Actors, Pop Stars find a "home" in Country
It's nothing new.
Country Music has been a destination for entertainers from all corners of the entertainment industry for decades. Former Steelers Quarterback Terry Bradshaw, Maureen McCormick (aka Marcia Brady on 'The Brady Bunch'), John Corbett ('Sex in the City'), even Beverly Mitchell from '7th Heaven' is trying her hand at it.
They've all searched out a change of scenery from tinsel-town on Music Row.
And it's not just actors and athletes. Plenty of music stars from other genres have tried to make their mark in Nashville.
Country historians Chet Flippo and Bob Oermann will likely wince at this next statement, but I will go out on a limb and state that Ray Charles was the most successful in making that leap.
Since then, and long before, dozens of artists have jumped their gravy train for a tumble into Country. In the early 1900's a gentleman by the name of Vernon Dalhart carved a niche in what would become Country Music by blending acoustic banjo, mandolin and 'mountain' sounds into his songs. Some historians call him the first Pop-Country Star.
Flash forward to the new millennium - Numerous rockers including Jon Bon Jovi and Bret Michaels have followed Vernon's lead.
Richard Marx and Kenny Loggins have dabbled in the creative crockpot of Nashville. So have have a slew of singer-songwriters- Jewel, Michelle Branch, Bruce Springsteen. There's a long list of others.
Why did - and do - these artists feel the need to branch out to Nashville?
The answer is simple.
Nashville reveals musical stories. Stories reveal life. Life reveals stories. Stories reveal life.....the cycle continues.
Pop and Country songwriter Gary Burr recently told me that "Nashville is the safe bunker in the Atomic War of the music industry".
He's right.
Nashville is the last place in the United States where musical minds - from any genre - can come and feel safe in their pursuit to tell musical stories, together.
Music is the ultimate storyteller.
The story comes first in Nashville.
Hits and Hooks are plentiful in other music towns but Nashville is the storytellers city.
In recent years, Nashville record label executives have chased the hip-hop beats and 'catchy' pop sounds in an effort to expand Country's audience. This, just as more and more pop and rock artists are flocking to Music City in an effort to regain their storytelling roots.
Nashville and Pop/Rock Music......two ships passing in the night.
I hope someone sends up a signal flare soon. If not, Country will continue to become more pop/rock and pop/rock will be the new Country.
Instead of chasing the "hot" sounds, Music Row execs need to remember the gold in their vault.
Other genres are coming to Nashville to absorb the musical magic that created it.
If Nashville continues to chase L.A. and New York's sounds.....what do we have?
Remember 'Field of Dreams'?
"If you build it, they will come."
Country's forefathers built it and guess what? ...They came.
Decades later, they're still coming!
What happens when there's nothing here?
Comments
I think one should look back to Country's past to best examine this question. 25 years ago - The Eagles and Gordon Lightfoot may have been considered pop or rock, but now they fit in on country radio better then current country artists even do! John Mellencamp is another of these artists who's songs are genuinely country, falling often on the Americana or Folk-Rock side of things. Both being subgenres of country.
The truth is the aforementioned artists are MORE country then a lot of so called "country" artists currently on radio. Rascal Flatts and Faith Hill are perhaps the furthest thing from country music as it gets. That they're even classified as such is baffling.
Meanwhile the genre has 3 deeply artistic and satisfying sub-genres in Folk-Rock, Americana and Texas Country that have still yet to be truly tapped. There is no reason Cross Canadian Ragweed shouldn't be played on Top40 Country radio.........or even the band Eels.
There will be many who will give the cliched "country is something different to everyone" but this is a gross misjudgement. A genre of music is such due to the instruments, song styling and historical evolution that brought it to be. Understanding this, we can better know what to expect from the future of country music.
Posted by: Taylor | February 16, 2007 09:48 AM
Storme:
One of the main problems is radio.Too much of the pop/country is being played on so called Country stations,thus causing alot of the pop/country movement,and too many of the pop stars are trying to be country because they see alot(not all,but alot)of the so called country stations play this kind of music,and they(the pop stars) figure they can get radio airplay on country radio,and have more success.
If radio would play more of the real country stars,we might not be having all this happen.Just my opnion.
GREG
Posted by: Greg | February 23, 2007 09:32 AM