"I also like a lot of country rock oriented acts like, ALlman Brothers, Skynyrd, New Riders, Little River Band, NItty Gritty DIrt Band, Outlaws, Diamond Rio, and many others."
Country Rock? Really Mapman, you've got to be kidding. It is obvious you are not from the South, there is nothing "country" about the Allman Bros., Skynyrd, The Outlaws, Southern Rock and Blues all the way, or at least to their fans that generally abhor country, or so they say, or for that matter Little River Band. As a fan of all those groups less the Outlaws who I saw in concert in the mid 70's and had some country elements. Nitty Gritty's "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" IS country with a list of serious country artists including Bill Monroe and the Carter Family, can't get more grass roots that that. New Ryders have country elements as well but Little River Band? They're Australian how can they be country? I'm thinking but can't recall a tune that would give me a clue but they were an eclectic mix of musicians so it must be there somewhere:)
How about Marshall Tucker, Flying Burrito Brothers, Charlie Daniels, Buffalo Springfield, Poco and early Eagles in the Country Rock genre? |
I've always dug the country/bluegrass side of the genre by artists like Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Douglas, Allison Krause & Union Station. A few years ago I heard Vince Gill on Eric Clapton's 1st(?) Crossroads Festival DVD. Always thought he was just another country rocker but when I saw the DVD I shook my head sayin' "DAYUM, this boy can PLAY!". Since than he's made a few records but one absolutely stands out; 'These Days'. Released in 2006, it's a reasonably priced 4-disc set, each disc embracing a different TYPE of country music. Acoustic Bluegrass, Rockin' Country, Traditional Country & Western, and a kind-of ballads disc. Tellyawhat, this is a great record for someone that doesn't own much country music, it's an excellent dissertation on the genre. Amazing musicianship, impeccably recorded, great tunes, and guest musicians of the highest caliber. This should be considered one of the great country recordings, it is in my book! |
I hear a lot of country flavor in the music of the Allmans and Skynyrd. Even pre-country folk/bluegrass sounds. Something about the use of the major pentatonic scale, IMO, which is used heavily by the 70's Southern rock groups.
Just my two cents' worth. |
Not a huge fan of the genre, but for whatever reason, I REALLY like Dwight Yoakam. Except for a couple of minor releases, I've got every cd or lp he's issued. When George Jones died I was listening to NPR's coverage of his life and it piqued my curiosity. I bought a couple of his mid-career classics and I have to admit, he was a really, really good singer. The three or four Chet Atkins releases I own are also good. IMO, the Americana/country school of Lyle Lovett, Steve Earle, etc. is a hybrid too far removed to be called "country" in the classic sense of the term. |
Tostadosunidos the 5 note pentatonic scale is quite prevalent in music and not limited to country, blues and folk. Surely these groups being from the South were influenced directly or not from country music but what I find remarkable is that they seem so removed from the genre to the extent they are considering the fact they were likely surrounded by it in their youth. Their influences to my ears seem primarily blues based with a Southern rock twist which is unique. I suppose one could get some Country elements out of the music but I have never picked up on it personally. But having lived in the South as long as I have I just don't equate, particularly Skynard or the Allman Bros. to a country variation of rock but more a rock variation of blues, at least the Allman Bros, less so Skynard maybe. |
Rosanne cash's cover of 500 miles off the list cd just played. Lovely! |
Tubegroover,
I'm well aware of the use of the pentatonic scale worldwide. I was talking about rock music more or less.
I find the Allmans to have some country in their sound, esp. on "Lord I was Born a Rambling Man" and "Little Martha."
And "Sweet Home Alabama," Skynyrd's signature tune--you don't hear country in that? I sure do. I'm from East Texas originally and played some country music growing up (and since). |
"And "Sweet Home Alabama," Skynyrd's signature tune--you don't hear country in that?"
I lived in Alabama for four years. Folks down there hear country in that song. Guarandamnteed!
"Southern Rock" in general tends to have a lot of country influences scattered around. Its country flavored pop/rock in a sense.
Of course country and rock both have extensive similar roots in blues and the like as well. |
This week's top ten country hits:
10 "I hate every bone in her body but mine"
9 "I ain't never gone to bed with an ugly women but I woke up with a few"
8 "If the phone don't ring you'll know it's me"
7 "I've missed you but my aims improvin"
6 "You broke my heart so I broke your arm"
5 "I'm so miserable without you It's like you're still here"
4 "My wife ran off with my best friend and I miss him"
3 "She took my fing and gave me the finger"
2 "She's lookin' better with every beer"
1 "It's hard to miss the lips at night that chewed me out all day" |
Tostado correctly points out that the pentatonic MAJOR scale is often associated with country music while pentatonic minor (sometimes the hexatonic minor with the added flattened fifth) is a blues scale. I also agree that a lot of the well known Southern rock leads visit the pentatonic major scale at some point.
To be fair, rock n roll music was originally characterized by many as "the bastard child of country and blues" because the highest profile players (see Chuck Berry) moved fluidly from the pentatonic minor scale to the pentatonic major and back. So, what some may hear as country influences, others may hear as '50s rock n roll.
TO MY EAR (tho I'm not about to argue with anyone who disagrees) one of the characteristics that makes Southern rock a distinctive genre is that it seemed to re-introduce the pentatonic major BACK into hard rock, which - over the course of the '60's had seemed to generally migrate further and further towards blues style leads at the expense of country influences.
So, I personally hear a lot of country in the Southern rock genre as a whole. YMMV. |
Martykl,
I think you nailed that.
In a bluesier realm, a list of guys who use a good dose of major pent/major blues along with a lot of minor pent/minor blues would include T-Bone Walker, B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn. It sets them apart from the guys who seem to use the minor counterpart almost exclusively. |
No question that there was a community of Blues players in the 1950s who popularized the idea, BB King probably being the most influential. Interestingly, you can hear even earlier examples here and there.
One of the really great, relatively obscure players who pioneered that style was Carl Hogan of the Louis Jordan Big Band. Check out the intro lick to "Ain't That Just Like a Woman" from IIRC the late 1940's. If it sounds familiar, it's probably because Chuck Berry "borrowed" it for (arguably) the most famous bit of rock n roll guitar ever, the intro to "Johnny B Good" |
Didn't Ray Charles do a lot back then to help popularize and cast a different light on country music? His "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music" album specifically? That is a quite excellent recording, one of my favorites. |
I am just curious as to whether anyone likes country music? I do like some country songs (especially those that lean more towards pop). A BIG hell NO to the country pop that starting in the late 70's with "Rhinestone Cowboy." A BIG hell YEAH to Outlaw Country A HUGE hell YEAH to Insurgent Country a.k.a Alternative Country or Americana |
