Country Legends: Patsy Cline

During her short packed life Patsy Cline became one of the most influential, successful and acclaimed female vocalists of the 20^th century.

Best known for her rich tone and emotionally expressive bold contralto voice, Patsy has been cited as an inspiration by many vocalists of various music genres. Her life and career has been the subject of numerous books, movies, documentaries, articles and stage plays.

With hits like ‘Walking After Midnight’, ‘I Fall to Pieces’, ‘She’s Got You’, ‘Sweet Dreams’ and ‘Crazy’ Patsy Cline became one of the first successful ‘crossover’ singers, reaching the country music charts and mainstream pop charts at the same time.

Perhaps her most famous hit is ‘Crazy’, a song written by Willie Nelson, and one that Patsy didn’t particularly like at first. She found the recording of the song very difficult to do in the style that Willie Nelson used in the demo, and couldn’t reach the high notes due to the injured ribs she’d received in a serious car crash that nearly killed her. The next day she came back to the studio and sang it again in her own style in one take and the rest, as they say, is history.

Tragically Patsy Cline was killed in a light plane crash in March 1963 while on her way home from a concert in Kansas City. Since her death she has been given numerous awards, which have given her an iconic status with fans similar to that of legends Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley.

Ten years after her death, she became the first female solo artist inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

One of the most listened to country music albums of all time, ‘Patsy Cline’s Greatest Hits’ has sold over 10 million copies worldwide since its 1967 release. That same year, the album was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for staying on the music charts the longest of any female artist of any music genre in history.

To look for Patsy Cline’s music just go to the search box on the right and enter her name or go to www.countrysongscountrysingers.com and search there too.

Country Legends: George Jones

George Jones has made as many headlines off stage as he has on stage, but in the 50 years or more since he began singing George has lived up to the billing of ‘The Greatest Living Country Singer of All Time’.

George Jones is much more than a consummate country singer. He is the model from which any true country artist must be made. He is the result of a life filled with heartaches, hard living and hard loving. His wild lifestyle led to Jones missing so many performances he earned the nickname "No Show Jones."

With all the drinking and drug taking during the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s his relationships also took a heavy toll. Once famously married to another country legend Tammy Wynette, this too ended in divorce although they did perform a number of duets together in later years.

Georges wedding to Nancy Sepulvado in 1983 was to eventually lead to his recovery, but not until a near fatal car crash in 1999 caused him to realize his heavy drink and drugs lifestyle would kill him. With Nancy’s help he has stayed sober ever since.

With more than 150 hits during his career, both as a solo artist and in duets with other singers, and with over 60 albums to his name, George Jones is truly part of country music’s history. Throughout his career, George has never forgotten his country roots, even with the more popular ‘country’ sounds we hear now from today's artists.

His greatest hit ‘He Stopped Loving Her Today’ (1980) was very nearly not recorded at all as George thought it too morbid and was convinced that nobody would buy it. The song has subsequently been nominated as one of the greatest country songs ever written. So what does he know then eh?!

To find George Jones songs and albums just put George Jones in the search box to the right or go to www.countrysongscountrysingers.com  go on I dare you!

Western Swing Music

Western Swing music is understood to have originated in the west and south of America in and around the 1920’s. It is also believed to be a mixture of rural, cowboy, polka, folk, blues and Dixieland jazz all merged with a little bit of swing!

Western Swing (which later became the ‘western’ part of country & western) was up tempo dance music very popular in Texas, Oklahoma and California during the 1930’s and 1940’s, and although it became known as ‘Texas swing’, ‘Novelty Hot Dance’ and ‘Western Dance Music’, the term ‘Western Swing’ was adopted by most people.

The first professional band known to use Western Swing was Light Crust Doughboys, formed in the early 1930’s by Bob Wills and Milton Brown. Bob Dunn, then playing with Milton Brown’s ‘Musical Brownies’ electrified an acoustic guitar (the first known time this had been done) and by doing so gave the music a very distinctive sound.

A US government ‘Night Club Tax’, which imposed a tax of 30% on public dance halls (later reduced to 20%) was introduced in 1944 which all but banned public dancing, effectively sealing the fate of Western Swing music, and it gradually declined in popularity for a number of years.

Like a lot of early country genres, Western Swing was to have a profound influence in creating other styles too such as rockabilly and rock and roll. One of the most famous early rock and roll artists was Bill Haley and His Comets, but in 1948 his band was actually known as Bill Haley and The 4Aces of Western Swing.

Although not as popular following the Night Club Tax debacle, Western Swing was still played at many country events, and artists such as Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Asleep at the Wheel turned Austin, Texas into a major centre for Western Swing music in the 1970’s, which still continues.    

 To search out Western Swing music or any other style that you like just visit www.countrysongscountrysingers.com or click on the link to the right.

Traditional Country

Up until the 1940’s ‘country’ music was mostly confined to old time mountain music derived from many strains of folk passed down through immigrants from UK, Europe and Africa. As new generations came along they began changing the styles of the music played, and started to blend and merge the different sounds into a style we now call ‘Traditional Country’.

When we talk of Traditional Country we think of the stars of the day such as Bill Anderson, Don Williams, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Porter Wagoner and Roy Clark to name just a few.

With their huge following and the Grand Ole Oprey flourishing in Nashville, country music had never been so popular. Up and coming country artists became household names but along with the fame and fortune it was inevitable that not far behind would stalk tragedy too.

Early country/country-rock artist Buddy Holly (who began his recording career in Nashville), along with Richie Valens and JP Richardson (Big Bopper) met an untimely death in a light plane crash in ’59 and it was only by chance (he gave his seat to Richardson) that future country star Waylon Jennings wasn’t on the aircraft.

In 1963 Patsy Cline, who was among the biggest names in country music at the time, also became a victim of a light plane crash along with other Oprey stars of the day Hawkshaw Hawkins and Cowboy Copas. As a measure of her status in country circles, Patsy Cline’s music is still selling today nearly 50 years after her tragic death.

As early country sounds were being established, and the music industry as well as artists themselves were looking to ‘pigeonhole’ the different styles to give them names, a lot of country acts performed in two or three ‘styles’, such as honky tonk, hillbilly, traditional or the Nashville Sound until they found a style they were comfortable with.  

Perhaps one of the best known solo performers of all time, Elvis Presley, began his musical days singing country. Known as the ‘Hillbilly Cat’ Elvis regularly sang on the radio program ‘Louisiana Hayride’ before his rock and roll career took off.

To boost their singing careers many of the more traditional country artists started to record ‘commercial’ or ‘crossover’ songs in an attempt to join the mainstream ‘pop’ world, with varying degrees of success. Tammy Wynette had a huge hit with 'Stand By Your Man' and Loretta Lynn managed it with ‘Coalminers Daughter’. Dolly Parton has had several ‘crossover’ hits such as ‘Jolene’, ‘Here You Come Again’ and ‘9 – 5’, but it was a difficult thing to do for a lot of singers.

To search for all your favourite country stars from Loretta Lynn to Lady Antebellum just go to www.countrysongscountrysingers.com or click on the panel to the right.

Country Rock

Country-Rock was arguably one of the most influential genres in country music.

Not so much for the music it produced within the style itself, though that was impressive enough, but more for the influence it had over a wide range of different styles, bands and individuals throughout the music industry.

Since the mid 1950’s when the Nashville Sound became all the rage changing country music forever, artists and bands had messed about with various styles, trying to recreate a country ‘feel’ they felt had almost disappeared.

In the late 60’s and early 70’s many rock groups started dabbling with their own country roots and came up with a sound almost more country than country. This new fusion of rock and country became known as country-rock and yet another genre of country music was born.

Early users of this new style in any serious capacity were Bob Dylan, The Byrds and The Eagles although both The Beatles ‘Baby in Black’ (1964) and The Rolling Stones ‘High and Dry’ (1966) had flirted with it and had achieved a great sound.

As more rock bands began to experiment, they started to include more country themes, vocal styles and instruments normally associated with country bands, most notably the use of pedal steel guitars.

The first true country-rock album is believed to be ‘Safe at Home’ by the International Submarine Band in 1968, although the finest and most influential album is probably The Byrds ‘Sweetheart of the Rodeo’ also released in 1968.

It’s no coincidence that the legendary Gram Parsons was involved with both ‘Safe at Home’ and ‘Sweetheart of the Rodeo’, being associated with both bands before going off to form The Flying Burrito Brothers.

Country-Rock’s greatest significance has been it’s influence on other artists, with many having released recordings with a definite ‘country’ feel ranging from The Rolling Stones to Elvis Costello’s  ‘Almost Blue’ in 1981.

For all the hits from country-rock stars just go to my Classic Country Music Store at www.countrysongscountrysingers.com  and put the names in the search box.

Contemporary or 'New' Country

Following the Urban Cowboy era of the 80’s (see below), country music took another turn towards ‘crossover’ with the emergence of contemporary or ‘new’ country in the mid to late 90’s.

The main protagonist of this move was Garth Brooks, who up until this time had been considered more of a traditionalist country artist. So successful was he at the time that when he decided to ‘go pop’ he took a lot of the country scene with him.

Garth Brooks

This ‘new’ country sound he produced was so different that it was considered closer to rock/pop than traditional country.

Seeing the success Garth Brooks was having with this new style, many established country artists, as well as newcomers, decided to do the same. Getting into the mainstream pop charts became a ‘must do’ for many, but it did seem to a lot of diehards to be at the expense of the loyal country music listening audience.

Other artists who had great success using this formula during this period were Brooks & Dunn, Faith Hill, Shania Twain, Trisha Yearwood (the future Mrs Brooks), Rascal Flatts and Taylor Swift.

To search for any artist in any genre just click on the search box in my store, or go to www.countrysongscountrysingers.com  and browse – it’ll be worth it!