What happened to country music? A vent.

[Octoberbride03]

Yep. It is apparently a fairly popular choir song around here. I don't get it either.

HUH

Go figure

 

[tinkerbell1967]

I agree, country isn't what it used to be but I do like alot of different country singers. I love George Strait, Alabama has always been a favorite, Lady Antebellum who I saw twice now and are newcomers are wonderful to watch in concert. I do think there are alot in country now that are overated. Just my opinion but I can not stand Taylor Swift, the girl can not sing! I think it is like every other type of music, with time comes change and that is what is happening in country music now.

 

[sdarwkcabemanmy]

On the other hand at my funeral/burial whatever, I Believe is required playing, and When I get where i'm going is on the list too, but that's not really hymnal either

You and I think alike! I have a list of songs I want put on a CD to hand out at my funeral, including one by Tanya Tucker called "Texas When I Die".

When I die, I may not go to Heaven.
I don't know if they let cowboys in.
But if they don't, just let me go to Texas, boy!
Cause Texas is as close as I been.

 

[HOGFAN]

I havent listened to country in years. A big turnoff for me has been Big & Rich. Cant stand looking at the guy who wears the funny hats. To me he is just making a mockery of the music.

 

[robinb]

I'm surprised that some didn't notice how much religion was in country in the past. Tennessee Ernie Ford, the Oak Ridge Boys and Johnny Cash did a lot of this but really just about every country artist has done some. I like some of it but I don't seek it out.

Are you talking about me? I knew that there was always religion in C&W ... I even said so. But the amount of religion seemed to blossom in the late 90's to early 2000's so much that it seemed that every 3rd-4th popular song had some religious theme or at least a verse or two. You simply could not write a county song without mentioning God or Jesus and it went from occasional (except for certain artists like the Oak Ridge Boys) to prevalent.

 

[Linzybrooke]

I blame Shania Twain. In the late 90's when she started remixing all her songs are releasing them to top 40 stations everyone else saw how much money she was making and jumped on the bandwagon. I still love country, but there are lots of songs that I change station on now.

 

[eh24fan]

David Allan Coe...now THAT's country!!!

 

[GeorgeG]

David Allan Coe...now THAT's country!!!

I was drunk the day my mom got out of prison...

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Bottom line is that the record labels push the artists to record music that sells. With few exceptions, old school country just can't compete with the newer pop country artists. Even classic artists like Kenny Rogers have recorded more of the "modern country" types of songs.

Country music artists don't sell nearly as many records as rock or even rap artists. Country record labels celebrate gold records (500,000 units sold) like rock/rap labels celebrate triple platinum (3 million units sold).

If a country artist can have an album "crossover" to the pop market then sales increase drastically. The poster who mentioned Shania is correct. Shania and her music are a huge reason why the market is what it is today. She is resented and admired all over Music Row (the main location of Nashville's country music industry) but as of yet no one has been able to duplicate her success in both genres.

 

[Praying Colonel]

I was drunk the day my mom got out of prison...

Yep--"The perfect Country & Western song."

I tend to get on my high horse at times about pop influences in country music, and usually about many of the ones that have been mentioned in this thread, like Shania. Whenever I do, I try to remind myself that Johnny Cash himself liked to include artists from other genres in his TV show--artists like Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Pete Seeger and many others who definitely weren't traditional country.

Back in the 60s and 70s there was the whole thing between "The Nashville Sound" and "Outlaw Country." It's good to shake things up like this now and then--for example, the country-pop sound that was popular in the late 70's led to The New Traditionalist breakout in the 80's for artists like George Strait, Ricky Skaggs, Randy Travis and Alan Jackson. Country music's always changing, and what's going on right now will lead to something new and better, I think.

 

[Planogirl]

Are you talking about me? I knew that there was always religion in C&W ... I even said so. But the amount of religion seemed to blossom in the late 90's to early 2000's so much that it seemed that every 3rd-4th popular song had some religious theme or at least a verse or two. You simply could not write a county song without mentioning God or Jesus and it went from occasional (except for certain artists like the Oak Ridge Boys) to prevalent.

No. I've seen it mentioned often here and elsewhere. Some people react with surprise to any of the religious stuff.

 

[Planogirl]

I think that country has became a lot like rock in that there are so many different types and styles. I don't mind it, well not most of it anyway. I'm happy if my favorites are still out there and still thrive.

Of course then there are the Eagles who are country rock. I love them too.

I saw someone mention the Outlaws. I liked all of them. David Allen Coe was so cool - one of the original rebels. I also liked Moe Bandy when I was real young. He was all about cheatin' and drinkin'.

 

[Cool-Beans]

My favorite religious song would be Toby Keith's "You Aint Leaving (Thank God), Are You?"

"Till death do us part" is what she told that preacher man.
Now she says this aint worth dying for - she's had all she can stand.
She's boxed up Mama's china - it's loaded on the truck.
She just got started packing and I'm thinking this could suck.

There goes my Lay-Z-Boy, my flat-top guitar...
Here comes her big sister...what's she doing in my car?
As they drive off to the city, I just wave.
From the top of my lungs, I hope she heard me say...

You aint leaving (thank God) are ya?
You can't be gone fast enough.
What seemed to take a lifetime
Just left in a cloud of dust.

This'll make my girlfriend happy -
She's the one who never thought you would.
You aint leavin (Thank God) are ya?
Let us pray you're gone for good.

There's religion for you.

 

[Maecenus]

Please, if you are a fan of country music, do not proceed. I completely respect anybody's choice in the music they enjoy. If you are a fan of any music genre, you appreciate things that others don't and that's ok. If you read on, you will become mad at me. If, however, you are disappointed with the way country music has evolved, vent along with me?

I watched the CMAs last night for about 30 seconds before I couldn't take it anymore. There was a time that I really enjoyed country music. Back when country music wasn't afraid to be...well....country. You know, the twangy steel guitars, etc. Today it just sounds like very watered down, easy pop music. I still enjoy George Strait, but I really don't know who else is around anymore because I gave up.

The last country artist I really loved was Garth Brooks, but oddly enough, I feel like he might have singly-handedly caused this turn around in country music. It felt like many guys after him, in an attempt to mimic his success, created a lot of these pop-country type songs which stuck. Garth had this unique ability to rock-out without compromising the genre, you know? I don't know that anyone else has pulled that off since.

Last year, my fave, Bon Jovi, put out a "country-inspired album." I thought that might be a cool combination but it ended up being the embodiment of everything I have come to hate about current country. Just really kind of bla.

Is Hank Williams Jr. still around? Now THAT was country music!

Just stumbled across this thread, and I have to tell you, I mostly agree with you, especially when it comes to mainstream country. I mean, really, any musical genre that spawns empty-headed pretty boys like Rascal Flatts and, to a lesser extent, Keith Urban (the guy can play a mean guitar, after all), and that continues to open its welcoming arms to the likes of a no-talent hack like Billy Ray Cyrus (and his chirpily annoying spawn), well... there must be something inherently, fundamentally wrong with that genre, no?

Really, though, upon further examination, you're likely to find that it has always been thus. Historically, country has always had an uneasy, controversial at times relationship with mainstream pop. I mean, all I have to do is think back to when I was but a lad in the '70s and early '80s, and remind myself of of the accusations lobbed by purists that, in the wake of the "country crossover" boom following the release of Urban Cowboy, country wasn't really country anymore. And, by extrapolation, I can only imagine what the purists thought of the "countrypolitan" sound of the '50s and '60s, what with that sound bearing little resemblance to the old-timey roots music that came before it. Yet I look back on all of that with wonderment and fondness, simply because it was what I was raised on.

In short, I believe that the issue might be that I've gotten more close-minded as I've gotten older.

Still. You and I are simpatico for the most part. I mean, really, I do question the existence (or, at the very least, the benevolence) of a God who would foist the likes of Kenny Chesney on an unsuspecting world. But at this point, that's just something that I'll have to deal with on my own.

 

[just4today]

I was drunk the day my mom got out of prison...

and I went to pick her up in the rain....

 

[Carpenters]

Well, I just have to chime in and say I like it all. I listen to Conway and Loretta, the Hag, Gretchen Wilson, Taylor Swift, Darius Rucker, Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley and George Strait (of course!), I like them ALL. I do. When Shania makes her comeback album I'll probably buy that one too. I listen to Wide Open Country on our local country station on Saturdays because they play all that old stuff and the new stuff too. I think it's all good. Man, I guess I'm just easy when it comes to country music. That's okay, I can live with that.

Oh, and to continue the homage to David Allen Coe....


But before I could get to the station in my pick up truck.....

 

[nannerbadnanner]

I love in Nashville and have a GREAT David Alan Coe story if anyone is interested!

 

[Planogirl]

She got run over by a dammed old train!

I'd be interested in stories about David Allan Coe.

 

[DancingBear]

I love in Nashville and have a GREAT David Alan Coe story if anyone is interested!

I loved in Nashville once.

 

[malibuconlee]

Haven't read the whole thread, but here's my response...

What we saw on the ACMs was what DH and I call "Nashville Country". We lived in Texas for about 4-5 years and during that time we realized there were two different kinds of country music. Texas Country and Nashville Country. Pat Greene was a GREAT example of Texas Country before he made it big OUTSIDE of Texas. Songs like "I GAve Up on Nashville". I miss the OLD Pat Green.

I haven't listened in a long time but 99.5 The Wolf out of Dallas was a great station and they used to have it so you could listen online. You could google it and give that a try. It really was a great station with a good mix of old and new stuff.

It is amazing that people like Kid Rock are making songs that show up on country radio, but it is nice to be able to hear something other than R&B on the radio.