Willie Nelson

My next example of true country is Willie Nelson. Here is how he meets the criteria:

First Criterion--Background:

From a very young age Willie learned how to play various instruments--the guitar being his favorite. According to his biography, Willie wrote his first song when he was seven. Willie grew up with music and pursued it once he left home. He got his start as a songwriter and climbed his way to the top by playing in honky tonks. His biggest claim to fame came from the outlaw country movement.

Second Criterion--Wide-range of musical talent:

As previously stated, Nelson was able to play a wide range of musical instruments. Personally, I find his style of guitar playing to be exceptionally enjoyable. Aside from playing instruments though, Willie has always been a very gifted song writer. Several artists from Patsy Cline to Faron Young bought Nelson's songs. This along with his instrumental ability, establishes his musical talent in my book.

Third Criterion--Innovative:

Willie Nelson was innovative in the fact that he was different. He challenged the status quo of Nashville, singing the songs he wanted to, how he wanted to. He never conformed to anyone and I believe this paved the way for other artists to rebel against recording labels, recording the music the way it was meant to be heard.

Overall, I believe Willie Nelson will go down as one of country music's greatest assets. His music is a benchmark that modern country artists can only dream of matching.

Ralph Stanley

Moving from Hank Williams, I'd like to examine another favorite artist of mine, Dr. Ralph Stanley. Ralph Stanley is one of the biggest names in the bluegrass genre. He earned his title of Doctor from Lincoln Memorial University, where the university awarded him with an honorary Doctorate of Music.

First Criterion--Background:

Stanley was born in, grew up in , and still resides in rural McClure, VA. At a young age, Stanley's mother taught him how to play banjo. This sparked an interest in Stanley that could not be extinguished. As soon as he could, he formed a band with his brother, Carter.

Second Criterion--Wide-range of musical talent:

Ralph Stanley has a very distinctive style voice and style of playing (as I will discuss later). He is a phenomenal banjo player and guitar player. Through this talent, he put the Stanley Brothers Band on the map. Beyond his instrumental talents, Stanley has a memorable singing voice. My favorite Stanley performance is actually his acapella version of "O Death," which earned him a Grammy Award in 2002.

Third Criterion--Innovative:

Ralph Stanley provides the perfect example of innovation through his banjo picking style, literally called the "Stanley Style." Though I lack the technical knowledge of musician, this style is very distinctive to me as a listener. The picking tends to be very fast in comparison to other bluegrass styles. All in all, I don't believe one could be more innovative than inventing his own style of playing music.

As one can see, Ralph Stanley clearly fits the definition of a true country legend. I look forward to reading his autobiography, Ralph Stanley: Man of Constant Sorrow.

Hank Williams, Sr.

If one was to ask who the father of modern country music was, the answer would surely be Hank Williams, Sr (1923-1953). Hank’s music has influenced a wide-range of music, from country to rock to blues to gospel. But is he truly the epitome of country music? Lets look at the criteria I outlined in my previous entry.

First Criterion--Background:

Hank's songs revolved around hardships in life, broken hearts, and good times. If one simply glances over his biography, one can easily see that his life was filled with hardships, love affairs, and certainly good times.

Second Criterion--Wide-range of musical talent:

I challenge you to listen to some of his songs and tell me he doesn't have musical talent. His voice is very distinct, and aside from his grandson, his voice has yet to be matched. In addition to his vocals, Hank was a very skilled guitar player. Probably his biggest talent though was song writing. Though his lyrics are somewhat simple by today's standards, they touch the heart and soul of the listener. 

Third Criterion--Innovative:

Hank revolutionized the country genre with his music. No one sounded like him. His music pulled on the heartstrings of anyone who heard his music. His music soared to the top of the charts. Today, one can find countless cover versions of his songs. According to CMT in 2003, Hank Williams was listed as the 2nd greatest country music artist, topped only by Johnny Cash . Unfortunately, alcoholism and drug use ultimately consumed him. He was found dead in the back of his Cadillac on his way to a show. He lives on through his music.

So is Hank Williams, Sr. truly the country music icon everyone makes him out to be?

Of course he is.

Criteria

Before I begin writing about actual people, I want to outline criteria that I believe all country artists should meet.

The first criterion is having a background that serves as the inspiration for the songs the artist sings. This background is made up of the environment the artist grew up in and the life experiences that ultimately influenced the person as a whole. In other words, musical artists shouldn’t be singing about things they know nothing about or can’t relate to.

The second criterion I believe these artists should possess is a wide-range of musical talent. Of course singing ability is important, but artists should be able to play instruments as well. This ability allows them to be more hands-on with the band, stimulating creativity, improving song quality, and generally improving band cohesiveness. In addition to being able to play music and sing, artists should be able to write their own music and song lyrics. This doesn’t mean that 100% of songs recorded should be created by the artists, but rather the artist should have a repertoire of his or her own songs.

The last criterion I believe to be essential is being innovative. I believe true country artists should bring something to the table. Through innovative ideas, all music genres, not just country, have the potential to grow.

Though this criteria is rather broad, I believe it establishes a basis to use in future blog entries.

Solid Country Gold...

...is a Shooter Jenning's song...and the basis of this blog.

An excerpt from the song:

"I've been sinkin’ like a rock in this high society
‘Cause all that means so much to them, don’t mean shit to me
If I were into money, fame and power, I’d be sold
But I know I tried, and I just can’t find that solid country gold

Now I was born in Nashville but I left there long ago
‘Cause they built Music City by sacrificing soul
L.A. ain’t much different, ‘cept they got them fancy clothes
And there’s nary a sight or a leaving light of solid country gold"

Shooter Jennings is the son of country music star Waylon Jennings. Waylon, among others, was deemed an "outlaw" of country music, rejecting the "Nashville Sound," a style of music that was widely accepted during his time. The "Nashville Sound" revolved around infusing country music with pop music elements. Though this type of music sold, it sacrificed substance for polished sounds. In Waylon Jenning's autobiography, Waylon discussed the time he spent at RCA under Chet Atkins, one of the creators of the Nashville Sound. Jennings argued that the problem with this type of style was how it was produced. According to Jennings, the producers took much of the creative control away from him and disapproved of him recording music with his own band. The country genre was losing touch with its roots.

The same can be said about the "country" music of today. Pseudo-artists are being drafted into music because of how well they look in a cowboy hat and jeans. Most have never picked cotton or ploughed a field, yet they claim to in their ghostwritten songs--They're a joke...

...which brings me back to the point of this blog. I want to examine what it truly means to be "country"--what solid country gold really is.