Country Music

1. 1.Background
   

1. a.Country music had influenced rock, but most country musicians in the 1950s and early 60s ignored rock. The Nashville sound was smooth, blending country and pop.
   

2. b.After 1965, country and rock began to fuse once again, such as on albums by the Grateful Dead and Creedence Clearwater Revival (see photo at right).
   

3. c.Even hits coming from Nashville had rock influences. Just as earlier country had borrowed from prevailing styles, such as pop and jazz, 1960s country began to use the rock rhythm and to update country music’s themes.
   

2. 2.Country music in the late 1960s
   

1. a.Lyrics in country music had always told of the bad times as well as the good, but now the themes were even more real and modern.
   

2. b.Bob Dylan went “country” in 1969 with his album Nashville Skyline, which includes a duet with Johnny Cash--”Girl from the North Country”:
   

1. 1)Originally a solo, written by Bob Dylan after his first trip to England in 1962. It was included on his 1963 album, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.
   

2. 2)Music and lyrics draw upon the English folk song, “Scarborough Fair.”
   

3. 3)This song blurs the lines between folk and country: a newly-composed country song that borrows from a traditional folk song.
   

4. 4)Simple, heartfelt lyrics and singing style; Dylan wrote the song about his girlfriend at the time.
   

5. 5)Simple accompaniment (acoustic guitars).
   

6. *Listen to the duet version of “Girl from the North Country,” sung by Dylan and Cash, from Nashville Skyline.
   

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3. 3.Country music in the 1970s
   

1. a.By the early 1970s, there was a true country/rock synthesis with some groups, such as The Eagles.
   

2. b.The Eagle formed in 1971 and became one of the most successful rock groups of the 1970s.
   

1. 1)Their songs feature lyrics that tell a story in everyday language and set to a tuneful melody;
   

2. 2)The accompaniment often blends rock and country instruments, such as steel guitar and banjo.
   

3. 3)“Take It Easy” (1972)
   

1. a)Lyrics are pure country;
   

2. b)Music blends rock with country:
   

1. i.Rock band with banjo;
   

2. ii.Rock rhythm over a modified honky-tonk beat;
   

3. iii.Double-time banjo figuration and guitar patterns from bluegrass style;
   

4. iv.Rich texture with close harmony vocals in the chorus;
   

5. v.Verse harmonized from above (country).
   

1. *Listen to “Take It Easy,” and follow the Listening Cue in the text.
   

4. 4)The Eagles eventually moved more towards the mainstream, yet they are important for “countrifying” the rock rhythm in the early 1970s.
   

The Outsiders

1. 1.Many country stars moved from Nashville to other parts of the country: Buck Owens and Merle Haggard to Bakersfield, California and Willie Nelson to Austin, Texas.
   

2. 2.Country music continued to expand its audience. Wanted! The Outlaws by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson went platinum in 1976 and became the first country album to sell a million copies (See album cover at right.)
   

3. 3.Jennings and Nelson started the “outlaw” movement, so called because it defied what they perceived as Nashville’s commercialism.
   

4. 4.“Mammas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys” (1978)
   

1. a.Shows the independent spirit of Jennings and Nelson, both in words and in music;
   

2. b.Words are full of contradictions about cowboy life and debunks the cowboy myth;
   

3. c.The music is reminiscent of cowboy songs of old, but has new features:  honky-tonk band, with full rhythm section and steel guitar;
   

4. d.Simple melody and harmonies;
   

5. e.Country vocals.
   

6. *Listen to “Mammas, don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys” (1978), and follow the Listening Cue in the text.
   

5. 5.Throughout his career, Willie Nelson has sung the music that he likes, from jazz standards to Tin Pan Alley songs.  He was the most popular crossover artist of the 1970s and continues to be popular today.
   

Country Royalty

1. 1.Tammy Wynette (1942-1998)--see photo at right
   

1. a.Nashville style: simple songs sung by good singers, with instrumental accompaniments that are appropriate to the song. Sang about real life experiences; her songs are often autobiographical.
   

2. b.“D-I-V-O-R-C-E” (1968)
   

1. 1)Wynette tells in the first person about a marriage breaking up--her own (second) marriage .
   

2. 2)The emotional impact of the song comes from the words and her heartfelt singing; nothing in the melody contributes to the emotion, except when Wynette changes it slightly or it shifts to a higher key.
   

3. 3)Country instruments (steel and acoustic guitars) plus electric guitar and rhythm section--all very much in the background.
   

4. 4)Little influence from rock except for the discreet rock rhythm.
   

5. *Listen to “D-I-V-O-R-C-E,” and follow the Listening Cue in the text.
   

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2. 2.George Jones (b. 1931)--see photos at right
   

1. a)Like Wynette, Jones sings about his experiences
   

2. b)“The Grand Tour” (1974)
   

1. i.In a series of vivid images Jones describes the pain of divorce from Tammy Wynette, whom he had married in 1969.
   

2. ii.Jones’ voice is the focus of the song, and his anguish is so apparent that the images come to life.
   

3. iii.Like Hank Williams, Jones is a great song interpreter; he communicates his feelings simply and directly.
   

4. iv.The unobtrusive accompaniment is effective: a honky-tonk beat with subdued strings and choir--a Nashville-style pop accompaniment, but one that allows Jones’ voice to control the spotlight.
   

5. *Listen to George Jones singing “The Grand Tour.”
   

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The Explosion of Country Music

1. 1.Background
   

1. a.Since 1990, country music has gained a larger percentage of the market than ever before. Artists such as Garth Brooks, Faith Hill, and her husband Tim McGraw (see photos at right) are now among the top 100 best-selling acts of all time.
   

2. b.There are numerous non-musical reasons for this, but there are also musical ones. In a world of alternative music, rap, electronica, and other contemporary styles, country music has filled a void: it is more accessible than those styles.
   

3. c.Just as in the past, country music continues to absorb features from other musical styles. Contemporary country looks back to middle-ground rock styles of the 1970s and 1980s; at times, the slight twang of the singer is the only real “country” element.
   

4. d.But most contemporary country music has these traditional features:
   

1. 1)Good story with easy-to-understand lyrics;
   

2. 2)Simple melody, sung with feeling but without exaggeration;
   

3. 3)Preference for conventional instruments, although sometimes electronic ones are included;
   

4. 4)Easy-to-follow forms.
   

Country Pop and Glamour

1. 1.Dolly Parton--see photo at right
   

1. a.Dolly Parton (b. 1946) grew up poor in eastern Tennessee, made her first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry at the age of 13, and moved to Nashville right after high school to pursue a music career.
   

2. b.During the 1980s, she had several movie roles.  In the her first film, 9 to 5, she sings the title song, which she composed.
   

3. c.“9 to 5“ (1980):  country pop
   

4. *Listen to “9 to 5” on CourseMate” and follow the Listening Cue in the text, p. 305.
   

2. 2.Parton is not only important as a country and country pop singer, but also as a business woman and song writer.  One of her most memorable songs is “I Will Always Love You,” sung by Whitney Houston in The Bodyguard.
   

3. 3.Dolly Parton blazed a trail for other women in country music, most of whom also fuse country with other styles.
   

2. 2.The Dixie Chicks--see photo at right
   

1. a.Texas group with a deep connection to traditional country music. The Dixie Chicks comprise lead singer and guitarist Natalie Maines (b. 1974), banjo and dobro player Emily Robison (b. 1972), and mandolin and fiddle player Martie Maguire (b. 1969).
   

2. b.In “Landslide,” from their 2002 album Home, they covered a 1975 Fleetwood Mac song (originally sung by the group’s lead singer, Stevie Nicks), which became a huge crossover hit.
   

3. c.“Landslide” (2002)
   

1. 1)The original acoustic guitar accompaniment is adapted for banjo and mandolin, with other bluegrass instruments added.
   

2. 2)Country 2-beat rhythm with little syncopation.
   

3. 3)Vocals have country twang with no vibrato.
   

4. 4)Maines sings the tuneful melody, while the others have close harmony above and below it.
   

5. *Click here for a video of a live performance of “Landslide,” and follow the Listening Cue in the text.
   

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4. d.The Dixie Chicks’ anti-war comments in 2003 distanced them somewhat from their core country audience, but they refused to apologize. In their 2006 album, Taking the Long Way, they moved even further away from traditional country values by incorporating rock features into their music.
   

5. 5.Taylor Swift (b. 1989)--see photo at right
   

1. a.Swift illustrates the blending of singer-songwriter features with country pop.
   

2. b.Her lyrics are intense and very autobiographical.
   

3. c.“Mine” (2010)
   

1. 1)Lyrics come from an intensely personal perspective
   

2. 2)Verse/chorus form, but slightly unconventional
   

1. a)Speechlike in the verse, more tuneful in the chorus
   

3. 3)Country pop features
   

1. a)Country instruments with rhythm section
   

2. b)Smoother, less “country” sound that many traditional country artists
   

3. c)Song tells a personal story with a heartfelt singing style
   

1. *Watch the music video, “Mine.”
   

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3. *Listen also to “You Belong with Me” (2009) on CourseMate, and follow the Listening Cue.
   

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

1. 1.Country music often blends features from rock and other musical styles, and in so doing has gained broad commercial appeal. The relationship between country music and other popular styles is not new, however. It began with rockabilly and later folk rock, and the relationship continues today.
   

2. 2.Country music that borrows from other styles is more accessible to most audiences of today.  It appeals to listeners who want easy-to- understand lyrics put to a tuneful melody with simple harmonies.