As I mentioned in my previous post, Classical: Music To My Ears Part One, there is elitism associated with classical music. In Country & Western (C&W) music something else is at play: classism. As with classical music I have heard, equally, people dismiss the Country & Western genre outright and I suspect this is due to a notion that involves race, place - the southern United States, and perceptions of intellect. While those that do listen to classical music may have an arrogance embedded in their reasons for listening, in some ways those that don't listen to Country & Western have their own type of elitism.
Like Jazz, Country & Western music is a unique American creation and it might be interesting to note that one is dominated by Afro-Americans and the other, by White Americans with both emanating from the Southern regions of the United States where slavery had a stronghold at one time. I suspect this separation of race and music was a necessary consequence of American history. Further, more Whites have crossed over into the jazz genre than African Americans into C&W. While it is rarely said out loud this may have to to with a historical separation of race in The United States.
I once went to the Palo Alto, California library and brought home to my father's house some Hank Williams records. When I placed the records on his stereo to listen, he emerged from his bedroom and asked me why I was listening to that 'Cracker Music?' While I would not classify my father as racist I would definitely have to describe him as having grown up, in Kentucky, during segregated times having witnessed lynchings and being subject to police intimidation based solely on his race. My father, on his TJ Records label, preferred Delta Blues and spent a good portion of his life rounding up Mississippi Delta Blues musicians that were on the verge of obscurity and bringing them back into the light in hopes of preserving a sound which was unique and important to his own life. These bands which he formed, toured mostly in Europe are, years after my father's death, now receiving a renaissance of sorts with collector's and on YouTube.
Country & Western music, I have heard described as, 'Fall In Your Beer,' music, (Hank Williams wrote a song, There's a Tear in My Beer which may, or may not have inspired this thought), conjuring an image of a person on a bar stool whining about their troubles. The southern twang, often heard in the singing style of some singers performing C&W is often frowned upon. The film, Deliverance, did nothing to endear people to this genre of music nor cause it to be associated with anything other than backwoods, ignorance and defining 'white trash'.
The politics of Donald Trump, while not necessarily obvious, tapped in to a too large portion of America that is thought to be associated with C&W music. His inaugural lineup of performers was primarily gospel, read conservative, and C&W singers. As I have said in my previous post: There is politics in music. What is heard and what is not heard. What is promoted and what is left to remain silent.
Not all C&W singers are created equal. For this post I will primarily examine those singers that have crossed over successfully to please audiences of all races, those that have emerged from the box that limits what C&W is, and to those that have reached an emotional pinnacle that places them in a place that demands a reevaluation of their work. Interestingly, most of these elevated performers have had mainstream biographical movies made of their lives starring some of Hollywood's finest actors. Loretta Lynn: Coal Miner's Daughter, Patsy Cline: Sweet Dreams, Johnny Cash: Ring of Fire, Hank Williams: I Saw the Light, and Ray Charles: Ray. While Dolly Parton, as of yet, has not had a bio-drama done of her life, she has so many screen credits and awards given to her that it seems obvious that her life is not over quite yet.
My first love in C&W was Glen Campbell (Arkansas). I had seen him, with my mother, in the film, True Grit. He was pie-eyed, cute and at the time, I don't think I knew he sang. I returned home after the film and penned a fan letter to Mr. Campbell. My mother scoffed at my adolescent attempt and ridiculed me for thinking I would actually receive a letter back from Mr. Campbell. I sent that letter off and eventually received a letter back, complete with a photo! My mother, still incredulous, stated that the signature was probably a stamp and, spitting on a finger, tried to prove to me that the signature wasn't real when she attempted to show that the ink wouldn't bleed. It did bleed and though I have no clue if it was real or not I kept that letter for ages convinced Glenn Campbell loved me. Now, years later, as he suffers from Alzheimer's, I feel even more affection for him as my own father suffered the same fate. His last studio album, Ghost On the Canvas, was literally a goodbye to family and fans, dealing with what it meant to be stricken with Alzheimer's in light of the magnificent life he led. Perhaps due to his performance on film, TV, and his recording legacy, Glen Campbell reached audiences that he may not otherwise have been exposed to. I don't know. What I do know is that his choice of performance music appealed to wider audiences than say, Tennessee Ernie Ford.
Johnny Cash (Arkansas), the Man in Black, is another performer that is rooted in C&W. The fact that a film, Ring of Fire, starring two Hollywood biggies, was made of his life may have something to do with him crossing over to wider audiences. I think however he touched many people because he crossed the race line through his performances in prisons (non-segregated) and his activism with Native Americans. He also came across as a thoughtful, sensitive and well rounded person who despite his twang, seemed to have something to say. many, including me, where touched too by his long lasting marriage to June Carter that ended with her death and his not long after. His final hit, Hurt, seemed to express what most of us come to understand in our later years, that life and fortune is nothing without love.
Dolly Parton, (Tennessee). Who doesn't love Dolly Parton? She is single-handedly responsible for explaining to the rest of us what all that big hair, and over the top clothing, makeup, and sugar coated persona is really all about, and by embodying this imaginary person we love her like we love drag queens. She is a prolific songwriter and has written hits for those in the R&B genre, (Whitney Houston's hit, I'll Always Love You), as well as having crossed over herself performing songs that no one would think associated with her, (Cat Steven's Peace Train, Led Zeppelin's Stairway To Heaven). it doesn't hurt either that as a businesswoman, she is as smart as a fox amassing oodles of money. If I am correct she is one of the richest women to ever come out of C&W.
Willie Nelson, (Texas), is a very interesting man. He is difficult to place. Like Dolly Parton he is a prolific songwriter, author, activist and philanthropist. He began his career looking clean cut and straight and has entered his later years unable to be classified. He has collaborated with Ray Charles, Al Green, and written hits for Pasty Cline. He almost defies a category but his roots are embedded in C&W.
Hank Williams (Alabama), had a very short career, but one that left a legacy that is still felt today. He was only 29 when he died and quite a young age to leave such a large footprint. He did not step out of the Honkey-Tonk genre but the subject of some of his most famous songs, (Honkey-Tonking, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, Cold, Cold Heart), are still relevant and poignant today.
Ray Charles (Florida), Ray Charles seemingly did it all. He had success as a gospel soul singer and then jumped ship and for a time performed C&W tunes. Many imagined that such a cross over would end his career but instead he caused White purveyors of C&W to re-listen to their own music and African Americans to listen to a genre they might have otherwise shunned. Ray Charles collaborated with everyone. He not only crossed over into a different genre of music he caused listeners to cross over too.
Patsy Cline (Virginia), I am not sure why Patsy Cline seems to be the embodiment of C&W music that is palatable to all walks of life. Perhaps it was her toned down style of dressing, her everywoman appearance, or that she sang in the contralto range which is a range most people find soothing. She paved the way for women in the C&W industry being one of the first women to perform where once only men dominated. She was also one of the first C&W stars to successfully record songs that crossed over into pop resulting in a wider audience that might otherwise have ignored her. One of the reasons for her success too was her association with The Jordanaires and Owen Bradley who can not be underestimated and is considered the hit-maker for C&W performers.
Loretta Lynn (Kentucky), I think would have had more success had she not been so steadfastly conservative in some ways. Though she has written many songs that highlight the specific predicaments of women, she has also seemingly turned a blind eye to the working class despite her emerging from this background. Yet despite her controversy she has penned many a song that ring true and soar high, among them Coal Miner's Daughter, You Ain't Woman Enough To Take My Man, You're looking At Country). I think much of her appeal is singing songs that genuinely convey a pride in where she is from and making no apologies for it. There is honesty in what she sings about and all of us, whatever our backgrounds, can relate to being perhaps ridiculed for what we might not have or where we come from. That said her simplicity seems to connect us to her.
Of note are two up and coming African American C&W singers that I would like to showcase here. Rissi Palmer and Milton Patton. They both defy the constraints of what a C&W singer should sound or look like.
There are heaps of other singers from the C&W genre to be explored but I think the ones above, are a good introduction to what is good about this genre. One might also explore Alison Krauss, Lennie Gallant, Shania Twain, Anne Murray, The Dixie Chicks and Reba McEntire, Crystal Gayle, and Dobie Gray. These are artists that have longevity, even if posthumously, and have carved a niche into the genre that demands our attention and respect. For this blog entry I will, when possible, show two videos of each artist. One being a performance of their traditional C&W roots and the other being what one might not expect from their repertoire.
The Videos
I'll begin with Glen Campbell. He has had many hits but I think one he may unfortunately be best remembered for is Rhinestone Cowboy. The title itself conjures up what we associate with C&W at its worst. but it is the last music he produced which secures his legacy as a thinking and thoughtful performer. In his last studio album, Ghost on the Canvas, a goodbye album, his songs are about his struggle with Alzheimer's and what it means to him to disappear from the lives of his family, fans and the life he has led. Speaking personally I am quite moved by this last album because he is quite honest and detailed about what is organically happening to his mind. I've included two songs from that album to give you an idea of just how poignant the end of his legacy truly is.
This second one being the title track, Ghost on the Canvas, and the third, I'm Not Going To Miss You which describes the devastating effects of Alzheimer's leaving its victims not aware that they are losing their lives, the people they love or the careers they have built. During the concert from which the third video is taken, his children whom form his band, in other clips are seen cajoling him when he forgets that he is already played a specific song just moments after he has played it. It is heartwarming to witness, and quite heroic, for him to be seen vulnerable and in the throes of a disease that he has no control over. For me it establishes him in a higher category: One I might label: True Grit.
You can search YouTube for Campbell singing with Ray Charles, Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, and Natalie Cole all performers that we do not think of as combining with C&W. But I think that is what true musicianship is. Music is something to be shared and musicians always admire and are inspired by the works of other musician so it doesn't surprise me that these collaborations exist. Music by sheer implication, phenomena and necessity desegregates.
Perhaps I first noticed Johnny Cash because he wore black; that being the colour to wear in my youth. Then I read somewhere that he and Billy Bob Thorton were friends but that Thorton couldn't enter Cash's home because he, Thorton, had a phobia about antiques which Cash had plenty of. He seemed to be associated with ideas and people that I found intriguing personally.
Ring of Fire, from the autobiographical film of the same name, seen here in an unknown performance date, is also interesting for his use of the trumpet an instrument not widely used in C&W. He also has an interesting way of strumming his guitar often up on the neck of the instrument itself.
The second video of Cash was a final performance video before his death. It is also after the death of his wife of many years, June Carter. Here we see a man done in by his loss and who wonders aloud what the point of fame and fortune is if one is alone. It is a song that was originally recorded by Nine Inch Nails but it is Cash that comes to own the song.
Like the Glenn Campbell final videos we too see a man looking back on a life and career with sage insight to what life and fame eventually may come to. Let me say this out loud: there is something powerful about perceiving White C&W singers, coming from a time of segregation and a part of the country where intolerance ruled at one time, reaching a maturity were experience and lessons learned have been etched across a face. Willie Nelson shares this trait. They also have gone into later years choosing material that reflects the person they are now rather than relying on the material that made them famous. It may have been hard living and drugs but faces show the lives we have led.
Dolly Parton has been around forever. In this first video we see her in her youth singing, Jolene, with
her wig cap visible. Again she is a prolific songwriter. The second video is of her singing a hit which Whitney Houston made famous in the film, The Bodyguard, but which Parton wrote years before. They are so distinctly different in their interpretations. It is always wonderful to hear how the author intended it to be sung. It is also of note to hear the story behind how the song came to be. Whitney sings it with a lover in mind and Parton is trying to convey to her boss, who has helped and supported her, that it is time to leave. Interesting how interpretation can speak so separately into the ears of a listener.
Parton's third video is her cover of Cat Stevens' Peace train. I was in The Gap store on 34th Street
in Manhattan when I first heard it and no one working in the store was old enough to know who Dolly Parton was or Cat Steven's for that matter, so at the time I was unable to actually confirm that it was indeed her. I couldn't believe my ears! I think it was the first time I heard a C&W singer sing a pop hippy tune with so much enthusiasm and I loved it. There are renditions of her singing it with Ladysmith Black Mambazo too! Like Loretta Lynn Parton has a down home charm being what she is and making no apologies for it, but unlike Lynn she has reached a much wider audience in part by making fun of herself and for choosing material that is unexpected.
This Peace Train video was unreleased, (why did I find it then?), and there are not many renditions of this song covered by Parton to be found. It seems it was a dance hit some time back but was not really released commercially. What I like about it is that a woman is singing this well known and loved song and at the same time she brought back a beloved tune written by a man who went off into obscurity despite his great talent.
I will never claim that I understand Willie Nelson but that being said I find him fascinating. I am not sure if it is his 'I'm Weary As The World Is Old' persona, his hair length, or that he never seems to change his clothing. But he does truly absorbing
collaborations and he is old enough now and seen so many legends in his time that one must look at his career closer. He penned the song Crazy which was covered by Patsy Cline and became one of her standards and helped raise her to fame. He is a prolific writer who has written, I think, no less that 8 books including poetry. He is a supporter of marijuana being legalized and the end to fossil fuel.
The first video finds him young and fresh and almost unrecognizable to the man we know today. The hairline is intact however and his clothes look fresh and clean. In the second video, a duet with Ray Charles, Seven Spanish Angels, a song I only heard on the radio here in Mexico is quite moving.
Two men looking at the cost of war on men and the women they leave behind. In Wilson's third video he covers, with his daughter, Creedence Clearwater Revival's, Have You Ever Seen the Rain? It is a choice of material that Nelson may have identified with as it has been suggested that the song is about the turbulent times of the 60's and the shredding of idealism that took place. Nelson, at 80, seems a man that has moved with the times, continuing to grow and revive through collaborations that are unusual, yet work. His collaboration with Snoop Dog may seem odd until you realize they are both proponents of legalizing marijuana.
Again we witness a performer that has stepped out of the box of what we expect a C&W singer to be. Times are changing and the best of us keep abreast with the change.
Hank Williams does not have much to show for live performances and that which is available is of poor quality. His life was so short and his body of work equally small that it is difficult to guess where he might be today had he lived. What we do have are a few recordings that are closely associated with him and which give a good idea of why he was important to the canon of C&W music.
I will insert a link here to Hank Williams' song, Honky Tonkin', as there is no video of him performing this song and it is best left as a listen. It is a song I adore, we can hear what I think most people associate with C&W when they are confronted with having to provide a definition: Twang, gaudy clothing, and a thin unhealthy looking guy wearing a hat which looks too big for his frame to support. Honky Tonkin', in case you wondered, means: Bar Hopping. But the fact that he is doing so with his girlfriend just makes the song joyful for me. In the second Hank song, Cold, Cold Heart we see him in a rare live performance.
Ray Charles stands apart for many reasons. He entered a field of music that no one imagined he could make his own and he added soul and a gospel sound to it bringing new meaning to what was once perhaps humdrum. Can anyone forget his rendition of America the Beautiful? A song, written in 1895, 35 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, when Jim Crow had it's hold on America and which holds a much deeper meaning when sung by Charles who grew up in the Jim Crow era. We must never forget that a rise to stardom, or a fate spent in obscurity, during the time of segregation, and the Jim Crow era has less to do with talent and more to do with race. An excellent exploration of this, in the context of Jazz music, is Ken Burns', 10 part documentary miniseries, Jazz, available on YouTube. The last miscegenation law to come off of the law books in America was in 1967! That is eight years after my own legal bi-racial birth!
Charles began in gospel, flourished in soul and leapt over into C&W in 1962 right in the heart of Peace and Love. The timing speaks volumes to how we might become united and equal. How influence works when coordinated with one entity, (African American), with and to another, (White), and the fallout after: the listener, you and me, finding something where once there was nothing to be found. Or nothing wanted. It's like that moment when we heard Tom Jones cover Prince's song, Kiss. Suddenly we rethought what we imagined we knew about Jones. A whole new younger generation suddenly loved Tom Jones: Again an artist that remains relevant through his choice of material not resting on what is tried and true.
Charles will be most remembered for his powerful, gritty, soul music, but it must not be forgotten that he united us in a much more meaningful way when he decided to record the C&W songs that he was sure to have heard in his youth and adult years.
This video of Charles, performing with Glen Campbell, was done in 1967. The song, Cryin' Time, was originally recorded by Buck Owens. What I find especially exciting is how an artist covering other artists songs can sometimes render the new interpretation almost unrecognizable from the original. We can see this in the next video with Charles' interpretation of Cash's, Ring of Fire.
As a singer I am always fondest for the singer that takes a piece of music I may have heard hundreds of times, and breathes a new life into the piece causing me to giggle with delight and to listen to something which escaped my ears beforehand.
The jazz singer Cassandra Wilson reigns supreme with interpretation. She has covered The Monkees, Last Train to Clarksville and Neil Young's, Harvest Moon in such a way that I am left mesmerized. This talent, this internalization of lyrics, and re-emergence of personal experience to produce a new entity is what makes the great, great.
In the final video of Charles we see him perform an Eddy Arnold song, You Don't Know Me.
Patsy Cline as I have mentioned before, seems to have crossed over to mainstream for many people that would otherwise stand clear of C&W. Her work with The Jordanaires, a backing group, (though they performed solo as well), rendered some of her greatest hits with a richness that might not otherwise be present in her work. The Jordanaires performed with Elvis Presley as well. They lend a distinct, rich, male bass vocal continuo to the background and enrich much of what they touched. In this first video, I Fall to Pieces, we can hear Cline backed up by The Jordanaires.
When I sang, I covered many Patsy Cline tunes. They are easy to sing and convey a warmth and simplicity that is approachable. In her second video, Walkin' After Midnight, we see perhaps one of my favourite Cline tunes. The video has her oddly working in a mercantile store a setting almost funny, but again she is backed by The Jordanaires.
I could not find any videos of Loretta Lynn covering or performing with anyone other than herself, singing what she does best: singing about her roots.
Finally, what I think must be considered is that C&W comes from poverty. As far a stretch as one might like to imagine so does rap and soul music. Straight out of Appalachia and straight out of the inner cities. Poverty, experience, memory, vision and love helps create music. It can create other things but when it jells at its best it forms something special.
I end this article hoping that you will scrounge through YouTube finding something with a twang or beat that might cause you to re-imagine, fall in love, and think of things following a different beat.
PS. Please forgive formatting issues. Sometimes I have no known control over this.
Like Jazz, Country & Western music is a unique American creation and it might be interesting to note that one is dominated by Afro-Americans and the other, by White Americans with both emanating from the Southern regions of the United States where slavery had a stronghold at one time. I suspect this separation of race and music was a necessary consequence of American history. Further, more Whites have crossed over into the jazz genre than African Americans into C&W. While it is rarely said out loud this may have to to with a historical separation of race in The United States.
I once went to the Palo Alto, California library and brought home to my father's house some Hank Williams records. When I placed the records on his stereo to listen, he emerged from his bedroom and asked me why I was listening to that 'Cracker Music?' While I would not classify my father as racist I would definitely have to describe him as having grown up, in Kentucky, during segregated times having witnessed lynchings and being subject to police intimidation based solely on his race. My father, on his TJ Records label, preferred Delta Blues and spent a good portion of his life rounding up Mississippi Delta Blues musicians that were on the verge of obscurity and bringing them back into the light in hopes of preserving a sound which was unique and important to his own life. These bands which he formed, toured mostly in Europe are, years after my father's death, now receiving a renaissance of sorts with collector's and on YouTube.
Country & Western music, I have heard described as, 'Fall In Your Beer,' music, (Hank Williams wrote a song, There's a Tear in My Beer which may, or may not have inspired this thought), conjuring an image of a person on a bar stool whining about their troubles. The southern twang, often heard in the singing style of some singers performing C&W is often frowned upon. The film, Deliverance, did nothing to endear people to this genre of music nor cause it to be associated with anything other than backwoods, ignorance and defining 'white trash'.
The politics of Donald Trump, while not necessarily obvious, tapped in to a too large portion of America that is thought to be associated with C&W music. His inaugural lineup of performers was primarily gospel, read conservative, and C&W singers. As I have said in my previous post: There is politics in music. What is heard and what is not heard. What is promoted and what is left to remain silent.
Not all C&W singers are created equal. For this post I will primarily examine those singers that have crossed over successfully to please audiences of all races, those that have emerged from the box that limits what C&W is, and to those that have reached an emotional pinnacle that places them in a place that demands a reevaluation of their work. Interestingly, most of these elevated performers have had mainstream biographical movies made of their lives starring some of Hollywood's finest actors. Loretta Lynn: Coal Miner's Daughter, Patsy Cline: Sweet Dreams, Johnny Cash: Ring of Fire, Hank Williams: I Saw the Light, and Ray Charles: Ray. While Dolly Parton, as of yet, has not had a bio-drama done of her life, she has so many screen credits and awards given to her that it seems obvious that her life is not over quite yet.
My first love in C&W was Glen Campbell (Arkansas). I had seen him, with my mother, in the film, True Grit. He was pie-eyed, cute and at the time, I don't think I knew he sang. I returned home after the film and penned a fan letter to Mr. Campbell. My mother scoffed at my adolescent attempt and ridiculed me for thinking I would actually receive a letter back from Mr. Campbell. I sent that letter off and eventually received a letter back, complete with a photo! My mother, still incredulous, stated that the signature was probably a stamp and, spitting on a finger, tried to prove to me that the signature wasn't real when she attempted to show that the ink wouldn't bleed. It did bleed and though I have no clue if it was real or not I kept that letter for ages convinced Glenn Campbell loved me. Now, years later, as he suffers from Alzheimer's, I feel even more affection for him as my own father suffered the same fate. His last studio album, Ghost On the Canvas, was literally a goodbye to family and fans, dealing with what it meant to be stricken with Alzheimer's in light of the magnificent life he led. Perhaps due to his performance on film, TV, and his recording legacy, Glen Campbell reached audiences that he may not otherwise have been exposed to. I don't know. What I do know is that his choice of performance music appealed to wider audiences than say, Tennessee Ernie Ford.
Johnny Cash (Arkansas), the Man in Black, is another performer that is rooted in C&W. The fact that a film, Ring of Fire, starring two Hollywood biggies, was made of his life may have something to do with him crossing over to wider audiences. I think however he touched many people because he crossed the race line through his performances in prisons (non-segregated) and his activism with Native Americans. He also came across as a thoughtful, sensitive and well rounded person who despite his twang, seemed to have something to say. many, including me, where touched too by his long lasting marriage to June Carter that ended with her death and his not long after. His final hit, Hurt, seemed to express what most of us come to understand in our later years, that life and fortune is nothing without love.
Dolly Parton, (Tennessee). Who doesn't love Dolly Parton? She is single-handedly responsible for explaining to the rest of us what all that big hair, and over the top clothing, makeup, and sugar coated persona is really all about, and by embodying this imaginary person we love her like we love drag queens. She is a prolific songwriter and has written hits for those in the R&B genre, (Whitney Houston's hit, I'll Always Love You), as well as having crossed over herself performing songs that no one would think associated with her, (Cat Steven's Peace Train, Led Zeppelin's Stairway To Heaven). it doesn't hurt either that as a businesswoman, she is as smart as a fox amassing oodles of money. If I am correct she is one of the richest women to ever come out of C&W.
Willie Nelson, (Texas), is a very interesting man. He is difficult to place. Like Dolly Parton he is a prolific songwriter, author, activist and philanthropist. He began his career looking clean cut and straight and has entered his later years unable to be classified. He has collaborated with Ray Charles, Al Green, and written hits for Pasty Cline. He almost defies a category but his roots are embedded in C&W.
Hank Williams (Alabama), had a very short career, but one that left a legacy that is still felt today. He was only 29 when he died and quite a young age to leave such a large footprint. He did not step out of the Honkey-Tonk genre but the subject of some of his most famous songs, (Honkey-Tonking, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, Cold, Cold Heart), are still relevant and poignant today.
Ray Charles (Florida), Ray Charles seemingly did it all. He had success as a gospel soul singer and then jumped ship and for a time performed C&W tunes. Many imagined that such a cross over would end his career but instead he caused White purveyors of C&W to re-listen to their own music and African Americans to listen to a genre they might have otherwise shunned. Ray Charles collaborated with everyone. He not only crossed over into a different genre of music he caused listeners to cross over too.
Patsy Cline (Virginia), I am not sure why Patsy Cline seems to be the embodiment of C&W music that is palatable to all walks of life. Perhaps it was her toned down style of dressing, her everywoman appearance, or that she sang in the contralto range which is a range most people find soothing. She paved the way for women in the C&W industry being one of the first women to perform where once only men dominated. She was also one of the first C&W stars to successfully record songs that crossed over into pop resulting in a wider audience that might otherwise have ignored her. One of the reasons for her success too was her association with The Jordanaires and Owen Bradley who can not be underestimated and is considered the hit-maker for C&W performers.
Loretta Lynn (Kentucky), I think would have had more success had she not been so steadfastly conservative in some ways. Though she has written many songs that highlight the specific predicaments of women, she has also seemingly turned a blind eye to the working class despite her emerging from this background. Yet despite her controversy she has penned many a song that ring true and soar high, among them Coal Miner's Daughter, You Ain't Woman Enough To Take My Man, You're looking At Country). I think much of her appeal is singing songs that genuinely convey a pride in where she is from and making no apologies for it. There is honesty in what she sings about and all of us, whatever our backgrounds, can relate to being perhaps ridiculed for what we might not have or where we come from. That said her simplicity seems to connect us to her.
Of note are two up and coming African American C&W singers that I would like to showcase here. Rissi Palmer and Milton Patton. They both defy the constraints of what a C&W singer should sound or look like.
There are heaps of other singers from the C&W genre to be explored but I think the ones above, are a good introduction to what is good about this genre. One might also explore Alison Krauss, Lennie Gallant, Shania Twain, Anne Murray, The Dixie Chicks and Reba McEntire, Crystal Gayle, and Dobie Gray. These are artists that have longevity, even if posthumously, and have carved a niche into the genre that demands our attention and respect. For this blog entry I will, when possible, show two videos of each artist. One being a performance of their traditional C&W roots and the other being what one might not expect from their repertoire.
The Videos
Perhaps I first noticed Johnny Cash because he wore black; that being the colour to wear in my youth. Then I read somewhere that he and Billy Bob Thorton were friends but that Thorton couldn't enter Cash's home because he, Thorton, had a phobia about antiques which Cash had plenty of. He seemed to be associated with ideas and people that I found intriguing personally.
The second video of Cash was a final performance video before his death. It is also after the death of his wife of many years, June Carter. Here we see a man done in by his loss and who wonders aloud what the point of fame and fortune is if one is alone. It is a song that was originally recorded by Nine Inch Nails but it is Cash that comes to own the song.
her wig cap visible. Again she is a prolific songwriter. The second video is of her singing a hit which Whitney Houston made famous in the film, The Bodyguard, but which Parton wrote years before. They are so distinctly different in their interpretations. It is always wonderful to hear how the author intended it to be sung. It is also of note to hear the story behind how the song came to be. Whitney sings it with a lover in mind and Parton is trying to convey to her boss, who has helped and supported her, that it is time to leave. Interesting how interpretation can speak so separately into the ears of a listener.
in Manhattan when I first heard it and no one working in the store was old enough to know who Dolly Parton was or Cat Steven's for that matter, so at the time I was unable to actually confirm that it was indeed her. I couldn't believe my ears! I think it was the first time I heard a C&W singer sing a pop hippy tune with so much enthusiasm and I loved it. There are renditions of her singing it with Ladysmith Black Mambazo too! Like Loretta Lynn Parton has a down home charm being what she is and making no apologies for it, but unlike Lynn she has reached a much wider audience in part by making fun of herself and for choosing material that is unexpected.
I will never claim that I understand Willie Nelson but that being said I find him fascinating. I am not sure if it is his 'I'm Weary As The World Is Old' persona, his hair length, or that he never seems to change his clothing. But he does truly absorbing
The first video finds him young and fresh and almost unrecognizable to the man we know today. The hairline is intact however and his clothes look fresh and clean. In the second video, a duet with Ray Charles, Seven Spanish Angels, a song I only heard on the radio here in Mexico is quite moving.
Again we witness a performer that has stepped out of the box of what we expect a C&W singer to be. Times are changing and the best of us keep abreast with the change.
Hank Williams does not have much to show for live performances and that which is available is of poor quality. His life was so short and his body of work equally small that it is difficult to guess where he might be today had he lived. What we do have are a few recordings that are closely associated with him and which give a good idea of why he was important to the canon of C&W music.
I will insert a link here to Hank Williams' song, Honky Tonkin', as there is no video of him performing this song and it is best left as a listen. It is a song I adore, we can hear what I think most people associate with C&W when they are confronted with having to provide a definition: Twang, gaudy clothing, and a thin unhealthy looking guy wearing a hat which looks too big for his frame to support. Honky Tonkin', in case you wondered, means: Bar Hopping. But the fact that he is doing so with his girlfriend just makes the song joyful for me. In the second Hank song, Cold, Cold Heart we see him in a rare live performance.
Ray Charles stands apart for many reasons. He entered a field of music that no one imagined he could make his own and he added soul and a gospel sound to it bringing new meaning to what was once perhaps humdrum. Can anyone forget his rendition of America the Beautiful? A song, written in 1895, 35 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, when Jim Crow had it's hold on America and which holds a much deeper meaning when sung by Charles who grew up in the Jim Crow era. We must never forget that a rise to stardom, or a fate spent in obscurity, during the time of segregation, and the Jim Crow era has less to do with talent and more to do with race. An excellent exploration of this, in the context of Jazz music, is Ken Burns', 10 part documentary miniseries, Jazz, available on YouTube. The last miscegenation law to come off of the law books in America was in 1967! That is eight years after my own legal bi-racial birth!
Charles began in gospel, flourished in soul and leapt over into C&W in 1962 right in the heart of Peace and Love. The timing speaks volumes to how we might become united and equal. How influence works when coordinated with one entity, (African American), with and to another, (White), and the fallout after: the listener, you and me, finding something where once there was nothing to be found. Or nothing wanted. It's like that moment when we heard Tom Jones cover Prince's song, Kiss. Suddenly we rethought what we imagined we knew about Jones. A whole new younger generation suddenly loved Tom Jones: Again an artist that remains relevant through his choice of material not resting on what is tried and true.
Charles will be most remembered for his powerful, gritty, soul music, but it must not be forgotten that he united us in a much more meaningful way when he decided to record the C&W songs that he was sure to have heard in his youth and adult years.
As a singer I am always fondest for the singer that takes a piece of music I may have heard hundreds of times, and breathes a new life into the piece causing me to giggle with delight and to listen to something which escaped my ears beforehand.
In the final video of Charles we see him perform an Eddy Arnold song, You Don't Know Me.
Patsy Cline as I have mentioned before, seems to have crossed over to mainstream for many people that would otherwise stand clear of C&W. Her work with The Jordanaires, a backing group, (though they performed solo as well), rendered some of her greatest hits with a richness that might not otherwise be present in her work. The Jordanaires performed with Elvis Presley as well. They lend a distinct, rich, male bass vocal continuo to the background and enrich much of what they touched. In this first video, I Fall to Pieces, we can hear Cline backed up by The Jordanaires.
I could not find any videos of Loretta Lynn covering or performing with anyone other than herself, singing what she does best: singing about her roots.
Finally, what I think must be considered is that C&W comes from poverty. As far a stretch as one might like to imagine so does rap and soul music. Straight out of Appalachia and straight out of the inner cities. Poverty, experience, memory, vision and love helps create music. It can create other things but when it jells at its best it forms something special.
I end this article hoping that you will scrounge through YouTube finding something with a twang or beat that might cause you to re-imagine, fall in love, and think of things following a different beat.
PS. Please forgive formatting issues. Sometimes I have no known control over this.
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