This discussion reminds me of how important 650 WSM radio out of Nashville is. It is available on AM radio, internet, and XM satellite radio.
Eddie Stubbs is on every weeknight until midnight playing classic country. He even plays actual records. I visited the studio a couple of times, and there are actually two turntables near the console. Sometimes, if he plays a song with a great steel or fiddle break in the middle, he will lift the needle and set it back down to play the solo again.
Stephen Winters
ZumSteel, Sho-Bud Pro1
Peavey Nashville 112
I think it's true.
You have to move forward or get left behind.
It's true in the work place, retail, business, modeling, acting, electronics every walk of life.
I don't have to move anywhere, forward or back.
I still buy CDs that I hear about on this forum, or on CKUA, a public funded radio, which is eclectic to the max. About the only thing they don't play is top forty country.
The only time I hear Paul Franklin now is when I play his Christmas CD, which is as good as it gets.
well, the history of country music is littered with it being taken over by the mainstream and then morphing back into itself with something added. that's my optimistic view. look at patsy clines hits. it's not all that country if you look at the majority of it. lots of strings and horns. ick. but obviously some good country stuff in there too. i guess if you were to try to get me to say when it REALLY started going downhill, i would have to say that the late sixties were the begining of the end because the record companies saw so many young people heading out of the country market and into rock. with that said i think you could blame it on jon denver. yes, jon denver. that he ever won country artist of the year is beyond me. and i even like some of his stuff. charlie rich added alot of pop stuff to his sound that didn't fair well when people tried to imitate it in country. the next nail in the coffin was "alabama" some good songs, for sure but that aint country. remember what happended at the same time as alabama? dwight yokum. now i think we would all have to give him hats off for bringing back the country sound that i think we're talking about here. but i digress. the next milestone in the sinking of country music occurred when garth brooks had already made a name for himself. i forget the name of the program but it was a cd tracking program shared by the record companies to better track individual sales. once that hit, i started to notice a drastic change in how the songs were being written or produced for different demographics instead of the same sound all through an album. that and achy breaky heart. it was the end for me. i said that if i had to play that song one more freakin time i was gonna stop playing. and i did. i just started again recently because i found some folks who want to play it old school. haven't listened to country radio since. it's alex jones and my ipod for me.....let's just keep our fingers crossed that there will be yet another resugence in the old sound that we love. it might happen yet.
please excuse the length of this but you got my irish up......
Don't forget the efforts of Ricky Skaggs, Randy Travis, and George Straight in the resurgence of traditional country years ago. I don't think that turnaround is going to happen again. Heck, these day, that we think of as traditional country music is being billed, to some extent, as "Alternative Country."
Rascal Flatts played the HSBC Arena here in Buffalo, NY last night. Here's an interesting review by Buffalo News music critic Jeff Miers. His observations fall in line with the topic as being discussed here...
There are a lot of new songs that I like (Lyric Wise).
Its the music and arrangement's that suck.
There is a definate difference in the sound of country Verse rock n roll.I know some of you get it.
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Honor our Vet's.
Now pass the gravy.
Connie Mack wrote: Charlie Rich added alot of pop stuff to his sound that didn't fair well when people tried to imitate it in country.
Yeah, but the pedal steel is a key component in the orchestration for 'Behind Closed Doors'. I can't imagine that song without steel.
Two of John Denver's biggest hits - 'Rocky Mountain High' and 'Take Me Home Country Roads' have steel.
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, steel guitar crossed over to the pop charts, with a variety of artists incorporating it into their sound. From the Carpenters to Led Zeppelin, there was still a lot of steel to be heard.
Lots of good points here. I was in a store last night, and a radio station was playing. I heard three songs, and I still didn't know whether it was a so-called country station or not.
Another point, and I've said this before--in the 60s, Buck Owens was considered the equivalent of hot, new country by traditionalists (like me).
Patty probably lost her record deal because she didn't sell enough records. She went Bluegrass and now Gospel. I wish her alot of success!
I just heard her hit "Sitting With Momma" on todays country radio. I must say it was refreshing! I love her singing along with many others LeAnn Womack, JoDee and Shania. These are a few we don't hear much anymore.
When we do hear these artist on the radio they become more precious to us. They remind us of what was.
radio sucks regardless of genre. (dont know about jazz or classical, maybe they're great?)
there are people making country music still but you wont hear it on the radio (nor see it on the tv). period. get used to that..it aint gona change anytime soon. in fact, expect it to get alot worse.
you wernt far off saying they'll get rbitney on there..I mean they already got Kid Rock..if thats country, you can kiss my *ss
David we may be doomed but i have enough records, tapes c.d.'s of good old country music that i plan on going out with a bang........ 
