Ray Price Protest

Bobby Flores · Post by **Bobby Flores** » 20 Apr 2003 4:45 pm

Hey Guys & Gals,

You won't believe this (but then again, maybe you will), but apparently CMT has left Ray Price off of their "Top 40 Men in Country" list. To say this is outrageous is an understatement and I know you all would agree. That is just insane and extremely unappreciative, and ignorant, unfair and horribly misguided. What the heck are they doing up there? The EAGLES made the list!?!? And not Chief? Come On!!

Anyway, I am fit to be tied over it. I e-mailed them and let them have a little piece of my mind. For those of you that would like to join voicing your opinion regarding this matter, you can send your e-mail to: www.CMT.com and then click on "questions/comments" at the bottom of the page.

Many Thanks, Bobby

Fred Shannon · Post by **Fred Shannon** » 20 Apr 2003 4:59 pm

Bobby, my cut and paste...

"You stupid a$$holes wouldn't know a country singer from a French bordello...To leave The Chief, Ray Price, off the list of 40 greatest is pure idiocy and stupidy on your part. Now I know why I have quit listening to your garbage..Put Kid Rock on he's great."

FRED

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The spirit be with you!
If it aint got a steel, it aint real

Bobby Flores · Post by **Bobby Flores** » 20 Apr 2003 5:07 pm

Well said Fred! I couldn't agree more. I am really PO'd over this.

David Reeves · Post by **David Reeves** » 20 Apr 2003 5:30 pm

CMT and CMT online does not reflect the true country music fan. No... But that is not their intention. CMT is not about music, but rather about advertising and attracting you... the public to their website and their television station. The more people that visit their website, the more people that watch their television station, the more advertisers they attract. They could care less if you are pro or con but are jusrt interested in your participation to help them attract advertisers.
Its best to ignore, dont watch, dont go to their website and get as many people as possible to boycott them that way, they will fold.
God Bless Ray Price

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Stump Reeves

Buddie Hrabal · Post by **Buddie Hrabal** » 20 Apr 2003 6:57 pm

I left a message for the people at CMT and expressed my displeasure with their list of the top 40 and question who selects the list. It is interesting to look at the list and think of the Ray Price songs these people have recorded through the years. Truly the management of CMT must be in need of brain surgery. Ray will never be less than # 1 in my book.

Scott Jackson · Post by **Scott Jackson** » 20 Apr 2003 9:42 pm

Guys..I know.
People have forgotten what country music is..
Period...... Country music these days is called "Alternative country". My wife and I just had this discussion the other day. Faith,Tim,Jodee,rascal Flatts, Kenny Chesney............whatever..........it ain't country no more.............. What about Charlie Walker,Faron,Merle, George, The Louvin Brothers, Ray, Marty Robbins, Buck, Bill Anderson,Little Jimmy? I quit watching CMT a couple of years ago because I saw where it was going. And Ernest Tubb? Sorry, I'm rambling. I just get PO'd when our COUNTRY MUSIC is refered to as "alternative". My dad would turn over in his grave if someone said that the Posum was "alt country". He'd say "no, that's the real thing".
Just my 2 cents

Scott

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Carter Starter
Peavey 212 Chorus
Crate Vintage 50
Regal Dobro
Dad's old Mongrel Tele
G+L L1000 Bass
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Assorted effects,etc.
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"Crooked River Band"

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 21 Apr 2003 2:38 am

Look at the bright side..
at least Kenny's not on the list, Keith is not on the list..I'm not on the list..

Pretty comical, Toby but not Ray...

tp

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 21 Apr 2003 3:53 am

It would seem CMT are only looking at who they think is the TOP 40 NOW, not historically.
And also in relation to "TV music" not just music in general. That's THEIR bread and butter.

I have Ray's "Time" and it is a lovely album, but doesn't fit either the country charts or the trad. country charts. it seems quite dated (I hear ax's sharpinging),
but that isn't neccesarilly bad.
I like some music from 50 years ago, it too sounds dated, but no less great for the retro time frame.

Steel tryin · Post by **Steel tryin** » 21 Apr 2003 5:26 am

Bobby, My previous thread on this subject,
CMT/ New York City. Consider the source.

JB Arnold · Post by **JB Arnold** » 21 Apr 2003 6:01 am

As I've said before, no one is trying to be accurate with these top 40 lists. It's the top 40 of the target demographic, for whom "country" has only existed for the past 10 years. If they made a real top 40 list, they'd have to do countdowns of songs their listeners don't like.

you've got to remember something. Country is a niche genre, like jazz. Same with country rock. And I've said this before and gotten flamed but it's true-as a support group we stink. I don't know how many folks here complain that there's no great country rock groups out these days-where have they all gone? Well, The Brooklyn Cowboys and Poco BOTH have albums out that are getting pretty tepid response despite both being awfully good-maybe even better than ANYTHING from the heyday of the 70's. (particularly the Cowboys) It would surprise me if Ray's album is actually doing any better, and I'll bet half the folks who have it burned a copy from someone else. Not only are we small in number, but when it comes time to back up our talk with action, we're "All Hat No Cattle."

Country acts and Country Rock acts are disappearing because us hard core fans as a group don't support them. The solution to that lies in the mirror folks-not with CMT.

JB

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"All in all, looking back, I'd have to say the best advice anyone ever gave me was 'Hands Up, Don't Move!"
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[This message was edited by JB Arnold on 21 April 2003 at 07:04 AM.]

Bill Moran · Post by **Bill Moran** » 21 Apr 2003 7:47 am

Sent my e-mail to CMT. I made my point about
Ray not making the top 40 list. Hope all
true country music lovers will by-pass CMT
in the future. Better yet, by-pass the sponsers.
See ya at Bryans jam.
Bill

Janice Brooks · Post by **Janice Brooks** » 21 Apr 2003 8:23 am

Recomended reading
Heartaches By the Number the 500 best singles of country music
David Cantwell/Bill Fiske Warren

Their choices will bring many arguments but lists the common and rare singles dating back to 1925.

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Janice "Busgal" Brooks
ICQ 44729047

Joe Miraglia · Post by **Joe Miraglia** » 21 Apr 2003 8:49 am

Could it be that C.M.T. heard some of Ray's recordings,when he used a orchestra and didn't use a steel guitar. Thats not real coutry without that thing- Steel Peble Guitar ,looks like a Piano. We know what Country misic is and he is not country We are C.M.T. We know what we are doing. What do you steel players know,or what ever you call that thing

Joe

Bob Hayes · Post by **Bob Hayes** » 21 Apr 2003 6:42 pm

Here's another Reply..I already posted my feelings that CMT nixed "The Master" out of the top 20.. So here's my take..We have Country Music, New Country,Top Country,What's Happinin' Country,Alt Country,old country,Classic Country,Realy Old country,Country Rock,Rock Country,Blue grass Country,Grass Country,Blue Country, Country Blues,Country Blue Grass, Pop Country,Country Pop,Country Western,Western Country,Western Swing,Swingin' Country,Country Jazz,JazzCountry,Top POP Country AltBlue Swing,Modern Country,Ancient Country,Mountain Grass Country,Hillbilly Country, Workin' Man County,Cool Country,Not Cool Country,
AND The BIG ONE!!!!!!!!!M O N E Y Country!!!!!..So How can they come up with a list of the "Top Most Influential Country Artist of......'WHEN" and Where. ..And How can they be correct when there was SOOOO much influence ..by SOOO many artist...for such a long time...Starting maybe...before the Carter Family.....Who Knows..and who or what IS THE AUTHORITY...to determine and decide.!!!
Grouchyvet

Barbara Hennerman · Post by **Barbara Hennerman** » 22 Apr 2003 7:55 pm

THE DICK CLARK SCHOOL OF COUNTRY DOESN'T HAVE A CLUE.

Joe Miraglia · Post by **Joe Miraglia** » 23 Apr 2003 4:44 am

Bob, Sounds like there's a lot of country misic out there, you left out Steel country

. Barbara- Dick Clark didn't have a clue about Rock and Roll,just how to make money off the kids that sang the songs back in the 50's Joe[This message was edited by Joe Miraglia on 23 April 2003 at 05:47 AM.]

Bob Hayes · Post by **Bob Hayes** » 24 Apr 2003 4:01 pm

OOOPSS!!! Sorry Joe..My Mistake ..and this IS The STEEL guitar Forum. By The Way ..I maybee had mentioned anyhow..I was driving the other day and had a couple of old Harold LLoyd Jenkins tapes in..man ..That was country..and I believe most of the Fine steel was our Senior Member Mr. John Hughey. and another ......a little more up todate..with another ulestreous Formiter Mr JD Manass..and the Desert Rose Band ( WITH 2 FORMER ROCKER PIONEERS OF THE Byrds).It was good'n Up Country with some good agragements...But I know that THEY couldn't qualify.as they are looking at just single artist.

Larry King · Post by **Larry King** » 25 Apr 2003 4:09 am

To Joe Miraglia....you're kidding, right? Ray not country?Who do you credit with promoting the four four shuffles and giving me something to sing every week end? You're also kidding about the "orchestrated" period of his music, right?IFFF..you really are a devotee of country and don't like the strings, how come Night Life and Danny Boy, both products of that era, are some of the songs you and every other steel man are trying to copy/polish/learn/etc...JB, in part you're right. We've experienced this first hand by working in a family style restaurant, a clean atmosphere, making the locals fully aware of where we're at and what we do, and sometimes can't draw flies. My job is to make the cash register go ka-ching ka-ching...the Chixie Dicks are doing their job in spite of being disrespectful, as is Tim, Faith, and the others..it's all about ka-ching. If any of you New Yorkers want to hear the fine art, follow Bobby Flores around for about two weeks..if you still don't get it, you never will. Ray Price, my true Country music hero, can sing better at age 70 plus than anyone you can name..."Time" stands alone as a testament to this. And I'll tell you one other thing..I can recall two different occasions, one in Branson where I was on the stage with better musicians than me, but they couldn't "fill the floor" and got jealous because I could. What did they want to dance to? answer..Keys in the Mailbox...some of you younger fellas don't know how to read the crowd and play to the crowd..you spend all your time trying to impress me but the problem is, I didn't pay to get in.J.D.Sumner and Smitty Gatlin once told me.."sing to grandma, she's got the money and she paid to get in and has a stack of records to prove it".I've tried to think this thing through and the only solution I can think of is to separate from the money interests and establish a new entity for traditional country music and set up headquarters in Quihi, Texas..by gawd!!

Drew Howard · Post by **Drew Howard** » 25 Apr 2003 7:05 am

Who cares what CMT thinks? They're run by bean-counters, not fans or afficionados.

Drew

Tom Hodgin · Post by **Tom Hodgin** » 25 Apr 2003 5:33 pm

got my 2 cents into CMT...I saw about half of the show, thought I must have missed Ray...what a joke........tom

Neil Lang · Post by **Neil Lang** » 29 Apr 2003 3:20 am

THE PEOPLE AT CMT WHO JUDGE THESE GREATS NEED TO PAY ALOT MORE DUES, LIKE MANY OF THE TRULY GREATS THAT THEY SEEMED TO HAVE FORGOTTEN ABOUT!!!!!! MANY ON THEIR "LIST" HAVE JUST GOTTEN STARTED PAYING THEIR DUES!!!! BUT THEN AGAIN. ALL IS NOT FAIR IN LOVE, WAR & CMT! RIGHT!

Neil A. Lang

Joe Miraglia · Post by **Joe Miraglia** » 29 Apr 2003 8:49 am

Larry Yes,just kidding

. My point was how C.M.T. thinks not me I love country music and much more. Weatern New York is country and more. Joe P.S. Larry I'm 63 years old. About filling the dance floor,I do just that when we play Sleep Walk.[This message was edited by Joe Miraglia on 29 April 2003 at 09:58 AM.]