Country music (totally off topic)

[BaldHDbiker]

What actually IS country though? I always thought Dolly Parton was country, but apparently she's Bluegrass (whatever THAT is). I thought Carrie Underwood was pop/rock, but apparently she's country. How can you tell the difference?

Dolly did a lot of pop in the 70s and 80s, straight country in the 90s and a lot of bluegrass in the 2000s.   Bluegrass is a more acoustic version of country, that developed in Kentucky.  It generally doesn't use any keyboard instruments or drums.

Carrie Underwood is pop/rock.

Carrie has some music that has crossed over to Pop but she is know as a Country artist. If you look at the total awards she has won (110) you will see the majority are for Country Music.

Below are a few she has won.

2010: CMT Music Awards: Video of the Year
2009: Academy of Country Music: Entertainer of the Year
2009: Grammy: Best Country Collaboration With Vocals
2008: Academy of Country Music: Top Female Vocalist
2008: CMA: Female Vocalist of the Year
2008: Grammy: Best Country Song
2008: Grammy: Best Female Country Vocal Performance
2007: CMA: Female Vocalist of the Year
2007: CMA: Single of the Year
2007: CMT Music Awards: Female Video of the Year
2007: CMT Music Awards: Video Director of the Year
2007: CMT Music Awards: Video of the Year
2007: Grammy: Best Country Song
2007: Grammy: Best Female Country Vocal Performance
2006: Academy of Country Music: Album of the Year
2006: Academy of Country Music: Single of the Year
2006: Academy of Country Music: Top Female Vocalist
2006: Academy of Country Music: Top New Female Vocalist
2006: CMA: Female Vocalist of the Year
2006: CMA: Horizon Award
2006: CMT Music Awards: Breakthrough Video of the Year
2006: CMT Music Awards: Female Video of the Year

[tomgallagher]

Right up there with Taylor Swift I reckon.

[tomgallagher]

One of my favs.

[Chavster]

Who is Taylor Swift? That little blond stick insect?

Its all very confusing to me. I think I might just have to stick with Europop

My last attempt at buying something that I thought was country music was a Dolly Parton album and it was horrible.

http://www.amazon.com/Those-Were-Days-Dolly-Parton/dp/B000AQDQ7S/ref=sr_1_13?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1317678809&sr=1-13

Literally the most horrible album I've ever heard, with the possible exception of Gloria Estefan's '90 Millas'.

[Razor X]

What actually IS country though? I always thought Dolly Parton was country, but apparently she's Bluegrass (whatever THAT is). I thought Carrie Underwood was pop/rock, but apparently she's country. How can you tell the difference?

Dolly did a lot of pop in the 70s and 80s, straight country in the 90s and a lot of bluegrass in the 2000s.   Bluegrass is a more acoustic version of country, that developed in Kentucky.  It generally doesn't use any keyboard instruments or drums.

Carrie Underwood is pop/rock.

Carrie has some music that has crossed over to Pop but she is know as a Country artist. If you look at the total awards she has won (110) you will see the majority are for Country Music.

Below are a few she has won.

2010: CMT Music Awards: Video of the Year
2009: Academy of Country Music: Entertainer of the Year
2009: Grammy: Best Country Collaboration With Vocals
2008: Academy of Country Music: Top Female Vocalist
2008: CMA: Female Vocalist of the Year
2008: Grammy: Best Country Song
2008: Grammy: Best Female Country Vocal Performance
2007: CMA: Female Vocalist of the Year
2007: CMA: Single of the Year
2007: CMT Music Awards: Female Video of the Year
2007: CMT Music Awards: Video Director of the Year
2007: CMT Music Awards: Video of the Year
2007: Grammy: Best Country Song
2007: Grammy: Best Female Country Vocal Performance
2006: Academy of Country Music: Album of the Year
2006: Academy of Country Music: Single of the Year
2006: Academy of Country Music: Top Female Vocalist
2006: Academy of Country Music: Top New Female Vocalist
2006: CMA: Female Vocalist of the Year
2006: CMA: Horizon Award
2006: CMT Music Awards: Breakthrough Video of the Year
2006: CMT Music Awards: Female Video of the Year

I don't care how heavily she's promoted or how many awards she's won; her music isn't country.  The problem is that country music has been so adulterated by pop that a lot of people have no idea what it's supposed to sound like anymore.

[Chavster]

Didnt The Carpenters win a country award at one time? They definitely werent a country group.

[Razor X]

Didnt The Carpenters win a country award at one time? They definitely werent a country group.

I don't think so, but I think they did have one or two records that reached the lower rungs of the country charts.

[Chavster]

Oh Im sure there was a very popular group that won a or some country awards. It was an unlikely group...maybe the Bee Gees or Abba or a group like that. Oh well

[BaldHDbiker]

I don't care how heavily she's promoted or how many awards she's won; her music isn't country.  The problem is that country music has been so adulterated by pop that a lot of people have no idea what it's supposed to sound like anymore.

Can't argue with that. It's not like it use to be....

[Razor X]

This is bluegrass:

<a href="http://youtube.com/v/zqn5qOOX6Fo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://youtube.com/v/zqn5qOOX6Fo</a>


This is country:
<a href="http://youtube.com/v/T4a7YOIfuRg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://youtube.com/v/T4a7YOIfuRg</a>

This is pop pretending to be country:
<a href="http://youtube.com/v/oM7NQQ0Lfu4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://youtube.com/v/oM7NQQ0Lfu4</a>

[marshd1000]

While I do like what is considered to be Country Music these days, it is really more like Country tinged pop/rock.  To me real country would be more like Johnny Cash, Ricky Skaggs, Loretta Lynn, Hank Williams, Tammy Wynette, Patsy Cline, Conway Twitty and similar types of artists!  My parents listened to a lot of Country Music when I grew up.

[Chavster]

Hmmmm, I dont like any of those videos, especially the top one

[tomgallagher]

Do you listen to the Country stations over there and what particular artist do you like. That would give us some idea if you are a Lady Antebellum, Sugarland, Kenny Chesney kind of guy or a George Jones, Merle Haggard. Johnny Cash, George Strait kind of guy and then we can go from there.

[Razor X]

Do you listen to the Country stations over there

There aren't any.

[marshd1000]

This is bluegrass:

<a href="http://youtube.com/v/zqn5qOOX6Fo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://youtube.com/v/zqn5qOOX6Fo</a>


This is country:
<a href="http://youtube.com/v/T4a7YOIfuRg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://youtube.com/v/T4a7YOIfuRg</a>

This is pop pretending to be country:
<a href="http://youtube.com/v/oM7NQQ0Lfu4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://youtube.com/v/oM7NQQ0Lfu4</a>

Razor,

Those are excellent examples of what is true Country and what is not!