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Topic: Accents, phony or exaggerated |
Gary C. Dygert
From:
Frankfort, NY, USA
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Posted 27 Dec 2007 11:59 am |
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This topic may have been discussed before, although my search didn't yield anything relevant. The current crop of country singers seem to have ridiculously exaggerated or downright fake accents that detract from the songs. Hank Sr., Ernest Tubb, Kitty Wells and performers up through the Buck & George years all had accents, but these people were never caricatures of themselves.
I think this is part of the proud-to-be-simple-redneck shtick that has turned many singers into cartoons. Comments? |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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John Steele (deceased)
From:
Renfrew, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 27 Dec 2007 1:42 pm
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It has it's purpose. If it wasn't for the fake twang, you couldn't tell if you were on the New Country radio station or the Bad Rock radio station.
-John |
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Charles Davidson
From:
Phenix City Alabama, USA
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Posted 27 Dec 2007 2:03 pm
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Gary and Doug,Right on,I hate phoniness,Sometimes when I'm watching a movie or tv show and an actor is trying to use a southern accent I just shake my head,Almost as bad as if I was trying to speak like someone from New England or the Midwest,or Houma La.That what I love about Loretta Lynn,That old girl has made millions,sold millions of records,been all over the globe,and has never lost her Appalachian roots,DYKBC.
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Hard headed, opinionated old geezer. BAMA CHARLIE. GOD BLESS AMERICA. ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST. SUPPORT LIVE MUSIC ! |
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Bo Borland
From:
South Jersey -
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Posted 27 Dec 2007 2:08 pm
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That's been pet peeve of mine for a while. I worked gigs a few years back with a good singer from southern Delaware. He went to Gnashville to record some tunes with a great group of session pickers, Ray Flacke was on lead guitar. This was back when Randy Travis was cutting hits and producer was obviously going for an exagerated southern accent. Now you should realize that southern Delaware is very rural, agricultural, and red neck to the core and many residents have real southern style accents....Lenny D did not and couldn't fake one, so the producer had his whistle his esses like Gabby Hayes. The session came out great but the vocals were so strange sounding that LD had a hard time doing the tunes live.
I guess todays' winner of exagerated drawl is the gal from Sugarland... I appreciate that she can sing her tail off ..but I turn her off when it comes on the radio.. especially that "shirt that smells like me" tune. or is it a "smells like MR. T"
_________________
Bo Borland
Rittenberry SD10 , Derby D-10, Quilter TT12, Peavey Session 400 w/ JBL, NV112, Fender Blues Jr. , 1974 Dobro 60N squareneck, Rickenbacher NS lapsteel, 1973 Telecaster Thinline, 1979 blonde/black Frankenstrat
Currently picking with
Mason Dixon Band masondixonband.net |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 27 Dec 2007 3:31 pm
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I don't listen to the "new country" but does Keith Urban try to speak "southern"?  |
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Kevin Hatton
From:
Buffalo, N.Y.
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Posted 27 Dec 2007 4:21 pm
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| John, you hit the nail on the head with that one. Top 40 Pop country= Phoney accents and bad suburban rock. |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 27 Dec 2007 5:37 pm
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| Bo Borland wrote: |
| I guess todays' winner of exagerated drawl is the gal from Sugarland... I appreciate that she can sing her tail off ..but I turn her off when it comes on the radio.. especially that "shirt that smells like me" tune. or is it a "smells like MR. T" |
I have a buddy of mine who plays guitar in that group. From what I understand, that girl was some kind of a rock singer and did not have that accent thing when she started with the band. Funny what a few hits will do for your accent.
I always thought Garth Brooks was pretty goofy sounding accent wise also when he came out. |
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Jody Sanders
From:
Magnolia,Texas, R.I.P.
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Posted 27 Dec 2007 7:47 pm
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| What Doug said. Jody. |
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Mike Winter
From:
Portland, OR
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Posted 27 Dec 2007 9:20 pm
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That's one reason I can't listen to the boy band (trio) Rascal Flatts, and especially that girl from Sugarland for more than a nanosecond...drives me frickin' nuts  |
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Andy Greatrix
From:
Edmonton Alberta
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Posted 27 Dec 2007 11:30 pm
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| Music is like painting. You can paint a masterpiece or paint a house. All I hear out of Nashville these days are house painters, and all the houses are painted the same color. |
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Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
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Posted 28 Dec 2007 12:45 am
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I get annoying drunk dumbasses yelling Yee Ha and talking to me in fake southern accents because I happen to be playing a steel guitar. I'm in freakin brooklyn for chissakes ! I've been on the road with singers from NJ who got more twang in there voice the farther south we went. The band refused to sit with that idiot in restaurants after a while because we couldn't stand his "southern" conversations with the waitress. It was pretty funny though when one waitress in South Carolina came over to our table and mentioned how it was unfortunate about our friends speech impediment.
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Bob |
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Andy Greatrix
From:
Edmonton Alberta
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Posted 28 Dec 2007 1:11 am
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We have a lot of country singers with phoney accents here in Canada, as well. It's like they feel as if nobody would like them if they sounded Canadian.
Interestingly enough, two of the most succesful singers than all of them put together (Anne Murrey and Shania Twain) don't have phoney accents. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Louis Vallee
From:
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Posted 28 Dec 2007 2:10 am
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I agree with you Andy.
_________________
Louis
'08 Magnum D-10 8&5 * Hilton VP * Lemay MK-1 * Peavey NV 1000 * Rick Johnson Cabs * Walker Seat.
Last edited by Louis Vallee on 28 Dec 2007 4:21 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Gene Jones
From:
Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)
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Posted 28 Dec 2007 4:05 am
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I've been told that my accent is a mixture of "Chester Goode" and "Festus Hagin".....but, it's authentic!  |
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David Doggett
From:
Bawl'mer, MD (formerly of MS, Nawluns, Gnashville, Knocksville, Lost Angeles, Bahsten. and Philly)
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Posted 28 Dec 2007 7:19 am
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I knew guys from Mississippi back in the '60s who went to England for a summer during the British invasion and came back with British accents that they kept for years. What a crock.  |
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Dick Wood
From:
Springtown Texas, USA
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Posted 28 Dec 2007 7:27 am
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| Penny Gilley wears me smooth after just a few seconds. |
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David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
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Posted 28 Dec 2007 8:06 am
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| We're doomed. |
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Jeff Garden
From:
Center Sandwich, New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 28 Dec 2007 8:24 am
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Couldn't agree with you more about Sugarland, Bo. I've actually said out loud to the radio "is that really the way you talk?" when I've heard their songs come on. I've met lots of folks from Texas over the years and they sure don't talk like that.
Sort of like that phony Texas or is that a "Southern" Connecticut good ol boy accent in the White House.... |
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Ron Sodos
From:
San Antonio, Texas USA
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Posted 28 Dec 2007 3:15 pm
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Here i thought i was the only one that Sugarland was F.O.S. I hate the way she sings so much that if i hear her i have to listen to something else right away or her obnoxious voice will run through my mind all day.
I don't think we are doomed because of guys like Bobby Flores and Jody Nix and all the others that still play good music. Also I would like to say it doesn't necessarly mean i only listen to country music. I have a wide variety of tastes in music. I just like honest music not the garbage created by the big labels for the sake of making millions. |
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Leslie Ehrlich
From:
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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Posted 28 Dec 2007 4:02 pm
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I've heard a lot of old country singers, and I can't think of any that sang with a Southern drawl. Even Hank Williams didn't drawl like today's singers do.
Nowadays, or at least since John Anderson and Randy Travis, the Southern drawl seems to be an essential component of country vocals, especially among male vocalists. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Bob Carlucci
From:
Candor, New York, USA
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Posted 28 Dec 2007 4:41 pm
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GLAD to see this post.. I was going to post about this exact topic but got beat to it..It seems todays ""country"" music is trying to PROVE its "real" country by drowning out the pop rock guitars and glitzy pop grooves with phony, cornball,pathetic and downright moronic bogus drawls..
My southern friends sound like they are from the south, you can hear the regional accent but they call a car a car.. not core..
tires are not tars...
guitars are not git-ars...
lake is not a loik
.. etc etc.. excuse me while I wretch... bob |
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Larry Strawn
From:
Golden Valley, Arizona, R.I.P.
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Posted 28 Dec 2007 6:45 pm
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I've been gone from Ok. long enough I thought I'd lost any accent I had, but folks still ask me where I'm from.
Now if you want to hear accent, talk to my kids who still live there on the phone. I can hardly understand them, but it's honest!
Larry
_________________
Carter SD/10, 4&5 Hilton Pedal, Peavey Sessions 400, Peavey Renown 400, Home Grown Eff/Rack
"ROCKIN COUNTRY" |
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That's funny, Bob. I have worked with singers from New England... born and raised here... who suddenly acquire a southern drawl when they step up to a microphone. One singer I knew managed to get Tennessee license plates for his car, while living in Massachusetts, and he would make monthly trips to Nashville, and put on a fake accent when he got there. That is so sick. It didn't work.