I rarely see a decent thread that's open to discussion of country music, so I'm going to try and make this a thing throughout the next days. I just want to talk about my favorite genre and share good old tunes. Here's a few artists to get this started:
Townes Van Zandt (the best of 'em all) Gram Parsons (a close second) Kris Kristofferson Guy Clark The Felice Brothers Steve Young Karen Dalton Richard Dobson ...and the obvious classics:
Hank Williams Jr. Waylon Jennings George Jones Merle Haggard Willie Nelson
For those who still haven't dug deep into country yet., the movie "Heartworn Highways" is a good starting point.
rodney's always been a songwriter first. most people know him from his hits for other artists like the oak ridge boys, waylon jennings, george strait, lee ann womack, etc.
The significance of THK is that it was a return to form for him after a lost period in the '90's. it's a pretty personal album for him but it's a great starting point if you want to catch up with his new millenium output. he's made like 4 albums since then (not including some collab albums). but you can also go chronologically too. up to you.
i've heard rodney called many things but never "refined." if you want to give him another try i recommend his recent albums. he's older now and has been embracing a bluesier aesthetic. he hasn't been in the best of health so i recommend hopping aboard the rodney train before he goes.
Brody Smith
OP again. Johnny Cash's hidden gems (albums): Orange Blossem Special, Johnny 99, Hit the Road and Go. Waylon's hidden gems: Leavin' Town, Hangin' On.
Matthew Turner
I heard his stuff with Emmylou Harris recently. I feel guilty to say that her voice hasn't grown on me at all after these years -- gets too monotonous. I always though old Linda Ronstadt was the best girl, really sad to see her state now. But aye, I'll give THK a listen!
Landon King
Whose in the pic
Aaron Cox
Steve Earle and Rodney Crowell.
Austin Carter
Wait didn't Steve Earl make that awful Copperhead Road song?
Connor Ross
as great as her solo albums are she's at her best when she's harmonizing i agree.
Adam Lee
>awful
Nolan Brooks
It is. I heard that shit everywhere growing up. It's just early 90s bro country.
Kayden Howard
That's when he went from raw country to 'southern rock' and became a druggie. Early Steve's a whole lot better.
Joshua Richardson
Gentle on my mind
Angel Gutierrez
nice try earle spammer. steve's americana royalty and no amount of trolling is going to change that. as i recall the dude's literally playing a mandolin in the music video. nothing less broey than strumming a mandolin on camera for all to see.
Cooper Ortiz
Such a pretty girl she was, her work with Ronstadt and Parsons was one of my first contacts with the genre.
Logan Ward
>Townes Van Zandt (the best of 'em all) >Gram Parsons (a close second)
Gavin King
I think Johnny T. grew up to be a better musician than his dad, frankly. Despite his politics, still one of the few young artist to keep that old country feeling feeling. Don't get me wrong though, Steve is great and not bro-y at all.
Lucas Walker
"pretty" is an understatement user.
Nicholas Davis
Side 1 of Copperhead Road is straight classic and Side 2 is pretty solid too.
Parker Thomas
I though that was pretty needless to point out, really. None on the list would exist without Ol' Hank.
Here I thought that my crush on young was long gone... thanks for that, bud.
Cooper Edwards
Justin T.*
Lincoln Sanchez
no one's ever accused steve of being a virtuoso musician. as a songwriter, he's hecking prolific and keeps the quality control high to boot. the guy released one of the best country albums of 2017 and has another one on deck for 2018 as well.
Jack Richardson
young Lou* Heck, the drink's really getting to me.
Thomas Taylor
i was a bit flabbergasted when i discovered the existence of that photo as well user. all good.
Christian Gonzalez
What's your take on Chris Stapleton? Everyone saying the dude threw out the best country of 2017. Have some gold Earle.
the only problem i had with the new stapleton albums is the lack of new songs. other than that, the whole dave cobb sound (his producer) is kind of played out. and chris has this tendency to sound kid rock'ish whenever he dials up the drama. wish he'd stick with a country sound but then he also gets really boring singing straight forward mid-tempo ballads imo. i've never really been big on stapleton or sturgill desu. i'm more of an isbell guy.
Carson Collins
JTT's kids in the street's is in my top 50. champagne corolla was impossible to resist. it's funny hearing steve talk about justin discovering leadbelly through nirvana's unplugged album while teve had leadbelly records the whole time in their house just waiting to be heard.
Xavier Edwards
The best adjective I can find for Stapleton's tunes is 'movie-ish'. Too movie-ish, if that makes sense. It's just that kind of music that just sets the atmosphere and it's just over as son as it's done, feel me? No aftertaste at all. It's smooth and and it sounds fine regardless, but it's not on par with Steve or Justin in any way. I've heard that he wrote songs for Adele and such so that might explain a bit of it.
Ayden Evans
yeah i was wary of him for the same reasons. good guy tho. completely drama free. very difficult not to admire the guy for being a consummate professional and jumping on every opportunity as they present themselves. it's not his fault that the mainstream has begrudgingly taken an interest in him. i mean, might as well enjoy the ride while it lasts. i'm not going to shun something just because it's popular. i'll give anything a chance. the one thing i want from him is the same thing i want from jason isbell and his wife amanda shires, a full on duets album with morgane. it has to happen. there's a way to get women on country radio again. duets.
Ayden Sullivan
...
Luke Reed
there was a country christmas show on the GET network last night with Emmylou, Wynonna, Pam Tillis (whom I didn't know but she can really pipe) and others. Considered making a watch-along thread but didn't. Ms. Harris is still beautiful.
Owen Perez
KITS is great for its variety of vibes and instruments, truly a show of JT's talent. "There Go a Fool" is prob my favortie. I'd rather hear the songs live since JT is such a fine performer; my favorite young performer along with Ian Felice.
That's true, it could be a lot worse and he could go full nu-Nashville. The fact that he's standing as a lonely country artist in pop charts -- as country as it can get -- says something. If it helps getting country into the light again then I'm all for it. He genuinely seems like a good guy too.
Hunter Davis
there are way too many posers ITT.
MUH indie more-folk-than-country music. HONKY TONK IS THE ONLY COUNTRY
Benjamin Brooks
...
Charles Jenkins
anybody else feel like country is going to become the next revival genre? james ferraro is playing with it and alex g feels like the logical next step in guitar music to become good again.
Tyler Martin
youre mad faggot. hippie austin texas folk "country" was never country
Jason Peterson
>started out as a disciple Townes Van Zandt in the late 60s >moved to Nashville to pursue his country music career >ended up as the backing band for Guy Clark's Old No. 1 >was featured in Heartworn Highways alongside Guy, Townes, David Allan Coe, Rodney Crowell, Charlie Daniels >became a songwriter in Nashville's music scene >eventually got signed as a solo artist, releasing some rockabilly EPs in the early 80s >puts together the Dukes and his debut album is critically and commercially successful in the country music world >championed by Springsteen >plays at the Grammys >begins to change toward a more southern/heartland rock sound >gains a reputation playing shows with The Replacements >has a big rock crossover hit with Copperhead Road >has a song featured in a Steve Martin movie >heroin addiction proves too much >revives his career 5 years later and is more acclaimed than he's ever been before >put out a string of alt-country classics in the late 90s/early 00s >was a cast member on The Wire for a while >has stayed remarkably constitent into the 10s
Luis Harris
what the fuck are you on about
Wyatt Evans
pam's the daughter of mel tillis, legendary country songwriter extraordinaire. pam's last solo album was pretty ace. check it out.
Xavier Cruz
t. I started listening to country last week
Aiden Davis
Please, educate me on which country artists are acceptable and which are not.
Jacob Miller
Like it or not, the guy started out as a school dropped to stalk Townes during one of his tours and managed to befriend him and rise amog his and Guy's circle to become this big. He even had a son that ended up just as talented as he is. Can't lie, I envy his whole tajectory a bit.
Nicholas Moore
dropout*
William Johnson
>best country of 2017 I don't think so. Have you boys listened to this guy?
Brandon Wilson
I'm more into the folk side of things, but yeah, country rules.
easily one of the best country albums of 2017. the fact that it was produced by sturgill simpson is just gravy. universal sound always starts playing softly in the back of my mind whenever i see that cover art.
Leo Jenkins
the best country is always a mix of country, folk, rock, blues, r&b, etc. it's too bad the best genre name anyone could think of was "americana." and now with the alt right you can't say alt country withouy triggering blue staters. it's too bad "ya'llternative" never caught on.
Chase Diaz
I was listening to "This Time" by Waylon on repeat in my car today.
We should get a /folklife/ general going. Dedicated to all things folk, country, bluegrass, blues, early RnB/rocknroll, etc. and everything related to US southern/rural trad music.
I've been into Daniel Bachman recently.
Julian Miller
>Much of his life was spent touring various dive bars,[5] often living in cheap motel rooms and backwoods cabins. For much of the 1970s, he lived in a simple shack without electricity or a phone. >He suffered from a series of drug addictions,[6] alcoholism,[6] and the psychiatric diagnosis bipolar disorder. When he was young, the now discredited insulin shock therapy erased much of his long-term memory. >Van Zandt died on New Years Day 1997 from cardiac arrythmia caused by health problems stemming from years of substance abuse Damn...that's heavy This movie character seems pretty close (great movie btw)
Any of y'all listen to this guy? Found out about him awhile back and he quickly became one of my favorite alt-country/folk artists. youtube.com/watch?v=FETNBYsfdsQ
moreland's so damn good it's intimidating. i had sallisaw blue stuck in my head the whole month it was released to promote his new album.
Leo Peterson
that guy's like pj harvey. a complete mystery between albums. where do they go? what do they do? they pop up for a new album every few years and then they just disappear back into the ether. celebrity mystique needs to come back. oversharing was a huge mistake.
>moreland's so damn good it's intimidating. That right there is the best damn way I've heard to describe him.
Thomas Howard
>Drums, Bass, Electric guitar with 'spacey' sound Why do these musicians ruin their music like this? Why wouldn't they stay true to the powerful raw sound of the 20s?
John Martin
Nu-male slayer coming through
Michael Turner
More Bluegrass than country, but this documentary follows Earl Scruggs in the early 70s. youtu.be/OlneqC0mVsk Really cool stuff, Has some dylan and doc watson in it
Julian Green
just an FYI dude, most people cant view these youtube topic channels
