ACM needs to rediscover its roots

Gary Morse · Post by **Gary Morse** » 24 May 2002 9:05 am

Here I am again....probably about to burn another bridge......but I'm just so tired of political correctness.
I've been involved in some way or another with the ACM awards since 1977 when I was nominated in the Steel Player category. Over the years I've played many functions involved with the ACM as well as having played the televised portion of the awards last year with Dwight Yoakam. This year was the first time I passed on being involved with the ACM
Awards in order to have time at home with my wife and kids who I have seen very little of lately due to a heavy touring schedule.
It was a great opportunity to view the awards as opposed to being directly involved. The morning after the awards I was listening to a local Nashville country station and they were inviting people to call in and express their views on the show. One caller asked this thought provoking question......"If Nashville
is the main center of country music, why are the awards being held in Los Angeles?"
The on air personality obviously knows his history and correctly informed the caller that the ACM had been formed in California many years ago to counteract Nashville's failure to recognize many of the West Coast and Bakersfield artists, as well as many of the Texas artists. Then his co-host laughed and said,"yeah, now the ACM just turns it's back on country artists!"
I can't say that that is altogether accurate,
but there is some truth to that statement. I personally was very happy to see Brooks and Dunn win. While they are what many would call Top 40 country, they are definitely COUNTRY and they still prominently feature steel guitar, fiddle and occasionaly banjo in their music. And they still tour with steel and fiddle. In fact, they have one of the best bands in country music.
But the ACM was not formed to mirror image the CMA. What's the point? But then again,I'm still asking myself why the Golden Globe Awards even exist. I think the Oscars pretty well take care of all that needs to be awarded.
In my opinion, the ACM is missing a great opportunity to step up to the plate and rediscover it's mission. To promote country
(and western) music that is not being recognized by the CMA. That doesn't mean ignoring Nashville artists by any means. But it means being innovative and original and most of all, willing to take chances.
Some of the best artists in country music this year were PRESENTERS and not performers.
At one point Mark Chesnutt, Joe Diffie and Tracy Lawrence were presenters. Why weren't they performing? They are amongst the best in the business and all they had them do was sing a 20 second tribute to Ronnie Milsap.
And where was Pat Green? They honored Waylon Jennings during the show and praised his Outlaw rebellious past and then didn't even have the guts to put on even ONE artist from the thriving and exciting Texas scene!
How about the Derailers? How about Hank Williams III? How about ANYBODY new!!!
Country music will always be evolving. That's a given and I have no problem with it. But at what point have you crossed the line and it simply is no longer country at all? Some of the artists clearly should be on the VH-1 awards and not the ACM or CMA shows. They are very talented but they are in the wrong domain. Perhaps next year they will go for higher ratings and have Madonna and Puff Daddy on,too.
One last point. For those who are not aware of it, most of the bands this year had to "fake it" to pre-recorded tracks. What kind of crap is that? This is supposed to be a MUSIC awards folks! In fact, this is the first year in the history of the ACM show that a live house band was not used. In previous years they had a killer band made up of great players including Jay Dee Manness on steel. This year they opted for canned music instead of a live band. Pretty soon it will be like watching a Karaoke special or even worse YOU CAN BE A STAR. The artists will have a backdrop behind them and no pesky musicians with their annoying amplifiers and drums will be present to compromise their fashion show.
Well......now that I have sufficiently burned my bridges to the ACM I have to ask myself
WHO CARES? They probably don't want any more annoying steel guitars around there anyway.
They are TOO COUNTRY..........

Joey Ace · Post by **Joey Ace** » 24 May 2002 9:19 am

Thanks for saying what most of us feel Gary!

Very few that depend on the business to feed their families would speak up.

I can understand that, but is refreshing to hear a noted insider like you speak up.

I didn't watch or tape the show. That's my vote.

Joey Ace
Hamilton, Ontario

Mike Sweeney · Post by **Mike Sweeney** » 24 May 2002 9:20 am

Gary,
I agree with you 100%. But if you recall Mike Johnson played steel on You Can Be A Star.
The singers and musicians need to take the music back from the folks with buisness degrees that don't know anything but facts and figures. If you put a chart in front of them they would just add the numbers up because that's all they know.
Mike

Randy Pettit · Post by **Randy Pettit** » 24 May 2002 9:28 am

Until the musicians start getting MBA and law degrees (or the lawyers and bean counters become performing musicians), nothing is likely to change. There will always be "music" and "business". To paraphrase the great Ray Benson about replying to a young person wishing to get into the music business, "Son, you can't have it both ways."

J W Hock · Post by **J W Hock** » 24 May 2002 9:32 am

AH-AH ! So the spiked hair fiddle player wasn't really playing after all!

Danny Bates · Post by **Danny Bates** » 24 May 2002 10:24 am

Quote: In fact, this is the first year in the history of the ACM show that a live house band was not used.

I guess Dick Clark needed to save money!

Sonny Jenkins · Post by **Sonny Jenkins** » 24 May 2002 10:32 am

Just my 2 cents worth as a life long country music fan with some VERY deep roots in country music,,,,,,,Nashville is willing to call anything country that wiil make'em a buck, a tradition that they learned and learned well from it founders, National Life and Accident. Most of what I saw of the awards show looked like someone forgot to flush the toilet. Like Waylon said " this outlaw bit's done got out of hand". and speaking of Waylon and Willie,,who started all this "let's see who can look the filthiest and still keep their fans" look??? They all gave us that "I'd like to thank the fans" crap. This is one fan they just lost. I've watched my last awards show and starting now, it' TRADITIONAL country from here on. Does anyone else out there remember the clean looks and smooth voices of Marty Robbins, Hank Thompson, Jim Reeves, Ray Price, the list could go on and on. Can you imagine these guys trying to look like refugees off of I-40 and hollaring/screaming words that no one could understand???? why I can remember back when EVEN Waylon and Willie looked clean and wrote and sung some good stuff. Like I said,,,just my opinion and I'm tired of the people that are out to make a buck trying to convince of what we like and don't like. (shucks, I would even like to hear some steel guitar sometimes)

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 24 May 2002 10:59 am

I think it is pretty pathetic that guys like Pat Green and the Deraileirs are not even mentioned when it comes to mass media events. Things are very bad in a way that I don't think even our ever-popular forum curmudgeons understand.
To join in the ranks of artists that get played on the radio you need to pay massive amounts of cash to Clearchannel. What you do is set up a bank account that Clearchannel can get at and deposit money. Every song is paid for and there are different rates for different markets and all that. Clearchannel charges "advertising fees" if you want the name of the artist mentioned after the tune plays. The only people with deep enough pockets to afford to buy radio play are major labels. The label is put in a position that it must have a cross over hit in order to even begin to recoup its "investment" in radio play. I'm not sure of the rates for the country stations but for a tune to make it to national pop radio Clearchannel charges rates in the 6 figures. You will very rarely hear about those guys from the people that are forced to deal with them because they not only control radio but they also control most live venues with a larger than 800 capacity. As a matter of fact I just got word from a guy from an independent rock label that Austin TX just got taken over by Clearchannel. The only biggish rock club that they don't control is Emos. Clearchannel concerts are run very professionally but you don't get the money when the night is over.

The stink about internet radio royalty payments is all about Clearchannel and a couple other guys trying to destroy its competition. There are congressional hearings going on at the moment so doing a bit of research and then writing your congressman can be a very big help.

Bob

J W Hock · Post by **J W Hock** » 24 May 2002 11:17 am

Amen Sonny. I have a twelve year old daughter who listens to Top Country radio, which I've always thought beats the alternative. After Wednesday night I'm not so sure anymore. There were times when I was embarassed for suggesting we watch the awards program together . Never Again !

Earl Erb · Post by **Earl Erb** » 24 May 2002 12:18 pm

Quote: In fact, this is the first year in the history of the ACM show that a live house band was not used.
I guess Dick Clark needed to save money!
Danny,that's not entirely true.Dick Clark has more money than brains.They still had to pay the musicians for recording the tracks so they could do the fake job and it may have cost more for session time than it would have cost to let the band play live.

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 24 May 2002 3:57 pm

Moved to 'Music' section.

Tim Harr · Post by **Tim Harr** » 24 May 2002 8:01 pm

I hear what Gary is saying. I have been reading the posts here for years regarding "New Country Music".

IMHO it really comes down to this...

We know what 'Country Music' is and "they (typical consumer) don't"...

Whatever the labels MARKET it as, so be it. Some of it is OK with me as far as MUSIC goes...it may not be Country , but some of it is decent music..

As long as we know the difference that is all that matters. So many complain on the forum as if they are defending their ability to tell the difference.

If you are the average "Joe Listener" (non-picker) then may the joke be on you. As said before WE know the difference and that is all that matters.

BTW, there is alot of NEW (REAL) Country Music being recorded today. Check out: Daryle Singetary's Album "That's Why I sing This Way" features Mike Johnson. Also, Brad Paisley is cutting very tasty Real Country as well (hmm Mike Johnson plays on that stuff too)

I think what we are most pi$$ed about is how the "NEW Top 40 Music" is being MARKETED. It is being marketed as Country because it is modern and has Steel Guitar, Fiddle, and is recorded in Nashville, TN. It is a business to those in 'control'. This being the Record labels and the typical consumer. The labels cater to the buying patterns of the consumer. If they didn't they would not make the ca$h they do.

As long as we know what we like ...let 'em call it country if they want I could care less. I don't mind 'sifting ' through the crap to get to the good stuff...it is always worth it to me.

My $.02

TH

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 25 May 2002 12:54 am

Gary, you have guts. Bob Hofner, thanks for the education. So much for right wing conservative deregulation of the communication industry! Monopolies will again rule America. This is why the regulation for owning more than 3 stations in a specific area were outlawed. Its dangerous.
There needs to be a new organization started. Call it the Country Music Guild with a board of directors like Ricky Scaggs and Vince Gill,Merle Haggard, Patti Loveless and Loretta Lynn who will represent real country music and the musicians who produce it. You are witnessing the genocide of a cultural art form for the sake of profit. The ACM awards was nothing but an overproduced pop rock display. It was not country.

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 25 May 2002 7:10 am

I think that the regulations concerning radio actually happened during the Clinton years but I'm not sure. Anyway its seeming like we live in a plutocracy at this point so what hat the politician wears doesn't mean much.

A way to explain what is going on in radio is what if Macdonalds bought all the restaurants and had one served chicken and another served burgers. This can't happen because it is easy for anybody to set up a small place and serve whatever people around there want to eat. So if you want some home style, sushi or French food you can find a little place and have some. Radio is different because it is a limited thing. There are only so many spots on the dial. In the world of mass media diversification is not profitable enough. Why go to the trouble of hireing a guy to play country records when you can just resell what you already have. Clearchannel stations are computerized and often there is no local dj at all. They pump the same crap at the same time to everybody all over the country.

One thing to keep in mind is that the airways are actually owned by the American people. They are basicly on loan to whoever is using them.

When Clearchannel buys politicians they are helping the politician keep his job by giving him money to buy ads (interestingly enough on clearchannel). These ads are what most voters base there votes on. If the same politician gets a direct letter from a voter or a bunch of voters he listens because he wants to keep his job. Heck, who can blame him ? Its probably alot of fun being a senator.

What this has to do with Gary's original post is that there is no way the AMC will be able to rediscover its roots with the way things are run these days. It could rediscover its roots but then we would never know about it because radio or tv wouldn't play the show.

Bob

John Steele (deceased) · Post by **John Steele (deceased)** » 25 May 2002 8:12 am

Bob,
Last month I went to turn on my radio to find that the antenna had been disconnected since I renovated my living room.

That was 3 years ago.

Just wanted you to know I was doing my part

Thanks for the interesting information.
-John

Carl West · Post by **Carl West** » 26 May 2002 7:41 am

I gotta tell ya !! Gary is right on and all the guys including myself seem to have the same feeling. I really doubt we'll see another awards show where sidemen and women and local talant are recognized . . Like it was mentioned, "all for the buck!" It's a shame. It's been a long time out of the business for me but it's still and always will be a rub in the wrong direction for musicians not to be noticed, awarded, and recognized for their abilities ! Would'nt it be a great show if it only was done for musicians, their instruments and their talant !
I really missed seeing JayDee and all the other band members this time. Thanks Dick Clark !!! Right more money than sence !

Carl West
Emmons D-10

Rex Blevins · Post by **Rex Blevins** » 28 May 2002 7:42 pm

Gary...I could not agree more..It seems everything in Nashville or coming out of Nashville says $$$$$..There isn't anything coming out that appeals to most of us. All in the name of music, give us "some " facsimile of country.. Only my opinion..

Ken Lang · Post by **Ken Lang** » 28 May 2002 8:25 pm

I've been a member of the ACM since the late 70's. At voting time, the mailbox is full of flyers and cards promoting the latest "Star". Whatever happened to letting their music speak for itself.

The ACM is following Nashville's line.
Gary is right. What a great time for the ACM to stand up and be counted for the real players who make the music happen.

Sadly, the "slick" overrides reality again.