What does country music mean to you?

[Deleted]

I was wanting to know your opinion of what country music means to you. As most of you will agree that George Strait is the epitome of Country and Western music...now that he is fixin to retire who might be in line to take his place? Will it be someone unknown or someone already established. Will country music return to it;s traditional roots? Do we have enough youngins to keep the genre viable for years to come? Will Country Music become a sub genre under the Americana umbrella?
I have seen a lot of underground groups like Jackson Taylor...they have the heart but their foul lyrics will prevent them from becoming radio friendly. I hope we get an influx of new talent that will lead the way for years to come...remember the early 90's when we had talent in spades?

[josweetheart]

To me, no one can take George's place and I am not even close to being one of his biggest fans. I will say this though. Country radio would be incomplete if George's songs were not played on the country stations anymore.

God bless you and him always!!!

Holly

P.S. George is a sense of home on the radio for me.

[kora]

For me, there is no one like George Strait. He's one of a kind. I just returned from his Vegas concert, and it was the best George show I have ever seen. It was a sellout and the crowd was deafening. He outdid himself and was lively, energetic and gave it his all, singing a lot of his best traditional songs. He even sang two old ones with Martina McBride: Johnny and June Carter Cash's "Jackson" and George Jones and Tammy Wynette's "The Ring." They were wonderful. Those two songs are from the 1970s, is that right?

As most of you know from the CWO board, I'm not a hugh country fan and was into rock when I heard George sing a Hag ballad. I immediately became a fan, and he will always be my favorite country singer.

I prefer traditional country songs that tell a story about love and lost love, cheating and drinking, etc. I'm a sucker for really sad country songs. I love the slow ones and dance to the uptempo ones but don't enjoy listening to them that much, except for George, and I don't like all of his fast ones. LOL!

I don't particularly like country pop, country rock (except for Credence) and yelling and screaming by country females. So many of the current country songs have a similar sound (the Nashville sound) and often hide an ordinary voice, IMO, except for Carrie Underwood and some others.

If I want to listen to rock, it will be classic rock, not country. The same goes for pop. I prefer pop singers, not country. We all like different kinds of music, and this is just my opinion of country music.

[Deleted]

I think Country Music will be hard pressed to ever produce an artist like George...maybe it is because he was never produced. George is the real deal...the only one that has came close is Elvis...but we all know the story of his tragic life. George sets the standard for good clean living and the traditional typr of music.
Kora when I first saw your posts on CWO I would have bet a civil war horse shoe that you were an elderly lady...probably because I relate your name withh my ole aunt Kora. She has passed on now along with all my aunts and uncles...I miss them dearly. They were all Okies that always played old country...excuse me...Western music...Western Swing music. My siblings listened to old rock and roll and I feel somewhere in the middle.
It was my first serious girlfriend who loved George...I remember her swaying to "Fort Worth" in the smoky honky tonks in Jacksonville, Fl. I also remember her dancing with a lot of guys because I thought dancing was stupid. I suppose that was a good thing becaues it led me to my present wife who I married in 1985. I still think dancing is stupid but my wife told me that I needed to learn how to dance...once when we nearly broke up. She was giving me advice on how to survive as a single guy. That brings me to another song by DAC when he was good. It had a line in it that said "She is making leaving look easy" ...it was off the album "Just Divorced"...loved the cover. It had an old car pulled into a honky tonk with "Just Divorced" written in white on the back window. It was around that time when I discovered that country music was cool...then came Randy Travis...such a great talent...then the boom of 89. There were so many good country artists back then like Garth Clint Alan Tanya...gosh too many to name. Everyone was so into creating real heartfelt music.
I often wonder what happened to music.
Due to my lack of viable brain cells my dates are probably mixed up...I think Randy was the first one.
BTW...one of the reasons that I support pop country is because I have always felt somewhere we could influence folks to turn to real country music...to keep the genre alive. I remember when they used to have a special award show for the songwriter in Nashville...it actually promoted songwriting. After that shut down it seemed to decline to the point to where we are now...great voices but no real substance. Take for example Carrie...a great voice but it is hard for me to believe her songs...then on the other hand there is Martina...great voice...underated for sure...but I believe what she sings. Eventhough Martina did not write all of her stuff...nor George...nor Reba...they kill every song they sing. I just wish we would return to traditional stuff ...but unless we bring in fresh horses I don't see it happening. I don't see anyone yet who is capable of filling their shoes. I am talking about folks in their early 20's who have a lot of air to breath left in them. Ones who will be proud to be country or western.
What can I say now but so long!

[Deleted]

Feb 5, 2013 21:52:06 GMT -5 josweetheart said:

To me, no one can take George's place and I am not even close to being one of his biggest fans. I will say this though. Country radio would be incomplete if George's songs were not played on the country stations anymore.

God bless you and him always!!!

Holly

P.S. George is a sense of home on the radio for me.

George feels like a comfortable pair of wore out slippers that I wouldn't trade for any brand new pair of high dollar shoes that you could buy on 5th avenue.

[Deleted]

Sorry for rambling...there I go again another great country song title if I do say so myself!

[Deleted]

I have a dear friend that used to give me advice when I was confused and lost...I feel that I am in the same predicaments yet again...oh how I miss my friend...I will always remember her words..one in particular... Breathe.
Is is so hard to do the easiest thing sometime.
youtu.be/FAlWxZK-ps4

[kora]

nashviller - I was reading your reply to my opinion of country music and giggled at your comment about my being old. I am getting old. I'm 31. LOL! I was 15 when I first heard George sing.

I love to dance. I don't think of George as an old shoe, and I shake my bootie at his concerts. It's safe to do so...LOL!...except when the attendants are always chasing us away, but we always return. LOL! I almost got trampled at a Guns N' Roses concert. This was quite a few years ago. I was a big fan of the bad boys. Love their music. Glad you tried dancing.

I was surprised that you married in 1985. That's a long time ago. I thought you were in your twenties? LOL!

Glad you like Randy Travis. I was never a fan. I do like Tanya, though. Re Carrie, IMO, her style is changing, and I do not like her new album. For me, It's way over the top in pop. Does she want to become a country Beyonce? LOL! Speaking of Beyonce, I like her, too.

[Deleted]

Most of the time I feel like I'm around 22...I see nothing wrong with that. I retired from the Navy just in time to care for my mom for 4 years after a stroke. She died in my arms I was so glad that I was there for her. I asked her who old she felt...she said she was 18 but really she was 84. She was married to my dad for 51 years and my wifes folks were married for 53 years. I think long time commitments run in our families. I don't know where you live Kora but I think folks out west seem to have a sense of sticking it out...sometimes to the bitter end. After mom died we were free to pursue my longtime dream...writing songs...as you may know it didn't work out in Nashville and now I find myself in the Ozarks. I see where I made my mistake...I got a job at the V.A. which occupied my time a bit too much. I still work for them in Fayetteville...still searching for that hit song.
As I look down that road I still see hope...the past looks dark but filled with great memories. I miss my dad...he died in 1992...my wife encouraged me to tell him that I loved him before he died. We were so much alike...I had to be independent and a runaway since I was 16. He told me he loved me and that he was very proud of the man that I became. I think that could be the best words that I have ever heard. He was very wise...he told me that Alan Jackson would become a huge star before he passed...he laughed at the Kentucky Headhunters...he gave me his record collection...I loved him.
As we speak I am thinking of Levon Helm and the tribute that the Grammys had for him tonight. Levon was the drummer for "The Band" and was from Arkansas...my ex brother in law John knew Levon very well. John was a Vietnam vet and split to Thailand over a year ago. He called in October and said he would be here in January...he can't be reached. He told me that he married a Thai woman and had a baby on the way...he is 66 years old. He seemed worried about something...I think that something got him. He is a man of his word and no word worries me...I am hoping that he is alright...but I have learned to listen to my gut. John was more of a brother than my real brother...it is killing me.
Country music has always been my solace...my refuge...my anti anxiety pill. I know that it is hard to show your vulnerability but it comes easier with age Kora... I'd love to hear your story...of pain happiness or heartache. In fact if anyone reading this wants to share I would love to listen. Sharing feelings and history is what country music really means to me. Now more than ever I feel myself preparing for the exit of this life...I realize that in 53 more years I'll be 106...it seems like a long time but my oh my it goes by so fast. Makes me think that I have a whole lot of writing yet to do! Here is the rehearsal of the performance tonight that I'd like you to research...never to late to learn something!
youtu.be/fERaggSNeRY

[kora]

LOL! Nashviller, the reason I thought you were in your twenties is because you're a hugh Taylor Swift fan.

I taped the Grammys last night but haven't had time to watch it. Maybe tonight. Did you see Faith Hill with braces? I saw a clip of her on Yahoo when I logged in today.

I enjoyed your bits of history. You have had heartaches but they can make you stronger. As for me, there isn't much to tell. I'm very independent and a workaholic in a job that can be hectic, and often is, but I love it. I'm usually at work when I come here, and, no surprise, I'm at work now.

I watched your link. I've always liked Elton John. Am familiar with some of the other names but not Levon who died. I will try to pay attention when I watch my tape. Oh, I noticed Zac Brown band in the video and I'm not a fan of them, either. Sorry! Remember when I mentioned that I'm not a hugh country fan. LOL! They don't keep seem to keep my attention.

[Deleted]

Yeah it baffles me that I am a Swifty...must be the big extravagant performances that remind me of my youth. As I said earlier I ran away from home in Oklahoma when I was 16...I ran to my sisters place in Denver. She had plenty of room...an old stage coach stop with 9 bedrooms. I went to Jefferson High ...most of the time I skipped but was there enough...I guess.
After school I worked in a tater factory down by mile high stadium. I'd help this German guy dump 100 pound sacks of taters into a hopper peeler drum. I think I made a tad over 3 bucks an hour but got all the hash browns I could eat. I always drove by McNichols Sports Arena on the way home on my bicycle. One afternoon I went inside and got me a job there cleaning up and setting up chairs etc...for about 4 bucks an hour. Bye bye tater factory...hello trash in the aisles!
What was so cool about it was that I got all my friends a job there and we got to see basketball hockey and my favorite...concerts for free...actually got paid to see em! I watched the arena set up the stages while I set up the chairs on the floor. The bands roadies then came in and it was amazing what they did...the lighting...the sound system...the food layout behind stage. I got to meet and watch the shows of Alice Cooper ...Rod Stewart...ZZ Top...Steve Miller...Black Sabbath...Black Oak...Nugent...Nazareth...Blue Oyster Cult...Aerosmith...drawing a blank but there were many more some reason I can't remember them all. But they all had their warm up acts. Believe it or not...a Taylor show was like Alice Cooper in a way...so much entertainment squeezed into such a short amount of time. Back in the day they would frisk the concert goers down and simply toss the paraphernalia into a trash can and push them into a secured area. We would simply roll the trash can outside acting like we were picking up trash and then dump the goodies under the landscaping fabric outside the arena. After we got off a friend with a car would pick it up...the next day we had fun until the next show. Guess we were living the life of a rock star...residualy....I'll call it as it was...we were trash pickers. My friends families had their cupboards stuffed with food that they got from the Safeway dumpsters...this was good stuff. I lived this way for about a year...living in a mansion and dumpster diving. I saved all my money bought a Rambler and split for California. That is a whole other story.
I spent a lot of my money going to other concerts...usually going to a sold out show with no ticket. I can't believe being on the front row of Van Halen for free and handing David Lee Roth a doobie...pissed me off because he took it and handed it to Eddie and I never got it back. Oh well it wasn't mine anyway. Thats the way it was...everyone shared. Then there was the stadium shows...the Stones...The Eagles...the Doobie Brothers...War...Zepplin...Tull...Yes...Emerson Lake and Palmer...Pink Floyd and many more. Each one had it's own story to go with it.
Just don't judge me because of my partying history...gave it up years and years ago. One thing that I'll never give up is my love for some good ole rock and roll. Reminds me of when I met Bob Seger when he opened for the outlaws. I think the best concert I saw was Jeff Beck and Ronnie Montrose...with John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra.
I am still spellbound by these guys...if you get about 10 free minutes.
youtu.be/LcQKjffxIOY
I suppose I too love me some rock and roll...Ronnie Montrose died just last year...he was killer...so is Jeff Beck.
Thanks for listening Kora...who have you seen live besides GnR?
Oh... I saw Roger Waters "The Wall" only 6 months ago...still capable of rocking out!
I have to add this clip...used to my favorite song for a moment...do you know who the lead singer is?
youtu.be/0aq__eQe9xQ

[Deleted]

I just realized that my favorite holiday is coming up...Sadie Hawkins Day!
I remember it as the day the football and sports guys were brought down to a level playing field. It was an hour that the football queen could drop her pretentiousness and chase around the fellers that she really liked...instead of the ones she had to like. I remember her(The Queen) chasing me around the gym in that old Oklahoma high school. She couldn't catch me and I was running backwards laughing at her when some cheerleader friends of hers tripped me up. Joke was on them though...she had to wheel me around in a wheelbarrow. Thing about it was I really didn't want to be caught by her...I wanted this holy roller girl to chase me but her religion prevented her from engaging in this type of behavior...she stood by with her hair in a bun and that long dress on the side lines looking sad. I liked her very much...we would talk on the schoolbus...she was very together and cool. Seems that everyone had to put up these barriers...if you were a jock you couldn't associate with the heads...if you were a head you couldn't associate with the rednecks....if you were a holy roller you couldn't associate with anyone...but another holy roller...she associated with me...on the bus.
As you may know I ran away but skipped so much school in Colorado that I had to return to Oklahoma the 2nd half of my senior year in order to graduate. Anyway have you ever had a connection with someone where no words had to be spoken? where it felt like wearing comfortable clothing or being in a safe comfort zone? I remember going on and on about her to another country boy at the bus stop...where the bus turned around at McGowens country store. He set his sights on her and they ended up getting married right after high school and I again hit the road...then the Navy.
I remember returning to town on leave to set up a bank account because I had so much Navy money...lol and lo and behold was the homecoming queen working the desk setting up the accounts...she recognized my name but not my looks. I was clean cut now and was throwing the word mam around a lot. She asked if I remembered her and I said something like yes mam...hell now I don't even know how to spell mam! She jumped right into the town gossip which I found interesting. There were a few folks working in the bank that I knew.
Before I left I walked across main strait I mean street (try again) I walked across main street straight into the Reporters office to subscribe to the weekly newspaper to be sent to the ship I was on. There she was... my holy roller...dressed very fashionable...hair down but cut just right...she turned into a beautiful woman...to me she was always beautiful but no one knew it. While before she was the shy one...the tables had now turned...now I was speechless. She recognized me right away without reading my name first...and I knew her with that same sparkle that she always had. This could have been love...don't tell anyone but it was love...true pure and simple. We talked for over an hour...she had even divorced the bus stop country boy! She was single I was single and the feelings were so strong...kinda like a magnet...a very strong electro magnet. I was going to leave back to Mayport in a couple of days...we made plans to go to the Dairy Bar for ice cream and just talk. The days flew by and next thing I know is mom and dad was dropping me off at the Tulsa airport.It seems as if as soon as the wheels left the ground I instantly remembered that I had stood her up. I looked out of the window over eastern Oklahoma and felt my heart actually hurt with regret. How could I be so stupid...pretty easy for me I guess. My heart still hurts to this day.
I got my first subscription issue of the Reporter on the ship and saw on the front page where I had returned to town....remember this is a very small town of about 800. They would print who had dinner at who's house and even what they ate. So seeing the news of my return to town was no big deal. Then I saw she had a weekly article that I would clip out every week and put into my scrap book on the ship. I would send letters to the editor talking about all sorts of things. These old folks around town would argue with me in the paper...it became quite a story in itself. She and I always talked about things that we wanted to do when we got out of school...I wanted to be a roadie for a rock band...she wanted to be a writer. She would let me read out of her journal on the bus...she had the best penmanship of anyone I have ever met with the exception of my wife. My wife knows the whole story here and agrees that I messed up...if you can believe that!
I lost my scrapbook somewhere... the Reporter has shut down years ago...schoolmates have died or moved on somewhere...their are still some that live in town though and will probably never leave.
What I believe is that everything happens for a reason...unrequited love has a reason...maybe it gives me hope that one day we will meet again when she is single and I am single and the stars align so eloquently. Maybe there is a good country song in this story...even after death I believe that wants and desires can come true. When we are finally able to drop our pretentiousness's and be who we are...love who we want and forget all of our regrets.
Kinda like Sadie Hawkins day in Heaven!

[kora]

Feb 11, 2013 22:55:41 GMT -5 nashviller said:

Thanks for listening Kora...who have you seen live besides GnR?

At the time, it was impossible to get GnR tickets, and I couldn't afford them even if I had been that lucky. My dad bought them for me and a friend. He and my mom almost had blows over it. Saw Guns in California while visiting my dad.

I haven't seen many rock groups. I really like some of the classic bands and also like some of the hard metal. I haven't had much success getting tickets. Always wanted to see Zeppelin, The Police, The Who, Fleetwood Mac, Def Leppard, Aerosmith, AC/DC and some others. Oh, I did manage to see U2. I really used to like them. Now, Bono preaches too much, IMO, and, of course, he's not the same singer he was. It happens.

It's probably good that I couldn't go to many rock concerts. I probably wouldn't be able to hear now, but I did listen to a lot of my rock albums when I was a teen, and my hearing is still good. LOL! I'm surprised, though, after seeing George Strait in Salt Lake City. I had floor seats and spent a lot of time at the fence surrounding the stage. The band was especially loud there. When the concert was over, I could barely hear. The morning after, all was well. LOL!

[Deleted]

Kora...what did you just say? Could you please repeat that? Can you hear me now? After all the concerts that I heard...all the motorcycle rally's that I attended ...and my job as a power plant operator you would think that I would be deaf by now. Been working around turbines and huge machinery since 1980. All the guys that I work with now and last several years have hearing aids and got a settlement from workman's comp for their hearing....and they never went to loud concerts or bike rally's.The bike rally's really get loud in my town...Bikes Blues and Bar B Que now draw over 400,000 bikers and at night explode with music... screaming and pipes being racked. Here's a clip of the morning...a little quieter...has some George playing and even a marquee of my brother Dave Styles at a lounge called Georges. It is way to loud...I mean you can't hear for days.Hope you enjoy...The real crazy bikers don't come down town but stay out in the state parks...no cameras allowed!
youtu.be/Reb_GU5Imfk
Oh the kicker of it all is that I just had my annual physical...and my hearing test showed that my hearing is improving from the last few years. All 5 and 10's which is really good.
My secret is no secret at all...I wear earplugs all the time even one when I sleep. I figure that I need to save what I have...I brush my teeth all the time too. Still have all of them and they too are in perfect condition. That is a lot more than I can say about a lot of folks you see in every hill and holler in Arkansas or Tennessee for that matter. ;D
I believe that what God gave you should be built to last...lets not talk about my eye though.

[kora]

LOL! Nash - That's a lot of bikers. I rode a bike once, and that's was enough.

Thanks for the itsy bitsy teeny weeny bit of George. We Strait fans never get enough of George! LOL! Now, don't you regret answering my post?