MetaFilter posts tagged with Country

The Nashville Portraits

netbros — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:26:09 -0800

Born and raised in New Jersey, Jim McGuire was an unlikely country music-lover, but one song changed all that. McGuire was twelve years old on the day he heard Hank Snow’s “Spanish Fireball” for the first time, and he instantly fell in love with country music forever. Music has since been a huge part of McGuire’s life—a muse for his photography—The Nashville Portraits. Then, in 1971, McGuire caught a performance in Greenwich Village by John Hartford and the Aereo-Plain Band—consisting of Hartford, Vassar Clements, Tut Taylor, and Norman Blake. With the help of friend and record producer David Bromberg, he was able to get them all back to his Gramercy Park studio for some late night, impromptu portraits. The portraits of Hartford, Tut and Vassar shot that night, were the beginning of what evolved into the Nashville Portraits. [via]

"He takes a $1.98 tape into Folsom Prison and comes out with an album."

kirkaracha — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:56:51 -0800

"Hello, I'm Johnny Cash." On January 13, 1968, Johnny Cash played two concerts at Folsom State Prison with June Carter, Carl Perkins, the Statler Brothers, and his band, the Tennessee Three. At Folsom Prison, drawn mainly from the first show, is often ranked as one of the best albums of all time and turned Cash's career around. Reporter Gene Beley covered the concert and recorded some songs from the audience. Cash closed both shows with "Greystone Chapel," written by Folsom inmate Glen Sherley. Cash heard the song for the first time the night before the concerts, and acknowledged Sherley during the shows. Cash had been playing in prisons since the late 1950s; Merle Haggard saw several of his concerts from the audience at San Quentin. The 1968 concerts were the second time Cash had played at Folsom. He'd done a show there in November 1966. Reverend Floyd Gressett arranged the 1966 concert and gave Cash the tape of "Greystone Chapel" in 1968. The 1951 movie Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison inspired Cash to write his 1955 single "Folsom Prison Blues" when he was serving in Germany in the US Air Force. The song's melody and lyrics are very similar to Gordon Jenkins' "Crescent City." Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison [trailer] is a 2008 documentary about the concerts. (It apparently doesn't include concert footage.) In 1969 Cash recorded At San Quentin, which included the hit single "A Boy Named Sue." In 1973 he recorded På Österåker at Sweden's Österåker Prison. Cash's prison albums started a trend that included B.B. King's Live in Cook County Jail and Live at San Quentin, John Lee Hooker's Live At Soledad Prison, Little Milton's Live at Westville Prison and the Sex Pistols' Live at Chelmsford Top Security Prison, Thom Chacon's Live at Folsom Prison, Tracy Nelson's Live from Cell Block D, and Charles Manson's Live from San Quentin [AKA White Rasta]. Freddy Fender's Recorded Inside Louisiana State Prison is a fake live-in-prison album. "If it is a prison recording, then where, praytell, are the prisoners?" AMG Men singing at women's prisons was a trend-within-a-trend, with The Moments' Live at the New York State Women's Prison, Sonny George's Live At The Tennessee Prison For Women, Mack Vickery's Live At The Alabama Women's Prison. Leona Williams reversed the gender roles with her San Quentin's First Lady (with Merle Haggard, who'd done time there). At the time of Cash's concert, Folsom was a model prison. "Administrators came from New York and Texas to find out how Folsom kept its violence so low and its inmates from coming back." It's much worse now.

"The little girl with the big voice."

The Card Cheat — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 07:18:10 -0800

Timi Yuro, an Italian-American singer born in Chicago (where, the story goes, her nanny snuck her into clubs to watch singers like Dinah Washington and Mildred Bailey), was arguable the greatest blue-eyed soul artist of the '60s. In 1961 she had her first (and biggest) hit with a cover of Roy Hamilton's emotional ballad "Hurt", so powerfully sung that many listeners first assumed she was a man, African-American, or both. Follow-ups "I Believe" (a duet with Johnnie Ray) and "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" were also successful, but established her in the public's mind as a cabaret performer rather than a soul singer. This all changed with the release of her next single, the r&b barnburner "What's A Matter Baby" and the 1963 LP Make The World Go Away, a collection of soulful country covers that included goose pimple-inducing renditions of "Leavin' On Your Mind" and the title track, which would prove to be her last significant U.S. hit. "Can't Stop Running Away" and "Interlude" went on to become Northern Soul favourites, but by the end of the '60s she had more or less left the music business, resurfacing only to record a few stray singles (including a 1979 cover of "Nothing Takes The Place Of You") before she was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1980. In 1984 she was forced to undergo a tracheotomy operation, which ended her singing career, but she lived on until March 30th, 2004, when she passed at the age of 63.

Wild Wanda, Queen of Rockabilly

Jon_Evil — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:49:16 -0800

Fifty years ago, those decrying rock 'n' roll as devil music that would crumble the morals of America needed to look no further than Wanda Jackson for evidence. Her raspy, brassy voice, suggestive lyrics, and sexual energy were almost unbelievable for the Eisenhower years. Coaxed into singing rockabilly by her then-boyfriend, Elvis, she had a string of rock hits, before marrying and IBM programmer and switching to more traditional, conservative country music.

"My cup runneth over with bloody water" -- Paul K.

ford and the prefects — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:02:31 -0800

Kentucky folksinger Paul K. has released his entire catalog online under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. (Scroll down through the absurdly large text and lengthy lacunae on K's site to get to the links!) From the fellers at Trouser Press:

Paul K is one of the post-punk generation's first bona fide bluesmen, a guy whose tales from the darkside are drawn from his own experiences as a reformed junkie and small-time criminal with the jailhouse record to prove it. Throughout the mid-'80s, the Louisville, Kentucky native (né Kopasz) released dozens of home-recorded cassette albums, but the onetime winner of a debating scholarship hamstrung his own progress by living a lifestyle sufficiently shadowy that he ended up a New York squatter pulling small-time stickups to make ends meet.

I'd particularly recommend The Big Nowhere, with its "Washington Square"-inspired slinker "Flood the Market," and last year's astounding Maintain Radio Silence.

Country Music: not just for Americans!

jedicus — Wed, 27 May 2009 11:45:47 -0800

German country music. You may remember Texas Lightning from Eurovision 2006, but the rabbit hole goes much deeper than that. Oh yes. (NB: If you don't like American country music, that's fine, just skip down to the bottom quarter or so of the post. Trust me.) American country music has been known in Germany since the 1920s and the days of The Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers. One of the first German country songs is perhaps Belgian singer Bobbejaan's country-inflected version of A Pub with no Beer, Ich steh an der Bar und ich habe kein Geld, written by Peter Kreuder. The song hit the German charts in 1960 and stayed for 30 weeks. But there were original acts, too, like Bruce Low with the 1957 hit Es hängt ein Pferdehalfter an der Wand (Bonus: Lyrics and this version by the Kilima Hawaiians, a group from Holland). Lest there be any doubt that this is bona fide country, it's a song about a cowboy who is sad because the halter, saddle, and bridle on the wall remind him of his deceased best friend, his horse. In the 1970s there were artists like Gunter Gabriel, Tom Astor, and Truck Stop. From Gunter Gabriel, who's still around and making music)

Deutschland ist... - Country cred: slightly hokey patriotism
Hey Boss, ich brauch mehr Geld - A working man's anthem
Komm unter meine Decke (Lyrics) - A romantic appeal to the virtues of the simple life

From Tom Astor, who worked with Johnny Cash, John Denver, Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers, and others:

Mein Freund Charlie - A sad ode to his best friend and semi-truck driving partner Charlie, who died on the job.
Ring of Fire, with Johnny Cash

Truck Stop:

Take it easy, altes Haus - Worth checking out for the 70s-tastic costumes alone
Ich möcht' so gern Dave Dudley hör'n - Probably their biggest hit

Traditional country continues into the modern era with bands like Slow Horses and Markus Rill, who sing in English. Slow Horses:

Markus Rill:

The Things that Count
Straighter Road
Sarah Stein - A uniquely German country song: The wistful life story of a Jewish woman who left Vienna in the 1930s as a young girl to grow up in America

After that, things start to get a little weird, with bands that often do country renditions of decidedly non-country songs. Previously mentioned Texas Lightning, here with one of the odder covers of Like a Virgin ever recorded as well as the more mainstream Man of Constant Sorrow. It should be mentioned that the lead singer of Texas Lightning is actually Australian, although the rest of the band is German. The BossHoss brings their unique country aesthetic to some unusual covers:

Hey Ya
It's Getting Hot in Here - Not to be missed!

Lastly, we get to alternative German country, where the train starts to leave the rails a bit. The Waltons, an English-singing cowpunk band from Berlin, produce a surprisingly listenable psychobilly as well as ironic renditions of country classics. Also recommended, a bit of psychobilly squaredancing. The inspiration for this post came from the German Wikipedia page on country music in the German-speaking world. As an added feature for German learners, much of the singing in these songs is slow and clearly enunciated, so it should be easy to follow. Extra Bonus: German country music radio personality and author Walter Fuchs playing the blues at his 74th birthday party.

Chiseled in Stone

dawson — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:31:19 -0800

"The ability to convey the depths of despair, the heights of jubilation and the serenity of an abiding faith are all that is required to be known as “The Voice.” Unfortunately, very few possess the ability to do all that and what’s more unfortunate, we lost one of those few–possibly the best of those few–with the death of Vern Gosdin at the age of 74." Hard core country singer-songwriter Vern Gosdin, affectionally known as "The Voice", who achieved mainstream success in the '80s with hits such as "Set 'Em Up Joe" and "Chiseled in Stone," died peacefully in his sleep, late Tuesday (April 28), at a Nashville hospital. CMT bio,(obit). His many timelss songs include the afore mentioned Chiseled in Stone (and live), Jesus Hold My Hand (with commentary), Do You Believe Me Now, Sarah's Eyes, and Till The End. "'The Voice' is now silenced but he left behind an incredible legacy of recorded performances. Other than George Jones and Roy Orbison, the world has never known a performer as expressive and capable of conveying the emotions of loneliness, despair, desolation and heartbreak as Vern Gosdin." Sit back with a bottle of Tanqueray, and salute one of the all time greats.

Bradley Walker

BitterOldPunk — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:17:05 -0800

Perhaps the greatest country baritone since George Jones is confined to a wheelchair by muscular dystrophy and has a day job at a nuclear power plant. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Bradley Walker. But it ain't all slow mournful stuff like "When I'm Hurtin'" -- Bradley can straight-up tear it up, too. Here's the video for the single "A Little Change" off Walker's excellent 2008 release "Highway of Dreams" (link goes to NPR audio review). Here's Bradley covering Merle Haggard's "Back to the Barrooms". And here's a somewhat mawkish video bio put together by his record company. WARNING: This post contains unapologetic, unironic, heartfelt country music that may contain sentiments about Jesus, patriotism, and other topics that may run counter to prevailing MetaFilter opinions. It also features poor audio quality, shaky amateur video, and blatant boosterism for a performing artist that I like. I am aware that almost everything I like does, in fact, suck.

The Anthology, notated.

1f2frfbf — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 09:15:25 -0800

"With this blog, I want to use the Folkways Anthology as a roadmap to explore American folk music and maybe other countries traditions along the way. I’ll use texts, images, music and videos gathered from my personal collection and from the net to make this work-in-progress enjoyable and educational the best I can." (via)

Figuring out harmonies mathematically is like reading the mind of God.

1f2frfbf — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 07:36:29 -0800

The occasionally updated The Celestial Monochord claims to be the "Journal of the Institute for Astrophysics and the Hillbilly Blues" Highlights include: The connection between Gillian Welch and a rare South Carolina flower that was "discovered by a man who didn't name it, named for a man who didn't see it, by someone who didn't know where it was," . Did Tom Waits reinterpret Stephen Foster in Cold Cold Ground? A possible source for the title of Bob Dylan's breakout album. The connection between the New Lost City Ramblers and Voyager 1.

godWEENsatan

Bageena — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 09:23:17 -0800

Maybe you remember them from their 'hit' single "Push Th' Little Daisies", or from their appearance on MTV's Beavis and Butt-head. Maybe you know them from their appearance in the film "It's Pat" or from their contributions to the "Road Trip" soundtrack or even from their appearance at Chef Aid on South Park. My hope, however, is that you don't know Ween, allowing me the opportunity to let you taste the waste. Ween is often described as an 'Alternative Rock' band, although their music spans nearly every genre you can concieve of. Formed in 1984 in Pennsylvania, Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo (better known as Dean and Gene Ween), have released over a dozen albums, hundreds of songs, and contributed to several other bands. Their music is often ecclectic, strange, and beautiful. Their love of drugs, feces, and music (not necessarily in that order) is legendary. Their music can be and often is hilarious, but they have a serious side too. Nearly breaking up after a 4 year hiatus, Ween returned with a vengence last year with the release of both the "Friends EP" and "La Cucaracha". This holiday season, Ween released the CD/DVD album "At The Cat's Cradle, 1992". Dean Ween has channeled his love of fishing into a new online fishing show called Skunked. Meanwhile, Aaron Freeman is working on his photography. A little something for everyone, maybe Ween can shrug Mefi's nearly-constant mantle of 'Your favorite band sucks'. Maybe not.

Feels just like Sunday...

Potomac Avenue — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:11:58 -0800

John Prine Live in 1980 on youtube--with interspersed interviews from around his hometown: in his 1951 Ford Custom Club Coupe (Automobile), down by the train tracks (Bruised Orange) on the porch ( How Lucky) and at the Scene of the Crime (The Accident). Previously More: Paradise Ubangi Stomp From the classic and innovative Soundstage TV show (still on but diminished in value these days). This episode is currently the only John Prine concert available on DVD.

A Forest of Guitars

boost ventilator — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:24:50 -0800

Dick Stacey's Country Jamboree is now available on DVD/CD after years of slowly fading into obscurity. "I was wrong in thinking the Jamboree was a thing of the past," said Dick Stacey, a man whose three gas stations and motel took over sponsoring this uniquely Maine talent showcase on a whim in 1973—and ended up lasting just over a decade. The original show (Frankenstein's Country Jamboree) was started by Bob Whitten in Milbridge, Maine during the late 1950s. "There were no rehearsals, and auditions were unheard of. The only thing you had to be to be on Stacey’s Country Jamboree was to be sincere and sober," said 30-year-host Charlie Tenan. "Saturday Night Live was trying to invent characters like this...these were real people, but they were characters who couldn't be manufactured," said Nova Scotia resident and fan Brian White to The Halifax Daily News in 2001. For a sample, check out Bucksport's own Jennie Shontell sing "Wings of a Dove." The longevity and regional success of this program (yet current lack of YouTube presence) was partly due to the bizarre "Bangor/Atlantic Canada cable connection," which also bolstered the career of the late Great Money Movie host Eddie "We'll put 'em on for ya" Driscoll, until being destroyed by a decision by Atlantic Canadian cable providers to opt for Detroit feeds instead of ones from Bangor.

your own little piece of rock history... and a grape.

flapjax at midnite — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 09:24:22 -0800

Surely one of the most memorable musician photos ever is this one: Johnny Cash, making his feelings known with customary aplomb. But did you ever notice he was wearing a jumpsuit in that photo, and not his more standard black shirt/trousers ensemble? Well, that very jumpsuit just went for a handsome $120,000 at auction. Someone else just paid $300,000 for one of Elvis' peacock-emblazoned jumpsuits. And remember that little necklace John Lennon wore on the cover of Two Virgins? Yep, the only thing he wore. Fetched a cool $528,000. Meanwhile, in Japan, a bunch of grapes just went for $910. What a bargain! I recommend perusing the just-auctioned rock memorabilia here, there's tons of stuff, it's like a museum.

The sound of close harmony

nola — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 18:56:03 -0800

Close Harmony is one of the most distinctive sounds in traditional country. Hank Wangford's A to Z of Country and Western looks at the Louvin Brothers music in this style. Close Harmony is one of the most distinctive sounds in traditional country. The term refers to the keening two (occasionally three) part harmonies that acts like the Louvin Brothers and the Delmore Brothers popularized. The sound of close harmony grew out of the high, lonesome sound of bluegrass, yet most close-harmony songs were closer to traditional country than bluegrass. During the late '40s and early '50s, close-harmony acts became quite popular, thanks to a string of brother acts. The Louvin Brothers, perhaps the definitive close-harmony group, became popular at the end of the era. Their popularity was impeded by the emergence of rock & roll, which cut the country audience dramatically. Ironically, close-harmony acts in general — and the Louvins in particular — were an influence on the harmony style of the Everly Brothers, who happened to write the template for rock & roll harmonies with their late '50s singles. The Everlys' influence was as apparent in the Beatles as the Louvins were in the Everlys, and that is just one testament to the depth and influence of close harmony. Jim and Jesse. When I stop dreaming Louvin Brothers ~ Cash On The Barrel Head EVERLY BROTHERS SING "I'M HERE TO GET MY BABY OUT OF JAIL cover The Blue Sky Boys

Gone, like a train...

flapjax at midnite — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 06:26:00 -0800

There's just something so pleasing about watching a mixed freight train go by. Here are several versions of the classic train number, "Wreck of the Old 97": Hank Snow Johnny Cash Roy Acuff Boxcar Willie The Seekers Flatt & Scruggs with... the Beverly Hillbillies! This clip features Johnny Cash once again, but the video is a crude CG reenactment of the crash. and finally, this old recording by ??? features yet another curious (and even more crude) CG reenactment of the crash... Train song lovers might also want to check out my FPP from earlier this month on The Wabash Cannonball.

John Prine

stavrogin — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:12:29 -0800

John Prine released John Prine in 1971 with the songs Illegal Smile, Spanish Pipedream, Hello In There, Sam Stone, Para dise, Pretty Good, Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore, Far From Me, Angel From Montgomery, Quiet Man, Donald & Lydia, Six O'clock News and Flashback Blues. An interview from 1971.

God loves my country more than he loves yours.

emelenjr — Mon, 26 May 2008 18:17:33 -0800

Wonderfully artistic video for the song "God Loves My Country", by Balthrop, Alabama, a small-town band.

Snoop and Willie

445supermag — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 19:18:49 -0800

Willie Nelson "Superman" featuring Snoop, Snoop Dogg "My Medicine" featuring Willie Nelson, live at Melkweg.

Rockabilly Rundown

Miko — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 13:24:09 -0800

Whole Lotta Shakin' - a PRI documentary series on the history of rockabilly, hosted by Rosie Flores.

The day my mama socked it to the Harper Valley PTA

flapjax at midnite — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:29:33 -0800

Sometimes, when you've had your fill of people basking in the golden light of their self-righteous indignation, you just wanna hear a song about somebody telling those holier-than-thou-ers where to get off. Something like, say, Harper Valley PTA. Here's Jeannie C. in another performance of the song, a stylish (very sixties) B&W version, from a TV spot. Here's the lyrics. Too young to remember Peyton Place, referenced in the last verse? See here, here and here. And how 'bout those gold boots and matching minidress Jeannie C. was sporting in that live clip, eh? Couldn't help but remind me of Nancy Sinatra in similar attire, performing (what else?) These Boots Are Made for Walking, from 1966. When Harper Valley PTA (written by Tom T. Hall) was released in 1968, it hit #1 on both the Billboard country AND pop charts, which was an historical first. Read all about it! Jeannie C. Riley Wikipedia page and her official website. Dolly Parton's cover version. Country great Loretta Lynn has covered this song as well, but I couldn't find her version on the web. Here she is with Jeannie C. Riley, though, doing Don't Come Home a'Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind) . The Riley Wikipedia page mentions her battles with depression. There's a bit more on that here. NOTE: FPP wording lifted wholesale from flashboy's MeTa comment here. Thanks, flashboy!

Red Foley's war effort.

flapjax at midnite — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 20:15:29 -0800

Just the other day I was thinking about World War 2-era propaganda songs, so of course I gave a listen to Smoke On the Water. Say what? You didn't know it was about kickin' Hitler's ass? Or Hirohito's? Guess you weren't listening well enough when ol' Red Foley sang: "...there'll be nothing left but vultures to inhabit all that land, when our modern ships and bombers make a graveyard of Japan..." I tell you, they just don't write songs like that anymore, friends. Anyway, by 1951 Red was looking forward to Peace in the Valley. More from Red Foley: Hot Rod Race: What a cool little guitar solo! Pin Ball Boogie : Complete with pinball sound effects! Crazy Little Guitar Man: As might be expected, this live TV spot features some slick plucking from stringman Speedy Haworth. Nice! Freight Train Boogie: Another live spot. Jumping little tune!

4 a.m. Jump

1f2frfbf — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 08:33:56 -0800

It's 3 a.m., on some date in 1975, the white line is wavering in front of your amphetamine bleached eyes, your rig is barreling through the high plains north of nowhere and you won't see your woman for three more days, what 8-track do you need to get you through the night? Why, Country Porn, of course.
Linked page is mostly safe for work, but NSFW audio files, and some text Why is this notable? Chinga Chavin only released this one record, and it was released on Penthouse Records (NSFW), no less. Raunchy trucker country from when country wasn't necessarily pretty.

Honky Tonkin' on Flickr

KevinSkomsvold — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 17:38:46 -0800

A fantastic photoset capturing the life and times of country western artists Carl Butler and Pearl. There are a few people you may recognize as well.

Joe Maphis, King of the Strings.

flapjax at midnite — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 06:23:49 -0800

I tell you what, buddy, that ol' Joe Maphis fellow outta Bakersfield, he was one fast picker. Yup, fast as greased lightning and smooth as gaht-damn silk on that double-neck Mosrite guitar. He and the missus have a little advice for you, too: Don't Make Love In a Buggy. And though Joe was mainly a picker, he did pen one memorable little country ditty which you might've heard in some honky tonk along the line: Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (and Loud, Loud Music). [note: see hoverovers for link descriptions] Here's the Joe Maphis MySpace page. As usual, a number of tunes to listen to here, on the player, including a straight up bluegrass banjo number. More YouTube instrumentals from Joe and sidekick Larry Collins: Flying Fingers and Early American. And this straight-up rock'n'roll number (which finds Maphis on a single neck Mosrite), Ramrod. Maphis worked quite a bit with rockabilly/country chanteuse Wanda Jackson. Catch his groovy solo in this clip of Wanda's Cool Love, and in this little gem, I Gotta Know. Plus Wanda's Hard Headed Woman. Here's Joe backing up Bobby Helms on that singer's cover of Hank William's Long Gone Daddy. Straight Outta Compton! Here's an older Joe, workin' it on out on acoustic, from a record he made with Merle Travis. The Joe Maphis Wikipedia page. The Mosrite Guitars Wikipedia page. Maphis' sidekick Larry Collins is featured in many of the posted YT clips. Here's a Wikipedia page on him and his sister Lorrie Collins, known as The Collins Kids. And here they are doing their rockabilly thing on Rockaway Rock. Following the Collins Kids on this same clip, Joe is seen in yet another duet with Larry Collins, once again sharing that doubleneck Mosrite. And here's the Collins Kids with a decidedly sultrier number, Rock Boppin' Baby, and a rockabilly version of Blue Moon of Kentucky. And here's little Larry, all growed up and still plucking that double neck, sharing the stage with Deke Dickerson just last year, doing Hurricane.