Country Music Fans? (1 Viewer)

[Abby_B]

how many of you guys in here listen to country music? I just started getting back into it recently (I grew up with it then kind of drifted away but now I am back, haha.)

One of my favorites right now is Brooks and Dunn. I love their stuff! and I just read they are nominated for a bunch of CMA awards this year (like seven of them! impressed!). Hillbilly Deluxe is actually a good CD. Along with one of my childhood favorites George Strait, whom I still like - I played that "Check Yes or No" song nonstop when I was a teenager.

I am also not ashamed to admit that I actually kind of really like Carrie Underwood's CD.

 

[Tarkin The Ewok]

I have been listening to country music my whole life. Brooks & Dunn are in my top three artists, along with Brad Paisley and Keith Urban. My favorites tend to be those who not only put out great albums but can perform well in concert.

This fall is a great one for country concerts in Arizona. Over the next four months, Martina McBride, Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, Gretchen Wilson, Vince Gill, and Dierks Bentley are coming to town.

 

[Kirk Gunn]

Check out Pat Green - got a new release out: Cannonball. Writes all his own music and is phenomenal in concert. Quite the crowd pleaser.

 

[BillSXT2002]

I'm a country music fan. Been listening to it for a long time, it seems. Garth was one of my favorites, but there are quite a few I like. Phi Vassar is a great singer/songwriter.

 

[Henry Gale]

I'm a fan of Country Music...and Western.
So, I hope you won't take this as a thread ....fart.
Would someone start a thread called "Rock Music Fans"? You'd get all sorts of opinions on "What is Rock?" or "Rock & Roll" and on and on.
I usually define my country preference as Honky Tonk or Hard Country. But there's a lot more to it than that and it's easier to say there are two kinds of music...and I like the good kind.

Sadly, OK...I'm not that sad about it, I could not identify one artist already mentioned in this thread if you held a gun to my head. Maybe Gretchen, possibly, perhaps.
I've heard them, they just don't move me.
So, my post is for all the other country fans.
Bluegrass, Western Swing...etc.
Fans of Merle Haggard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Lefty Frizzell, Tammy Wynette, Waylon Jennings, Bob Wills (who NEVER thought of his band as "country"), Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, George Jones, Bill Monroe, and a few hundred others.

BTW Abby....I used to go see George Strait, alot, when he was playing little clubs in Central Texas. He was playing great Honky Tonk and Swing in those days, it never seemed to get on the albums though. I saw 3 of his Austin City Limits tapings.
And now I can't recognize him on the radio, sounds like most of the other clones trying to do Lefty via Merle.
I'll just listen to Lefty & Merle.

 

[ElevSkyMovie]

I would recommend:

Rodney Crowell (his last three albums are amazing).
Lucinda Williams
Steve Earle
Dwight Yoakam
Pat Green

 

[Mark Paquette]

I recently picked up and am enjoying Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison. Does that count?

 

[Tarkin The Ewok]

I saw him once at a festival. I like his energy and the song "Feels Just Like It Should," but he just doesn't enunciate enough for me. It's hard to love an artist when you can't understand what they're saying.

 

[Garrett Lundy]

I think Mr.Cash considered himself part of the rapidly expanding 'Rock&Roll' scene when he did LAFP.

 

[Henry Gale]

Yes!
I have several albums of each of these artists.

 

[Dome Vongvises]

I just picked up the new Kenny Chesney and haven't had time to listen to it.

Otherwise, while everybody else is hanging around CMT style country, I'm trying to discover older stuff like Merle Haggard and Charlie Daniels.

Having said that, I just heard my first Hank Williams III album. Boy he sounds pissed.

 

[Eric Peterson]

I consider myself a pretty big fan of country, but unlike most people I can't stand what they call country these days. Personally, I think country was buried around 1980 and some other evil offspring took it's place. The likes of Garth Brooks, Kenny Rogers, Toby Keith, & Shania Twain make me want to wretch. They are no more country than Coldplay is heavy metal.

I love listening to the old country rebels and a few underground country artists that are getting around today, but Country radio is shameful. I love listening to "Willie's Place" on XM which focuses on pre-1980 country including most of the artists that Henry already listed. Good Stuff.

As far as modern country, the artists that I listen to are questionable as to whether they're country or not but they certainly have stronger country connections than the stuff that is played on the radio. Hank III, Wayne Hancock, Allison Krauss, & Dale Watson all come to mind. Also for a great country parody artist, check out Unknown Hinson. He'll make you wet your pants with his authentic country music and hillarious lyrics.



I'm guessing that you are talking about his most recent album, but on his last two he has had some pretty scathing attacks on Nashville and modern country music. He pretty much sums up my thoughts with his lyrics from "Dick in Dixie"

They say that I'm ill mannered
That I'm gonna self destruct
But if you know what I'm thinkin'
You'll know that pop country really sucks!!

 

[ElevSkyMovie]

Pop country has replaced rock for what a lot of 20 and 30 year olds listen to now. It is basically rock with a fiddle thrown in once and while. I don't have that much against it, I'm just not that interested in it. It's funny, because I like slick production in rock music. I think Mutt Lange is an amazing producer. My complaint is that country shouldn't be slick. It should be raw and organic. I love Alison Krauss. AKUS is very slick, but they still have an organic sound to me. I think americana conveys the spirit of what country used to be, at least the outlaw version (Cash-Nelson-Jennings-Kristofferson). Anyway, I don't begrudge someone liking Kenny Chesney, although it doesn't interest me. Big 'n Rich? That's another story. Are they country? hmm...

 

[MikeH1]

Buddy & Julie Miller!

 

[Greg Black]

I agree with other's sentiments who feel that popular Country music nowadays is not really Country. I think the last big hurrah of decent popular Country was in the early 90's. Back when there was still some twang, honky tonkin', and swing to the music. Now it's just a slightly Nashvilled version of soft rock and pop.

Nevertheless, here are my favorite contemporary "Country" artists these days:

Dwight Yoakam - His earlier work is his best, IMO, but his current stuff is still pretty conistently great.
Neko Case - What a fantastic voice she has.
Allison Krauss & Union Station - Unbelievable voice... The Union Station boys have incredible musicianship as well.
Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins - More like Alt Country for this solo outing of Rilo Kiley singer, it harkens back to female Country singers of the 70's.

 

[Malcolm R]

I was a pretty big country fan about 10 years ago, until all my favorite artists (Reba McEntire, Trisha Yearwood, John Berry, Patty Loveless, Clay Walker, Kathy Mattea, Ty Herndon) all got dropped off the radio. Since then, I've gravitated back to rock/pop since I absolutely can't stand most of the artists who now get airplay.

 

[Chris Gerhard]

I don't consider Lucinda Williams country but just recently started listening to her and I am now a big fan. She seems to me to be a folk singer/songwriter in the tradition of Nanci Griffith, only better.

Chris

 

[WadeM]

I have:
Johnny Cash Dressed in Black Tribute Album featuring Hank III, Kelly Willis, Robbie Fulks & more-- great album!
Caught in the Webb - Tribute to Webb Pierce featuring Willie Nelson, George Jones, Charley Pride, Pam Tillis, Emmylou Harris, Dwight Yoakam, Allison Moorer, Mandy Barnett and more-- another great album!
Johnny Cash Unearthed CDs
Hank III --his 1st two are the best, his last one uses studio effects I don't care for
1 Loretta Lynn CD
Willie Nelson
Mike Nesmith -- country-rock, but hey, still more country than what the radio plays! ha!
Randy Travis
George Strait
Jimmie Rodgers
Lucinda Williams -- country-rock again, but it works.
Mandy Barnett
Kelly Willis
Sons of the Pioneers
Carter Family
soundtrack to Traveller
a couple Robbie Fulks CDs
the entire Time-Life Country USA series from 1950-1972 (great series!)
Time-Life's Contemporary Country collection 1970's-early 90's country
The History of Country & Western box set -- great 20-CD set covers from 1920s through 1952
Down in the Basement CD from Old Hat --collection of old, old rare songs

and of course...

the complete Hank Williams!

That's what I see at 1st glance in my collection.

 

[Abby_B]

A lot of the times it's pretty good Nasvilled soft rock though. I mean, I don't expect everybody to be Johnny Cash, and to some extent it does feel a little bit more accessible, if that makes sense?

Oh, would you really say Neko Case is a country artist? i just got Fox Confessor, and I freaking love that album. But I think I'd call it folk, maybe? I dunno.

 

[Tarkin The Ewok]

The new albums from George Strait and Dierks Bentley are both excellent, and I urge people to check them out.