Poco, Pure Prairie League, etc...That music has very little in common with today's Nashville product. How about calling the latter "rock country"?

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 29 Jun 2009 11:07 am

Ever since Travis Tritt wrote "Put Some Drive in Your Country", I've been calling the stuff that still paid obvious homage to earlier country music, but had a lot of rock influence, "rockin' country". Of course, Travis didn't invent this - it always struck me as a mix of southern rock, outlaw country, and more traditional country musics. This is not a bad thing at all, and I can see the obvious cultural and musicological threads.

But I think the 80s big-hair rockers and others of that ilk glomming on to the "country" tag is a lot different. I acknowledge that some rockin' country players were influenced by that, but to me, it's just too far away culturally and musicologically to really fit under any type of "country music" label. To me, viewing it under that lens dilutes both. It's one thing for some of these people to respect each other and even work and tour together - but another thing altogether to meld things to the point where the country music influence just seems to fade into the woodwork.

It's a free country, and people will call anything whatever they want. But I think there is a cost for anyone who cares about that wide musicological thread known as "country music."

Let me ask you this - are there any limits to what should be labeled as a given style - country, blues, jazz, polka, classical, soul, R&B, or whatever? I'm not asking if it's legal - I think it's pretty clear that anything goes from that perspective - but is it a good idea? What's your reasoning? I think a good place to start is, "What's the purpose of labels?", which would seem to be the starting point for premises in any reasonable argument.

Joe Miraglia · Post by **Joe Miraglia** » 29 Jun 2009 11:35 am

Brint Hannay wrote:Problem with that is, there's a different style of music that already has the name "country rock"--though it mostly only existed for a brief period. Late Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, Poco, Pure Prairie League, etc...That music has very little in common with today's Nashville product. How about calling the latter "rock country"?

Ok "ROCK COUNTRY"- So let it be writen,so let it be done. Let all the nations of the World from this day forth call it ROCK COUNTRY MUSIC. Joe

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 29 Jun 2009 12:48 pm

I think a good place to start is, "What's the purpose of labels?"

Labels give one some kind of description of what the product is whether it be music, or a can of beans. If the beans had no label, who would buy the can not knowing what was inside? Also, if the beans were mis-labeled peas, the consumer would certainly be disappointed, to say the least, upon opening the can. Now apply this to music....

Joe Miraglia · Post by **Joe Miraglia** » 29 Jun 2009 1:15 pm

Barry Blackwood wrote:
I think a good place to start is, "What's the purpose of labels?"
Labels give one some kind of description of what the product is whether it be music, or a can of beans. If the beans had no label, who would buy the can not knowing what was inside? Also, if the beans were mis-labeled peas, the consumer would certainly be disappointed, to say the least, upon opening the can. Now apply this to music....

BEANS!
there are
1. Lima
2. Kidney
3. Pinto
4. Fave
5. Green
6. Wax
7 Black eyed peas or are they peas?
City people call them beans,country
folk call then peas.

I think we are all full of beans

Rick Campbell · Post by **Rick Campbell** » 29 Jun 2009 2:04 pm

There's the answer we've all been looking for:

BEANO COUNTRY

Actually, this could translate as there will "Be No Country"

I think I can live with that, or I can live without it too. I'm easy.

Joe Miraglia · Post by **Joe Miraglia** » 29 Jun 2009 2:26 pm

Rick Campbell wrote:There's the answer we've all been looking for:

BEANO COUNTRY

Actually, this could translate as there will "Be No Country"

I think I can live with that, or I can live without it too. I'm easy.

$:\$ I think we are opening a can of worms or a can of beans

Joe

Rick Campbell · Post by **Rick Campbell** » 29 Jun 2009 3:19 pm

Joe Miraglia wrote:

$:\$ I think we are opening a can of worms or a can of beans

Joe

Here we go again. If you open a can of what is supposed to be worms, and it turns out to be beans instead........ have you been deceived? If you buy a CD that's supposed to be country and it turns out to be rock???????

I think we should all take a big dose of Beano, go to bed, and get a good nights sleep. If some of us don't make it through the night, the music industry will continue on without us, as it has done since there was music. But, ain't it fun to talk about among friends!

Joe Miraglia · Post by **Joe Miraglia** » 29 Jun 2009 3:42 pm

[quote="Rick[/quote]

[/quote]

Rick,You're Right