Anybody like REAL country music?

[ghostsinthemachine]

I do. I saw a great band last night, the King of Austin, Wayne Hancock. Great show. Very musical. The real thing, no hair and makeup, down home barroom dancing and singing.

Then there is the darling of the new country, Sturgill Simpson who is writing amazing songs and sounding like Hank..... (Hank would have done it this way!).

Asleep at the Wheel is coming to my town next week. Big Sandy and the Fly Right Boys too all play old school country. The country of the honky-tonks. The country of the steel guitar and the telecaster. The country of Hank, and Johnny, and Waylon.....

[Trajan]

1. I dislike it rather intensely ...

Let's just say that one violent, drunken, useless alcoholic father loved it ....

[ghostsinthemachine]

2. This guy is amazing, Ryan Bingham

&feature=youtu.be

[IDemo]

25. Southside Of Heaven

[Major Nikon]

3. Steve Earl covering Hank

[Hoyt]

4. If you are talking about The Flying Burrito Brothers, or Sweetheart era Byrds - Yes.

Otherwise, agree with poster above on drunken, fighting, right wing type stuff.

Steve Earle is good too. His "Revolution Starts Now" tour brought me out of a big funk after the 2004 election.

[ghostsinthemachine]

5. It's not 1968 anymore

Check out Sturgill Simpson, NOT right wing stuff. None of them guys I listed are that way.... Let's add NRPS to the list as well...

[Hoyt]

6. Simpson is pretty much copying Waylon Jennings and is a friend of confederate flag wavers

like Shooter Jennings. Not into that junk at all.

Now, I do like some pedal guitar, banjos, and mandolin.

[cemaphonic]

10. Well he sounds like Jennings alright

But I cant really see a conservative (or even someone just trying to draw a conservative audience) singing songs about how religion is useless compared to psychedelic drugs.

[cemaphonic]

11. If you like that 70s Laurel Canyon country rock, you might like these guys:

[Hoyt]

15. Thanks will give a listen when I can.

[steve2470]

7. I'm pretty confident Shania Twain doesn't count

[MerryBlooms]

8. Beaut!

[Archae]

9. Willie is still around, so is Waylon.

Garth Brooks is still making good country, as are smaller venue groups like "Copper Box."

[TexasBushwhacker]

31. Waylon's music lives on, but he died in 2002

I read that he had a bad case of survivors guilt for giving up his seat to Buddy Holly the night he died.

[Archae]

33. Funny, I didn't even know Waylon had died.

It is hard to keep track of so many who have died.

Little Jimmy Dickens just died a couple months ago.
"May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose"

[cemaphonic]

12. Church Street Blues

Tony Rice owns this song:

but Norman Blake's original is pretty damn great too:

[clarice]

42. Tony Rice !!! my hero *sigh*. nt

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

13. I lived in Nashville for 20 years.

It's illegal to live there and not like country.

I used to cut grass with a couple guys you may have heard of- Marty Roe and Jimmy Olander. They helped form a little group called Diamond Rio, and went on to become the youngest permanent members of the Grand Ole Opry.

I've also been to the homes of Lee Greenwood, Alan Jackson, and Ray Stevens. (I love to name drop.)

You never know who you'll end up rubbing elbows with as you pass through life.

[kwassa]

14. Rhiannon Giddens

[cemaphonic]

19. She's just ridiculously talented

Have you seen her do traditional Gaelic songs? Her husband is Irish, so she's worked some of that material into her repertoire.

With several of the Punch Brothers:

[Are_grits_groceries]

21. She's very talented BUT it's not wise to cover a Patsy Cline classic.

That is an extremely high bar to reach. Few for.

Patsy Cline is the best and she always will be.

(BTW on American Idol and other shows like that, the contestants are discouraged from covering Whitney Houston. Some don't listen and they inevitably fall short.)

[randr]

27. Saw her with the Carolina Chocolate Drops--Spectacular!!

Plays banjo and sings like a lark. Her new solo album is a treasure.

[840high]

16. I love old Country.

[murielm99]

18. I understand what you mean...

I think.

Old country is about feelings and about real problems that ordinary people face. Even if the song is about a legendary person, or has religious overtones, it strikes a chord with common people. I like the blues more, but old country hits the same emotions. Listen to the words.

Much of the new country stuff is designed only to sell. It tries to include certain themes, so that people will buy it, or so that famous country artists will record the song and turn it into a hit.

[840high]

26. Old country spoke to me. New

country - you are right - designed to sell.

[kentauros]

17. I like some of it.

Soma FM has a good country channel, Boot Liquor. Here's the blurb and a link to the current song history.

About the Music on Boot Liquor:

Music that showcases the ongoing hopelessness in your otherwise dreary life. Americana roots music (or what they used to call Country Western) at its core, stuff that's both musically and lyrically unique. Consider it a musical intervention for your bedraggled soul.

(song history)

[OriginalGeek]

20. Bluegrass, Western Swing and most of the old timey fellas

I like 'em a lot.

[Are_grits_groceries]

22. There are some on mainstream country I like.

However, right now, they are overrun with pretty boys singing about trucks, beer, screwing, tractors and whatever. I have nothing against any of those, but their songs are horrible. Looking at you Luke Bryan.
I do like Kacey Musgraves, The Band Perry, Miranda Lambert, Alison Krauss, The Pistol Annie's, Blake Shelton and a few more.

[onecent]

23. Oh the OLD country singers and music was the best!

Every song had a story, and different words...and many could just bring tears to my eyes.

Can't find many "old" country stations in my area...

[bigwillq]

24. No

I just can't get into country.

[Tom Rinaldo]

28. Someone I doubt many know of; Louise Mosrie

She's based in Nashville, and crosses over between Country and modern "folk", she has two great CD's, weaves in political content (labor movement etc.) on some songs. This song is a defiant calling out of a (I assume fictional) stalker ex by a woman who escaped abuse:

[OriginalGeek]

36. Speaking of crossover, another favorite of mine

Pokey Lafarge

[Arugula Latte]

29. I grew up listening to country music (my dad was in the biz)

and I have to say, the more I heard, the less I liked it. I respect some performers like Willie & Johnny Cash, and I am impressed with Sturgill Simpson because he has the guts to go against religion, but the truth is that if I hear a twangy voice in a song I can't change the radio station fast enough.

There are some "American roots" types of performers I enjoy, Avett Brother-ish stuff, I guess.

[Paladin]

30. I watch the "music" videos on CMT every once in a while...just for grim comic relief.

The current state of country music is as bad as I've ever seen it. All the guy "singers" are the same: grimy facial hair, tattoos, maybe a beat-up cowboy hat if they're intent on aping Chesney---and no talent whatsoever. The female "singers" aren't any better. I'm thinking that piece-of-shit "Nashville" TV show has played a role in all this. I end up going back to my Emmylou Harris and Flying Burrito Bros. albums, just to get the bad taste out of my ears......

[DinahMoeHum]

32. Saving-Country-Music-Dot-Com is our friend here. . .

http://www.savingcountrymusic.com/

[cemaphonic]

34. Just noticed that there isn't any Townes in this thread

[clarice]

43. "They'ed shut down all the Honky-Tonks tonite, say a prayer or two, If they only knew" Steve Earle:

[bettyellen]

35. Love The Defribulators! They're touring now- great live band!

[chknltl]

37. I love music, but not a specific genre.

I am no artist but like most folks when it comes to art, I know what I like. I liked your first video just fine btw, especially the traditional guitar 'picking' throughout. When it comes to male vocals, country, Marty Robbins tops my list. When it comes to female vocalist, country, there are just too many favorites for me to have just one atop my list. You mentioned Asleep At The Wheel, I knew the parents of (arguably), their best fiddle player Paul Ansatasio. Below is a video of the band with Paul in it:

[cemaphonic]

39. Small world - I know Paul Anastasio

My guitar teacher plays with him a lot, and I've met him a few times. Very nice guy, and as you say, an excellent fiddler.

[chknltl]

40. Well if you believed his mom....

Paul was considered as one of the top three in the world at that time. Seeing as how Paul's mother was an ex-Chair of the Music Department, Western Washington University, I wasn't about to argue with her! (Besides, like I stated above, I know nothing about art...). I have a CD Paul Anastasio did, (Mount Baker Swing) with guitarist Jack Hansen. I also once saw him perform swing style music at a show, he really is gifted...but again, I am no expert.

Paul's father, Dr. Angelo Anastasio, will live on in my memories fondly, he was one of my college teachers and he treated me a little more special than his other students-I was their home's groundskeeper for a couple of years and I assisted in painting it too. I believe that house is on the National Historic Homes registry as the McMillon Home, built in 1892 if my memory is accurate. I also got to house-sit the place when the Anastasio's took vacations. That was back in the early 1980's.

I do not know if Paul's mom, (Susan Anastasio), is still with us, if not she will live on fondly in my memories also. She always knew to keep fresh fruit around for that 'fruit-bat' groundskeeper of hers and she loved playing Paul's material during lunch breaks, (she and Angie never let me work through a lunch and between the two of them they had a home filled with music-did I mention that Angie was into Chamber music too?, He played some type of woodwind instrument).

If you should bump into Paul, (he quite likely will not know who I am, I only met him once at his parents place), please let him know that ...well let him know that his father and mother had a positive influence on me, that I'll never forget them, that it was a privilege to have been one of 'Dr. Angie's' students.

[Skittles]

38. no

I find it depressing

[erpowers]

41. Some Of It

I like some of the old country songs and artists. However, I also like some of the newer artists. I do not know if you consider Garth Brooks old or new country, but I like a large amount of his music. I also like groups like Rascal Flatts, The Dixie Chicks, and Brooks & Dunn. I also like "Play It Again" by Luke Bryan. I know at least one person in this discussion stated they did not like Luke Bryan. Finally, I also like a little of Brad Paisley's music and some of Darius Rucker's music.

[DFW]

44. Depends on which country

These people literally left me with my mouth gaping open when I first heard them:

[Major Nikon]

45. Jerry Jeff Walker