Country & Western have fused with different genres quite successfully to create new popular genres. We will look at Country Blues and Country Rock.
Country Blues
Crossroads in Music (p. 225) explains that “the use of country instrumentation and country-style lyrics” combined with blues music “led to the term ‘country blues.’”
An example of an artist performing in this style is Stevie Ray Vaughan. Crossroads in Music (p. 225) mentions that Vaughan “developed a guitar performance style that was a unique blend of blues, jazz, rock, and country, a blend that audiences found to be very exciting. The Rolling Stone Magazine listed Stevie Ray Vaughan #7 in their list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Stevie Ray Vaughan is another guitarist that died young – he was killed in a helicopter crash.
Listen to “Texas Flood” below:
Country Rock / Southern Rock
Country Rock is a blend of rock ‘n roll, country music, and some blues elements. It is also sometimes referred to as “Southern Rock.” One example of Southern Rock would be Creedence Clearwater Revival. Here is “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”
Listen to Kid Rock’s “All Summer Long.” Kid Rock, who has won five Grammy awards, performs in different genres which include hip-hop, heavy metal, rock, blues rock, as well as country music. He is known as a "crossover" artist. “Crossover” is a term used to describe music or artists that is difficult to define, as one can label them within more than one genre. How would you label "All Summer Long"?
Another “crossover” artist is Sheryl Crow. She mixes Rock, Country-styles, and pop. One of her most famous songs is “If It Makes You Happy.”
Listen to this beautiful duet “Picture” by Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow. This song is clearly influenced by Country & Western, and, as is typical of the genre, it tells a story.
An important feature of country rock (which influenced how typical rock music is written as well) is the verse-chorus form. "In this form, each statement of the chorus (also called "refrain") repeats the same words, but each statement of the verse (also called "stanza") has different words. Most often these verses are used to tell a story or to provide additional information about a topic" (Crossroads in Music, p. 217).
Showing posts with label Country. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Country. Show all posts
Country & Western Christian Music (and CCM)
Through Old-Time music, we have already established that Country & Western music has a folk song connection, and is similar to the blues. Also like blues that have a close relationship to religious music (spirituals and Gospel music), so too Country & Western have always had a strong connection with religious music. It is probable that while the religious foundation for the blues was the spirituals (an African lineage), for Country Music it was hymns (a European lineage).
Below are examples of religious Country & Western music.
Let’s start with a bluegrass performance by Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, aka The Foggy Mountain Boys. The name for the “Soggy Bottom Boys”, the fictional bluegrass band in the movie “O Brother Where Art Thou” to whom we listened to before may have been inspired by the Foggy Mountain Boys. We will listen to them perform “When the Saints Go Marching In.” We have heard this song before in most of the genres we have discussed so far; by now you should recognize that it is quite a successful meme.
One of my favorite bluegrass gospel songs is by Alison Krauss and the Union Station. Listen to it here.
Jim Reeves, the professional baseball player turned singer, is one of the most noted singers of Christian music in the Country & Western style. Below is another story-song, “The Farmer and the Lord”:
Here is another song performed by Jim Reeves. Take note of the orchestration: the fiddle to give the melody, a piano for harmony, and a guitar for rhythm.
There are many noteworthy Country & Western Christian songs that have stood the test of time. One such a song is “One Day at a Time, Sweet Jesus.” It was originally written by Marijohn Wilken and Kris Kristofferson (both well established singer/songwriters). Kris Kristofferson also wrote the song “Me and Bobby McGhee,” one of Janis Joplin’s most famous covers. The song “One Day at a Time, Sweet Jesus” was written in 1974 and was covered by hundreds of artists. We will listen to one of the most famous renditions, by Cristy Lane.
When I think of Country Music one of the first faces that come to mind is Dolly Parton. She has been in the music industry for almost 50 years and is known as the "Queen of Country Music." One of her most famous songs is "I will Always Love You," covered by many artists, including Whitney Houston. Here is Dolly Parton singing another memorable Country & Western Gospel song “There is Power in the Blood.” Note the leader-chorus feature in this song. This should remind you of the Gospel music we have covered before. (Listen to Mahalia Jackson singing “There is Power in the Blood” in the Gospel style)
The interaction between Gospel music and Country & Western Christian music is a strong one, with artists borrowing songs and adapting it to their respective genres.
Country & Western Christian music's success is an undeniable element in the development of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). CCM refers to pop-music (in different genres) that focus on Christian themes. An example of a CCM-ensemble in the Country & Western style is the Gaither Vocal Band (which you heard before when we discussed “Harmony”). Listen to them perform one of their most successful songs, “Alpha and Omega.” The song doesn’t sound much like any of the Country & Western music we have heard so far. What Country & Western elements can you identify in the song? Apart from Country & Western music, what other genres do you think influenced this song?
Below are examples of religious Country & Western music.
Let’s start with a bluegrass performance by Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, aka The Foggy Mountain Boys. The name for the “Soggy Bottom Boys”, the fictional bluegrass band in the movie “O Brother Where Art Thou” to whom we listened to before may have been inspired by the Foggy Mountain Boys. We will listen to them perform “When the Saints Go Marching In.” We have heard this song before in most of the genres we have discussed so far; by now you should recognize that it is quite a successful meme.
One of my favorite bluegrass gospel songs is by Alison Krauss and the Union Station. Listen to it here.
Jim Reeves, the professional baseball player turned singer, is one of the most noted singers of Christian music in the Country & Western style. Below is another story-song, “The Farmer and the Lord”:
Here is another song performed by Jim Reeves. Take note of the orchestration: the fiddle to give the melody, a piano for harmony, and a guitar for rhythm.
There are many noteworthy Country & Western Christian songs that have stood the test of time. One such a song is “One Day at a Time, Sweet Jesus.” It was originally written by Marijohn Wilken and Kris Kristofferson (both well established singer/songwriters). Kris Kristofferson also wrote the song “Me and Bobby McGhee,” one of Janis Joplin’s most famous covers. The song “One Day at a Time, Sweet Jesus” was written in 1974 and was covered by hundreds of artists. We will listen to one of the most famous renditions, by Cristy Lane.
When I think of Country Music one of the first faces that come to mind is Dolly Parton. She has been in the music industry for almost 50 years and is known as the "Queen of Country Music." One of her most famous songs is "I will Always Love You," covered by many artists, including Whitney Houston. Here is Dolly Parton singing another memorable Country & Western Gospel song “There is Power in the Blood.” Note the leader-chorus feature in this song. This should remind you of the Gospel music we have covered before. (Listen to Mahalia Jackson singing “There is Power in the Blood” in the Gospel style)
The interaction between Gospel music and Country & Western Christian music is a strong one, with artists borrowing songs and adapting it to their respective genres.
Country & Western Christian music's success is an undeniable element in the development of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). CCM refers to pop-music (in different genres) that focus on Christian themes. An example of a CCM-ensemble in the Country & Western style is the Gaither Vocal Band (which you heard before when we discussed “Harmony”). Listen to them perform one of their most successful songs, “Alpha and Omega.” The song doesn’t sound much like any of the Country & Western music we have heard so far. What Country & Western elements can you identify in the song? Apart from Country & Western music, what other genres do you think influenced this song?
Country Music: Hillbilly, Bluegrass, Cowboy, and Country
Another original American music genre, like spirituals, blues, Rhythm and Blues, and Jazz, is Country Music. And like these other genres, Country Music also contributed a lot to Rock music. In fact, it is probably the heavy emphasis on the guitar as the instrument of choice that influenced the use of the guitar in Rock and Roll, and later Rock music.
Hillbilly / Old-Time Music
In a previous lesson we learned that Elvis Presley’s style was partially based on a type of “hillbilly music.” This type of music (also known as “old-time music”) is a form of North American folk music, which “grew out of the folk ballads of the British Isles” (Crossroads in Music, p. 213), i.e. England, Scotland, and Ireland. In other words, Hillbilly music is a type of folk music. The main instruments used in Hillbilly music are stringed instruments like the guitar, banjo, and fiddle. Traditionally the fiddle functioned as the main melodic instrument. Hillbilly music includes songs with a high rhythmic density, usually used for dancing, as well as songs with slower tempos, usually ballads.
Below is an example of a hillbilly song called “Big Eyed Rabbit” by Samantha Bumgarner and Eve Davis. Notice in this song that the orchestration stays the same, basically a fiddle and banjo playing the same melody and harmony repeatedly.
Bluegrass
While bluegrass developed out of the Old-Time folk music, it is not considered folk music.
In the late 1930s and 1940s, the musician Bill Munroe and his band the Blue Grass Boys started to experiment with different orchestration and settled on the fiddle, guitar, mandolin, five-string banjo, and string bass. Listen to an example by Bill Munroe called “Southern Flavour.”
You’ll notice that in this orchestration, unlike in Old-Time Music (Hillbilly Music), the focus shifts from one instrument to another. First the mandolin played the lead, then the fiddle, the focus shifts back to the mandolin, next the acoustic guitar takes the lead, the focus returns once more to the mandolin, and finally all the instruments increases in dynamics, to play equally loudly. Bluegrass music has this in common with jazz music: the focus is shared by different instruments to play the main melody and improvising around it.
This style of music, inspired by Bill Munroe and his Blue Grass Boys, became known as bluegrass music. Crossroads in Music (p. 216) describe the vocals in bluegrass as follows: “The vocals usually take the form of solos or duets. In the duets, the harmony part is higher than the melody. Bluegrass tunes are also distinctive in that their tempo tends to be rather fast.” Also typical of bluegrass vocals are the high pitched singing, with men usually singing tenor and woman soprano.
A famous bluegrass song is “Man of Constant Sorrow”. The song has folksong roots and dates back to at least the early 1900s. Listen to it performed as part of the soundtrack of the movie O Brother Where Art Thou?, featuring George Clooney. The lead vocalist is Dan Tyminski of The Union Station. While listening to the song, identify the different instruments that play the melody during the interludes.
The spirituals focused exclusively on religious themes; while bluegrass music may also mention religious themes, it is not exclusively religious. Although the song “Man of Constant Sorrow” refers to heaven (“God’s golden shore”), it is not strictly a religious song.
Cowboy Music & Country Music
These days cowboy music refers to the more traditional country music, specifically as it developed in America’s “Wild West,” particularly the “South,” i.e. Texas. It is also known as “Western Music,” and was originally the songs that were composed and sung by the cowboys (and cowgirls). For this reason, a main theme in Country / Western music is the life of the cowboy.
(You can listen to traditional “cowboy music” here.)
Below is the famous story of “Little Joe, the Wrangler”:
This sad song is typical of Country and Western music. Crossroads in Music (p. 213) mentions a Newsweek article that notes a direct relationship between radio time devoted to country music and suicide rate.
Country Songs are Story Songs
A very important feature of both Western and Country Music is that they always tell a story. Sometimes the story is spoken, rather than sung. Listen to Johnny Cash tell the story of “A Boy Named Sue”:
Another famous story-song is “The Gambler” by Kenny Rogers. In this song the act of playing cards (Poker) wisely, becomes an analogy for living life wisely.
Probably one of the most famous story-songs in the Bluegrass tradition is Charlie Daniels’ “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” – listen first to the version by Charlie Daniels himself, and then to the rendition by funk-metal band Primus.
For more reading on country music, visit Tom Zarecki’s page about country music history.
Hillbilly / Old-Time Music
In a previous lesson we learned that Elvis Presley’s style was partially based on a type of “hillbilly music.” This type of music (also known as “old-time music”) is a form of North American folk music, which “grew out of the folk ballads of the British Isles” (Crossroads in Music, p. 213), i.e. England, Scotland, and Ireland. In other words, Hillbilly music is a type of folk music. The main instruments used in Hillbilly music are stringed instruments like the guitar, banjo, and fiddle. Traditionally the fiddle functioned as the main melodic instrument. Hillbilly music includes songs with a high rhythmic density, usually used for dancing, as well as songs with slower tempos, usually ballads.
Below is an example of a hillbilly song called “Big Eyed Rabbit” by Samantha Bumgarner and Eve Davis. Notice in this song that the orchestration stays the same, basically a fiddle and banjo playing the same melody and harmony repeatedly.
Bluegrass
While bluegrass developed out of the Old-Time folk music, it is not considered folk music.
In the late 1930s and 1940s, the musician Bill Munroe and his band the Blue Grass Boys started to experiment with different orchestration and settled on the fiddle, guitar, mandolin, five-string banjo, and string bass. Listen to an example by Bill Munroe called “Southern Flavour.”
You’ll notice that in this orchestration, unlike in Old-Time Music (Hillbilly Music), the focus shifts from one instrument to another. First the mandolin played the lead, then the fiddle, the focus shifts back to the mandolin, next the acoustic guitar takes the lead, the focus returns once more to the mandolin, and finally all the instruments increases in dynamics, to play equally loudly. Bluegrass music has this in common with jazz music: the focus is shared by different instruments to play the main melody and improvising around it.
This style of music, inspired by Bill Munroe and his Blue Grass Boys, became known as bluegrass music. Crossroads in Music (p. 216) describe the vocals in bluegrass as follows: “The vocals usually take the form of solos or duets. In the duets, the harmony part is higher than the melody. Bluegrass tunes are also distinctive in that their tempo tends to be rather fast.” Also typical of bluegrass vocals are the high pitched singing, with men usually singing tenor and woman soprano.
A famous bluegrass song is “Man of Constant Sorrow”. The song has folksong roots and dates back to at least the early 1900s. Listen to it performed as part of the soundtrack of the movie O Brother Where Art Thou?, featuring George Clooney. The lead vocalist is Dan Tyminski of The Union Station. While listening to the song, identify the different instruments that play the melody during the interludes.
The spirituals focused exclusively on religious themes; while bluegrass music may also mention religious themes, it is not exclusively religious. Although the song “Man of Constant Sorrow” refers to heaven (“God’s golden shore”), it is not strictly a religious song.
Cowboy Music & Country Music
These days cowboy music refers to the more traditional country music, specifically as it developed in America’s “Wild West,” particularly the “South,” i.e. Texas. It is also known as “Western Music,” and was originally the songs that were composed and sung by the cowboys (and cowgirls). For this reason, a main theme in Country / Western music is the life of the cowboy.
(You can listen to traditional “cowboy music” here.)
Below is the famous story of “Little Joe, the Wrangler”:
This sad song is typical of Country and Western music. Crossroads in Music (p. 213) mentions a Newsweek article that notes a direct relationship between radio time devoted to country music and suicide rate.
Country Songs are Story Songs
A very important feature of both Western and Country Music is that they always tell a story. Sometimes the story is spoken, rather than sung. Listen to Johnny Cash tell the story of “A Boy Named Sue”:
Another famous story-song is “The Gambler” by Kenny Rogers. In this song the act of playing cards (Poker) wisely, becomes an analogy for living life wisely.
Probably one of the most famous story-songs in the Bluegrass tradition is Charlie Daniels’ “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” – listen first to the version by Charlie Daniels himself, and then to the rendition by funk-metal band Primus.
For more reading on country music, visit Tom Zarecki’s page about country music history.
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