pick1936 - Posted - 11/18/2009:  20:57:25

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What was Country before The Carters, WELL Jimmie Rodgers, was there a little before them, but not by to much. Gene Autry was doing Jimmies Songs in 1927, Jimmie Dies In May 1933, He more or less statrted it, When Bill Monrroe first started He used mostly Jimmie Rodgers tunes, First (Muleskinner Blues),, Then He did 4 more Blue Yodel tunes, Maybe that's where He came up with the Blue, In Bluegrass? HA.


Wood Is Good.

Nechville. In Higginsville.

Kevin B - Posted - 11/19/2009:  14:43:15

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Since we have drifted to definitions I always liked a quote attributed to Harlan Howard that country music is "Three chords and the truth."

Bassora - Posted - 11/23/2009:  22:02:38

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quote:

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Originally posted by pick1936

What was Country before The Carters, WELL Jimmie Rodgers, was there a little before them,

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Not meaning to be picky but ...
The original Carter Family (Maybelle, Sara, and A.P.) and Jimmie Rodgers were literally discovered at the same time. Both Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family were recorded for the first time at the Bristol Sessions (Bristol, Tennessee) in July of 1927 with Ralph Peer of Victor Talking Machine Company (RCA).

Also recorded at this session was Ernest Phipps and His Holiness Quartet, Uncle Eck Dunford and Ernest "Pops" Stoneman, and Henry Whitter (I include these other artists because I have some of their recordings in my collection.)

One of the Carter Family's musical contributions was Maybelle's unusual guitar style, now known as the Carter-style or Carter scratch, featured melody on the bass strings and chords on the high strings allowing her guitar to be both a lead instrument and a rhythm instrument at the same time.

While people play that style today using a flat-pick Maybelle actually used a thumb-pick for the melody line and her index finger for the chords. This technique is based on how she played the banjo. Mother Maybelle Carter was originally a banjo picker, taught by her mother.

(We even have a recording on Maybelle playing the banjo!)

Anyway, I would classify it as a tie when Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family entered country music history. And they did record together a couple of years after the Bristol Sessions.

black flag - Posted - 11/24/2009:  08:03:53

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Country artists and producers started hurting big-time when Elvis first appeared on the scene and they had to scramble around trying out new sounds that would appeal to the pop market. The first nail in the coffin of true country music was the smoothed-out, citified "Nashville Sound" made popular by producers Chet Atkins and Steve Sholes. Goodbye fiddles and steel guitars...

I think what really finished off commercial country music was the huge popularity during the 70's of the Eagles. They were a very successful and remarkably talented band, and it wasn't long before nearlyevery so-called country music band had become musical clones of the Eagles, but with cowboy hats. A lot of the young musicians coming up had been raised on rock & roll and had never even heard the older stuff.

At the risk of coming across like some kind of hard-ass traditionalist, THIS is what country music sounds like(or used to):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duqO3LYzYgY

Chris

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Edited by - black flag on 11/24/2009 10:24:07

Ronnie - Posted - 11/24/2009:  08:20:25

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"What they call country today...is rock with a fiddle." Tom Petty

minstrelmike - Posted - 11/24/2009:  09:02:18

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quote:

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...I always liked a quote attributed to Harlan Howard that country music is "Three chords and the truth."

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I like that quote. But what does that mean for 2-chord songs? Do we only need half-truths to sing those?

beeliner - Posted - 11/24/2009:  13:05:21

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quote:

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Originally posted by Kentucky5

The only true country music being made today is BLUEGRASS. I think the song
"Dime Store Rings" off of the new Lonesome River Band album is more country than anything on the radio, and I bet if the big station's were to give it some air time it would be a huge hit.

"You can see the fields of bluegrass where I roam"

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I agree!

Kenneth Logsdon - Posted - 11/24/2009:  17:44:14

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True, but.... Bluegrass should be Bluegrass too, not country called bluegrass... and so it goes

Traditionalist and d***n proud of it.. on this one..

1four5 - Posted - 11/24/2009:  18:27:49

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Just yesterday, I noticed that another of our local "country" radio stations went "classic country" and is resurecting the old stuff. Up until a year or so ago we were swamped with "pop-country" stations, then one went "classic" and started playing stuff out of the 40-60's. Now today, there are three more local stations following suit. Our city is sending a message.

pick1936 - Posted - 11/24/2009:  19:12:45

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bassoro, You are right They did start recording at almost the same time, But Jimmie was playing at different functions way before 1927, I'm not completely sure, but I think That there were some Field recordings of Jimmie before??



Wood Is Good.
Nechville. In Higginsville.

amerz - Posted - 11/24/2009:  19:57:31

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I think Hank 3 says it best with this song- Oh please listen!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI89...ture=related

Nashville and Pop country stars HATE him, which makes me love him oh so much more...

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Edited by - amerz on 11/24/2009 19:59:09

Bassora - Posted - 11/24/2009:  22:21:57

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quote:

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Originally posted by pick1936

bassoro, You are right They did start recording at almost the same time, But Jimmie was playing at different functions way before 1927, I'm not completely sure, but I think That there were some Field recordings of Jimmie before??

Nechville. In Higginsville.

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A.P. Carter was writing songs back in 1911. According to legend, he met Sara Dougherty when she was sitting on her family’s front porch playing the autoharp. They did perform together for 11 or so years before the Bristol sessions (starting about 1916).
Maybelle Addington married A.P.’s brother Ezra. Maybelle (born in 1909) was ten years younger than Sara and didn’t join A.P. and Sara until 1926, when Maybelle was about 17.

Jimmie Rodgers was a brakeman until his health problems forced him off the rails and onto the medicine show circuit in the very early 1920s. Before then, he played gigs when he had an opportunity.

Basically, the two eldest Carters were playing at different functions before Rodgers but the youngest Carter wasn't experienced at all. So 2/3rds of the Carter Family started before Rodgers by a couple of years. Not much difference.

Concerning field recordings: The Ralph Peer (Bristol session) recordings were field recordings. They were not done in a recording studio and Peer literally went searching for people who could make music. With the help of Ernest "Pop" Stoneman, Peer found a location where there were notable musicians who played in the area. Considering the quality of talent he found he was definitely in the right place.

Bassora
old time all the time

FatManMary - Posted - 11/24/2009:  22:57:58

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quote:

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Originally posted by amerz

I think Hank 3 says it best with this song- Oh please listen!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI89...ture=related

Nashville and Pop country stars HATE him, which makes me love him oh so much more...

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I'm sure the folks on here would much prefer Shelton in a more traditional setting.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANpb13_vgi4
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLcsfr_CvlU&NR=1

Now them are god damn country songs. No doubt about it. If you like that then you should seriously pick up Lovesick Broke and Driftin' best country record of the new millennium.

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Edited by - FatManMary on 11/24/2009 23:00:58

stanger - Posted - 11/25/2009:  15:29:49

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A musicologist friend of mine once said Country is the white man's soul music. I don't know if I agree with him, as I like soul and country equally, but I think it says a lot about Country's abilities to connect with the working man and woman, their problems, their victories, and their defeats.

So, as a genre, I don't think it's ever going to disappear. The old stuff connects more directly, so it's going to linger on for a long time to come, I think. Singers like Lefty Frizell could squeeze an enormous amount of emotion into brief song.

But the entire radio industry is in trouble now... too many large corporations controlling too many stations scattered all over the country. The U.S. is a lot more similar that different in it's regions these days, but there are differences that still exist and always will. One size doesn't fit all when it comes to music.

But I sure know lots of young people who are into the Old Country stuff. They have never heard it on the radio, but a lot of them don't ever listen to the radio anyway- they dig it up on the net, swap it around on their iPods, and get it from everywhere but the radio.

Nashville has been a ship without a compass for 20 years, just like Pop music, but America is a more urban country now, with fewer people living in the country and fewer who have any rural connections in their family than in earlier times. Maybe Music Row will see the light and create music that makes for life-long fans again, or maybe it won't. Too soon to tell, I think, but much of the new country doesn't seem to have the makings of lasting long into the future.
regards,
stanger

Couchie - Posted - 11/25/2009:  15:49:26

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If I listen to Tammy Wynette sing Apartment Number 9 I think, thats country. I listen to most of the "Country" singers today, they just don't measure up....

dave1701 - Posted - 11/25/2009:  18:20:52

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Being kinda young I don't understand what's wrong with country music now. I like taylor swift, I like Montgomery gentry, and I like most of the others. But I also Like ol' hank, WILLIE NELSON yea I love him, David Allen Coe, charlie pride, jonny cash and such.

steve davis - Posted - 11/25/2009:  21:02:22

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I think there is a relationship between the dissolution of "Country" music and the population moving from the country to the city and the city encroaching on the country.

Now with the majority of the population living in or near a city,"Country" music has changed to "City" music.

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Edited by - steve davis on 11/25/2009 21:03:11

Ebanjo - Posted - 11/25/2009:  21:27:20

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I think 5stringpicker2 hit the nail on the head. And no, the electric guitar didn't hurt country music. Look at Buck Owens and Don Rich, Merle Haggard and Roy Nichols, James Burton and Ernest Tubb and Leon Rhodes, Billy Byrd. Not to mention a lot of great pedal and non pedal steel guitarists along with some great fiddlers.
Eric Ellis

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Edited by - Ebanjo on 11/25/2009 21:28:07