Country_Music_Review_2.docx

3/29/11 10:14 PM DeFord Bailey Great harmonica player ? first musician heard on the Grand Ole Opry One of his most famous pieces ?Fox Hunt? First African American to become a regular on a country show One of the most famous performers on the show ? as people came to watch the show, they saw that he was AA 1941 ? fired from the GOO ? starting to see a lot of race movements; people are starting to worry about change ?Like many members of his race, he was lazy? Opry wanted to only play BMI because DeFord was registered with ASCAP ? Opry wanted him to play all new songs registered with BMI Post-Opry Shines shoes, occasionally plays Repeatedly refused shows ? ?When I was on the Opry, I made what they made ? I still deserve that because I was unjustly fired? He felt it would be demeaning to play for less than the top entertainers of that day ?Ice Water Blues? Near the end of his life, they toor his house down, so he had to live in public housing Corner of 12th and Edgehill ? historical marker about DeFord Finally inducted into the CMHoF The Ryman Auditorium Thomas Ryman built a church ? Union Gospel Tabernacle Home of the Grand Ole Opry "He Stopped Loving Her Today" George Jones Couldn?t get the speaking part down because of his drinking problem ? took months for them to piece together this part Rights his career, puts him back on top of the charts Hank Williams Probably ranks #1 in terms of importance to country music Phrasing of Ernest Tubb, Power of Roy Acuff, blues lover ? learned guitar by watching Rufus ?T. Tot? Payne ? ?took lessons? from him 100s of songs about him since he died Died Jan 1, 1953 in the back of a car @ 29 years old By the end of 1952 ? divorced Audrey, got a 2nd woman pregnant, married again, got fired from the Opry, had pain, drank, was on painkillers One of the first American superstars so much blues in his music ? Jimmie Rodgers; this is what made him palatable and powerful ?Lovesick Blues? ?I?m so lonesome I could cry? moving from crying in my beer kinda music to actual poetic stuff ?Your Cheatin? Heart? probably didn?t live to hear this on the radio Even though they were divorced, Audrey sorta took over after he died ? buried next to each other Hank only had a few years in the spotlight Country music still just a regional thing at this point Absolutely idolized in the South Honky-Tonk Lots of possible explanations for this term Aggressive sounding (pre- Rock ?n? Roll) Twangy Outlaw Movement Artists became more responsible for what the music sounds like Bobby Bare ? ?Lullabies, Legends, and Lies? was the first Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings followed soon after The famous designer who did a lot of the sparkly western outfits Nudie Cohn The Carter Family Sara ? singer; low, mournful voice A.P ? least musically talented, had business brains, song scavenger, ok singer, fiddled a little bit Maybelle ? guitar and autoharp ? developed a style called the ?Carter Scratch? ? basis for most acoustic guitar today; ?Mother Maybelle? ? mother of June Carter [Cash] Summer of ?27 ? just poor people living in Poor Valley, VA ?Bury Me Under the Wheeping Willow? recorded after a treacherous journey to Bristol all crowded around 1 mic ?The Wildwood Flower? song everybody is ?supposed to know? good example of ?Carter Scratch? lyrics don?t even make sense ? passed down lyrics from an old Vaudeville song Western swing new and different kind of music danceable kind of music larger bands involved mix of pop, jazz, blues Co-founded: Bob Wills and Milton Brown Bob Wills Lasted for generations and attracted multiple generations ?San Antonio Rose? Milton Brown ?White Crust Dough Boys? ? most popular string band in the SW died 1936 The Singing Cowboys Tex Ritter 3rd most influential of the singing cowboys (from the movies) born in TX 30s ? starred in Westerns; 40s ? signed with Capitol; 60s ? moved to Nashville ? became a founding member of Country Music Association ?Sam Hall? Gene Autry Loved Jimmie Rodgers Born in Tioga, TX; son of a horse trader Started singing at age 5 ?Oklahoma?s Yodeling Cowboy? Breakthrough in the 30s Focused on Western Image and Western Music Recorded over 600 songs ?Back in the Saddle Again? Recorded in ?39 Co-written with Ray Whitley Became his theme song for his national radio show Roy Rogers From Cincinnati, OH Co-founded ?Sons of the Pioneers? Significant western group Some of the best harmonies in Western ?Tumbling Tumbleweeds? can hear the cinematic scope; the idealized West Also successful as a solo act Moved to CA during the Great Depression Created a lot of singing groups Yodeled well Married Dale Evans ? formed famous duo ?Blue Shadows on the Trail? beautiful harmonies great whistle Patsy Montana Not many women successful in the country music world at this time Idolized Jimmie Rodgers, became a good yodeler Also a song writer ?I want to be a Cowboy?s Sweetheart? Recorded Aug 1935 Empowering because of the way that it showed female strength Reba McEntire influenced by her Elton Britt ?There?s a Star-Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere? different view on war ? recorded early 40s crippled kid in the song wants to fight, be a hero Ernest Tubb Idolized Jimmie Rodgers Was a wonderful yodeler Had to have a tonsillectomy ? it was botched and drastically altered his voice People can sing along without being too intimidated because he don?t sing so great Worked on a style and sound Created a song to cut through the clutter and clamor of the bars where their music was played by introducing the electric guitar to country music ?Texas Troubadours? band ?Walking the Floor Over You? Augmented the money he was making with his record shop Hosted the ?Midnight Jamboree? after the opry Toured until he could not tour anymore ? great with the fans Volatile temper, carried a gun, bad to drink Minnie Pearl Helped the Opry stay popular through comedy Grew up in Centerville, TN ? was both rich and poor Motherly figure at the Opry ? gave advice to younger performers Woody Guthrie ?God Bless America? Revered the Carter family ? took their melody and used his own words ?This Land is Your Land? Answers the false optimism of ?God Bless America? Big impact on Bob Dylan (Robert Zimmerman) Consulted on the ?Grapes of Wrath? movie ?Song to Woody? ? by Dylan for Guthrie Roy Acuff ?King of Country Music? started with Crazy Tennesseans, then went on to the Smoky Mountain Boys who played with him on the GOO It was a different kind of showmanship ? you would do comedy, entertainment ?Wabash Cannonball? Most famous Opry singer Helped the Opry evolve Very captivating solo artist Brought it from faceless string bands and instrumental bands to famous solo performers GOO started to be televised for a half hour on NBC ? Roy always the star of this ?The Great Speckled Bird? used a traditional melody about the church of God ? represented by the bird could hardly get off the Opry each night without singing this As good a businessman as he was a performer ? if someone?s offering him $2,000 for a song, it must be worth more than that Began pulishing songbooks (with wife, Mildred) and selling them ? primarily over WSM By mid-1942, amassed $25K in publishing Started Acuff-Rose with Fred Rose ? snatched up a lot of songs because they were the first to do this in country Acuff-Rose licensed everything through BMI ? who allowed anyone to join and paid for live or recorded performances Eck Robertson First country music musician to be recorded (Victor Talking Machine Company) ? in NYC with his fiddle case Tired out quickly ? recorded ?Sallie Gooden? the next day Basis for bluegrass fiddle playing Not a hit in its era Doesn?t know when to stop ? awkward end Review first study guide 3/29/11 10:14 PM 3/29/11 10:14 PM