Smells Like Pop

On more than one occasion during my foolish youth I recall saying, “I have very eclectic musical tastes. I listen to everything, except country of course.” That all changed for me this year. What happened, you ask? Short answer: I bought a ukulele. The long answer follows:

The Delmore Brothers delivered groove

Growing up in Los Angeles and San Francisco, I didn’t know anyone except an old uncle who listened to country music. It seemed like a quaint relic from the past. It wasn’t to be heard in the neighborhoods of suburban LA. It didn’t come up in later years in San Francisco either; country music simply wasn’t part of the landscape.

In retrospect, my objections were mostly cultural: country music was for red states and I lived in blue states. This point is still largely true. In fact my new-found appreciation for country music can be credited to the influence of a neighbor, who goes in for lots of Republican-candidate signs each election cycle.

Regardless of any preconceptions you may have, if you’ve never before given country music a chance, it’s time to give it a listen.

Rosalie Allen had her own radio show and mastered country yodel

My first bit of advice for a crash course in country-music appreciation is skip past the last 25 years of country music. I’m sure there were hundreds of great recordings made during these years, but you’ll have to find out about those recordings from someone else. I suggest you dig deeper beneath the surface, all the way down to the roots of country music. There’s a wonderful, rich history there that very nearly passed me by.

Give a listen to some of these great vintage country tracks:

• Rocky Top, Tennessee - A Tennessee anthem, this tune has been recorded by dozens of artists over the years. It’s a celebration of Appalachian bluegrass and simpler days gone by. I recommend the Osborne Brothers’ 1960′s-era Decca recording. The link here is video from a much more recent performance.
• The Delmore Brothers -  “Freight Train Boogie”
  Growing up in Alabama at the turn of the century, these guys came at country music with gospel harmonies and the fast picking style they heard in Appalachian folk music. This type of country music has a distinct jazzy groove to it.
  

  'Sons of the Pioneers' have a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

• J. E. Mainer and His Mountaineers – “Oh, Those Tombs”
  There’s an acceptance of tragedy in the lyrics of these early “hillbilly country” tunes. This stringband music emerged out of poverty and the expectation that life would be short and brutish. “Let your teardrops kiss the flowers on my grave”.
• O’Brother, Where Art Though (movie soundtrack)
  This T. Bone Burnett produced soundtrack is a goldmine of modern-day recordings of depression-era bluegrass, country, gospel, and folk standards. It joyfully explores the musical styles that influenced the early days of country.

Other Not-To-Be-Missed Country Treats:

• Chet Atkins – ‘Orange Blossom Special’
• Johhny Cash – ‘Get Rhythm’
• Rosalie Allen – Country yodel in ‘Wide Rolling Plains’
• Sons of the Pioneers – ‘Ghost Riders in the Sky’
• Hank Williams – ‘Honky Tonkin’
• Oak Ridge Boys – ‘Y’all Come Back Saloon’
• Statler Brothers – ‘Flowers on the Wall’
• Patsy Cline – ‘I Fall to Pieces’

By the way, you can skip Charlie Daniels completely. Although he wrote that cool “Devil Went Down to Georgia” song that you liked when you were younger, he’s best left for the red states to enjoy.