|
|
|
|
It is no secret that over the past couple decades country music has struggled with it's identity far more than any other genre in the industry. At this point nobody can really claim to be a country music fan without being questioned what kind of country fan? The answers being seemingly endless, I've broken them down into a few main categories (but really, there could be so many more).
Pop Country
This category could really be referred to as "Nashville Country." It hosts probably about 90% of the country music out there. I often find people not wanting to admit in conversation that they're fans of this category. They like to talk about how they love Willie Nelson and mouth the words to Merle Haggard songs even though it's obvious their faking it. Then they get alone in their cars and unwind by driving down the highway, blasting Shania Twain on the radio, and singing along at the top of their lungs. Let me just say, there's nothing wrong with that, like what you like. Nashville record labels pick very talented, often attractive singers that perform with some great bands. They also have some of the top songwriters and composers in the industry working for them.
One criticism I would have against this category?In recent years, there has been a rebellion of sorts against Nashville music from musicians in both the Rebel and Texas sub categories (see below) with songs booing Nashville and praising the old timers. Sometimes this gains them popularity and they get so popular that they land a big contract with a Nashville record company and for some reason everybody is perfectly comfortable with this phenomenon. This is what I like to refer to as "Pat Green Syndrome".
Rebel/Rock Country
Very liberal people are who you tend to find in this category. These artist just do whatever they feel like doing, and consequently there are not many of them, or at least not many of them that stay popular after their initial shock value wears off. They are usually independent and like letting it all hang out. A good example currently in the limelight is Gretchen Wilson. Others that haven't quite reached her popularity level, but have been around for a while include Ray Wylie Hubbard and Todd Snider.
Sometimes the guys in this category derive quite a bit of their rebelness from incorporating rock into their music. Good examples of this are Robert Earl Keen and James McMurty (I highly recommend both of them).
Texas Country
This category has developed into somewhat of a music cult, and it stretches all over the United Sates. (Note, this last month there was a huge three day Texas music festival in Colorado). It's popularity started off with the likes of Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Gary P. Nunn. What really sent it off in recent years was the popularity of Robert Earl Keen, Cory Morrow, Pat Green, and Jack Ingram. It plays extremely well in frat houses across the Lone Star State. While the guys mentioned earlier have taken off in a different direction, new artists like Max Stalling, Mark David Manders, and Ed Burleson have started to take their place. If you ever watch this development, it's easy to see that the Texas music industry is growing so fast that it will probably soon be just as big as Nashville's.
Old Country
If you can sing the words to three or more Willie Nelson, George Jones, and Johnny Cash songs please come in. If you can sing along to Patsy Cline, Charlie Rich, and Hank Williams please take a seat. If you can croon all night with Bob Wills please let me get you a beer, I'm glad we met. Welcome to the old country category, sadly a lot of people find it boring here.
Real Old Country
Most people in this category know how to yodel. They've probably witnessed someone play the bones, if they do not already know how to play them themselves. The people in this category refer to each other as "folks" and recognize that country's roots derived from folk music. This category requires being able to enjoy sitting on a front porch sipping ice tea in the middle of the summer while some old man plays "Streets of Laredo" on an old Gibson. Indulging in campfire banjo playing helps as well.
If you're like me, you probably have your favorite category and then like some things out of each one. There's not really any one way to define country music, and with it being an ever-changing industry there probably never will be. One thing that doesn't change though, no matter which category, you can still dust of your boots and take just about any country song to the dancehall with you.
Sarah Francis
This article, written by Sarah Francis, was first published at MusicShopper.info - a great resource for music lovers. Providing information and resources about music shopping, it also has an extensive range of music reviews, music competitions and giveaways, and a popular discussion forum. It is also an important music reference source with a music website directory of more then 1,000 hand-picked sites listed. MusicShopper forum and newsletters subscribers are entered into monthly draws for Amazon voucher.
 ABC News | Apple iTunes Music Store Going DRM-Free InformationWeek, NY - For the last six years, Apple has sold the vast majority of its music through iTunes for 99 cents with DRM. It has been a winning strategy so far, ... Even Apple music wants to be free, sort of IPhone Can Download Music Over EDGE Too Apple offers variable pricing, more DRM-free music on iTunes |
 WNCT | RI judge hears arguments in music downloading case The Associated Press - The recording industry's lawsuit against him is part of an aggressive campaign targeting people who share music online. The industry says it has lost more ... RI judge hears arguments in music downloading case Fate of couple's comptuer at center of music downloading lawsuit RIAA Blames Harvard Law Professor for Dragging Out File-Sharing Case |
 eFluxMedia | Music Industry Ditches MP3-Snooping Security Firm FOXNews - In another sign of the music industry's recently announced retreat from a five-year-old antipiracy strategy, the Recording Industry Association of America ... Music industry eases tactics in fighting piracy The RIAA Ends Music Download War RIAA’s move to DtecNet may mean litigation strategy still alive |
 eCoustics.com (press release) | SanDisk introduces slotRadio music player and cards MarketWatch - By Robert Daniel , , ) the Milpitas, Calif., producer of flash memory and related technology, on Wednesday introduced the slotRadio music player and ... SanDisk's SlotRadio Player Ships with 1000 Songs Sansa slotRadio Comes With 1000 Songs Preloaded SanDisk slotRadio: 1000 songs on microSD for $40 |
Living With Music: Madison Smartt Bell New York Times, United States - By Gregory Cowles I started listening to most of this music in the early 1990s, as I was finishing the first of what would be three long novels about ... |
 New York Times | Music Review Revisiting the Rare, in Search of a Surprise New York Times, United States - Often music sinks into oblivion for a reason. Can there really be enough obscure high-quality work to fill out a program just about every other week? ... |
 New York Times | Part Concert, Part Chat: Two Guys Talking Music New York Times, United States - He was kicking off “Conversations With Christian,” a yearlong series of onstage dialogues, with words and music, at the urging of his wife and his manager. ... |
 BBC News | UK music sales beat expectations Variety, CA - During a recession, people look for purchases that are excellent value for money and bring a lot of enjoyment, and music does just this. ... Downloads boost 2008 single sales Downloads drive singles sales rise UK Singles Sales Posted Impressive Growth in 2008 |
Northeast Band DC-Bound For Inauguration Music Fest MSNBC - ... DC, next week to perform in the Presidential Inaugural Heritage Music Festival, one of the activities leading to Barack Obama taking the oath of office. ... |
iTunes Store and DRM-free music: What you need to know Macworld, CA - by Macworld Staff, Macworld.com On Tuesday, Apple announced that after six years, the iTunes Store would soon completely stop selling music encumbered by ... |
| Top of Page home Bookmark Us Now ctrl+d 1st 4 Music, shopping via 1st4music cost no more than going direct and can often save you money with special offers. with questions or comments about this website |