So what qualifies as country music?

David Pennybaker · Post by **David Pennybaker** » 14 May 2001 7:10 pm

all House, Garage House, and Deep House music is in minor key.

What a sheltered life I must lead. Never even heard of that music before.

------------------
The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons

David Pennybaker · Post by **David Pennybaker** » 14 May 2001 7:13 pm

A country song in a minor key is seriously minor. It will have dark lyrics and a prominent b3 in the melody. You know it's minor!

Would "Where've You Been?" by Kathy Mattea be a good example of that?

I love that song.

------------------
The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons

John P. Phillips · Post by **John P. Phillips** » 14 May 2001 7:57 pm

DUHHH!!! Guys could you explain that for me in English??

------------------
If it feels good. do it.
If it feels Country,
DO IT TWICE
JPP

Larry Miller · Post by **Larry Miller** » 15 May 2001 3:02 am

Erik, Thanks for setting me straight on John Andersons producer, I saw a picture of Anderson and Sherrill in the studio together long long ago (1980) and just assumed he was the producer. But Norro's a real goodun' too. Larry

Bill Llewellyn · Post by **Bill Llewellyn** » 15 May 2001 11:51 am

I think you guys have missed the point.

Country music is characterized by clear references to:

[*]Pick-up trucks
[*]Lost loves
[*]Bars'n'fights
[*]Growin' up on the farm
[*]Cheatin' hearts
[*]Other stuff like that

Right?

------------------
Bill (steel player impersonator) | MSA Classic U12 | Email | Music | Steelers' birthday page[This message was edited by Bill Llewellyn on 15 May 2001 at 12:53 PM.]

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 15 May 2001 12:31 pm

i want 2 of them identifiers right quick !
cause i don't know anymore what i'm listenin'to .....
Steel what ?

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 15 May 2001 1:04 pm

Okay, CrowBear, but payment has to be in US currency!

David Pennybaker · Post by **David Pennybaker** » 15 May 2001 1:16 pm

Before paying any mulah for Jim's "service", I think we're all entitled to a test case, right?

So, here goes. Take all the songs from James Taylor's Greatest Hits album.
click here

Let us know how your "service" rates them.

PS -- Track 12 (Steamroller) is on there as a test.

After you're done, we'll ask b0b to rate them using his patented system, described above.

------------------
The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons

[This message was edited by b0b on 16 May 2001 at 05:35 PM.]

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 15 May 2001 2:28 pm

Sorry, Dave, but our patented recognition process requires an original CD in order to work effectively. Otherwise one can get spurious answers and you wouldn't want that now would you? Nice try, though.

David Biagini · Post by **David Biagini** » 15 May 2001 7:27 pm

Honesty and twang.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 15 May 2001 7:46 pm

You're right, David! Using most of the "indicators" posted here, JT is definitely country!

And, if we say that fiddles and steels make it country, then what is Johnny Cash's music..."garage rock"?

And no, contrary to popular opinion, "Night Life" certainly isn't a country song. If it is, then Michael Bolton's a cowboy!

No, you see, all these problems started when we tried to widen the definition of what country music really was. I guess that was back when someone (I really don't know who) classified Bob Wills as "country" (any dang fool knows that couldn't be country with all them horns!

). Lotta people know it when they hear it, and a lotta people don't

What is country music? I hear people say "different things to different people". And I KNOW that there's someone out there that thinks DeBussy is country.

But really...what is country? Lotta people know it when they hear it, and a lotta people don't. Pity Hank Williams isn't around anymore. We could ask him...and I'm sure he would know.

David Pennybaker · Post by **David Pennybaker** » 15 May 2001 8:35 pm

Sorry, Jim. But you won't get my JT's GH CD until you pry it out my cold, dead fingers. Oh, wait, that's for my rifle.

And, heck, I'd let them play some of JT's songs on country radio. Why not? It's good music. And it'd be even better once somebody added some nice steel licks to it, don't ya think?

------------------
The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 16 May 2001 9:22 am

You mean you don't accept Swiss Francs, Jim ?
Steel convertin'.....

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 16 May 2001 11:39 am

Here is something that I once wrote for something else that is partially relevant here.................
"I don't believe that the average music fan could explain the difference between country & western music, and western-swing music. It sounds different, but they are not quite sure what it is...mostly they just know that they either like one or the other, or they don't. Generally, the Nashville based genre of C&W places the emphasis on the singer, or the story being told by the singer, and the subsequent recordings are nearly devoid of any instrumental expression except the obligatory "intro and turn-around" that seems to be inserted only to give the singer an opportunity to cough or catch his or her breath between verses. On the other extreme, western-swing is sometimes said to keep a vocalist on the bandstand only to sing if or when the musicians get tired of playing and need a rest. These definitions are an over-simplification but will be adequate for the story to follow.

The Diamond Ballroom, where I worked for awhile in the early 60s, had an eight-piece western-swing group for the house band, and they played with one eye on a BOB WILLS album, and the other eye on a HANK THOMPSON album. The Diamond also booked many of the Nashville artists who had once been "stars"but whose careers were fading and they no longer could afford to tour with their own band, so the house-band, a full blown western-swing group, served as the visiting "stars" back up band. (Some of you are beginning to smile already and are getting ahead of me).

Many of the guest artists had never been exposed to anything but the Nashville way of doing things. One of these artists, (I won't use his name without permission but he probably wouldn't mind), who was one of the nicest persons you would ever meet on the circuit, a real professional, had a typical experience with the Diamond band. There had been no rehearsal, only the one song that he had sung earlier on the TV show before he appeared at the club.

Everything went fine on the intro, but the problem began after the first verse and chorus of his song, when he stepped back for a turn-around like he was used to hearing on his record. As I said earlier, this was an eight piece western-swing band, and every time this particular artist would step back up to the mic to sing his next verse, someone else would begin to play. After the third or fourth "false start", he leaned over my shoulder and said, "I've been standing here so long that I'm beginning to need a shave.......will you please give me a signal when, if ever, I'm supposed to sing again"? After we got through the first song everything came out all right, but it's a good example that even singers and musicians don't always move easily between the very different styles of C&W and western-swing music."............... www.genejones.com

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 16 May 2001 7:02 pm

David, one of my good memories was sitting in a music store in Balto. one day about ten years ago. I was noodling around on a pedal steel that had come in as a trade one day, and this young kid (well...he was young compared to me!) came in and was trying out acoustic guitars. He played a few minutes and then asked me..."do you know any James Taylor songs?" I said "matter of fact, I think I know most of 'em." We just sat and played JT for about an hour (no singing). Good stuff.

I hope he enjoyed it as much as I did.

Theresa Galbraith · Post by **Theresa Galbraith** » 17 May 2001 8:23 am

[This message was edited by Theresa Galbraith on 17 May 2001 at 03:56 PM.]