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| GESCHIEDENIS - De Geschiedenis van Country Music - Engelse versie |
The History of Country Music |
Although musicians had been recording
fiddle tunes (known as Old Time Music at that time) in the southern Appalachians
for several years, It wasn't until August 1, 1927 in Bristol, Tennessee, that
Country Music really began. There, on that day, Ralph Peer signed Jimmie Rodgers
and the Carter Family to recording contracts for Victor Records. These two
recording acts set the tone for those to follow - Rodgers with his unique
singing style and the Carters with their extensive recordings of old-time music.
Jimmie Rodgers
Known as the "Father of Country Music," James Charles. Rodgers was
born in Meridian, Mississippi on September 8, 1897. Always in ill health, he
became a railroad hand, until ill health caught up with him and he was forced to
seek a less strenuous occupation. An amateur entertainer for many years, he
became a serious performer in 1925, appearing in Johnson City, Tennessee and
other places. In 1926, Rodgers and Carrie, his wife of 6 years, moved to
Asheville, North Carolina, and organized the Jimmie Rodgers' Entertainers, a
hillbilly band comprising Jack Pierce (guitar), Jack Grant (mandolin/banjo),
Claude Grant (banjo), and Rogers himself (banjo).
Upon hearing that Ralph Peer of Victor Records was setting up a portable
recording studio in Bristol, on the Virginia-Tennessee border, the Entertainers
headed in that direction. But due to a dispute within their ranks, Rodgers
eventually recorded as a solo artist, selecting a sentimental ballad, "The
Soldier's Sweetheart," and a lullaby, "Sleep, Baby, Sleep," as
his first offerings. The record met with instant acclaim, thus causing Victor to
record further Rodgers' sides throughout 1927, including the first in a set of
13, Blue Yodel # (T for Texas.
Rodgers, who died in 1933, never appeared on any major radio show or even played
the Grand Ole Opry during his lifetime. But he, Fred Rose, and Hank Williams
were the first persons to be elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961,
which is indicative of his importance in the history of Country Music.
The Carter Family
One of the most influential groups in country music was The Carter Family (A.P.,
Sara, cousin Maybelle, and others). The Carters first recorded for Ralph Peer
for Victor on August 1, 1927--the same day that Jimmie Rodgers cut his first
sides--completing six titles, including "Single Girl, Married Girl,"
at a makeshift studio in Bristol, Tennessee, known as the Bristol Barn Sessions.
Sara and A.P. obtained a divorce during 1936, but continued.
The songs of Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and
the Sons of the Pioneers put the Western in Country and Western Music. Much of
this music was written for and brought to the American public through the cowboy
films of the 30's and 40's and was widely popular.
Roy Rogers
Known as the "King of the Cowboys," and a major western movie
star between 1938 and 1953, Roy Rogers started out as Leonard Slye in
Cincinnati, Ohio in 1911. Influenced by his father, who played mandolin and
guitar, Rogers began playing at local functions during the 1920s. After stints
with such groups as the Rocky Mountaineers and the Hollywood Hillbillies, he
formed his own band, the International Cowboys. Later -- with the aid of Tim
Spencer and Bob Nolan -- he firmed the Sons of the Pioneers. Though this outfit
established a considerable reputation, Rogers set his sights higher and began
playing bit parts in films, first under the name of Dick Weston, and then
assuming his guise as Roy Rogers, eventually wining a starring role in
"Under Western Skies," a 1938 production.
With the horse Trigger and frequent female partner, Dale Evans (whom he married
in 1947), and occasional help from such people as the Sons of the Pioneers and
Spade Cooley, Rogers became Gene Autry's only real rival, starring in over 100
movies and heading his own TV show in the mid-1950s. Rogers was a recording
artist with RCA-Victor for many years. He later recorded for Capitol, Word and
20th Century. Even in 1980, then signed to MCA, Rogers was still charting. He
and the Sons of the Pioneers teamed up once more for "Ride Concrete Cowboy,
Ride," a song stemming from the movie "Smokey and the Bandit II."
Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1988, three years later he was
back in the country charts with "Hold On Partner," a duet with Clint
Black form Rogers' "Tribute" album. This classic album had the 80
year-old cowboy duetting with such current stars as Lorrie Morgan, Kathy Mattea,
Ricky van Shelton, Randy Travis, Restless Heart, and the Kentucky HeadHunters.
The part-owner of a chain of restaurants, a theme park, and his own world wide
web site (www.royrogers.com),
Rogers is estimated to be worth over 100 milion dollars.
Gene Autry
Orvon Gene Autry, the most succesful of all singing cowboys to break into movies
was born in Tioga, Texas, September 29, 1907. Taught to play guitar by his
mother Elnora, Gene joined the Fields Brothers Marvelous Medicine Show while
still in high school, but after graduation in 1925 became a railroad telegrapher
with the Frisco Railway in Sapulpar, Oklahoma. Encouraged by Will Rogers
following a chance meeting. Autry took a job on Radio KVOO, Tulsa, in 1930,
billing himself as "Oklahoma's Singing Cowboy," and singing much in
the style of Jimmie Rodgers.
Next came a movie to Hollywood where following a performance in a Ken Maynard
western "In Old Santa Fe," he was asked to star in a serial "The
Phantom Empire." Thereafter, Autry appeared in innumerable B movies,
usually with his horse, Champion. His list of his record during the '30s and
'40s -- he was easily the most popular singer of the time -- is awesome,
including "Yellow Rose of Texas" (1933), "Tumbling
Tumbleweeds" (1935), "Mexicali Rose" (1936), "Back In The
Saddle Again" (1939).
Sons of the Pioneers
Originally a guitarist/vocals trio when formed by Roy Rogers, Bob Nolan and Tim
Spencer in 1934 as the Pioneer Trio, the name changed to Sons of the Pioneers in
deference to the American Indian heritage of members Karl and Hugh Farr. The
Sons did extensive radio work during the '30s and recorded for Decca, Columbia
and RCA. Films also figured large for them and they appeared in many of those
featuring Rogers. Sons of the Pioneers recorded many of the songs associated
with this style of music, "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" and "Cool
Water," the latter of which is found in this exhibit.
Perhaps no other style of country music
has had a greater influence on today's artists than the style known as Honky
Tonk. Honky Tonk music embodied the spirit of dancing and drinking, and of
loving and then losing the one you love. It's greatest practitioners owe their
singing style to Jimmie Rodgers and much of the music to the steel guitar and
drums of Bob Wills and Western Swing.
Hank Williams
One of the most charismatic and enduring figures in country music -- his Opry
performance of June 11, 1949, when his audience required him to reprise
"Lovesick Blues" several times, is still considered the Ryman's
greatest moment -- Hank was born Hiram King Williams in Georgiana, Alabama on
September 17, 1923. Barely a teenager, he won $15 singing "WPA Blues"
at a Montgomery amatuer contest, then formed a band, the Drifting Cowboy's,
which played on station WSFA, Montgomery, for over a decade. Switching form
Sterling Records in 1946 to the newly formed MGM label in 1947, Williams was
booked as a regular on KWKH's Lousiana Hayride. After having scored with his
recording of "Lovesick Blues," he signed a contract with the Grand Ole
Opry in 1949.
Ernest Tubb
Born in Crisp, Texas in 1914, Ernest Dale Tubb was the sixth member to be
elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame and a regular member of the Opry from
1943 to the time of his death. Tubb's boyhood hero was the great Jimmie Rodgers.
Although he had dreams of emulating Rodgers and sang at various local
get-togethers during his early teens, Tubb was almost 20 before he owned his
first guitar.
Lefty Frizzell
Acquiring the nickname 'Lefty' after disposing of several opponents with his
left hand during an unsuccesful attept to become a Golden Gloves boxing
champion, the Corsicana, Texas-born (1928) singer-songwriter-guitarist began as
William Orville Frizzell.
The Nashville Sound is a blend of pop and
country that developed during the 1950s. The music in this era was an
outcropping of the big band jazz and swing of the '30s, '40s and early '50s,
combined with the storytelling of honky-tonkers.
Jim Reeves
Originally a stone country singers, smooth-toned Jim Reeves from Texas reached
amazing heights as a pop balladeer and since his death in an air crash his fame
has burgeoned into cult proportions. Born in 1923 in Galloway, Panola County,
Texas.
The February, 1957 release of "Four Walls" proved the real turning
point in Reeves' career. In 1959, Reeves recorded his all-time greatest hit,
"He'll Have to Go." The theme was familiar enough. Some years earlier
it might have been called a honky-tonk song.
Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline (real name Virginia Patterson Hensley) was born in Winchester,
Virginia, on September 8, 1932. Winner of an amateur tap-dancing contest at the
age of four, she began learning piano at eight and in her early teens became a
singer at local clubs. In 1948, an audition won her a trip to Nashville, where
she appeared in a few clubs before returning home -- but her big break came in
1957 when she won an Arthur Godfrey Talent Scout Show, singing "Walking
After Midnight".
A country crooner with a smooth, very commercial voice, Arnold has probably sold
more records than any other C&W artist, with few exceptions. Born in
Henderson, Tennessee, in 1918, Arnold first learned guitar from his father -- an
old time fiddler -- teaching him guitar at the age of ten.
The Streets of Laredo, as well as "Bouquet of Roses,"
"Anytime," "Just a Little Lovin' Will Go a Long, Long Way"
(1948), "I Wanna Play House With You" (1951), and "Cattle
Call" (1955), while many others sold nearly as many.
The late 1960s and 1970s saw the
resurgence of a more traditional country sound. The Nashville sound, by 1970,
was well-worn, and had merged into the pre-British Revolution pop culture in
many areas. Aside from the "outlaws" profiled below, new artist such
as Charley Pride ("Kiss an Angel Good Morning") and Conway Twitty
("Hello Darlin") emerged to break the mold of the Nashville Sound.
Southern Country Rockers such as The Outlaws, The Marshall Tucker Band, David
Allan Coe, The Charlie Daniels Band, and others took country to a new, higher
level. Without a doubt, though, it was the outlaws who defined this era in
country music.
Willie Nelson
Born in Abbot, Texas, on April 30, 1933, Willie Nelson was raised by his
grandparents after his own parents has separated. Willie reconciled hip and
redneck musical and helped lead a new explosion of interest in country music,
teaming up with Waylon Jennings to top the country charts with "Good
Hearted Woman" in 1976, and to be featured on country's first certified
platinum album, the "Wanted: The Outlaws" compilation. Nelson recorded
his most popular (and arguably his best) album in 1978 with Jennings, Leon
Russell, and Ray Price entitled "Stardust," a collection of Tin Pan
Alley standards.
Johnny Cash
Winner of six CMA awards in 1969, John R. Cash was born in Kingsland, Arkansas,
February 26, 1932, son of a poverty-stricken cotton farmer. In 1935, the Cash
family moved to the government resettlement Dyess Colony, surviving the
Mississippi river flood of 1937, an event documented in a 1959 Cash song,
"Five Feet High and Rising." After graduating from high school, Cash
spent some time in the Air Force, taught himself how to play guitar and wrote
his first songs.
Waylon was born in Littlefield, Texas, and influenced heavily by the sound of
WSM and the Grand Ole Opry, with Ernest Tubb, Gene Autry, and Jimmie Rodgers.
After quitting high school to pursue music, Waylon found himself in Lubbock at
radio station KLLL as a popular DJ. known for his side-splitting ad-libs. It was
here where Jennings cemented his friendship with Buddy Holly. Songs like
"Amanda" (1974), "Rainy Day Woman" (1974), and "Luckenbach,
Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)" (1977). A live album recorded in Texas
yielded a wild Jimmie Rodgers re-interpretation, "T for Texas," (with
a Memphis beat but no yodel).
Merle Haggard
Country's most charismatic living legend, Merle Haggard. While in prison, Merle
did some picking and songwriting, and was in San Quentin when Johnny Cash
performed one of his prison concerts in 1958. When he left jail in 1960, he was
determined to try and make a go of performing. He moved to Bakersfield, then a
growing country music center. Helped initially by Buck Owens, and his former
wife Bonnie (whom Haggard eventually married).
The most infamous era in country music
was in the early '80s. The Urban Cowboy movement led country music away from its
roots. Country's move toward pop culture was popularized by John Travolta's
"Urban Cowboy," and spurred on Dolly Parton's movie 9 to 5 and
the title song, which you can find here.
John Conlee
Although most of the songs and artists coming from Nashville were forgettable,
some artist did produce excellent music. One of country biggest cross-over stars
was John Conlee, undoubtedly the singer with the saddest voice in country music.
Born and raised on a Kentucky tobacco farm. Throughout his career, Conlee has
championed the ordinary working man, typified in songs such as
"Busted," "Common Man," "Working Man," and
"American Faces." Inducted as the first new member of the Opry in five
years in 1979, he still tours regularly, and is active with charities.
Alabama
This American country-rock group has been one of the most successful country
acts of recent years, with the majority of their singles hitting No.1 on the
country charts, and all albums having reached gold or platinum status. They
created the group sound rather than a singer accompanied by a group, and set
things in motion for other outfits such as Atlanta, Exile and Bandana, and,
later, Restless Heart, Confederate Railroad, Desert Rose Band, and the Kentucky
HeadHunters. Initially formed in 1969 at Fort Payne, Alabama, as Wild country,
the group was a semi-professional outfit with the nucleus of cousins Jeff Cook
and Randy Owen, plus Teddy Gentry.
Reba McEntire
Discovered singing the national anthem at the 1974 National Finals Rodeo, Reba's
early country career revealed a different singer altogether form the polished
professional Reba of 1997. Greatly influenced by her small town upbringing, and
by the music of Patsy Cline, McEntire's early work is true honky-tonk country
with a twist.
After a dismal failure of the Urban
Cowboy era, a generation of "new traditionalists" -- George Strait,
Ricky Skaggs, the Judds, Randy Travis, and Ricky Van Shelton -- brought country
out of its post-Urban Cowboy doldrums by reminding young audiences what made the
music great in the first place. Building on the astounding success of Garth
Brooks, Randy Travis, Reba McEntire, Alan Jackson and many others, Country has
become the most popular radio format in America, reaching 77.3 million
adults--almost 40 percent of the adult population--every week. Since 1989,
country record sales have nearly doubled from $921 million to over $1.758
billion. Garth alone has sold more than 60 million albums since the release of
his self-titled album in April 1989.
Garth Brooks
The Country Music Superstar of the '90s, Troyal Garth Brooks was born in Tulsa,
Oklahoma, on February 7, 1962, and was raised in Yukon, about 100 miles away
from Tulsa. Country music played a role in Brooks' household, but not a dominant
one. Garth Brooks is undeniably the most popular country music artist of all
time, in terms of worldwide following, albums sold, and awards won. The first
single from his self-titled debut, "Much to Young (to Feel This Damn Old)
made it to #10. But it was Brooks' fourth single that cemented his popularity.
His biggest hit, one he considers his career song, "The Dance," and
its accompanying video vaulted up the country and pop charts, and from then on,
there was no stopping Garth Brooks.
George Strait
George Strait, born May 18, 1952, in Pearsall, Texas, emerged in the early '80s
as one of the best exponents of unvarnished, clean-cut country music. George and
his band had built up a strong following on the southwest Texas honky-tonk
circuit when, through the efforts of Erv Woolsey, a one-time MCA promotions man,
he landed an MCA recording contract in early 1981.