Comments on: Monday Open Thread: Country Convert Song

By: Sara

Sara — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 22:55:02 +0000

Definitely “Love Me” and “Maybe it was Memphis”

BTW…If you like Collin Raye, you should check out a free online concert he’s doing to help Operation Kids raise money for safety programs for kids.

Concert is free. Registration is required. http://operationkids.org/register

By: Rick Harbin

Rick Harbin — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 02:22:15 +0000

i always liked garth,alan jackson and some of the bigger hits like forever and ever amen, love without end amen, when you say nothing at all, should’ve been a cowboy etc. but in 1998 i was truly converted it was stuff like collin raye i can still feel you, clint black the shoes your wearing, billy dean real love, toby keith dream walkin, clay walker ordinary people, randy travis spirit of a boy wisdom of a man,kenny chesney thats why i’m here, gary allan it would be you, tim mcgraw where the green grass grows, dwight yoakam things change, those songs to me are still some of the best of all time. nowadays it is truly odd for me to find songs on country radio i like. too much pop, i partly blame it on some of those artists and songs. now i really enjoy some of the lesser known artists like drive by truckers,shooter jennings,bobby pinson,jamey johnson,trent willmon. some of these artists may be known as writers more than singers but that is what i enjoy these days. there is really no talent in being able to write trash like shiftwork, hell yeah,get my drink on or bob that head. but then again i’ve never made a dime from writing music.

By: JarheadDad

JarheadDad — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:06:13 +0000

Hey! According to my Papa I was conceived in a motel when he and my Mom made a sojourn to The Louisiana Hayride! But they weren’t all modern and stuff being married and in love at the time. Heh.

I’m old old rocker. 60s through 70s. Jo Jo Gunne, Humble Pie, Led Zepplin, et al but I’ve always been a country fan. Jeannie C., Bobby Joe, Patsy, Loretta, Tammy, et al. Always had a leaning to the female side of country music although the males have always dominated the genre. I’ve drifted in and out. Loved the Outlaw Period. Hated the Urban Cowboy times. When we got a 14 day leave I’d always head back home to Louisiana and that would precipitate a pilgrimmage to Gilley’s to ride that #$&* bull! My whole life I’ve loved music. Of all kinds. The bar bands back then were guys like Skynyrd, ZZ Top, Marshall Tucker, Allman Brothers, Wet Willie ( I still wanna’ see Carrie do a cover of “Keep On Smilin’!), Bobby Bare, Waylon, Willie, & Jesse, Kristofferson, et al. I was mostly a Southern rocker but met and married a fine little Jersey girl and got turned onto young guys like Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, Springsteen before the politics and preaching (Nuns run bald through Vatican halls – pregnant – pleading Immaculate Conception – Ha! now there’s some lyrics boy!) et al.

I guess I’m still a rocker but to bring the ship around and back on course I’d have to say Reba and Dolly kept me interested in country. Carrie has kept me here to stay. I love alot of the new stuff (from folks that can actually sing) and still love the traditional artists as well. Carrie Underwood and Ashton Shepherd may seem like opposities but I love both of them for who they are and their real voices. I get a kick out of Paisley’s humor and have liked Vince since his folk/rock days. I’m not one of those that has to be against one to enjoy the other. I like it ALL! So there! :-o

Reba’s “Fancy” brought me back – Carrie’s “Jesus Take The Wheel” kept me here. And oh my! aren’t y’all jusy happy about that! he-he!

By: Jordan Stacey

Jordan Stacey — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 06:24:45 +0000

From birth I was brought up on country music but it was always just something the parents listened to, I was never really interested in who was singing. I remember thinking that all the male voices were the same person and all the female as well. It was at the age of 8 listening to Shania Twain that got me into music, but instead of going deeper into country I went into 70′s rock. I would listen to my dad’s old music and really enjoy it. I stayed like that until 2003 when we started catching CMT. I asked for a cd for christmas and I got Brad Paisley’s Mud On The Tires. Since then I’ve gone back and learned who all those voices were.

By: Leeann

Leeann — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 02:15:26 +0000

I love Dolly too! Actually, I knew who Dolly was before I ever knew of Garth Brooks, but I didn’t know what genres were at that point. I just knew Disney’s Smokey Mountain Christmas.:)

By: LJ

LJ — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 02:10:10 +0000

Surprised (just kinda) that no one has mentioned Kenny Rogers to any extent cuz it seemed like he was all over the radio in the early ’80′s-ish. Personally not a fan, per se but I do recognize his place in country history.

Personally, I love me some Dolly and she was one of the very first concerts I ever saw as a young ‘un back in the day. It was a show with various acts including: Dolly, Charlie Daniels Band, and Seals & Crofts.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to chase those durn kids out of my yard! ;-)

By: Paul W Dennis

Paul W Dennis — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 01:47:09 +0000

Ricky Skaggs also arrived around 1981 as a chart presence. I think he kicked started the neo-traditionalist movement more than Strait, whose career took longer to get into high gear. As an all around performers, Skaggs,Gill, Stuart,Urban, Wariner and Paisley are the class of the last 30 years.

I’m sort of ambivalent, about George Strait – he’s like Martha White flour – always good, never great. I can’t think of more than one or two George Strait songs that I regard as essential but I can’t think of more than one or two that I actively dislike either .

By: Tad

Tad — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 01:35:25 +0000

I would like to second the mention of 1986-1993 as a great era in country music history, but to me, “Randy Travis arrives” was one of the least parts of it. I mean, Travis made some great music, but if you look at the influx of talent at that time (combined with the old timers like George Jones and Conway who were still releasing successful singles) it’s just staggering. The 1986-1993 period was all about experimenting with a format that would make folks listen to country again (1986-1990) and then celebrating when people did listen again (1991-1993).

And anyway, if you want to point to the arrival of the new traditionalists, there was a certain singer who came out with a song called “Unwound” in 1981, predating Travis by a good four or five years.

P.S. I’m sorta in a hurry so I hope that all makes sense :)

By: Paul W Dennis

Paul W Dennis — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 23:23:15 +0000

I loved the late 50s-early 60s honky tonkers but they were not the dominant factor during the period 1956-1964 – that honor fell to the “Nashville Sound” productions which were okay in the hands of Chet Atkins and Owen Bradley, but in the hands of lesser producers resulted in some of the dullest country music ever recorded. By 1965 that stuff was either fading away, or being greatly improved (aka mutating into the Country Cocktail sound of Billy Sherrill and Glenn Sutton)

I’m not as high on the “Outlaw Movement” as some folks. Since I basically have no real love for rock music, and a lot of it was more rock than country, there are large amounts of it that I don’t like. Waylon was a great artist, but he produced a lot of rubbish, too.

By: Chris D.

Chris D. — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 23:15:37 +0000

Mine was “Want To” by Sugarland. My parents had been listening to country for years, but I never cared until that song. My dad got me Enjoy the Ride the day it came out and I’ve been hooked ever since.