Bluegrass Fans are Country Fans??...

[Mando Bondage]

Hi Everyone,

I was just wondering,...are those fans of Bluegrass (on this forum), Country Music fans as well, or "not so much"? Having always been aware of Bluegrass, but recently starting to listen more intently,(due to the Mandolin, of course!), I have always held more interest in Rock, Blues, Rockabilly, and OLD Traditional Country. I am now developing a true appreciation for Bluegrass and even some tinges of Old Time music as well. So,...are there Bluegrass fans who are NOT fans of Country Music, (Traditional OR Contemporary)??

[Markus]

Not a fan of any country music from after I was born [1970], and only coming to be a fan of old, classic country as I age.

I'll never be the fan of old country the way I love bluegrass [or Bob Wills, or the Carter Family songbook].

Quite a lot gets to be how you define old country ... a wide category or just Opry-focused.

[almeriastrings]

Not so much. Can certainly listen to (and appreciate) the old Merle Haggard, George Jones (what a voice!), Buck Owens (love Don Rich's tele sounds!), etc., but the current stuff leaves me stone cold. Yuk.

Actually... make that double-yuk.

[Mando Bondage]

I consider OLD Traditional Country to be artists such as Hank SR., OLD Merle H, Lefty, Johnny Cash, George Jones, Buck Owens and the Bakersfield Sound, etc., and "current" artists like Dwight Yoakam, Dale Watson, even Alan Jackson.....just to clarify a bit

[Fretbear]

"Contemporary Country?"
By that you would mean God-awful moronic commercial pop music dumbed down for the barely-literate masses?
It makes actual "Hillbilly" music sound high-brow.

[Isaac Revard]

Trad country is alright, cant not like Merle Haggard. As for the rest of "contemporary country" I don't think they hold a candle to Chris Thile, Edgar Meyer or my dearest Aoife..etc. I'd rather listen to NPR discuss Herman Cain's sexual harassment accusations than tune into Sugar Land on the radio...

As far as the blues go...check out Rich Delgrosso or Yank Rachell...you can play the blues on the mando come to find out...

[AKmusic]

I enjoy country music that is straight up acoustic - no drums.

Otherwise I can tolerate listening to some of it, but it wouldn't be my first choice.

[swampstomper]

I think many bluegrass fans are in my camp: we appreciate honest country music -- songs that tell real stories about real people, from the heart -- even if they are composed for commercial success. Dolly Parton (who toured with the Grascals and has cut two very good bluegrass albums, not to mention the very early Muleskinner Blues) comes to mind among current artists. Her old partner Porter Wagoner RIP (who hired Mac Magaha away from Reno and Smiley). Of course sincere singers like Hank Williams (Sr.) and Hank Snow. Bob Wills. Merle Haggard especially in his heartfelt tributes to Jimmy Rodgers and Bob Wills. And there is a pretty thin line between bluegrass and country -- to my mind (and maybe theirs) Osborne Brothers and Jim & Jesse are much more country music stars of the Grand Ole Opry than bluegrass musicians as such.

[greg_tsam]

As Cousin Ricky likes to say, "Country Rocks but Bluegrass Rules!"

[JeffD]

If I chimed in you would think I was just going with the flow, but the fact is I independantly agree with everyone's post.

Todays country music is not to my taste. 90s country music, though better, is not as good as 80s, which is not as good as 70s...

The kind of country music I like best is the country music from which bluegrass evolved. One way of looking at it I suppose, is that bluegrass captured and preserved what was valuable and good about country music, and left the rest to slowly decay.

There are plenty of exceptions, and I don't like all bluegrass any more than I dislike all modern country, but as a general overarching trend drawn with a small set of crayons, I think I am right.

[MikeEdgerton]

I grew up on old country, it was all that was played in our house when I was growing up. I enjoy bluegrass, I enjoy the new country music. I guess I'm just low class and all but there are very few music genres that I don't like.

[sunburst]

I think that what I don't like is what the music industry has done to popular music. The stuff on commercial radio stations has more to do with the "music business" than with music, IMHO, YMMV, ETC,.

[Mandolin Mick]

Not interested in any modern Country other than possibly Patty Loveless. In trad Country I find Johnny Cash interesting and the occasional instrumentalist like Roy Clark or Glen Campbell. I was raised on people like Sinatra and Tom Jones, and my early musical background was Classic Rock and Classical so I never acquired a taste for it. I don't associate Bluegrass with Country though I know they have the same roots.

[barney 59]

Much of the old country music for sure but even back in the day a lot of what was promoted and aired on radio was trash. It's only in hindsight and years of filtering do we think it was better then. Today there are a great many talented and interesting "country" musicians. I Like Ryan Bingham,Mark Paisley, Marty Stuart for example. Country has leaned more towards Rock and Roll of late. So much so that much of it is more rock and roll than what is being produced as rock and roll. I have to admit that I am not in high pursuit of country music and I would guess that hardcore country fans might know about other good or great country musicians that basically are under my radar. Pretty much a condition that might exist to the casual listener of bluegrass. Commercial interests wreck it, it seems, every time. The cream will eventually come to the surface --we hope.

[Mandolin Mick]

When I hear modern country it sounds like rock with Southern voices and the occasional pedal steel or dobro thrown in to give some kind of Country "feel" to it.

[Jeff Budz]

I'm a sucker for pedal steel guitar, and like that country swing style. Classic country is fine with me, although I haven't studied it like I have other generas. Love those Willie Nelson recordings.

Not such a fan of modern country, but occasionally there are some catchy tunes on the radio. But it's not my thing just like modern rock isn't my thing.

[Barry Wilson]

I am a rock, jazz fusion horn section kinda guy. I never really liked country cry in your beer stuff. Since getting a mandolin and looking for mando music I have grown to really enjoy the technical nature of bluegrass, and it's fast bouncy music...

[Elliot Luber]

There's some real talent playing country music today, but often it's hidden behind a commercial veneer.

[Willie Poole]

If you have a satallite dish or a cable server that offers the RFD -TV channel tune in a nd listen to "Country`s Family Get togethers every Sat night at 11PM....They bring in the original country artist, not all of them but a lot of them, and they sing the old standards live, Jimmy Dickens, Roy Clark, Jim Ed Brown, Jean Shephard and a whole lot more, it is hosted by Bill Anderson and I rally enjoy watching it myself....When I was coming up the music was called "Hillbilly" music and had a mixture of country and bluegrass, there wasn`t all that many bluegrass bands though, Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, Jim and Jesse, Reno and Smiley, Hilo Brown, The Stanley Bros., Stoneman Family just to name a few...

I listen to as much of Haggard, Jones, Porter Wagoner as I can, love them all....Nothing like them now days

[barney 59]

When I hear modern country it sounds like rock with Southern voices and the occasional pedal steel or dobro thrown in to give some kind of Country "feel" to it.

Didn't Rock always have country voices? Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, --places like Cleveland would like to claim it but the music came from the South which is pretty much where most all the American music got it's start. Country,Blues, Jazz, Rock and Roll ---Bluegrass. When you really think about it early rock and country music and Southern Blues of that period were pretty closely related. It's not that much of a stretch to think that they can do it again or that it ever did really change.

[jmalmsteen]

I love bluegrass but only like a few country songs. Cash is an exception since I love his music. I like some classic country but I dislike most modern pop like country music.

[mandobassman]

I can't tolerate much of today's country music. It's basically what pop/rock was from 20 years ago with a fiddle, pedal steel and some twangy voice thrown in. I actually played in a top 40 country band in the mid 80's and didn't really like much of it back then. I love the country style from the 50's and 60's. I also play upright bass and love to play that stuff on bass.

[jschall84]

I love country music, but I hate pop. I can't think of one band you would here on country radio that I would not call pop...

[Ivan Kelsall]

Firstly,i've always thought that Bluegrass music WAS Country music & what you're refering to is the current version of what used to be named 'Country & Western'. By 'Country' i mean a music that originated with 'rural dwelling folk',not urbanites.But i take your distinction on board & for me, what you term Country music died along with Hank Williams. After Hank's death the whole thing went to h**l (IMHO),with more interest being given to appearance than music. Maybe the only 'Country' singer that i've liked,mainly for his voice & some of the songs he's sung which i like,is Don Williams, & on the female side of things,Nanci Griffith & Iris Dement,again for their wonderful voices & songs.Very likely i'm overlooking some fine singers,but for me Bluegrass surely rules !!,
Ivan

[MikeEdgerton]

...By 'Country' i mean a music that originated with 'rural dwelling folk',not urbanites.... on the female side of things,Nanci Griffith & Iris Dement...

I happen to like them both as well and I'm sure Iris was influenced greatly by her childhood in rural Orange County, California.