Country Fan: Yes, No, Maybe?

[Yorkie]

does gordon lightfoot fall under the country music banner?
Laura Cantrell has recorded 'The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald', I think I'd file GL under folk music.

not a fan of the current top 40 country music.

ML

one of my favorite songs of all time.

YouTube - Marty Robbins - El Paso (1959)

My dad was a big fan of country,'El Paso' was one of the singles he had.

I've bought everything Laura Cantrell has released.When 'Not The Tremblin' Kind' first appeared John Peel said "It's my favourite record of the last ten years and possibly my life".
When Peelie recommended something so highly it was enough to make me buy it.He was right,she's great!
I also have Gram Parsons 'GP/Grievous Angel'.I don't know if he was highly regarded amongst typical U.S country fans.I suppose they didn't approve of him hanging out with Keith Richards.

 

[Denby]

Where do I start?

Tom T. Hall
Mel Tillis
Conway Twitty
Dottie West
George Jones
Lefty Frizzell
David Frizzell
Randy Travis
The Louvin Brothers (technically Loudermilk) Ira and Charlie
Merle Haggard
Eddy Arnold
Bill Carlisle
Don Gibson
Waylon Jennings
Faron Young
Ferlin Huskey
Bobby Bare
Kitty Wells
Patsy Cline
Loretta Lynn

 

[pym]

My dad was a big fan of country,'El Paso' was one of the singles he had.

I've bought everything Laura Cantrell has released.When 'Not The Tremblin' Kind' first appeared John Peel said "It's my favourite record of the last ten years and possibly my life".
When Peelie recommended something so highly it was enough to make me buy it.He was right,she's great!
I also have Gram Parsons 'GP/Grievous Angel'.I don't know if he was highly regarded amongst typical U.S country fans.I suppose they didn't approve of him hanging out with Keith Richards.

I can assure you that Gram Parsons is highly regarded by me. I have everything he ever recorded from the International submarine band to the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers and the Grevious Angel band. On L.P.'s too mind....Streets of Baltimore is a perfect track..

Also anybody that appreciate's Gram,MUST check out GENE CLARK....his album 'NO OTHER' is a masterpiece. Both those guys were 2 soon gone..:frown1:

 

[pym]

Where do I start?

Tom T. Hall
Mel Tillis
Conway Twitty
Dottie West
George Jones
Lefty Frizzell
David Frizzell
Randy Travis
The Louvin Brothers (technically Loudermilk) Ira and Charlie
Merle Haggard
Eddy Arnold
Bill Carlisle
Don Gibson
Waylon Jennings
Faron Young
Ferlin Huskey
Bobby Bare
Kitty Wells
Patsy Cline
Loretta Lynn

Good list there! I especially have always liked TOM T. HALL, no one can tell a story in a song like him. His songs are like looking at a Norman Rockwell painting.

 

[Dominicanboy]

Only Carrie Underwood

 

[Dave NoCal]

What a great thread! What great links!
Here are a couple of things I like. The first is debatable as far as being country, although its an old, old song. Unbelievably, it was recorded in a dorm room. Please watch. The second is definitely country.
Dave
YouTube - "The Water is Wide" (traditional song)
YouTube - Ian Tyson Sylvia Fricker Judy Collins "Someday Soon" live

 

[pym]

What a great thread! What great links!
Here are a couple of things I like. The first is debatable as far as being country, although its an old, old song. Unbelievably, it was recorded in a dorm room. Please watch. The second is definitely country.
Dave
YouTube - "The Water is Wide" (traditional song)
YouTube - Ian Tyson Sylvia Fricker Judy Collins "Someday Soon" live

I love someday soon also, i think this cover by Suzy Boggus is as good as it gets.:YouTube - SUZY BOGGUSS: Someday Soon (Ian Tyson)

 

[tripod]

I have to listen to that crap all of the time with my job. As far as the new country is concerned, Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban write their own music and are sick talented. For the old stuff... I have notices that Conway Twitty had the absolute best voice of all of the male country singers... he had a HUGE range and a TON of power.

Bluegrass is where it's at though... Ricky Skaggs, Seldom Scene, Tony Rice, etc. Alison Krause's band Union Station has one of my absolute FAVORITE guitar players... he is their dobro slide player... the Flux, Jerry Douglas.

And since I am a guitar player... I have to give shout outs to the godfather Chet Atkins and to a lesser extent Roy Clark.

Jerry Douglas plays "Patrick Meets The BrickBats" with his band onstage at Merlefest in 2002 in the Jerry link.

Chet performs the "Black Mountain Rag" live on television in his link and Roy Clark performs "Malaguena" onstage at some club in 1987 on a 12 string in his.

 

[B_ClydeS]

Ok, so I remembered one of my favorite songs. It used to play as the last song at a country-western/leather-levi gay bar in Ft. Worth, Texas a few "centuries" ago. While it's more "Gospel" than "country," it does have that twang and spirit.

YouTube - Looking for a City - The Happy Goodman Family

 

[nudeyorker]

Though not a country singer, I love this song so much I sing it in the shower!
YouTube - I'm Checking Out - Meryl Streep

 

[D_Chaumbrelayne_Copprehead]

Wow ... very cool links ... thanks for all the cool music to check out!!! :clap:

 

[HellsKitchenmanNYC]

YouTube - Sissy Spacek: There He Goes (Live)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMTqCYUWYaQ&NR=1

 

[Principessa]

I'm a fan of Garth Brooks.



Kinda pisses me off there have never been any nude pics of him though. :irked:

 

[Catchoftheday]

My favourite country singer..

YouTube - Elvis Presley - I Forgot To Remember To Forget

 

[midlifebear]

I have to listen to that crap all of the time with my job. etc.

And since I am a guitar player... I have to give shout outs to the godfather Chet Atkins and to a lesser extent Roy Clark.

Chet performs the "Black Mountain Rag" live on television in his link and Roy Clark performs "Malaguena" onstage at some club in 1987 on a 12 string in his.

OK, I forgot about Chet Atkins who was definitely a musical genius at solo guitar. But Roy Clark plays with too much schtick.

As far as blue grass, folk, and hillbilly harmony music is concerned, I have to admit that one of my favorite sound track CD's is Oh Brother Where Art Thou. Definitely a good variety of musical styles indigenous to the Smokey Mountains, parts of Kentucky, and a few other out-of-the-way places. Just love them Soggy Bottom Boys. However, that's not cuntree.

And OK, the Coal Miner's Daughter certainly has earned her street cred. But "All My Ex's Live in Texas?" Nope. Uh-uh. And then there's that one extra-famous country singer, Garth Brooks, who's face looks like a thumb. Nope. Just can't do it. Please fix the FM, this AM radio-o-rama is a killin' me.

And remember children, the higher the hair the closer to god.

 

[D_Gunther Snotpole]

And remember children, the higher the hair the closer to god.

Ah'm workin' on it, mlb.
(Not very successfully.)

 

[D_Gunther Snotpole]

I have to watch it here. I despise 99% of country out there.

There is no way, however, anyone can hear Patsy Cline and not be impressed by her tremendous talent.

I reserve that sentiment for Johnny Cash, who made Hurt even more amazing than it already is. Even Reznor was blown away.

Same goes for Roy Orbison with his amazing four octave voice, not counting falsetto.

One of my very favorite songs of all-time, The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia, is a country song.

Dolly Parton has enormous..... er, talent. She has the uncanny ability to write songs that sound like they're older than they are. She also knows her bluegrass history. Appalachia and the US South have a wonderful history of folk song that continues to draw upon even older traditions found in Scotland and Europe; holdovers from before these people immigrated to the US and forgot everything else about the old world. Parton is aware of these and has worked hard to archive them before they are swept away by the reach of mass media. As I've said before, her rendition of Silver Dagger, a very old song, is just wonderful.

Otherwise country blows.

Agree with everything, Jason.
Except one thing: Orbison's range was three octaves, not four ... still amazing, of course.

 

[HazelGod]

I'm a fan of Garth Brooks.

Yeah, it's pretty telling that he performs at the inaugural concert but does none of his own material. Seriously, what genius had this pudgy whitey leading a gospel choir in an Isley Brothers cover?!?

 

[2322]

Agree with everything, Jason.
Except one thing: Orbison's range was three octaves, not four ... still amazing, of course.

Bob Dylan claims it was four as do other sources. Not sure where I'd find a definitive claim though I do see other claims that he had three octaves and falsetto. Any ideas?

 

[D_Gunther Snotpole]

Bob Dylan claims it was four as do other sources. Not sure where I'd find a definitive claim though I do see other claims that he had three octaves and falsetto. Any ideas?

Three and falsetto is much more plausible than four octaves, not including falsetto ... so I'm betting that Dylan and others are including his falsetto top.